Rep. Thomas Massie enters primary as a Trump target and the U.S. hantavirus ‘hot spots’: Morning Rundown

Morning RundownRep. Thomas Massie enters primary as a Trump target and the U.S. hantavirus ‘hot spots’: Morning RundownPlus, dramatic video shows crew forced to eject during a mid-air collision at an Idaho Air Force base show.Listen to this article with a free account00:0000:00Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., talks with reporters outside the U.S. Capitol in November.Tom Williams / CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty ImagShareAdd NBC News to GoogleMay 18, 2026, 7:14 AM EDTBy Kayla Hayempour and David HickeyIn today’s newsletter: A Kentucky Republican is the latest Trump target after bucking the president on issues ranging from budget legislation to the Epstein files. Crew survive a mid-air collision during an Idaho air show. And the hantavirus “hot spots” in the United States.Subscribe to read this story ad-free Get unlimited access to ad-free articles and exclusive content.Here’s what to know today.Kentucky Rep. Thomas Massie confronts Trump’s wrath in GOP primaryAdd NBC News to GoogleTrump targets political rivals ahead of midterms02:01Rep. Thomas Massie is no stranger to a primary challenge. But this year, President Donald Trump’s fury with the Kentucky libertarian has reached a boiling point.This is Morning Rundown, a weekday newsletter to start your day. Sign up here to get it in your inbox.Tomorrow, voters will decide whether Massie is re-elected — or becomes the latest casualty of Trump’s campaign to unseat foes inside the Republican Party. He’ll face off against Ed Gallrein, a former Navy SEAL and fifth-generation farmer who was personally recruited by the president.“People aren’t going to be voting for me or voting for him on election day,” Massie told NBC News. “They’re either going to be voting for me or voting against me.”Tensions between Massie and Trump worsened after the lawmaker voted against the “big, beautiful bill” and pushed to release the Epstein files, a move he acknowledged “put me on the wrong side of the president for quite a while.”Trump has called Massie...