By Erin Bamer | Reporter
“I believe Pete’s going to win, but every single poll that comes out right now shows this race basically tied,” - Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas. “The Democrats are dropping millions of dollars into Nebraska. … Their objective is to deceive the voters of Nebraska.”
Texas Sen. Ted Cruz with Nebraska U.S. Sen. Pete Ricketts at the Lincoln’s Country Club in Lincoln on June 12, 2026. (Juan Salinas II/Nebraska Examiner)
ELECTION 2026
By Juan Salinas II
LINCOLN — Texas Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, was at the Country Club of Lincoln on Friday to campaign for Nebraska U.S. Sen. Pete Ricketts in his bid for reelection.
Then-State Sen. Bob Krist of Omaha. (Courtesy of Unicameral Information Office)
ELECTION 2026
By Zach Wendling
LINCOLN — A second former Nebraska state lawmaker is considering a nonpartisan run for one of “several” offices this election cycle but said he would not run in any three-way race.
Omaha Public Power District’s new peregrine falcon chicks, Yin and Yang. (Photo: Omaha Public Power District)
ENVIRONMENT & AGRICULTURE
By Erin Bamer
OMAHA — The votes are in, and Omaha Public Power District’s newest peregrine falcon chicks officially have names.
A view of the damaged B1 bridge, a day after it was destroyed by an airstrike, on April 3, 2026 west of Tehran in Karaj, Iran. (Photo by Majid Saeedi/Getty Images)
D.C. BUREAU
By Jennifer Shutt
WASHINGTON — The Trump administration still needs to determine how it will remove nuclear materials from Iran after officials from both countries sign documents to end the war, a senior official said Friday.
Fourteen state attorneys general are asking the EPA to classify the abortion medication mifepristone as a water contaminant. (Photo by Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)
ABORTION POLICY
By Nada Hassanein
Republican attorneys general from 14 states and 19 GOP members of Congress are asking U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lee Zeldin to classify and regulate the abortion medication mifepristone as a water contaminant.
Jonathan Crowder, who lives in Long Island, N.Y., plays a game of pickup soccer at Brooklyn Bridge Park on May 28, 2026. Some World Cup fans are worried about the planned presence of ICE at games. (Photo by Shalina Chatlani/Stateline)
GOVERNMENT & POLITICS
By Shalina Chatlani
BROOKLYN, N.Y. — On a recent weekday evening, Avram Kline kicked a soccer ball to his son on the bright green pitch in Brooklyn Bridge Park, where the skyscrapers of Manhattan loom just across the East River.
Larvae hatch from New World screwworm eggs within about 24 hours before burrowing into the infested animal’s wound to feed on living flesh. (Photo courtesy of USDA)
HEALTH
By Kevin Hardy
The New World screwworm has arrived in the United States.
For years, ranchers across Southern states have prepared for a potential invasion of the flesh-eating parasite that can wreak havoc on livestock, pets and even humans.
President Donald Trump gives a speech at the World Economic Forum on Jan. 21, 2026 in Davos, Switzerland. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)
D.C. BUREAU
By Ashley Murray
ALEXANDRIA, Va. — A federal judge in the Eastern District of Virginia issued a preliminary injunction Friday halting the Trump administration’s nearly $1.8 billion “anti-weaponization” fund for one week, giving the government time to sign a “clear, unambiguous” agreement that the fund is dead.
An Ultimate Fighting Championship ring on the White House South Lawn on Thursday, June 11, 2026. (Photo by Ashley Murray/States Newsroom)
D.C. BUREAU
By Ashley Murray
WASHINGTON — Advertisements for Polymarket and Bud Light lined an eight-sided cage on the White House grounds Thursday ahead of a series of mixed martial arts fights scheduled for Sunday, President Donald Trump’s 80th birthday, and billed as a celebration of America’s 250th birthday.
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT
Petition seeks to require Lincoln to staff at least 450 police | Zach Wendling
Dan Osborn submits signatures in hopes of challenging Ricketts | Juan Salinas II
Winner-take-all petition will not make 2026 ballot | Zach Wendling
COMMENTARY
EDITOR'S CHOICE
Year after ICE raid, Omaha advocates say community not safer | Cindy Gonzalez
GOP-leaning petitions seek to change Lincoln elections | Zach Wendling
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