An anonymous reader quotes a report from NPR: Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz has signed the nation's first law banning prediction market sites from operating in the state, and in response, the Trump administration has sued, teeing up a legal battle over the most far-reaching crackdown on popular services like Kalshi and Polymarket. It comes as states confront a growing standoff with the Trump administration over how to regulate the industry, which allows people to bet on virtually anything. The new state law makes it a crime to host or advertise a prediction market, which it defines as a system that lets consumers place a wager on a future outcome, like sports, elections, live entertainment, someone's word choice and world affairs. The prohibition extends to services supporting prediction markets, like virtual private networks, that could allow consumers to disguise their location and get around the ban. It would force prediction market sites like Kalshi and Polymarket to leave the state, or face possible felony charges. The law takes effect in August. The law has a carve-out for event contracts that serve as an insurance policy in the event of "harm, or loss sustained" and for the purchase of securities and other commodities. The Commodity Futures Trading Commission's lawsuit seeks to block the law before it starts, arguing the prediction market industry should be exclusively regulated by federal officials. "This Minnesota law turns lawful operators and participants in prediction markets into felons overnight," said CFTC Chairman Michael Selig. "Minnesota farmers have relied on critical hedging products on weather and crop-related events for decades to mitigate their risks. Governor Walz chose to put special interests first and American farmers and innovators last." An updated version of the prediction market bill allows trading on weather, an exception that followed pushback from the agricultural industry, which has historically used futures trading on weather as a hedge against storms and other inclement weather that can affect a harvest. Walz is expected to sign it soon. "We as a state should decide how best and what regulations we think should attach to gambling, to protect public safety, to protect our kids," said Minnesota Rep. Emma Greenman, the Democrat who introduced the measure. Kalshi spokeswoman Elisabeth Diana called the ban a "blatant violation" of the law. "Minnesota banning prediction markets is like trying to ban the New York Stock Exchange," said Diana, adding that "this actively harms users because it reduces competition and drives activity offshore." Read more of this story at Slashdot. View the full article

The quest to find the one candidate that can beat Sen. Jon Ossoff, D-Ga., isn’t quite over yet, with a runoff between a political outsider and an experienced lawmaker teed up for next month. Rep. Mike Collins, R-Ga., and former college football coach Derek Dooley are headed to a runoff election on June 16 in a state of particular political consequence for either party hoping to keep or gain power in the Senate. The contest comes after a bruising primary between Collins, Dooley, and Rep. Buddy Carter, R-Ga., and a battle that President Donald Trump has so far avoided. GOP CIVIL WAR ERUPTS OVER SHUTDOWN POLITICS IN CRITICAL SENATE RACE: ‘NOT A WINNING FORMULA’ His endorsement, as in other races, could make or break either Collins’ or Dooley’s chances moving forward. Dooley has embraced the outsider moniker, arguing that he would side with Trump in ways that benefit Georgians. "As your Senator, I’ll never forget that you’re the boss and D.C. politicians need accountability," Dooley said on X. "Term limits. Ban insider trading. End government shutdowns. I’ll fight to end politics as usual in Washington." Collins has heavily leaned into his MAGA bonafides in trying to court the president to back him in the race. SCOOP: TRUMP ALLY TO LAUNCH KEY BATTLEGROUND STATE CAMPAIGN IN BID TO FLIP DEMOCRAT-HELD SENATE SEAT "Georgia needs the right Republican to take on Jon Ossoff," Collins said on X. "Someone who's delivered, has the conservative record to prove it, and had President Trump's back when it mattered most." But for Ossoff's campaign, it doesn't matter which opponent they face in November. "Regardless of which Trump puppet makes it out of this messy and brutal GOP primary, they will be bruised and terminally inseparable from the toxic president," Ossoff campaign spokesperson Ellie Doughtery told Fox News Digital in a statement. "Meanwhile, the juggernaut Ossoff campaign will continue building insurmountable momentum to win decisively in November." While Trump has stayed out of the race, Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp, who Republicans heavily lobbied to run for the Senate until he ultimately declined, has weighed in. Kemp threw his support behind Dooley, a family friend that he believes can bring a shake-up to the GOP establishment, given his lack of political experience. TOP GOP RECRUIT FOR CRUCIAL 2026 SENATE RACE HINTS WHEN HE WILL MAKE AN ANNOUNCEMENT "I want to win our Senate seat back," Kemp said before Election Day. "We haven’t done so well in U.S. Senate races here in the state of Georgia in the last several cycles, and we have one more opportunity to try to get one of our Senate seats back. And we got to have the right person to do that." The runoff could turn into another political battle between Kemp and Trump, who have sparred since the 2020 election. And Dooley and Collins would act as surrogates in the back and forth should the president decide to get involved. Meanwhile, Democrats are confident that Ossoff will hold on to his seat despite being the only Senate Democratic incumbent running for re-election in a state Trump won in 2024. But the infighting among Republicans and Ossoff’s battle-tested track record have encouraged Democrats that they can win in November. Sen. Raphael Warnock, D-Ga., who, like Ossoff, beat an incumbent and again won against a Trump-backed opponent in 2023, had some advice for Republicans hours before polls closed. "I want to offer a word of encouragement," Warnock told Fox News Digital of the GOP’s infighting. "They should keep that up." View the full article

One of the nation’s most narrowly divided swing congressional districts chose its Democratic nominee Tuesday evening, as Bob Brooks was projected to win in Pennsylvania’s 7th Congressional District. The contested primary brought Democratic Party divisions front and center, featuring firefighters union boss Bob Brooks — endorsed by both Gov. Josh Shapiro and Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt. — former federal prosecutor Ryan Crosswell, Northampton County Executive Lamont McClure and EMILY’s List-endorsed candidate Carol Obando-Derstine, who is seen as the preferred pick of the district’s last Democratic representative, former Rep. Susan Wild of Allentown. Brooks received several high-profile endorsements from Shapiro, Sanders, Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts, Lt. Gov. Austin Davis and top state Democrats, including House Majority Leader Matt Bradford of Skippack and Sen. Vincent Hughes of Northwest Philadelphia. TRUMP PLEDGES 'AMERICA'S NEW GOLDEN AGE' AS HE RALLIES IN PA'S POST-INDUSTRIAL THIRD-LARGEST CITY Brooks also earned the endorsement of the mayor of the area’s largest city — Allentown, the third-largest city in the commonwealth. Meanwhile, McClure — the only current local officeholder in the race — did not immediately gain traction against Brooks. Brooks appeared to weather intraparty controversy after old social media posts expressing more moderate or conservative views resurfaced — including one using an off-color sexual term to describe former San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick for criticizing law enforcement during the BLM era. FIRM THAT PROPELLED MAMDANI TO VICTORY IN NY LOOKS TO UNSEAT HOUSE GOP MEMBERS IN PA Crosswell was born in nearby Schuylkill County but for many years worked in Washington for the Justice Department. He was one of several prosecutors who resigned in protest of the Trump administration dropping a federal probe into former New York City Mayor Eric Adams. Adams has since become less critical of the right and has often dinged his successor, Zohran Mamdani, on social media. The district’s tri-city hub of Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton — known locally as "A.B.E." or "The Valley" — has a blue-collar history that has at times entered the national consciousness through Billy Joel’s famous anthem about Bethlehem Steel and other firms "closing all the factories down," while the now-blighted SteelStacks often serve as both a backdrop for what once was and a rallying call for politicians pushing what comes next. That "next" has included a wave of new warehouses and firms dedicated to interstate commerce, along with growth tied to the tech sector. GOP CHALLENGER UNSEATS REP. SUSAN WILD IN PENNSYLVANIA Farmland in the northern part of the district is gradually being developed into homes and warehouses — to the chagrin of many longtime residents — as an influx of people from higher-tax New Jersey and New York, along with the area’s changing socioeconomic makeup, brings more liberal and progressive voters into a once "Reagan Democrat"-style region rooted in agriculture and union labor. The district’s current boundaries still reflect that contrast, as the farther north one travels, the more rural, agrarian or forested — and conservative — the area becomes. Wild drew criticism twice for appearing to insult the Trump-supporting swath of Carbon County, the only one of the district’s three counties entirely within the 7th Congressional District to vote for Mackenzie in 2024. The Republican in the race, Rep. Ryan Mackenzie of Lower Macungie, was a state representative in western Lehigh County for many years before upsetting Wild by one percentage point in 2024. Mackenzie has since drawn praise from President Donald Trump and criticism from the left, whose protesters often gather outside his office and spill onto busy Cedar Crest Boulevard in southwest Allentown. As the House GOP’s narrow majority hangs in the balance, it remains to be seen which side is energized enough to turn out for its candidate in a race the nation will be watching closely. View the full article

Former Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms, who also served in the Biden administration, has captured the Democratic nomination for governor in the key southeastern battleground of Georgia. Bottoms won a majority of the vote in Tuesday's primary, the Associated Press reports, in a large field of candidates that also included former Lt. Gov. Geoff Duncan, a Republican-turned-Democrat; former state Sen. Jason Esteves; state Rep. Derrick Jackson; and former state labor commissioner and former DeKalb County CEO Mike Thurmond. Democrats are aiming to break their losing streak in Georgia, where it's been nearly three decades since the party has won a gubernatorial election. You have to go all the way back to former Gov. Roy Barnes' 1998 victory. Since then Republicans have been on a winning streak, with former Govs. Sonny Perdue and Nathan Deal, and Brian Kemp, all winning election and re-election. DEMOCRACY ’26: STAY UP TO DATE WITH THE FOX NEWS ELECTION HUB Bottoms was the frontrunner during the primary campaign, and faced plenty of attacks from her rivals over her single term as Atlanta mayor, which garnered harsh reviews. She was elected in 2018 but declined to seek re-election in 2022 and instead later served as senior advisor and director of the White House Office of Public Engagement in then-President Joe Biden's administration. The former mayor's rivals argued that Bottoms' vulnerabilities could hurt the Democrats as they work to win back the governor's office in Atlanta, during a midterm election cycle where the party is energized and Republicans are facing traditional political headwinds and a rough climate. That energy was witnessed the surge in turnout in early voting in Georgia. More than a million ballots were cast ahead of Election Day, with Democrats enjoying a sizable turnout advantage over Republicans. View the full article

Zach Dembo, a former U.S. attorney and Kentucky policy advisor, won a primary on Tuesday evening in a bid to fill Kentucky’s 6th Congressional District seat. Although they now have their candidate, Democrats will face an uphill road to a seat in the U.S. House of Representatives in the November general election to replace outgoing Rep. Andy Barr, R-Ky., after a longtime physician backed by President Donald Trump won his Republican primary Tuesday evening. BALLOT BOX SHOCKER: PROGRESSIVE BACKED BY SANDERS, AOC ON VERGE OF UPSET IN DEM CONGRESSIONAL PRIMARY Ralph Alvarado, a Kentucky state senator, who was called a "true friend" by Trump in a recent endorsement, won his primary. Dembo began his career as an eighth grade English teacher before going on to law school and serving in the United States Navy Judge Advocate General’s (JAG) Corps, according to his website. In 2017, he spent some time as a federal prosecutor and then was tapped by Gov. Beshear to become a policy advisor and legislative director. Dembo cited Trump’s weaponization of the Justice Department as the catalyst that prompted him to pursue office. "When Donald Trump started using your justice department to go after his political enemies, I resigned," Dembo said in a campaign video. "Our system is broken." Dembo had raised just shy of a million dollars as of the end of April — $956,000, according to FEC records. ANDY BARR MULLS SENATE BID, SAYS 'IT'S TIME FOR KENTUCKY TO HAVE A US SENATOR WHO SUPPORTS PRESIDENT TRUMP' Notably, Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear didn't make an endorsement in the Democratic primary for Kentucky 6th Congressional district. Democrats face steep odds in November’s general election; Kentucky’s 6th Congressional District has leaned heavily Republican in the past. Its incumbent, Rep. Andy Barr, R-Ky., last won reelection in 2024 in a 63% to 37% victory over Democratic challenger Randy Cravens. REP. BARR VOWS TO STOP ‘RADICAL LEFT’ FROM DEFUNDING ICE, BORDER PATROL Barr, who has represented Kentucky’s 6th Congressional District since 2013, is pursuing a seat in the U.S. Senate to fill the vacancy of outgoing former Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky. McConnell, 84, is retiring. View the full article