Tafoya and Graham Advance, El-Sayed’s Hidden History, Trump’s Air Force One Fake-Out: AM Update 8/12
August 12, 2026
AI Summary
5 min readTafoya and Graham Advance, El-Sayed’s Hidden History, Trump’s Air Force One Fake-Out
Wednesday, August 12, 2026 — AM Update
Minnesota Republicans chose former sports broadcaster Michelle Tafoya as their Senate nominee, ending a primary that tested whether the party could break a two-decade statewide losing streak. In South Carolina, Darlene Graham advanced to a runoff following the sudden death of Senator Lindsay Graham, while Michigan Senate nominee Abdul El-Sayed faced new scrutiny after CNN uncovered years of deleted commentary on guns, football, and the Fourth of July. And President Trump’s security team reportedly pulled off an elaborate airport decoy operation involving a catering truck and a dummy plane to evade a possible Iranian assassination plot.
Minnesota and South Carolina Primaries Deliver Key Nominees
Minnesota Republicans picked Michelle Tafoya from a nine-candidate field that included former Navy SEAL Adam Schwarze and former NBA player Royce White. Tafoya, who entered election day as the overwhelming polling favorite, framed her victory as a response to single-party rule in the state. “Minnesota is going in the wrong direction at the speed of sound,” she said after her win, citing fraud, low school scores, and businesses leaving. The party has not elected a candidate to statewide office since 2006.
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What you'll learn
- 1 (00:34) **Episode Open & Headlines** - Host Mark Halperin introduces the day's top stories: primary results in Minnesota, South Carolina, and Wisconsin; Abdul El-Sayed's deleted online history; and Trump's decoy plane operation.
- 2 (02:33) **Minnesota Primary Results** - Republicans choose Michelle Tafoya for Senate and Lisa Demuth for Governor; Democrats pick progressive Peggy Flanagan for Senate.
- 3 (04:51) **South Carolina Senate Runoff Set** - Darlene Graham and Ralph Norman advance to an August 25th runoff to replace the late Senator Lindsey Graham.
- 4 (06:13) **Wisconsin Governor Race Too Close to Call** - Socialist Francesca Hong leads but the Democratic primary is still undecided; the winner will face Republican Tom Tiffany.
- 5 (08:27) **Abdul El-Sayed's Hidden Online History** - CNN's KFile uncovers over 100 private YouTube videos showing the Michigan Senate candidate's radical views on guns, the border, fireworks, and football.
- 6 (12:52) **Trump's Elaborate Airport Decoy Operation** - The Washington Post reports Trump's team used a decoy plane, a catering truck, and a secret call sign to evade an Iranian assassination plot in Turkey.
- 7 (16:48) **Media Reaction to the Decoy Operation** - Outrage from CNN and MSNBC over the use of journalists as "decoys" and praise for the Secret Service's creativity.
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Guests on this episode
Show Notes
Michele Tafoya advancing in Minnesota, and Darline Graham moving on in South Carolina, are among many important primary results across several key states. Michigan Democratic Senate nominee Abdul El-Sayed faces new scrutiny over deleted online commentary on guns, the border, and Fourth of July fireworks. New reporting from the Washington Post reveals an elaborate security operation used to protect President Trump from a possible Iranian assassination threat, involving a decoy flight and an airport catering truck.
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