Wednesday morning news: August 19, 2026

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Elections » Voters cast their ballots in primary elections in several states on Tuesday, including Florida:

AUDIO (Donalds watch party): Byron! Byron! Byron!

That’s where Trump-backed Congressman Byron Donalds beat several Republican opponents to become the GOP nominee in the race to succeed outgoing Governor Ron DeSantis.

DONALDS: Because of your sweat, because of your hard work, we have won a massive victory!

He’ll face former Congressman David Jolly, who won the Democratic nod. Also in Florida:

AUDIO (Nixon watch party): Angie! Angie! Angie!

Another socialist has won a Democratic primary. Angie Nixon may have pulled off the upset of the night.

NIXON: Florida, we did it!

She defeated Alex Vindman by double digits in a US Senate primary. She’ll face GOP Sen. Ashley Moody in November.

In US Senate primaries in Wyoming, Republican Harriet Hageman and Democrat James Byrd have won their respective nominations.

And in Alaska, things work a little differently there—in an open Senate primary, the top four candidates of any party advance to the general midterm election in November. Republican incumbent Sen. Dan Sullivan and Democrat Mary Peltola were the top vote–getters.

Indiana flooding reactions » Roughly a week after storms tore across Indiana, tens of thousands are still without power. And Governor Mike Braun wants more federal help for storm recovery. He said he was asking for a major disaster declaration ... which could send money directly to homeowners.

BRAUN: We're in touch with FEMA and the White House daily. Hopefully we'll get that assessment done by the end of this week.

The emergency declaration President Trump approved on Saturday covers more than 50 counties from Lake Michigan to the Ohio River.

The storms have killed at least seven people, with more than a thousand residents out of their homes after the historic deluge.

BRAUN: Generally we're tornado prone. It's gonna impact a few counties concentrated in the damage. This was more like a hurricane hitting with hurricane-type flooding and rainfall.

Braun has opened a state relief fund with $5,000 grants.

Rivers around Indianapolis are falling, but the crest is moving west. The Wabash River at Terre Haute isn't expected to peak until tomorrow.

Meta lawsuit » Four states went to trial against Meta on Tuesday, arguing that the parent company of Instagram and Facebook knew that its platforms were addicting children.

WORLD’s Kristen Flavin reports:

KRISTEN FLAVIN: Lawyers for California, Colorado, Kentucky, and New Jersey told a federal judge in Oakland that Meta studied children's brains, then used what it learned to keep them scrolling.

California Deputy Attorney General Megan O’Neill said Meta knew a lot about kids’ brains: How they’re constantly seeking rewards, how sensitive they are to social feedback and that they lack the impulse control of adults.

Meta contends that it spent years building teen accounts and parental controls, and that states haven't shown that the company misled anyone. It further argues that social media addiction isn't an officially recognized psychiatric condition.

California says the penalty could hit 200 billion dollars. Meta calls that wildly out of proportion.

For WORLD, I’m Kristen Flavin.

Ukraine latest » Moscow is making new threats to the UK as it continues to bomb Ukraine.

SOUND: [Bulldozers]

Bulldozers cleared debris in Kharkiv. That's after officials say a Russian missile strike killed 10 civilians.

Also on Tuesday, Russia says Ukraine launched one of its largest long-range assaults on Moscow since the war began. The attack reportedly involved more than 600 drones that hit a warehouse for Wildberries, that is Russia’s largest online retailer. Ukraine asserts the Russian company is helping the military with logistics. 

Russian officials say debris from British drones was found after the attack and issued a statement saying the UK will pay a high price for its involvement in the war.

Meanwhile, British Prime Minister Andy Burnham said Tuesday that the UK has no intention of backing down on what he characterized as its 100% support of Ukraine.

BURNHAM: That's been the British position all the way through this conflict by previous prime ministers, it remains the case with me. We are not fair-weather friends, we will be there in Ukraine's hour of need, and that won't change.

Officials in the UK did not confirm whether its drones had been used in Ukraine’s strike in Moscow.

Swalwell - Chinese spy » Declassified documents confirm reports that former California Congressman Eric Swalwell admitted to having a physical relationship with a suspected Chinese spy.

WORLD’s Harrison Watters has more.

HARRISON WATTERS: The White House on Monday released declassified documents from a 2015 investigation into Swalwell’s campaign finances. 

According to documents first published by Just the News, the FBI was concerned a suspected Chinese spy named Christine Fang made illegal campaign contributions in exchange for recommending interns to Swalwell’s office. But investigators ultimately said they did not establish a quid pro quo involving Swalwell.

The documents do say the former Democratic lawmaker admitted to having “physical relations” with Fang on multiple occasions. Swalwell’s law team has since said the documents reveal nothing new, but he previously evaded questions about any inappropriate relationship with Fang.

In April, Swalwell ended his campaign for California governor and resigned from Congress after multiple allegations of sexual misconduct from other women.

Reporting for WORLD, I’m Harrison Watters.

And I’m Kent Covington.

Coming up: how changes in Colombia’s presidency may have affected earthquake relief efforts. Plus, Christian actors in New York City share how their faith has affected their artistic choices.

This is The World and Everything in It.

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