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Today’s top stories
Ken Paxton, supported by Trump, has defeated four-term GOP Senator John Cornyn to become the Republican nominee for a U.S. Senate seat. Paxton, aged 63, surpassed the 74-year-old Cornyn with nearly double the votes. Both candidates advanced to the runoff election on Tuesday after not achieving a majority in Texas’ primary in March. The Republicans invested $100 million in this primary, marking it the most costly primary in Senate history.
Republican Senate nominee Ken Paxton speaks to supporters at a watch party on March 3 in Dallas. Paxton beat incumbent Sen. John Cornyn in a runoff for the nomination, setting up a tough fight in November against Democratic nominee, state Rep. James Talarico.
Sergio Flores/Getty Images
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Sergio Flores/Getty Images
- 🎧 The election, a reflection of many across Texas and the nation, focused on a shift in leadership, explains Houston Public Media’s Andrew Schneider on Up First. Cornyn has been part of the established faction of the Texas Republican Party, which has shifted more to the right since his initial election during George W. Bush’s administration. Paxton, over the past year, has contended that Cornyn’s era is over, claiming he did not fully support President Trump. A poll by Texas Public Opinion Research last month suggested that a Trump endorsement could boost Paxton to a double-digit lead over Cornyn. Paxton will now challenge Democratic nominee, state Rep. James Talarico, in the midterms. Paxton criticizes Talarico as being too left-leaning for Texas, citing his comments on immigration, the economy, and transgender rights. Talarico became the Democratic nominee by successfully converting a state House district that previously backed Trump by double digits.
- ➡️ Democrat Nathan Johnson and Republican Mayes Middleton are preparing for a showdown to claim the position of Texas’ next attorney general in the November contest. The winner will succeed Paxton. (via KERA News)
- ➡️ U.S. Rep. Christian Menefee clinched the Democratic primary runoff against U.S. Rep. Al Green in Texas’ 18th Congressional District, as reported by the Associated Press. (via Houston Public Radio)
- ➡️ Texas general election matchups are finally determined. Here are four insights from the state’s primary runoffs.
In South Carolina, legislators obstructed Trump’s attempt to change voting maps before the midterm elections. A new map could have turned the only Democratic-held House seat in the state, currently occupied by Rep. James Clyburn, Republican, which would have made all seven congressional districts in the state lean towards the GOP, increasing their advantage in the national redistricting process, which has already potentially added around nine more U.S. House seats for them.
- 🎧 In South Carolina, the past three weeks have been hectic as redistricting became a central issue in the final days of the legislative session, according to South Carolina Public Radio’s Gavin Jackson. The Senate temporarily stalled the process, prompting Gov. Henry McMaster to call a special session for a new map. McMaster has stated that the president needs a Republican Congress to advance his agenda. Despite this, some prominent state Senate Republicans resisted the redistricting process. Jackson notes that South Carolina senators pride themselves on being thoughtful and resisting external pressures from Washington. After considering anticipated lawsuits and potential costs of delaying the primaries, some said it wasn’t necessarily a rebuke of the president but a reality check, according to Jackson. Unlike House members, South Carolina’s state senators are not up for reelection this year, which could shield them from Trump-related pressure.
- ➡️ Yesterday, an Alabama federal court blocked the state’s plan to implement a 2023 congressional map favoring the GOP. This decision is part of an ongoing redistricting case concerning Black voter representation.
The Department of Homeland Security is broadening its iris scanning capabilities as part of large-scale deportation operations. Privacy advocates have expressed concerns that the agency is collecting biometric data from detained individuals. Last week, DHS awarded a $25 million no-bid contract to BI2 Technologies, a company specializing in iris scanning. This new contract exceeds the amount of BI2’s previous contract with DHS, awarded last fall, by more than five times. As part of its bid to B12, DHS requested over 1,500 iris scanners and sought access to BI2’s mobile app.
The Trump administration has erased information about prosecutions related to the January 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol, including cases involving defendants who assaulted police officers. This move represents Trump’s latest effort to reshape the narrative surrounding the violent riot. Last week, Justice Department press releases detailing guilty pleas, jury verdicts, and prison sentences vanished from government websites. An NPR review revealed that the deletions included information about some of the most severe assaults on law enforcement that occurred that day.
- ➡️ NPR maintains the most comprehensive database and visual archive of the January 6 prosecutions. Check it out here.
Church and State
Housing and Urban Development Secretary Scott Turner prays during a Cabinet meeting with President Donald Trump at the White House in Washington on Feb. 26, 2025, as Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick also bow their heads.
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Pool photo/AP
This week at NPR, we’re exploring the growing fusion of religion and politics in a new series called Church and State. This idea has gained traction during the first and second Trump administrations, not only in U.S. politics but also throughout American culture, in music, art, textbooks, and faith-infused political events.
In January, the Department of Homeland Security released a video as a significant immigration enforcement operation unfolded in Minnesota. The phrase “Blessed are the peacemakers” from the Sermon on the Mount in the Gospel of Matthew appears on the screen, followed by images of military-style immigration enforcement. As the scene progresses, the remainder of the biblical passage, “For they shall be called the sons of God,” is revealed. Presidents have long used scripture as a rhetorical tool, invoking the Bible to frame moments of national crisis or purpose. However, the Trump administration uses biblical references differently, applying specific passages to align its policies and actions with God’s will.
Dyron Daughrity, a minister in the evangelical Church of Christ, notes that the imagery in the DHS video is striking but not unprecedented. Some, however, see this approach as more deliberate and concerning. To some scholars of Christianity, such framing undermines some of Jesus’ core ethical teachings. Explore both perspectives on how the administration uses the Bible to justify military invasions and immigration raids.
