A slate of closely watched Republican primaries in Indiana Tuesday night offered a key test of President Donald Trump’s grip on the GOP ahead of his final midterm election.  Seven incumbent state senators who voted against Trump’s redistricting push last year faced primary challengers backed by the president, Sen. Jim Banks and Turning Point Action. As of this writing, the Trump-backed challengers have ousted five of them. One of the incumbents, Greg Goode, has won reelection, and the seventh race remains too close to call. State legislative primaries typically draw limited attention, but Indiana’s contests went under the national microscope after 21 Republicans joined Democrats to shoot down a redistricting bill that would’ve netted the GOP several House seats in this year’s midterm elections. The decision placed Indiana at odds with other Republican-led states that moved more quickly to align with Trump’s push for maps designed to maximize GOP gains. Trump and his allies immediately vowed to seek revenge, and have succeeded in ousting a majority of those Republicans who were up for reelection this year.  “Any Republican that votes against this important redistricting … should be PRIMARIED,” Trump wrote at the time.  In the months leading up to Tuesday’s primaries, Trump escalated his involvement by hosting candidates, issuing endorsements, and amplifying the races to a national audience. On Tuesday, he reinforced that message in a post on Truth Social: “Good luck to those Great Indiana Senate Candidates who are running against people who couldn’t care less about our Country, or about keeping the Majority in Congress. There are eight Great Patriots running against long seated RINOS — Let’s see how those RINOS do tonight!” Many of the incumbents targeted by Trump are long-serving Republicans with strong conservative credentials and backing from traditional interest groups, including law enforcement, agriculture, and gun rights organizations. Their resistance to the redistricting push, however, became a defining issue in the primaries. Some defended their position as a matter of principle. State Sen. Spencer Deery, the incumbent whose race remains too close to call, argued ahead of the election that altering congressional maps outside the standard redistricting cycle raised constitutional and political concerns. Others within the party framed the issue differently, emphasizing loyalty and political urgency. Indiana Lt. Gov. Micah Beckwith, a supporter of the redistricting effort, argued that the moment called not just for conservative policy positions, but for alignment with broader national strategy. “Everyone in Indiana politics should have learned an important lesson today: President Trump is the single most popular Republican among Hoosier voters. Indiana is a conservative state, and we deserve conservatives in our State Senate who have a pulse on Republican voters,” Banks said Tuesday night. “It was an honor to be entrusted by President Trump with the important political work of electing conservative Republicans who support his agenda, and I’m proud to say that we delivered. I look forward to fighting for an America First agenda in Indiana alongside the many newly elected conservative State Senators.” With Trump’s approval rating on the decline, and fissures on the right leading to questions about the future of MAGA, Tuesday night’s results provide a strong indicator that Trump can still be a kingmaker in the Republican Party.

Vivek Ramaswamy is the projected winner of the Republican primary for Ohio governor on Tuesday night, confirming expectations that the former presidential candidate would dominate the contest. Ramaswamy defeated Casey Putsch, an engineer and automotive designer who mounted an unconventional outsider campaign but struggled to gain traction. With 15% of the votes counted, Ramaswamy led with 85%, while Putsch trailed at 15%. With the victory, Ramaswamy advances to the general election, where he will face Democrat Amy Acton, the former state health director during the COVID-19 pandemic. Acton was unopposed in her party’s primary, setting up a clear November matchup as term-limited Republican Gov. Mike DeWine leaves office. Tuesday’s result had been widely anticipated. Ramaswamy entered the contest as the heavy favorite, bolstered by strong name recognition following his 2024 presidential bid and reinforced by a late endorsement from President Donald Trump. “Vivek Ramaswamy will be a GREAT Governor of Ohio, and has my Complete and Total Endorsement,” Trump wrote in a Truth Social post on Tuesday, calling him “Young, Strong, and Smart” and praising his economic and policy agenda. The endorsement capped a race that largely moved in Ramaswamy’s favor, highlighting the broader dynamics within the Republican Party, particularly the influence of nationally prominent figures in shaping state-level primaries. Putsch’s candidacy drew attention for its outsider message and willingness to challenge both Ramaswamy and elements of the national GOP. His campaign included criticism of Republican leadership and positions on issues ranging from energy policy to foreign affairs, but it failed to translate into significant electoral support. Ramaswamy’s victory now shifts the focus to the general election, where he will face Acton in what is expected to be a closely watched race in a reliably Republican state. The contest will pit Ramaswamy’s national profile and policy platform against a Democratic candidate closely associated with Ohio’s pandemic response — offering voters a clear contrast heading into November. While the primary itself did little to upend expectations, its outcome reinforces a familiar pattern of Republican voters consolidating behind a high-profile, Trump-aligned candidate heading into the general election in November.

A Texas jury on Tuesday sentenced the FedEx driver who admitted to murdering seven-year-old Athena Strand to death. Tanner Horner, who confessed last month to killing the young girl in 2022, stood expressionless as Judge George Gallagher delivered the sentence. “It is therefore the order of this court that your punishment be death,” Gallagher said. Strand’s naked body was found in a creek on December 2, 2022, just about 40 miles north of the courtroom where Horner learned his fate. The judge said the execution would be carried out by legal injection “before the hour of sunrise” at a future date. After the verdict, Athena’s uncle, Elijah Strand, addressed Horner directly while fighting back tears. “You did not just take a life, you destroyed a family,” he said. “You will be judged. You will face the wrath of God. And I want you to know that you are nothing. You are a footnote in Athena’s story. Her name will forever be celebrated and everyone will forget you.” Horner looked toward Strand as he spoke but otherwise showed little reaction in court. Tuesday’s sentencing concluded a case that has devastated the Strand family since 2022. Horner was working as a FedEx delivery driver when he went to Athena’s father’s home. He told investigators he accidentally struck the child with his truck while backing out of the driveway, per CBS News. According to investigators, Horner said Athena did not appear seriously injured, but he panicked, placed her in his vehicle, and strangled her out of fear she would tell her dad what happened. Horner pleaded guilty to his capital murder and kidnapping charges on April 7, just before his trial was set to begin. The case then moved into a two-week sentencing phase. Dallas television station WFAA had access inside the courtroom during the sentencing hearings, where audio played of Horner strangling Athena inside the vehicle. At one point, Horner told Athena to take her shirt off, and she replied: “My mom says that you can’t do that to me.” She started to scream as the sounds of Horner slamming her into the floor of his truck echoed through the courtroom, according to The Post. Christmas songs can be heard on the FedEx truck’s radio. Horner sang along to “Jingle Bell Rock” as he strangled her with his bare hands, per the outlet. Horner returned to the area the following day as search efforts were underway and denied any knowledge of the child’s disappearance, authorities said. Under Texas law, the death sentence will automatically be appealed to the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals.

McDonald’s has ticked off many customers as it continues making an unpopular change to its restaurants. The fast-food behemoth announced in 2023 that it planned to gradually phase out self-serve beverage stations. That was not an idle threat, as many customers are now seeing this change implemented at their local McDonald’s. “This change is intended to create a consistent experience for both customers and crew across all ordering points, whether that’s McDelivery, the app, kiosk, drive-thru or in-restaurant,” the company told USA Today in a statement in 2023. McDonald’s confirmed that the plan was moving forward despite significant backlash. “As confirmed in 2023, McDonald’s will be transitioning away from self-serve beverage stations in dining rooms across the U.S. by 2032,” the company told Fox Business this week, giving a nearly identical statement. “The change is being rolled out over 10 years, and is intended to create a consistent experience for both customers and crew across all ordering points, whether that’s McDelivery, the app, kiosk, drive-thru or in-restaurant.” The change is being seen as a move away from in-store dining in favor of drive-thru, delivery, and digital orders. This lines up with many restaurants being remodeled and removing play places for kids, plus generally changing the aesthetic to be more muted and modern.  Beverages, one of the biggest sources of profit for the company, remain a focus for McDonald’s. Sodas have a profit margin of up to 90%, with the fast-food restaurant charging $1.50 to $4 for an item that costs 10 to 40 cents per cup, including product, packaging, and labor. The company told Fox Business in a statement that it would introduce new items to the lineup, including “dirty sodas” that have been going viral online.  “Our fans’ love for McDonald’s beverages runs deep … Next month, we’re building on that passion with a new era of beverages, featuring a variety of Refreshers and crafted sodas rolling out nationwide,” the statement said.

A rare strain of hantavirus that has a 40% mortality rate and spreads through human-to-human contact could be responsible for three deaths on board a luxury cruise ship, health officials believe. The outbreak on the MV Hondius, which was sailing from Argentina to Cape Verde, has resulted in at least seven other infections and has trapped other passengers on the ship as government and health officials try to figure out how to get sick passengers off the cruise ship. Most hantavirus strains only spread to humans from rodent droppings, urine, or saliva, but one rare and extremely dangerous strain can spread from human-to-human and “can’t be ruled out,” the World Health Organization said on Tuesday. “We do believe that there may be some human-to-human transmission that is happening among the really close contacts,” World Health Organization official Maria Van Kerkhove said. “We do know that some of the cases had very close contact with each other and certainly human-to-human transmission can’t be ruled out,” Van Kerkhove added. The deadly strain suspected of spreading on the cruise ship is known as the “Andes virus” and is most commonly found in the Andes Mountains of Argentina and Chile. Van Kerkhove assured the media that the risk posed to the public from the hantavirus outbreak on the ship “is low.” The cruise ship, along with its nearly 150 passengers and crew members, is being held off Cape Verde, an archipelago off the coast of West Africa. Van Kerkhove said on Tuesday that the ship would soon move around 1,000 miles northeast to the Canary Islands, a Spanish territory. The Spanish government said it was still trying to figure out “which port of call is most appropriate” for the ship to dock. Health officials in hazmat suits checked out the cruise ship on Monday, and the World Health Organization said that no rodents were found on board, giving more credence to the human-to-human transmission theory. Medical teams also went aboard the ship to look into suspected infections of two crew members, The New York Post reported. Jake Rosmarin, an American travel blogger who’s stuck on the ship, said in a video recording on Tuesday that all the healthy passengers “are doing well” and are in “good spirits.” He said that healthy passengers “have the option to have meals delivered directly to their cabins,” but “gathering in indoor common areas such as the lounge is currently restricted.” Two of the people who died after contracting hantavirus were a Dutch couple who had been traveling in South America before boarding the MV Hondius, which left from Argentina on March 20 for a weeks-long voyage. The World Health Organization believes the couple contracted the disease before boarding the ship. The first person, a 70-year-old Dutch man, died on board the ship on April 11. His wife, a 69-year-old woman, died 15 days later in South Africa while she was attempting to fly home to the Netherlands, The New York Times reported. A German national died on the ship on Saturday. Hantavirus typically begins with flu-like symptoms such as fever, chills, and body aches, before potentially progressing to breathing problems and possible lung or heart failure.