Nevada Gov. Joe Lombardo, a Republican, will face Democratic Attorney General Aaron Ford in a battle to hold onto his seat in November, setting up what is considered one of the most competitive governor's races in the country.

Sen. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) on Wednesday said he will launch an inquiry into entrance fees for the U.S. National Park Service (NPS) going toward President Trump’s “vanity projects.” Schiff, along with several other senators, wrote in a letter to Interior Secretary Doug Burgum that visitors to the parks contribute to the NPS budget “by purchasing…

Sen. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) on Wednesday said he will launch an inquiry into entrance fees for the U.S. National Park Service (NPS) going toward President Trump’s “vanity projects.” Schiff, along with several other senators, wrote in a letter to Interior Secretary Doug Burgum that visitors to the parks contribute to the NPS budget “by purchasing…

Democrats have rolled the dice in Maine as they pursue a post-Trump future. Will it work?

It was over the moment he received the endorsement of Maine’s most famous resident: Stephen King, the master of horror, who announced on Tuesday that he voted for Graham Platner.

More than 100,000 Democrats in Maine agreed, making Platner, a marine veteran and oyster farmer, their nominee for the US Senate against Republican incumbent Susan Collins in November.

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© Photograph: Robert F Bukaty/AP

© Photograph: Robert F Bukaty/AP

© Photograph: Robert F Bukaty/AP

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Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown is largely targeting people from the countries most vulnerable to displacement from climate-driven disasters, a Guardian analysis shows.

As the Trump administration pushes policies to boost planet-heating fossil fuels, millions of people are being forced to flee their homelands due to storms, floods and droughts worsened by the climate crisis.

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© Photograph: Annabelle Gordon/Reuters

© Photograph: Annabelle Gordon/Reuters

© Photograph: Annabelle Gordon/Reuters

This blog is now closed. Read our main report here: Police use water cannon against rioters in Northern Ireland

Hadi Alodid refused legal representation and made no reply to charges which were put put to him through an Arabic interpreter as he appeared in court charged with attempted murder following the Belfast knife attack, the Press Association reports.

The 30-year-old, with an address at Duncairn Avenue in Belfast, appeared before the city’s magistrates’ court on Wednesday morning.

He is charged with the attempted murder of Stephen Ogilvie on Monday, with threatening to kill an NHS radiographer on the same day and with the possession of a knife.

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© Photograph: Henry Nicholls/AFP/Getty Images

© Photograph: Henry Nicholls/AFP/Getty Images

© Photograph: Henry Nicholls/AFP/Getty Images

Outcome of polls in four states offers mixed signals about direction of two major parties before November’s midterms

Progressives rallied round the controversial Graham Platner after his primary victory in Maine on Tuesday, while Donald Trump again exerted his grip on the Republican party, helping to defeat a politician who had pushed for the release of the Jeffrey Epstein files.

Primary elections were held in four states – Maine, Nevada, North Dakota and South Carolina – ahead of November’s midterms to decide control of both houses of Congress. The results offered mixed signals about the direction of the two major parties.

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© Photograph: CJ Gunther/Getty Images

© Photograph: CJ Gunther/Getty Images

© Photograph: CJ Gunther/Getty Images

Platner, whose campaign was hit by series of negative headlines, to face Susan Collins in key midterm contest

Graham Platner, a Marine veteran, oyster farmer and progressive activist, has scaled a mountain of personal controversies to win the Democratic nomination for the US Senate in Maine.

His victory on Tuesday caps a remarkable rise for a candidate who has never held elected office and whose campaign was shadowed by negative headlines that might have ended a more conventional political career.

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© Photograph: Robert F Bukaty/AP

© Photograph: Robert F Bukaty/AP

© Photograph: Robert F Bukaty/AP

Republicans and Democrats in Nevada, North Dakota and South Carolina select their nominees on Tuesday, but much of the nation's political focus will be on Maine. Democrat Graham Platner is expected to emerge from the primary to take on five-term incumbent GOP Sen. Susan Collins. But Platner has faced one scandal after another during the campaign. Geoff Bennett discussed more with Alex Seitz-Wald.