Donald Trump<\/b>-backed candidates rarely lose in Republican primaries.<\/p>\n
Last night\u2019s gubernatorial race in Georgia was an exception: Billionaire health care executive Rick Jackson<\/b> won the Republican runoff for governor, defeating Georgia Lt. Gov. Burt Jones<\/b> in a close race. Both Trump and Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp<\/b> had endorsed Jones.<\/p>\n
Trump did notch a win in the state\u2019s Senate primary \u2014 Rep. Mike Collins<\/b>, whom Trump backed, defeated former football coach Derek Dooley<\/b> \u2014 but the loss stands out because of how rare it is for the president.<\/p>\n
Our colleague Praveena Somasundaram<\/b> has more on everything that happened in Georgia<\/a>.<\/p>\n In Iowa, Trump\u2019s pick for governor, Rep. Randy Feenstra<\/b>, lost to<\/a> businessman Zach Lahn<\/b>. On Tuesday, the president\u2019s endorsement in the Oklahoma governor\u2019s race was not enough for his candidate to avoid a runoff.<\/p>\n A streak of Trump losses could undercut his strong grip on the GOP that has defined the last decade of Republican politics. But he remains a powerful force, as evidenced by races in Kentucky, Louisiana and Texas, where his preferred candidates ousted incumbents this year, and several races Tuesday where they also won. Read more here<\/a>.<\/p>\n In D.C., Janeese Lewis George<\/b> took an early and sizable lead in D.C.\u2019s Democratic mayoral primary on Tuesday based on preliminary vote tallies, though the Associated Press had not projected a winner in the race as of early Wednesday. Read more from Jenny Gathright<\/b> here<\/a>.<\/p>\n President Donald Trump <\/b>announced what he described as a peace deal with Iran on Sunday like an announcer kicking off a car race: \u201cShips of the World, start your engines. Let the oil flow!\u201d<\/p>\n But even if the fighting stops and the Strait of Hormuz begins reopening, the economic damage won\u2019t unwind nearly as fast.<\/p>\n Ships still have to move. Oil still has to arrive. Damaged infrastructure has to be repaired. And prices that shot up quickly during the war may fall far more slowly \u2014 a reality that could complicate the political future of a president and Republican party desperate to reverse dour polling<\/a> on the way the economy has been handled over the past 18 months.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s just not a very simple \u2018flip a switch type thing,\u2019\u201d said Scott Lincicome<\/b>, vice president of general economics at the Cato Institute. \u201cYou need inventories to be replenished.\u201d<\/p>\n All of that takes time and more effort than might initially be obvious, with oil infrastructure in the Middle East having been damaged or destroyed in the conflict. Ships, too, may need some TLC, with the Wall Street Journal reporting yesterday<\/a> that sitting around unused for more than 100 days in warm water hasn\u2019t been good for them.<\/p>\n Repairing the oil production infrastructure and world trade could take weeks, maybe even months, experts said. That means it will likely take even longer for lower gas prices to arrive at the pump.<\/p>\n Max Pyziur<\/b>, who oversees transportation and fuel projects at the Energy Policy Research Foundation, says petroleum products tend to \u201crise like a rock, drop like a feather\u201d: Prices quickly shoot up when there\u2019s a shock to the market and only slowly return to a lower point once the shock passes.<\/p>\n Experts say the best-case scenario \u2014 of which they\u2019re skeptical at this point \u2014 is that gas prices return to about $3 per gallon sometime this fall and inflation trends downward in the coming months. Such an outcome would require everything working <\/b>perfectly, and not just between the United States and Iran.<\/p>\n \u201cEvery time there is a little hiccup in Israel, Lebanon, surrounding areas, things might seize up a little bit,\u201d Lincicome pointed out.<\/p>\n Gas and oil prices have gotten the most attention throughout the conflict, but the Strait of Hormuz is a major thoroughfare for trade in general, and everything from fertilizers to steel was impacted by the supply chain disruption brought on by the strait\u2019s closure.<\/p>\n Our colleague David J. Lynch <\/b>recently traveled to North Carolina \u2014 home to a high-profile Senate race this year \u2014 and found voters were unhappy about much more than high gas prices<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cThere\u2019s a lot of things that I\u2019ve once liked in my life that I just have to do without,\u201d Willie Brown<\/b>, a 55-year-old municipal worker in Durham, told Lynch. Brown said rising gas prices mean he is simply buying less beef and has stopped snacking on Doritos after repeated price hikes. Those little things may seem trivial, but those decisions will likely stick with voters long after prices go back down.<\/p> Read more Pereira fumes over \u2018illegal shots\u2019 after Gane\u2019s interim UFC heavyweight title win<\/a><\/p>\n Once the strait opens and trade returns to normal, factories will have to be reopened and exports will take some time to normalize. Some <\/b>prices will still lag behind.<\/p>\n \u201cFarmers have already planted and they\u2019ve already paid higher prices for fertilizer,\u201d Lincicome said. \u201cSo there\u2019s a big question about how does that trickle into food prices when those crops are finally out of the ground? We won\u2019t know that for months.\u201d<\/p>\n The war with Iran drove inflation in the U.S. to 4.2 percent in May<\/a>, the first time in three years that inflation has crossed 4 percent. Lincicome anticipates inflation may start to decline as trade ramps up, but it could take months for inflation metrics to drop to pre-war levels.<\/p>\n Trump and Republicans are hoping the best-case scenario happens and the U.S. economy returns to normal by the fall, just in time for the midterms. But Democrats think Republicans could pay a political price, even if there\u2019s a rapid economic recovery.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s a long way till November and a lot could happen,\u201d said Leslie Martes<\/b>, CEO of Forward Majority, a Democratic super PAC focused on state legislative races. \u201cBut people aren\u2019t getting their money back. They\u2019re not going to get their money for what they spent on that gas.\u201d<\/p>\n Those feelings, said Martes, won\u2019t go away easily. \u201cThe cost of living is so astronomical. Who else do they have to blame for that besides … Donald Trump?\u201d<\/p>\n How do Americans feel about the country as it approaches its 250th birthday?<\/p>\n Proud, yes. But also uneasy.<\/p>\n A new survey<\/a> from the Public Religion Research Institute finds that just over half of Americans \u2014 51 percent \u2014 say they are extremely or very proud to be American. Slightly fewer, 49 percent, say they are extremely or very proud of the country\u2019s 250-year history.<\/p>\n That is a steep drop from 2013, when 82 percent of Americans said they were extremely or very proud to be American.<\/p>\n The poll finds two clear reasons for this:<\/p>\n So as the country prepares for a major national celebration, Americans seem to be carrying two thoughts at once: pride in the idea of their country and deep frustration with the way their country is working.<\/p>\n Santa Monica Daily Press<\/b>: A new study led by UCLA researchers finds that air pollution has been linked to inflammation during pregnancy, a trend that raises the risk of preterm birth<\/a>.<\/p>\n Texas Tribune<\/b>: A Muslim in Texas attempted to find community in the Texas Republican Party. He ended up \u201cshunned and rejected by members as they espoused themes of party unity ahead of the November election.<\/a>\u201d<\/p>\n We have been inundated with dad jokes. And remember \u2014 this section is for your health.<\/p>\n From Joe Kosloski<\/b>:<\/p>\n \u201cWhat\u2019s purple and conquered the world? A – Alexander the Grape! I have been telling this joke for 60+ years.\u201d<\/p>\n From Alice Kopunovitz<\/b>:<\/p>\n \u201cWhat\u2019s Irish and sits in the sun? Pati\u2019o furniture.\u201d<\/p>\n From Henry Maurer<\/b>:<\/p>\n \u201cAs we drove past a cemetery, my dad posed the question, \u2018Do you know how many dead people are in that cemetery?\u2019 When my sister and I couldn\u2019t come up with an answer, he said, \u2018All of them.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n From Chip Mather<\/b>:<\/p>\n \u201cHow do you know it\u2019s a Dad Joke? When it\u2019s apparent.\u201d<\/p>\n From Jim Alverson<\/b>:<\/p>\n \u201cWhy does everyone like Mr. Mushroom? Because he\u2019s such a fun-guy!\u201d<\/p>\n And from Bronwyn Belling<\/b>:<\/p>\n \u201cWhat time is it when you go to the dentist? Tooth-hurty.\u201d<\/p>\n In all seriousness, Barry Spivey<\/b> sent us a heartfelt response to our question about how humor has helped people connect with their kids.<\/p>\n \u201cIt is definitely the case that laughing with your children is bonding,\u201d wrote Spivey. \u201cI read to my son a lot when he was young. My fondest memories are of our uproarious laughter when reading the misadventures of Calvin & Hobbes. One of my most appreciated gifts to my adult son was a complete set of Calvin & Hobbes to match my own. At age 80 I still pull out a volume occasionally to remind myself of those hilarious, treasured moments.\u201d<\/p>\n President Donald Trump said this week that the United States, as part of a deal with Iran, would not invest in the country. \u201cWe are not investing any money in Iran, by the way,<\/a>\u201d he said. But what do you think: Should the U.S. invest in Iran in the wake of the war? Past administrations have seen economic ties as a way to preempt war. What do you think? Let us and your fellow Early Brief readers know at earlytips@washpost.com<\/a>.<\/p>\n Thanks for reading. You can follow Dan and Matthew on X: @merica<\/a> and @matthewichoi<\/a>.<\/p>![\"\"](\"https:\/\/movinginsiderusa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/fcbe6ab346d16561257c73543d285764-1024x685.jpg\")
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