"DAY AHEAD" - My Daily Editorial Note
May 6, 2026
The Epstein Files mess resumes menacing the Trump Administration today. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick sits for an interview with the House Oversight Committee. Members of the panel are returning here to DC to be part of the questioning.
Lutnick was previously Epstein’s neighbor and has given some VERY contradictory accounts of his relationship/friendship with the convicted sex offender.
In a podcast interview last year, Lutnick said he cut himself off from Epstein in 2005, after Epstein made a “sexually suggestive remark” near a massage table in the middle of Epstein’s home. Lutnick said in the interview, that after the 2005 encounter he vowed, “I was never in the room with him socially, for business, or even philanthropy.” He called Epstein a “disgusting person.”
But when the Trump Administration released SOME of the Epstein files in January, a set of documents included emails between Lutnick and Epstein from 2012.
I’d expect members of both parties to speak to the press before and after Lutnick’s interview.
Rep. Yassamin Ansari (D-AZ) detailed the trek she’s making back to DC for today’s questioning.
Reminder: Democrats are also still pushing to get Pam Bondi’s transcribed interview released publicly (on video) promptly after it is conducted later this month.
Survivors continue to argue Bondi “mishandled” the files and has lots to answer about.
I’ll be on the Hill, tracking this story today.
So… Indiana has just shown us why an ugly redistricting wave is sweeping America.
Trump-supported challengers have bested a group on incumbent GOP state legislators in Tuesday’s primaries. The calculation was simple. Trump wanted the GOP incumbents gone, because they opposed Trump-ordered redrawing of Congressional lines.
Despite his plunging approval ratings, Trump still has majority support inside his own party. (No surprise that any sitting President has a majority support inside his own party)
Indiana’s state legislature is gonna remain “red”, no matter what. I think the larger story is whether last night’s primary election results further inflame the wildfire of redistricting that’s spreading to the south, where GOP officials are racing to redraw more lines.
South Carolina, Tennessee, Mississippi, Alabama, etc, etc. are all attempting to race the clock before November, despite major hurdles (especially in Mississippi, where primaries have already been held)
One footnote on Indiana. The GOP members of the U.S. House had some very uninspiring, narrower primary victories than expected. Especially Rep. Jefferson Shreve (R-IN) who appears to have barely held of a low-profile challenger. (Shreve prevailed by just a few thousand votes)
This is all indicative of an anti-incumbent sentiment.. and dissatisfied GOP voters. It’s consistent with a tough, tough night for Republicans in November.
But there are six months remaining…. And things can change.
I’m tracking a whole bunch of other emerging stories today
1) Ohio’s primaries set up a rip roaring dramatic election homestretch. Sherrod Brown is a helluva formidable challenger against Sen. Jon Husted (R-OH), with gobs of money in the campaign coffers already.
Amy Acton and Vivek Ramaswamy prevailed in the gubernatorial race. Zero surprise there.
The primary in the Toledo-based Congressional district was perhaps the most impactful race. Rep. Marcy Kaptur (D-OH), who has served in the U.S. House since the 1980’s will face a rematch against Derek Merrin, in a district in which Trump won by a large margin in 2024.
“Northwest Ohio is ready for fresh new leadership,” said Merrin.
https://rollcall.com/2026/05/06/ohios-kaptur-set-for-rematch-with-merrin-in-bid-for-23rd-house-term/
1a) The homestretch to California’s gubernatorial primary begins today. A marathon and colorful debate on CNN showed us the candidates are most focused on Xavier Beccera. His fellow Democrats trained their attacks on Beccera through the debate.
Great summary here: https://www.cnn.com/2026/05/05/politics/takeaways-cnn-california-governor-debate
There was also this very weird reference to the OathKeepers by Chad Bianco. (reminder: Members of the OathKeepers were convicted of seditious conspiracy in the Jan 6 siege)
2) The Senate Judiciary Committee’s proposal to spend $1 billion in taxpayer money on security upgrades to Trump’s new East Wing renovation has gone over with a big, fat thud.
Democrats will oppose the expense. Judiciary Committee vice-chair Sen. Dick Durbin (D-IL) said, “While Americans are struggling to make ends meet as a result of President Trump’s failed policies, Republicans are focused on providing tens of billions of dollars for the President’s vanity ballroom project and cruel mass deportation campaign”
3) An 11th hour push against Kevin Warsh, Trump’s nominee to be Federal Reserve Board chair. Now that swing-vote Sen. Thom Tillis (R-NC) appears to have dropped his opposition to voting to confirm Warsh, Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) is trying to pry loose some information about Warsh’s wealth. Sen. Warren, the vice-chair of Senate Banking Committee, is pressing an investment firm to release information about Warsh’s assets and holdings.
Warren’s inquiry said, “Mr. Warsh has refused to disclose over $100 million of his assets, citing pre-existing confidentiality agreements, that are owned and managed by you and entities you control. Releasing Mr. Warsh from these confidentiality agreements would allow him to fully disclose the sources of his wealth to the public—allowing the U.S. Senate to meaningfully examine his finances and potential conflicts of interest before the Senate votes on his nomination.”
4) As the redistricting wars escalate, Martin Luther King III and the NAACP are pushing Tennessee state leaders to stop the crusade in that state.
Take a look at MLK III’s letter, which begins, “I write today to express grave concern regarding the Tennessee General Assembly’s decision to launch late-decade redistricting of the state’s Congressional map, an unprecedented action fundamentally harmful to our democracy. This decision undermines the work that my father, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., carried out to help secure passage of the Voting Rights Act of 1965.”
5) Another battle over gun violence control. The Justice Department has filed a federal civil suit against the city of Denver, alleging the city’s laws limit access to some semi-automatic firearms violates federal protections for those …. guns. The Trump Administration argues, Denver’s laws “unconstitutionally infringe on the Second Amendment rights of law-abiding citizens to keep and bear arms in common use for lawful purposes.”
Here’s the complaint: https://www.justice.gov/crt/media/1439466/dl?utm_medium=email&utm_source=govdelivery
6) Hoo Boy. The Sacramento Bee has released updated gas prices in California. This is … rough
7) Just 20 days until the Texas runoff election, which will determine the GOP nominee for U.S. Senate. Likely to be a low-turnout affair.
Here’s what a new University of Houston poll says about likely voters
Full poll results: https://www.texastribune.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/UH-GOP-runoff-poll.pdf
8) Oh.. about the Pentagon’s estimate that the Iran War has cost $25 billion in taxpayer money so far. The US House Appropriations Committee will have a chance to truth-squad that estimate. They’ve announced a hearing for Tuesday at 8am on the Defense Department’s funding for 2027. Secretary Pete Hegseth will also appear for testimony before a Senate Appropriations Committee hearing at 1030am on Tuesday.
9) Trump has one media event today. 12:30pm eastern. An honor of military moms. It’s in the East Room.
LATER TODAY ON SUBSTACK LIVE:
My guest at 10am eastern is Michael Fanone, the injured former Washington, D.C. police officer, who has defended and championed telling the truth about the US Capitol siege.
Fanone has been menaced and people have tried to silence. We’ll talk about whether the whitewashing will end.. and how to end it.
Also.. I’m proud to announce a further expansion of the “Scott MacFarlane Reports” radio network.
Welcome to WESTWOOD ONE and its affiliates nationwide.
Congratulations on your ever increasing exposure! Is there a link to watch the Lutnick hearing? The Indiana results were disappointing, however Ohio looks like it will be a competitive match. Unfortunately, the rest of today's news made my stomach churn
I enjoyed your article and I look forward to listening to your interview with Michael Fanone. He is one of my favorites!