Florida delivered one of primary night’s biggest surprises when progressive Angie Nixon defeated Alex Vindman despite being vastly outspent, giving the Democratic Socialists of America its first major-party nomination for statewide office.
Plus, President Donald Trump has paused new 50% tariffs on Canadian goods for three days while the two countries finalize a trade deal — one that could also bring the Keystone XL pipeline back to life.
And a nearly 9,000-lb SpaceX rocket stage slammed into the moon at roughly 5,400 mph, leaving a new crater that NASA has now captured in before-and-after images.
These stories and more highlight your Unbiased Updates for Wednesday, Aug. 19, 2026.
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Nixon stuns Vindman in Florida as Donalds wins GOP governor nomination
Another primary cycle has concluded, featuring notable upsets in Florida and a particularly unusual Senate race in Alaska.
Progressive state Rep. Angie Nixon easily defeated retired Army Lt. Col. Alex Vindman for Florida’s Democratic Senate nomination. Vindman, who testified against Trump during his first impeachment, out-raised Nixon by more than 16 to 1. Nixon now faces Republican Sen. Ashley Moody in November.
And in the race for governor, Trump-backed Rep. Byron Donalds secured the Republican nomination.
“As your governor, we are going to doge all local governments and all state agencies,” Donalds said. “There will be no sacred cows. The taxpayers deserve to know that their hard-earned dollars are being spent efficiently, transparently, and with total integrity.”
Donalds will face former Republican Rep. David Jolly, who won the Democratic nomination. A Donalds victory would make him Florida’s first Black governor.
Another Florida incumbent is out. Republican Rep. Cory Mills lost his primary to former TV reporter Ryan Elijah. Mills has faced a series of controversies and investigations and denies wrongdoing.
Meanwhile, in Alaska, Republican Sen. Dan Sullivan and Democrat Mary Peltola have both advanced to the November election, setting up one of the more closely watched Senate races this fall.
But there was another Dan Sullivan on this ballot.
Retired teacher Daniel J. Sullivan Jr. fought to get his name on the ballot, despite the incumbent and his Republican allies accusing him of running to confuse voters and help Peltola.
Alaska advances the top four finishers to November’s ranked-choice general election, and the final two spots have not yet been called.
Trump pauses 50% tariffs on Canadian goods, saying US, Canada have deal to finalize
Less than two hours before new 50% tariffs were set to hit Canadian goods, Trump put them on hold. The president announced a three-day pause, saying the U.S. and Canada have reached a deal but still need to finalize the details.
He didn’t say much about what’s in it, except that the Keystone XL pipeline may be, in his words, “awoken from the grave.”
The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative said the deal will include “comprehensive market access for all American goods, economic security commitments” and “digital trade alignment.”
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney said “substantial progress has been made,” but cautioned there is still “important work” left to do.
The 50% tariffs were set to hit about $20 billion worth of Canadian imports, including products ranging from hockey sticks and building materials to alcohol and clothing.
For now, those tariffs are on hold, but only for three days, while the two sides try to get the deal across the finish line.
US-South Korea drills end early after Trump orders allies to scale it back
A major U.S.-South Korea military exercise will end six days early after Trump ordered the allies to scale it back. Ulchi Freedom Shield began Monday and was supposed to run through Aug. 27, but it will now end Friday.
The Pentagon said some live training has been dropped, while other events will shift to simulations, but said American forces will still meet their training and readiness goals.
South Korea’s military said the change came at Washington’s request and appeared to have caught Seoul officials off guard. South Korea’s foreign minister told lawmakers that officials in both countries did not know about Trump’s decision before he announced it.
Trump ordered the reduction just hours before the exercise began, saying the drills sent a “totally inappropriate and hostile” signal to North Korea. He also pointed to his “very good” relationship with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.
The annual exercise tests how U.S. and South Korean forces would respond together to a crisis on the Korean Peninsula.
On Wednesday, North Korean state media again criticized the training, saying Pyongyang would continue to exercise what it calls its right to self-defense.
New police report reveals details of Hayden Panettiere’s final hours, 911 call
Additional details about actress Hayden Panettiere’s last hours have emerged, including the identity of the person with her when she was discovered unresponsive in a South Carolina Airbnb. The 36-year-old star of “Heroes” and “Nashville” died Sunday in Greenville, South Carolina.
Investigators have not yet released an official cause of death, but a newly released police report has filled in some details from that afternoon.
Police reported that Panettiere was temporarily residing in the apartment where she was found. Her boyfriend, Brian Hickerson, and his brother Zach were present, and police confirmed they called 911.
One responding officer from the Greenville City Police Department wrote, “I spoke with Zach Hickerson first; he advised this was his brother’s girlfriend.”
The report also says Brian Hickerson showed police a bag of Panettiere’s medications, although the names of those medications were redacted.
An autopsy found no signs of trauma that contributed to her death. However, investigators are still awaiting additional test results before determining the official cause and manner of death.
Panettiere’s estranged mother, Lesley Vogel, has spoken publicly about her daughter’s death and about Hickerson.
“There is a lot of history in the past that Brian has enabled Hayden many times, and this is why her father and I had been concerned for a long time about him,” Vogel told NBC News.
Panettiere had spoken openly about her struggles with addiction. She and Hickerson had a troubled history marked by domestic violence. He pleaded no contest in 2021 to two felony counts of injuring a partner arising from a 2020 arrest.
Trump plans to eliminate protections on 44 million forest acres, opening the door to new roads and logging
The Trump administration plans to remove longstanding protections on more than 44 million acres of national forest, opening the door to new roads, logging and development.
The U.S. Forest Service intends to eliminate the 2001 roadless rule, which has limited road construction and logging in remote forest areas for 25 years. Most of this land — over 95% — is in ten western states, including Alaska, California, Montana, Oregon and Washington. Colorado and Idaho would not be affected because they have their own roadless regulations.
For 25 YEARS, Washington’s failed one-size-fits-all Roadless Rule has tied the hands of local forest managers, leaving over 44 MILLION acres vulnerable to overgrowth, disease, and catastrophic wildfire.
— Secretary Brooke Rollins (@SecRollins) August 18, 2026
Today, @forestservice is taking action to turn the page.
Our forests cannot… https://t.co/TMG5ZeWs4f
Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins said the rule has hindered efforts to clear overgrowth and manage fire hazards because forest managers cannot easily access some areas.
“Our forests can’t afford another decade of inaction. Across the country, we’ve watched preventable conditions — overgrown stands, insect outbreaks and disease — turn healthy landscapes into tinderboxes. For too long, outdated restrictions have kept tens of millions of forested acres off-limits to the very treatments that improve forest health and reduce wildfire risk to our communities.”
Brooke Rollins, Agriculture Secretary
Some fire ecologists warn that expanding roads could increase fire risk by attracting more people to largely undisturbed areas. This change wouldn’t automatically permit logging on all 44 million acres; local forest managers would make those decisions.
This is still a proposal, with the Forest Service accepting public comment through Sept. 21 at Regulations.gov.
NASA releases before-and-after images of SpaceX rocket moon crater
There’s a brand-new crater on the moon after a SpaceX rocket collided with the lunar surface two weeks ago. The Falcon 9 upper stage, weighing nearly 9,000 lbs, had been floating in space since its launch in January 2025.
On Aug. 5, it struck the moon at approximately 5,400 miles per hour, releasing energy equivalent to nearly three tons of TNT. The impact site is now visible, thanks to images captured by NASA’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter before and after the event.
The crater, surrounded by bright and dark streaks of ejected material, measures about 60 feet in diameter and just under 10 feet deep.
The orbiter has been circling the moon since 2009, giving scientists their most detailed view yet of what happens when human-made debris crashes into the lunar surface.
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How cities are testing specialized housing for visually impaired adults
When Amber Sorenson lost her job earlier in June, she lost her house soon after.
Then, she lost time with her kids. The mother of three chose to send her youngest son, 22, to Reno, Nevada – a city 442 miles from where she was couch surfing in Las Vegas. Her daughter moved out.
Sorenson, who is 50, was born partially blind. In 2007, she completely lost her sight.
This year, she nearly lost hope.
But last month, Sorenson learned she had been the first resident approved for an apartment at Visions Park, a new affordable housing complex for the blind and visually impaired in Las Vegas.
“I started crying when I got the news. It all fell into place,” she said. “It’s beautiful to be around other visually impaired people. We live the same life but not for the same reasons, we can each be there for each other.”
