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By Meg Kinnard

July 24, 2026

Democrats are poised to lock in the party's 2028 presidential nominating schedule on Friday, likely cementing a dramatic break from decades of tradition by keeping Iowa off the top of the calendar and elevating more racially diverse states.

Either South Carolina or Nevada is expected to go first, and each state has aggressively campaigned for the coveted spot.

Plus, Washington bureau chief Anna Johnson's weekly picks and the latest edition of political book club.

The Headline

Democratic National Committee chair Ken Martin speaks during an interview with The Associated Press at DNC headquarters, Jan. 12, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Allison Robbert)

Democrats to finalize their 2028 presidential nominating calendar, led by more diverse states — By Joey Cappelletti and Meg Kinnard

The decision by the Democratic National Committee’s Rules and Bylaws Committee will need to be approved by the full organization, which is scheduled to meet in August.

The overhaul reflects Democrats’ effort to give greater influence to states that better mirror the party’s diverse coalition, particularly Black and Latino voters, after years of a calendar led by Iowa and New Hampshire, two states with overwhelmingly white electorates.

The decision will also shape the opening stage of what is expected to be a crowded Democratic presidential primary. Without an incumbent or clear frontrunner, the states that vote first could once again play an outsized role in determining which candidates gain momentum, attract donors and emerge as viable contenders.

Republicans still need to do their calendar. They're expected to stick with their traditional early-state lineup led off by Iowa and New Hampshire.

President Joe Biden successfully pushed to move South Carolina to the front of Democrats' 2024 calendar after the state revived his struggling 2020 presidential campaign. South Carolina has long been the first Southern contest and has served as a key test of candidates’ support among Black voters.

But with Democrats now preparing for a wide-open presidential primary, the fight over the calendar has become more contentious.

Dive deeper ➤

Pastor recalls unexpected release from detention in China

Chinese pastor Ezra Jin Mingri becomes emotional during an interview with The Associated Press in Maryland, Wednesday, July 22, 2026 . (AP Photo/Mariam Zuhaib)

From prison fears to fireworks, Chinese pastor recounts sudden release after Trump's intervention — By Didi Tang

Ezra Jin Mingri was inside a detention center in southern China on the morning of July 3, worrying that he would likely spend at least 15 years behind bars. The 57-year-old Chinese Christian pastor had even previously wondered whether he would live to see freedom again.

In the span of 24 hours, Jin was 15 time zones away, digging into an In-N-Out hamburger in Los Angeles and watching fireworks with his family on the eve of Independence Day, marking America's 250th anniversary.

“It’s so dramatic. It's unimaginable,” the pastor told The Associated Press outside the nation's capital.

He said he was suddenly released after being held since October, then put on a plane to the U.S. after President Donald Trump raised his case with Chinese leader Xi Jinping in May.

“It's a miracle,” Jin said this week.

Jin has led one of China's most influential underground churches, which defy government restrictions by not being registered with authorities. He is an exceptional case of a high-profile Chinese detainee going free following a U.S. request at a time when Beijing's leadership has only become more unyielding to foreign pressure.

President Donald Trump, center, invites a family on stage to speak about Trump Accounts at Wheeler High School, Wednesday, July 22, 2026, in Marietta, Ga. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson)

Millions have signed up for Trump Accounts, but some families are still waiting for baby’s $1,000 — By Moriah Balingit

— Moriah explores the Trump Accounts situation and finds that some families are still waiting.

Democrats seize on AI data center backlash that’s dividing rural Republicans in places like Texas — By Marc Levy

— AI data centers are a big issue for voters in the midterms. Marc does a great job exploring the topic in depth in Texas.

Republicans in Congress continue to back Iran war despite the political risk — By Mary Clare Jalonick
— Speaking of big issues for many voters, Mary Clare looks at how Republicans in Congress continue to back the Iran war.

Political book club: What's on Meg Kinnard's reading list?

In this Dec. 21, 2016 file photo, President-elect Donald Trump, center, accompanied by Trump Chief of Staff Reince Priebus, right, and retired Gen. Michael Flynn, a senior adviser to Trump, left, speaks to members of the media at Mar-a-Lago, in Palm Beach, Fla. President Trump's first chief of staff says all those reports about chaos in the early days of the Trump White House were true - and then some. Priebus' recollections come in author Chris Whipple's book "The Gatekeepers" to be published in March 2018. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik)

Covering a presidential administration is about more than understanding the mechanics of just the president's thinking. It also entails knowing that of the advisers around the president — and for me, that starts with the White House chief of staff.

This week, I picked up "The Gatekeepers: How the White House Chiefs of Staff Define Every Presidency" by Chris Whipple.

The job of chief is seen as the toughest job in Washington, and through interviews with all the former living chiefs — as well as some former presidents — Whipple's 2017 account lays out the challenges they confronted, winding readers through the dynamic of each pairing that sometimes worked, and sometimes didn't.

One extraordinary photo

Rep. Darrell Issa, R-Calif., rushes up the steps at the Capitol for final votes before the House of Representatives leaves for a five-week recess, in Washington, Thursday, July 23, 2026. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)