The Senate successors avoiding GOP primary drama and AI fueled job cuts: Morning Rundown
Vance and Rubio's Senate successors avoid GOP primary drama
As JD Vance and Marco Rubio shot to the top of Donald Trump's list of possible running mates last year, a hint of dread set in for Republicans in Ohio and Florida.
If either of the then-senators were to leave for the White House, their governors would need to appoint a successor — a potentially messy scenario in states where the Republican Party is filled with rivalrous internal factions.
In the end, both Vance and Rubio joined the new Trump administration. And their appointed successors, Jon Husted in Ohio and Ashley Moody in Florida, are facing smoother than expected paths, at least for now.
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Neither Husted nor Moody has a credible primary opponent at the moment. Husted scored an early Trump endorsement, while Moody has made efforts to get closer to the president's political team.
Both are also coming off strong fundraising quarters that could scare away any Republican tempted to challenge them.
Given recent trends in both states, Husted and Moody will enter their 2026 special elections as favorites in November, too.
The president's backing helped Husted secure early endorsements, and his decades-long record in elected office makes him one of the best-known politicians in the state. Combining these factors helps him 'clear the field,' one campaign manager said.
Since her appointment to the Senate in January, Moody has enhanced her ties to Trump while strengthening her financial footing, ending June with $2.2 million cash on hand. Any primary opponent would 'quickly find their candidacy crushed,' a GOP veteran said.
More politics news:
The last vestige of the decades-old bipartisan funding process is at risk of dying, as the Republican-led Congress shifts to a partisan approach and party-line votes.
When it comes to the 'big, beautiful bill,' few places could be impacted more significantly than Nevada — one of the country's most closely divided swing states.
Trump wants Washington's football franchise and Cleveland's baseball team to revert to their former names, both of which were changed amid national discussions about dropping logos and names considered racist.
AI is fueling job cuts, but is it really more efficient?
As news swirls about multibillion-dollar deals for artificial intelligence startups, a small research nonprofit group is turning some heads in the tech world.
Its findings were simple but surprising: AI made software engineers slower.
'When developers are allowed to use AI tools, they take 19% longer to complete issues,' the nonprofit group, METR, which specializes in evaluating AI models, said in its report.
The results offer a reality check for major companies like Google and Microsoft moving toward AI generated coding.
Overall job openings for software developers hit a five-year low earlier this year, and many coders are anxious about AI's responsibility for the slowdown. While it's clear AI can write code, it's far less certain whether the technology is a direct threat to coding jobs in the short term.
'We have tools that are way more powerful than any we've seen before,' one expert said, 'But there's also a long way to go.' Read the full story here.
New genetic test could predict adult obesity risk
A new genetic test may predict a child's risk of obesity in adulthood, paving the way for early interventions.
In a study published in the journal Nature Medicine, scientists examined the genes of more than 5 million people to determine which genetic variants are linked to obesity. Certain variants can affect how a person's body stores fat or make them more prone to overeating.
With this information, the researchers were able to create a score that could be used to predict a person's risk of obesity as an adult — before they even turn 5.
Identifying a person's genetic risk in childhood and intervening with lifestyle coaching could make a big difference in adult obesity rates, said study co-author Ruth Loos.
Loos' test is twice as effective as the method doctors currently use, but was primarily focused on people with European ancestry. Here's what else we know.
A Delta regional flight performed a 'go-around' to avoid colliding with a B-52 bomber.
An off-duty Customs and Border Patrol agent was shot in a New York City park in an alleged robbery that appeared to be random, police said.
Coldplay's Chris Martin gave concertgoers a cheeky heads up about the 'kiss cam' during the band's first performance following the viral moment last week.
The nation's largest wildfire this year has burned over 95,740 acres, fire officials in central Oregon said, and could intensify to become a so-called megafire.
Alaska Airlines temporarily grounded its planes and those of regional subsidiary Horizon Air amid a computer system outage.
Staff Pick: Meet the weather detectives trying to better understand hail
Hail is a sneaky threat that costs the U.S. tens of billions of dollars in damage each year. NBC News meteorologist and climate reporter Chase Cain visited Montana to catch up with researchers who drive into storms — come hail or high water — hoping to crack open the science of how hail forms and how to better forecast when big hail will strike.
The project, appropriately called ICECHIP, is the first major field campaign studying hail in nearly 50 years. Researchers raced across the plains to capture the inner dynamics of dozens of storms with tools like mobile radar and drones with the goal of testing whether climate change is increasing powerful updrafts inside thunderstorms, which can help form larger hailstones. Think of it like 'Twister' but for hail.
— Evan Bush, science reporter
NBC Select: Online Shopping, Simplified
What exactly are ampoules? Here's everything to know about the viral Korean beauty treatment. Plus, NBC Select found the best spring and summer dresses from Amazon — and all are under $50.
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South Wales Guardian
2 minutes ago
- South Wales Guardian
Trump and von der Leyen agree EU-US deal on US President's Scotland visit
The bloc will face 15% tariffs on most of its goods including cars, semiconductors and pharmaceuticals entering America rather than a 30% levy previously threatened by the US President. President of the EU Commission Ursula von der Leyen said the agreement would provide 'certainty in uncertain times' for citizens and businesses, while Mr Trump hailed what he described as the 'biggest deal ever made'. They also agreed 'zero for zero' tariffs on a number of products including aircraft, some agricultural goods and certain chemicals, Ms von der Leyen said. The two leaders met at the US President's Turnberry golf resort in Ayrshire on Sunday to hammer out the broad terms of the agreement, the detail of which is due to be fleshed out in the coming weeks. Before their bilateral talks, which lasted around an hour, Mr Trump had said there was a '50-50' chance of the deal being reached as a number of the sticking points remained. Following the meeting, he said: 'I think it's great that we made a deal today instead of playing games and maybe not making a deal at all … I think it's the biggest deal ever made.' Ms von der Leyen said: 'Today's deal creates certainty in uncertain times, it delivers stability and predictability for citizens on both sides of the Atlantic.' Irish Taoiseach Micheal Martin welcomed the 'clarity' the agreement brought to the transatlantic trade relationship and said the implications for exports from Ireland would be studied in the coming days. Together, the EU and the US are a market of 800 million people. And nearly 44 percent of global GDP. It's the biggest trade deal ever ↓ — Ursula von der Leyen (@vonderleyen) July 27, 2025 'That is good for businesses, investors and consumers. It will help protect many jobs in Ireland,' he said. 'The negotiations to get us to this point have been long and complex, and I would like to thank both teams for their patient work. 'We will now study the detail of what has been agreed, including its implications for businesses exporting from Ireland to the US, and for different sectors operating here.' The development on Sunday evening looks to have averted the prospect of transatlantic trade war amid concerns that US tariff rates could damage the world economy. However, uncertainty remains over American levies on steel, which Mr Trump has suggested remains subject to a rate of 50%.
The Independent
2 minutes ago
- The Independent
Rough deal: Social media roasts Trump's golf game after clip appears to show alleged cheating in Scotland
Social media users pounced on a clip that appears to show Donald Trump cheating on the golf course during his ongoing trip to Scotland, the latest in a long line of accusations that the president cheats on the fairway. In the video circulated by liberal commentators, a caddy appears to walk ahead of the golf-loving president in his golf cart and drop a ball behind him as the president approaches. 'Trump working hard to bring down grocery prices,' the caption says, making a satirical reference to the president's campaign promises to tackle inflation and costs 'For the morons that think Trump doesn't cheat at golf and wins all those club championships fair and square….watch his caddie here,' another account wrote. The phrase 'commander in cheat' was soon trending on the social media site. 'The video of Trump's caddy doing an Oddjob Slazenger drop isn't a big deal; cheating at golf isn't nearly the worst thing about Trump,' wrote The Atlantic 's Tom Nichols. 'But watching the cult of personality try to explain it away is really some creepy North Korean level stuff.' The Independent has requested comment from the White House. The president has faced a long list of accusations that he doesn't play fair from figures ranging from actor Samuel Jackson to LPGA player Suzann Pettersen. Trump's alleged cheating, which has always denied, is even the subject of a book: Rick Reilly's Commander in Cheat. 'At Winged Foot, where Trump is a member, the caddies got so used to seeing him kick his ball back onto the fairway they came up with a nickname for him: Pele,' Reilly writes in the book. Controversy has always followed Trump, an avid golfer and developer of golf resorts, when he hits the 18 holes. The president has golfed at least 45 days out of his 189 days in office this year, or roughly 24 percent of his second term thus far. In April, the president faced criticism for attending an event from Saudi Arabia-backed LIV Golf while missing the return ceremony for the remains of four dead American soldiers. Others have criticized the president's promotion of his business interests on his own properties. During the Scotland trip, Trump met with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen at his Turnberry golf course to announce an EU trade deal, and the president plans to attend a ribbon-cutting ceremony on Tuesday for a new course in Aberdeenshire. The White House described the Scotland tour as a 'working trip' while touting that Trump 'has built the best and most beautiful world-class golf courses anywhere in the world, which is why they continue to be used for prestigious tournaments and by the most elite players in the sport.' The president's Mar-a-Lago club and estate in Florida, near one his golf courses, has also emerged as a key hub for lobbying and fundraising, home to visits from tech billionaires and $1-million-per-head fundraising dinners. In the Middle East, meanwhile, the president's family company, the Trump Organization, recently struck a deal to build a golf resort in Qatar, weeks before the nation announced the gift of a $400 million Boeing 747 plane to be used for the new Air Force One. Despite the administration's insistence on cutting government spending, the president has also reportedly drained taxpayers of over $10 million in costs related to his many golf trips, while the Secret Service has spent hundreds of thousands of dollars for the use of golf carts and port-a-potties at Trump's New Jersey golf club. Since retaking office, Trump and his family businesses have taken in hundreds of millions of dollars on business ventures including cryptocurrency, real estate, and branded merchandise. 'He is president and is supposed to be working in the public's interest,' James Thurber, an emeritus professor at American University, told The Associated Press last month. 'Instead, he is helping his own personal interest to grow his wealth. It's totally not normal.'
Daily Mirror
3 minutes ago
- Daily Mirror
MIKEY SMITH: 7 unhinged Donald Trump Scotland moments as he moans nobody thanked him for Gaza aid
Donald Trump is still in Scotland, for some reason using it as a base to agree trade deals between the US and other countries Donald Trump is still in Scotland, for some reason using it as a base to agree trade deals between the US and other countries. But at least we're all paying millions of pounds to ensure he can do that - and play some golf - without any pesky protesters bothering him. He welcomed Ursula Von der Leyen, the President of the European Commission, to his Scottish White House - and very rapidly agreed a trade deal with her. Like, in less than an hour. And he, obviously, had another rant about wind farms. Here's everything you need to know about the happenings in Trump World: Scotland. Buckle up. 1. He went golfing with a motorcade of 27 vehicles - including one very special one back out on the course this morning for a chilly second morning of his golf holiday in Scotland. He was seen on his Turnberry golf course in South Ayrshire, being transported between transported between holes in a motorcade of 26 golf carts plus one curious vehicle. This thing appears to be an articulated, secret service golf buggy. Sort of a golf equivalent of the Beast. It has reportedly been dubbed "Golf Force One". His adult sons Eric and Don Jr were both with him on the course. 2. Some British fans came to see him at the golf course. And by some we mean three There was no sign of anti-Trump protesters outside the golf course this morning - three British Trump fans were out on the hill next to Turnberry. They wore Make America Great Again hats, waved small US flags and held a sign that read "Don't trust Starmer". Trump waved and blew a kiss towards the fans before he took his shot. Tom English, one of the group who had travelled from Blackburn, said: "I can't believe we're the only ones, to be fair. I thought there'd be more people." Asked why he'd travelled so far to support the leader of another country, Mr English said: "I've just loved him from day one when he ran. I like the way he speaks, his personality, the comedy gold he comes out with. "He had me at Rosie O'Donnell to be honest with you." Ms O'Donnell has been the target of a long running campaign of abuse by Trump, who earlier this month threatened to revoke her citizenship. "I've supported him all the way through. It's just because he'a not one of them, basically. He came in, said he's going to drain the swamp, end the deep state and that's what he's trying to do." 3. One Brit said he'd totally sussed out Trump's plan for the Epstein files "I can see what's happening," said Tom English, who travelled from Blackburn to see Trump in the flesh. He said he was not bothered by the scandal - here's why. "If you follow Trump from day one, and you know how he works, and you've read his book, The Art of the Deal, and you know he's studied the art of war, then you can see the tactics he's using." Asked what the tactics he's using are, Tom said: "The Dems don't want it releasing. You've got judges and people in congress who don't want the Epstein files releasing for years on end now. "So he says, it's all fake. It's fake news. The Democrats are making it up. "All of a sudden it's the Republicans that are blocking it and the Democrats are voting for it to be released." Still with us? Good. He went on: "Now what will happen is he'll order the MAGA lot to reverse the vote, and they'll be Trump won't be in there. "But his adversaries will. That's my prediction." So, to recap, the whole of the last few weeks, where Trump has been pulling out all the stops to divert attention away from discussions about the Epstein files, has been a massive red herring. It's a sneaky ruse to trick the Democrats into releasing the files - because it's only them who will actually be damaged by them. This seems like a high risk strategy to us, especially considering the weight of evidence and reporting that contradicts every element of it. 4. He threatened to have Beyonce prosecuted Trump posted a massively unhinged rant on Truth Social, during which he threatened to have Beyonce and Oprah Winfrey prosecuted over things that never happened. It comes down to a baseless, evidence-free nonsense conspiracy theory posted online by people who made it up out of thin air, which claims Beyonce charged Kamala Harris $11m for her endorsement, and Oprah claimed £3m for expenses. Trump wrote: "I'm looking at the large amount of money owed by the Democrats, after the Presidential Election, and the fact that they admit to paying, probably illegally, Eleven Million Dollars to singer Beyoncé for an ENDORSEMENT (she never sang, not one note, and left the stage to a booing and angry audience!), Three Million Dollars for "expenses," to Oprah, Six Hundred Thousand Dollars to very low rated TV "anchor," Al Sharpton (a total lightweight!), and others to be named for doing, absolutely NOTHING! These ridiculous fees were incorrectly stated in the books and records." Not a word of the above sentence (and yes, it is one sentence) is true. He went on: "YOU ARE NOT ALLOWED TO PAY FOR AN ENDORSEMENT. IT IS TOTALLY ILLEGAL TO DO SO. Can you imagine what would happen if politicians started paying for people to endorse them. All hell would break out! Kamala, and all of those that received Endorsement money, BROKE THE LAW. They should all be prosecuted! Thank you for your attention to this matter." Nobody did any of this. It was made up. 5. He moaned that he didn't get enough thanks for sending food to Gaza Speaking ahead of his negotiations with Ursula Von der Leyen, Trump admitted he was "not in a good mood." He fumed about America not getting more credit for sending humanitarian aid to Gaza. "We gave $60 million two weeks ago and nobody even acknowledged it, for food," he said. "And it's terrible. You know, you really at least want to have somebody say thankyou. No other country gave anything. We gave $60 million two weeks ago for food for Gaza and nobody acknowledged it." He went on: "And nobody said 'Gee, thankyou very much'. And that would be nice, to have at least a thankyou." Get Donald Trump updates straight to your WhatsApp! As the world attempts to keep up with Trump's antics, the Mirror has launched its very own US Politics WhatsApp community where you'll get all the latest news from across the pond. We'll send you the latest breaking updates and exclusives all directly to your phone. Users must download or already have WhatsApp on their phones to join in. All you have to do to join is click on this link, select 'Join Chat' and you're in! We may also send you stories from other titles across the Reach group. We will also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. To leave our community click on the name at the top of your screen and choose Exit group. If you're curious, you can read our Privacy Notice. 6. In case anyone didn't know already, he explicitly gave away why he hates wind turbines so much In his extended disco remix rant ahead of a relatively brief negotiation with Von der Leyon, Trump somehow managed to weave onto talking about wind farms. At length. Again. But in case you were wondering why the subject was on his mind, he gave the game away: "Today, I'm playing the best course I think in the world. Turnberry. "Even though I own it, it's probably the best course in the world. "And I look over the horizon and I see 9 windmills at the end of the 18th. I say, isn't that a shame?" 7. He insists he didn't rush through the EU trade deal to distract from the Epstein scandal We actually kind of believe him on this one. This seems to be a fairly natural reaction.
