It remains difficult to leave a deeply unpopular Congress.<\/p>\n
Democratic voters selected<\/a> Attorney General Phil Weiser<\/b> over Sen. Michael Bennet<\/b> in Colorado\u2019s Democratic primary for governor on Tuesday. Bennet\u2019s loss in a race that largely focused on who would more forcefully confront President Donald Trump <\/b>is also a repudiation of the Democratic establishment in a Congress with a near record-low approval rating<\/a>.<\/p>\n State Rep. Manny Rutinel <\/b>will also represent Democrats in the state\u2019s key congressional race north of Denver, offering voters a more progressive option<\/a> by defeating former state representative Shannon Bird<\/b>. Rutinel will face Rep. Gabe Evans <\/b>in November.<\/p>\n Plus, lawyer and democratic socialist Melat Kiros<\/b>, 29, ousted Rep. Diana DeGette<\/b>, a liberal, 30-year incumbent from Denver in a Colorado House primary.<\/p>\n There is an interesting divide over data centers playing out on the right.<\/p>\n On one side is political opinion. With a string of polls showing the vast majority of Americans \u2014 and even a majority of Republicans<\/a> \u2014 oppose <\/b>data center construction in their communities, some conservative candidates have positioned themselves as a bulwark to the data centers that power artificial intelligence.<\/p>\n Rep. Byron Donalds<\/b>, the Trump-backed candidate in Florida\u2019s Republican gubernatorial primary, has been running ads in the race pledging<\/a> to \u201cprotect Florida families and communities from data centers that jack up utility rates and make everything else more expensive.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYou don\u2019t want to pay for AI data centers, and when I\u2019m governor, you won\u2019t,\u201d Donalds says in the spot.<\/p>\n Donalds is not alone. A handful of Republicans from Texas<\/a> to Pennsylvania<\/a> to Michigan<\/a> have warned about data center construction \u2014 with some calling for a temporary pause on building new ones.<\/p>\n On the other side? Support for the AI industry and concerns about losing the AI war to China. This view, along with the substantial money the tech industry has shown it is willing to spend on elections, has led some Republican candidates to stake out firmly pro-AI positions, despite the public polling.<\/p>\n This tension among Republicans underscores the complicated politics and unique coalitions around artificial intelligence \u2014 something our colleagues Liz Goodwin <\/b>and Riley Beggin<\/b> have documented<\/a> \u2014 and will be a story to watch on the right ahead of November\u2019s midterms.<\/p>\n Take Jay Feely<\/b>, the former National Football League kicker who is backed by Trump in Arizona\u2019s competitive congressional race around Phoenix. Feely has been an outspoken proponent of data centers and the AI industry, despite the state being a hotbed of opposition to the project<\/a>.<\/p>\n In March, he questioned what data center opponents<\/a> in another state actually gained from blocking a data center project, <\/b>saying they are \u201cgetting rid of billions of dollars in tax revenue and thousands of jobs\u201d and <\/b>noting the project will likely just go elsewhere.<\/p>\n \u201cWe are one of the fastest areas growing those data storage centers, which are going to be so key to the revolution that\u2019s coming,\u201d Feely said in another interview<\/a>, acknowledging that these projects need to do a better job communicating with the public. \u201cI want us to be at the forefront of that.\u201d<\/p>\n Feely is getting challenged on the topic in his primary. <\/b>In a recent debate, Joseph Chaplik<\/b>, a former Arizona state representative running for the seat, argued the \u201cpeople in this district do not want data centers right next to their homes\u201d and suggested Feely was too pro-AI.<\/p>\n \u201cWe have to understand the fight we\u2019re in here nationally with China,\u201d Feely said about his support for data centers, even suggesting that the opposition to data centers is part of a Chinese influence campaign.<\/p>\n Feely\u2019s support for the AI industry has led them to support him, too. Late last month, Leading the Future, the outside political group backed by prominent investors in OpenAI and other technology leaders, announced it would support Feely in his primary this month. That support, the group says, comes with an initial plan to spend $600,000 supporting the former football player, a figure only slightly less than the $645,000 Feely\u2019s campaign has spent on ad time so far.<\/p>\n Zac Moffatt<\/b>, co-strategist for the pro-AI outside group, said Feely was a \u201cstrong advocate for growing the economy, expanding opportunity for his district\u2019s residents, and securing America\u2019s technological leadership.\u201d He noted Feely\u2019s support for \u201ca national AI framework.\u201d<\/p>\n We asked Feely to detail his position on data centers and AI regulation. Brady Smith<\/b>, a strategist for Feely, said the Republican was a \u201cstrong supporter of making Arizona the epicenter of America\u2019s technological infrastructure, bringing jobs, growth, and investment,\u201d but wants to see that development done in a way that doesn\u2019t raise energy costs, protects water usage and \u201crespects the communities where infrastructure is built.\u201d<\/p>\n The question for Feely and others is whether support for data centers will come with a price to pay from voters.<\/p>\n The polling on data centers \u2014 especially those built in communities \u2014 has been pretty clear. A Gallup survey in May found \u201cseven in 10 Americans oppose constructing data centers for artificial intelligence in their local area, including nearly half, 48%, who are strongly opposed.<\/a>\u201d This is an issue that bridges the partisan divide, too. While Democrats are more opposed \u2014 75 percent said they were either somewhat or strongly opposed \u2014 a notable 63 percent of Republicans said the same thing.<\/p>\n \u201cAmericans everywhere are pushing back against data centers because they are the physical manifestation of their dislike of big tech companies,\u201d said Sacha Haworth<\/b>, executive director of the Tech Oversight Project. \u201cIt doesn\u2019t matter what side of the aisle you\u2019re on, resisting tech CEOs\u2019 influence and holding big tech accountable is actually uniting a lot of Americans.\u201d<\/p> Read more How a tiny Argentine town shaped the U.S. men\u2019s World Cup coach<\/a><\/p>\n The Supreme Court closed out its term with a bang.<\/p>\n The biggest ruling was arguably the justices\u2019 affirmation that nearly everyone born in the United States is a citizen, a concept known as birthright citizenship. Our colleague Justin Jouvenal<\/b>, who has been working overtime this week, cast it as a \u201cmajor decision that rejects a push by President Donald Trump to fundamentally redefine who is American in ways not seen in more than 150 years.<\/a>\u201d<\/p>\n This was an issue of the utmost importance to Trump, who attended the oral arguments for the case in April, the first time in history a sitting president has attended such a hearing.<\/p>\n The president responded to the ruling by sarcastically congratulating<\/a> Chinese President Xi Jinping<\/b> \u201cand the Great Country of China, on their massive Birthright Citizenship WIN!\u201d<\/p>\n The court also upheld bans in Idaho and West Virginia on transgender athletes<\/a> playing on girls\u2019 and women\u2019s sports teams, our colleagues Julian Mark <\/b>and Laura Meckler<\/b> reported, the latest in a string of legal setbacks for the LGBTQ+ community.<\/p>\n \u201cThis is a heartbreaking ruling for our clients and transgender girls like them who\u2019ve asked for nothing more than the same opportunities afforded to their peers,\u201d said Joshua Block<\/b>, senior counsel for the American Civil Liberties Union\u2019s LGBTQ & HIV Rights Project, who argued the case.<\/p>\n And lastly, and possibly the most politically relevant for November\u2019s midterms, the court loosened campaign finance laws by allowing party committees to coordinate with candidates. The decision is a boon for Republicans and threatens to deepen Democratic fundraising woes \u2014 something we previewed in this newsletter<\/a>.<\/p>\n Since we wrote that story in May, the funding disparity between Republican and Democratic committees has only grown. Republicans currently have an almost $150 million cash advantage<\/a> in committee fundraising relative to Democrats, a divide largely driven by the Democratic National Committee\u2019s continued struggles to raise money<\/a>.<\/p>\n You can expect this ruling to have direct implications on the midterms, with Republicans already saying they will put that cash advantage to use.<\/p>\n \u201cThe RNC has been preparing for this ruling, and we are ready to expand the ways we directly help and provide resources to Republican candidates across the country,\u201d said RNC Chair Joe Gruters<\/b>.<\/p>\n Verite News (Louisiana)<\/b>: The Louisiana Supreme Court freed a death row prisoner this week<\/a>, arguing that the evidence that was used against him in his 1998 conviction for killing his former girlfriend\u2019s toddler was \u201cscientifically indefensible.\u201d<\/p>\n Santa Fe New Mexican<\/b>: The controversy between New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham <\/b>and the Drug Enforcement Administration is growing. Lujan Grisham has accused the administration of allowing \u201chundreds of thousands of fentanyl pills to hit the streets of New Mexico as they sought to catch high-level dealers.\u201d \u201cIt is the most derelict, despicable act in my long career,<\/a>\u201d she said.<\/p>\n A few of you sent some truly fun stories about your World Cup experiences.<\/p>\n But first, Dan will share his: My wife and I went to the USA vs. Turkey match in Los Angeles late last month, along with our 4-year-old and my mother-in-law. I\u2019ve been to plenty of soccer matches, but watching my son experience that first U.S. goal off a corner kick on our side of the field will be a core memory for him \u2014 and, undoubtedly, for me.<\/p>\n Herb Krasner,<\/b> who has plans to attend the Australia vs. Egypt match on July 3 in Dallas, wrote in to say he also participated in the famed Oranje fan walk in Houston. If you don\u2019t know what that is, do yourself a favor and watch this<\/a>.<\/p>\n Krasner wrote he \u201cwould generally say that all of the fans coming here from around the world have been just delightful to interact with. A very unifying experience.\u201d<\/p>\n Douglas W. Corkhill <\/b>wrote about attending the Haiti vs. Morocco game in Atlanta. Haiti had already been eliminated from the contest at that point and \u201creally had nothing to play for,\u201d he wrote. But \u201cyou would not have known that from the crowd. It was like a home game for Haiti \u2014 easily twice the number of Haitian supporters were in the crowd, and they were LOUD! And when Haiti scored first? OMG!\u201d<\/p>\n Morocco would later tie it up, but then Haiti scored again. \u201cThe roof almost blew off the stadium in Atlanta,\u201d he wrote.<\/p>\n \u201cIt was clear that Morocco was the better team, and they tied it up again before the half. I don\u2019t know if Haiti even got a shot on goal in the second half as Morocco dominated, eventually pulling away to win 4-2,\u201d he wrote. \u201cAfter the game the Haitian players came to the end of the field where their fans were seated \u2014 no, standing \u2014 and saluted them.<\/p>\n Douglas concluded: \u201cSo what stands out for me? That a team that had nothing to play for responded to the cheers of their fans, gave it everything they had, and though they came up short went home with their heads held high.\u201d<\/p>\n It\u2019s time to ask you for help. We want this newsletter to be responsive to what our readers want, so tell us: What do you want to know more about? What do you like? What would you like us to cover more? Is there an issue in your community that deserves attention? 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\/07\/d3a22c62b26f42e9febd502bebe488d6-1024x683.jpg\")
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