The fight for the GOP Senate nomination in Pennsylvania has turned into a three-way race and an all-out war on Kathy Barnette, whose late surge has turned the contest on its head in the closing days of the campaign.

It is a dramatic twist in a five-person contest that for months was defined by the rock ‘em sock ‘em showdown between celebrity physician Mehmet Oz, who has the support of former President Donald Trump, and businessman David McCormick.

Mr. Oz, Mr. McCormick and their allies, including Mr. Trump and Fox News Sean Hannity, are now in a mad dash to dig up dirt on Ms. Barnette and cast doubt on her candidacy, warning “Crazy Kathy” comes with too much political baggage and will get buried in a general election.

“This thing is really a tight race between the three,” said Christopher P. Borick, a political science professor and director of the Muhlenberg College Institute of Public Opinion. “Barnette in some ways has flown in under the radar and got herself in a position where she has become a viable alternative to Oz and McCormick.”

Mr. Borrick said the lingering question is: “Will she peak next week or has she peaked already?”

The race has been messy. 

Sean Parnell, Mr. Trump’s original preferred pick, dropped out of the race after he lost a court fight over custody of his three children in which the judge said he believed allegations of abuse by Parnell’s estranged wife.

Mr. Oz and Mr. McCormick hoped to fill the void, funneling millions into television airwaves in the hopes of emerging as the most viable alternative.

Mr. Trump’s endorsement boosted Mr. Oz, though he has struggled to convince Mr. Trump’s supporters he is on their side.

The dynamic created an opening for Ms. Barnette, a conservative commentator and author of “Nothing to Lose, Everything to Gain: Being Black and Conservative in America.”

She says her rivals’ attacks smack of desperation.

“I entered this race 13 months ago,” she said in a recent social media post. “Dave was still managing a Connecticut hedge fund & Mehmet was doing his show over in New Jersey.

“I’ve been in this race for the PEOPLE of Pennsylvania,” he wrote. “They’ve vetted me. They know me.”

The winner of the race is expected to square off against either Democratic Lt. Gov. John Fetterman or Rep. Conor Lamb in what is shaping up to be one of the most-watched and most expensive races in the 2022 general election. 

Mr. Fetterman is the favorite, according to polls.

The U.S. Senate race in Pennsylvania could determine which party controls the upper chamber next year, raising the stakes of the race, as well as concerns that Ms. Barnette is risky because she comes with a lot of unknowns.

Ms. Barnette is running as a strong but proven conservative. She embraces Mr. Trump and stands out for several reasons, including that she’s a black female running against two men and running a shoe-string campaign.

But what spurred an uptick in recent attention — and distinguishes her from most elected leaders and wanna-be politicians — is that Ms. Barnette is presenting herself to the public as the “byproduct of rape.”

“My mother was 11-years-old when I was conceived,” she said in a recent debate. “My father was 21. I was not just a lump of cells. As you can see I am still not just a lump of cells. My life has value.”

The powerful personal story has resonated with social and religious conservatives who could play a major role in a competitive contest.

Fox News reported Friday that the pro-life Susan B. Anthony List was launching a $300,000 digital ad campaign on behalf of Ms. Barnette.

“Kathy’s remarkable personal story is absolutely meant for this time in history as Americans grapple with the reality we have lived with under Roe for the last fifty years: abortion on demand up until the moment of birth, for any reason,” said SBA List spokesperson Mallory Carroll. “Kathy’s story underscores why we fight for every human life.” 

Ms. Barnette’s rivals, meanwhile, are looking to chop her down.“The problem is nobody knows what she stands for, who she is, and it is very risky,” Mr. Trump said in a recent call for Mr. Oz. “She may have a great future, but she is totally, totally and unknown and we can’t have that.”

Mr. Trump, in a separate statement, said she “will never be able to win the General Election against the Radical Left Democrats.” 

The Oz  campaign has dubbed her “Crazy Kathy Barnette” and “Pennsylvania’s wackiest Senate candidate.” They also have said she wants to erect a statue of former President Barack Obama, which, according to NBC News, appears to be in reference to a Change.org petition that was started two years ago by “Kathy Barnette.”

Ms. Barnette’s rivals are raising doubts about her biography ranging from her service in the Army reserves to when she moved to the state. They say she is telling two different stories about whether she voted for Mr. Trump in the 2016 primary race, citing reports that she didn’t vote that year.

Honor Pennsylvania, a super PAC supporting Mr. McCormick has run an ad asking: “What do we really know about Kathy Barnette?”

“She supported the George Floyd protests and opposed Trump saying I was not a Trumper,” the narrator says in the spot. “We can’t trust Kathy Barnette for Senate.”

High prices at the pump and rewards for energy-company shareholders after record losses during the pandemic will persist for the foreseeable future, a major energy executive says.
 
With gasoline prices continuing to break all-time records daily, drivers can expect to continue dumping more money into their tanks through the upcoming busy summer travel months, thanks to steady demand, limited supply and reduced refining capacity.
 
The national average for gasoline reached yet another new high Friday of $4.43 per gallon, 35 cents higher than a month ago and 32 cents higher than when gas last hit record levels in 2008.

Vicki Hollub, president and CEO of Occidental Petroleum, said Friday during a web conference among Federal Reserve officials, lawmakers and energy executives that consumers should expect the prices of oil and gasoline to remain elevated and for energy firms to keep prioritizing returns for investors.
 
“We need to respect the fact that the supply chains have been disrupted for the oil and gas industry in a very significant way,” she said. “That, coupled with the investor pressure, means that we’re struggling now to meet what demand is… Even before the pandemic, we were starting to see the pressure from the investment community because of growth and the lack of return on capital to the investors.”

Ms. Hollub said: “Certainly, oil is going to continue to stay at a high price. Gasoline prices will stay high as well.”

Democrats on Capitol Hill will seek to target businesses like Occidental next week when they consider the Consumer Fuel Price Gouging Prevention Act. The legislation, spearheaded by vulnerable House Democratic Reps. Katie Porter of California and Kim Schrier of Washington state, would bar “excessive” or “exploitative” fuel prices.

It would also beef up the Federal Trade Commission’s power to go after Big Oil, which Democrats have accused of purposely ripping off consumers during a global energy crunch and Russia’s unprovoked war against Ukraine.

However, rank-and-file Democrats question what — if any — impact it would have, given there has never been proof of a widespread gas price-gouging scheme. Because of this and constituent pressure, Democrats want Congress to take additional steps, such as passing a gas tax holiday, providing direct rebates or imposing a windfall tax against Big Oil’s record profits.

Ms. Hollub and other executives at Occidental said during an investor call earlier this week that, thanks to the “highest reported and adjusted earnings in over a decade,” the company plans this year to reduce its debt by $5 billion and return $3 billion to shareholders through stock buybacks.

Occidental reported $8.53 billion in first-quarter revenue, with shares increasing roughly 100% in value since the beginning of the year. It also expects production to grow through the end of the year.
 
Ms. Hollub’s remarks echoed that of other energy executives in recent weeks because of the industry’s record profits. The top 21 oil companies raked in a combined $41 billion in profits in the first quarter, doubling profits during the same period in 2021, according to an analysis by the nonprofit watchdog group Accountable.US.

Energy companies have justified their prioritization of investor returns by noting the record losses they faced during the pandemic. Exxon, for example, made $23 billion in profit for 2021 after losing $22.4 billion the previous year.
 
White House press secretary Jen Psaki on Friday acknowledged challenges facing Americans’ pocketbooks with record inflation, while touting steps the administration has taken to try to lower gas prices. Those actions include a historic release from the strategic petroleum reserve and allowing the summer sale of cheaper E15 gasoline in primarily western states.
 
Repeating a new talking point from President Biden, Ms. Psaki tried to highlight differences between their plan and that of Republicans.
 
“Leading the country means that the buck stops with you and that every challenge we face is on your desk, and he’s very aware of that,” she told reporters during her final briefing ahead of her departure from the White House. “What we’d say to Americans also is look at the alternative. We all acknowledge inflation and cost is a challenging issue. What [are] the Republicans … presenting as the option?”

Final congressional approval of a $40 billion Ukraine aid bill seems certain within days as top Senate Republicans said Wednesday that they expect strong Republican backing for the House-passed measure, signaling a bipartisan, heightened U.S. commitment to helping thwart the bloody Russian invasion.

“I think there’ll be substantial support,” Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, Kentucky Republican, said about the legislation, which cleared the House late Tuesday by an emphatic 368-57 margin. “We’re going to try to process it as soon as possible.”

The Senate’s No. 2 Republican leader, John Thune of South Dakota, predicted “a big vote over here” for the bill, which he and others suggested might come Thursday but could spill into next week. Mr. Thune said some Republicans would vote against the bill and use procedural tactics to slow it where possible, but he added, “I think because there’s so much forward momentum behind doing this and doing it in a timely way that I don’t think we’ll have anybody who will hold it up.”

With Russia’s would-be lightning takeover of its smaller neighbor now shifted to a grinding war of attrition in Ukraine’s east and south, a Kremlin official condemned the planned U.S. aid boost to Kyiv, calling it part of a proxy war by Washington.

Dmitry Medvedev, deputy head of the Russian Security Council and a former president, said on a messaging app that the aid was driven by a desire to “inflict a heavy defeat on our country, restrict its economic development and political influence in the world.”

The Kremlin left open the possibility of annexing a corner of Ukraine that it seized early in the invasion.

Also Wednesday, Ukraine’s top prosecutor disclosed plans for the first war crimes trial of a captured Russian soldier.

Prosecutor General Iryna Venediktova said her office charged Sgt. Vadin Shyshimarin, 21, in the killing of an unarmed 62-year-old civilian who was gunned down while riding a bicycle in February, four days into the war.

On the economic front, Ukrainian officials shut down one of the pipelines that carry Russian gas across the country to homes and industries in Western Europe. It was the first time since the start of the war that Kyiv disrupted the flow westward of one of Moscow’s most lucrative exports.

The immediate effect is likely to be limited, in part because Russia can divert the gas to another pipeline and because Europe relies on a variety of suppliers.

Lightning speed

On Capitol Hill, it has taken two weeks for lawmakers to receive President Biden’s initial $33 billion package, enlarge it and move it to the brink of passage — lightning speed for a Congress closely divided along party lines. That reflects a bipartisan consensus that Ukraine’s outnumbered forces need additional Western help as soon as possible, with added political pressure fueled by near-daily reports of atrocities against civilians inflicted by Russian President Vladimir Putin’s military.

“Act quickly we must …,” said Senate Majority Leader Charles E. Schumer, New York Democrat. “We have a moral obligation to stand with our friends in Ukraine.”

The latest legislation would bring American support for the effort to nearly $54 billion, including the $13.6 billion Congress approved in March. That is about $6 billion more than the U.S. spent on all its foreign and military aid in 2019, according to a January report by the nonpartisan Congressional Research Service, which studies issues for lawmakers.

Washington has become increasingly assertive about its goals and its willingness to help Ukraine with more sophisticated weapons. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said recently that the U.S. wants a “weakened” Russia that can’t quickly restore its capability to attack other countries.

Reports have emerged about U.S. intelligence helping Ukrainians kill Russian generals and sink the Russian missile cruiser Moskva. The Kremlin has reacted with anger.

The measure sailed to House passage with the support of every voting Democrat. Roughly a quarter of Republicans opposed it. The bill would provide $7 billion more than Mr. Biden’s request from April, dividing the increase evenly between defense and humanitarian programs.

The bill would give Ukraine military and economic assistance, help regional allies, replenish weapons that the Pentagon has shipped overseas and provide $5 billion to address global food shortages caused by the war’s crippling of Ukraine’s normally robust production of crops.

“As Putin desperately accelerates his campaign of horror and brutality in Ukraine, time is of the essence,” said House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, California Democrat.

Some Republicans used the election-season debate to accuse Mr. Biden of being unclear about his goals in the clash.

“Honestly, do we not deserve a plan?” said Rep. Michael Burgess, Texas Republican. He said he agrees that Western countries must help Ukraine stand up to Russia but added, “Does the administration not need to come to us with where we are going with this?”

Oksana Markarova, Ukrainian ambassador to the U.S., attended separate Democratic and Republican Senate lunches Tuesday and expressed gratitude for the support her country has received.

The new measure includes $6 billion to arm and train Ukrainian forces, $8.7 billion to restore American stores of weapons shipped to Ukraine and $3.9 billion for U.S. forces deployed to the area. There is also $8.8 billion in economic support for Ukraine, $4 billion to help Ukraine and allies finance arms and equipment purchases and $900 million for housing, education and other help for Ukrainian refugees in the U.S.

Raging battles

On the battlefield, Ukrainian officials said a Russian rocket attack targeted an area around Zaporizhzhia, destroying unspecified infrastructure. There were no immediate reports of casualties. The southeastern city has been a refuge for civilians fleeing the Russian siege in the devastated port city of Mariupol.

Russian forces continued to pound the steel plant that is the last bastion of Ukrainian resistance in Mariupol, its defenders said. The Azov Regiment said on social media that Russian forces carried out 38 airstrikes in 24 hours on the grounds of the Azovstal steelworks.

The plant, with its network of tunnels and bunkers, has sheltered hundreds of Ukrainian troops and civilians during a months-long siege. Scores of civilians were evacuated in recent days, but Ukrainian officials said some may still be trapped there.

In his nightly address Tuesday, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy suggested that Ukraine’s military is gradually pushing Russian troops away from Kharkiv, the country’s second-largest city and a key to Russia’s offensive in the Donbas, the eastern industrial region whose capture the Kremlin says is its main objective.

Ukraine is also targeting Russian air defenses and resupply vessels on Snake Island in the Black Sea in an effort to disrupt Moscow’s efforts to expand its control over the coastline, according to the British Ministry of Defense.

In the southern Kherson region, site of the first major Ukrainian city to fall in the war, a Kremlin-backed local leader said officials there want Mr. Putin to make Kherson a “proper region” of Russia — that is, annex it.

CHICAGO — President Joe Biden on Wednesday labeled his predecessor, Donald Trump, “the great MAGA king” and continued sharp criticism against Republicans ahead of midterm elections that could be bruising for Democrats. 

“I think it’s important that, as we go forward, you’re gonna hear me talking more about not only what we’ve done, but what they’re trying to do,” the president told an evening Democratic fundraiser crowd of about 40 at a Chicago hotel.

The party that controls the presidency usually loses seats during the next election and, with inflation reaching its highest levels in 40 years, Biden’s party could see its control of Congress wiped out in November. To try to counter that, Biden has in recent days begun decrying “ultra-MAGA” Republicans – a reference to Trump’s “Make America Great Again” campaign slogan.

He told the fundraiser that the Democratic National Committee is already devoting more time and money to promoting the differences between his party and the GOP, adding, “We have to make sure we keep this clear contrast on either side.”

The president also said he has not done enough to promote his administration’s accomplishments, including a $1 trillion, bipartisan infrastructure package approved by Congress last fall. 

“One of the things that I think we have to do is not just talk about what we’ve done – we don’t do that enough and that’s my fault,” he said. 

But Biden also added, “Because of how outrageous some of the things that former President Trump has done and said, I think we found ourselves in the position where it was almost like, `How could that happen?’ `How could that be?’”

When an attendee’s cell phone rang, the president joked: “I know that’s Trump calling. He always does that.”

His remarks at the fundraiser followed a speech earlier Thursday in which Biden offered a new nickname for Trump, who himself enjoys bestowing often unflattering monikers on political opponents.

“Under my predecessor – the great MAGA king – the deficit increased every single year he was president,” he told the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers conference, which was also being held in Chicago. “The first year of my presidency, the first year, I reduced the deficit.” 

During the conference and fundraiser, Biden also repeated criticism he’s offered lately of Republican Florida Sen. Rick Scott’s 11-point plan. It was released in February and suggests imposing a modest tax increase on many of the lowest-paid Americans, while opening the door for cutting Social Security and Medicare.

“I call it the ultra-MAGA plan, Make America Great Again plan,” Biden told the union conference. At the fundraiser he struck a similar note, saying, “I think we have to point out how radical it is … so people are reminded what’s at stake here.”