Kamala Harris is gaining swing-state voters' trust to step in for Biden

Vice President Kamala Harris is increasingly endearing herself to swing-state voters, a development that if it persists, stands to neutralize Republican attacks around Joe Biden’s age.

Nearly half of swing-state voters, 48%, say they trust Harris to fulfill the duties of the presidency if Biden were no longer able to serve, according to a Bloomberg News/Morning Consult poll conducted in early May. The reading marks the highest level of confidence since the survey was first conducted in October.

In recent months, Harris — the first woman, Black or Asian vice president — has held a series of high-profile events that resonate with key parts of the Democratic base. They include a historic visit to a Minnesota abortion clinic, a nod to the rollback of federal reproductive rights that has galvanized women voters, and an impassioned speech at the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma, Alabama, a landmark of the Civil Rights era. Harris and the administration have also leaned into detailing her personal arc and record in public office.

Republicans have sought to attack Biden’s fitness for a second term by casting her as unprepared to take his place. Polling shows voters are more concerned about the fitness of Biden, 81, for office than Donald Trump, four years younger at 77.

—Bloomberg News

The race to replace Andy Kim: 9 people are running for the seat in the New Jersey primaries

Five New Jersey Democrats and four Republicans are running in primaries to replace U.S. Rep. Andy Kim in the U.S. House.

On the Democratic side, two New Jersey General Assembly members could have an advantage over a handful of political outsiders in the open seat race. In the Republican race, one candidate leads in fundraising while another has support from the GOP establishment.

The 3rd Congressional District includes almost all of Burlington County and parts of Mercer County, which lean Democratic, and parts of Republican-leaning Monmouth County. Democrats make up nearly 36% of voters in the district, and Republicans make up a little more than 26%. Unaffiliated voters outnumber both parties at nearly 37%, as of May.

Kim flipped the South Jersey district blue in a tight race in 2018, and it was redistricted in 2022 to include more Democratic areas. The three-term member of Congress has an easy path to the Democratic nomination for U.S. Senate, but he has not endorsed a primary candidate to succeed him in the district.

New Mexico judge denies Alec Baldwin’s motion to dismiss criminal case in ‘Rust’ shooting

A New Mexico judge denied a motion to dismiss the involuntary manslaughter case against Alec Baldwin, clearing the way for the high-profile actor to stand trial for his alleged role in the deadly “Rust” movie shooting.

New Mexico First Judicial District Judge Mary Marlowe Sommer’s decision late Friday was a setback to Baldwin and his legal team, who had argued that prosecutors were bent on winning a conviction of the 66-year-old actor-producer at all costs following the October 2021 accidental shooting of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins on the low-budget western movie set near Santa Fe.

Baldwin is scheduled to stand trial in a Santa Fe courtroom in July on the felony charge that, if convicted, carries a prison sentence of up to 18 months. He has pleaded not guilty.

In January, grand jurors in Santa Fe County indicted Baldwin on an involuntary manslaughter charge, determining there was sufficient evidence that he acted negligently by pointing a loaded gun at Hutchins without first checking the weapon.

After the indictment, Baldwin’s lawyers pored over transcripts of the grand jury proceedings to try to build a case that Special Prosecutor Kari T. Morrissey had at times shut down testimony that could have been beneficial to their client.

—Los Angeles Times

FBI reportedly contacts Riley Keough's team about Graceland case as claim is dropped

The Federal Bureau of Investigation may launch a criminal probe into possible fraud allegedly surrounding a now-blocked foreclosure sale of Elvis Presley's famed Graceland mansion, according to TMZ and Radar.

The outlets reported Wednesday that the FBI had contacted actor Riley Keough's team and Graceland officials on Tuesday, allegedly expressing interest in Naussany Investments & Private Lending LLC, the company seeking to auction off the building.

The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation told the Los Angeles Times via email that it had not received a request to "investigate from the district attorney general in Shelby County, which would be the mechanism for our potential involvement."

Representatives for Keough did not immediately respond to The Times' request for confirmation and comment.

—Los Angeles Times