Political Upsets, New Flu Shot, Disney's TikTok Deal - Thursday, August 06, 2026

**Lacey Evans** (0:00)
Today is Thursday, August 6th. We'll explain some of the biggest upsets now that this week's most influential primary races have been called. Also, how some US service members are personally affected by President Trump's immigration crackdown, and why another air traffic scare is raising concerns in the nation's capital. Plus, a new kind of seasonal flu shot was just approved, Disney content is coming to TikTok, and influencers are getting a lot of hate for taking a trip on OpenAI's dime. Those stories and a lot more news to know, next.
Welcome to The NewsWorthy, all the day's news in less than 15 minutes. I'm Lacey Evans, filling in for Erica Mandy today. Thanks so much for being here. Let's do this.
The more election results come in, the more clear it becomes, the left wing of the Democratic Party has some real momentum. For starters, it scored its biggest victory to date in Michigan. Progressive Democrat, Abdul Al Sayed, won the Democratic primary for US. Senate over the more centrist establishment-backed candidate. His victory is considered significant since it shows progressives can win in America's heartland and in a battleground state. Now, he's gearing up for an even bigger fight. He's set to face former Republican Congressman Mike Rogers in a general election battle that could determine the control of the whole Senate. But that wasn't the only big progressive win. Two Democratic socialists in Michigan were also upset to centrist Democrats in US House races. Another upset we want to mention happened on the GOP side. Thomas Smith won a Republican primary for a Michigan congressional seat despite having dropped out last month. He's a political unknown who raised almost no money and ended his campaign after reportedly seen no viable path to victory. But on Tuesday, voters chose him over a candidate who was endorsed by President Trump. That makes Amir Hassan the first Trump-endorsed congressional candidate to lose this cycle. Though since winning, Smith has now also aligned himself with the president. Of course, primary season isn't over yet. In fact, Tennessee voters are going to the polls today to pick their nominees for a US. Senate seat. All nine of the state's congressional districts and governor just to name some of the top races. So, stay tuned.
This week, a passenger jet came less than a mile away from a military helicopter that had President Trump on board. Marine One was departing the White House, and just about a minute after it lifted off, an Envoy Air regional jet was cleared for takeoff from Reagan National Airport. All commercial traffic is supposed to be paused during presidential trips, but reports say the air traffic controllers didn't hear the Marine One crew warn them ahead of time. The White House says the President was never in danger, and both flights continued safely. But this is still raising alarms after last year's tragic crash between a military helicopter and a passenger jet, also in the Washington, DC airspace. And there have been a series of other close calls. So now the FAA is investigating.
The Trump administration's immigration crackdown is now reportedly affecting the families of active duty US troops. An AP investigation found more than 50 parents and spouses of service members have been detained since President Trump returned to office. At least six have already been deported. The detentions appear to be part of a major policy change since immigration officials have typically avoided detaining immediate military family members while they pursued legal status. And that's been the case with both Democrats and Republicans in office, even during President Trump's first administration.
Now the AP says they're routinely being detained while the military keeps recruiting new service members by advertising immigration benefits, and despite some of the family members having pending applications to receive them. The Department of Homeland Security is defending the policy, though. It says military service does not automatically exempt someone from immigration laws and that benefits are only issued on a case-by-case basis. It also notes that some of the family members detained had prior removal orders or other immigration violations. Either way, some experts are questioning what this means for military preparedness. Some troops told the AP they've had to delay deployments or take leave to care for their children after a spouse was detained, and that's expected to keep happening.
Speculation and suspicion has now allegedly turned into harassment in the case of a teenager's mysterious death. We're talking about the case involving 18-year-old Nolan Wells, who died over the 4th of July weekend. Now, three people have been charged with threatening a judge, a witness and local officials connected to the death investigation. None of the people appear to actually know Wells, his family or the group of friends he was on a boat trip with. But from the beginning, there has been a lot of distrust that's grown as the story has spread, partly because of racial tensions. Wells appeared to be the only person of color on a boat trip he took with friends to an island off Mississippi's Gulf Coast. And that island is the last place anyone reported seeing him. Adding to the scrutiny of the case, Wells' parents say there's been a lot of conflicting stories, implausible explanations and missing details. And now, more than a month later, it's still not clear how he died or what exactly happened during the teenager's final hours. But many people online have been sharing their own theories. And as investigators continue looking for answers, authorities say people around the country are contacting witnesses and officials involved in the case. Some have apparently been sending graphic death threats. So far, no comment from the people accused of the threatening behavior. But if found guilty, they could face years in prison.