Secretary Brooke Rollins on affordability, GOP’s Eric Conroy on his race, Trump scores data center win in Missouri, and more

Ohio is poised to see hundreds of millions of dollars in outside spending in the 2026 midterms, including in the recently-redrawn 1st District, which is home to both downtown Cincinnati and to Vice President JD Vance.

Eric Conroy, the GOP’s new nominee to challenge Rep. Greg Landsman (D., Ohio), will have a firsthand view as the Republican Party’s nominee to challenge Landsman. During his primary, he got a boost towards the home stretch from President Donald Trump, whose endorsement of Conroy helped lead to one of his primary opponents dropping out before the election.

“Eric Conroy is one of the strongest Republican Candidates in the Country, whereas the current Congressman, Greg Landsman, is a weak Radical Left Democrat, who puts our Country, and Safety, LAST,” Trump wrote in his endorsement. “Eric, on the other hand, will ALWAYS put Ohio, and America, FIRST.”

TIM SCOTT WIN: President Donald Trump is embracing legislation authored by Sen. Tim Scott (R., S.C.), the Chair of the Banking Committee. Trump shouted out both Scott and Sen. Bernie Moreno (R., Ohio) on Truth Social; Scott responded by saying that “by passing the 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act, Congress will deliver on your agenda and ensure that 2026 is truly the year of affordability.” TRY, TRY AGAIN: If South Carolina postpones its primaries because of redistricting, both Reps. Nancy Mace (R., S.C.) and Ralph Norman (R., S.C.) could run for their now-open seats, should they fail to win…

The race to secure American dominance in artificial intelligence (AI), a major priority of President Donald Trump and the administration, is paying massive dividends for Missourians, with a Netherlands-based company breaking ground on what will be one of the highest-powered computing data centers in America.

Nebius, an AI cloud company trading on the NASDAQ (NBIS), broke ground on its AI factory campus in Missouri alongside local stakeholders, announcing the latest move in its multi-billion-dollar investment in America. Nebius has previously inked deals with major hyperscalers, including Meta and Microsoft, and is widely seen among the administration as America’s top ally in the race for American AI dominance. 

Nebius’ latest American investment builds on its Vineland, New Jersey and Kansas City, Missouri locations, among others.

President Donald Trump and his administration scored some unexpected good news with the April jobs report, and his Acting Labor Secretary used the occasion to tout an economy that is “on fire” to the Washington Reporter.

“We nearly doubled expectations with 115,000 jobs added in April,” Secretary Keith Sonderling said. “This job growth is occurring in the right places, with more than 700,000 private sector jobs created so far in President Trump’s second term. In spite of the fear-mongering and naysayers, this administration is full steam ahead for the American Worker.” 

The April jobs report marks the second consecutive month of the Trump administration surpassing expectations; the news could help Sonderling remain atop the Labor Department, which he has helmed since his predecessor, Lori Chavez-DeRemer, resigned for a job in the private sector. 

Rep. Ben Cline (R., Va.) scored a major legal win, following the Virginia Supreme Court’s ruling that the Democrats’ gerrymandering ballot initiative cannot proceed. And while Gov. Abigail Spanberger (D., Va.) sounds content with following that ruling, Cline and his colleagues on the House Judiciary Committee are using an upcoming hearing to hone in on the charging decisions of one of the highest profile prosecutors in the commonwealth.

The House Judiciary Committee is holding a hearing titled “Fairfax County, Virginia: The Dangerous Consequences of Sanctuary Policies,” where Stephen Descano, Fairfax County’s Commonwealth’s Attorney, will be a witness, alongside others like former Virginia Attorney General Jason Miyares.

Republicans on the Judiciary Committee, led by Chair Jim Jordan (R., Ohio) and Rep. Tom McClintock (R., Calif.), are simultaneously requesting documents from other Northern Virginia officials, like Falls Church prosecutor Parisa Dehghani-Tafti, Arlington County Police Chief Charles Penn, and Arlington County Sheriff Jose Quiroz “demanding information on the county’s refusal to cooperate with federal law enforcement to ensure that dangerous criminal aliens are not released onto northern Virginia streets,” the committee noted.

The Louisiana GOP Senate primary is getting messy in its waning days, with President Donald Trump’s pick in the race criticizing one of her opponents for getting paid by a Washington, D.C. law firm while simultaneously serving as Louisiana’s Treasurer.

During one of the recent debates, Treasurer John Fleming confirmed that he is employed by The McKeon Group, a lobbying firm with a heavy D.C. presence. Fleming’s financial disclosure forms for his campaign back the charge, levied by Rep. Julia Letlow (R., La.), and others. 

Fleming’s filing lists $41,500 in salary from The McKeon Group, Inc. and $120,217 in salary from the State of Louisiana. The firm itself continues to list Fleming as an “advisor” on its website. 

The Republican National Committee (RNC) secured one of the best return on investments in political history following a Virginia Supreme Court decision that overturned a referendum that could have delivered four House seats to Democrats. 

The Democratic Party’s constellation of groups spent almost $100 million on saturating the airwaves in Virginia; Republicans spent comparatively less, although Rep. Ben Cline (R., Va.), whose district would have been carved up had the referendum been implemented, went so far as to launch a grassroots organization to push back against the vote, which narrowly passed.

“Democrats just learned that when you try to rig elections, you lose,” RNC Chairman Joe Gruters said following the ruling. “Today, the Virginia Supreme Court sided with the rule of law and struck down Democrats’ unconstitutional maps. The RNC led the charge in court against this blatant power grab, where Virginia Democrats poured more than $66 million into an effort to lock in control and silence voters. We took them to court, and we won.” The successful lawsuit was backed by an RNC-funded amicus brief along with support from the National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC).

As I meet with farmers across America and hear their concerns, one refrain has echoed above all others in recent weeks: the rising cost of fertilizer. This anxiety is real and matters to all Americans, because fertilizer is essential for maintaining our ability to feed ourselves as a nation. When it becomes unaffordable, our food security is threatened, and with it, our national security and our freedom. 

Unfortunately, expensive fertilizer has been a longstanding issue. The last administration did little as the price of fertilizer shot up 40 percent, at one point even reaching 99 percent higher prices. Prices are high now, but they pale in comparison to peaks under Biden. 

When it comes to the past decade of price hikes, industry consolidation is largely to blame, as four companies control three-fourths of the domestic nitrogen fertilizer market — two of which are not even American owned— driving farmers to rely on countries like Russia and other unstable suppliers for this critical input.

We have a mental health crisis in America, and too many people are suffering. While we rightfully are quick to associate mental health issues with veterans suffering from PTSD or millions of Americans with depression or substance abuse, often forgotten are children who have been abused by child predators who now rely on access to medicines to make their lives tolerable. These are critical tools for long-term recovery and care for those who have survived abuse.