“The race for California governor this fall will be a battle between a Democrat promising to cement the state’s status as a stronghold of liberal policies and a Republican pledging to dramatically reverse course in the nation’s most populous state. Republican Steve Hilton, a former Fox News commentator backed by President Donald Trump, has won enough votes to advance to the general election, The Associated Press determined Tuesday. He’ll face Democrat Xavier Becerra, a former state attorney general and health secretary under President Joe Biden.” (06/09/26)
“The United States launched new attacks against Iran after President Donald Trump said Tehran shot down an American military helicopter patrolling the Strait of Hormuz. A U.S. official said the Apache was hit by an Iranian drone. Tehran’s powerful Revolutionary Guard said it hit back with strikes on U.S. targets across the Middle East, including bases in Jordan, Bahrain and Kuwait. Iran’s top diplomat said foreign forces near its territory ‘are at constant risk’ but did not mention any role in downing the helicopter.” (06/10/26)
“Results are rolling in for closely watched primary contests in Maine and South Carolina on Tuesday, June 9. In the day’s most high-profile race, Maine Democrat Graham Platner − for whom embarrassing revelations about his personal life are threaten to upend his bid to unseat Republican Sen. Susan Collins − has won the Democratic Senate primary. Platner bested Gov. Janet Mills, who suspended her Senate campaign on April 30, and will face Incumbent Sen. Susan Collins who ran for the Republican nomination unopposed. … South Carolina Rep. Nancy Mace’s bid for governor failed after she lost President Donald Trump’s favor by joining House Democrats to compel the release of Justice Department files on convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. The president endorsed Lt. Gov. Pamela Evette. Evette will head to a runoff with Alan Wilson, and Mace conceded the race.” (06/09/26)
“A car bomb in the Moscow region killed a general in charge of heavy ammunition supplies for the Russian army, reports said. The car exploded in Balashikha, killing its driver. He was named in reports as Damir Davydov, head of the Russian defence ministry’s missile and artillery wing. A second car bomb was discovered and blown up by authorities in south-west Moscow, reports said. Throughout the war several audacious assassinations have taken place of senior figures involved in Moscow’s war effort, with Ukrainian security services either claiming responsibility or being blamed by Russian authorities.” (06/10/26)
“The Libertarian Party of New Hampshire is taking first steps to appeal its disaffiliation by the Libertarian National Committee, authorizing its state chair to petition the national party’s Judicial Committee on its behalf. In a resolution adopted June 4 and later shared to the LNC’s public Business List, the New Hampshire party’s Executive Committee repudiated a prior endorsement of Donald Trump in the 2024 presidential election, reaffirmed its compliance with the Libertarian Party’s bylaws and Statement of Principles, and authorized Chair Jeremy Kauffman to formally petition the Judicial Committee on behalf of the disaffiliated state party. … Under Libertarian Party bylaws, the Judicial Committee will have 20 to 40 days after receiving the appeal from Kauffman to hold a hearing.” (06/08/26)
“Protesters in Bolivia demanding the resignation of conservative President Rodrigo Paz hurled firecrackers, stones and sticks at police who responded with tear gas on Monday, leading to dozens of arrests as road blockades continue to paralyze the Andean nation. The renewed clashes in the central city of Cochabamba erupted after President Paz signed a measure that could pave the way for a hard-line government crackdown on the demonstrations that have roiled Bolivia over the past five weeks, disrupting transportation and causing shortages of food, fuel and medical supplies. Bolivia’s national workers’ union, peasant farmers and Indigenous groups from the highlands — outraged over Paz’s scrapping of fuel subsidies and frustrated with his failure in the last seven months to resolve Bolivia’s persistent economic problems — have set up 90 blockades on key routes nationwide, effectively isolating major cities, especially La Paz, the seat of government and neighboring El Alto.” (06/09/26)
“A lawyer who represented Ken Paxton, Texas’s attorney general, for nearly a decade over accusations of corruption and securities fraud is supporting Democrat James Talarico – and not his former client – in one of the biggest US Senate races. Talarico on Monday drew attention to his campaign winning the endorsement of Houston attorney Dan Cogdell, who was part of Paxton’s defense team during the Republican’s historic impeachment trial in 2023 that ended in acquittal. The legal troubles that shadowed Paxton in public office in Texas are a central attack line of Talarico’s campaign, though in his endorsement, Cogdell didn’t cite concerns about his client’s past. Cogdell said he didn’t dislike Paxton as a person and felt that Texas lawmakers were right to eventually acquit the attorney general. But as a politician, Cogdell said, Paxton is too focused on appeasing Donald Trump.” (06/09/26)
“Christian religious leaders from Lebanon’s southern port city of Tyre called on the international community and Lebanese officials on Tuesday to act quickly to prevent Israel from attacking the Christian district of the city, as airstrikes on nearby neighborhoods killed eight people and wounded dozens of others. The Israeli military has issued an evacuation warning for the port city, including the Christian quarter, which has been spared so far. The statement by the Christian leaders was from George Iskandar, the metropolitan archbishop of Tyre for the Melkite Greek Catholic Church; Elias Kfoury, the Greek Orthodox metropolitan of Tyre, Sidon and Dependencies; and Charbel Abdullah, the archeparch of the Maronite Catholic Archeparchy of Tyre. The warning from Israel’s military prompted hundreds of people to flee the Christian district along the Mediterranean coast, while members of the Civil Defense evacuated older people to safer areas, the state-run National News Agency said.” (06/09/26)
“Long championed as a leader in adopting digital technology, Sweden is set to ban mobile phones in schools beginning in the fall for the next academic year as part of a broad, international reversal on the use of screens in classrooms. Since 2023, the Scandinavian country’s center-right coalition government has pursued a policy prioritizing more reading time and less screen time, particularly among preschool students, by favoring books and other traditional learning tools.” [editor’s note: The story hints, but doesn’t say, that mobile phones will NOT be banned in schools generally … just for students. Teachers and administrators will likely still be allowed to doomscroll to their hearts’ content – TLK] (06/09/26)
“Vice President JD Vance is pressing federal prosecutors to investigate Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz and state Attorney General Keith Ellison over allegations they failed to stop widespread social services fraud, amplifying concerns the White House will use a new Justice Department division to target political rivals. Vance, who has been tapped to lead the Republican Trump administration’s anti-fraud efforts as he seeks to raise his political profile as a potential 2028 presidential candidate, cited in a letter to the Justice Department a report from the Republican-led House Oversight Committee that alleges Walz and Ellison were aware of pervasive misuse of government programs for years and let it flourish.” (06/09/26)
