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On Politics

Mon Jun 1 2026

Nicole Fallert | Newsletter Writer & SEO Editor

Hi there On Politics readers! Nicole Fallert here with Monday's rundown on the news to know from Washington.

This month will be full of elections

Primaries in more than a dozen states are set to determine the nominees for Senate, House and gubernatorial races, who will then run in general elections this November. States also have a slew of local races for voters to weigh in on.

Why June matters for the midterms: The busy election cycle comes as President Donald Trump hopes to maintain Republicans' control of Congress to secure the success of his second-term agenda in Washington.

"June is a really busy month," says John McGlennon, professor of government at the College of William & Mary, told USA TODAY. "With more than a quarter of all seats in the House of Representatives up for grabs (at least potentially) we will have gone a long way toward settling the slates for November. "

Up first: California, Iowa, Montana, New Jersey, New Mexico and South Dakota will hold primaries on Tuesday, June 2. See which races are happening if you're a voter in one of these states.

A politics roundup:

•	The U.S. and Iran traded strikes and blamed each other for the escalation.
•	Here's Trump's latest reason for a new ballroom.
•	Israel captured a 900-year-old castle in Lebanon.
•	Democrats want to turn this red state purple in 2026.

Embattled immigration detention center to resume regular visitations

Delaney Hall, a privately run immigration detention center in Newark, New Jersey, will once again welcome visitors, following more than a week of clashes between law enforcement officers and protestors, as well as a hunger strike among some of the center's detainees.

Outside the facility’s gates, there have been clashes between federal immigration officials and demonstrators. Meanwhile, inside the facility, detainees launched a hunger strike over Memorial Day weekend. The Department of Homeland Security has denied that a hunger strike is taking place at Delaney Hall.

President Trump: Festival headliner?

Prominent artists are pulling out of a series of planned concerts on the National Mall celebrating the nation's 250th anniversary, prompting President Donald Trump to nix the musical performances. Trump himself now plans to give a speech instead, according to a White House official.

Country star Martina McBride and R&B group The Commodores were among the latest cancellations for the concert, which is slated to run June 25 through July 10. Both said they were initially under the impression the event would be entirely nonpartisan. "That turned out to be misleading," McBride said in a statement.

💬 We also want to hear from you! What questions do you have for our team as we get closer to November? Is there a race you’re watching closely? Let us know by jumping in the comments on Reddit or responding to this newsletter.

Thanks for reading! Scroll for more stories. You can reach me at nfallert@usatoday.com