Good morning Her Campus! With a break-neck news cycle, there is no possible way for you to stay on top of every story that comes across your feeds—we’re all only human, after all.
But, life comes at you fast. So grab a cup of coffee and settle in for this quick and dirty guide to stories you might’ve been sleeping on (like, literally. It’s early.)
Greg Pence Won The GOP Nomination For Indiana US House Seat
On Tuesday, Vice President Mike Pence’s older brother, Greg Pence, won the Republican nomination for a House seat that the VP once held for nearly 10 years. The Associated Press called the race around 7 p.m., when Pence was leading Jonathan Lamb by more than 10,000 votes.
Greg Pence wins GOP nomination for Indiana US House seat once held by brother, Vice President Mike Pence. @AP race call at 7:17 p.m. EDT. #Election2018 #APracecall pic.twitter.com/naU234lkUs
— AP Politics (@AP_Politics) May 8, 2018
HuffPost reported that Pence, a former Marine, has no previous political experience; however, his campaign mirrored his brother’s conservative values (pro-life, pro-Second Amendment, etc.). The VP congratulated his brother late Tuesday night.
Congratulations to my brother @GregPenceIN on his big primary win tonight in #IN06! He’s making Hoosiers & the Pence family proud. Good luck in November!
— Mike Pence (@mike_pence) May 9, 2018
The nomination earned Pence the chance to run in Indiana’s 6th Congressional District general election in November.
The US Is Reportedly Facing An EpiPen Shortage
Bloomberg reported on Tuesday that people are having trouble finding EpiPens — a medical device used for the emergency treatment of severe allergic reactions — in the US. According to James Baker, chief executive officer of Food Allergy Research & Education, “More than 400 patients in 45 states have reported difficulty filling prescriptions” for EpiPens and other similar devices.
Mylan, the company that owns the rights to EpiPens, cited manufacturing delays as the reason for the shortage. However, according to Slate, EpiPens are not on the FDA’s list of drug shortages and the agency has claimed that Mylan is reporting “adequate supplies” of the device.
Baker added that some patients have had to wait several weeks for the device, while others said they haven’t been able to even get one.
A Russian Oligarch Sent Payments To The Same Bank Account Michael Cohen Used To Pay Off Stormy Daniels
Stormy Daniels‘ lawyer, Michael Avenatti, claimed on Tuesday that the same shell company that Michael Cohen used to pay hush money to Daniels also received more than $1 million in payments from a company linked to Russian oligarch Viktor Vekselberg. The New York Times later confirmed “much of what was in Mr. Avenatti’s report” after a review of financial records.
After significant investigation, we have discovered that Mr. Trump’s atty Mr. Cohen received approximately $500,000 in the mos. after the election from a company controlled by a Russian Oligarc with close ties to Mr. Putin. These monies may have reimbursed the $130k payment.
— Michael Avenatti (@MichaelAvenatti) May 8, 2018
Cohen, President Trump’s personal attorney, is currently under federal investigation. He paid Daniels $130,000 in hush money before the 2016 presidential election to hide an alleged affair with Trump.
Vekselberg’s potential involvement in the payments are particularly suspicious because he’s an ally of Vladimir Putin, attended Trump’s inauguration, and was recently interviewed by Special Counsel Robert Mueller. The NYT reported finding other transactions with Cohen’s same shell company, some of which involved payments from “Fortune 500 companies with business before the Trump administration.”
What to look out for…
Anything and everything from Taylor Swift’s first show of her Reputation tour. She hit the stage Tuesday night with Camila Cabello and Charli XCX as her openers.