Congress in play: Voters across the country will cast ballots in key state primary elections over the next month, with control of Congress hanging on a handful of close races.
Minnesota fraud report: A two-year investigation concluded fraud across Minnesota state programs could total between $9 billion and $20 billion.
Medicaid crackdowns: The Trump administration cut $1.3 billion in Medicaid funds to California, while rural hospitals nationwide brace for billions in potential losses.
Paid family leave: Nurses in Pittsburgh are pushing for paid family leave for all working families, as the state faces 20,000 unfilled nursing positions.
Washington tax fight: Emails obtained by The Center Square show Washington Attorney General’s Office staff described the state Supreme Court as “favorable a venue as we’re likely to get” to defend a new millionaire's tax.
Primary season heats up as tight races could tip control of Congress
Photo: Sara Cottle / Unsplash / Edited in Canva
What we found: Voters in nearly 20 states are selecting their congressional candidates over the next month. Nebraska and West Virginia kicked things off on Tuesday, and the tightest races still ahead are in Texas, Louisiana, and Pennsylvania. New polling shows Texas Sen. John Cornyn trailing Attorney General Ken Paxton 45% to 48% ahead of the Republican Senate runoff later this month. This 3-point gap falls within the poll's 2.8% margin of error, meaning the race is essentially tied. In North Carolina, a Democratic political action committee told The Center Square it is spending $31.4 million on TV ads for former Gov. Roy Cooper ahead of November’s election. That's part of a $111.2 million Democratic push that also targets Senate races in Ohio and Maine.
The stakes: The U.S. House and Senate are split so closely that two or three primary elections could decide which party runs Congress in 2027, and with it, federal spending, tax policy, and oversight of every agency.
The backstory: South Texas has shifted right in four straight elections. Democrats held a 40-point lead with Hispanic voters in 2018. Today, that lead is just 2 points, according to an Economist/YouGov poll. In Pennsylvania, Gov. Josh Shapiro endorsed Bucks County Commissioner Bob Harvie to challenge Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick, one of only three House Republicans nationwide who represent a district Kamala Harris won.
Where it stands: Louisiana votes on Saturday. Voters in Alabama, Georgia, Idaho, Kentucky, Oregon, and Pennsylvania head to the polls on Tuesday. California, Iowa, Montana, New Jersey, New Mexico, and South Dakota will vote on June 2.
Watch The Center Square Daily's full breakdown of the upcoming primary elections.
3 States
Minnesota — A Republican-led House committee adopted its final report concluding that fraud across Medicaid waiver services, child care assistance, and other state programs could total between $9 billion and $20 billion, according to independent and federal estimates. The committee was the first oversight panel of its kind in Minnesota history, and its survival may depend on the outcome of November's election.
Pennsylvania — Nurses in Pittsburgh are leading a push for paid family leave for all working families, citing Pennsylvania's 20,000 unfilled nursing positions, the highest rate in the country. The fight ties into a national shortage of roughly 264,000 healthcare workers, and a federal program that still doesn't guarantee paid leave for most American workers.
Washington — Emails obtained by The Center Square show staff at the Washington Attorney General’s Office described the state Supreme Court as “favorable a venue as we’re likely to get” during litigation over a referendum on a new millionaire's tax. The Secretary of State’s Office said some of the records had been mistakenly released and asked The Center Square to delete them. The news wire declined, citing the records’ news value and public interest in the behind-the-scenes actions surrounding a significant taxpayer issue.
2 Issues
Healthcare: The Trump administration is freezing $1.3 billion in Medicaid funds to California, citing concerns over fraud, and Vice President JD Vance called on every state to review its Medicaid providers. At the same time, rural hospitals nationwide are bracing for losses under Medicaid changes in the president’s “Big, Beautiful Bill,” signed into law last year. A hospital in Hillsdale, Michigan, projects losing $6 million a year, and the Michigan Health and Hospital Association warns reimbursements could fall by $6.5 billion through 2032.
Agriculture: Farm bankruptcies jumped 46% from 2024 to 2025, and total U.S. farm debt is projected to hit a record $625 billion in 2026, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Diesel is up about 45% since the Iran conflict began, and 70% of farmers surveyed by the Farm Bureau say they can't afford the fertilizer they need. Farmers told the U.S. Senate Agriculture Committee on Tuesday that consolidation in the fertilizer industry has left them in the dark on pricing, and they're calling on Congress to require manufacturers to publish weekly market data.
1 Number
$20 million
That was the deferred compensation payment to the former president of the University of Pennsylvania when she left in 2022, in addition to a $1.6 million base salary and a $1 million bonus. It is among the largest examples identified in an investigation by The Center Square into how elite, tax-exempt universities compensate top leaders while receiving billions of dollars in government grants.
Illinois sued over racial criteria in congressional mapmaking
A new lawsuit argues Illinois explicitly uses race as a primary factor in drawing legislative boundaries, and the outcome could reshape how every state approaches redistricting after a recent U.S. Supreme Court ruling.
Kevin Warsh, incoming Federal Reserve Chair
The U.S. Senate confirmed Warsh 54-45 on Wednesday to lead the Federal Reserve, the entity in charge of setting interest rates. Senators voted along tight partisan lines, with only one Democrat, Pennsylvania Sen. John Fetterman, voting yes. During his confirmation, Warsh pledged to keep the Fed independent and said President Donald Trump has not pressured him on interest rate decisions.
Why it matters: Warsh takes over with inflation at 3.8%, driven largely by rising energy prices. His decisions on interest rates will shape what Americans pay for mortgages, car loans, and credit cards for years to come.
Should states ban carrying weapons at polling places?
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