A Democratic operative with deep ties to California Democratic Governor Gavin Newsom&#8217;s administration secretly recorded conversations for the FBI as part of a corruption investigation that has since expanded to scrutinize the governor, his wife, and members of his inner circle, The California Post <a href="https://nypost.com/2026/07/02/us-news/gavin-newsom-ally-alexis-podesta-wore-fbi-wire-in-corruption-probe-lawyer/">reported</a> on Thursday.
Alexis Podesta, a power broker who has served in senior roles under both Newsom and former California Governor Jerry Brown, wore a wire to record conversations beginning as early as June 2024 while cooperating with federal investigators probing Newsom&#8217;s former chief of staff, Dana Williamson, Podesta&#8217;s lawyer revealed. Williamson pled guilty in May to conspiracy to commit bank and wire fraud, filing a false tax return, and lying to the FBI.
“According to court documents, between February 2022 and September 2024, Williamson conspired with Greg Campbell, 52, of Davis, Sean McCluskie, 57, of Davis, and others to steal approximately $225,000 in funds from a dormant political campaign and funnel it to McCluskie for his personal use. Collectively, they funneled the money through various business entities and disguised it as pay to McCluskie’s spouse for what was, in reality, a no-show job,” the DOJ <a href="https://www.justice.gov/usao-edca/pr/california-political-consultant-and-former-public-official-pleads-guilty-conspiracy">stated</a>.
Podesta, who has not been charged, has been identified by her attorney as the unnamed co-conspirator in Williamson&#8217;s case and has cooperated with prosecutors. Court records indicate she and Williamson discussed how to handle a public records request involving state litigation against a major corporate client.
The latest news is part of a broader federal inquiry that has drawn Newsom&#8217;s family finances into question. Newsom has publicly framed the expanding investigation as politically motivated retaliation by the Trump administration, <a href="https://nypost.com/2026/06/15/us-news/gavin-newsom-says-hes-being-investigated-by-department-of-justice/">saying</a>, “They’re demanding records; they’re abusing the grand jury process, digging through years and years of random documents. Donald Trump isn’t just coming after me because of my mean tweets, he’s coming after me because I’m considering running for president.”
The federal probe into Newsom&#8217;s former chief of staff began under the Biden administration.
Financial records reviewed by the Post raise questions about the finances of The Representation Project, the gender-equity nonprofit founded by Siebel Newsom. The leftist project reported $1.24 million in revenue, while adding that it spent $1.75 million in expenses last year, The New York Post <a href="https://nypost.com/2026/06/26/us-news/fbi-probes-jennifer-siebel-newsoms-taxes-as-her-nonprofit-lost-1m/">noted</a>. The net assets for Siebel Newsom&#8217;s project plunged to just $44,853 from $553,081 since the start of the new fiscal year.
Siebel Newsom, meanwhile, raked in a $161,250 salary for the fiscal year ending in March 2025, The Representation Project reported. That salary came despite the nonprofit&#8217;s financial struggles and despite several of her films failing to gain traction with critics or audiences.
Separately, earlier reporting by the Post found that Newsom “helped funnel more than $4.4 million from special interests and wealthy individuals to California Partners Project, one of Siebel Newsom’s pet projects.”

US-POLITICS-BIDEN-GOVERNORS

FBI Embedded Wired Informant Inside Newsom’s Admin, Lawyer Says

Gavin Newsom

Jennifer Siebel Newsom

Wire

This is republished with permission from the author. The original, “The DSA’s big city takeover,” at The Intersection can be found <a href="https://www.patrickruffini.com/p/the-dsas-big-city-takeover">here</a>.
***
The Democratic Socialists of America’s victories in congressional primaries feel seismic because they come on the heels of a string of major victories in big cities, including a DSA-backed candidate winning the Washington, D.C. mayoral primary, a DSA candidate making it to the runoff in Los Angeles, and Zohran Mamdani’s victory in New York City. By the end of the year, the mayoralty of the country’s three largest cities may be in the hands of hard-left progressives.
If you’re thinking this is a workers’ revolution — not quite yet. Support for these candidates came from <a href="https://substack.com/redirect/aed48742-fe63-4697-accb-c96201b574cc?j=eyJ1IjoiY2ZvbSJ9.YJyyTVOoIwIR_L9MYp4kKM8u6Osr7CjIvM9objcYRrE">wealthier, better-educated</a> — and whiter — precincts. Even the race the DSA was not supposed to win, Darializa Avila Chevalier’s win against Adriano Espaillat, came in a Harlem-based precinct that’s seen a lot of gentrification in its Manhattan-based parts. Meanwhile, moderate Ritchie Torres saw no real challenge in a South Bronx district that’s still the poorest in the nation.
<div id="attachment_1124929" style="width: 647px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-1124929" class=" wp-image-1124929" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/06/Ruffini1.jpg" alt="" width="637" height="491" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/06/Ruffini1.jpg 1440w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/06/Ruffini1-300x231.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/06/Ruffini1-747x576.jpg 747w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/06/Ruffini1-768x592.jpg 768w" sizes=" (max-width: 637px) 100vw, 637px" />Credit: Patrick Ruffini</div>
Another area where you did not see a comparable DSA effort was the actually-wealthy 12th district, where Upper West Side liberal Micah Lasher prevailed. According to figures compiled by Kyle Tharp, the results here were <a href="https://substack.com/redirect/4b210297-260e-42d1-bd08-807a5795110e?j=eyJ1IjoiY2ZvbSJ9.YJyyTVOoIwIR_L9MYp4kKM8u6Osr7CjIvM9objcYRrE">inversely proportional</a> to the fame (as measured by social media followings) of each candidate:
<div id="attachment_1124933" style="width: 1210px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-1124933" class="size-full wp-image-1124933" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/06/Ruffini2.jpg" alt="" width="1200" height="667" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/06/Ruffini2.jpg 1200w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/06/Ruffini2-300x167.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/06/Ruffini2-1024x569.jpg 1024w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/06/Ruffini2-768x427.jpg 768w" sizes=" (max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px" />Credit: Patrick Ruffini</div>
The sweet spot for socialism is downwardly mobile, highly educated young voters — the junior copy editor living in a studio apartment whose parents were corporate lawyers living in the suburbs. And largely missing from the party are the urban working class, who are dwindling in number.
Play this out, and it’s to see mainstream Democrats hanging on in cities anywhere, at least those that are magnets for college-educated young people. The actually rich voters, like those in the 12th, are limited in number, while the working class is increasingly priced out of their old neighborhoods and is moving to the suburbs. Who else is left? Basically, the DSA’s target voter.
<a href="https://substack.com/redirect/f5a83be8-554e-4e55-ba53-7a62357037f6?j=eyJ1IjoiY2ZvbSJ9.YJyyTVOoIwIR_L9MYp4kKM8u6Osr7CjIvM9objcYRrE">Charles Franklin</a> also breaks down DSA favorability: 20-48 nationally, but 40-20 among Democrats. But it’s not limited to big cities: all sorts of Democrats, including those who live in rural areas, view the DSA favorably.
<div id="attachment_1124935" style="width: 1416px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-1124935" class="size-full wp-image-1124935" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/06/Ruffini3.jpg" alt="" width="1406" height="552" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/06/Ruffini3.jpg 1406w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/06/Ruffini3-300x118.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/06/Ruffini3-1024x402.jpg 1024w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/06/Ruffini3-768x302.jpg 768w" sizes=" (max-width: 1406px) 100vw, 1406px" />Credit: Patrick Ruffini</div>
Could far-left politics go national in 2028? The Michigan Senate primary will be a big test of this, as I <a href="https://substack.com/redirect/a317769a-1b5b-448d-a620-34cb1765ba69?j=eyJ1IjoiY2ZvbSJ9.YJyyTVOoIwIR_L9MYp4kKM8u6Osr7CjIvM9objcYRrE">wrote</a> on Wednesday. You also saw a progressive win in a Trump district, Maine’s 2nd, where it would have behooved Democrats to nominate a more mainstream alternative. Substantively, most Democratic primary voters appear to <a href="https://substack.com/redirect/05338231-3792-4982-860f-2680f93f0e64?j=eyJ1IjoiY2ZvbSJ9.YJyyTVOoIwIR_L9MYp4kKM8u6Osr7CjIvM9objcYRrE">want socialism.</a>
<div id="attachment_1124937" style="width: 1209px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-1124937" class="size-full wp-image-1124937" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/06/Ruffini4.jpg" alt="" width="1199" height="616" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/06/Ruffini4.jpg 1199w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/06/Ruffini4-300x154.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/06/Ruffini4-1024x526.jpg 1024w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/06/Ruffini4-768x395.jpg 768w" sizes=" (max-width: 1199px) 100vw, 1199px" />Credit: Patrick Ruffini</div>
Meanwhile, normie liberals like Gavin Newsom appear to be walking a <a href="https://substack.com/redirect/cc87013a-6abb-4423-a9cf-35c45662f1c1?j=eyJ1IjoiY2ZvbSJ9.YJyyTVOoIwIR_L9MYp4kKM8u6Osr7CjIvM9objcYRrE">tighter line.</a> Once surging in polls and prediction markets, he has since fallen back. His comeback strategy? Tethering himself to Joe Biden and an unpopular Democratic establishment. He’s also tried to negotiate with the unions to get a state billionaire tax off California’s ballot this fall. As it’s become apparent it’ll be a hard sell for this primary electorate, he’s <a href="https://substack.com/redirect/76de6a86-61b9-4e7e-b52b-6b0a7f2f31b7?j=eyJ1IjoiY2ZvbSJ9.YJyyTVOoIwIR_L9MYp4kKM8u6Osr7CjIvM9objcYRrE">come out</a> for a national tax.
<div id="attachment_1124939" style="width: 1466px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-1124939" class="size-full wp-image-1124939" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/06/Ruffini5.jpg" alt="" width="1456" height="1047" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/06/Ruffini5.jpg 1456w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/06/Ruffini5-300x216.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/06/Ruffini5-801x576.jpg 801w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/06/Ruffini5-768x552.jpg 768w" sizes=" (max-width: 1456px) 100vw, 1456px" />Credit: Patrick Ruffini</div>
One Democrat who does seem to be making a name for himself is Jon Ossoff, whose viral rally clips have catapulted him to the top of the 2028 buzz. But something about it feels off-key, writes Kyle Tharp, a perfectly stage-managed 2012 production <a href="https://substack.com/redirect/463c76bd-3509-4dce-8a04-6af53f3923f2?j=eyJ1IjoiY2ZvbSJ9.YJyyTVOoIwIR_L9MYp4kKM8u6Osr7CjIvM9objcYRrE">out of place</a> in 2028:
<blockquote>
To play devil’s advocate, however, the problem with this strategy is that the Perfectly-Optimized, Almost-Robotic Ossoff hasn’t proven he can turn the switch off. He almost never seems like he’s speaking off the cuff, and he rarely displays any casual human banter on camera. Like Martin noted, he “speaks in paragraphs,” and every clip seemingly lands because his team engineered it to land, which is exactly the issue. When a politician’s best moments all arrive pre-planned, voters and the reporters covering them will start to wonder what he sounds like when the advance team isn’t carefully picking the camera angle. Eventually, people will get bored.
Democrats seem to care about ~authenticity~ far more in 2026 than they did during the Obama years or even when Ossoff was first elected. The politicians often breaking through in the second Trump era do so, in part, by seeming unfiltered. Trump joked and rambled for hours on Rogan, Flagrant, and Bussin’ with the Boys and his supporters loved him more for it. Zohran Mamdani built a following on selfie-cam monologues and creator collabs, many of which look like he filmed them between subway stops. Gavin Newsom is hosting his own hour-long podcast every week, and AOC has long been the master of the art of informal Instagram live streams. Younger Democrats may now spend their time watching people like Hasan Piker reacting live for six hours straight, and older Democrats are watching candidates shoot the shit with Tim Miller on the Bulwark (When Ossoff recently appeared with Miller, he seemed like The Bulwark host was giving him a root canal).
</blockquote>
That’s a perfect example of the <a href="https://substack.com/redirect/65d8f52d-38f0-4081-8dd8-ad7c147e65a6?j=eyJ1IjoiY2ZvbSJ9.YJyyTVOoIwIR_L9MYp4kKM8u6Osr7CjIvM9objcYRrE">“Joe Rogan CEO” test</a> from a16z <a href="https://substack.com/redirect/fecd50b4-efc6-4d2b-8d1c-1805a27884a5?j=eyJ1IjoiY2ZvbSJ9.YJyyTVOoIwIR_L9MYp4kKM8u6Osr7CjIvM9objcYRrE">highlighted</a> in Nathan Brand’s must-read media newsletter. Are you authentic and interesting enough to spend three hours shooting the breeze with Rogan? Kamala wasn’t — and probably knew it. Which 2028 Democrats will be?
***
Patrick Ruffini is a pollster at Echelon Insights, author of PARTY OF THE PEOPLE, and creator of <a href="https://www.patrickruffini.com/">The Intersection</a> newsletter.

Zo Money, Zo Problems political sticker, Anti Zohran Mamdani mayoral campaign, Queens, New York

Red Rover, Red Rover, Send The Socialists On Over

Darializa Avila Chevalier

Democratic Socialists Of America

DW Opinion

New York City

Socialists

Zohran Mamdani

Rather than risk his own state&#8217;s economy by backing a California billionaire tax, Gavin Newsom tried to placate the socialists on Friday by backing a dead-end &#8220;national billionaire tax&#8221; instead. 
On Monday, Newsom told the New York Times that he was working relentlessly behind the scenes to make sure the measure was not on the ballot in November. 
“This will be defeated. There’s no question in my mind,” he <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2026/01/13/us/newsom-billionaire-tax-california.html">said</a>. “I’ll do what I have to do to protect the state.” 
By Friday, Newsom had failed to keep the measure off the ballot, leaving him to explain in a Substack post that a billionaire tax is a terrible idea for California, but a great idea for the country.
<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/eq6H00ZpwJpvWo8n01kff01wayclUU4tjvh?metadata-video-content-type=embed_video&amp;metadata-video-id=332dcb3c-effb-469a-85a9-bf2c40a63025&amp;metadata-video-stream-type=on-demand&amp;metadata-video-title=2026-06-26%20Newsom%20Demands%20National%20Billionaires%20Tax&amp;poster=https%3A%2F%2Fdailywireplus-v2.imgix.net%2Fimages%2Fembedded-videos%2F99ede119-046b-420b-a774-fae29dc3a2ee.png&amp;autoplay=false&amp;accent-color=%23DB3D3B&amp;primary-color=%23ffffff&amp;secondary-color=%23000000" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe>
Credit: @GavinNewsom via X
</div>
&nbsp;
“The fight to make the wealthiest Americans pay more in taxes is not one we should be fighting state by state. You may not be able to pick up and move to Texas or Florida to shelter your income from taxation, but I promise you that billionaires can, and do. Wealth is moveable, and it shops for the state with the lowest taxes.” He <a href="https://gavinnewsom.substack.com/p/its-time-for-a-national-billionaires">added</a>, “The fight belongs at the federal level, where this broken system was created in the first place.” 
A national billionaire tax would face steep political hurdles even under a Democratic president, making Newsom&#8217;s endorsement largely symbolic given the bipartisan opposition such a measure would likely encounter. Newsom&#8217;s symbolic proposal left neither supporters nor opponents of the billionaire tax satisfied.
Leftist influencer, Matt Bernstein, <a href="https://x.com/mattxiv/status/2070638221277450302">wrote</a>, &#8220;He is kind of the politician of all time. Changes his view three times a week, transforms himself to please whoever he&#8217;s speaking to, [with] no real aspirations besides power for himself.&#8221;
Trump’s former AI Czar and California resident David Sacks <a href="https://x.com/DavidSacks/status/2070620995480899985">said</a> Newsom had yielded to the Democratic-Socialists. “Today was the day that Gavin Newsom was supposed to save the tech industry by cutting a deal to kill the Billionaire Tax Act. Instead he came out as Democratic-Socialists of America adjacent, and the Billionaire Tax Act will be on the ballot in November.” A billionaire himself, Sacks added, “See y’all in Texas!”
Analysis from Newsom’s Department of Finance found that a state billionaire tax for California could generate tens of billions of dollars for the state, but it could lead to hundreds of millions in continuing losses if billionaires flee the state. The California Billionaires Tax would be a one-time levy that would collect <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/jun/25/california-billionaire-tax-explainer">5%</a> of a billionaire’s net worth. The tax would be paid in installments over the next five years at a rate of 1% per year. 
If the tax is passed in November, 90% of the newly-raised revenue would offset healthcare cuts that President Trump signed into law according to the labor group backing the tax, the Service Employees International Union-United Healthcare Workers West. The majority of revenue going to healthcare was another reason Newsom cited for voting against it. “This measure dedicates almost all of the revenue it raises to a single category of state spending,” he said. “It ignores our public schools, as the California Teachers Association has rightly pointed out, by failing to provide sustainable funding that our communities, parents and children deserve.”

US-ECONOMY-MILKEN

Gavin Newsom Takes Coward’s Way Out On Major Left-Wing Demand

Politics

California Democratic Governor Gavin Newsom and his wife, Jennifer Siebel Newsom, struggled to respond to questions about federal investigations into their finances.
On live television, MS NOW correspondent Jacob Soboroff approached the California couple at the opening ceremony of the Obama Presidential Center. 
Soboroff asked, “We’ve heard from the governor, but we haven’t heard from you yet about this investigation. What do you want to say?”
“I&#8217;m just so grateful for this inspiration and leadership,” Jennifer Newsom said, shifting the focus back to the Obama event. “We need more of this!&#8221;
Then, the potential 2028 presidential hopeful jumped in. 
“This is stuff that happens in other countries, that&#8217;s all I&#8217;ll say,” Newsom said. “Happens in other countries. He wants to go after me — go after me.”
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-media-max-width="560">
Gavin&#8217;s Wife Jennifer Siebel Newsom PANICS On-Air when MSNBC When Asks About the DOJ Investigation Against Her:
Q “We’ve heard the Governor comment on the investigation, what do you have to say?”
JENNIFER: “I’m just so grateful for this inspiration and leadership!”… <a href="https://t.co/T1TP0Wmtlm">pic.twitter.com/T1TP0Wmtlm</a>
— Benny Johnson (@bennyjohnson) <a href="https://x.com/bennyjohnson/status/2067703159624278442?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 18, 2026</a></blockquote>
The Department of Justice has launched multiple investigations related to the Newsom family, including a probe dating back to the Biden administration, The Daily Wire previously <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/newsom-says-trump-is-coming-after-him-one-problem-biden-started-it?author=Jacob+Wheeler&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=10&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=Newsom+Says+Trump+Is+Coming+After+Him.+One+Problem%3A+Biden+Started+It.">reported</a>. 
The Monday afternoon bombshell came hours after Newsom accused President Donald Trump of directing the DOJ to investigate him and his wife.
In a nearly five-minute video <a href="https://x.com/GavinNewsom/status/2066585778982166808?s=20">statement</a>, Newsom said federal agents have knocked on the doors of his family, friends, and former employees.
<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/KgatyxzBPTeIgISlbafoRv02VdJU6U01Hy?metadata-video-content-type=embed_video&amp;metadata-video-id=df9e3254-c286-4ef6-b2b5-d71267c01df7&amp;metadata-video-stream-type=on-demand&amp;metadata-video-title=2026-06-15%20Newsom%20Says%20he's%20being%20investigated%20by%20the%20DOJ%20&amp;poster=https%3A%2F%2Fdailywireplus-v2.imgix.net%2Fimages%2Fembedded-videos%2F9ddb556e-7a5e-4ca2-b5c9-55e5b945dd25.png&amp;autoplay=false&amp;accent-color=%23DB3D3B&amp;primary-color=%23ffffff&amp;secondary-color=%23000000" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe>
Credit: Gavin Newsom via X
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“Today, my wife &amp; I joined Donald Trump’s hit list. He has directed his Department of Justice to investigate us. They have not found a crime — they are simply trying to find one,” Newsom wrote on X.
“They’re demanding records, they’re abusing the grand jury process, digging through years and years of random documents. Donald Trump isn’t just coming after me because of my mean tweets. He’s coming after me because I’m considering running for president,” the California Democrat said. 
A source familiar with the matter told The Daily Wire that multiple DOJ investigations related to Newsom are underway, though none are directly targeting the California governor himself. One investigation, which began in 2025, concerns his wife and her taxes. A separate DOJ investigation into Newsom’s former chief of staff was launched during President Joe Biden’s administration and remains open and evolving, according to the source. Those investigations originated in Sacramento and involved whistleblowers and sources in the state, rather than coming from the main DOJ. 
In his video, however, Newsom did not specify what the Department of Justice was investigating.
“After calling for my arrest last year, Donald Trump directed his Department of Justice to investigate me, and just in the last week, I’ve learned that his campaign has reached my own home to get me,” he said. “He’s coming after my wife, Jen, a public servant, a woman who’s dedicated her life to supporting women and girls.” 
The investigations threaten to throw a wrench in Newsom’s likely presidential bid. 
A Newsom administration official <a href="https://www.politico.com/news/2026/06/18/newsom-orbit-war-trump-doj-00968115">told</a> POLITICO the developments are “creating complications” for the office, a stress point on full display in Newsom’s response. 
“You can subpoena my records, you can investigate me, you can harass me, put my name on every and any enemies list you have, but leave my wife and family out of your personal vendetta.”

California Governor Gavin Newsom Interview On The Circuit

The DOJ Question Jennifer Newsom Brushes Aside

Department of Justice

Investigation

Jennifer Newsom

News

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<div class="flex w-full flex-col gap-1 empty:hidden">
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The Department of Justice has launched multiple investigations related to California Democratic Governor Gavin Newsom, including a probe dating back to the Biden administration, The Daily Wire has learned.
The revelation comes just hours after Newsom accused President Donald Trump of directing the DOJ to investigate him and his wife.
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
In a nearly <a href="https://x.com/GavinNewsom/status/2066585778982166808?s=20">five-minute video statement</a>, Newsom said federal agents have knocked on the doors of his family, friends, and former employees.<iframe style="aspect-ratio: 16 / 9; max-width: 100%; width: 100%; margin: 20px auto 5px; border: 0px none currentcolor;" src="https://player.mux.com/KgatyxzBPTeIgISlbafoRv02VdJU6U01Hy?metadata-video-content-type=embed_video&amp;metadata-video-id=df9e3254-c286-4ef6-b2b5-d71267c01df7&amp;metadata-video-stream-type=on-demand&amp;metadata-video-title=2026-06-15%20Newsom%20Says%20he's%20being%20investigated%20by%20the%20DOJ%20&amp;poster=https%3A%2F%2Fdailywireplus-v2.imgix.net%2Fimages%2Fembedded-videos%2F9ddb556e-7a5e-4ca2-b5c9-55e5b945dd25.png&amp;autoplay=false&amp;accent-color=%23DB3D3B&amp;primary-color=%23ffffff&amp;secondary-color=%23000000" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe>
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Credit: Gavin Newsom via X
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&#8220;Today, my wife &amp; I joined Donald Trump’s hit list. He has directed his Department of Justice to investigate us. They have not found a crime &#8211; they are simply trying to find one,&#8221; Newsom wrote on X.
“They&#8217;re demanding records, they&#8217;re abusing the grand jury process, digging through years and years of random documents. Donald Trump isn&#8217;t just coming after me because of my mean tweets. He&#8217;s coming after me because I&#8217;m considering running for president,” the California Democrat said. 
A source familiar with the matter told The Daily Wire that multiple DOJ investigations related to Newsom are underway, though none are directly targeting the California governor himself. One investigation, which began in 2025, concerns his wife and her taxes. A separate DOJ investigation into Newsom’s chief of staff was launched during President Joe Biden’s administration and remains open and evolving, according to the source. Those investigations originated in Sacramento and involved whistleblowers and sources in the state, rather than coming from the main DOJ. 
In May, Newsom announced plans to make California the first state to provide “free diapers” to newborns leaving the hospital — funneling the money for the program through a nonprofit headed by a friend of California’s self-described “First Partner,” <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/the-controversial-connection-between-newsoms-free-diapers-plan-and-his-wife">The Daily Wire previously reported</a>.
Baby2Baby co-CEO Norah Weinstein sits on the board of Jennifer Siebel Newsom’s group “California Partners Project” — and it’s Baby2Baby that will take point on the $20 million diaper project, which is supposed to provide every family leaving the hospital with a newborn with 400 diapers.
In his video, however, Newsom did not specify what the Department of Justice was looking into or investigating.
“After calling for my arrest last year, Donald Trump directed his Department of Justice to investigate me, and just in the last week, I&#8217;ve learned that his campaign has reached my own home to get me,” he said. “He&#8217;s coming after my wife, Jen, a public servant, a woman who&#8217;s dedicated her life to supporting women and girls.” 
Newsom then launched into a lengthy tirade, accusing Trump of selling access to the White House and calling him the “most corrupt president in American history.”
“Donald Trump picked the wrong target. We have nothing to hide. His political operatives can take every record and read every page, but they&#8217;ll be looking in the wrong place,” Newsom said. “You can subpoena my records, you can investigate me, you can harass me, put my name on every and any enemies list you have, but leave my wife and family out of your personal vendetta.”
The Daily Wire reached out to the DOJ for more information.
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Newsom Says Trump Is Coming After Him. One Problem: Biden Started It.

California

Hunter Biden said he would appear on a presidential ticket if he ran as California Governor Gavin Newsom’s vice president. 
Biden made the comments during an appearance on Newsom’s podcast when asked if he would consider a potential presidential run. The younger Biden has been on a media tour in recent weeks, attempting to rehabilitate his image, prompting some Democrats to suggest he should run for president.
“Here&#8217;s the deal. I&#8217;ll run, but only as your VP, because the truth of the matter is the vice president&#8217;s residence is a lot cooler. It&#8217;s a lot easier job too,” Biden <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5iVut-mWQU8">told</a> Newsom in an interview released Friday. 
<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/1IiTpzxgxOGA643qESK6SqVbcgPaKPLI?metadata-video-content-type=embed_video&amp;metadata-video-id=dfbc2a3b-ffde-4107-b3fc-10f1bb90b91a&amp;metadata-video-stream-type=on-demand&amp;metadata-video-title=2026-6-12%20Will%20Hunter%20Biden%20run%20in%202028%3F%20&amp;poster=https%3A%2F%2Fdailywireplus-v2.imgix.net%2Fimages%2Fembedded-videos%2F54457e6f-9145-4cec-89c9-56557c88fbfd.png&amp;autoplay=false&amp;accent-color=%23DB3D3B&amp;primary-color=%23ffffff&amp;secondary-color=%23000000" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe></div>
“The grandeur of the White House is, it never gets old,” Biden added. “But you really do feel like you&#8217;re in a gilded cage.”
In other podcast appearances, Biden has lashed out at the Democratic establishment.
&#8220;There is this very powerful group of people, and they all go to the same dinner parties and they are all part of the same financial ecosystem, that continues to fill their pockets in the Democratic Party, which I think is the one thing that makes it very, very, very difficult for the Democratic Party to ever actually achieve the real systemic change that we need in order to rehabilitate that brand,&#8221; he <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TXeKCysfsxk">told</a> Molly Jong-Fast.
Last week, President Donald Trump said that if the scandal-plagued Democrat Graham Platner could perform well in Maine, then maybe Biden could in a presidential race. 
&#8220;Hey, if the guy from Maine can do well,&#8221; Trump said. &#8220;Well, I guess Hunter could do well, too, because the guy from Maine is a basket case.&#8221;
Biden defended Platner during his appearance on Newsom’s podcast, claiming it took “courage” for him to launch a Senate campaign after previous mistakes. 
“He was a veteran, a combat veteran, and he came back. He had some real issues, and with PTSD, and, and that trauma, and whatever way that he was working it out, I think he had been really open about,” Biden said.
Biden, who was convicted on drug and gun charges, also <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/president-biden-pardons-hunter-claims-son-was-singled-out">defended</a> his father’s decision to pardon him, claiming it was done to protect him from Trump. 
“It would have been like having a gun to my family for the next four years at least, and so that’s why he pardoned me,” he said. “It’s a really incredibly rational decision, and it was a really difficult decision, and you know how proud of my dad I am. The fact of the matter is, he chose me over his legacy, because no matter what you say, that’s going to be one of the first things that is written about.”
Biden&#8217;s pardon covered a sweeping time for crimes “committed or may have committed” for an 11-year period dating back to 2014. That protected the younger Biden from outstanding scrutiny on his questionable business dealings in Ukraine and China.
Before the pardon, Biden was offered what Republicans called a sweetheart deal because it would likely have allowed him to avoid prison time. A judge later declined to approve the deal, citing concerns over its constitutionality and the scope of immunity it offered. The Biden family complained that the deal was axed due to unfair “political pressure.”
His case then went to trial. A Delaware jury convicted him in June 2024 on three felony counts of lying on paperwork for a revolver and owning a firearm while being a drug addict in 2018. 
Earlier this week, Biden admitted that his father had &#8220;lost a step&#8221; due to his age despite the Democratic Party&#8217;s insistence for much of his presidency.
&#8220;It was not like a surprise that people, as they get old, particularly at that age, they literally lose a step. Like, my dad lost a step,&#8221; he said. &#8220;That does not mean, per se, that there is a cognitive decline, but instead of embracing it, I think that they tried to kind of obfuscate it.&#8221;

Hunter Biden Gun Trial Continues In Delaware

Hunter Biden Addresses What Democrats Knew About Dad’s Brain

Hunter Biden Addresses What Democrats Knew About Dad's Brain 

Hunter Biden

U.S. Politics

The political climate in California is changing. The Golden State is seemingly on the cusp of a red wave in the Los Angeles mayoral and statewide gubernatorial races. Californians’ deep <a href="https://www.ppic.org/blog/wildfires-are-a-top-concern-for-californians/">concern about the prevalence</a> of high-intensity wildfires plaguing their state is a major reason why.
I previously <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/america-is-next-for-newsoms-failing-policy-experiments">argued</a> that Governor Gavin Newsom treated California as a policy laboratory for all kinds of radical regulatory experimentation and that the results were overwhelmingly negative. Now there are signs of a state-wide reckoning.
Polling indicates that California residents could put an end to the toxic mix of harmful policies crafted or enforced by Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass and Governor Newsom.
The L.A. mayoral race has put this dynamic on full display. Former reality TV star and political outsider Spencer Pratt has made the Palisades Fire, which occurred under Bass’s watch, a central issue in the race. That fire, started by a deranged arsonist, caused damages <a href="https://www.globenewswire.com/news-release/2025/01/22/3013659/0/en/Verisk-Estimates-Industry-Insured-Losses-for-the-Palisades-and-Eaton-Fires-Will-Fall-Between-USD-28-Billion-and-USD-35-Billion.html">estimated</a> at over $28 billion and killed dozens of people. Bass’s team oversaw a response that policy experts have <a href="https://www.hoover.org/research/could-palisades-fire-have-been-prevented-perhaps-cost-nearly-zero">criticized</a> as inadequate. At the time, the Washington Post editorial board argued that Bass’s city government “<a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2026/02/06/los-angeles-fires-karen-bass-lafd/">badly mishandled</a>” the response, and, perhaps worse, that Bass tried to sweep evidence of her bungled response under the rug.
Though it happened over a year ago, Spencer Pratt is not letting Bass off the hook for her role in the fire, which affected him personally. “If they didn’t burn my house down, I wouldn’t be running for mayor,” Pratt has <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?si=3doY2QVesH0YvxAa&amp;v=6DUhu_naEFY&amp;feature=youtu.be">said</a>. That strategy is working for Pratt. While still slightly trailing Bass in recent <a href="https://emersoncollegepolling.com/california-2026-poll-becerra-continues-to-surge-steyer-and-hilton-compete-for-second-spot/">polls</a>, Pratt is slated to face Bass in a runoff election in November.
Bass blamed climate change for the fires, which is no excuse for negligence. In fact, if Bass believes climate change is exacerbating wildfire risk, that arguably casts her in a worse light. If she believed that fires are now more likely to occur, due to climate change or any other reason, her decision to <a href="https://nypost.com/2025/01/08/us-news/la-mayor-karen-bass-cut-fire-department-funding-by-17-6m/">drastically reduce</a> the L.A. Fire Department budget by $17 million before the fire was especially inexcusable.
Bass not only refused to accept accountability but also attempted a cover-up. Bass reportedly <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2026/02/06/los-angeles-fires-karen-bass-lafd/">altered</a> an after-action report to downplay the role of poor political decisions in the fire’s impact. The original report, much of which Bass reportedly <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2026/02/06/los-angeles-fires-karen-bass-lafd/">quashed</a>, may have discussed the reservoir <a href="https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2025-01-10/as-flames-raged-in-palisades-a-key-reservoir-nearby-was-offline">drained ahead of the fire</a> that could have supplied 117 million gallons of water, and the <a href="https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2025-02-21/lafds-failure-to-pre-deploy-before-palisades-fire-a-times-investigation?utm_source=chatgpt.com">insufficient availability</a> of firefighters.
Solely focusing on Bass, though, misses the larger point: In California, ideologically driven leftist policies have prioritized environmental regulations over brush-clearing measures. Faster vegetation growth translates to higher fire risk.
Californians know this, but they have long faced an uphill battle in clearing brush from public land. As a general rule, California <a href="https://www.wsj.com/us-news/climate-environment/how-l-a-bureaucracy-made-it-harder-to-clear-flammable-brush-683f953e?mod=djem10point&amp;ref=pitchstonewaters.com">doesn’t clear brush</a> from public lands for environmental reasons, and residents must apply for a permit to do so — a lengthy and cumbersome process.
This is what happened in the Palisades Fire. Having not been cleared from public lands abutting residential areas, brush plants, which are evolutionarily engineered to burn, <a href="https://www.nationalreview.com/the-morning-jolt/how-policy-decisions-exacerbated-the-devastating-los-angeles-wildfires/">contributed</a> to the fire’s rapid spread.
Californians know that politicians are at least partly to blame for mismanagement and poor policymaking that <a href="https://calmatters.org/environment/wildfires/2025/01/la-county-fires-wildland-urban-interface/#:~:text=The%20fire%20damaged%20or%20destroyed,a%20wildfire%20engulfs%20the%20neighborhood.">cost</a> over 20,000 of them their homes in the most recent major bout of wildfires in early 2025.
That is why Democrats are at risk of losing their grip on power in California at the gubernatorial level, too. Republican candidate Steve Hilton is surging in polls among Californians and could be the first Republican elected governor of California in two decades.
Hilton is not tiptoeing around challenging fire prevention issues. To the contrary, he is leaning in with ambitious <a href="https://nypost.com/2026/05/26/us-news/steve-hiltons-plan-for-first-100-days-if-elected-california-governor-is-wild/">proposals</a> to use remote sensing technology and drones to detect and stop fires before they spread out of control.
At the same time, Hilton has condemned California officials for putting ideology before people. Hilton has <a href="https://www.congress.gov/119/meeting/house/117864/witnesses/HHRG-119-JU05-Wstate-HiltonS-20250206.pdf">noted</a>, “the California Coastal Commission also blocked fire prevention and mitigation measures in the exact hills that just burned, in order to protect a few thousand specimens of the Braunton’s milkvetch shrub.” He also got Californians’ attention, with his <a href="https://www.congress.gov/event/119th-congress/house-event/LC74115/text">claim</a> that the L.A. wildfires were “not a natural disaster” but rather “a man-made disaster.” Thanks to common sense axioms like these, he is currently the <a href="https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2026/mar/30/republicans-get-surprise-opening-california-governors-race/">frontrunner</a> in the race, much to the chagrin and surprise of California’s Democratic establishment.
California is a solid blue state and has been for many years. A red wave there would mean a red wave could be possible anywhere. And apocalyptic scenes of wildfires, the most salient and striking example of policy failure in that state, are getting voters’ attention like never before.
***
Sydney Rodman is a visiting fellow with the Independent Women’s Center for Energy and Conservation.

Palisades fire

Don’t Overlook The Heat Source Behind California’s Red Wave

California Elections

Karen Bass

Palisades Fire

Spencer Pratt

Wildfires

Los Angeles mayoral candidate Spencer Pratt says he has a plan that could &#8220;eliminate&#8221; Gov. Gavin Newsom (D-CA) from contention in the 2028 presidential election — he just has to get elected first.
Pratt, running to unseat Democratic incumbent Mayor Karen Bass, said during a recent podcast interview that he planned to investigate Newsom — bringing in the IRS if necessary — and find any fraudulent uses of Angelenos&#8217; tax dollars.
WATCH:
<iframe loading="lazy" title="How Spencer Pratt would eliminate Gavin Newsom as a presidential candidate" width="500" height="281" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/ZA_EOzKTNnc?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen></iframe>
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Pratt laid out his plan on the &#8220;No Jumper&#8221; podcast, noting that Newsom was termed out at the end of the year and saying that, as mayor, he would absolutely investigate the outgoing administration for fraud.
&#8220;As mayor, I&#8217;ll be exposing his fraud with our tax money,&#8221; Pratt promised. &#8220;So I&#8217;ll probably actually eliminate him from being the president because I&#8217;m going to bring in the criminal investigation team of the IRS to go back in time and get all the documents, so that all the people have jacked all of our tax money, we&#8217;re going to find their Bentleys, we&#8217;re going to find their houses, we&#8217;re going to put them up to sale and we&#8217;re going to figure out how to put that money back into neighborhoods, the parks and the kids, the boys and girls club after school.&#8221;
&#8220;Because these people are stealing our money and it&#8217;s not going to the kids in the communities,&#8221; Pratt concluded.
The podcast host argued that Newsom, using the current state of California as his platform, should have a hard time winning a national election — but Pratt wasn&#8217;t so sure.
&#8220;I wish that was true, but my experience being deep in this battle: people just believe lies,&#8221; he said.

me-spencer-pratt-south-la

How Spencer Pratt Would ‘Eliminate’ Gavin Newsom As A Presidential Candidate

How Spencer Pratt Would 'Eliminate' Gavin Newsom As A Presidential Candidate

2028 presidential election

Los Angeles

Media

All eyes turn to California on Tuesday as voters weigh the political future of Los Angeles Democratic Mayor Karen Bass and choose two finalists who will compete to succeed Democratic Governor Gavin Newsom, a potential 2028 presidential candidate. 
Election Day marks the end of a rollercoaster primary season defined by wild twists and turns, scandals, and viral fumbles. 
The contest started with an unusually crowded and wide-open field after former Vice President Kamala Harris turned down the opportunity to lead the Golden State. Political analysts believed Democrats would have cleared the field as a goodwill gesture following her wipeout defeat against President Donald Trump.  
&nbsp;
One by one, Republicans and Democrats threw their hats into the ring, including Republicans Steve Hilton and Chad Bianco, plus Democrats Tom Steyer, Eric Swalwell, Katie Porter, Xavier Becerra, Matt Mahan, Antonio Villaraigosa, Betty Yee, Tony Thurmond, and several others. 
The first major shakeup came when a leaked viral video showed former Rep. Porter (D-CA) berating a congressional staffer, a controversy that has significantly set back her campaign.
“<a href="https://x.com/Breaking911/status/1976054425685983327?s=20">Get out of my f*cking shot</a>,” Porter shouted at a staff member when making a video message for the Biden administration. The leftist, who made a name for herself by grilling billionaires with her whiteboard in Congress, has failed to catch any momentum since. 
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-media-max-width="560">
&#8220;GET OUT OF MY FUCKING SHOT!&#8221;
Video shows Rep. Katie Porter (D-CA) chastising staffer in newly leaked video
<a href="https://t.co/COKJSv3yQ7">pic.twitter.com/COKJSv3yQ7</a>
— Breaking911 (@Breaking911) <a href="https://x.com/Breaking911/status/1976054425685983327?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 8, 2025</a></blockquote>
Eric Swalwell, the former Bay Area congressman, capitalized on Porter’s collapse in the polls. He quickly amassed key Democratic endorsements and was widely viewed as the race’s frontrunner.
But his hopes to lead California came crashing down following explosive allegations of sexual harassment and assault. Multiple campaign staffers accused their boss of sending sexually explicit social media messages and inappropriate behavior beyond the halls of Congress. Days later, he dropped his gubernatorial bid and resigned from Congress ahead of an expected expulsion vote. A <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/swalwell-accuser-claims-dem-drugged-choked-and-raped-her?author=Jacob+Wheeler&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=99&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=Swalwell+Accuser+Claims+Dem+Drugged%2C+Choked%2C+And+Raped+Her">fifth woman then accused Swalwell of rape</a> in 2018, alleging the lawmaker drugged and raped her in Southern California. 
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
I am suspending my campaign for Governor.
To my family, staff, friends, and supporters, I am deeply sorry for mistakes in judgment I’ve made in my past.
I will fight the serious, false allegations that have been made — but that’s my fight, not a campaign’s.
— Eric Swalwell (@ericswalwell) <a href="https://x.com/ericswalwell/status/2043488502327972096?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 13, 2026</a></blockquote>
As polling showed <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/even-after-shivving-swalwell-democrats-arent-home-free-in-california-governors-race?author=Jacob+Wheeler&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=97&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=Even+After+Shivving+Swalwell%2C+Democrats+Aren%E2%80%99t+Home+Free+In+California+Governor%E2%80%99s+Race">Republicans could lock out Democrats</a>, blue voters have appeared to consolidate behind two candidates: Former Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra and billionaire Tom Steyer, who has poured nearly $200 million of his own money into the race, <a href="https://apnews.com/article/california-governor-tom-steyer-billionaire-advertising-ed00b8f4ef4fcfa3b30bc8864a7873bb">according to the Associated Press.</a> 
Dan Schnur, who teaches political communications at USC and UC Berkeley, said Left-leaning voters appear spooked by the Swalwell scandal. 
“Becerra is this year&#8217;s version of the Biden 2020 campaign. He is a stable, reassuring presence, and that seems to have attracted voters, Democratic voters who are worried about less familiar objects,” Schnur told The Daily Wire. “Eric Swalwell was, it was a near-death experience for California Democrats.”
Biden&#8217;s former HHS chief went viral for demanding a glowing profile from a local television reporter.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Awkward moment kicks off KTLA interview with Xavier Becerra. <a href="https://x.com/CaliforniaICP?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@CaliforniaICP</a> Full report: <a href="https://t.co/UcMXzidzrf">https://t.co/UcMXzidzrf</a> <a href="https://t.co/OViYkfTg3t">pic.twitter.com/OViYkfTg3t</a>
— KTLA (@KTLA) <a href="https://x.com/KTLA/status/2054225112979612081?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 12, 2026</a></blockquote>
Trump-endorsed Steve Hilton, a businessman and former Fox News host, has consolidated much of the Republican vote. However, Republican Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco still has a durable base of about 9-12%, according to most polls. 
Under California’s “jungle primary” system, the top two vote-getters advance to the general election in November regardless of party.
“What he needs more than anything else is for Bianco voters to decide they should not let their perfect be the enemy of the good,” Schnur said. “There are a finite number of Republicans in California. The more they split their vote, the less likely either one of their candidates moves on to the general election.” 
In the Los Angeles mayoral race that has captured national attention, former reality television star and community advocate Spencer Pratt is challenging incumbent Mayor Bass and far-Left Councilmember Nithya Raman.
Pratt, a victim of the devastating January 2025 wildfires, has tapped into his savvy social media background to drive a message of change in a city plagued by chronic challenges, including homelessness, crime, and skyrocketing prices. 
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-media-max-width="560">
They not like us <a href="https://t.co/78hducHDUE">pic.twitter.com/78hducHDUE</a>
— Spencer Pratt (@spencerpratt) <a href="https://x.com/spencerpratt/status/2049497051793412557?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 29, 2026</a></blockquote>
Republicans <a href="https://tracker.politicaldata.com/?type=City&amp;value=CA+-+City+Of+Los+Angeles&amp;tab=1" target="_blank" rel="noopener">make up only 15% of registered voters</a> in Los Angeles, but most polls suggest Pratt is exceeding that share. 
The top two will also advance to the November election. For months, Bass has stalled at or below 30% in most polls, putting the incumbent mayor in an “extraordinarily vulnerable place.” 
“It wouldn&#8217;t be that surprising to see her finish third and get left out,” Schnur said. “Angelenos made up their minds about her after the wildfires. Fairly or not, they decided that she wasn&#8217;t up to the job.” 
Polls in the Golden State close at 8 p.m. local time. Given the state’s notoriously slow vote-counting process, it remains unclear whether races with national implications will be called Tuesday night.
“California has become the leader of the resistance in a deeply divided country, so for voters in other parts of the country who want a sense of how the Democratic party will move forward in a post-Trump era, this could be very valuable of early indicators,” Schnur said.

Powerful Winds Fuel Multiple Fires Across Los Angeles Area

Scandals, Fumbles, And Millions: California’s Wild Primary Ends Tonight

Democrats

Katie Porter

Xavier Becerra

In a recent <a href="https://x.com/GavinNewsom/status/2055103483913879882">post</a> on X, California Democratic Governor Gavin Newsom declared victory over Trump and Republicans after unveiling what he described as a &#8220;balanced budget.&#8221; 
 
&#8220;California just released a balanced budget that wipes out the deficit this year AND next — while protecting health care and safety nets,&#8221; Newsom crowed. &#8220;Meanwhile, Trump ADDED $2.4 TRILLION to the federal deficit with his &#8216;Big Beautiful Betrayal.&#8217; Republicans ruin budgets. Democrats balance them.&#8221;
However, fellow liberals have quickly pointed out that in trying to balance the budget, Newsom has backpedaled on his previous promises and suggested many Trump-like proposals.
Newsom <a href="https://www.gov.ca.gov/2026/05/14/may-revise/">promised</a> that the budget plan, dubbed the “May Revision,” would bless California “with transformative investments in child care, schools, higher education, public safety, healthcare, housing, clean energy, new businesses, and the protection of our state’s natural resources.”
However, leftists have pushed back on the governor, pointing out that the plan relies on many key spending cuts.
The California School Boards Association and various teachers&#8217; unions staged a protest at the Capitol in response to proposed education cuts in the bill. 
Debra Schade, president of the California School Boards Association, <a href="https://calmatters.org/commentary/2026/05/unbalanced-budget-cuts-newsom-california/">said</a> that the school funding that Newsom plans to cut is mandated by law and is not “a suggestion that can be discarded when it becomes inconvenient for policymakers.”
This draws some ironic parallels to the time Newsom&#8217;s administration <a href="https://www.gov.ca.gov/2026/02/18/california-files-lawsuit-against-trump-for-illegally-terminating-1-2-billion-in-energy-and-infrastructure-programs/">filed</a> a lawsuit against Trump for his &#8220;unlawful decision to terminate $1.2 billion in funding for congressionally mandated energy and infrastructure programs.&#8221;
Meanwhile, Newsom has also faced blowback from the Left after scaling back parts of his earlier promise to expand Medi-Cal benefits for illegal immigrants. This has led leftists to protest and some Democrats to <a href="https://www.union-bulletin.com/news/national/immigrant-rights-advocates-rally-for-more-state-healthcare-funding-criticize-california-gov-gavin-newsom/article_18f05e08-ef12-5281-bfe9-164cec3e1325.html">compare</a> Newsom to Trump and ICE.
&#8220;These are the kinds of actions we would expect from a federal government that scapegoats immigrants and sends violent ICE forces to terrorize our community,&#8221; Kiran Savage-Sangwan, executive director of California Pan-Ethnic Health Network, said. &#8220;Instead, these proposals were made by our own governor in a state that claims to value immigrant communities. We know California is better than this.&#8221;
Newsom has had a track record of fiscal mismanagement, turning California’s <a href="https://calmatters.org/commentary/2024/05/california-budget-surplus-became-deficit/">$97.5 billion surplus</a> in 2022 to a $44.9 billion deficit by 2024.
The Legislative Analyst&#8217;s Office <a href="https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/5187" target="_blank" rel="noopener">stated</a> that the balanced budget proposal not only requires spending cuts but also draws from emergency funds, internal funding changes, and accounting maneuvers. 
Because of this, the office warned that the &#8220;underlying budget condition is not sound,&#8221; even after Newsom’s balanced budget plan.
The California State Assembly must vote on and pass a budget proposal by June 15, per the state constitution.

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Newsom’s Ironic Budget Spin Angers Leftists And Worries Analysts

Budget

Democrats around the country, including California&#8217;s Gavin Newson, are up in arms over spikes in gas prices caused by President Donald Trump&#8217;s war against Iran. 
Missing in their condemnations is any acknowledgement that nobody is better at spiking gas prices than Democrats.
An analysis of AAA gasoline prices found that drivers in states led by Democrats are paying an average of 41 cents more than drivers in Republican states. Blue states currently average about $4.78 per gallon while red states average $4.37 per gallon
Drivers are hit by the blue-state premium regardless of whether the United States is at war with Iran or not. 
States such as California, Washington, Oregon, and New York have implemented various carbon pricing systems, low-carbon fuel standards, emissions mandates, or cap-and-trade programs that place additional costs on fuel producers and refiners. 
Consumers in those states often see those carbon emission fees reflected at the gas pump as producers pass the costs on alongside already high state taxes. California charges a $0.70 tax per gallon of tax, Illinois $0.66, Washington $0.59 with the rest trailing from there with a majority of these states having automatic increases for inflation. 
Leading the pack is California, where gas is currently $6.14 per gallon. The price is driven up by massive taxes, and costly green initiatives that make high gas prices inescapable for drivers.
Economist Severin Borenstein of UC Berkeley&#8217;s Haas School of Business Energy Institute <a href="https://www.nbclosangeles.com/news/local/california-gas-tax/3862685/?utm_source=chatgpt.com">said</a> that California&#8217;s gas is over a $1.50 higher than the national average “due to the higher taxes we have, the environmental fees we have and that we use a cleaner burning gasoline.”
California law requires that the only fuel allowed is California Reformulated Gasoline, a highly regulated gasoline blend that is more expensive.
Yet Newsom has used the increase caused by unrest in the Middle East as a political cudgel against Trump. Earlier this year he said that the “average price of gas is up 50 cents nationally since Trump launched his war with Iran — the fastest spike at the pump in years.” 
“No amount of spin from Trump and his lackeys can cover up the fact that Americans shelled out an extra $1.5 billion for gas this past week because of his disastrous war with Iran,” Newsom said.
Democratic Senator Patty Murray, who represents Washington, home of the second-highest gas prices in the country, <a href="https://x.com/PattyMurray/status/2047764846876262883">said</a> last month, &#8220;Gas prices and energy prices are surging. Trump wants to totally defund programs that help drive down costs.&#8221;
She added that the Trump administration has blamed Joe Biden’s clean energy policies for causing price increases, saying, “I guess I missed the part where Joe Biden declared war on Iran.”
Washington has a 55 cent tax on every single gallon of gas, and also has strict mandates for special blends of fuel that are more expensive.
When it comes to energy prices, Democrats regularly fight against initiatives that would make things cheaper for consumers.
New York&#8217;s Kathy Hochul, for example, blocked a new pipeline from being built that would dramatically reduce costs for energy in her state.
The American Energy Alliance says &#8220;residents are stuck with higher natural gas prices due to having to import natural gas from overseas as a result of regulatory restrictions preventing the construction of much-needed pipeline infrastructure.”
Hochul was backed by liberals in the U.S. Congress, including House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY). Their statement lists concerns about &#8220;environmental justice,&#8221; &#8220;climate goals,&#8221; and &#8220;marine ecosystems,&#8221; without mentioning cost of living.
“This project, which would bury 17 miles of fracked gas pipeline under the ocean floor in ecologically sensitive waters near Staten Island and the Rockaway Peninsula, poses significant and far-reaching implications for public health, environmental justice communities, climate goals and marine ecosystems,” they <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2025/10/15/nyregion/house-democrats-hochul-gas-pipeline-nyc.html">said</a>. 
Yet Hochul and other top Democrats in New York are slamming Trump for the Iran war.
&#8220;War with Iran and tariffs are driving up gas prices across the state,&#8221; Hochul said. “ New Yorkers shouldn’t have to foot the bill for the mess Washington Republicans created.”
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) similarly <a href="https://x.com/SenSchumer/status/2054235351665775040">argued</a> last week that “Americans are paying over $4.50 a gallon for gas because Trump refuses to end this war.&#8221;

Inflation Resurgence Squeezes US Voters As Prices Rise

Why Blue States Always Pay More For Gas

Donald Trump

Gas Prices

Kathy Hochul

New York

Indian national Manvir Singh, 24, got a fast pass into the United States after the Biden administration released him at the border in 2023.
Over a year after the state of California issued him a commercial driver&#8217;s license, Singh caused a fatal collision while behind the wheel of a big rig in Lodi, California, Tuesday, according to the Department of Transportation. Three vehicles were slowing down to come to a complete stop when Singh allegedly failed to stop behind them, causing a multi-car pileup, CBS News <a href="https://www.cbsnews.com/amp/sacramento/news/lodi-highway-99-deadly-crash-big-rig-driver-arrested/?utm_source=chatgpt.com" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a>.
The deceased victims were identified as 20-year-old Clark James Fojas and the other was a juvenile, <a href="https://www.abc10.com/article/news/local/lodi/highway-99-lodi-crash-driver-arrested-two-killed/103-39c25ad9-24eb-424e-b46b-7376adc8d99f" target="_blank" rel="noopener">according</a> to ABC10.
First responders transported five others to the hospital, two of whom sustained major injuries, according to the local news outlet.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
🚨California issued this driver a commercial driver’s license in March 2025🚨
In February of this year, I issued a rule to stop unqualified, untrained foreign drivers like this accused killer from getting CDLs to drive on America’s roads.
RIGHT NOW: <a href="https://twitter.com/FMCSA?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@FMCSA</a> investigators are… <a href="https://t.co/j7EwCRzMF5">https://t.co/j7EwCRzMF5</a>
— Secretary Sean Duffy (@SecDuffy) <a href="https://twitter.com/SecDuffy/status/2057290339321364950?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 21, 2026</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
The San Joaquin County Sheriff’s Office arrested Singh, who is charged with vehicular manslaughter with gross negligence, resisting/obstructing a police officer, and hit-and-run resulting in injury or death, according to jail records. His bail was set at $185,000.
“This criminal illegal alien from India should never have been behind the wheel of a semi-truck and allowed to kill two innocent people in a multi-vehicle crash in California,” Acting Assistant Homeland Security Secretary Lauren Bis said in a statement Wednesday.
“This is yet another example of why illegal aliens should not be operating trucks on American highways. We need Congress to pass Dalilah’s Law to prohibit states from granting illegal aliens commercial driver’s licenses,&#8221; Bis added.
Federal investigators are now probing &#8220;how this illegal got his CDL and will investigate the trucking company who employed this driver,&#8221; Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said Wednesday.
Duffy renewed his calls for Congress to pass Dalilah&#8217;s law, named after Dalilah Coleman, a young girl who survived a similar collision but was left with life-altering injuries. She was five years old at the time of the crash.
&#8220;Dalilah’s law would have revoked this illegal trucker’s license. Congress must pass Dalilah’s Law NOW,&#8221; he said.
Singh is set to appear in court Thursday afternoon, according to ABC10.
The Trump administration has tagged California as one of the major culprits in handing out trucking licenses to illegal immigrants.
Partap Singh, the illegal immigrant from India accused of injuring Coleman, was also given a commercial driver&#8217;s license by the Golden State.
For months, Coleman&#8217;s father, Marcus, a trucker himself, has been trying to reach Democratic California Gov. Gavin Newsom but has yet to receive any response.
In February, Marcus <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/newsom-silent-as-father-pleads-until-trump-spotlights-child-severely-injured-by-illegal-trucker">shared</a> his frustrations with the lack of accountability on Newsom&#8217;s part.
“How do you not see Dalilah? How do you allow politics to blind you from a five-year-old girl at the time whose life is forever changed, and your only answer is it’s the federal government,” Marcus told The Daily Wire at the time.

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Illegal Immigrant Trucker With Blue State License Accused Of Causing Fatal Multi-Car Pileup

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