Primary Election Results, US Missile Stockpiles Running Low, New Flu Vaccine

August 5, 2026

AI Summary

5 min read

Primary Results, Missile Shortages, and a New Flu Vaccine

In Michigan's Senate primary, progressive candidate Kennedy Abdul El Sayed holds a narrow lead over Congresswoman Haley Stevens, but the race remains too close to call. The contest has become a proxy fight for the Democratic Party's internal struggle between its progressive and moderate wings — and the outcome is anything but settled.

Michigan's Senate Primary and the Democratic Divide

The Michigan Senate primary was widely seen as the ultimate swing state test for Democrats: do voters prefer a moderate or a more progressive candidate? El Sayed, an epidemiologist and former public health official, is currently ahead, but the fact that the race is this close despite massive sums spent on ads to boost Stevens suggests the party's left flank is ascendant. However, the ideological spectrum doesn't fully capture the dynamic. The contest also pits insiders against outsiders — establishment candidates who play it safe versus those who see their role as disrupting the system.

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What you'll learn

1 (02:02) **Michigan Senate Primary Too Close to Call** - Progressive Abdul El-Sayed holds a narrow lead over moderate Haley Stevens in a race seen as a key test of the Democratic Party's direction.
2 (03:39) **Michigan Republicans Pick Mike Rogers; Other Primaries Results** - Republicans selected former Congressman Mike Rogers, endorsed by Trump, while Washington Rep. Marie Gluesenkamp Perez fended off a progressive challenger.
3 (05:49) **U.S. Army Running Low on Long-Range Attack Missiles** - NPR confirms the Army has used most of its precision missiles like ATACMS and PrSM during the war with Iran, raising concerns about future conflicts.
4 (09:29) **FDA Weighing Approval of First mRNA Flu Vaccine** - Moderna's mFluSeva could be approved as soon as today, offering stronger protection and faster updates than traditional flu vaccines.
5 Standout Quotes
6 (06:39) "You have to pause and just note how impressive it is that the United States has an offensive weapon called an ATACMS." — Steve Inskeep, on the naming of the Army Tactical Missile System.
7 (11:27) "That is a game changer in a major way." — Michael Osterholm, on the ability of mRNA vaccines to be updated quickly for new flu strains.

+ Full timestamped outline available in the app

Guests on this episode

Haley Stevens Mike Rogers

Show Notes

Votes in Michigan’s highly anticipated Democratic Senate primary are still being counted. But what do the results in Tuesday's other races tell us about November's election? The U.S military is running short of ammunition. NPR has learned that the Army is running out of long-range attack missiles. And the Food and Drug Administration is deciding whether to approve the first flu vaccine using mRNA technology.

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Today’s episode of Up First was edited by Larry Kaplow, Andrew Sussman, Scott Hensley, HJ Mai and Olivia Hampton.

It was produced by Ziad Buchh and Nia Dumas.

Our director is Christopher Thomas.

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And our Supervising Producer is Michael Lipkin.

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(0:00) Introduction
(01:49) Primary Election Results
(05:40) US Missile Stockpiles Running Low
(09:19) New Flu Vaccine

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