The former political director of Graham Platner’s Democratic Senate campaign blew the whistle on her former boss, alleging the Senate hopeful knew the meaning behind his Nazi tattoo and “exhibits a pattern of dishonest behavior.”  In an op-ed for The Washington Post, former Maine state representative Genevieve McDonald wrote that her enthusiasm for the Platner campaign collapsed after she learned of his misconduct. “Taking the job meant leaving a position as a senior policy adviser at a government relations firm in the state, but I thought that Platner and I shared the same goal: fighting for the working people of Maine,” she wrote on Monday. “I quit the campaign in October, disturbed by what I learned about the candidate and concerned about his potential impact on the Democratic Party’s prospects in my home state.”  The op-ed fires a warning to the Democratic Party as voters prepare to head to the polls on Tuesday to pick a challenger to face incumbent Republican Senator Sudan Collins.  Democracy dies in darkness. Thank you to the @washingtonpost for the opportunity to share my experience in my own words. Thank you to my friends who have stood by me, and to my daughters who inspire me. https://t.co/JgNTVxBWqa — Genevieve McDonald (@Genevieve_207) June 8, 2026 In September, Platner told McDonald he had a “problematic” tattoo that could raise questions, but chalked it up to it being a “military thing.”   “I believed him,” she wrote in the WAPO. “ Then, I began receiving calls from Washington warning me he was not who he seemed: “Have you read his oppo file?” I had not. I trusted that his out-of-state consulting team had thoroughly vetted him. Her account appears to corroborate reporting from The New York Times that he was aware of the meaning of his infamous tattoo. The accusations cut against Platner’s previous claim that he did not understand the significance of the symbol, which was used by Nazi Germany’s SS.  McDonald quit the campaign following resurfaced Reddit comments in 2013 that caught Platner downplaying sexual assault.  After leaving the campaign, she said she turned down a $15,000 offer to sign a nondisclosure agreement. McDonald railed against progressives defending Platner’s behavior, including Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders, who said, “Is he a saint? I guess not. I don’t know too many saints here.” “His comment reflects one of the deepest problems in American politics today. We have learned to excuse what we should condemn,” McDonald wrote. “There are two other named candidates on Tuesday’s ballot. If Platner wins the nomination but later withdraws, Maine Democrats can hold a convention and choose a different nominee.” “The answer to a broken political culture is not to accept it. Demand better from those entrusted with power or seeking it. Enough is enough,” she added.  Republicans have already signaled that every scandal surrounding Platner will become fresh ammunition for the November general election.  With no active or formal opposition, Platner is expected to cruise to victory in Tuesday’s primary. The remaining question is how many Democrats will choose to withhold their support from a candidate whose controversies could jeopardize one of the party’s best opportunities to flip a Senate seat.

A California McDonald’s employee is in the hospital fighting severe second-degree burns after a co-worker allegedly threw hot oil at him, police said.   Jacob Smith, 20, suffered burns on the side of his face, neck, right arm, and back, according to local outlet KCRA. The alleged assault happened Saturday night in Yuba City, California, which is about 45 minutes north of Sacramento.  His mother, Amber Smith, said her son was preparing to clock out when his world was turned upside down.  “He was in the office getting ready to count the money when he saw out of the corner of his eye something, and he just turned, and the oil was just thrown on him,” Smith told KCRA.  Smith is undergoing specialized treatment in the UC Davis ICU burn unit. The family believes the liquid was “hot oil.”  “The pain he’s experiencing is so excruciating that they can’t give him a level of pain medicine outside of the ICU,” Smith told KCRA. “They’re just telling me that their goal right now is to decrease the size of the burn on his back and his neck area to try to minimize the amount of skin grafting that they’re looking at having to do.”  Police identified the suspect as 23-year-old Jalani Bluett of Yuba City. Deputies arrested Bluett on Monday and booked him into the Sutter County Jail on a charge of battery causing serious bodily injury, according to KCRA. “I want justice to be served. I want him to serve the time he needs to serve for what he’s done to my son. I mean, I don’t wish bad things towards him. I just want him to understand that what he did—really understand what he did — and the pain that he caused to my son is excruciating,” Smith told KCRA. The circumstances leading up to the incident remain unclear.  Jacob’s family set up a GoFundMe page to help supplement his recovery, which has raised more than $133k.  “On May 30, my son Jacob was working his shift at McDonald’s, where he has been a loyal and dedicated employee for several years. What should have been a normal day at work turned into a nightmare when a coworker assaulted him by throwing hot oil on him,” Smith’s family said in the GoFundMe.  “Jacob suffered severe second-degree burns to his face, arm, and back. He was rushed for medical treatment and will be spending time in the hospital as doctors work to help him heal. He now faces a long and painful recovery process that will include ongoing medical care, treatments, and time away from work.” McDonald’s didn’t respond to requests for comment, according to the outlet.

Leftist Los Angeles City Councilmember Nithya Raman will advance to the November mayoral election after nearly a week of counting late-arriving ballots, locking Republican Spencer Pratt out of the race. Monday’s vote drop gave Raman a nearly three-point lead over Pratt, a stunning turnaround for the leftist who had trailed Pratt by more than nine points on election night. With 93% of the vote counted, incumbent Mayor Karen Bass holds 34.3%, Raman in second at 28.5%, and Pratt placing third with 25.8%. The Associated Press has officially called the race. Pratt and Raman have been watching the returns closely since the primary election was held on June 2 to determine which of them will face off in November against Democrat incumbent Mayor Karen Bass. Pratt held a lead of nearly ten points on Election Day, but every subsequent ballot dump has favored Raman by a large margin. The projection effectively ends Pratt’s campaign, which tapped into the reality TV star’s savvy social media background to push a message of change in a city plagued by chronic challenges, including homelessness, crime, and an affordability crisis. This is a breaking story. Stay with The Daily Wire for developments. 

Republican Steve Hilton will advance to the November gubernatorial election after nearly a week of counting late-arriving ballots, locking Democrat Tom Steyer out of the race. The former Fox News host and businessman built a sizable lead on election night and has so far withstood troves of late-arriving ballots that have broken heavily in favor of Democratic candidates. With 84% of the vote counted, Xavier Becerra holds 27.6%, Hilton in second at 25.1%, and Steyer places third with 22.4%. Decision Desk HQ projected the race at 8:37 p.m. EDT. Decision Desk HQ projects Steve Hilton wins the second of two spots in the CA Governor Top-Two Primary #DecisionMade: 8:37 PM EDT pic.twitter.com/VDwoKFUcLr — Decision Desk HQ (@DecisionDeskHQ) June 9, 2026 Monday’s projection effectively ends Steyer’s campaign, which dumped more than $200 million of his own money into the race. The billionaire climate activist supported raising taxes on corporations, a single-payer “Medicare for All” universal healthcare system, and prosecuting ICE agents. Hilton, who was endorsed by President Trump, pushed Republicans to coalesce behind his candidacy over fears of a conservative lockout. Not having a Republican at the top-of-the ticket would have likely suppressed GOP turnout this November, according to political analysts.  Republican Riverside Sheriff Chad Bianco managed to pull about 10% of the vote.  Hilton’s survival comes one day after The Daily Wire reported leftist Los Angeles City Councilmember Nithya Raman will advance to the November mayoral election, locking Republican Spencer Pratt out of the race.  The race to succeed Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom, a potential 2028 presidential contender, has been marked by a turbulent primary season filled with scandals and viral missteps. Former Vice President Kamala Harris turned down the opportunity to lead the Golden State, opening an unusually crowded and wide-open field.  The first major shakeup came when a leaked viral video showed former Rep. Porter (D-CA) berating a congressional staffer, a controversy she never recovered from.  “Get out of my f*cking shot,” Porter shouted at a staff member when making a video message for the Biden administration.  Eric Swalwell, the former Bay Area congressman, capitalized on Porter’s collapse in the polls. He quickly amassed key Democratic endorsements and was widely viewed as the race’s frontrunner. But his hopes to lead the Golden State came crashing down following explosive allegations of sexual harassment and assault. Multiple campaign staffers accused their boss of sending sexually explicit social media messages and inappropriate behavior beyond the halls of Congress. Days later, he dropped his gubernatorial bid and resigned from Congress ahead of an expected expulsion vote. A fifth woman then accused Swalwell of rape in 2018, alleging the lawmaker drugged and raped her in Southern California.  As polling showed Republicans could lock out Democrats, blue voters consolidated behind former Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra.  Dan Schnur, who teaches political communications at USC and UC Berkeley, said Democrats were spooked by the Swalwell scandal.  “Becerra is this year’s version of the Biden 2020 campaign. He is a stable, reassuring presence, and that seems to have attracted voters, Democratic voters who are worried about less familiar objects,” Schnur told The Daily Wire, “Eric Swalwell was, it was a near-death experience for California Democrats.” The Cook Political report ranks California’s gubernatorial general election as solidly Democratic.

The art director for the surprise hit movie “Obsession” has ignited a major controversy online after taking to social media to complain about how much she was paid. Sally Choi said in the post shared late last week that she debated whether to publicize her thoughts “for a long time” but ultimately decided to let the world know how upset she was. “I’ve been holding a lot of weight over the past two years since the production of ‘Obsession,’ so I’m going to say it as it is,” Cho wrote in an Instagram post. She explained that the film was made for “$750K and is projected to make $250M. How much I made: $300/day as Art Director. This came out to $6741.36 after taxes. No mileage.” “I did know the rate beforehand and agreed to it, but atp I was living paycheck to paycheck. This is the reality of most filmmakers especially those who work below the line. We become a line in the budget sheet to keep as low as possible,” she went on, adding that she and other crew members did more work than what they signed on for because it was an indie production. Choi ended the lengthy post by encouraging other filmmakers to share their rates in the hopes of “turn[ing] a tide in the industry.”   View this post on Instagram   A post shared by °•°sally•°•♡ (@kiwisupreez) While the art director for “Obsession” did have some support in the comments, most reactions centered on how Choi wasn’t the one taking the risk, and because she didn’t have the same financial stakes, she didn’t deserve a higher cut in the profits. They also said her ungrateful reaction would all but guarantee she’d never succeed in the industry. “One year total experience. Only credit pre-Obsession is a single short film. Sign on to a low budget indie. Agree to rate. Movie explodes. You’re suddenly the Art Director [for] the most talked about film of the year,” one X commenter wrote. “If this ever happens to you, let me give one piece of advice. Embrace it. Use the credit to fight off offers, get a BTL agent, turn those difficult three weeks into an incredible career.”  “Do NOT cut every connection you have to the filmmakers, put out tweets about how you wish you’d shut down their production, and complain about the rate you agreed to,” the post continued.  “When I worked in fashion casting every model knew the Condé Nast rate was $150 / day and they were lining up down the hall. Bc it meant they could potentially get a $25k / day campaign and it was good for their book,” another person agreed. “In [the] film industry there is no universe where a second time art director isn’t doing it for their reel off the bat and the $ second. And also no universe where an investor, top of the line credit, distributor etc are sharing profits w someone who put zero $ INTO the film in some way and had no risk exposure, unless contracted prior.” “As someone who freelances, this is just the game. She agreed to the pay and did it. And now that the film has done well, I’m not sure what she expects. Retro active pay beyond what she agreed to? She has her name attached to a highly successful film. She could market herself for future projects where she could make more,” a third commenter observed. “Instead, I think with this attitude, she’s going to make future producers think twice before they hire her despite her work on this successful film.” “This post is a cautionary tale of how victimhood mentality is poison,” another said. “The very nature of low budget independent filmmaking is working long hours, wearing many hats, and helping each other out. You do it because it’s what you love. But this is the entitlement culture we live in: Someone thinking that just because they showed up and did their job for the agreed upon salary, they’re entitled to the sun, the moon, and the stars, simply because the work was demanding.”  After so many people weighed in, Choi responded with a follow-up Instagram post. “I feel no obligation to clear any misunderstandings from my last post … What I posted struck a nerve, not because it was a singular story of being overlooked, but because this happens everyday, in and out of the film industry.” “It is finally time to speak your truth. Do not be afraid; we face the powers that ‘were’ together,” she concluded.