Dozens of people died and over 200 were injured on Monday after a 7.8 magnitude earthquake slammed the Philippines. 
The earthquake hit south of the island of Mindanao, and at least 22 million people were impacted by severe or moderate shaking. At least 32 people have been confirmed dead, over 200 people were injured, and hundreds of thousands displaced in the strongest earthquake to hit the country in nearly 40 years, according to reports. 
The quake led to tsunami warnings, but American officials quickly <a href="https://x.com/Hawaii_EMA/status/2063784873723351490?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E2063784873723351490%7Ctwgr%5E49081bb7419b1925992e2ba6b9fe5da10ef10c65%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&amp;ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.foxweather.com%2Fextreme-weather%2Fmagnitude-7-8-earthquake-strikes-off-philippines-tsunami-warnings">confirmed</a> there was no threat to Hawaii. Tsunami warnings were issued for multiple nearby islands including Taiwan, Japan, Guam, and Papua New Guinea.
&#8220;The national government is moving and we will not leave Mindanao behind,&#8221; <a href="https://pco.gov.ph/news_releases/statement-of-president-ferdinand-r-marcos-jr-on-the-mindanao-earthquake/">said</a> Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. “I am in constant communication with our regional offices and local chief executives on the ground.”
Mindanao is the second biggest island in the Philippines and home to over 27 million people. Earthquakes frequently strike the area, with the U.S. Geological Survey <a href="https://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/eventpage/us7000srb1/executive">noting</a> that there have been at least 35 earthquakes measuring over 7 magnitude since 1900. 
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<div id="attachment_1111193" style="width: 1034px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-1111193" class="size-full wp-image-1111193" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/06/GettyImages-2279850484.jpg" alt="ANKARA, TURKIYE - JUNE 8: An infographic titled &quot;Powerful earthquakes jolt Philippines&quot; created in Ankara, Turkiye on June 8, 2026. " width="1024" height="1024" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/06/GettyImages-2279850484.jpg 1024w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/06/GettyImages-2279850484-300x300.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/06/GettyImages-2279850484-576x576.jpg 576w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/06/GettyImages-2279850484-150x150.jpg 150w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/06/GettyImages-2279850484-768x768.jpg 768w" sizes=" (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" />Photo by Omar Zaghloul/Anadolu via Getty Images.</div>
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Marcos Jr. added that he ordered “the suspensions of all classes in all levels across affected areas in Mindanao until further notice. The safety of our children comes first.”
He also called for people to pay attention to the tsunami warnings, telling them to “move to higher ground now. Do not wait. Your life is more important than anything left behind.”  
The U.S. Geological Survey <a href="https://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/eventpage/us7000srb1/pager">estimated</a> that there would be a 42% chance that there would be between 10-100 fatalities and a 32% chance the fatalities would be between 100 and 1,000. It also gave a 39% chance that the economic damage would be between $100 million and $1 billion. The agency added that the quake occurred because of thrust faulting, <a href="https://www.usgs.gov/faqs/what-a-fault-and-what-are-different-types">when</a> the upper block on a thrust plane moves up and over the lower block. 
One local <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2026/06/07/world/asia/hilippines-earthquake-tsunami-warning.html">told</a> the New York Times that he ran for higher ground with his young daughter after the earthquake hit. 
“I was very scared, my knees were trembling,” Julius Golez said. “We were crying; so many other people were also crying.”

7.8 magnitude earthquake leaves 14 dead, 7 others missing in southern Philippines

Dozens Dead After Massive Earthquake Triggers Tsunami Warnings

earthquake

Natural Disaster

Philippines

Spencer Pratt responded with skepticism Sunday night as his socialist opponent overtook him in the Los Angeles mayoral race after days of vote counting that has led to Republicans calling for major election reforms in California.
Leftist councilwoman Nithya Raman officially jumped out in front of Pratt on Sunday after mail-in ballot dumps throughout the week consistently shifted the race in her favor. Pratt led Raman by around nine percentage points on election night. After the big swing in Raman&#8217;s favor, Pratt raised questions about where all the ballots came from to support her. 
&#8220;&#8216;A net swing of more than 43,000 votes since Tuesday..&#8217; 43,000, huh? Where have I seen that number before&#8230;? Probably nothing,” Pratt posted on X, highlighting an article which reported that Los Angeles had over 43,000 homeless people out on the average night. 
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
&#8220;A net swing of more than 43,000 votes since Tuesday..&#8221;
43,000, huh? Where have I seen that number before&#8230;?
Probably nothing. 🤷 <a href="https://t.co/W2E3k6PHyR">https://t.co/W2E3k6PHyR</a> <a href="https://t.co/ZfzHCy9enb">pic.twitter.com/ZfzHCy9enb</a>
— Spencer Pratt (@spencerpratt) <a href="https://x.com/spencerpratt/status/2063784193688056310?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 8, 2026</a></blockquote>
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After the Sunday ballot count update, Decision Desk HQ projected that Raman would advance to the general election against incumbent Mayor Karen Bass, leaving Pratt locked out of the race. 
President Donald Trump, who supported Pratt’s campaign, claimed that Pratt and Republican gubernatorial candidate Steve Hilton were being cheated in their elections. Hilton, who started in first place, has seen his Democrat opponents rapidly gain ground as mail-in ballot counting continues. 
“Has anybody been watching the CROOKED Election going on in California. Two great Republican Candidates are being cheated, and so is America, which if the Dumocrats are able to fulfill their mission, great trouble and consternation will follow,” Trump posted on Truth Social on Sunday night. “Watch this ‘Election’ closely!!!”
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Federal officials are seeking to audit California’s election system, which has been criticized for its agonizingly long vote-counting process. 
First Assistant U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli said Sunday that California was blocking an audit of its voter rolls and noted that the state <a href="https://www.sos.ca.gov/elections/hava-id-standards">allows</a> first-time voters to use &#8220;surprising&#8221; forms of ID to register to vote, including a gym membership card, employer ID card, credit or debit card, prescription drug label, and insurance card. 
“This is permitted when a voter fails to provide a Social Security number or driver’s license at registration. Our office believes this policy deserves a closer look,” he said. “We also have serious concerns about how California maintains its voter rolls. There are open questions about whether the state is promptly removing deceased voters, people who have moved, and individuals convicted of disqualifying felonies.”
“On top of that, California allows third parties to collect and turn in ballots on voters’ behalf (a practice known as ballot harvesting) with few restrictions. This makes it difficult to track who actually received, completed, and submitted each ballot,” he added. 
The Trump administration sued California after the state failed to provide information on its voter rolls as it attempts to ensure that only American citizens are registered to vote.

Celebrity Sightings In Los Angeles – June 02, 2026

Spencer Pratt Connects Raman’s Vote Surge To A Statistic LA Can’t Escape

California

California Elections

Los Angeles

Spencer Pratt

An American journalist pleaded guilty Thursday to working as an unregistered agent for China after prosecutors said he helped a Chinese intelligence officer try to steal classified information from the U.S. government. 
Thomas Pauken II, 50, admitted in a plea agreement with Justice Department prosecutors that he acted as an agent of China from 2019 to 2026. Prosecutors said Pauken worked for a member of the Chinese Ministry of State Security who sought sensitive information about the United States. 
“Pauken admitted to being part of a conspiracy to obtain sensitive information from the U.S. government for the PRC,” said Assistant Attorney General for National Security John Eisenberg. “His actions are a betrayal of this Nation and pose an unacceptable risk to our national security.”
Pauken has lived in China since 2010 and worked for the Chinese state media outlet Xinhua News. At the same time, prosecutors said, he was on the payroll of a member of the Chinese Ministry of State Security referred to in court documents as “Cathy.” 
According to prosecutors, Cathy directed Pauken to meet with human sources in the United States, provide those sources with laptops and cellphones, and send their reports back to China. 
In February 2026, Pauken was arrested after an <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/american-journalist-charged-in-anti-ccp-espionage-sting">apparent FBI sting</a> operation during a recorded meeting at a Washington, D.C. hotel.
At the meeting, Pauken met with an unidentified U.S. government employee who had sought a job in the Trump administration and whom Pauken had allegedly been attempting to recruit on Cathy&#8217;s behalf. Prosecutors said Cathy wanted the official to produce reports she claimed would make their way to Chinese President Xi Jinping and shape policy. 
Pauken offered to pay the government employee a $10,000 bonus and subsequent payments funneled through a bogus nonprofit, according to court documents.  
Court documents state that Pauken himself did not personally handle classified information, but acted as an “intermediary to recruit individuals to provide classified information to the Chinese.”
Pauken also sold multiple reports to a group of Chinese people from Wuhan, according to prosecutors. 
“PAUKEN’s Wuhan clients mainly sought information about technology and the U.S. Department of Justice,” a statement of facts compiled by prosecutors agreed to by Pauken said. “The Wuhan clients wanted PAUKEN to find an expert who would help them engage in cyber espionage.”
Pauken told the FBI he believed his work would deter a military conflict between the United States and China and that he would support greater religious freedom through his contacts in both countries. 
His sentencing is set for September 1, and he faces up to 10 years in prison.
“By his own admission, not only did Thomas Pauken attempt to infiltrate U.S. political circles at the direction of China’s Ministry of State Security,&#8221; said FBI official Roman Rozhavsky. &#8220;But he gathered intelligence on his American targets and reported it back to his Chinese intelligence handlers.&#8221;

U.S. Secretary Of State Antony Blinken Visits Shanghai

American Journalist Caught In FBI Sting Admits Working For China

Communist China

Department of Justice

Espionage

A popular YouTube star sparked backlash after making a disturbing announcement on social media that he and his wife ended the life of their unborn child after finding out the child may be born with Down syndrome. 
Jesse Ridgway, who has over four million subscribers on YouTube, made the announcement on Wednesday that he and his wife aborted their baby because of the Down syndrome diagnosis. The post prompted a strong response from pro-life activists and even House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA), who said the child&#8217;s life had value despite the medical diagnosis. 
“This week, my wife and I made the very difficult decision to terminate the pregnancy due to Trisomy 21,” Ridgway <a href="https://x.com/McJuggerNuggets/status/2062315803177881822">posted</a> on X. “The choice was not made lightly. We really appreciate all of the personal stories that you guys shared with us, especially the unconditional support we received from fans with no matter what we decided.”
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When learning the child may be born with Down syndrome, Ridgway said he first was &#8220;optimistic&#8221; that they could “make it work” if the child was just “a little slow intellectually.” 
“But I just didn’t fully understand what Down syndrome entailed,” he said. “I didn’t realize just how rough it is for the child, let alone the family … more often than not, they would be fully dependent on others for the rest of their life.”
Between 350,000 and 400,000 Americans have Down syndrome, meaning they were born with an extra chromosome. When polled, these individuals <a href="https://lozierinstitute.org/improving-joyful-lives-societys-response-to-difference-and-disability/">consistently say</a> they are satisfied with their life and were happy they were born. 
Studies generally show that at least 67% of babies diagnosed with Down syndrome in the United States are aborted. In Iceland, there are almost no cases of Down syndrome because all those who would have been born with it were killed in the womb. Some Republicans <a href="https://estes.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=5906">have pushed</a> for protections to prohibit Down syndrome-based abortions. 
Back in April, Ridgway posted an ultrasound picture of his child, writing, “first look at the little nugget.”
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
first look at the little nugget. 😱 <a href="https://t.co/yjtVWzbyhh">pic.twitter.com/yjtVWzbyhh</a>
— Jesse Ridgway (@McJuggerNuggets) <a href="https://x.com/McJuggerNuggets/status/2041974939767480735?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 8, 2026</a></blockquote>
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Ridgway referred to the death of his unborn child as a “difficult decision that we believe in the long-run will be beneficial for our family&#8221; and appeared to make a political statement by adding, &#8220;Thankfully, we had a choice.&#8221; 
In response to that post, many pro-life advocates pointed out the wonderful lives that many of those with Down syndrome live. 
“Because God made us all in His image, it means EVERY SINGLE PERSON has inestimable DIGNITY and VALUE — and our value is not related in any way to the color of our skin, what zip code we live in, what our talents are, our health condition, or any other factor,” Speaker Johnson <a href="https://x.com/SpeakerJohnson/status/2062864877471797445">said</a>. “Our value is inherent, because it is given to us by our loving Heavenly Father.”
“When a culture devolves to the point of depravity where ‘influencers’ can go online and so casually dismiss the deliberate murder of their own precious child, the survival of that culture itself is at risk,” he added. 
Kelsey Pritchard, the communications director for SBA Pro-Life America, told The Daily Wire that she hoped Ridgway and his wife would realize the value of all human life.
&#8220;I hope someday they wake up and realize, and the humanity of the unborn children and the humanity of people who have Down syndrome, because, honestly, we should feel bad for them, because they just robbed themselves of a lot of joy that they otherwise would have had they allowed this child to live,&#8221; she said.
She said that the cultural acceptance of targeting people with disabilities was a result of an abortion-saturated culture.
&#8220;I think it&#8217;s just evidence too of how stripping away the right to life for the unborn, it leads to this stripping away of the dignity of the human being, and bleeds into these other areas, like people with disabilities,&#8221; Pritchard said. &#8220;We know the slippery slope that exists when you start taking people&#8217;s rights away, and you dehumanize a whole class of humans.&#8221;
After the negative response to his announcement, Ridgway <a href="https://x.com/McJuggerNuggets/status/2062706211787571502">said</a> that he had “never seen such hate and vitriol for two people grieving the loss of their unborn child and making an impossible decision” and claimed he had received death threats. 
He also said he was surprised that his announcement of ending the life of his unborn child to his 345,000 followers on X was “newsworthy.”
Many pro-life advocates responded by noting that Ridgway and his wife decided to end the life of their child. 
“My God. You two didn’t suffer a miscarriage or a stillbirth like millions of couples do every year,” <a href="https://x.com/sagesteele/status/2062743081602990214">said</a> former ESPN anchor Sage Steele. “You CHOSE to abort your baby. And then you CHOSE to announce it publicly. YOU ARE NOT A VICTIM. This is narcissism at its finest.”

Foetus ultrasound

YouTube Star Ends Life Of Unborn Child After Down Syndrome Diagnosis

Abortion

Down Syndrome

Mike Johnson

Pro-Life Movement

A California museum dedicated to remembering the victims of communist China’s brutal Tiananmen Square massacre was vandalized just days ahead of the anniversary of the communist crackdown.
Displays and exhibits at the June Fourth Memorial Museum in El Monte, California, were spray-painted on Sunday in what museum officials believe to have been a targeted attack. The Los Angeles County museum tells the history of the June 4, 1989, massacre at Tiananmen Square, where soldiers killed up to 2,600 pro-democracy protesters. 
“The main part of the exhibition, including sections of the walls, was vandalized with spray paint, causing serious damage to the museum&#8217;s assets. The museum strongly condemns the perpetrators and those instigating the incident and will pursue legal action against them,” the museum said in a statement. 
The museum said it was working with the El Monte Police Department and had obtained certain leads and identified suspicious circumstances.” 
“We view this incident as yet another instance of ‘transnational repression’ and have reported the relevant details to the FBI and the appropriate committees of the U.S. Congress,” the museum said. 
El Monte police sergeant Andrew Mora <a href="https://dominotheory.com/tiananmen-square-memorial-museum-vandalized-ahead-of-anniversary/">told</a> Domino Theory that police were probing whether the incident was a hate crime and would report it to the FBI. 
Museum co-founder Wang Dan posted photos of some of the vandalism and said that surveillance cameras were destroyed, but that the footage was able to be recovered and sent to the police. 
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
已经到达现场，现场破坏严重。
作案者潜入纪念馆，并破坏了摄像镜头，然后才开始损毁动作。
现发布第一批照片。 <a href="https://t.co/hFn5RWYf1z">pic.twitter.com/hFn5RWYf1z</a>
— 王丹 (@wangdan1989) <a href="https://x.com/wangdan1989/status/2061098550482874779?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 31, 2026</a></blockquote>
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“The June Fourth Memorial Hall will never cease operations due to such acts of destruction and threats. On the contrary, with the support of all sectors of society, we look forward to making the memorial hall even better!” Wang <a href="https://x.com/wangdan1989/status/2061126269182579003">said</a>. “No matter how fierce the storm, we will stand firm!”
Wang later spoke to the House Select Committee on China about the incident. The committee said the vandalism was “disturbing and sad.” 
“The museum will continue and all of us will never let the world forget about Tiananmen Square,” the committee added. 
The Congressional-Executive Commission on China also commented on the vandalism and called for the FBI to investigate. 
“Vandalism of a [Tiananmen Massacre] museum cannot erase the memory of what happened on June 4, 1989, or cover up the crimes committed by the [CCP] as it crushed peaceful demonstrations for freedom and democracy,” the commission said. “[The FBI Los Angeles] should investigate this as an act of [transnational repression].”

Protester Blocking Tanks Approaching Tiananmen Square

SEE IT: Memorial To Tiananmen Square Victims Vandalized Ahead Of Anniversary

Los Angeles County

Tiananmen Square

The New York Times doubled down on its reporting after an ex-girlfriend of Maine Democrat Graham Platner ripped the liberal outlet for watering down its story on her accusations that Platner treated her abusively during their relationship.
Lyndsey Fifield, who dated Platner from 2013 to 2015, said that the Times convinced her to come forward to talk about her experience with Platner, but then, the reporters left out critical details. In a post on X, she said the Times &#8220;twisted&#8221; the story into a narrative driven by Platner&#8217;s Senate campaign.
&#8220;It dawned on me that this really was a set up all along. The journalists I trusted who convinced me to share a story I never wanted to tell methodically delayed and twisted this into a gift to the Platner campaign,&#8221; she said. &#8220;Violating the trust of his victims. Shattering the trust I placed in them with the most vulnerable story of my life.&#8221;
In response to Fifield&#8217;s post, the Times told The Daily Wire that it stood by its reporting.
&#8220;We published accounts provided by several women who were in romantic relationships with Graham Platner,&#8221; Times spokeswoman Nicole Taylor said. &#8220;Our story accurately presents each of these accounts as told to our reporters and according to our standards. We stand by our reporting of the accounts from Ms. Fifield and the other women, who provided a revealing look at the behavior of a major candidate for the U.S. Senate.”
<div style="max-width: 728px; margin: 0 auto;"><iframe style="aspect-ratio: 16/9; max-width: 100%; width: 100%; margin: 20px auto 5px; border: 0;" src="https://player.mux.com/BcVl9ca8oR7SR00GkntbIDikUyBWI8emr?metadata-video-content-type=embed_video&amp;metadata-video-id=f7a549b9-529f-4dea-9550-6ba926ecf0fa&amp;metadata-video-stream-type=on-demand&amp;metadata-video-title=2026-06-05%20Platner%20Girlfriend%20New%20York%20Times%20Story&amp;poster=https%3A%2F%2Fdailywireplus-v2.imgix.net%2Fimages%2Fembedded-videos%2Fe721eb5a-9167-4c40-b6cf-0382cb59cc55.png&amp;autoplay=false&amp;accent-color=%23DB3D3B&amp;primary-color=%23ffffff&amp;secondary-color=%23000000" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe></div>
Fifield, a Virginia conservative, said she <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/ex-girlfriends-say-platner-lied-about-nazi-tattoo-detail-disturbing-behavior?author=Jacob+Wheeler&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=0&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=Ex-Girlfriends+Say+Platner+Lied+About+Nazi+Tattoo%2C+Detail+Disturbing+Behavior">told</a> the Times that Platner regularly grabbed her by the shoulders hard enough to leave marks. She recounted an incident in which he allegedly twisted her arm behind her back, shoved her into a bedroom, and held the door shut, telling her to stay there until she was “calm.” Fifield said she eventually fell asleep and left the next morning, according to the Times.
Platner has denied any allegations of physical abuse.
Fifield, who has worked in Republican politics, said that the Times story downplayed the seriousness of her allegations and that stories from multiple other women she was told would be included were not.
&#8220;After the story went up I began to ask them … wait, where are the stories from the other women? Where are their accusations of sexual assault? Why am I the focus? Why are there 11 paragraphs dedicated to detailing my work history (more than has been published about Graham’s by far)?&#8221; Fifield asked. &#8220;Why does it say &#8216;nobody could corroborate&#8217; when I offered them sources that COULD corroborate?&#8221;
She added that she was tricked by assurances from the Times that it would fully tell her story.
&#8220;I bucked all advice from my friends (and resisted my conservative bias) and decided to fully trust the Times journalists,&#8221; she wrote. &#8220;As they left my home they asked that I not talk to any other outlets and I insisted then and repeatedly over the following weeks that I would keep my word and only share this story with them.&#8221;
She also said that the Times failed to use numerous screenshots she provided to reporters to verify her account of the relationship.
&#8220;Where were the screenshots they’d said they would use? Or the mention that I’d supported local democrats and that most of my family (and husband) are liberal? The editors said it was too much, they explained,&#8221; she said. &#8220;The Times also failed to include any mention that I DID confide in multiple friends through the years that Graham had been abusive — long before he was running for office. Those friends confirm they told the Times so.&#8221;
Platner&#8217;s campaign has been plagued by revelations that he sent sexually explicit messages to multiple women while married and <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/see-it-graham-platner-has-active-profile-on-predators-paradise-messaging-app">maintained an account</a> on Kik, a messaging platform flagged by child-safe advocates for being associated with sexual predators.

Graham Platner

New York Times Responds After Platner Abuse Accuser Rips Outlet For ‘Twisted’ Story

graham platner

Maine

New York Times

A top Democrat claimed he did not know if there would be an election in 2028 and called for activist organizations to take to “the streets” to “save our democracy” while trying to sell his book.
During a recent book tour stop, Sen. Chris Murphy (D-CT), a potential presidential candidate, said that money should be funneled to leftist activists to ensure that upcoming elections are “fair and free.” Murphy made the dramatic claims during a Q&amp;A with ex-NBC journalist Katie Couric at Judson Memorial Church in Manhattan pushing his book &#8220;Crisis of the Common Good.&#8221; 
When asked if he had any national aspirations, Murphy said, “Here’s the honest truth: I don’t know that there’s going to be an election in 2028.” 
Couric interjected, “Don’t say that.” 
“I think there is, but we gotta do the work,” Murphy replied. “And so, I am spending all of my time trying to make sure that democracy still exists, trying to preserve what we have.”
He made the comments on May 26, just weeks after another attempted assassination against President Donald Trump.
At the same time as he warned of a dystopian future without elections, Murphy lambasted conservatives for believing that leftism was an “existential threat to the country&#8221; and called for Democrats to vote to “permanently eliminate [Trump’s] movement from positions of power.”
Murphy added that he had spent much of the money he raised on funding leftist activist organizations. 
“I’ve been spending most all of my money that I raise online in the last year and a half, sending out grants to local citizen-led organizations all over the country that are protesting what Donald Trump is doing and mobilizing citizens against his corruption and thievery,” he said. 
“We shouldn’t be raising money and hoarding it for the next election. We should be raising money and putting it immediately out onto the streets to help save our democracy,” Murphy added. 
Murphy was <a href="https://chrismurphy.com/american-mobilization-project/">referring</a> to his “American Mobilization Project,” which backs leftist organizations that participate in &#8220;on-the-ground organizing” that fight against Republican policies or push leftist voting and immigration initiatives. 
For example, the project has supported the group &#8220;Indivisible,&#8221; which <a href="https://indivisible.org/">describes</a> itself as an organization fighting “against this fascistic clown show of a regime” and calls for defunding ICE and Border Patrol. 
Indivisible <a href="https://indivisible.org/actions/demand-your-representative-reject-detention-center-escalations/">designed</a> a script for activists to call lawmakers and tell them to &#8220;use their power as my elected official to demand dignity for immigrants and reject any expansions to Trump’s mass detention and deportation agenda.&#8221;
Multiple groups supported by Murphy&#8217;s project do immigration legal work. This includes the Minneapolis-based Advocates for Human Rights, which provides legal services to “people in immigration detention,” and American Gateways, which gives free legal services at the immigration courthouse in San Antonio, Texas. 
Another group is the Wisconsin-based Raìces Acciòn, which works to train “the next generation of bilingual organizers to build sustained political power up and down the ballot.”
Other groups protest cuts to welfare programs and public education or push young people to participate in political activism.

Iran Presser

Chris Murphy Admits To Funding Street Protesters, Tells Activists 2028 Election Might Not Happen

2028 presidential election

Chris Murphy

Connecticut

Donald Trump

Making faith a center point of his Senate campaign, James Talarico says he doesn’t want to “claim” Jesus for the Democratic Party. Yet the woke church that molded him uses Christ to justify support for abortion, transgender procedures on kids, and protesting immigration enforcement.
A review of Talarico’s Texas church and its activist pastor — who Talarico calls a “mentor” — shows how closely his political views have been shaped by a leftist conception of Christianity. These positions, such as the promotion of abortion and acceptance of transgenderism, put Talarico at odds with many of the Texas voters the media have suggested could be amenable to the Democrat’s religious pitch against Republican Ken Paxton. 
Talarico’s church, St. Andrew’s Presbyterian in Austin, has pushed leftist activism for years while undermining traditional Christian beliefs such as the historical resurrection of Jesus. The church’s theological and political positions face scrutiny as Talarico looks to become the first Democrat to win statewide office in Texas for decades on a platform of defeating Christian nationalism and removing faith from “partisan politics.” 
“I&#8217;ve been the chief opponent of Christian nationalism in the Texas legislature. I believe the separation of church and state is a sacred boundary that doesn&#8217;t just protect the state, but also protects the church,” Talarico told religious leaders during a podcast earlier this year. “I&#8217;m trying not to claim Jesus for the Democratic Party. I&#8217;m trying to wrestle away Jesus from partisan politics.”
From a review of the church&#8217;s website, one would hardly guess that Talarico is interested in a non-partisan Jesus. St. Andrew’s, whose webpage features a cross draped in an LGBTQ flag, <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/this-book-is-gay-read-the-sexually-explicit-volumes-james-talaricos-church-gives-kids">maintains</a> a “banned books” library filled with sexually explicit material aimed at young people and <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/james-talaricos-church-funds-abortions-trans-summer-camps">donates</a> part of its annual budget to abortion giant Planned Parenthood. 
<div id="attachment_1108063" style="width: 1076px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-1108063" class="wp-image-1108063 size-full" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/06/Screenshot-2026-06-02-at-8.24.33-AM.png" alt="" width="1066" height="810" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/06/Screenshot-2026-06-02-at-8.24.33-AM.png 1066w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/06/Screenshot-2026-06-02-at-8.24.33-AM-300x228.png 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/06/Screenshot-2026-06-02-at-8.24.33-AM-758x576.png 758w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/06/Screenshot-2026-06-02-at-8.24.33-AM-768x584.png 768w" sizes=" (max-width: 1066px) 100vw, 1066px" />St. Andrew&#8217;s Presbyterian</div>
In the name of <a href="https://www.staopen.org/inclusive-language">inclusivity</a>, Talarico’s church avoids referring to God as “Father” as Christians have done for thousands of years. Instead, the church recommends using “non-gendered” language for God. 
“Inclusive language, when used to refer to God, is non-gendered. Therefore, God is not referred to as ‘He’ or ‘Father’, nor as ‘She’ or ‘Mother,’” the church’s website says. 
This contradicts the Bible’s description of Jesus’ instructions to his disciples to refer to God as “our Father” when praying. In the biblical Gospels, Jesus refers to God as “Father” well over 100 times. 
The “Inclusive Bible” used by St. Andrew’s makes awkward gender revisions. The version changes the Lord’s Prayer, one of the most beloved and ancient Christian prayers, from “our Father who art in heaven” to “our Father-Mother in heaven.” 
Talarico appears to have adopted this belief during his time in the legislature, saying that “God is non-binary” while arguing against a Texas law keeping males out of female sports. 
In addition to not calling God &#8220;Father,&#8221; St. Andrew&#8217;s avoids referring to Jesus as “king,” as Christians have done for thousands of years. 
“When referring to God, we do not use the words ‘King’ and ‘Lord,’ because that would make God male,” the church says on its website. “When referring to Jesus, we do not use ‘king’ and ‘lord,’ because it hints at a hierarchy that we believe Jesus repudiated.”
&#8220;To say that our divine source is male is perhaps the most sexist comment a person can make,” the inclusive language guide says. “To equate the Almighty with masculinity might or might not hurt a particular victim of abuse, but it will definitely teach a view of life where our little girls will be more likely to be abused in the future.&#8221;
Many of the heterodox positions taken at St. Andrew&#8217;s come from Jim Rigby, Talarico’s “mentor” and a pastor at the church. In addition to his leftist political positions, he diverts from historic Christian belief that Jesus rose from the dead in a historic event called the resurrection. 
In a Christmas Day Facebook <a href="https://www.facebook.com/jim.rigby.12/posts/957972940944180">post</a> from 2015, Rigby suggested that resurrection could actually be understood as “a poem about the whole life process.”
“Apparently, because I don&#8217;t believe in a literal resurrection, I&#8217;m not really Christian. This unfortunately also means I won&#8217;t be going to heaven with many of you,” he said, adding that he was told by a Christian that “we have to LITERALLY believe Jesus&#8217; corpse got up. If you believe all the above you will get to be with God in heaven. Let&#8217;s just hope God has a handle on that anger problem by now.”
Talarico, who <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2026/06/01/us/politics/james-talarico-christian.html">told the</a> New York Times that he believes in a historical resurrection unlike his mentor, said his faith is a “biblical Christianity.” 
Despite this difference of opinion, Talarico greatly credits Rigby for his worldview and closely mirrors his political positions. 
“Our pastor, Dr. Jim Rigby, who I&#8217;ve known since I was 2 years old, he married my parents. He baptized me,” Talarico said during a <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r4832vfsmf4">podcast</a>. “He is still my pastor today. And he showed me what it means to act with courage from the pulpit.”
In 2023, Rigby and St. Andrew’s <a href="https://spectrumlocalnews.com/tx/south-texas-el-paso/news/2023/01/17/social-justice-sermons">worked</a> to oppose legislation supported by Texas Republicans to shield kids from transgender procedures. 
“Anyone who preaches hate in Jesus’ name and we remain silent, then we are complicit,” Rigby said during the time of his involvement in the campaign against a bill to protect kids from puberty blockers, cross-sex hormones, and gender surgeries. 
Talarico has taken a similar approach as a state lawmaker. He <a href="https://journals.house.texas.gov/HJRNL/88R/PDF/88RDAY63FINAL.PDF">voted against</a> the 2023 law that protected kids from transgender surgeries and cross-sex hormone procedures.
Talarico also <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CVD-Gi-FbWh/?hl=en&amp;img_index=3">attacked</a> Republicans for passing a bill in October 2021 keeping males out of female sports.
“Texas Republicans have passed their anti-trans bill. Over and over, Christians used scripture to justify bullying trans kids,” he said at the time. “I told them in my faith, God is non-binary.”
Abortion is another issue where Talarico closely follows Rigby. In 2016, Rigby cited the so-called &#8220;constitutional right to an abortion” in an <a href="https://www.houstonchronicle.com/opinion/outlook/article/Rigby-New-fetal-remains-rule-is-a-Trojan-Horse-10689637.php">op-ed</a> lamenting proposals requiring the dignified burial of fetal remains and ultrasounds before ending the life of their unborn child. 
“It is chilling to witness politicians overriding science and medicine to impose their own beliefs on women,” he wrote. “The real reason politicians are pushing this seems to be the belief that a soul enters the body at conception, therefore making the fertilized human egg the moral equivalent to a fully gestated human being.”
Unlike many Christians, Rigby said he disagreed with that position. 
“Where is the religious freedom for the millions of us who believe that women&#8217;s bodies are not community property simply because they get pregnant? Where is the religious freedom for those of us who respect the moral agency of women?” he wrote. 
St. Andrew’s is a “reproductive freedom congregation,” meaning that it <a href="https://justtx.org/rfc/">affirms</a> that abortion is a “blessing” and a “moral and social good.” 
Talarico, running on a platform of enshrining Roe v. Wade into federal law, argues that Christianity is silent on abortion and actually supports the life-ending procedure. He grounds his support for abortion in the biblical account of an angel visiting the Virgin Mary and telling her that she would miraculously conceive and give birth to Jesus Christ. 
“I say all this in the context of abortion, because before God comes over Mary, and we have the incarnation, God asks for Mary’s consent,” he said during an appearance on the Joe Rogan podcast. “You cannot force someone to create … so that’s how I come down on that side of the issue.”
In 2016, St. Andrew’s became part of a <a href="https://www.texasobserver.org/faith-leaders-pledge-offer-sanctuary-immigrants-facing-deportation/">movement</a> of woke churches offering to shelter illegal immigrants, and Rigby was <a href="https://www.fox7austin.com/news/pulpit-to-soapbox-austin-preacher-wants-immigration-reform">arrested</a> for trespassing inside the state capitol in 2017 while protesting a proposed law targeting sanctuary city policies. 
If elected, Talarico says he will go after ICE and ban them from shielding their identity while conducting operations. 
“We have to ban ICE agents from wearing masks, from kidnapping people off our streets without a warrant,” he said on a podcast. “We have to require them to identify themselves like any law enforcement official. And we have to end this policy of mass deportations that again is terrorizing our communities across Texas and across this country.”
Another issue that has plagued the Talarico campaign is the question of veganism. While he once boasted about having a meat-free campaign, he now says he proudly consumes Texas barbecue. His church <a href="https://www.staopen.org/earth-care">encourages</a> people to “eat a plant based diet for the planet’s health and yours.”

Screenshot 2026-06-03 at 11.14.56 AM

At James Talarico’s Church, Its Offensive To Respect God’s Pronouns — But Abortion’s OK.

Bible

Christianity

James Talarico

Senate

Texas

U.S. Politics

Facing increasing questions about his personal character, embattled Maine Democrat Senate candidate Graham Platner is ramping up the leftist rhetoric. 
Platner posted a video on Thursday showing clips from a recent speech where he called for the abolition of ICE, claiming that the agency has been used to “terrorize&#8221; and &#8220;murder&#8221; Americans. The video comes after reports revealed that Platner sent sexually explicit messages to multiple women while married. He also <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/see-it-graham-platner-has-active-profile-on-predators-paradise-messaging-app">maintained</a> an account on a platform frequently criticized by child-safety advocates, as first reported by The Daily Wire. 
“We do not need ICE. It is an agency that has been turned into a political weapon by the Trump administration to terrorize communities, and, quite frankly, murder American citizens in the streets,” Platner said. 
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“It has been turned into a tool, not to enforce immigration law, but merely as a tool of political coercion. And an agency that&#8217;s been doing that, in my opinion, does not deserve to exist in the future,” Platner added. 
While some Democrats have attempted to distance themselves from complete opposition to ICE, the agency in charge of arresting illegal immigrants who have committed crimes against Americans, Platner has doubled down on his calls to get rid of the agency. 
Platner is looking to be the Democrat nominee for Maine to take on Republican Senator Susan Collins. If elected, Platner said he would never vote to fund the agency and work to “get rid of it entirely.” 
“If an agency has a culture in which it has no accountability, and people are essentially incentivized to go out of their way and break the rules, you can&#8217;t reform that,” he said. “There&#8217;s no amount of body cams or extra training that&#8217;s going to fix that. You need to get rid of it all and you just start over entirely.”
In recent days, Platner’s campaign has been rocked by reports of his previous sexual escapades. On Tuesday, Platner <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/platner-promises-dem-senators-there-will-be-no-new-accusations">met</a> with top Senate Democrats who asked him if there would be any more serious allegations against him they needed to know about. He insisted that no credible allegations of sexual assault were forthcoming.
“It’s not a secret I’ve had a messy, complicated life,” he told senators. “The worst of the rumors we’ve all heard are not true.”

Maine Democratic Candidate For Senate Graham Platner Campaigns Across The State

The Federal Agency Nazi-Tattooed Graham Platner Wants Erased

Illegal Immigation

Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE)

President Donald Trump said Wednesday that he planned to make Todd Blanche&#8217;s position as acting attorney general “permanent.” 
“Tomorrow I&#8217;m instructing Dan [Scavino] and everybody else that&#8217;s involved in that very complicated process, which is gonna go, I think, very quickly, that we are going to make him permanent Attorney General,&#8221; Trump said during an event at the White House. 
A video of Trump’s comments was posted by White House Deputy Chief of Staff Dan Scavino, who wrote, &#8220;congratulations” to Blanche and the Justice Department. 
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
President Trump with an announcement tonight at the <a href="https://x.com/WhiteHouse?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@WhiteHouse</a>…
Congratulations <a href="https://x.com/TheJusticeDept?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@TheJusticeDept</a> <a href="https://x.com/DAGToddBlanche?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@DAGToddBlanche</a>—🇺🇸🦅 <a href="https://t.co/7C7N0Gjall">pic.twitter.com/7C7N0Gjall</a>
— Dan Scavino (@Scavino47) <a href="https://x.com/Scavino47/status/2062369458723680722?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 4, 2026</a></blockquote>
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Blanche became acting attorney general in April after Trump <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/pam-bondi-out-as-ag-following-months-of-epstein-controversy-criticism-over-lack-of-prosecutions">decided</a> to move on from Pam Bondi. Trump was reportedly frustrated with the lack of criminal prosecutions of Democrats he believed weaponized their positions against him. Bondi also faced much criticism over her handling of files related to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. 
At one point it appeared as if Trump was considering other options, including EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin, to officially take the helm of the Justice Department, but it appears he has decided to stick with Blanche. 
During an appearance this week on “Pod Force One,” Trump described Blanche as a “very talented guy” and said he was doing “a very good job” at the Justice Department. When asked by reporter Miranda Devine if he believed Blanche would become attorney general, the president said, “I ​think he will.” 
Under Blanche, the Justice Department brought renewed charges against former FBI Director James Comey, along with charges against the Southern Poverty Law Center and a scientist who once served as a top aide to Anthony Fauci. 
Blanche worked on multiple Trump defense teams after his first term as president ended, including the case involving accusations that he falsified business records in New York during the “hush money” case. He also worked to defend Trump against the charges brought by former special counsel Jack Smith related to the president’s handling of classified documents and the 2020 election. 
To become attorney general, Blanche would need to be confirmed by the Senate. He was confirmed as deputy attorney general in a 52-46 vote, but would likely face questions about the scrapped $1.8 billion anti-weaponization fund.

Trump Signs Order Directing Customs Crackdown Amid Trade Gaps

Trump Reveals His ‘Permanent’ Plan For Next Attorney General

Todd Blanche

Trump Administration

President Donald Trump’s successful endorsement streak came to an end in Iowa on Tuesday after Iowa farmer and businessman Zach Lahn narrowly defeated Trump-endorsed Rep. Randy Feenstra to win the Republican nomination for governor.
Lahn defeated Feenstra by less than 2,000 votes, winning 37.79% of the vote to the Republican congressman’s 37.01%. Feenstra, who entered Congress in 2021 after ousting former Rep. Steve King in the Republican primary, received Trump’s endorsement late last week. Conservative businessman Adam Steen won 15% of the vote. 
“We were outspent, opposed by the establishment, told to wait our turn. Well, tonight, the people of Iowa had something to say about that, that we&#8217;re not gonna wait anymore,” Lahn said during his victory speech. “They said Iowa doesn&#8217;t belong to the political class. They said our state does not belong to the lobbyists, special interests, and corporate giants for far too long have had way too much power in our state.”
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Lahn had the backing of the MAHA Action political action committee and the endorsement of Charlie Kirk&#8217;s Turning Point Action, while Trump endorsed Feenstra last Friday. 
“A Fourth Generation Iowan, successful Businessman, former Treasurer of Sioux County, State Senator, and now, as a distinguished U.S. Congressman, Randy has delivered strong results for the Hawkeye State,” Trump said in a Truth Social post. 
Trump’s endorsement record has proved strong in recent weeks, helping to take down numerous GOP incumbents, including Rep. Thomas Massie (Kentucky) and Senators John Cornyn (Texas) and Bill Cassidy (Louisiana). 
That streak ended with Feenstra — the first candidate Trump backed for governor, the House, or the Senate to lose a 2026 primary — who said Tuesday that he would support Lahn&#8217;s campaign against Democrat candidate Rob Sand.
&#8220;I just called Zach Lahn, and said, ‘Hey, you got to carry this torch. We got to keep this state red. We&#8217;ve got to make sure we beat Rob Sand. And I’m all in to help him out,'&#8221; he said. 
Lahn campaigned heavily on MAHA issues, <a href="https://www.zachlahn.com/policy">promising</a> on his campaign website to “confront the cancer crisis” by conducting “independent state safety tests on products used in Iowa,” pursuing “antitrust suits against monopolistic agricultural input companies to help our farmers,” and giving “incentives” to farmers to “address agricultural runoff and water contamination.”
Fast food chain Steak ‘n Shake entered the race last week as well, endorsing Lahn. 
“Congratulations to Zach Lahn! Voters took a stand and supported a MAHA candidate in a tight primary race,” the restaurant <a href="https://x.com/SteaknShake/status/2062137748366954677">said</a> Tuesday. “Steak n Shake remains undefeated in political endorsements.”
Lahn will face Sand, Iowa’s current state auditor and the most recent Democrat elected to statewide office.

MixCollage-03-Jun-2026-08-42-AM-2153

Razor-Thin Governor Primary Snaps Trump Endorsement Streak

Trump Endorsement Streak Ends After Razor Thin Governor Primary

Iowa

MAHA

CBS News fired “60 Minutes” correspondent <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/somewhere-cbs-newsman-scott-pelley-is-chewing-the-hell-out-of-his-innocent-glasses?author=Ben+Domenech&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=0&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=Somewhere+CBS+Newsman+Scott+Pelley+Is+Chewing+The+Hell+Out+Of+His+Innocent+Glasses">Scott Pelley</a> on Tuesday, just one day after he accused editor-in-chief Bari Weiss of attempting to “murder” the long-running show. 
Nick Bilton, the tech journalist and filmmaker recently named the new boss of “60 Minutes,” told Pelley that he was being fired after he aggressively &#8220;hijacked&#8221; a staff meeting to attack the new direction of CBS. Pelley, who has been with the network for decades, attacked Bilton’s qualifications during a staff meeting on Monday and <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2026/06/01/business/media/cbs-60-minutes-scott-pelley-nick-bilton.html">reportedly</a> ignored opportunities for private meetings with the new leadership. 
“Yesterday&#8217;s performative display of hostility enacted in front of the staff instead of in a civil, private conversation demonstrated that you have no interest in contributing to the future success of the show, or approaching my new tenure with a mind open to collaboration and progress,” Bilton wrote to Pelley. “I am here to deliver first-in-class news programming, not to make headlines about newsroom drama.”
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Bilton said that Pelley “hijacked” his first meeting with staff to “disparage” him and responded to his efforts to reach out with “remarkable incivility and contempt.” 
“I welcome a diversity of viewpoints and respectful debate among the team, but this was nothing of the sort,” he said. 
During Bilton’s first meeting with staff, Pelley interrupted Bilton to say that Weiss was “murdering ‘60 Minutes,&#8221; according to a recording obtained by The New York Times.
“She does not love this place. She was brought in to kill it, and she’s been doing exactly that,” Pelley said of Weiss.
“She has no qualifications for her job; you have slender qualifications for this job,” he added. “The changes that she’s made at the ‘Evening News’ have been catastrophic, so why should we expect that any of this is going to be any better?”
Bilton responded by saying that he would be meeting with everyone, including Pelley, to discuss his plans for the show and that he wanted to focus on producing quality journalism. Pelley met with Bilton and other CBS executives on Tuesday, but that meeting did not go well. 
“Despite yesterday&#8217;s misconduct, I had hoped that in sitting down with you today we could find a path forward together,” Bilton wrote. “You made clear that you are not interested in such a path. Your antipathy to the future of the show has come through loud and clear. And I have heard you. I therefore write on behalf of CBS News, Inc. (‘CBS’) to inform you that your employment with CBS is terminated for cause effective immediately.”
Pelley had worked for CBS News since 1989 and once anchored “CBS Evening News.” 
In an interview with the New York Times after his firing, Pelley discussed his experience reporting in various war zones. 
“I have been in combat in Afghanistan,” he said. “I have been in combat in Iraq. I have been in the war zone in Ukraine multiple times, risking my life and the happiness of my family because of my devotion to the broadcast.”
Weiss came to CBS after the network and “60 Minutes” had faced years of accusations of bias, including for releasing a highly edited interview with former Vice President Kamala Harris during the 2024 election.

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Leif Le Mahieu