News Wrap: Georgia is holding a special election to replace Marjorie Taylor Greene

In our Tuesday news cover, Rep. Bennie Thompson of Mississippi faces a primary challenge from newcomer Evan Turnage, there’s a crowded field in Georgia’s special election to replace former Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, Democrats sue the Trump administration over whether it plans to send armed agents to the polls, and Alabama’s governor commutes the death sentence of a 75-year-old inmate.

Jeff Bennett:

We start off today’s other headlines with the recent elections taking place in Mississippi and Georgia.

For Democrats, there is a hotly contested primary race that includes Congressman Bennie Thompson, who is fending off a challenge from newcomer Evan Turnage. The 78-year-old Thompson is widely expected to prevail over the 34-year-old Turnage, who received an injection at Thompson’s age.

Meanwhile, in Georgia, there is a crowded field and a special election to replace former Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene. Trump-backed Clay Fuller is considered the front-runner among Republicans in the deeply conservative district, although Democrat Sean Harris is expected to make a strong showing in a race that political analysts say depends largely on the economy.

Kerwin Swint, Kennesaw State University:

Almost everywhere, including this region, it’s budget issues, affordability, prices, inflation, it’s those things that everyone has to deal with on a daily basis. And so I think this is kind of a real economic election. We’ll see if foreign policy or immigration issues affect that at all.

Jeff Bennett:

With 17 candidates in the race, it is unlikely anyone will cross the 50% threshold to prevent a runoff next month.

Today’s vote comes as Democrats sue the Trump administration over whether it plans to send armed federal agents to election sites this year. The Democratic National Committee alleges that three federal agencies failed to respond to nearly a dozen Freedom of Information Act requests on the subject.

The Democratic National Committee says the requests must be met to – quote – “ensure that the American people have timely knowledge of potential threats to free and fair elections.” President Trump has not discussed formal plans to deploy the military or federal agents to polls this fall, but voting rights groups have raised concerns after the president’s comments on, in his words, nationalizing elections and after FBI agents raided an election warehouse in Georgia early this year.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) today approved a drug to treat a rare genetic disorder, but not autism, as some officials previously suggested. Last September, top health officials in the Trump administration described leucovorin as a potential breakthrough for treating autism.

Dr. Mehmet Oz, Director, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services: The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA), based on National Institutes of Health research, has approved prescription leucovorin for the treatment of children with autism.

Jeff Bennett:

In the months that followed, prescriptions for the drug reportedly soared among children. Today, the US Food and Drug Administration approved leucovorin to treat a genetic condition that limits the access of folic acid, a form of vitamin B, to the brain. But an FDA official said the agency doesn’t yet have enough evidence to prove the drug works more broadly in treating autism.

Alabama’s governor commuted the death sentence of a 75-year-old inmate just days before he was scheduled to die of nitrogen gas. Charles “Sonny” Burton was convicted of fatally shooting a man during a 1991 robbery, even though his accomplice fired the fatal shot, and he himself was not on the premises at the time.

The shooter was eventually spared the death penalty, and Governor Ivey said Burton should do so as well, commuting his sentence to life in prison without parole. It is only the second time she has commuted such a sentence since taking office in 2017.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said the next round of talks aimed at ending the war had been postponed until next week. This comes at a time when Kiev and Moscow claim progress on the battlefield and announce casualties. The governor of the Russian Bryansk region said that at least six civilians were killed and dozens injured in a Ukrainian missile attack today. This comes after a Russian raid on the Ukrainian city of Slovyansk.

Officials there say three powerful Russian slide bombs hit the city center, killing at least four people.

On Wall Street today, stocks steadied slightly as investors looked for clues about how long the war with Iran might last. The Dow Jones Industrial Average was down about 35 points, roughly flat. The Nasdaq also closed almost unchanged. The S&P 500 posted a small loss on the day.

And a little spring blossoms in one of the most unexpected places. Death Valley National Park is enjoying its most spectacular blooms in a decade. That’s according to the National Park Service, which says persistent rains last fall helped transform one of the hottest, driest places on Earth into a bed of vibrant colors.

But the magnificent flowering will not last long. Officials say wildflowers found at lower elevations could disappear later this month, while those at higher elevations are set to bloom through June.