Live updates: 2026 primary elections held today; DHS Secretary Kristi Noem to testify at Senate hearing

Noem is expected to face tough questioning from both Republicans and Democrats over her handling of President Donald Trump's immigration agenda.

Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem will testify before the Senate Judiciary Committee this morning. Anna Moneymaker / Getty Images

What to know about tonight's elections

ELECTION NIGHT: Elections are taking place in Texas, Arkansas and North Carolina, including some races that could have an impact onthis year's midterm elections.TEXAS SENATE RACES:Among the most high-profile races are the two competitive Senate primaries in Texas. On the Democratic side, Rep. Jasmine Crockett is facing off against state Rep. James Talarico.Republican Sen. John Cornynis facing a primary challenge from state Attorney General Ken Paxton and Rep. Wesley Hunt. President Donald Trump has not endorsed anyone. Polls close at 8 p.m. ET.DHS HEARING:Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem is expected to testify this morning at a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing.

Steve Kornacki: The geographic and demographic dividing lines shaping Texas’ combative Senate primaries

A pair of volatile Senate contests in Texas will headline the first primary night of the 2026 midterm season. And a few groups of voters are set to play critical roles deciding these races — and possibly hint at the keys to other campaigns to come this year.

The drama centers on the seat held by Republican Sen. John Cornyn, who is in the underdog role as he seeks his fifth term. Cornyn faces primary challenges from state Attorney General Ken Paxton and Rep. Wesley Hunt. If Cornyn is defeated, he will be the first senator to be denied renomination by his or her own party since Republican Richard Lugar of Indiana back in 2012.

House Oversight Committee releases videos of the Clintons' testimony on Jeffrey Epstein

The House Oversight Committee has released new videos of former President Bill Clinton and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton answering questions about their relationships and interactions with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. NBC’s Ryan Nobles reports for "Today."

Supreme Court blocks redraw of lone GOP-held district in New York City

The Supreme Court issued a ruling yesterday that will keep New York City’s lone Republican-held congressional district in place for this year’s midterm elections.

The court sided with Rep. Nicole Malliotakis, R-N.Y., who had asked the justices to block a ruling from a state judge earlier this year that her Staten Island-based 11th District was unconstitutional. The judge said the district diluted Black and Latino voting power and ordered New York’s independent redistricting commission to redraw it.

Minnesota county launches online portal to probe immigration enforcement abuse allegations

Former U.S. Border Patrol commander Greg Bovino’s use of a chemical irritant on people in Minnesota protesting large-scale immigration operations is one of several incidents being investigated by the Hennepin County attorney’s office.

The investigation is part of a new initiative to collect and assess evidence submitted by the public to identify “potentially unlawful behavior by federal agents” during Operation Metro Surge in Minnesota, Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty announced yesterday.

Trump to attend his first White House correspondents’ dinner as president

Trump said yesterday that he will go to the White House correspondents’ dinner this year, the first time he’ll be in attendance while he was in office.

Although it’s customary for presidents to attend the dinner, Trump skipped the event each year during his first term, in addition to the first one in his second term.

Trump administration drops suits against law firms after judges find president’s orders unconstitutional

The Justice Department yesterday dropped the fight over Trump’s executive orders targeting firms he disliked, conceding to unanimous rulings from federal judges that found the orders violated the fundamental tenets of the Constitution.

The targeted firms included Perkins Coie, WilmerHale, Susman Godfrey and Jenner & Block. They had fought back against executive orders by Trump that took aim at their security clearances, government contracts and access to government buildings due to their clientele and hiring.

Incumbents are at risk as the first primaries of the midterm elections get underway

Three states are kicking off the 2026 midterm elections today with primaries that will shape the battle for control of the House and the Senate, while simmering fights for control of each party could boil over as voters decide whether to discard longtime incumbents.

As Texas, Arkansas and North Carolina vote, the highest-profile race features longtime Republican Sen. John Cornyn, who is in the fight of his political life against state Attorney General Ken Paxton and Rep. Wesley Hunt in Texas. Both are challenging Cornyn from his right flank in a primary that has drawn almost $100 million in advertising.

Meanwhile, Rep. Jasmine Crockett and state Rep. James Talarico are squaring off in the opposing primary, a race that has exposed an important strategic divide in the party over whether Democrats should be trying to excite their base or focusing on bipartisan appeal.

And while Cornyn is the headliner, he’s just one of a handful of incumbents in both parties who face serious primary threats to their political future.

What to expect from Noem's Senate testimony

The Senate Judiciary Committee will hear testimony from Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem at 9 a.m., a hearing during which she is expected to face tough questions from both sides of the aisle.

While many Republicans are supportive of Noem’s work overseeing immigration enforcement operations, Sen. Thom Tillis, R-N.C., a member of the committee, has been hypercritical of her in recent months.

"If I were in her position, I can’t think of any point of pride over the last year,” Tillis said Jan. 27. “She’s got to make her own decision, or the president does, but she has taken this administration into the ground on an issue that we should own. We should own, the issue of border security and immigration, but they have destroyed that for Republicans, something that got the president elected. They have destroyed it through their incompetence.”

Democrats are expected to be universally critical of Noem, and when asked what he wanted to hear from Noem during the hearing, Sen Sheldon Whitehouse, D-R.I., laughed and responded, “I resign.”

Trump’s takeover of the GOP upends Texas Senate race

MAGNOLIA, Texas — Unlike many of the Texans packed into the Angry Elephant last week, Phillip Mori wasn’t completely sold on Senate candidate and state Attorney General Ken Paxton.

Mori, a 64-year-old mortgage banker and ardent Trump supporter came to the Republican-themed bar hoping to hear Paxton talk about how he would address border security. Paxton laid out the case for his primary challenge against GOP Sen. John Cornyn and his experience taking on Democratic presidents as attorney general, but Mori thought he focused too much on the past.

A competitive Texas Senate race looms over today’s primaries

AUSTIN, Texas — Democrats are starting to believe that the stars at night, big and bright, just might align in Texas.

Those lyrics from “Deep in the Heart of Texas,” the Lone Star State’s unofficial anthem, blared through the speakers at a packed rally for state Rep. James Talarico ahead of today’s primary, with the prospect that Democrats could have a real shot at winning this year’s Senate race weighing heavily on voters’ minds.