Almost 24 hours after the polls closed in California, the results of the gubernatorial primary and the Los Angeles mayor’s race remain unresolved. With just 55% of the vote reported on Wednesday evening, Republican Steve Hilton still leads the field of more than 60 candidates with 27.6% support, ahead of Democrat Xavier Becerra, who had 25.5%. Both were solidly ahead of billionaire Democrat Tom Steyer, who was at 19.7%. Despite Hilton’s lead, millions of ballots remain uncounted, making it too early to determine the final order of finish. Under California’s top-two primary system, candidates from the same party can advance to a runoff in November’s general election if they finish in the top two. In the Los Angeles mayoral race, 62% of the vote has been counted. Incumbent Democrat Mayor Karen Bass leads with 35% support, while Republican Spencer Pratt has received 29.9%. Far-left Councilmember Nithya Raman trailed with 22.8%. The top two votegetters in the mayoral primary, regardless of party, secure a place in the November 3 runoff if neither receives more than 50% of the vote. If Bass fails to secure a majority, she will be the first incumbent L.A. mayor to advance to a runoff since 2005. Bass would normally have a major advantage over other candidates, but discontent with her handling of the Palisades fire and the homeless crisis led Pratt to join the race, and he then resonated with many of the same sentiments felt by other Angelenos. Delayed results are routine in California because of the state’s extensive vote-by-mail system, signature verification, and procedures for resolving ballot errors. The final tally of California’s races could take as long as three weeks. Unlike many states that require mail ballots to arrive by Election Day, California accepts ballots that arrive up to 7 days later if postmarked on time. Then, those ballots have up to 7 days to reach a processing center. Counties must verify signatures, count provisional ballots, and allow voters to cure certain ballot defects before results are certified. On Wednesday evening, CNN broadcast live shots from the Los Angeles County Registrar’s office, which handles 25% of the state’s votes. The large room appeared sparsely staffed at the time of the broadcast. A CNN reporter on the scene said they were on break.

Maine Democratic Senate candidate Graham Platner sought to reassure nervous Senate Democrats on Tuesday that no new allegations are waiting to emerge from his past, as party leaders increasingly worry that a steady stream of controversies could jeopardize one of their best opportunities to flip a Republican-held Senate seat. During a private meeting with Democratic senators in Washington, Platner was asked directly whether additional damaging revelations were likely to surface in the coming weeks. According to reporting from The Wall Street Journal, Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT), one of Platner’s earliest and most prominent supporters, pressed the candidate on whether more accusations were coming. Platner’s answer was unequivocal. “There aren’t any,” Platner reportedly told the group. The exchange highlighted the increasingly defensive posture surrounding Platner’s campaign as Democrats scramble to contain fallout from a series of controversies that have dominated headlines just days before Maine’s Democratic primary. Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), who attended the meeting alongside Sanders, reportedly followed up by drawing a distinction between marital misconduct and more serious allegations involving sexual assault. According to attendees, Platner agreed and insisted that no credible allegations of sexual assault were forthcoming. “It’s not a secret I’ve had a messy, complicated life,” Platner told senators, according to one person familiar with the discussion. “The worst of the rumors we’ve all heard are not true.” The meeting took place at the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee’s headquarters and provided an opportunity for Platner to address growing concerns among Democratic lawmakers who have watched his campaign be engulfed by one controversy after another. Over the weekend, reports revealed that Platner had exchanged sexually explicit text messages with multiple women after marrying his wife, Amy Gertner, in 2023. While Platner has disputed portions of the reporting, his campaign has acknowledged that the messages themselves were real. The revelations added to a growing list of politically damaging stories that have followed the first-time candidate throughout the race. Earlier this year, Platner faced scrutiny over a tattoo resembling a Nazi symbol that he later covered up. Old social media posts and Reddit comments resurfaced showing him making inflammatory remarks, including comments praising aspects of fascism and insulting American service members. More recently, it was revealed that Platner maintained an account on Kik, a messaging platform frequently criticized by child-safety advocates and law enforcement officials because of its association with sexual exploitation cases. Despite the mounting controversies, many Democrats appear determined to stick with Platner because of the political stakes involved. Maine remains one of the few Republican-held Senate seats Democrats view as a realistic pickup opportunity in 2026. With Republicans holding a narrow Senate majority, party strategists see defeating incumbent Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME) as critical to any path back to control of the chamber. That reality has created an uncomfortable dynamic for many Democrats who have expressed concerns about Platner’s personal conduct while simultaneously concluding that abandoning him would damage the party’s chances in November. Sen. Peter Welch (D-VT), who attended Tuesday’s meeting, acknowledged lingering uncertainty afterward. “I have no idea” whether more revelations could emerge, Welch told reporters. He added that Platner had been “very explicit” in accepting voters’ right to ask questions about his personal life. Others emerged from the meeting more confident. “I didn’t go in needing assurance and I left feeling confident,” Sen. Tina Smith (D-MN) said afterward, describing herself as “excited” about Platner’s candidacy. The meetings extended beyond Senate Democrats. Platner also met privately with Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY), who had previously backed Maine Democratic Gov. Janet Mills before she suspended her campaign in April. The timing of the reassurance campaign is notable. Just one day earlier, Mills reminded voters that she technically remains on the ballot despite ending active campaigning months ago. “People have the impression that I withdrew or dropped out,” Mills said Monday. “I simply suspended active campaigning.” While Mills has shown no indication she plans to restart her campaign, her comments underscored the anxiety surrounding Platner’s candidacy and the search by some Democrats for alternatives. For now, however, Democratic leaders appear to be rallying behind their embattled nominee-in-waiting. Whether Platner’s promise that no additional accusations are coming proves accurate may determine not only the future of his campaign, but also Democrats’ chances of reclaiming a Senate seat they view as one of their most important targets of the 2026 cycle.

The Justice Department claimed Tuesday that the Southern Poverty Law Center paid Ku Klux Klan members to remain active in the Klan and reimbursed expenses relating to cross-burnings, Klan robes, and recruitment. The allegations came in a superseding indictment filed in federal court in Alabama that expands on an April case accusing the SPLC of wire fraud, bank fraud, and a conspiracy to commit money laundering. According to prosecutors, the SPLC paid more than $4.1 million to confidential informants embedded within white nationalist and extremist organizations between 2010 and 2023 while concealing the payments from donors through a network of shell entities and fraudulent bank accounts. Two Ku Klux Klan members approached the SPLC in 2010 seeking to leave the organization because they feared for their safety, the indictment said. Rather than helping them exit, prosecutors say the SPLC paid the pair $1,200 per month plus expenses to remain active in the Klan and provide information. SPLC Superseding Indictment June 2 2026 by Caleb Taylor According to the indictment, the men used donor-funded reimbursements for activities that included recruiting new Klan members, producing white robes and hoods, publishing extremist literature, establishing new chapters, and organizing rallies. The indictment further alleges the SPLC reimbursed expenses incurred for “cross-burning events, to include the wood and fuel used.” Federal prosecutors say the payments were routed through a shell company called “Rare Books Warehouse” and other fictitious entities designed to conceal the true source of the money. “The SPLC’s paid informants engaged in the active promotion of racist groups at the same time that the SPLC was denouncing the same groups on its website,” prosecutors said. The SPLC has pleaded not guilty to all charges and denies wrongdoing. Attorney Abbe Lowell, representing the organization, said Tuesday that the new filing “changes nothing” and argued the group’s informant program helped prevent violence and save lives.  The expanded indictment claims the SPLC maintained a covert network of paid sources inside extremist organizations dating back decades. Those sources allegedly included a Ku Klux Klan Imperial Wizard, a leader connected to the 2017 Unite the Right rally in Charlottesville, and members of other white nationalist groups. According to prosecutors, one source linked to Unite the Right received approximately $270,000 from the SPLC between 2015 and 2023. Prosecutors allege another source received roughly $1.2 million, including payments connected to the theft of documents from the neo-Nazi National Alliance that were later used in SPLC reporting. The Justice Department argues that the case is not about the practice of using informants itself but rather the alleged deception involved in obtaining donor money and concealing how those funds were distributed. Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche previously accused the organization of funding the very extremism it claimed to combat. “To that end, they were doing the exact opposite of what they told their donors they were doing — not dismantling extremism but funding it,” Blanche said when the original indictment was announced. The superseding indictment also highlights the organization’s financial growth during the period in question. Prosecutors noted that SPLC revenue increased from approximately $38.7 million in 2010 to more than $129 million in 2023, while net assets grew from roughly $238 million to nearly $787 million. The case remains pending in federal court in the Middle District of Alabama.

President Donald Trump could be courtside for Game 3 of the NBA Finals on Monday at Madison Square Garden. The New York native describes himself as a lifelong Knicks fan, and Trump secured an invite from team owner James Dolan to the Finals last week, though he never specified which game. But now the plans appear to be taking shape. The New York Post reported that Trump plans to attend the June 8 matchup between the Knicks and the San Antonio Spurs at MSG. Venue officials have already conducted security walk-throughs in preparation for a potential presidential visit. “I was going to go on Wednesday [Game 5 of Eastern Conference Finals], but they closed it out very quickly,” Trump told The Post. “They”re great, and Jim Dolan’s a great guy. He’s, as you know, owns and in charge of Madison Square Garden. He’s having a good year.” The White House has yet to confirm any plans for Trump to attend the game. New York City Democratic Mayor Zohran Mamdani said last week that he would not attend the game with Trump if the president makes the trip. The Knicks are making their first NBA Finals appearance since 1999, when they also faced the Spurs. “If the president went to a game, I’d let him, that’s his decision to make. If I go to the game, I’ll be doing so separately,” Mamdani told TMZ. Mamdani attended Game 2 of the Eastern Conference Finals, purchasing his own ticket and sitting in the upper level of MSG. Despite their political differences, Mamdani said Thursday that one thing he and Trump have in common is wanting the Knicks to win the NBA championship. The Finals would be the latest major sporting event attended by Trump. He attended Super Bowl LIX, the 2026 College Football Playoff championship in Miami, and several regular-season college football games. Before his return to the White House, Trump made time for the primetime NFL matchup between the Pittsburgh Steelers and the New York Jets just days before the 2024 election. The highly anticipated NBA Finals tip off Wednesday in San Antonio, where the Spurs host the first two matchups. The Knicks enter the championship series on an 11-game win streak, while the Spurs are coming off a battle in the Western Conference Finals, where San Antonio took down the Oklahoma City Thunder in Game 7 to advance.

New fear unlocked: the flesh-eating maggot that happily burrows inside livestock, wildlife, and yes, even humans, eating its prey from the inside out a little too close to home, especially for Texans. The New World screwworm is a type of fly that feeds off wounds — and a potential case in South Texas is now being tested at the National Veterinary Services Laboratories in Iowa. “We have already activated personnel on the ground and are working with local partners,” the Department of Agriculture announced Wednesday. A case of NWS may have been detected in South Texas. The sample is now at USDA’s National Veterinary Services Laboratories (NVSL) in Ames, lowa for confirmatory testing. We will provide updates the moment results are available. We have already activated personnel on the ground… — Dept. of Agriculture (@USDA) June 3, 2026 The potential U.S. case comes after the screwworm was found last week in a 5-year-old goat in Coahuila, the Mexican state that borders southwestern Texas. A separate case was reported on Sunday of the screwworm infecting a dog in Tamaulipas, another bordering Mexican state. As of Monday, the USDA is tracking 1,981 active animal cases in the country. The current outbreak in Mexico has gone on for a while, which caused Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins to shut down livestock trade across the southern border in July 2025. There was one confirmed U.S. case last year from a person who returned to Maryland after traveling to El Salvador. Adult screwworm flies are the size of a housefly, with orange eyes, a metallic blue or green body, and three dark stripes along their backs. The parasite is typically found in South America and parts of the Caribbean, but has been found farther north, in Central America and Mexico, over the last three years. While the outbreak in Mexico and Central America is primarily in livestock, wildlife, and pets, there have been cases in people, according to the CDC. The agency reports the screwworm maggots cause painful, foul-smelling wounds — and that sometimes maggots can be seen or felt in open wounds or in parts of the body with openings, including nose, mouth, eyes, ears, and genitals. If the infestation isn’t caught early and treated quickly, it can lead to extensive tissue damage and sometimes death. The CDC advises keeping any open wounds clean and covered, no matter the size or location on the body. Wear loose clothing, long-sleeved shirts and pants, hats, and socks to limit skin exposure. Other preventive measures include using an EPA-registered insect repellent, treating clothes with products containing 0.5% permethrin, and sleeping indoors when able. If mammals or birds are found to be showing signs of irritated behavior, head shaking, decaying smell, or maggots in wounds, they should be reported to an animal health official immediately. The USDA is reporting any new “screwworm” cases within 400 miles of the U.S. border on its map tracker every Tuesday and Thursday, and new cases within 100 miles are being tracked daily.