# 5 states hold primaries today. And, Spokane police arrest man connected to wildfire

- URL: https://talkfuse.com/story/5-states-hold-primaries-today-and-spokane-police-arrest-man-connected-to-wildfire/
- Published: 2026-08-04T11:29:23+00:00
- Updated: 2026-08-04T12:21:58+00:00
- Original publisher: NPR (publisher lean: Left)
- Original article: https://www.npr.org/2026/08/04/g-s1-137277/up-first-newsetter-michigan-primaries-todd-blanche-spokane-wildfires-chuck-edwards
- Topics: Americas, Politics, World

## Key points

- Five US states voted in primaries, Michigan's Senate race key
- Todd Blanche's AG confirmation advanced after fund pledge
- Man charged with arson over Spokane's devastating wildfires

## Summary

This is NPR's daily "Up First" news roundup, covering several distinct stories rather than a single event. The lead items are primary elections in five US states and a Justice Department confirmation battle, alongside an arrest connected to devastating wildfires in Washington state and an ethics finding against a US congressman.

- Primaries were held in Kansas, Michigan, Missouri, Virginia and Washington, with attention on Michigan's Democratic Senate primary, a contest between Congresswoman Haley Stevens and former public health official Abdul El-Sayed seen as a test of establishment versus progressive strength in a key battleground state.
- Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche's confirmation moved forward after Republican senators John Cornyn and Thom Tillis dropped their objections, following his written pledge to scrap a controversial $1.8 billion "anti-weaponization fund" set up via a Trump-era IRS settlement.
- In Spokane, Washington, 37-year-old Aaron Farinacci was charged with first-degree arson over one of three major wildfires that displaced around 65,000 people, burned more than 7,000 acres and destroyed roughly 600 homes.
- North Carolina Republican Rep. Chuck Edwards was recommended for censure by the House Ethics Committee over "persistent unprofessional and inappropriate conduct" towards two female staffers.
- Other briefs: US Soccer extended manager Mauricio Pochettino's contract to 2030; Michigan reported two deaths linked to a cyclosporiasis outbreak; and federal charges were dropped against three people accused of damaging the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool.

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Summarised by TalkFuse (https://talkfuse.com/). Quote the original publisher for the reporting and link this page for the summary and discussion.