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Republican Greg Gianforte, who allegedly body-slammed a reporter, has won Montana’s congressional seat in a special election. The father of the Manchester suicide bomber praised extremist groups in his social media posts. And we’ve got your weekend reads for you.

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Republican Greg Gianforte has won Montana’s special election. He’s the one who allegedly body-slammed a reporter.

In his victory speech, the tech millionaire apologized to Guardian reporter Ben Jacobs, which was the first time he had publicly addressed the incident.

Gianforte beat Democrat Rob Quist, a musician, in a race that had tightened in recent weeks to fill the state’s single US House seat. It drew national attention as many looked to the election as a barometer of political sentiment after several scandal-filled months of the Trump presidency.

A bit of background

The race was always going to be a tough one for Democrats. The seat had been held by Republicans for 20 years. But Gianforte was viewed as a flawed candidate, and, just over six months ago, had lost the governor’s race to Democrat Steve Bullock. The night before the election, Gianforte was charged with misdemeanor assault after he allegedly attacked Jacobs, giving Democrats a last-minute hope they’d be able to flip the seat.

WE’RE KEEPING AN EYE ON

The investigation into the Manchester terror attack. Here’s the latest:

  • The UK is again sharing intelligence with the US after receiving “fresh assurances” against leaks to the press.

  • Ramadan Abedi, the father of Manchester suicide bomber Salman Abedi, praised Libyan and Syrian militant groups, including al-Qaeda affiliates, in his social media posts.

  • Libyan authorities say Salman Abedi called his mother just hours before the attack to say goodbye. During the call, the 22-year-old apparently told his mother, “forgive me.”

  • The eight men remaining in police custody are being held on suspicion of terror offences, police say. They’re all between the ages of 18 and 49.

  • All of the 22 victims have been identified — the youngest was an 8-year-old girl.

For live updates and photos, click here.

QUICK THINGS TO KNOW

  • G7: The heads of the world’s leading economies, who are meeting in Italy for the annual Group of Seven summit on Friday, are set to define gender equality as a human right after the US dropped its opposition, diplomats from a number of G7 states told BuzzFeed News. And NATO wanted Trump to say the US has its back. He scolded the organization’s members about defense spending instead.

  • Chechnya: Gay men fleeing violence and repression in Chechnya are finally beginning to get the visas they need to escape to other countries, but the threat remains for those who are still there. And this new report shows how bad the anti-gay crackdown really is.

  • The Syrian military has begun moving planes back to the airfield on which the US launched strikes last month, US defense officials say.

  • US news: A senator has introduced the first-ever national gig economy bill. Attorney General Jeff Sessions didn’t include meetings with a Russian ambassador when he listed contacts with foreign governments as part of his application for security clearance. And a federal appeals court upheld a block on enforcing Trump’s temporary ban on travel from six majority-Muslim countries.

  • Entertainment: People are loving how a theater in Austin, Texas, is responding to men who are upset about its women-only Wonder Woman screenings. And here’s everything you need to know about the most emotional episode of Master of None (warning: spoilers).

  • A NASA spacecraft has found northern lights and cyclones on Jupiter. Scientists published the first results from NASA’s Juno spacecraft, which reached Jupiter last July.

WEEKEND READS

Flint Isn’t Ready To Trust Anyone Yet: The years-long water safety crisis in Flint, Michigan, isn’t just a cautionary tale; to many, it’s a canary in a coal mine.

How Dallas Became One Of America’s Most Refugee-Friendly Cities: Samira Page has made it her life’s work to help other Christians — and all Americans — love and welcome foreign refugees. In Dallas, that work is paying off.

White Women Drive Me Crazy: “White women are so dangerous because they’re allowed to be so soft — innocent until proven innocent.”

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