Many people believe the Los Angeles mayoral election is being stolen.
They&#8217;re wrong.
It was stolen months ago; perhaps years ago.
There was a mayoral election in L.A. on June 2. The initial results showed that the top two finishers were going to be Karen Bass, the current mayor of L.A., who literally trained in Cuba as a revolutionary — and she was the moderate Democrat in that particular race — and Spencer Pratt, a former reality TV star who ran as an independent Republican and had been running an extremely viral online campaign. The third person was Nithya Raman, who&#8217;s on the L.A. City Council and is a complete psychotic leftist.
When the initial results came in on June 2, it looked as though Spencer Pratt and Karen Bass were going to be the people to win; the very early results on election night showed that Pratt was up some 25,000 votes on Raman, and Bass was up another 30,000 votes on Pratt.
And then, as the election results came in by June 4-5, Spencer Pratt&#8217;s votes had flatlined, and there was a fairly significant increase in votes for Nithya Raman. By June 6, the mayoral counts started to shift radically in favor of Nithya Rama.
<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/episode/ben-shapiro-show-ep-2440?elementPosition=0&amp;row=0&amp;rowHeadline=Recent+Episodes&amp;rowType=Horizontal+Show+Episodes+Carousel"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-981859" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/10/ben-banner.avif" alt="" width="1024" height="171" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/10/ben-banner.avif 1024w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/10/ben-banner-300x50.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/10/ben-banner-768x128.jpg 768w" sizes=" (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></a>
One of the things that&#8217;s fascinating here is that you can see that the lines for Karen Bass and Nithya Raman started elevating at the same rate between June 4-6 and they flatlined completely for Spencer Pratt, which means virtually all of the early votes that were cast on the Raman v. Pratt side were cast in favor of Pratt — or at least heavily biased for Pratt — and all the late-breaking votes, meaning the mail-in ballots, were heavily biased toward Nithya Raman.
This was not a glitch. It is the blueprint.
I know a lot of people right now are very upset that the initial results looked more Republican and conservative, and then, as more results came in, the graphs shifted toward Democrats. We saw this in 2020, most obviously, when the early results seemed to show President Donald Trump in the lead, and everybody had been talking about the fact that mail-in ballots, which in many cases were counted after the actual day of the election, would shift toward blue because Democrats were voting significantly by mail.
When I say the election was stolen months ago, I mean that state regulations benefit ballot harvesting. I think the way people generally think of stolen elections is wrong. I don&#8217;t think you have a bunch of people sitting there falsifying ballots, or a ballot tabulator picking up an empty ballot, filling in a fake name or ID number, and then writing in the ballot.
I don&#8217;t think that&#8217;s what&#8217;s actually happening here.
What&#8217;s actually happening is widespread voter registration and then ballot harvesting. According to California state regulations, first-time voters can vote using — I&#8217;m not making this up — a commercial credit card or a health club ID. So that LA Fitness ID that somebody got five years ago, never used, can be used to register to vote. The law in California explicitly says that any doubt must be liberally construed to allow a person to cast a regular ballot, with zero real verification.
When you combine legal ballot harvesting with the total collapse of voter ID, you end up with some pretty shady election practices. And this is why I think people were shocked.
Nithya Raman gave a speech on the night of the election, crying. It looked as though she had basically conceded the race. And now it turns out she will probably be in the runoff against Karen Bass.
Spencer Pratt reacted to this by writing, “A net swing of more than 43,000 votes since Tuesday &#8230;  43,000. Where have I seen that number before? Probably nothing.”
That 43,000 is a reference to the fact that the city of L.A. currently has approximately 43,695 homeless people, including people in temporary shelters.
That means ballot harvesters will go to homeless shelters and ask people if they wish to vote, and then, in some cases, they&#8217;ll help them mark the ballot, or they&#8217;ll stand over them while they mark it. And then they will take those ballots to a drop box and drop them off.
According to California&#8217;s Vote 411, you can cast a valid vote by mail as long as your ballot is postmarked or dropped off in a drop box on Election Day. In 2021, California law mandated that every active voter in the state receive a mail-in ballot.
What you&#8217;ve seen since 2016 is not only a radical increase in voter turnout in California, but also a radical increase in mail-in balloting. In the 2024 election cycle, 80% of all Californians voted by mail. Seventy-two percent of L.A. County voted by mail. Voter turnout in 2024 was 62.1%. That is the second-highest turnout in California state history. That is more raw votes cast than in 2008, when Barack Obama was on the ballot, and you got this sort of historic voter turnout.
In 2020, which, of course, is a wild outlier election because of Covid, 87% of all Californians voted by mail. Seventy-eight percent of L.A. County voted by mail. Voter turnout was almost 70%, the highest in California&#8217;s modern history.
If you wonder, one reason President Trump has talked so much about the stolen 2020 election — although I think the evidence is scanty that there was voter fraud sufficient to overcome the burden of proof — is that 24 states and Washington, D.C., allowed a voter to designate any person to drop off their completed ballot.
Ballot harvesters go to the houses of the people whom they know are registered Democrats. They knock on the door and say, “Give me your ballot. I want to make sure that it gets in on time.”
Some states, such as California, allow designated persons to return an unlimited number of ballots. Other states cap the quantity to prevent large-scale operations.
Colorado, for example, caps at 10 ballots per person. But in California, you can go pick up 100 ballots. You&#8217;re a Democratic state representative, a party worker. You go out, and you pick up 500 ballots from addresses that you know are registered Democrats, boosting your voter turnout.
That&#8217;s why President Trump is skeptical about the 2020 election: the combination of mail-in voting and ballot harvesting meant that two-thirds of Americans turned out to vote.
If you&#8217;re wondering why people are suspicious of our elections, this is the reason.

Sherlock_Spencer_LAbackground

You’re Looking For The Crime Scene In The Wrong Place

Ben Shapiro

California

California Elections

Election Fraud

Karen Bass

Opinion

Spencer Pratt

WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump doesn&#8217;t believe that Spencer Pratt really lost the Los Angeles mayoral primary.
&#8220;Not possible for Spencer Pratt to have lost the L.A. runoffs after the big lead he had,&#8221; Trump said on Monday afternoon. &#8220;3rd World Nation. Rigged Elections! Now they’ll be working on great guy Steve Hilton. Won’t have results for, possibly, TWO WEEKS, according to officials.&#8221;
Five days after the mayor election deadline, polls showed socialist candidate Nithya Raman pull ahead of Pratt, who had been running in second place ever since election night. Pratt and his supporters have responded skeptically, pointing out that Raman&#8217;s lead comes only after mail-in-ballot dumps over the past week moved the race in her favor.
Either Raman or Pratt will face Mayor Karen Bass in November&#8217;s election for Los Angeles mayor, and the Associated Press has not yet called who the winner is. Bass apparently wants Raman in the fight — not Pratt. In a statement issued moments after Raman was reported to take the lead, Bass issued a statement describing Raman as her &#8220;opponent.&#8221;
Pratt has not yet given up.
&#8220;Folks, we&#8217;re dealing with a fraction of a percentage point difference, there&#8217;s still hundreds of thousands of votes outstanding, and LA officials have given us the next 3 weeks to count,&#8221; he said in a social media post on Monday. &#8220;Let&#8217;s git-r-dun!&#8221;
<div id="attachment_1111611" style="width: 1034px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/rigged-elections-president-trump-casts-doubt-on-california-results/celebrity-sightings-in-los-angeles-june-02-2026-2" rel="attachment wp-att-1111611"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-1111611" class="wp-image-1111611 size-full" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/06/GettyImages-2278837843.jpg" alt="" width="1024" height="718" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/06/GettyImages-2278837843.jpg 1024w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/06/GettyImages-2278837843-300x210.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/06/GettyImages-2278837843-821x576.jpg 821w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/06/GettyImages-2278837843-768x539.jpg 768w" sizes=" (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></a>Los Angeles Mayoral candidate Spencer Pratt is seen speaking with the media outside Don Antonio&#8217;s restaurant on June 02, 2026 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by HIGHFIVE/Bauer-Griffin/GC Images)</div>
Trump, who previously told The Daily Wire that he&#8217;d &#8220;like to see [Pratt] do well,&#8221; said of Pratt <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/daily-wire-asks-trump-his-thoughts-on-spencer-pratts-mayoral-run">in late May,</a> &#8220;I heard he’s a big MAGA person. He’s doing well. I don’t know. You know, if you have a rigged vote out there, that’s the problem. The votes are rigged. You have a really rigged vote in California. You have all the mail-in ballots, everything else. Very hard to win, because the elections are very dishonest.”
And on Sunday, <a href="https://x.com/AbrahamHamadeh/status/2063963309330559169">Trump promoted a post</a> from Congressman Abe Hamedah, who wrote, &#8220;It’s clear, California is incapable of running free and fair elections consistent with our Constitution that guarantees a republican form of government for states. Federalize the election.&#8221;
&#8220;No way this could have happened,&#8221; the president said. &#8220;Rigged election!&#8221;
Trump has also suggested that Republican gubernatorial candidate Steve Hilton is facing a rigged election — Hilton also started far ahead of his opponent but, following mail-in-ballot counting, has seen his Democrat opponents closing in.
“Has anybody been watching the CROOKED Election going on in California,&#8221; <a href="https://trumpstruth.org/statuses/39136?utm_source=chatgpt.com">Trump asked</a> over the weekend. &#8220;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. Watch this ‘Election’ closely!!!”

Screenshot 2026-06-08 at 2.46.49 PM

‘Rigged Elections!’ President Trump Casts Doubt On California Results

Donald Trump

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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<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/a6WpBcayElHOmZaD11RvWsnbOjq2014sv?metadata-video-content-type=embed_video&amp;metadata-video-id=8d3661e1-31fc-466b-a169-6a3f1c4b57f9&amp;metadata-video-stream-type=on-demand&amp;metadata-video-title=Trump%20torches%20California%20elections%2C%20then%20abruptly%20walks%20out%20&amp;poster=https%3A%2F%2Fdailywireplus-v2.imgix.net%2Fimages%2Fembedded-videos%2F9b18f999-9cbf-4cb2-b3d1-5c479df15ec3.jpg&amp;autoplay=false&amp;accent-color=%23DB3D3B&amp;primary-color=%23ffffff&amp;secondary-color=%23000000" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe></div>
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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

Los Angeles

As California continues counting votes from this week&#8217;s primary elections, the Department of Justice has launched multiple investigations into potential election fraud and plans to audit the state&#8217;s voter rolls.  
Bill Essayli, first assistant U.S. attorney for the Central District of California, announced the investigations Friday, saying his office is working with the FBI. 
“We will follow the evidence wherever it leads and prosecute any violations of federal election law to the fullest extent,” Essayli posted on X.
Essayli also said the Justice Department intends to audit California&#8217;s voter rolls. 
“The state has stonewalled every effort to verify that only eligible U.S. citizens are registered to vote,” he wrote. “This case is now before the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeal.”
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Protecting the integrity of California’s elections is a top priority for my office.
California’s election system has serious structural vulnerabilities. Universal vote-by-mail with no voter ID requirements creates conditions where fraud can go undetected and unpunished, eroding…
— F.A. United States Attorney Bill Essayli (@USAttyEssayli) <a href="https://x.com/USAttyEssayli/status/2062889608787161176?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 5, 2026</a></blockquote>
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A federal prosecutor also visited the Los Angeles County ballot processing center on Friday, <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/elections/doj-office-investigations-california-elections-trump-claims-cheating-rcna348746">according</a> to NBC News. A county spokesperson told the outlet the prosecutor participated in a walkthrough of ballot-processing operations, which are open to public observation.
The developments come as California election officials continue tabulating millions of outstanding ballots.
President Donald Trump accused California Democrats of attempting to “steal” elections multiple times this week, citing the state&#8217;s lengthy vote-counting process. Two big races remain unresolved: the gubernatorial and Los Angeles mayoral elections. 
“Look what’s happening in California, the Dumocrats, right before our very eyes, are stealing the Vote,” Trump <a href="https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/posts/116693025089379568">wrote</a> on Truth Social Thursday.
With 68% of the gubernatorial vote <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/2026-primary-elections/california-governor-results">reported</a> as of Saturday morning, Democrat Xavier Becerra has advanced to the November runoff in the general election with 26.78% of the vote. His opponent is still unknown, but Republican Steve Hilton narrowly trails Becerra with 26.35% support. Both were ahead of Democrat billionaire Tom Steyer, who is at 21.05%. Under California&#8217;s top-two primary system, candidates from the same party can advance to the runoff if they finish in first and second in the primary.
In the Los Angeles mayoral election, incumbent Democrat Mayor Karen Bass has been projected to advance to a runoff in the general election. As of Saturday morning, Bass has received 35.0% of the vote, with 71% of the vote <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/2026-primary-elections/los-angeles-mayor-results">counted</a>.
Republican challenger Spencer Pratt is still in second with 28.2%, ahead of far-left Democrat Nithya Raman, who has been <a href="https://www.nbclosangeles.com/news/local/la-mayor-election-spencer-pratt-nithya-raman/3900642/">closing in</a> on Pratt in recent days. She currently has 24.9% support.
In the L.A. mayoral race, two members of the same party can advance to the general election if neither receives more than 50% of the vote. Around three million votes have yet to be counted, and the state has 35 days for counties to process ballots, verify signatures, and let voters cure defective ballots.

U.S. DOJ Sends Observer To Watch California Primary Ballot Processing

DOJ Investigates California Election As Trump Warns Democrats Are Trying To ‘Steal’ It

Elections

Nithya Raman

Politics

steve hilton

Tom Steyer

Vote Fraud

Xavier Becerra

Xavier Becerra, a Democrat who served as Health and Human Services Secretary during the Biden administration, has advanced to the runoff in the California gubernatorial race in November&#8217;s general election, several media outlets projected on Friday.
His opponent is still unknown, but Republican Steve Hilton narrowly trails Becerra, according to the latest tally. Becerra overtook Hilton in the vote count over the past 24 hours.
With 66% of the votes in on Friday evening, Becerra leads with 26.7% support, ahead of Hilton at 26.4%. Both were ahead of billionaire Democrat Tom Steyer, who was at 21%. Under California&#8217;s top-two primary system, candidates from the same party can advance to the general election if they finish in the top two.
On Thursday evening, with 58% of the vote reported, Hilton led Becerra by more than a point, at 27.2%. Becerra was at 25.9%, while Steyer was third with 20.1%.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
JUST IN: 
Democrat Xavier Becerra officially advances to November&#8217;s election for California Governor.
Still waiting on more results to determine who his opponent will be officially. <a href="https://t.co/gl7k08SGJp">pic.twitter.com/gl7k08SGJp</a>
— Ashley Zavala (@ZavalaA) <a href="https://x.com/ZavalaA/status/2063047654813364466?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 5, 2026</a></blockquote>
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&#8220;More than ever, California needs our voices and our values,&#8221; Becerrra posted on social media Friday evening. &#8220;To all the people and the voters of California, this is your state.&#8221;
&#8220;We will not be bought. We will not be bullied. And we are never backing down,&#8221; he added.
President Donald Trump has commented on California&#8217;s lengthy ballot tallying process and accused Democrats of election fraud.
&#8220;Look what&#8217;s happening in California, the Dumocrats, right before our very eyes, are stealing the vote,&#8221; Trump <a href="https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/posts/116693025089379568">posted</a> on Truth Social on Thursday.
In another post, Trump said, &#8220;There&#8217;s BIG cheating by the Dumocrats in California. Votes are all tied up. May not be in for weeks. Under investigation by the U.S. Attorney&#8217;s Office in Los Angeles. Why the vote counting DELAY???&#8221;
Becerra responded to Trump&#8217;s accusations, claiming the president is &#8220;trying to undermine confidence in our elections because he&#8217;s a repeat loser here.&#8221;
&#8220;Sorry Donald, the voters decide who leads California. Not you,&#8221; he added.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Donald Trump lost the 2020 election. He lost California by millions of votes in the 2024 election, and now he&#8217;s trying to undermine confidence in our elections because he’s a repeat loser here.
Sorry Donald, the voters decide who leads California. Not you. <a href="https://t.co/juhpYvJ0LP">pic.twitter.com/juhpYvJ0LP</a>
— Xavier Becerra (@XavierBecerra) <a href="https://x.com/XavierBecerra/status/2062615628268417265?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 4, 2026</a></blockquote>
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Becerra served 12 terms in Congress and is a former California attorney general. He is considered more of an establishment, moderate Democrat than Steyer. He quickly rose in the polls after former Rep. Eric Swalwell dropped out of the gubernatorial race amid sexual assault accusations.
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.
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California Residents Vote In Primary Election

Becerra Overtakes Hilton, Advances To Runoff

A California fraudster used a carbon-offset program to cover up a multi-year scheme that resulted in at least $248 million in losses to investors and lenders. 
Joseph Sanberg was <a href="https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/aspiration-partners-co-founder-sentenced-prison-248m-scheme-defraud-investors-and-lenders">sentenced</a> on Monday to 14 years in prison after pleading guilty to fraud-related charges connected to the company’s sustainability business. 
Aspiration originally operated as a financial technology company but later expanded into environmental services, including tree-planting and carbon-offset programs that turned out to be fraudulent. Theoretically, businesses could purchase these services to help offset their carbon emissions, but court documents say the intention to actually purchase those services was never there. 
Sanberg aligned himself with the Democratic Party in California, personally donating $11 million to back a ballot initiative to raise the state&#8217;s minimum wage to $18 an hour, The Daily Wire previously <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/california-anti-poverty-activist-and-dem-mega-donor-pleads-guilty-to-massive-carbon-credit-scam">reported</a>. Ultimately, it would be California&#8217;s clean energy policies that would allow Sanberg to turn his company into a multi-million dollar fraud scheme.
He labeled himself as an &#8220;anti-poverty activist.&#8221; Bill Essayli, first assistant U.S. attorney of the Central District of California, <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/california-anti-poverty-activist-and-dem-mega-donor-pleads-guilty-to-massive-carbon-credit-scam">said</a>, &#8220;This so-called ‘anti-poverty’ activist has admitted to being nothing more than a self-serving fraudster, by seeking to enrich himself by defrauding lenders and investors out of hundreds of millions of dollars.&#8221;
Prosecutors allege Sanberg’s “friends and associates” submitted letters of intent from various companies and individuals. Sanberg would then book the letters of intent as revenue, inflating Aspiration’s revenue and profits, which he would in turn use to advertise to investors and obtain millions in new Aspiration investments.
In some cases, Sanberg “went so far as to provide the money to his &#8216;customers&#8217; which they would then send to Aspiration.”
Court filings in separate litigation have also alleged that several entities connected to Sanberg&#8217;s associate, Kfir Gavrieli, signed agreements to purchase large amounts of sustainability services. Those entities allegedly included Gavrieli&#8217;s footwear company, a family-owned business, a synagogue, and other individuals or organizations. 
Employees raised concerns when the revenue suggested in the letters of intent was not collected. KPMG, one of the country&#8217;s largest auditing firms, resigned as Aspiration&#8217;s auditor in 2022, citing revenue transactions with characteristics of fraud. The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) later <a href="https://www.sec.gov/files/litigation/complaints/2025/comp26382.pdf">alleged</a> that revenue tied to the letters of intent accounted for roughly $44 million of Aspiration&#8217;s $100.6 million in reported 2021 revenue. The SEC says that, as a result, Sanberg was able to raise more than $300 million from investors based on the false appearance of Aspiration as a booming sustainability business. 
Investigators were struck not only by the size of the alleged purchases, but by who was making them. Having Gavrieli as a customer raised eyebrows because it included organizations and individuals that appeared to have little need for large-scale carbon-offset purchases. 
A footwear company, typically, would not be required by California law to buy millions of trees or large volumes of carbon offsets, which caused the government to examine whether these were genuine commercial purchases. Typical participants of California’s carbon-offset program include oil refineries, industrial facilities, and natural gas suppliers. 
While Sanberg has already pleaded guilty in the Aspiration fraud case, allegations involving Gavrieli remain the subject of ongoing civil litigation in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Los Angeles. Court filings submitted by Dikla Gavrieli, Kfir&#8217;s sister and legal adversary, allege that Gavrieli and several entities connected to him participated in a scheme that helped create the appearance of strong demand for Aspiration&#8217;s tree-planting and sustainability services. Gavrieli has not been criminally charged in connection with the Aspiration fraud, and the allegations against him have not yet been proven in court.

LA Conservation Corps plant a tree at a Tree planting to reforest Stetson Ranch Park in Sylmar after the 2008 devastating wildfire.

Sustainability Start-Up Founder Who Is Major Dem Donor Sentenced For Massive Fraud Scheme

Carbon Emissions

Fraud

Securities and Exchange Commission

The man accused of killing &#8220;Top Gun: Maverick&#8221; actor James Handy made a chilling 911 call after allegedly stabbing the 81-year-old actor outside of a Los Angeles home.
Michael Gledhill, who is the son of Handy’s girlfriend, Wendy, allegedly stabbed Handy in the chest in the front yard of the home of Handy’s girlfriend, where her son also lived. After the stabbing, Gledhill told 911 dispatchers, &#8220;I am the son of man, I just killed the man of sin,&#8221; according to <a href="https://ktla.com/news/local-news/i-just-killed-the-man-of-sin-tarzana-man-arrested-in-fatal-stabbing/">KTLA</a>.
The stabbing that has shocked avid movie fans who knew Handy’s work most recently in &#8220;Top Gun: Maverick,&#8221; happened around 9:30 a.m. Wednesday in the 19200 block of Erwin Street in the Tarzana neighborhood of Los Angeles.
“I’m just trying to make it through one day at a time, a minute at a time,” 76-year-old Wendy Gledhill <a href="https://nypost.com/2026/06/05/us-news/james-handys-girlfriend-breaks-silence-after-her-son-allegedly-killed-top-gun-maverick-actor/">told</a> The California Post.
“I loved James and my son. I still can’t believe it. &#8230; I can’t believe my son did it. I’m just trying to,&#8221; she added.
When officers arrived after the phone call from Gledhill, they found the veteran actor unconscious, per KTLA. Handy was taken to a local hospital by Los Angeles Fire Department paramedics and was later pronounced dead.
In video obtained by <a href="https://www.foxla.com/video/fmc-qaaks9n29mquwcyp">Fox 11 Los Angeles</a>, Gledhill is seen on a neighbor’s doorbell camera walking away from the gruesome scene before returning and turning himself in to police. The video also shows a blue shirt on the ground covered in blood.
The motive for the killing is still under investigation, but according to KTLA detectives believe the stabbing was an isolated incident and there isn’t a threat to the public. Gledhill’s bond is set at $2 million, <a href="https://nypost.com/2026/06/05/us-news/james-handy-girlfriends-son-seen-calmly-walking-away-from-where-top-gun-maverick-actor-was-stabbed-to-death/">the New York Post</a> reported.
Handy had a long career in Hollywood starting back in the 1970s. He had a role in &#8220;Arachnophobia,&#8221; as well as playing the exterminator in the blockbuster hit, &#8220;Jumanji,&#8221; alongside Robin Williams. He had several TV roles as well, including &#8220;Melrose Place,&#8221; &#8220;Alias,&#8221; &#8220;The West Wing,&#8221; and &#8220;NYPD Blue.&#8221;
Handy lived a reclusive life in his later years and made his last public appearance nearly 10 years ago in September 2017, per the Post.

Credit: Adam Larkey/Disney General Entertainment Content via Getty Images

‘Top Gun: Maverick’ Actor Stabbed To Death — Suspect Made Chilling Call To Police

Crime

Entertainment

Hollywood

Murder

News

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>
<script async src="https://platform.x.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
“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

Communist China

Los Angeles County

Tiananmen Square

Spencer Pratt wasn’t supposed to get this far.
A reality television star with no traditional political background forcing a runoff in one of the bluest cities in America should make every political consultant in the country stop and ask the same question: What are voters trying to tell us?
The answer is obvious. They’re tired of being told not to believe what they see with their own eyes.
For Democrats, Los Angeles should be a five-alarm warning. Simply having a “D” next to your name is no longer enough, not even in cities where Democrats have dominated for decades.
For years, too many big-city politicians have governed as if reelection were guaranteed. They’ve enjoyed the perks of power while residents have been left dealing with the consequences. Living amongst the homelessness crisis and open drug use, rising concerns about crime, animals suffering in heartbreaking conditions, and neighborhoods that feel like they are moving in the wrong direction.
But what has angered voters the most isn’t just that these problems exist. It’s that, too often, the people in charge seem more interested in explaining them away than in fixing them.
That’s where Pratt found an opening.
His campaign made a connection with the people because before promising solutions, he did something many politicians refuse to do: He admitted there was a problem. He didn’t tell frustrated residents their concerns were exaggerated or that everything was fine. He met them where they were.
Critics immediately attacked him for having “no political experience,” but that argument doesn’t hit the same way it used to. When voters are unhappy with the results delivered by career politicians, telling them someone has spent decades inside the same system they’re frustrated with isn’t exactly the winning message people think it is.
Experience matters, but results matter more.
And Republicans should not watch what happened in Los Angeles and learn the wrong lesson. This is not proof that voter frustration automatically translates into Republican victories. It doesn’t.
The same message applies to the Right: You have to earn votes.
A Trump endorsement remains the most powerful force in Republican politics, but it is not a campaign strategy by itself. Candidates cannot simply put “endorsed by President Trump” on a mailer, avoid the hard conversations, and expect voters to show up — especially not right now.
Americans are struggling. They are worried about grocery and gas prices, housing costs, and whether the American dream is slipping further out of reach. They are watching billions spent on conflicts overseas while wondering why life feels more expensive at home.
Voters want to know that the person asking for their vote understands what they are living through.
Trump’s political rise was built on recognizing something the establishment missed: millions of Americans felt ignored, talked down to, and forgotten. Candidates who want to benefit from that movement need to remember what created it in the first place.
It was never just about a name. It was about making people feel heard.
That is the real lesson from Los Angeles.
Democrats cannot assume blue cities will stay blue simply because they always have. Republicans cannot assume a red wave arrives because of endorsements, slogans, or frustration with the other side.
Voters are done handing power to anyone who thinks they are entitled to it.
The political ground is shifting. Party loyalty is weakening. People are more willing than ever to cross traditional lines when they believe someone is actually fighting for them.
The candidates who win the future will not be the ones who tell voters what they should care about. They will be the ones brave enough to admit what voters already know.
***
Vanessa Santos is a political communications specialist and the president and CEO of Renegade DC.

Mayoral candidate Spencer Pratt

What You See Is What You Get: What Trump And Spencer Pratt Have In Common

DW Opinion

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Trump Voters

Nearly 48 hours after the polls closed in California, the results of the gubernatorial primary and the Los Angeles mayor’s race remain unresolved as President Donald Trump has accused Democrats in the state of attempting to &#8220;steal&#8221; the elections.
With just 58% of the vote reported Thursday evening, Republican Steve Hilton still leads the gubernatorial primary with 27.2% support, ahead of Democrat Xavier Becerra at 25.9%. Both were ahead of billionaire Democrat Tom Steyer, who was at 20.1%. On Wednesday evening, 55% of the vote had been counted.
Despite Hilton’s lead, millions of ballots are still 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, just 66% of the vote had been counted by Thursday evening, up from 62% from Wednesday evening. Incumbent Democrat Mayor Karen Bass still leads with 35.1% support, followed by Republican Spencer Pratt at 29.4%. Far-left Councilmember Nithya Raman was third with 23.4%.
The top two votegetters in the mayoral primary, regardless of party, secure a place in the November runoff if neither receives more than 50% of the vote. Bass has already secured a spot in the runoff, according to projections.
Trump took to Truth Social late Wednesday night and again on Thursday to accuse Democrats of election fraud, asking, &#8220;Why the vote counting DELAY???&#8221;
&#8220;Look what&#8217;s happening in California, the Dumocrats, right before our very eyes, are stealing the vote,&#8221; Trump <a href="https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/posts/116693025089379568">posted</a> on Thursday.
Mayor Bass responded on X Thursday evening.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Trump only says this when MAGA candidates, like Spencer Pratt, start losing.
LA will count every vote. <a href="https://t.co/gNi5m13uq7">pic.twitter.com/gNi5m13uq7</a>
— Karen Bass (@KarenBassLA) <a href="https://x.com/KarenBassLA/status/2062644938710581401?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 4, 2026</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.x.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
&#8220;Trump only says this when MAGA candidates, like Spencer Pratt, start losing,&#8221; she posted. &#8220;LA will count every vote.&#8221;
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.

Primary Election Ballot Counting

California Still Counting Votes As Trump Says Democrats Are ‘Stealing’ Elections

The State of California takes longer than anywhere else count votes thanks to its prioritization of inclusivity over speed in elections. 
California has the largest population of registered voters in America, totaling around 23.2 million, and it makes it as easy as possible for them all to vote, at the expense of timely counting. 
California passed legislation in 2021 to send mail-in ballots to each registered voter in a push for making voting accessible to all Californians.
&#8220;Our priority is trying to maximize participation of actively registered voters,&#8221; <a href="https://www.cbsnews.com/miami/news/why-california-takes-weeks-count-votes-lorida-fasters/">said</a> Democratic Assemblymember Marc Berman, who wrote the bill. &#8220;What that means is things are a little slower. But in a society that wants immediate gratification, I think our democracy is worth taking a little time to get it right and to create a system where everyone can participate.&#8221; 
 
Mail ballots are notorious for slowing down elections, as each ballot needs to be individually opened and each requires extra validation steps.
Although California allows absentee ballots to start to be <a href="https://www.sos.ca.gov/elections/upcoming-elections/vote-counting-process">processed</a> 29 days before Election Day, California law <a href="https://law.justia.com/codes/california/code-elec/division-3/chapter-1/section-3020/">accepts</a> mail-in ballots up to seven days after Election Day if they are postmarked or timestamped before or on the day of the election. It can take a whole week for the state to determine how many ballots have been cast in the first place.
California does <a href="https://voteriders.org/states/california/">require</a> ID to register to vote, but it does not require any identification when voting in-person or absentee.
Instead of using ID, California election officials <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2026/06/02/us/politics/california-election-delayed-results.html">compare</a> the ballot’s signature to one on file, which is a process that can take much longer than using an ID. Many of the ballots have errors, which can draw out the election as voters fix their mistakes. 
 
Ballot curing is the process of correcting errors in a ballot. California is one of <a href="https://ballotpedia.org/Cure_period_for_absentee_and_mail-in_ballots">24 states</a> that both allow for ballot curing and allow for curing after election day. 
While most states <a href="https://www.ncsl.org/elections-and-campaigns/table-15-states-with-signature-cure-processes">require</a> that the ballot be cured within a week after election Day, California allows voters to wait until two days before election certification to fix their ballots, which could be weeks after election day.
California’s lengthy election process can be seen with the highly-contested <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/one-candidate-advances-in-heated-l-a-mayors-race-second-spot-still-up-for-grabs?row=0&amp;elementPosition=4&amp;rowType=Web+Search+Overlay">Los Angeles mayoral race</a>, with only 63% of the vote counted by the day after the election. The results of the race are not expected to be confirmed for days, if not weeks.

US-VOTE-POLITICS-CASLIFORNIA

The California Election Quirk Keeping Spencer Pratt In Limbo

Election

election day

Almost 24 hours after the polls closed in California, the results of the gubernatorial primary and the Los Angeles mayor&#8217;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&#8217;s lead, millions of ballots remain uncounted, making it too early to determine the final order of finish. Under California&#8217;s top-two primary system, candidates from the same party can advance to a runoff in November&#8217;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. Bass has already secured a spot in the runoff, according to projections.
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&#8217;s extensive vote-by-mail system, signature verification, and procedures for resolving ballot errors.
The final tally of California&#8217;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&#8217;s office, which handles 25% of the state&#8217;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.
<div class="image"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignnone size-large wp-image-1108755" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/06/LACounty-576x576.jpeg" alt="" width="576" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/06/LACounty-576x576.jpeg 576w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/06/LACounty-300x300.jpeg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/06/LACounty-150x150.jpeg 150w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/06/LACounty-768x768.jpeg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/06/LACounty-1536x1536.jpeg 1536w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/06/LACounty.jpeg 2048w" sizes=" (max-width: 576px) 100vw, 576px" /></div>

Nearly 24 Hours After The Polls Closed, California Is Still Counting Votes

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