UNITED STATES

A focus group of undecided voters following former President Trump's conviction last week revealed mixed reactions to the historic verdict, with many saying it wouldn't be a decisive factor in their November decision.A transcription of the focus group released Tuesday features 11 swing voters, all of whom have previously supported Trump and President Biden or Hillary Clinton at least once during 2016, 2020 and 2024, the New York Times writes.The undecided voters were asked to discuss the impact of Trump's guilty verdict in his New York trial and how it will affect their likelihood to vote for him. Some respondents

Five children who were born completely deaf have had some reversal of hearing loss after receiving a "groundbreaking" gene therapy.The clinical trial, which was co-led by Mass Eye and Ear in Boston and the Eye & ENT Hospital of Fudan University in Shanghai, was the first in the world to apply gene therapy to children in both ears, according to the researchers.The research has just been published in Nature Medicine on June 5.FITNESS CLASS TOO LOUD? WHAT TO KNOW ABOUT PROTECTING YOUR HEARING HEALTHIn addition to regaining their hearing, the children participating in the trial — who ranged in age

President Biden has shown signs of poor cognitive performance in private meetings with congressional lawmakers, as his age and mental acuity continue to come into question ahead of November's presidential election.Biden, 81, is the oldest person to hold the presidency and has faced skepticism from voters and Republican lawmakers about his ability to do his job. Many Republicans and even some Democrats said the president showed his age in private meetings, according to The Wall Street Journal, which spoke with 45 lawmakers and administration officials about the president's mental performance.Most of the people interviewed by the outlet who were critical

Former senior firearms sales executive Ryan Busse has won the Democrat nomination in the Montana gubernatorial race to unseat Republican Gov. Greg Gianforte in November. While most of Montana's statewide leadership are currently Republican, the state's governor's seat was occupied by a Democrat for nearly a decade before being flipped red in 2020 by Gianforte.Busse detailed his views on what he described as the "climate crisis," having a pro-abortion stance, his pro-Second Amendment viewpoint and access to public land on his campaign website.TRUMP, BIDEN FACE TESTS IN FINAL 2024 PRESIDENTIAL PRIMARIESBusse worked as sales executive of a major firearms company for

Steve Jones has won the GOP primary in his bid to unseat a two-term Democrat in the reliably blue 1st Congressional District of New Mexico.Jones, 77, will face off with Democratic incumbent Rep. Melanie Stansbury in the November general election.SIX SENATE SEATS THE GOP AIMS TO FLIP IN NOVEMBER'S ELECTIONSJones, a retired accountant with experience in the energy sector, beat his Republican opponent, gun range owner Louie Sanchez in a ___ to __ vote on Tuesday night.In the 2022 midterm election, Stansbury was re-elected with 56% of the district's vote. Democrats in the district typically get at least 54% of

State Auditor Troy Downing has won the Republican primary race for Montana's 2nd Congressional District, a seat currently held by Rep. Matt Rosendale, R-Mont., who is not seeking re-election.Rosendale has held the seat for several terms, launching a long anticipated Senate bid in February before dropping out just one week later. Weeks after jumping out of the Senate race, the Republican announced he would not seek re-election – leaving the GOP seat open.ROSENDALE SUSPENDS HOUSE RACE, WILL NOT SEEK RE-ELECTION IN MONTANA: ‘TAKEN A SERIOUS TOLL ON ME’Downing, the state's auditor, faced a large pool of GOP opposition, including a former

Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks, R-Iowa, on Tuesday fended off a conservative GOP primary challenge, setting up what is expected to be a close race this fall with a Democratic challenger.Miller-Meeks won against David Pautsch, an advertising executive, former Army tuba player and Gold Star father in the race for the GOP’s nomination for the 1st congressional district.Miller-Meeks was first elected to Congress in 2020 by a slim margin of just six votes but expanded that advantage in 2022.TRUMP, BIDEN FACE TESTS IN FINAL 2024 PRESIDENTIAL PRIMARIESShe had racked up a sizable financial advantage over her challenger, entering the final stretch of

Sen. Jon Tester, D-Mont., has won the Democratic primary over his opponent Michael Hummert in the Montana Senate race - a heated contest that could determine which party controls the chamber next cycle.Tester, a three-term senator, is running for re-election in red state Montana, and his seat has been eyed by Republicans as one of their best pickup opportunities of the 2024 cycle.Tester has painted himself as a more moderate Democrat, releasing a memo in May of "Tester’s long-standing track record standing up to President Biden," laying out where he apparently disagrees with Biden on a variety of issues.CONSERVATIVE FIREBRAND