INTERNACIONAL
From reality TV to city hall? Trump-backed Spencer Pratt soars in LA mayor race as Californians vote

Spencer Pratt responds to Newsom’s Bass endorsement, calls them ‘alleged criminal partners’
Kayleigh McEnany discusses Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass’s controversial Los Angeles homelessness program, highlighting reports of $418 million spent with only 10% effectively getting people off the streets. Spencer Pratt criticizes the alleged corruption, calls out the abuse of dogs on Skid Row, and details his faith-driven mission to make Los Angeles a safer city for mothers and children. Pratt’s mayoral campaign is surging in recent polls against Bass.
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Republicans are aiming to break longtime losing streaks by taking first steps toward winning elections for governor and Los Angeles mayor as voters in Democrat-dominated California head to the polls on Tuesday.
Meanwhile, President Donald Trump’s clout over the GOP will once again face a ballot box test, in a gubernatorial showdown in Iowa, while the Hawkeye State’s Democratic Senate nomination is the latest battle between the establishment and progressive wings of the party.
California and Iowa are two of the six states holding primary contests from coast to coast during the first week of June, in elections that will impact November’s midterms, when the GOP’s slim Senate and razor-thin House majorities will be up for grabs.
The election arguably grabbing the most headlines nationally is in Los Angeles, where it’s been three decades since a Republican won a mayoral contest in the nation’s second most populous city. Spencer Pratt, a reality TV star and online influencer-turned-mayoral candidate, is gaining traction, thanks in part to his populist pitch and viral videos.
THE CELEBRITY ENDORSEMENTS BOOSTING SPENCER PRATT IN THE LOS ANGELES MAYOR SHOWDOWN
Los Angeles mayoral candidate Spencer Pratt hosted a campaign «block party» event on May 20, 2026, in Los Angeles, California. (Robert Gauthier/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)
Pratt, a Republican running as an independent in the left-leaning city, is backed by Trump. His rise is also fueled in part by his well-known status as one of the victims who lost their homes in last year’s devastating wildfires, when over 17,000 homes in Los Angeles County were destroyed, as well as his right-leaning focus on homelessness, crime and government accountability in a city long run by Democrats.
«I keep saying I become the mayor because of moms. Moms are getting me elected. Moms do not feel safe in Los Angeles. Not just feel safe, they are not safe. Nobody’s safe really in LA unless you’re the drug dealer. The drug dealers and the people giving them the needles, the city, our taxpayer money, the needle givers, they’re safe, the meth pipe givers. They’re safe. Everyone else is not safe in LA,» Pratt argued this past weekend in an interview on Fox News’ «Saturday In America with Kayleigh McEnany.»
Pratt is targeting Mayor Karen Bass, a former Democratic congresswoman seeking a second four-year term steering Los Angeles. Bass, who has been endorsed by former Vice President Kamala Harris, a former California senator and state attorney general, as well as the state’s two Democratic senators, Adam Schiff and Alex Padilla, last week landed term-limited Gov. Gavin Newsom’s backing.
IS THERE A ‘GROWING REVOLT’ AGAINST CALIFORNIA’S ONE-PARTY RULE?

Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass campaigns ahead of Tuesday’s primary election as she seeks a second term in office. (Louise Barnsley for Fox News Digital)
Bass is attempting to fend off challenges from the right from Pratt and on the left from progressive City Council member Nithya Raman. If no candidate tops 50% in Tuesday’s nonpartisan mayoral election, the top two finishers will face off in November.
In the race for governor, a whopping 61 candidates are running to succeed Newsom in steering the nation’s most populous state and the world’s fourth-largest-economy.
But heading into the jungle primary, where all candidates regardless of party affiliation appear on the same ballot, with the top two finishers advancing to the general election, only a handful of contenders have a good chance of making the cut.
Among them are Democrats Javier Becerra and Tom Steyer and Republican Steve Hilton.
Becerra, a former longtime congressman and California attorney general who later served as a Cabinet secretary in former President Biden’s administration, would become the first Latino Golden State governor in modern history. Steyer, meanwhile, is a billionaire hedge fund founder turned environmental activist who unsuccessfully ran for his party’s 2020 presidential nomination.
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Hilton is a one-time British political strategist turned American conservative commentator and former Fox News Channel host who is backed by Trump.
Also in the race is Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco, a Republican. Hilton and Bianco are both hoping to become the first California Republican win a gubernatorial election since then-Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger’s 2006 re-election two decades ago.
Bianco has argued that he’s the most conservative candidate in the race.
But Hilton, in an interview on Fox News’ «The Big Weekend Show,» reiterated his argument that «Chad is just too far behind. He can’t make it into the top two. So every vote for him actually helps the Democrats. We have got to make sure of this. We can’t let this opportunity for change slip away.»
Democratic candidates former Democratic Rep. Katie Porter, San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan, former Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and state Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond, are among the other better-known contenders.

Democratic candidates Antonio Villaraigosa, Katie Porter, Tom Steyer and Xavier Becerra and Republican candidates Steve Hilton and Chad Bianco participate in a California gubernatorial debate at East Los Angeles College Auditorium in Monterey Park, Calif., on May 5, 2026, ahead of the June 2 primary elections. (Frederic J. Brown / AFP via Getty Images)
Former Vice President Kamala Harris and Sen. Alex Padilla mulled launching Democratic bids for governor, but both last year announced they would take a pass. That resulted in the lack of a clear Golden State gubernatorial frontrunner for the first time in more than a quarter century.
And the race was overshadowed for much of last year, as the devastation from the LA wildfires and Trump’s immigration raids grabbed headlines in California.
But the showdown for governor entered the spotlight earlier this year when one of the leading candidates, Democratic Rep. Eric Swalwell, dropped out of the race and then resigned from Congress following a political implosion after facing multiple allegations of sexual assault and misconduct that he continues to deny.
Swalwell’s exit from the race opened the door for first Steyer and then Becerra to rise in the polls. Steyer shelled out more than $200 million of his own money to blanket the airwaves and the internet with ads.
Bianco, who launched his campaign for governor in April of last year, was among the top contenders in the race until Trump’s endorsement of Hilton in early April blunted his momentum.
Iowa showdowns
In Iowa, the retirements of Republican Gov. Kim Reynolds and GOP Sen. Joni Ernst along with the rough political midterm climate facing Republicans, have Democrats optimistic they can flip the seats in a one-time battleground state that turned red the past decade.
Trump, who carried Iowa by 13 points in his 2024 presidential election victory, last week weighed in on the competitive GOP gubernatorial primary,
The president endorsed Rep. Randy Feenstra in a race that also includes entrepreneur and private school co-founder Zach Lahn, who is backed by the influential conservative group Turning Point USA, state Rep. Eddie Andrews, former state Rep. Brad Sherman and former state administrative services director Adam Steen.

President Donald Trump, right, last week endorsed Republican Rep. Randy Feenstra in Tuesday’s GOP gubernatorial primary in Iowa. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images; Cody Scanlan/The Register/USA Today Network)
The winner will face Democratic state Auditor Rob Sand, who is unopposed in his primary. Sand is the only Democrat currently elected to statewide office.
The brute force of the president’s endorsement power and the immense grip he has on the Republican Party has been on display in GOP primaries the past month, with his candidates ousting incumbents he targeted in showdowns in Indiana, Louisiana, Kentucky and Texas.
Republican Rep. Ashley Hinson of Iowa is the overwhelming frontrunner to secure her party’s Senate nomination in the race to succeed retiring Ernst.
Hinson, a former TV news anchor who is in her third term representing Iowa’s 2nd Congressional District, is facing a long-shot challenge from former state senator and former U.S. Senate candidate Jim Carlin. Hinson is backed by Trump, Senate Majority Leader Sen. John Thune, the National Republican Senatorial Committee, which is the campaign arm of the Senate GOP. Hinson, who in 2020 flipped a Democratic-held seat that covers the northeastern portion of Iowa, is seen as a rising star in the party.

Republican Rep. Ashley Hinson of Iowa sits for a Fox News Digital interview in Washington, D.C., on Sept. 4, 2025. She is running in the 2026 race to succeed retiring GOP Sen. Joni Ernst. (Paul Steinhauser – Fox News)
The Republican-controlled seat in Iowa is a top target for Democrats and the race is one of about a dozen crucial showdowns in this year’s midterm elections that will determine whether the Republicans hold on to their current 53-47 majority in the chamber.
Hinson will face off in the general election against the winner of an expensive and contentious Democratic Senate primary between state Rep. Josh Turek, a Paralympian, and state Sen. Zach Wahls.
Wahls, a progressive who Republicans have likened to New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani, has the backing of liberal champion Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts. Turek, the more moderate Senate contender who flipped a GOP-held Iowa House seat in 2022, is backed by former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg. He also has the tacit support of longtime Senate Democratic leader Sen. Chuck Schumer of New York and Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee Chair Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand. And VoteVets, an establishment-aligned outside group, has spent big bucks on behalf of Turek.
Primaries in Iowa’s 1st and 3rd Congressional Districts will set up general election showdowns in crucial GOP-held seats that Democrats are aiming to flip.
Other showdowns
It’s the same story in New Jersey’s 7th Congressional District, another purple seat Democrats are eyeing as they try to regain the House majority.
The Republican incumbent, Rep. Tom Kean Jr., has been in the national headlines after being absent from Congress and the campaign trail for three months due to a «a personal medical issue.»
In New Mexico, the race to succeed term-limited Democratic Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham is taking top billing.
Former Rep. Deb Haaland, who served as Interior Secretary in former President Joe Biden’s administration and made history as the nation’s first Native American woman to serve as a Cabinet secretary, who’s to make history again as the first Native American woman elected as governor. She faces off against Bernalillo County District Attorney Sam Bregman. Three major Republicans are seeking their party’s gubernatorial nomination.
Montana voters will select nominees in Tuesday’s primary to replace departing Republican incumbent Sen. Steve Daines.

Former U.S. District Attorney Kurt Alme is running for the GOP Senate nomination in Montana, in the race to succeed retiring GOP Sen. Steve Daines. (Alme Campaign)
The senator and Trump are backing former U.S. Attorney Kurt Alme, who jumped into the race in March immediately after Daines announced his retirement just ahead of the state’s filing deadline, in what appeared to be a carefully choreographed move. Alme faces two longshot rivals for the nomination.
Former state Rep. Reilly Neill appears to be the frontrunner for the Democratic nomination in the solidly Republican state.
The Republican and Democratic nominees will face off in the general election against former University of Montana president Seth Bodnar, who is running as an independent and has outraised everyone else in the race.
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In GOP-dominated South Dakota, Gov. Larry Rhoden faces a crowded and competitive field as he seeks a full term as governor.
Rhoden was lieutenant governor in early 2025 when he assumed the top job after then-Gov. Kristi Noem stepped down to become Department of Homeland Security secretary in the Trump administration.
gubernatorial, democrats elections, midterm elections, governors, republicans, donald trump, california
INTERNACIONAL
Vance takes lead selling Trump’s Iran gamble as Rubio, Hegseth and Ratcliffe cede spotlight on fragile deal

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Vice President JD Vance arrived in Switzerland this week as the Trump administration’s most visible defender of a fragile Iran memorandum of understanding, even as officials moved to tamp down reports of internal concern over whether Tehran can be trusted to follow through on nuclear concessions.
«If it doesn’t happen, I’m blaming JD Vance. If it does happen, I’m taking full credit,» joked President Donald Trump this month of the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Iran.
The MOU, signed last week, has not resolved the core dispute over Iran’s nuclear program, but instead opened a 60-day negotiating window aimed at turning broad commitments into enforceable terms — leaving Vance to defend a framework that supporters call a diplomatic opening for sustained stability in the region and skeptics fear could give Tehran room to stall.
While Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Secretary of War Pete Hegseth and CIA Director John Ratcliffe have been central to previous high-profile foreign policy missions, Vance spent last week as one of the administration’s chief public advocates for the Iran deal, repeatedly fielding questions about the negotiations during a media blitz for his new book.
JD VANCE REVEALS DETAILS OF US-IRAN DEAL, ADDRESSES WHETHER TAXPAYER MONEY WILL GO TO TEHRAN
Trump addresses the media alongside United States Trade Representative Jamieson Greer, US Commerce secretary Howard Lutnick , US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and US Secretary of Treasury Scott Bessent during a closing press conference at the G7 summit. (Mandel NGAN / AFP via Getty Images)
A senior U.S. official told Fox News Digital earlier this month that there was a «split» inside the administration on support of the Iran MOU but wouldn’t say which officials did not support the decision. The talks have been fragile for weeks, with the MOU serving less as a breakthrough than a temporary framework while U.S. officials continue to wrestle with whether Iran can be trusted to follow through on nuclear commitments.
CIA Director John Ratcliffe reportedly emerged as a key intelligence leader who expressed doubt about the intelligence behind the Iran deal to Trump and other senior officials, Axios reported. Rubio and Hegseth also reportedly held reservations, while Vance and other officials advocated for the MOU, according to the outlet.
The CIA did not comment when asked by Fox News Digital if Ratcliffe was skeptical about the deal.
A second senior U.S. official told Fox News Digital that Trump officials were all aligned in supporting the deal and viewed it as the appropriate path forward.
While a White House official added that Vance emerged as a lead negotiator because Trump tasked him with the role from the outset, arguing his position as vice president gives him the stature to bring key players from countries such as Qatar and Pakistan to the negotiating table.
When asked about the reports of an alleged «split,» the White House fired back that the MOU meets all the previous requirements expressed by the administration and the president would only sign a «good deal.»
«President Trump listens to all opinions on any given issue — but everyone understands he is the final decisionmaker,» a White House official told Fox News Digital.
RUBIO, RATCLIFFE TO DELIVER CLASSIFIED IRAN BRIEFING TO ‘GANG OF EIGHT’ AHEAD OF TRUMP’S STATE OF THE UNION

Vice President JD Vance took questions from reporters during the daily press briefing in the Brady Press Briefing Room at the White House on Oct. 1, 2025, in Washington, D.C. (Alex Wong/Getty Images)
While Ratcliffe has historically kept a more reserved role as CIA chief, Rubio and Hegseth have embraced the spotlight repeatedly during high-level missions, hosting press briefings and posting on social media – even sharing memes surrounding major policy wins.
Rubio has publicly backed the MOU, but his support has been noticeably more restrained than his advocacy for past foreign policy efforts. The secretary has reposted clips of the deal signing and Vance’s media appearance discussing Iran, but has not directly made a statement. His latest post on X was congratulating Colombian President-Elect Abelardo De La Espriella on his victory.
Rubio was also part of the president’s delegation in France at the G7, seen standing behind him during Trump’s sideline presser on the deal. Rubio did not make any comments during the press conference.
Hegseth also has remained active on social media during the NATO summit, posting updates on alliance-related meetings and highlighting various War Department initiatives, while notably refraining from commenting directly on the Iran agreement.
His last public remarks directly addressing U.S.-Iran relations came more than a month ago on May 5 during a Pentagon briefing alongside Caine. Hegseth discussed Project Freedom, which was a strike against Iran’s nuclear infrastructure – separate and distinct from Operation Epic Fury.
Since then, Hegseth’s public appearances have focused largely on NATO and defense diplomacy, including bilateral meetings with foreign counterparts and engagements with leaders from Italy, Singapore, South Korea and Ecuador.
READ IT: THE FULL TEXT OF THE US-IRAN MEMORANDUM OF UNDERSTANDING

CIA Director John Ratcliffe meets with officials in Havana, Cuba, on May 14, 2026, to discuss intelligence matters. (CIA)
The framework has come under fire from conservatives and liberals alike who have drawn comparisons to former President Barack Obama’s JCPOA, a politically toxic benchmark for many Republicans that the president and Vance have rejected in public remarks.
During an appearance on Fox News’ «The Five» last week, Vance argued the JCPOA comparison stems from a misconception because the proverbial carrot-and-stick positions from the Obama-era deal have been reversed.
The Pentagon doubled down on their backing of the Iranian deal when asked by Fox News Digital if there were any doubts.
«Of course, Secretary Hegseth supports the Peace Deal with Iran and all of President Trump’s objectives,» Chief Pentagon Spokesperson Sean Parnell told Fox News Digital when asked if there was any friction about the Iran agreement.
State Department spokesperson Tommy Pigott offered Fox News Digital administration a similar statement backing the Iran deal.
«Secretary Rubio and the entire administration is 100% in lockstep behind President Trump. The President has taken unprecedented action to prevent the Iranian regime from obtaining a nuclear weapon, making the U.S. and the entire world safer,» Pigott said.
Rubio is heading to Geneva Monday after Vance has already been engaged in discussions with Iranians alongside Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff since Sunday.
HEGSETH ONCE WARNED AGAINST ENDLESS WARS. NOW HE’S LEADING TRUMP’S STRIKE-FIRST DOCTRINE
Rubio, Hegseth and Ratcliffe have previously been at the center of some of the Trump administration’s most significant foreign policy engagements and achievements, from high-stakes talks with Vladimir Putin in Alaska to G7 summits and NATO conferences.
Vance’s absence from Trump’s January Mar-a-Lago announcement following the capture of former Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro drew notice at the time, particularly as Rubio, Hegseth, Ratcliffe, Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. Dan Caine and senior adviser Stephen Miller appeared alongside the president for the administration’s victory-lap moment.
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Fox News Digital reached out to the Office of the Vice President for comment.
Vance stayed late into the night Sunday evening to push the deal to the finish line in an attempt to get nuclear inspections to start as soon as possible.
«It’s funny, we were trying to call some of the inspectors last night around two in the morning. As you can expect, not many people are answering their phone at two in the morning,» said Vance Monday.
«I expect that will happen at the minimum this week, but we think even some of those conversations with the inspectors and with the IAEA could happen as soon as today,» Vance added.
Fox News Digital’s Charles Crietz contributed to this report.
pete hegseth, cia, iran, jd vance, marco rubio
INTERNACIONAL
Brote de hantavirus en el crucero: tras más de cuarenta días de encierro, los pasajeros de EEUU pudieron volver a sus casas

La mayoría de los estadounidenses regresó a casa, pero algunos se vieron obligados a hacer cuarentena
El origen del brote
Florida no aceptó monitorear a una pasajera las 24 horas
INTERNACIONAL
DOJ investigating NYC coffee shop over hostile social post about pro-Israel politician

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The Department of Justice (DOJ) says it has opened an investigation into a New York City coffee shop after it blasted Rep. Dan Goldman, D-N.Y., in a social media post, saying it should not have served him, and he should never come back due to his support of Israel.
Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights Harmeet Dhillon said the DOJ has opened an investigation into the Poetica Coffee Shop in Brooklyn.
Dhillon says the department is aware of the «denial of service taunts» directed at Goldman and says federal law prohibits public accommodations, including coffee shops, from discriminating against patrons based on race, religion, or national origin. Dhillon says the alleged denial of service could violate federal anti-discrimination law and says enforcement action is possible.
In a now-deleted Facebook post, Poetica Coffee said it issued a refund to Goldman after learning that he had stopped by the location with his young daughter. The shop added that it would have simply turned Goldman away if staff had recognized him at the time.
SMOOTHIE KING FIRES EMPLOYEES WHO REFUSED TO SERVE CUSTOMERS OVER TRUMP SWEATSHIRT
Rep. Dan Goldman, D, N.Y., was criticized by Poetica, a left-leaning coffee shop in Brooklyn, which called scolded him over his support for Israel. (Dan Goldman)
«Hey Congressman Dan Goldman, we see that you stopped by our shop today for a coffee. Do you see how it doesn’t taste like genocide juice? Or are you still having a hard time telling the difference?» the post stated, referring to Goldman’s support for Israel and accusations that the Jewish state has committed genocide against Palestinians during the war in Gaza.
«See, here at Poetica, we don’t serve racists, fascists, homophobes, genocide enablers, or anyone in between,» the post continued. «Too bad we didn’t recognize you right away, or we would have turned you away. We issued you a refund—we don’t need your money (it’s probably coming from AIPAC anyways). Enjoy your loss on Tuesday. Don’t ever come to Poetica.»

A Brooklyn, N.Y., coffee shop refunded a purchase made by Rep. Dan Goldman, D-N.Y., over the weekend over his support for Israel, saying the company doesn’t serve «genocide enablers.» (Getty Images; Google Maps)
In a statement on social media, Goldman said he was disappointed by the shop’s remarks.
«I’m sorry to see this post,» he said. «The barista could not have been nicer to my 7-year-old daughter and me—allowing her to use the bathroom even though we had not purchased anything. I made sure to buy a coffee in return for her kindness. I hope you at least make sure she gets the tip that she deserved.»
In response, the shop said it was the barista’s idea to refund Goldman’s purchase. The poster added that they will be voting against Goldman, who faces a Democratic primary challenge from former city Comptroller Brad Lander.
DEMOCRATIC REP FEARS PARTY TURNING ANTISEMITIC PROTESTERS INTO ‘MARTYRS’ IN BATTLE AGAINST TRUMP DEPORTATIONS
Fox News Digital has reached out to Goldman and the coffee shop, as well as the offices of New York State Attorney General Letitia James and Mayor Zohran Mamdani, and the city’s Department of Consumer and Worker Protection.
«No comment. We stand against genocide,» a staffer told the New York Post.
The shop’s social media post was quickly criticized online.
Mark Treyger, the CEO of the Jewish Community Relations Council of New York, said the incident warrants a review under city and state human rights laws.
MAMDANI IN THE HOT SEAT AFTER FIRST VETO DERAILS BIPARTISAN EFFORT TO COMBAT ANTISEMITISM: ‘DISAPPOINTED’

Poetica Coffee in Brooklyn, N.Y., criticized Rep. Dan Goldman, N.Y., over his support for Israel. (Dan Goldman)
«Turning a cup of coffee into a Jewish identity litmus test is an affront to the law, our values, and every New Yorker who rejects discrimination,» he wrote on X. «If an identifiable Jewish customer walks into a coffee shop wearing a kippah or Magen David, are they expected to first disclose their views on Middle East policy before being served?»
The incident appears to contradict the opening statement on Poetica Coffee’s website by its owner, Parviz Mukhamadkulov, an Uzbek immigrant who opened his first location in 2020.
«In practice, it looks like a café where the door doesn’t close on anyone, where tea gets poured before anyone asks who you are,» the website states. «The guest is sacred because the act of welcoming is how a community keeps itself intact.»

Rep. Dan Goldman, D-N.Y., stands outside the Delaney Hall Detention Center in Newark, New Jersey, on May 28, 2026. (Rashid Umar Abbasi for Fox News Digital.)
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The shop also claims on its site that «whoever walks through the door is treated with unconditional dignity.»
«Not as a customer. Not as a transaction. As someone who arrived and deserves to be welcomed,» the site reads.
new york, coffee, anti semitism, zohran mamdani, judaism
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