3m ago / 4:51 PM EDTRep. Tom Kean returns to Congress after four months, citing treatment for depressionRep. Tom Kean, R-N.J., made his return to the Capitol today, saying he was treated for depression during a nearly four-month disappearance from the public eye.It was Kean’s first time in the House of Representatives since March 5, having missed more than 140 votes in the chamber since then.“Several months ago, due to health concerns, I entered the hospital for some testing. I did not believe that this would result in a long-term stay. I was given the diagnosis of depression,” Kean said in a speech on the House floor.He said his doctors “recommended that I remain in the hospital to address my illness” and added that depression means more than “feeling sad” — “it is physical, it is emotional, and until you experience it yourself, it is difficult to fully understand how powerful this illness can be.”Read the full story here.54m ago / 4:00 PM EDTProgressive Democrats look to Colorado's 1st District for another big winThe Democratic primary in Colorado’s 1st District represents the next best chance for the progressive wing of the party to pick up another win over an entrenched incumbent.Rep. Diana DeGette, who has served in Congress for almost 30 years, is now fighting for political survival. She has sought to burnish her progressive credentials, with one recent ad touting her role as an impeachment manager during President Donald Trump’s Senate trial after the Jan. 6, 2021, riot at the Capitol, while also emphasizing her support for “Medicare for All” and abolishing Immigration and Customs Enforcement.Melot Kiros, a 29-year-old doctoral student and former lawyer who immigrated from Ethiopia as a child, has argued that the 68-year-old incumbent isn’t adequately fighting for the district. She is backed by key politicians and groups on the left, including Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., Justice Democrats, the Democratic Socialists of America and a handful of Democratic candidates who were successful in their insurgent bids.Israel policy has loomed large in the race. Kiros has said she was fired from her job after publishing a letter critical of how law firms were addressing protests against Israel’s war in the Gaza Strip following the 2023 Hamas attack.Kiros was recently pressed by NBC affiliate KUSA of Denver about her comments that Hamas’ attack on Israel was “the inevitable consequence of apartheid.” She also declined to say whether a firebombing attack on demonstrators who gathered in Boulder, Colorado, to support Israeli hostages was antisemitic.There has been a flurry of last-minute spending: Justice Democrats has spent more than $500,000 to boost Kiros, while various super PACs have spent more than $2 million to bolster DeGette, 68. It’s all a sign of how seriously both sides are taking the challenge after last week’s elections in New York.54m ago / 4:00 PM EDTWhat to know about the Colorado governor's raceSen. Michael Bennet has been the front-runner in the race to succeed term-limited Gov. Jared Polis, but is facing a significant challenge from Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser.The contest has grown increasingly negative, with both candidates and their allied outside groups launching attacks over who has taken a tougher approach to President Donald Trump. Whoever wins will be the heavy favorite in the blue-trending state. If Bennet wins, he will be able to appoint his own replacement to the Senate to serve out the remainder of his term.In the Republican primary, Victor Marx, a former Marine and a ministry leader, is going up against a pair of state lawmakers: state Sen. Barbara Kirkmeyer and state Rep. Scott Bottoms.Marx recently told KUSA that his abusive stepfather forced him to kill a man when he was 7 years old and that “I’ve been in other situations where, possibly, people or persons died as a result of me defending myself in other countries.” (It’s unclear whether he was referring to military service.)54m ago / 4:00 PM EDTColorado’s primaries present the next test for the Democratic establishment Today's primaries in Colorado mark the next front in the establishment-versus-insurgent battle playing out within the Democratic Party, one week after major victories for candidates in New York City backed by Mayor Zohran Mamdani.Colorado’s Democratic primaries have flown more under the radar, but they feature three major contests where veteran Democrats are facing challengers who are aiming to capitalize on the party’s growing anti-Washington sentiment.Read the full story here.