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Welcome back. It’s another big primary day. Our political reporter Meg Kinnard joins us with a preview. Also in the news today: Trump expresses his disappointment in Pirro’s move to drop Reflecting Pool vandalism charges; and a look at the growing interest in AI among college students from non-tech majors. Finally, spicy cocktails are trending, and bartenders are turning up the heat with creative recipes that pack a punch. |
The Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool, July 31, in Washington. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein) |
Trump says Pirro ‘folded like an umbrella’ in bid to drop Reflecting Pool vandalism charges |
U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro’s move to dismiss charges against a former Olympian accused of vandalism was an embarrassing setback for the Justice Department. It marked a rare moment during President Donald Trump’s second term of an aide or political appointee openly defying him. Read more. |
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Pirro, a former Fox News host and longtime ally, was handpicked by Trump as top federal prosecutor in the nation’s capital. Speaking at an unrelated Oval Office event, Trump ducked questions about whether he’d fire Pirro. But the president kept up his drumbeat of sharp criticism, saying he remained disappointed by her assessment that damage to the Reflecting Pool was the result of shoddy construction, not vandalism. Though she has not commented publicly since Trump’s initial social media post criticizing her, Pirro was spotted walking into the White House on Monday evening.
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| What to watch in Tuesday’s primaries |
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Back with us today is national politics reporter, Meg Kinnard. It’s been a busy time for Meg as the race to the November midterms heat up. Fresh off reporting from Lindsey Graham’s funeral in Washington and back home in South Carolina, Meg is with us this morning to talk about today’s primaries. |
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What do you think today’s races will tell us about where things are heading in the November midterms?
Today isn’t just about the question of which party will have majorities in Congress; it’s about what kind of nominees are headed in that general election. The Michigan Senate race is the latest vanguard testing progressives’ heft within the Democratic Party this cycle, and a win by Abdul El-Sayed over Haley Stevens would give progressives their biggest victory to date this year. If readers only follow one thing from today’s races, what should it be?
Michigan is holding today’s most-watched contest, and it’s also one of the earliest states holding a Democratic presidential primary in 2028. How Democrats vote today in picking their Senate nominee could telegraph where they’re leaning when it comes to selecting someone to lead the party nationally in the next race for the White House — which begins in earnest as soon as the midterms are over! |
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If you want more from Meg, she also writes AP’s political newsletter Ground Game. Subscribe here. |
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At colleges, the AI boom means everyone wants to dabble in computer science |
Hiring has cooled for entry-level software developers — work increasingly done by AI agents — and college enrollment in computer science programs has been declining. Yet colleges recognize that new graduates — regardless of their field — are facing questions about their AI skills from potential employers. Read more.
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Many professors are finding themselves busier than ever teaching students from a range of majors about artificial intelligence. Schools like VCU are standing up AI minors targeting students outside computer science. There’s a new AI graduation requirement at Purdue University. In freshman writing classes, Harvard University is teaching students how large language models work.
“In the same way that everybody needs some degree of math, reading and writing, I think everybody needs a degree of AI literacy,” said Peter Stone, the chair of computer science at the University of Texas at Austin.
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