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How Trump’s revenge tour against Republicans could cost the party in November

2026-05-20T22:09:26.215Z / Reuters

• Summary

• Trump purges dissenters, risking alienation of moderates and independents
• Trump’s actions could limit Republican lawmakers’ freedom to break ranks before midterms
• Cassidy’s post-defeat vote shows risk that ousted Republicans will oppose Trump’s priorities

May 20 (Reuters) – Sixteen months into his second presidency, Donald Trump may be as unpopular as he’s ever been among the American electorate – but his grip on his core base of MAGA voters remains unshaken.

That power was on full display over the last two weeks, as ​Trump ousted a string of fellow Republicans he considered apostates for not showing him enough personal fealty. The president’s revenge tour continued on Tuesday, when a hand-picked loyalist defeated U.S. Representative Thomas Massie, a ‌frequent critic, in a Kentucky nominating contest.

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But Trump’s success in purging the party of dissenters could also hurt its chances of retaining control of Congress in November’s midterm elections, some Republican strategists said.

Trump’s actions appear aimed at mobilizing his most diehard supporters, rather than reaching out to independent or moderate Republican voters who will likely play a determinative role in highly competitive races.

And the Republican candidates in those contests may feel pressure to tether themselves even more closely to Trump to avoid becoming the latest targets of his ire – even though it may cost them voters outside the Make ​America Great Again base.

“Anytime the party in power in the midterm elections faces headwinds, the president should be looking to grow his coalition,” said Jeff Grappone, a former adviser to several Republican senators.

With the Iran war driving ​energy costs higher, Trump’s approval rating was at 35% in a Reuters/Ipsos poll that closed on Monday, reflecting growing concern about inflation and the cost of living.

‘ADDITION BY SUBTRACTION’

Trump’s spring ⁠retribution campaign notched its first victory on May 5, when five Indiana state senators who had bucked his demand to redraw the state’s congressional map lost to Trump-endorsed challengers.

On Saturday, Republican U.S. Senator Bill Cassidy – whose sin was voting to convict Trump at his ​2021 impeachment trial over the January 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol – finished far behind a Trump-backed candidate.

And on Tuesday, Massie, who had cast several votes that angered Trump, was defeated.

The same day, Trump endorsed Republican Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton for the state’s ​U.S. Senate race over the incumbent, John Cornyn, rejecting months of entreaties from Senate Republicans worried that the scandal-ridden Paxton could cost them a reliably Republican seat in November.

Even if Paxton ultimately prevails in the fall, Republicans will likely be forced to spend more money on that race, draining resources from competitive Senate races in states such as North Carolina and Georgia, said Rob Godfrey, a Republican strategist in South Carolina.

Chuck Coughlin, a Phoenix-based strategist who left the Republican Party in 2017 and now identifies as an independent, described Trump’s latest purges as a “purification exercise” that could ​alienate the smaller but significant minority of Republican voters who backed Cornyn, Massie and Cassidy.

“It’s addition by subtraction,” Coughlin said. “He’s shrinking the party.”

Trump dismissed concerns that he might be harming his party’s chances in November by going after incumbent Republicans.

“They’ll be ​alright with it,” he told reporters on Wednesday, referring to Republican leaders. “They want to win. I know how to win – I think I’ve proven that, haven’t I?”

VULNERABLE REPUBLICANS IN BIND

Trump’s refusal to brook any disloyalty could make it more difficult for Republicans in vulnerable ‌seats to oppose ⁠him on politically divisive votes, such as funding for the president’s ballroom or forcing an end to the Iran war.

Rachel Blum, a political science professor at the University of Oklahoma, said the party in control has traditionally given members of Congress room to break with it in the run-up to the midterm election, especially when the president is unpopular.

“That’s exactly the conditions we have right now, but you aren’t seeing that kind of freedom or leeway being given to members,” she said.

A person familiar with Republican strategy pushed back against that narrative, saying Trump has largely targeted Republicans in very safe districts – like Massie and Cassidy – while allowing some members in competitive districts to show bipartisanship or even break with the president on certain issues.

Trump on Friday will campaign with ​Republican U.S. Representative Mike Lawler, whose New York district is ​widely seen as one of Democrats’ most viable pickup ⁠opportunities in November. Lawler has broken with Trump at times, including siding with Democrats on legislation protecting Haitian immigrants from deportation.

But Trump has also shown a willingness to go after Republicans in more competitive races. In remarks to reporters on Wednesday, he criticized U.S. Representative Brian Fitzpatrick, a Republican from Pennsylvania whom Democrats have targeted in the midterms and who is one of only ​three Republican House members to vote to end the Iran war.

“I don’t know what’s with him,” Trump said. “He likes voting against Trump. You know what happens with that … doesn’t ​work out well.”

REFERENDUM ON TRUMP

Trump’s successful ⁠expulsions may also endanger his agenda in Washington, where Republicans’ razor-thin congressional majorities mean they can only afford to lose a handful of votes.

Less than 72 hours after losing his primary, Cassidy abruptly switched sides and backed a Democratic measure to force Trump to end the war or seek congressional authorization, helping to push it through the Senate after seven previous failed attempts.

“Trump is certainly in command of his own party, but he’s complicated his governing position on Capitol Hill,” Grappone said. “We now have Republican senators that he’s opposed ⁠or torpedoed who ​have nothing left to lose.”

Brian Seitchik, an Arizona-based Republican strategist, said the midterms will largely be a referendum on Trump’s record no matter what, ​making it difficult for Republicans to distance themselves from him even if they were inclined to try.

“As a general rule, the parties swim and drown together,” he said.

But, he noted, Trump has a track record of upending political assumptions.

“It’s conventional wisdom to say if you’re not with Trump, then you lose ​the primary, and if you’re with Trump, you lose the general election,” Seitchik said. “That’s the conventional wisdom of the day, but Trump again continues to defy gravity.”

Reporting by Nathan Layne, Bo Erickson and Joseph Ax; Editing by Colleen Jenkins and Deepa Babington

Trump officials say they can build 250-foot arch without Congress’s approval

2026-05-20T20:53:29.884Z / The Washington Post

To build a triumphal arch near Arlington Cemetery, the administration hopes to rely on a 101-year-old authorization for a different project on the site.

May 20, 2026 at 6:22 p.m. EDT Yesterday at 6:22 p.m. EDT

Workers take measurements on May 15 at Memorial Circle, the proposed site for President Donald Trump’s triumphal arch. (Kylie Cooper/Reuters)

By Dan Diamond

The Trump administration does not plan to seek approval from Congress for President Donald Trump’s planned 250-foot arch, arguing that they do not need it because lawmakers a century ago authorized a somewhat similar project that was never built.

美国以谋杀等罪名起诉古巴前领导人卡斯特罗

2026年5月21日 07:21 / 联合早报

美国司法部星期三指控现年94岁的古巴前领导人卡斯特罗（图）和另外五人在1996年古巴流亡分子飞机被击落事件中，涉嫌谋杀四人和破坏飞机等罪行。 （路透社档案照片）

美国周三对古巴前领导人卡斯特罗提起刑事诉讼，加剧了外界对美国总统特朗普将试图推翻这个共产主义政权的猜测。

美国司法部星期三（5月20日）指控现年94岁的卡斯特罗（Raul Castro）和另外五人在1996年古巴流亡分子飞机被击落事件中，涉嫌谋杀四人和破坏飞机等罪行。

据美国媒体报道，今年2月，四名美国共和党国会议员致信特朗普，要求美司法部考虑起诉卡斯特罗。信中称，1996年事发时担任古巴革命武装力量部部长的卡斯特罗批准了击落飞机的行动，并称此举为谋杀。

古巴国家主席迪亚斯-卡内尔周三谴责美国政府针对卡斯特罗提出的指控完全是出于政治动机。古巴外长罗德里格斯则称美国政府的起诉是“非法闹剧”。

罗德里格斯说，美国试图掩盖古巴1996年在合法自卫情况下击落流亡分子组织“兄弟救援会”飞机的历史事实，企图为特朗普政府侵略古巴寻找借口。

特朗普一再暗示，继委内瑞拉之后，古巴政府可能成为下一个屈服于美国压力的国家。本月初，他甚至表示，华盛顿将“几乎立即”接管这个距离佛罗里达州约145公里的加勒比海岛国。

不过特朗普周三被问及古巴局势时称，“局势不会升级，我认为也没那个必要。”

Trump and Netanyahu diverge on Iran war’s future in tense phone call

2026-05-20T23:10:36.008Z / CNN

By Alayna Treene, Tal Shalev, Jeremy Diamond, Jennifer Hansler

PUBLISHED May 20, 2026, 7:10 PM ET

Donald Trump The Middle East

US President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Getty Images

Summary

• President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had a tense phone call Tuesday in which the two world leaders offered divergent views on next steps in Iran.
• Netanyahu pushed Trump to resume military action, believing that a delay in combat operations benefits Tehran, according to US and Israeli officials.
• Trump told reporters Wednesday that the situation in Iran is in its “final stages,” and military options remain ready if diplomacy fails.

AI-generated summary was reviewed by a CNN editor.

President Donald Trump had a tense conversation with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Tuesday that reflected their different views on how to proceed with the Iran war, a US official told CNN.

It wasn’t their first conversation in recent days. When the two leaders spoke on Sunday, Trump shared that he was likely to move forward with new targeted attacks on Iran early in the week, the official said — an operation that, as CNN has previously reported, was expected to get a new name: Operation Sledgehammer.

But roughly 24 hours after that initial conversation, Trump announced he was halting strikes that he said were planned for Tuesday at the request of allies in the Gulf, including Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. In the days since, the Gulf nations have been in close contact with White House and Pakistani mediators in working on a framework that could further diplomatics talks, the US official and a person familiar with the situation said.

“We’re in the final stages of Iran. We’ll see what happens,” Trump told reporters on Wednesday morning about efforts to secure a deal.

“We’ll either have a deal or we’re going to do some things that are a little bit nasty,” he went on. “But hopefully that won’t happen.”

The ongoing negotiations have frustrated the Israeli prime minister, who has long advocated for a more aggressive approach in dealing with Tehran. Netanyahu has argued that a delay only benefits the Iranians, according to Trump officials and Israeli sources.

Netanyahu made his disappointment known on Tuesday, telling Trump that he believed delaying the expected attacks was a mistake, and that the president should continue as planned, the US official said. During the hour-long conversation, Netanyahu pushed for a resumption of military action, an Israeli source familiar said. The divergence was clear: Trump wants to see if a deal can be reached, but Netanyahu was expecting something else, an Israeli official said.

CNN has reached out to the White House.

Axios first reported the tense phone call.

The Israeli concern after that Tuesday phone call extended to officials around Netanyahu, another Israeli source told CNN. There is a strong desire in the upper echelons of the Israeli government for renewed military action, this source said, and mounting frustration that Trump is continuing to allow what they say is Iran’s diplomatic foot-dragging.

But Netanyahu’s frustration with the US approach — and specifically Trump making threats only to eventually press pause — is not entirely new, sources familiar with their conversations said. US officials in the past have acknowledged differing objectives between the US and Israel when it comes to the war.

Asked what he told the prime minister the night before, Trump suggested Wednesday he’s in the driver’s seat.

“He’ll do whatever I want him to do,” the US president said.

And despite Netanyahu’s pressure to return to active combat, Trump, for now, has continued to push for a diplomatic agreement, claiming Wednesday that things with Iran are “right on the borderline” and that it’s worth giving diplomacy a few more days if it saves lives.

Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson said Wednesday that Tehran and Washington have continued to exchange messages through Pakistan.

But it’s unclear what, if any, of the key gaps between the two sides have been narrowed. Iran has not backed away from its core demands, and issues around its nuclear program and frozen assets had remained unresolved earlier this week, a regional source said.

And Trump has repeatedly indicated that military action remains an option.

“If we don’t get the right answers, it goes very quickly. We’re all ready to go,” he said Wednesday.

CNN’s Kevin Liptak and Mohammed Tawfeeq contributed to this report.

韩联社：习近平最早可能下周访问朝鲜

2026年5月21日 07:40 / 联合早报

韩联社：习近平最早可能下周访问朝鲜

韩联社周三报道称，中国国家主席习近平最早可能下周访问朝鲜。 （法新社）

韩联社周三晚引述一名高级政府官员报道称，中国国家主席习近平最早可能下周访问朝鲜。

另有政府消息人士称，一支中国安全部门和礼宾官员团队近期访问了平壤，习近平很可能在5月底或6月初访问朝鲜。

韩国总统府周四就习近平访朝可能性表示，政府正在关注相关动向，希望朝中交流朝着有助于维护朝鲜半岛和平稳定的方向进行，也期待中方在解决朝鲜半岛问题上发挥建设性作用。

Ally of DOJ pardon attorney seeks to join board of Trump’s $1.7+ billion fund

May 20, 2026 / 7:12 PM EDT / CBS News

A Republican lawyer and close ally of Ed Martin, the U.S. pardon attorney, has submitted a request to the Justice Department to join a panel that will dispense over $1.7 billion to people who claim they were victims of legal “weaponization,” according to a letter obtained by CBS News.

On Wednesday evening, lawyer Mike Howell said in a letter to Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche that he wished to “declare my candidacy for one of the five member positions on the anti-weaponization fund.”

Blanche is responsible for appointing the members of the commission overseeing the fund, according to a memo he signed this week. The fund was announced Monday as part of the DOJ’s settlement of a $10 billion lawsuit that President Trump filed earlier this year against the Internal Revenue Service for the leak of his tax returns.

“I have testified before the House of Representatives, the U.S. Senate, and have appeared on national television and radio to lay out the cases of ordinary Americans targeted by federal law enforcement for their political views, their faith, and their exercise of constitutionally protected rights,” Howell wrote in the application letter — adding that he has “written, sued, defended, and advocated every single day to this end” and is “not planning on stopping any time soon.”

If Howell is chosen, it would place him in a powerful position to oversee payments to people who submit claims to the fund, which the DOJ said will operate through the end of 2028.

File: Attorney Mike Howell speaks outside the federal courthouse in Washington on June 6, 2023. Manuel Balce Ceneta / AP

Howell is a close ally of Martin, the pardon attorney at the Justice Department who advocated for Mr. Trump’s pardons or commutations for more than 1,500 people who were charged or convicted for their role in the Capitol riot on Jan. 6, 2021.

From outside the government, Howell ran Martin’s Senate confirmation process to be U.S. attorney for D.C., a job Martin held on an interim basis but failed to secure full-time.

Howell, who is based in Washington, D.C., is the president of a conservative group called the Oversight Project that investigates alleged weaponization of government. He is also a visiting fellow in the border security and immigration center at the Heritage Foundation.

“The anti-weaponization fund is a historic step by President Trump and Acting Attorney General Blanche,” Howell said in a statement to CBS News, adding that he is ready “to make sure it is a success.”

The Justice Department did not respond to requests for comment.

Howell’s letter is the first known request to the DOJ to serve on the commission. CNN first reported on Tuesday that the first request for compensation was made by Michael Caputo, a former Trump adviser and administration official. Caputo asked for $2.7 million in “restitution and reimbursement,” arguing he was targeted by the FBI’s investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election.

The fund’s announcement appears to be the latest step Mr. Trump has taken to carry out retribution for his supporters — beginning with the president’s clemency for Jan. 6 defendants. There is a loose criteria outlined in the DOJ’s settlement agreement for who may apply to receive some of the over $1.7 billion, which said the commission would consider the “totality of the circumstances.”

The DOJ said in a press release about the fund that there are “no partisan requirements to file a claim,” though Capitol riot defendants and other MAGA allies are already considering applying for relief, CBS News reported this week.

In his letter to Blanche, Howell said that, if selected for the panel, “one of my very first actions will be organizing a national gathering of the thousands of victims of weaponization, held in Washington, D.C.”

“These victims will include those who had to pay legal fees because of their support for President Trump, those who were sent to prison, including those involved with January 6th, 2021,” the letter read. “At this gathering, victims will be offered the time and space to share their stories.”

https://www.cbsnews.com/video/michael-caputo-former-trump-official-files-claim-for-anti-weaponization-fund/

Trump-backed nominees dominate primary contests as president tightens party vice grip

May 20, 2026 2:25pm EDT / Fox News

Rep Thomas Massie lost to former Navy SEAL Ed Gallrein in Kentucky after $32M was spent on the race overall

By Robert McGreevy, Fox News

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President Donald Trump was the biggest winner of Tuesday’s wide slate of primary elections as the president celebrated a large swath of his preferred candidates winning GOP primaries or advancing to runoff elections.

Massie Ousted in Historic, Multimillion-Dollar Kentucky Primary

In the most expensive primary in U.S. House history, a longtime thorn in Trump’s side, Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., lost to former Navy SEAL Ed Gallrein in Kentucky’s 4th District. Gallrein defeated Massie soundly with nearly 55% of the vote to Massie’s 45.1%, according to The Associated Press.

The defeat will mark the end to Massie’s congressional stint, a tenure which, toward its end, saw Massie increasingly opposing Trump and criticizing the president’s actions on trade deals, the Jeffrey Epstein files and the Iran war.

In his concession speech, Massie highlighted the influx of support his opponent received from pro-Israel groups like the American Israeli Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC).

“I would have come out sooner, but I had to call my opponent to concede and it took a while to find him in Tel Aviv,” he joked to his supporters Tuesday night.

TRUMP TARGETS MASSIE IN EXPLOSIVE KENTUCKY SHOWDOWN AS SIX STATES HOLD HIGH-STAKES PRIMARIES

Rep. Thomas Massie speaks with supporters after his concession speech in Hebron, Ky., on May 19, 2026.(Jon Cherry/Getty Images)

Pro-Israeli groups like AIPAC and the Republican Jewish Coalition, as well as other pro-Trump groups, poured millions of dollars into attack ads against Massie and support ads for Gallrein. With over $32 million spent on the race overall, the contest became the most expensive primary in House history.

Trump and surrogates, like Secretary of War Pete Hegseth, campaigned arduously against Massie in Kentucky and in national media, with Trump referring to Massie as the “Worst Republican Congressman in History” in one of many pre-primary attacks on Truth Social.

https://www.foxnews.com/video/6396099410112

Gallrein, for his part, thanked Trump for his support and told supporters “the winner of the race tonight is not so much Ed Gallrein… but it’s the Republicans of Kentucky Congressional District 4 and their families, who I will be a champion for in Washington.”

ANDY BARR BESTS CROWDED SENATE PRIMARY WITH HELP FROM TRUMP ON WAY TO REPLACING MCCONNELL

Elsewhere in Kentucky, Trump-backed Rep. Andy Barr, R-Ky., won the GOP nomination for the state’s Senate seat, vacated by Sen. Mitch McConnell’s decision not to run for re-election. Barr defeated former Kentucky Attorney General Daniel Cameron handily, winning over 60% of the vote, according to AP. He will face former Kentucky state Rep. Charles Booker, who won the Democratic Party’s nomination Tuesday.

Raffensperger Falls Short in Georgia as Runoffs Take Shape

In Georgia, another Trump foe conceded defeat when the state’s Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger failed to advance in the GOP gubernatorial primary, falling behind Lt. Gov. Burt Jones and billionaire healthcare executive Rick Jackson, both of whom will advance to a June 16 runoff.

Raffensperger drew Trump’s ire in 2021 when he publicly contested claims Trump made that the 2020 presidential election results in Georgia were inaccurate.

TRUMP’S GEORGIA CANDIDATE HEADS TO GOP RUNOFF FOR GOVERNOR AGAINST BILLIONAIRE BUSINESSMAN JACKSON

While Trump did not actively campaign against Raffensperger, he threw his support behind Jones, the race’s top vote-getter with over 38% of the vote, according to AP. Jackson finished with roughly 32.5%, compared to Raffensperger’s 15%, per AP.

Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger speaks at a press conference at the Georgia State Capitol in Atlanta on Nov. 11, 2022. (Getty Images)

The winner of June’s runoff will face Keisha Lance Bottoms, a former mayor of Atlanta who earlier this month collected former President Joe Biden’s first political endorsement since leaving office. Bottoms defeated her Democratic opponents comfortably, collecting over 56% of the vote, per AP.

In the state’s Senate primary, a race in which Trump chose not to place his thumb on the scale, Rep. Mike Collins and former NFL coach Derek Dooley both advanced to the June 16 primary, both gaining more votes than Rep. Buddy Carter, who will not advance.

TRUMP-BACKED REPUBLICAN PADS GOP’S FRAGILE HOUSE MAJORITY BY WINNING SHOWDOWN FOR MTG’S FORMER SEAT

Collins, a strong and vocal supporter of Trump’s, gained the most votes, pulling in over 40%, according to AP. Dooley, a former football coach who most recently coached at the University of Alabama, advanced with just over 30% of the vote.

Tuberville Clinches Nomination; Tight Race for Alabama Senate Seat

Speaking of Alabama and football, former Auburn University head football coach and current U.S. Sen. Tommy Tuberville, R-Ala., secured his party’s nomination to become the next governor of Alabama. Tuberville, who was also backed by Trump, will face former Democratic Sen. Doug Jones, who won his party’s nomination Tuesday.

Sen. Tommy Tuberville, R-Ala., speaks as President Donald Trump listens during an event.(Alex Wong/Getty Images)

To replace Tuberville in the Senate, Trump-favored Rep. Barry Moore advanced in the GOP Senate primary with close to 40% of the vote, according to the AP.

Former Navy SEAL Jared Hudson and Alabama Secretary of State Steve Marshall are neck-and-neck competing for the second spot to see who will advance to the June runoff to compete against Moore. With an estimated 5,500 votes remaining to be counted as of this writing, Hudson leads Marshall with 123,531 votes compared to Marshall’s 118,228, according to the AP.

Trump Sweeps Northwest as Democrats Notch Wins in Pennsylvania

Elsewhere in the country, Trump-backed candidates enjoyed victories in Idaho, as incumbents Gov. Brad Little and Sen. Jim Risch won their primaries. In Oregon, Trump-backed incumbent Rep. Clifford Bentz won his primary handily.

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Outside of Trump’s sphere of influence, Pennsylvania Democrats celebrated primary victories for a trio of candidates backed by Democratic Gov. Josh Shapiro. Bob Harvie, Bob Brooks and Janelle Stelson all won their primaries and will advance to face GOP incumbents in districts the Democrats hope to flip in November.

Fox News’ Sally Persons and The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Trump says he hopes Spencer Pratt does well in LA mayoral race, blasts California’s ‘rigged’ elections

May 20, 2026 12:33pm EDT / Fox News

Trump said he’d ‘like to see him do well’ but called California ‘one of the most dishonest states’ for elections

By Robert McGreevy, Fox News

https://www.foxnews.com/video/6396144620112

Trump praises LA mayoral candidate Spencer Pratt, rips California’s ‘dishonest’ elections

President Donald Trump told reporters at Joint Base Andrews that he hopes Spencer Pratt does well in the Los Angeles mayoral race, saying he heard the ex-reality TV star is “a big MAGA person” and ripping California’s elections as “dishonest.”

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President Donald Trump signaled support for former reality TV star turned Los Angeles mayoral candidate Spencer Pratt while speaking to reporters Wednesday at Joint Base Andrews.

“Oh, I’d like to see him do well. He’s a character,” Trump said.

“I don’t know him. I assume he probably supports me. Does he support me?” Trump asked a reporter.

“I heard he does. I heard he’s a Big MAGA person. He’s doing well,” Trump said of Pratt after being asked if he saw any similarities between himself and the former “The Hills” star.

REALITY TV STAR SPENCER PRATT GAINS TRACTION IN LOS ANGELES MAYORAL RACE AFTER FIERY DEBATE

President Donald Trump talks to reporters before boarding Air Force One on May 20, 2026, at Joint Base Andrews, Maryland. Trump signaled support for Los Angeles mayoral candidate Spencer Pratt while blasting California’s elections as “rigged.”(Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

Trump questioned whether Pratt could win the election in California, claiming the state’s voting system is “rigged.”

“I don’t know if, you know, if you have a rigged vote out there. That’s the problem. The votes are rigged. You have a really rigged vote in California. You have all the mail-in ballots, everything else. Very hard to win because the elections are very dishonest. If we had Jesus Christ come down and count the votes, I would have won California because I do great with Hispanics. But it’s a rigged vote,” he said.

“They send out 38 million votes. Nobody knows where they’re going. Of course, the Democrats do, so I guess, but, disproportionately, Democrats get many more votes. Some get eight votes, they get eight cards, and Republicans have to call in. ‘Where’s my card?’ It’s a rigged system. One of the most. Not the worst. I’ll give you a list. Maybe I’ll do my list. But it’s… California’s one of the most dishonest states,” he concluded.

Spencer Pratt launched his mayoral campaign in January after being dissatisfied with incumbent Mayor Karen Bass.(Etienne Laurent/Getty Images)

Pratt and his wife Heidi Montag lost their Pacific Palisades home in the January 2025 Los Angeles wildfires, which destroyed thousands of homes across the area. Those fires, and Democratic Mayor Karen Bass’ alleged “mismanagement” of the aftermath, were a prime catalyst in Pratt’s decision to run for mayor.

“Standing here one year later, I have to tell you the most heartbreaking part of the last year wasn’t being displaced or losing everything I own, it was the realization that all of this was preventable,” Pratt said when he announced his candidacy on Jan. 7, 2026, the one-year anniversary of the Palisades Fires.

SPENCER PRATT SAYS A-LISTERS PRIVATELY CHEER HIS CRITICISM OF CALIFORNIA LEADERSHIP, FEAR CAREER FALLOUT

“While our lives were literally burning to the ground, Mayor Karen Bass was in Ghana,” Pratt charged.

Pratt has an Airstream trailer parked on the dirt lot where his Pacific Palisades home burned down in the 2025 wildfire. He has said he stopped staying there after receiving death threats and because his security team warned the exposed lot was unsafe. Pratt and his family have reportedly spent time in temporary housing, including the Hotel Bel-Air and rentals near Santa Barbara/Carpinteria, while he campaigns for Los Angeles mayor, and he has publicly questioned whether he can afford to rebuild permanently in the Palisades.

He has garnered campaign buzz with provocative AI-generated campaign videos and hardline stances on homelessness and drug addiction, including calls for stricter enforcement, mandatory treatment and expanded incarceration for some repeat offenders and people involved in street crime.

Pratt trails the incumbent Bass in most major polling, though a recent Emerson College poll showed him surging up from 10% in March to 22% in May. Bass is polling at 30% in the same poll.

Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass said “it depends” when asked whether noncitizens should be allowed to vote in local elections.(Getty Images)

The candidates are heading for a June 2 primary that could see a winner declared if one candidate pulls in more than 50% of the votes. If no candidate reaches the 50% threshold, the top two candidates will advance to a head-to-head general election slated for November.

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Fox News Digital contacted Pratt, Bass and the California Secretary of State for further comment.

Trump’s endorsement put to the test in Alabama Senate runoff to replace Tuberville

2026-05-20T14:35:20-04:00 / Fox News

Tuberville’s decision to run for governor created a vacancy that drew a crowded 7-candidate field in Alabama

By Alex Miller Fox News

Published May 20, 2026 2:35pm EDT

Alabama Sen. Tommy Tuberville announces gubernatorial bid for the Yellowhammer State

Republican Sen. Tommy Tuberville details his run for Alabama governor and his remaining tenure in Congress on ‘The Will Cain Show.’

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2 min

Alabama is one step closer to anointing the Republican successor to Sen. Tommy Tuberville, R-Ala.

But determining which candidate will come out on top is still weeks away, given that Tuberville’s decision to run for governor and vacate his Senate seat ignited a crowded race to replace him. And in Alabama, if a candidate doesn’t get a majority of votes, a runoff is triggered.

Out of the field of Republican hopefuls, Rep. Barry Moore, R-Ala., and former Navy SEAL Jared Hudson emerged from the seven-way clash. They will again square off on June 16.

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President Donald Trump arrives at Joint Base Andrews, Md., on Air Force One on May 15, 2026, returning from Beijing where he met with China’s President Xi Jinping.(Mark Schiefelbein/AP)

It will also be another test of President Donald Trump’s endorsement power in Alabama, where his track record has not been 100%.

Moore, who announced his candidacy to Fox News Digital last year, has Trump’s backing. It’s an endorsement he re-upped during a recent tele-rally urging support for the three-term member of the House.

“He’s a true America First Patriot who’s been with me from the very beginning,” Trump said during the rally.

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https://www.foxnews.com/video/6395244041112

Moore, who is a member of the conservative House Freedom Caucus and a self-styled fiscal hawk, has a long-standing history of supporting Trump. Indeed, he was the first elected official in the country to endorse Trump during his first run for office in 2015.

“I think my number one job is to protect the people’s liberty and to support the president in that process,” Moore told Fox News Digital last year. “And so, for us, it’s an opportunity to continue to fight for the America First agenda, and also make sure we have conservatives in the Senate from Alabama that are truly the voice of the people.”

TRUMP BACKS PAXTON IN TEXAS REPUBLICAN SENATE SHOWDOWN WITH CORNYN

Rep. Barry Moore, R-Ala., salutes during the national anthem during the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee on July 18, 2024.(Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc./Getty Images)

Hudson narrowly squeaked into the second place spot against Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall in a race that wasn’t locked in until several hours after polls closed.

Marshall had a stronger name ID heading into the race, and has served as the Yellowhammer State’s top law enforcement officer since 2017.

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And most recently, he made waves after demanding that a federal court in Alabama adhere to the Supreme Court’s recent redistricting decision in Louisiana and allow the state’s maps drawn during the 2020 cycle to be used on primary day.

But it wasn’t enough to best either Moore or Hudson. And the winner of that contest next month will face the Democratic candidate, either Everett Wess and Dakarai Larriett, who are similarly headed for a runoff race.

Alex Miller is a writer for Fox News Digital covering the U.S. Senate.

US provides another $200 million for plan to rebuild New York Penn Station

2026-05-20 18:56:11 UTC / Reuters

Commuters exit Penn Station, in New York City, U.S., May 19, 2026. REUTERS/Eduardo Munoz Purchase Licensing Rights

May 20 (Reuters) – The U.S. Transportation Department said on ​Wednesday it will ‌provide another $200 million to begin construction next year ​on an $8 billion ​plan to rebuild New ⁠York Penn Station, ​a key transit artery.

U.S. ​passenger railroad Amtrak and the Trump administration said ​the plan includes ​expanding track capacity, building a ‌grand ⁠entrance on Eighth Avenue to a new train hall and ​replacing aging ​walkways ⁠with open modern concourses. It ​is not clear ​how ⁠much of the total cost will be ⁠provided ​by the ​federal government.

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Reporting by David Shepardson; ​Editing by Chris Reese

Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.