Welcome to the Beat. I'm Ari Melbert, and we are following all of this news. Later tonight,

we have a special guest, a Democrat with a plan to stop what he calls unprecedented corruption

from the thug fund to the self-dealing. It's Democrats on the move. We've told you we're going to

bring you those kind of stories, not just what's happening from the White House, and that's coming up

tonight. Also, Neil DeGrasse Tyson on Intelligent Life Out There Somewhere.

His new book, Take Me to Your Leader, The Trump Pentagon, dropping those UFO files.

He is always a great guest to have, and he's coming up live tonight.

We begin with Republicans concerned, though, that Donald Trump is doing exactly what the Democrats want,

at least in Texas,

which is not a usual headline. Democrats eyeing what they see has a closer race in Texas,

the possibility of turning it blue, which would be critical to their math to try to take back

the Senate, all thanks to Donald Trump. Indeed, there was a headline in a conservative outlet saying this is the one

time that both parties apparently agreed if you look at the Trump side wanting the long-shot candidate,

the Democrats want the long-shot candidate, and they agreed. It's only the Senate Republicans who are

closer to the costs who are freaking out. So we have this scandal-ridden Trump endorsed very conservative candidate, Ken Paxton,

who beat the long-term, long-time statewide ballot John Cornyn.

He's been on that ballot as a senator across over 20 years.

He's been on that ballot for other statewide races.

This is a sign among other things that even in a red maga place

like Texas, they are the voters mad at Senate Republicans. They are not mad necessarily in the

Republican primary at Trump specifically, but they ousted a long time Republican. They're not

taking orders from the Republican Party. And apparently if Trump says he wants to go with the candidate that's more likely to lose

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