FALLING SHORT: Trump-backed Rep. Andy Ogles (R-Tenn.) lost his primary to a former state official Thursday in a major blow to the firebrand lawmaker, ending his chance at another term in the House.
Former Tennessee Agriculture Commissioner Charlie Hatcher is on track to defeat Ogles by more than 6 points in the state’s 5th Congressional District, located on the western end. Hatcher will be the favorite to win the November election in a solidly red district.
Ogles, a two-term legislator and member of the right-wing House Freedom Caucus, had the support of the president and other notable GOP figures, including the state’s two Republican senators, Marsha Blackburn and Bill Hagerty.
But Ogles’s tenure in office has proved controversial, often over comments he has made about various minority groups. He said in March that Muslims “don’t belong in American society” and defended the statement after receiving backlash.
More recently, his X account posted at the start of Pride Month that homosexuality “has no place in America.” Ogles blamed the post on a staffer but received criticism from fellow Republicans.
Hatcher received support from Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee (R), with whom he served when he led the state’s agriculture department. A PAC that supports renewable energy called the Invest in Tomorrow Coalition also zeroed in on trying to defeat Ogles, spending $2 million to attack the congressman and boost Hatcher.
The results mark a relatively rare defeat for Trump, whose record in GOP primaries has demonstrated his continued influence within the party. His chosen candidate also lost a GOP House primary in Michigan earlier this week.
▪ The Hill: Takeaways from Tennessee’s primaries.
▪ The Hill: Blackburn on track to succeed Lee as governor.
SPRINTING TO THE END: Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) are pushing toward a deal to fund the federal government and allow lawmakers to go home for August recess, but questions remain as to when and how they will get there.
The Hill’s Alexander Bolton reports Thune’s priorities are to pass a continuing resolution keeping the government funded into December and confirm a package of 74 Trump nominees. But he’s facing opposition from Trump allies who want the GOP to clinch more accomplishments before departing Washington for a month.
Thune is also looking to get the votes to confirm Blanche as attorney general, but he still is short of the votes he needs to clinch confirmation. The nomination received another blow early Friday as Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) came out against the nomination, leaving Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-La.) as the swing vote.
Two other pieces of legislation possibly up for consideration before the recess include a Russia sanctions bill and a measure to reform eligibility and compensation for college athletes. But amendments to those bills could delay them past the recess.
▪ The Hill: Surprise GOP hemp fight drags spending bill.
DEFENDER-IN-CHIEF: Trump is defending Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth following a Washington Post report that the two feuded during a meeting a Camp David last week over the U.S.’s dwindling munitions stockpiles.
“The Fake News, as usual, is spreading false and completely unfounded rumors. I am extremely happy with the job that Pete Hegseth is doing,” Trump said in a post on Truth Social on Thursday.
The Post reported earlier in the day that Trump expressed frustration about the state of the Iran war at the presidential retreat last Friday, demanding answers from Hegseth about why he had been misled on the munitions shortages caused by U.S. involvement in the conflict.
The shortages have reportedly played a part in Trump holding off on threatened larger attacks against Iran. Trump has repeatedly defended Hegseth publicly and said the “‘leakers’ of these treasonous statements” about the munitions shortfalls are being “hunted down.”
The Wall Street Journal reported Thursday night that Trump has ordered an investigation into the leaks.
▪ The Hill: 50 percent believe war will destabilize the Middle East, survey finds.
▪ The Atlantic: How the U.S. squandered its strategic advantage.
JUMPING FORWARD: Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) is expected to skip a vote on the Senate floor and refer Dr. Anthony Fauci to the Department of Justice (DOJ) after the panel he chairs voted to hold the former White House medical adviser in contempt Thursday.
The Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee voted along party lines to hold Fauci in contempt of Congress for his refusal to answer questions at the committee’s hearing last week. Fauci invoked his Fifth Amendment right more than 100 times during the hearing focused on the COVID-19 pandemic, arguing Paul was trying to get him to say something that would land him in prison.
Criminal referrals from a Senate committee usually go to the full Senate for a vote, but Paul can also directly send it to the DOJ. A full Senate vote would require Democratic support to reach a 60-vote threshold, an unlikely prospect.
Paul had previously signaled he would directly transmit the referral to the DOJ to not “waste time.” The referral isn’t a mandate, and the U.S. attorney for D.C. will have discretion whether to prosecute.
Lawmakers have been split on whether Fauci has Fifth Amendment protections given the preemptive pardon he received from former President Biden last year.
▪ The Hill: 3 state attorneys general subpoena Fauci.
▪ The Hill: FDA approves first mRNA flu vaccine.
GREEN LIGHT: The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) voted Thursday to eliminate a longstanding cap on the number of households that a single broadcaster can reach nationally.
The rule had been in place since the early 2000s, restricting the viewers that one broadcaster could reach at 39 percent of the national television viewing audience. The FCC said the rule will be replaced by a “granular, case-by-case review.”
“Eliminating the national cap will allow broadcasters to better compete with these unregulated digital giants,” the commission said in a statement, referring to the growth of Big Tech companies in media.
Nexstar Media Group, The Hill’s parent company, was among the companies pushing to change the ownership rules. Nexstar is the largest provider of local news in the country and is pursuing a multibillion-dollar acquisition of Tegna, another major news provider.
The Hill’s Dominick Mastrangelo reports the change will likely have major implications for the future of television news and could lead to greater consolidation by media companies.
▪ WBAY: States urge FCC to toughen rules for phone companies.
