Current Affairs Of Pakistan & World: Red blood spilled in Indiana

Red blood spilled in Indiana

May 06, 2026

By Adam Wren and Jack Blanchard with Dasha Burns

Presented by

With help from Eli Okun, Ali Bianco, Irie Sentner and Makayla Gray

Good Wednesday morning from the Midwest, where the dust is settling in latest primary battleground, it's Adam Wren. Get in touch.

In today’s Playbook …

— Donald Trump's vengeance comes to Indiana.

— Howard Lutnick faces the Jeffry Epstein gauntlet on Capitol Hill.

— The boldfaces: David McIntosh, Andrew Surabian, Jim Banks, James Blair, Matt Brasseaux, Tony Fabrizio, Tim Saler, Barney Keller, Rodric Bray, and more.

DRIVING THE DAY

HOOSIER DADDY — By the time they reached the 18th green on the Blue Monster at the PGA Tournament at Trump Doral in the Miami suburbs Sunday, David McIntosh had told President Donald Trump things were looking good in his Indiana retribution campaign.

“Mr. President, we're fighting hard in Indiana,” the Club for Growth President recalled telling Trump during an interview with Playbook late Tuesday. “I think you're going to win, and be very happy on Tuesday night.”

Trump replied: “Well, it's time. We told them they should do this redistricting, and they didn't do it.”

“As always, when he's working the deal, he would like the person to come along and be happy about it too,” McIntosh added. “But if they don't, then he's going to put them in their place and replace them with people who will do the right thing.”

By Tuesday afternoon, when McIntosh was in the Oval Office with Trump, they knew they had the Hoosier state on lockdown.

“I told him he was going to win Indiana,” McIntosh said.

Trump did. And MAGA is happy about last night, which saw at least five Indiana state Senate primary races called for the Trump-backed challenger.

Zooming out: American politics were on display across the Midwest Tuesday night, as voters in Indiana and Michigan sent signals about their hardening positions ahead of November. In a special election in Michigan's 35th Senate District, Democrats displayed momentum and delivered yet another overperformance.

In Indiana, Trump’s loyal and energized supporters turned out to punish the incumbents, showing his endorsement remains the gold-standard of GOP politics. That’s a bright flashing red warning to any Republicans who might be eyeing a break from Trump as he approaches the back half of his second term.

“We were grateful for the chance to improve last night, because as the Great Hoosier Larry Bird said, ‘The more you win, the better you’re gonna get. It grows on itself,” outgoing White House Deputy Chief of Staff James Blair, who’s headed to manage the White House midterm efforts, told Playbook.

The biggest takeaway from the night in Indiana: Pre-midterm Southern state redraws became a whole lot more likely. After a Supreme Court ruling last week gutting the Voting Rights Act, Louisiana, Alabama, South Carolina and Tennessee are all looking at their own potential new maps.

The redistricting wars will only heat up ahead of 2028 as Republicans come to heel.

A message from The Alzheimer's Association:

A simple blood test can detect Alzheimer’s before symptoms appear, enabling significantly more effective treatment. The bipartisan Alzheimer’s Screening and Prevention (ASAP) Act ensures people benefit from this scientific milestone. Congress has acted to allow Medicare coverage for mammograms and other pivotal screening tests. Now Congress has the same generational opportunity to redefine Alzheimer’s care: Unlock early detection to enable early treatment. Congress must pass the ASAP Act.

“Republicans all over the country are looking at Indiana,” said Sen. Jim Banks, whose Hoosier Leadership for America, along with another group American Leadership PAC, both run by team Trump adviser Andrew Surabian, combined to spend about $8 million on television and digital ads.

Banks — along with Surabian, Blair, White House Political Director Matt Brasseaux, pollster Tony Fabrizio, data guru Tim Saler and the consultant Barney Keller — shouldered much of the burden.

One person involved in the monthslong Indiana effort told Playbook: “If you're a Republican in a state taking a redistricting vote, you probably just became a lot more likely to support it after tonight.” This person added: “The point of this wasn’t to get revenge for the sake of revenge — it was to send a message.”

“There’s a big message here, but the message isn’t a new message,” Banks told Playbook. “The message we’ve learned over the last 10 years is: It’s Donald Trump’s Republican Party.”

There’s at least one Hoosier Republican, though, who didn’t get that message.

Indiana Senate President Pro Tem Rodric Bray, who team Trump sees as the ultimate target here but is not up for re-election until 2028, told us last night he would run for re-election as leader.

Bray conceded “the Trump endorsement certainly matters. Money matters in the campaigns.”

“I do plan to run for pro tem again. And I, at this point, I need to make the case for whether, if I'm the right person to lead the caucus and the Senate, and we'll see where that goes. I don't make a forecast on that.”

Does he think he’s the right person to do it? “Sure,” he told us.

What message did Indiana send other red states last night?

“I don't have an interpretation of that,” Bray said. “Every state is different. Every race, frankly, is different, including the ones that we watched here in the state of Indiana. So I'll let somebody else posit that.”

On today’s Playbook Podcast: Jack and Adam discuss Trump’s lock on the base.

A message from The Alzheimer's Association:

More than 9 in 10 Americans say they would want a simple test for Alzheimer’s. Learn more.

THE DOWNLOAD

NEXT IN THE HOT SEAT: Howard Lutnick is the latest Trump Cabinet secretary whose congressional testimony poses a risk to their political future. House Oversight lawmakers today will interview the Commerce chief about his relationship with Jeffrey Epstein. During the closed-door Capitol Hill testimony, lawmakers will surely probe Lutnick on when his relationship with the financier ended in earnest. Get the full preview in today's Inside Congress.

PRIMARY COLORS: The Progressive Change Campaign Committee is endorsing Minnesota Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan in the Democratic Senate primary, POLITICO's Erin Doherty scoops. Flanagan, in a competitive contest against Rep. Angie Craig, already racked up support from progressive heavyweights including Sens. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) and Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.).

MIDWEST MOVES: The Democratic Attorneys General Association is throwing its weight behind Democratic candidates running for AG in Iowa and Kansas — their top two targets to flip this year, Playbook’s Ali Bianco scoops. It’s the latest move for various arms of the Democratic Party to put the Midwest in play.

In Iowa: Democrat Nate Willems is “within striking distance,” according to DAGA polling, trailing incumbent Republican Brenna Bird by 2 points. See the poll

And in Kansas: Democrat Chris Mann trails incumbent Republican Kris Kobach by 2 points, according to the polling memo. Read the memo

THE FRONT PAGE

SLOW YOUR ROLL: ICE is abandoning the abbreviated training program it used last year to quickly pump thousands of new agents onto the streets, POLITICO’s Myah Ward, Jordain Carney and Daniel Lippman scoop — the latest instance of Trump 2.0 recalibrating its unpopular hardline immigration approach.

RULES AND LAW(LER)S: Advocacy and political groups controlled by Rep. Mike Lawler (R-N.Y.) paid more than $720,000 to the political consulting firm he co-founded, according to a comprehensive review of public records by POLITICO’s Jason Beeferman. Watchdogs said the arrangement doesn’t appear to be illegal — but it does raise conflict of interest questions as Lawler battles for reelection in a battleground district.

FIRST IN PLAYBOOK: Campaign Legal Center filed a complaint with the FEC alleging major pro-AI super PACs violated campaign finance law, Playbook’s Eli Okun scoops. CLC claims Leading the Future affiliates American Mission and Think Big used shell companies to hide the campaign vendors they’re paying for Republican and Democratic candidates. But don’t expect the quorum-less FEC to do much. “We comply with all applicable laws,” Leading the Future spokesperson Jesse Hunt responded. The complaint

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5 THINGS YOU NEED TO KNOW

1. STRAIT TALK: Trump last night abruptly — and without specifics — paused his “Project Freedom” ploy in the Strait of Hormuz, just days after he announced the U.S. would help escort ships from neutral countries through the waterway, POLITICO’s Jacob Wendler reports. The reversal comes as spiking diesel prices raise the stakes for Trump and Republicans ahead of the midterms, POLITICO’s Scott Waldman and Ben Lefebvre report.

2. HANDY FOR ANDY: Trump’s DOJ appears ready to drop a nearly two-year fraud investigation into Rep. Andy Ogles (R-Tenn.). But that’s not the only thing giving Ogles a sigh of relief: GOP lawmakers in Tennessee are gathering to redraw its map in a way that would insulate the MAGA congressman from a serious Dem challenger, per News Channel 5 Nashville.

3. DISPATCH FROM DES MOINES: JD Vance visited Iowa for the first time yesterday as VP in a preview of what could lay ahead if he runs for president in 2028 — and two years out, he’s still sticking with Trump, POLITICO’s Aaron Pellish reports from Des Moines. But as the president’s approval continues to torpedo amid rising prices and an ongoing war, that could pose a problem for the VP — much as it did for Kamala Harris during her ill-fated campaign.

A message from The Alzheimer's Association:

This is a mammogram moment for Alzheimer’s. Congress must pass the ASAP Act.

4. ENDORSEMENT WATCH: Former Sen. Debbie Stabenow of Michigan is making a major move in the state’s blockbuster Senate Democratic primary, throwing her support to Rep. Haley Stevens this morning, as The Detroit News’ Melissa Nann Burke scoops. Stabenow has never endorsed in a Senate primary before.

5. THE BRAVE NEW WORLD: The administration is floating several executive actions to address security risks from AI, POLITICO’s Brendan Bordelon, Cheyenne Haslett and Aaron Mak report. A White House spokesperson said any official policy announcement would come directly from Trump, and discussion about potential executive orders was “speculation.”

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TALK OF THE TOWN

AND THE SAMMIE GOES TO — Only four honorees were selected this year for the Partnership for Public Service 25th annual Service to America Medals, or “Sammies” — a significant drop from the 23 medalists last year, and 25 the year before that, reports POLITICO’s E&E News’ Kevin Bogardus. A leader at PPS attributed the decline to “disruption and upheaval over the past year” that led to the loss of more than 300,000 federal employees.

BY THE NUMBERS — The Metropolitan Police Department put 13 officers on leave yesterday as part of an internal investigation into how the department keeps crime stats, which faced major scrutiny from the Trump administration amid its crime crackdown in D.C., AP reports.

CURFEW CONTINUES — “Responding to ‘teen takeovers,’ D.C. passes youth curfew through 2028,” by WaPo’s Meagan Flynn: “On Tuesday, after months of hand-wringing, the D.C. Council agreed 8 to 5 to extend the police chief’s power to declare special 8 p.m. youth curfew zones through 2028, while adding guardrails to how police can enforce the measure. At the same time, Mayor Muriel E. Bowser (D) promised expanded youth programming, responding to calls from lawmakers and community members who say teens don’t have enough to do at night.”

OUT AND ABOUT — SPOTTED at the Alzheimer's Drug Discovery Foundation's 16th annual Great Ladies Luncheon and Fashion Show at the Ritz-Carlton yesterday: Lauren Miller Rogen, Mark Roithmayr, Andrea Mitchell, Richard Isaacson, Dr. Roberta Diaz Brinton, Elise Lefkowitz, Charlie Lefkowitz, Kristen Rae Cecchi.

TRANSITIONS — Rachael Houston-Carter is now a senior manager on Amazon’s public policy team. She previously worked for Accenture, and is a Commerce Department and National Economic Council alum. … David Maestas is now appropriations policy adviser for Sen. Jon Husted (R-Ohio). He previously worked for Rep. Dan Newhouse (R-Wash.). …

… Tanvi Purohit is joining Seven Letter Labs as account director. She was previously at Bully Pulpit International. … André Ory is launching Resolve Communications after serving as senior vice president, political advocacy at Fenton.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY: Rep. Anna Paulina Luna (R-Fla.) … Spencer Pederson … McKinley Lewis of the Senate Aging Committee … Tucker Eskew of Vianovo … Wendy Helgemo ... Kate Jaffee of the Aspen Institute … Meghan Conklin ... Lisa Ferri ... Bill Dolbow … Claire Mullican … Pat Cipollone … Jamie Gorelick … former Sen. Richard Shelby (R-Ala.) … David Rogers … former Rep. Eric Fingerhut (D-Ohio) … Granicus’ Trevor Corning … Sheena Mollineau … Andy Oros … Tejasi Thatte … Joe Nocera … Tony Blair … James Del

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A message from The Alzheimer's Association:

The ASAP Act is a “mammogram moment” for Alzheimer’s — an opportunity to make early detection the standard of care. When Congress enabled Medicare coverage for routine mammograms, screening rates soared and breast cancer deaths dropped significantly. That early investment led to earlier detection, better outcomes and improved quality of life.

Congress can deliver this same breakthrough for those with Alzheimer’s through the bipartisan ASAP Act, which would allow Medicare to cover a simple blood test to detect Alzheimer’s before symptoms appear. Until Congress acts, Medicare cannot cover dementia screening tests. But fewer than 10% of people receive a diagnosis of mild cognitive impairment when today’s FDA-approved treatments are significantly more effective. Expanding access to blood-based screening will help more patients receive an early diagnosis, and the opportunity for earlier, more effective treatment. Congress must support the ASAP Act and appropriate Alzheimer’s care.