Democratic socialist wins in Florida and Hayden Panettiere’s mother speaks out: Morning Rundown

Democratic socialist Angie Nixon scores major upset in Florida’s Democratic Senate primary. Steep tariffs against Canada are put on hold. And how police uncovered a large-scale drug-trafficking ring at Penn State.

Democratic socialist Angie Nixon pulls off major upset in Senate primary

The November ballot is set in several of Florida’s top races after an election night filled with big wins and major surprises.

State Rep. Angie Nixon, a democratic socialist, pulled off a huge upset over establishment candidate Alex Vindman in the Florida Democratic Senate primary, setting up a November matchup against Republican Sen. Ashley Moody. The winner will serve out the final two years of Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s Senate term. More on Nixon’s win.

Trump-backed Republican Rep. Cory Mills lost his primary to former television journalist Ryan Elijah. Unlike other incumbents who have fallen victim to intraparty divisions this year, Mills was defeated after being dogged by a series of investigations and negative publicity. More on Mills’ loss.

Democratic Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz won the nomination for re-election, but GOP-led redistricting in the state meant she had to run in a district that has long been represented by Black Democrats. Here’s how other House primaries played out.

In the race to succeed Gov. Ron DeSantis, Republican Rep. Byron Donalds won his party’s primary, while Democrats nominated David Jolly, a former Republican congressman who switched parties. Jolly’s candidacy will test whether Democrats can rebuild after eight years of DeSantis in power. More on the Florida governor’s race.

More 2026 election news:

Trump pauses 50% tariffs on Canada

President Donald Trump has paused tariffs on Canada for three days, declaring on social media last night that the countries “have a DEAL.” Trump offered few details, other than referencing the Keystone XL pipeline, which he said “may be awoken from the grave.” The tariffs were due to take effect overnight.

The 50% duties would have affected about $20 billion worth of U.S. imports from Canada, hitting products ranging from hockey sticks and some building materials to liquor and certain types of clothing.

Hayden Panettiere’s mother speaks out after daughter’s death

Hayden Panettiere’s mother, Lesley Vogel, spoke out about her family’s longstanding concerns about the actor’s boyfriend in her first public comments since her daughter’s death on Sunday. “This person in her life that we have been trying to get rid of for quite some time was with her at her death, and that was Brian Hickerson,” Vogel told NBC News.

A police incident report said that Panettiere was with Hickerson and his brother at the time of her death. She and Hickerson had been in an on-again, off-again relationship since 2018.

Vogel has previously said that she “chose the no-contact route” with her daughter but said that she wishes things could have been different.

How Penn State’s massive drug trafficking ring was uncovered

At the beginning of the week, Pennsylvania’s attorney general announced charges against more than a dozen people in connection with an alleged drug-trafficking scheme involving two fraternities at Penn State University. Among them is Thomas Robinson, 23, whose arrest in 2024 helped authorities uncover a “coordinated and highly profitable” cocaine trafficking ring centered on two fraternities, Delta Upsilon and Sigma Chi, according to the state’s Attorney General Dave Sunday.

According to a criminal complaint, Robinson initially thought police executing a search warrant at the Delta Upsilon fraternity house was a prank. It wasn’t. Robinson’s cooperation with authorities ultimately helped bring down the operation and its main supplier, Agostino Abbatiello. Robinson’s father was also charged in connection with the scheme.

How police busted the drug trafficking ring.

Staff Pick: When conspiracy theories drive policy

I’ve been fascinated for years by the way the chemtrails conspiracy theory has gained traction in statehouses. Tennessee became the first state to ban weather modification and geoengineering in 2024 — terms that encompass a wide range of technologies aimed at cooling the Earth or inducing rain, most of which remain theoretical. While there are no large-scale weather modification programs in the U.S., two more states — Louisiana and Florida — have since passed similar bans, and lawmakers have introduced bills in another 28 states.

The trend has been fueled in part by unfounded claims that jets are spraying chemicals to control people’s minds or manipulate the weather.

The three states have even established systems for residents to report suspected violations. Tens of thousands of complaints have poured in, many accompanied by photos of innocuous clouds or airplane condensation trails.

The trend points to a strange tension. On the one hand, lawmakers seem to be letting conspiracy theories drive public policy. But on the other hand, some scientists are increasingly interested in pursuing small geoengineering experiments as climate change’s effects mount. — Evan Bush , science reporter

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