More midterm primaries, LA mayoral race, possible 4th COVID vaccine: 5 things to know Tuesday
2022 midterms: Seven states hold primary elections
Voters in seven states make their choices Tuesday in primary elections that will set fall matchups in some key House and Senate races, governorships and a host of other offices. Primaries will be held in California, Iowa, Mississippi, Montana, New Jersey, New Mexico and South Dakota. The races aren't expected to offer huge drama but congressional races in several states will feature politicians facing ethical hurdles or former President Donald Trump's disapproval. The roster of those running includes a California congressman who voted to impeach Trump when he was president, a well-known party switcher in New Jersey who angered Trump by supporting an infrastructure bill and the last Democrat in Iowa's congressional delegation. Based on the results of primaries in May, many voters are concerned about the economy, abortion rights and gun control, with immigration and the border generally taking a backseat.
- Inflation. Guns. Abortion. Trump: What mattered to voters in the May primaries
- Unhealed wounds: GOP candidates who pushed 'stolen election' prosper
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Secretary Austin heads overseas to meet NATO defense leaders
Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said on Twitter last week he's embarking Tuesday on a multi-stop international trip that will conclude with a meeting of NATO defense ministers in Brussels to discuss Ukraine, as well as the applications of Sweden and Finland to join the military alliance. In other developments, Ukraine has added another general to the list of high-ranking Russian officers it has killed in the war. Russian state media and the Ukraine military confirmed Monday the death of Maj. Gen. Roman Kutuzov during fighting in the Donbas region, the BBC reported. The Russian defense ministry has not commented. Ukraine has targeted Russia's top officers and says it has killed 12, although some of those claims have been disputed. Also on Monday, U.S. authorities moved to seize a $350 million Boeing jet believed to be one of the world's most expensive private airplanes from Russian oligarch Roman Abramovich. The Boeing is believed to be in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.
- Will it make a difference? Biden is giving Ukraine the deadliest weapons yet
- Russian superyachts: How their seizure helps the feds punish Putin and his oligarchs
Los Angeles voters could vote in a new mayor, but a runoff seems more likely
Voters will have their say Tuesday in Los Angeles' primary race for mayor – an election that could signal a shift in the second-most populated city in the country. Twelve candidates qualified to appear on the ballot, but polls, including one released Sunday co-sponsored by the Los Angeles Times, show a close race between the two frontrunners: U.S. Rep. Karen Bass and billionaire developer Rick Caruso, with Bass holding a small lead. City Councilman Kevin de León is in a distant third, despite a flurry of political endorsements and him being the only major Latino candidate in a city that is almost 50% Hispanic. If one candidate gets 50% of the vote, that candidate will win the mayoral race outright. What is more likely at this stage – especially on a crowded ballot – is that no one will get 50% and the top two finishers will advance to a November runoff. A number of polls have indicated voters are concerned over the direction of the liberal city amid increased headlines about crime and the spread of homelessness, which tops 40,000 in the city of 4 million.
- Is California, one of the bluest states in the U.S., at a turning point over crime, homelessness?
- 'Dying on the streets': Homelessness crisis is top issue in Los Angeles mayoral race
FDA panel to consider approving 4th COVID-19 vaccine, this one from Novavax
A federal vaccine advisory committee will meet Tuesday to decide whether Americans could soon get a fourth COVID-19 vaccine option. Development of the vaccine from Novavax, a Maryland-based company, was started at the same time as others in 2020, but the company struggled to produce its shot in large quantities. The vaccine already is used in parts of Europe and multiple other countries, but FDA clearance is a key hurdle. A more traditional vaccine than some others, it might encourage some vaccine holdouts to get the shots, experts said. The Moderna and Pfizer-BioNTech shots are based on mRNA technology, which teaches the body to make the spike protein found on the surface of the coronavirus that causes COVID-19. The Novavax vaccine provides the spike protein directly and delivered with an adjuvant that boosts its effectiveness. Such protein-based vaccines have been used to prevent hepatitis B, whooping cough, pneumonia and meningococcal disease, among other illnesses.
- COVID-19 cases are rising in many states:What experts say makes this summer different
- COVID-19 vaccine for kids under 5: Parents may be able to vaccinate their youngest tots by the end of June, experts say
Downgraded storm Alex to merge with other system
Alex, which has been downgraded from a tropical storm to a post-tropical cyclone, will likely to merge with another storm in the Atlantic Ocean on Tuesday. As of Monday evening, the storm was moving east-northeast into the Atlantic Ocean at 31 mph. Forecasters said Alex began to lose tropical characteristics throughout Monday afternoon, when maximum sustained winds slowed to 60 mph. It weakened to a post-tropical cyclone as it trekked past Bermuda and stirred up rough seas along the eastern U.S. Alex, the first named storm of the Atlantic hurricane season, reached tropical storm status Sunday over the ocean after having killed three people in Cuba, where power outages and dozens of damaged homes were reported.
- NOAA Hurricane forecast: Up to 21 named storms possible; as many as 10 hurricanes could form
- What is the Saffir-Simpson hurricane wind speed scale? Breaking down how we classify hurricanes
Contributing: The Associated Press