Republicans in California are making a voter ID ballot initiative the centerpiece of their 2026 strategy as Americans’ frustration grows over affordability and education issues.

«Californians need to feel secure in our elections,» California GOP Chairwoman Corrin Rankin told Fox News Digital in an interview. «The way it is now, there’s so much room for uncertainty and confusion. What Proposition 39 is going to do is it’s going to sort of close the loopholes. It’s a commonsense solution that will strengthen our democracy.»

Beyond the ballot measure, Rankin argues the initiative reflects broader voter frustration that Republicans hope to capitalize on in the 2026 midterms. She claims California voters are primarily concerned about affordability, education and confidence in state government.

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«Californians need to feel like we can trust our election systems, and trust is not given. Trust is earned and this will allow Californians to feel more like they can trust our election system,» she added.

The Golden State’s primary race on June 2 garnered national attention and widespread criticism after it took weeks to deliver results. California election officials continued to count ballots postmarked by Election Day even if they arrived within seven days — and they are permitted up to 30 days to certify results.

In the primaries, the Los Angeles mayoral race became the center of controversy, and President Donald Trump’s was among the chorus of voices challenging the runoff election results, alleging irregularities as the count continued past Election Day.

Spencer Pratt ultimately lost the race with far-left City Council Member Nithya Raman advancing to face incumbent Democrat Mayor Karen Bass in the general election in November. The race was called six days after the June 2 elections.

«There’s so many other states throughout our country and throughout the world actually that seem to be able to have a winner on election night,» said Rankin. «It’d be wonderful if California could do the same.»

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A driver refuels a vehicle with diesel fuel at a Shell gas station in Seattle March 9, 2026. (M. Scott Brauer/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

While election reform is the party’s signature ballot effort, Rankin says kitchen table issues will determine whether Republicans make gains in November.

She said affordability is the No. 1 concern among voters with California recently landing in the top five most expensive states, according to The Missouri Economic Research and Information Center’s quarterly Cost of Living Index.

«A lot of parents want their adult children to stay in California, to be a part of and contribute to the same California dream that was so great for our grandparents and our parents,» said Rankin. «We want it to be great for us and for our children. Affordability is the top issue.»

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California drivers are paying about $5.65 per gallon for regular gasoline, roughly $1.25 more, or about 28% higher, than they were at this time last year, according to AAA and federal energy data.

Rankin also said Californians are concerned about their school systems with zip codes determining the quality of education students receive, which has long been an argument in the Republican push for school choice.

«When [candidates] keep their race focused on their district, focused on the voters in their district and the issues that matter most to those voters, stay focused on issues like affordability, children’s education, the prices of gas and groceries, things like that,» said Rankin. «That’s what voters want to hear. That’s what they care about. They care about what happens locally.»

California Gov. Gavin Newsom speaks during a news conference for a housing affordability reform bill signing July 13, 2026, in Oakland, Calif. (Tayfun Coskun/Anadolu via Getty Images)

California Gov. Gavin Newsom is serving his second and final term, fueling speculation about a 2028 presidential bid and creating what Rankin believes is an opportunity for Republicans to win back voters disillusioned with Democratic leadership.

Pointing to the state’s troubled high-speed rail project, Rankin argued California has become a cautionary tale of government waste under one-party rule.

«We’ve got a bullet train that he’s been funding with billions of dollars for years, yet we have no train. So, where’s the money going to?» Rankin asked.

Critics have long scrutinized the project, which was approved by voters in 2008 with an estimated $33 billion price tag but is now projected to cost more than $200 billion.

Rankin said the spending reflects what she views as a broader ideological shift within the Democratic Party, arguing California has embraced policies that are now spreading nationwide.

«I think that the Democrats have gone so far to the left that many Californians just don’t see themselves … many Democrats in California just don’t relate to the current flow of the Democrat party,»Rankin said.

«They’re moving way too far into the extremism of socialism. I think a lot of people have red flags and just don’t want to be part of it.»

Fox News Digital reached out to Gov. Gavin Newsom for comment.

El Partido de los Trabajadores (PT) de Brasil oficializó este domingo la candidatura del mandatario Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva para las elecciones presidenciales de octubre, en las que buscará un histórico cuarto mandato no consecutivo con la mayoría de las encuestas a su favor.

“Quiero decir para toda la militancia de los partidos que están aquí: homologamos, oficializamos ahora. Lula, presidente; Geraldo Alckmin, vice», dijo el presidente del PT, Edinho Silva, en una entrevista previa a la ceremonia, celebrada en el centro de convenciones Expo Center Norte, en São Paulo, el mayor colegio electoral del país.

El evento, que comenzó puntual a las 10:00 hora local (13:00 GMT), selló la reedición de la alianza con el moderado Alckmin como candidato a la vicepresidencia, ante cientos de militantes, ministros y dirigentes del bloque oficialista.

A sus 80 años, Lula encara su séptima carrera a la Jefatura de Estado, tras haber gobernado entre 2003 y 2010 y regresar al poder en 2023.

“Tengo la misma energía de cuando tenía 30 años”, ha reiterado el veterano líder sindical para disipar dudas sobre su salud.

La “soberanía” como bandera frente a Trump

La campaña se abre bajo la sombra de Donald Trump, aliado de la familia Bolsonaro y que ha respaldado a varios candidatos en América Latina. “En Brasil no aceptamos que nadie meta la nariz donde no lo llaman”, advirtió Lula la semana pasada.

Estados Unidos impuso en julio dos rondas de aranceles a productos brasileños, tras acusar al país de prácticas comerciales desleales. Alentado por Eduardo Bolsonaro, hijo del ex presidente, Washington ya había aplicado gravámenes similares en 2025 —luego suspendidos en buena parte— en represalia por el juicio contra Jair Bolsonaro. Ante la nueva presión, Lula prometió una «guerra de la verdad contra la mentira» frente a su par estadounidense y acusó a Flávio Bolsonaro de ser un “traidor a la patria” por, según él, alentar el castigo económico a Brasil.

“La narrativa sobre la soberanía le calza como un guante a Lula: en un momento de caída de su popularidad, logra identificar a un enemigo allá afuera”, dijo a la agencia AFP el politólogo Leonardo Paz, de la Fundación Getúlio Vargas.

El clima bilateral sigue deteriorándose: la semana pasada Brasilia negó las visas a dos funcionarios estadounidenses que pretendían viajar al país para hablar de “integridad electoral”.

Lula defiende los avances de su gestión en la caída del desempleo y la reducción de la pobreza, en un contexto de desaceleración económica, con un crecimiento del PIB en torno al 2 % para este año electoral, tras el 3,4 % de 2024 y el 2,3 % de 2025.

La presión inflacionaria —marcada por factores internos y por el alza de precios de alimentos y combustible en el contexto geopolítico— mantiene la tasa básica de interés en 14,25 %, junto a un déficit nominal cercano al 10 % del PIB y una deuda pública que superó el 80 %. Son puntos que la oposición busca explotar, junto con la lucha contra el crimen organizado, que controla barrios populares donde viven millones de personas.

La corrupción también pesa sobre ambos candidatos. Esta semana, un juez de la Corte Suprema autorizó dos investigaciones por tráfico de influencias contra el hijo mayor de Lula, Fábio Luís Lula da Silva, conocido como “Lulinha”, por presuntas gestiones ante el Ministerio de Salud. Del lado opositor, Flávio Bolsonaro enfrenta cuestionamientos por el financiamiento de una película sobre su padre, para la cual habría pedido dinero a un banquero acusado de una megaestafa.

Los comicios de octubre se perfilan como una nueva disputa polarizada entre el progresismo de Lula y la extrema derecha que encarna Flávio Bolsonaro, de 45 años, oficializado la semana pasada como heredero político del espacio conservador. Su padre, Jair Bolsonaro, está inhabilitado, condenado a 27 años de prisión domiciliaria por intento de golpe de Estado, tras perder las elecciones de 2022 ante Lula.

Según la última encuesta de Datafolha, Lula obtendría un 48 % de la intención de voto en un eventual balotaje, frente al 43 % de Flávio Bolsonaro — una diferencia estrecha, similar a la de la ajustada campaña de 2022.

(Con información de EFE y AFP)

A sanctioned tanker loaded with crude is leaving a growing trail of oil in protected waters off the coast of Oman, according to newly reviewed satellite images, as experts warn the stranded vessel could break apart during the region’s rough monsoon season.

Satellite images reviewed by The Associated Press show an oil sheen covering roughly 20 square kilometers, or about 8 square miles, around Dhofar’s Qibliyah Island, part of Oman’s protected Hallaniyat Islands. Dark patches of crude have also reached the shoreline. Experts say the leak has worsened in recent days, fueling fears that rough weather could trigger a much larger spill.

«The last few days, the imagery indicates an increase in oil coming out, as the size of the sheen is growing,» Wim Zwijnenburg, an environmental expert with the Dutch peace organization PAX, told the AP.

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He said the biggest risk is that the vessel could break apart as strong winds and rough seas during the annual monsoon season continue to pound the ship’s hull.

The 899-foot, Cameroon-flagged Caroline Bezengi has been stranded off Oman’s southern coast since June after its crew reported an onboard explosion, according to maritime news outlets. Reuters, citing maritime security sources, reported the vessel first ran into trouble on June 8 near the Yemeni port of Mukalla, where initial assessments suggested a blast may have occurred. The cause has not been confirmed.

This satellite image from Planet Labs PBC shows crude oil leaking and spreading from the sanctioned Suezmax tanker Caroline Bezengi grounded at Qibliyah Island, off the coast of Oman, on Friday, July 31, 2026. (Planet Labs PBC via AP)

Ship-tracking data reviewed by Reuters showed the tanker had loaded Russian crude at the Black Sea port of Novorossiysk before its latest voyage. The vessel has been sanctioned by the United Kingdom, the European Union, Canada and Switzerland for allegedly transporting Russian oil as part of Moscow’s so-called «shadow fleet» — a network of aging tankers used to bypass Western sanctions imposed after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

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Zwijnenburg estimated the tanker is carrying more than 800,000 barrels of crude oil and said recent imagery suggests at least one section of the hull has been breached. Other maritime specialists who reviewed the images told Reuters the vessel also appears to be listing, adding to concerns that it could eventually break apart.

A satellite image shows an oil slick next to the Caroline Bezengi, a sanctioned vessel off the coast of the Dhofar Governorate, Oman, July 28, 2026. (Planet Labs PBC/Handout via REUTERS)

The spill threatens a protected marine reserve in the Arabian Sea that is home to endangered petrels and other rare wildlife. Greenpeace Germany warned that oil has already polluted stretches of coastline and damaged the area’s fragile ecosystem.

«With oil apparently continuing to leak and the tanker stranded in a difficult location, there is a serious risk of a much larger oil disaster, with even more devastating consequences for the region’s coastlines and marine ecosystems,» Greenpeace Germany’s Nina Noelle told the AP.

The U.N.’s International Maritime Organization said earlier this week it is monitoring the situation, adding that while the vessel has not broken apart, authorities are continuing to assess the safety and environmental risks.

Oman’s Ministry of Transport, Communications and Information Technology ordered the vessel’s owners to remove the ship and its cargo by July 23. It is unclear whether that deadline was met or whether the owners have responded.