Michigan Democratic race to close to call with El-Sayed in narrow lead First Thing

Haley Stevens trails progressive in Senate primary as counting continues. Plus, meet the man who names cockroaches after Tolkein and Pokémon characters

Good morning.

A Democratic Senate primary in Michigan remains too close to call, with Abdul El-Sayed, a progressive former public health official, holding a narrow lead over the establishment-backed congresswoman Haley Stevens. The battleground state is crucial to the party’s hopes of winning back control of the Senate in November.

Who won in the crowded primary in Washington state? Democratic representative Marie Gluesenkamp Perez secured one of two spots in the all-party primary, overcoming criticism from both the left and the right. She will face the Republican state senator John Braun in November.

Why are citizens being denied a voice in Missouri? The state’s top election official has rejected a petition seeking a statewide referendum on redistricting. Hundreds of thousands of petition signatures had been submitted in an effort to force a vote on whether to use a new US House map approved by the Republican-led state legislature. The Republican secretary of state, Denny Hoskins, said the number submitted did not matter because challenging a congressional map was unconstitutional under Missouri law.

What is the dispute about? The US Department of State said Viotti’s visa had been cancelled in retaliation for Brasília’s refusal to approve Trump’s nominee for ambassador to Brazil and its decision last month to deny visas to two US diplomats. Brasília swiftly condemned the decision, calling it part of a deliberate campaign to influence the outcome of the presidential election in Brazil this October. Lula, 80, is seeking a fourth, non-consecutive term against Flávio Bolsonaro, the senator son of the former president Jair Bolsonaro, and a close political ally of Trump.

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