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Voters weigh Spencer Pratt vs Karen Bass in tight race for mayor

7:52 PM EDT, Tue June 2, 2026 / CNN

https://www.cnn.com/2026/06/02/politics/video/ebof-elex-michaelson-la-mayor-race-spencer-pratt-karen-bass

Erin Burnett Out Front

CNN’s Erin Burnett talks to anchor Elex Michaelson, reporting from a polling center in North Hollywood, as voters weigh reality TV star Spencer Pratt’s campaign for LA mayor.

3:11 • Source: CNN

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Fed Chair Warsh names policy veterans Winfree, Heil as interim advisers, WSJ reports

June 2, 2026 8:37 PM UTC / Reuters

The new Federal Reserve Chair Kevin Warsh delivers a speech on the day of his swearing in ceremony, in the East Room of the White House in Washington, D.C., U.S., May 22, 2026. REUTERS/Evelyn Hockstein/File Photo Purchase Licensing Rights, opens new tab

June 2 (Reuters) – Federal Reserve Chair Kevin Warsh ​has tapped two conservative ‌policy veterans, Paul Winfree and Daniel Heil, ​to advise ​him while he settles into ⁠the job, ​the Wall Street Journal ​reported on Tuesday, citing sources.

Winfree and Heil would ​work as temporary ​contractors to support Warsh on ‌policy ⁠analysis and planning, the report said, adding the chair ​had ​made ⁠no final decisions about more ​permanent roles at ​the ⁠central bank.

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Reuters could not immediately verify ⁠the ​report.

Reporting by ​Mrinmay Dey in Mexico City; ​Editing by Chris Reese

Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Iranians speak out over possible Trump-regime deal

2026-06-02T17:52:35-04:00 / Fox News

Iranian citizen says despite economic hardships they still have hope: ‘Our situation is not good, but we are motivated’

By Benjamin Weinthal Fox News

Published June 2, 2026 5:52pm EDT

Iran is trying to separate nuclear negotiations from a deal to end the war: Expert

The Foreign Desk editor-in-chief Lisa Daftari discusses her concerns about Iran’s regime as President Donald Trump contemplates a deal to end the war on ‘Fox Report.’

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Amid President Donald Trump’s Monday announcement that a deal with Iran’s clerical regime is imminent to re-open the Strait of Hormuz and negotiate an end to Tehran’s illicit nuclear weapons program, Iranians who hoped U.S. pressure would force a decisive outcome now fear it may survive while ordinary people absorb the costs.

“Inside Iran, the mood has shifted from early-war optimism to a kind of exhausted resignation, but there is still some hope that this is the moment President Trump will use his leverage to do the right thing.The Iranian people understand this unusually narrow but strategic window,” Lisa Daftari, editor-in-chief of The Foreign Desk who keeps in contact with Iranians on the ground, told Fox News Digital.

She continued that ,”The regime is fiscally strained and politically brittle, while the broader population has been disillusioned by years of repression and economic collapse. Iranians do see this as a one‑time opportunity for Washington — and President Trump in particular — to translate military and economic leverage into the potential collapse of an irrefromable regime. If the outcome is a shallow agreement that props up the system without changing its trajectory, that window will likely close for years.”

TRUMP’S LEADERSHIP CREATES ‘RARE OPPORTUNITY’ FOR CHANGE IN IRAN, FORMER IRANIAN POLITICAL PRISONER SAYS

An Iranian flag is placed amid rubble next to a destroyed residential building near Ferdowsi Square in Tehran on March 3, 2026.(ATTA KENARE / AFP via Getty Images)

She continued, “If instead, the U.S. holds firm on sanctions and nuclear red lines, it can weaken the regime’s hand without punishing the Iranian people, who have already paid the highest price.”

Daftari, the Iran expert, shared recent correspondence from two Iranians from Tabriz and Tehran.

The resident from Tabriz said, “From my perspective, decades of political tension between Iran and the United States have had their greatest impact on ordinary people rather than those in power. Many families feel their voices are not being heard in international discussions about Iran.” Adding, “I respectfully ask whether you might consider sharing or highlighting the human side of this situation, so that the experiences of ordinary Iranian families are not overlooked in political discussions and media coverage.”

The Tehran resident said, “Today, the people of Iran believe in the future. On days when economic pressure makes the faces of the Iranian people sad, the word ‘unity’ brings a smile to their lips. Our situation is not good, but we are motivated.”

Fox News Digital surveyed a few Iranians and agreed to use only their first names because the clerical regime has declared the use of Starlink to bypass the censor a criminal act. A sophisticated clandestine network has managed to smuggle some satellite internet technology into Iran to allow people to communicate with the world outside the Islamist state.

Two armed members of Iran’s police special forces stand behind a country flag placed on an armored military vehicle during a pro-Government rally in downtown Tehran, Iran.(Morteza Nikoubazl/NurPhoto via Getty Images)

Hassan, who lives in Tehran, pleaded with President Trump to keep strong in his dealings with the regime, saying that “Things have gotten so bad that even if you wanted to give up and leave Iran and just focus on your own life and work, it feels like there’s nowhere left to turn. Mr. Trump, through these deals and arrangements, has left people feeling trapped, with no road left open.”

Mehdi, who resides in Tehran, expressed confusion about the existence of an agreement. He said, “So what exactly are they agreeing on? Are they saying they’re close to a deal or are there other discussions too? Every minute there is a new piece of news, everyone has a new analysis, everything changes every minute. It’s strange. This war achieved nothing. We’re the only ones left paying the price,” he complained.

THE WAR HITS HOME: WHY FINANCIAL PAIN AND ECONOMIC UNCERTAINTY THREATEN TRUMP’S DRIVE TO TOPPLE IRAN’S REGIME

Hassan from Tehran said that “Mr. Trump, if until yesterday most Iranians thought they were on the same path as America, you caused them all to become disappointed. “Mr. Trump, if you wanted this government to remain in power, why did you blow up factories? Now workers are being laid off, and inflation is out of control. Even with a salary of 18 million tomans, you cannot feed yourself.”

Mahsa, from the Caspian Sea city of Rasht, told Fox News Digital that the system [Islamic Republic of Iran] is still fully intact. They don’t care how many people died. If anything, they seem more emboldened now and even take pride in martyrdom. Yesterday I argued with a regime supporter who said: “Our leader didn’t give away a single meter of land, didn’t take a step backward, unlike previous kings who gave away Bahrain, Baku, Nakhchivan, and others.”

Protesters block a street as a crowd gathers during a demonstration in Tehran, Iran, on Jan. 9, 2026.(Mahsa/Middle East Images/AFP)

The concerns among many Iranians revolve around the proposed memorandum of understanding between the U.S. and Iran’s regime. The MOU does not address the overthrow of the clerical regime or human rights violations, according to media reports. Large numbers of Iranians within Iran and among the Iranian diaspora want the Trump administration to topple the Islamist dictatorship in Tehran.

The MOU reportedly involves a 60-day ceasefire extension. Israel and the U.S. launched a joint attack on Iran on February 28. The MOU would also see the reopening the Strait of Hormuz and new talks over Iran’s illicit nuclear weapons program.

The leaked elements of the MOU have not been confirmed by the Trump administration.

When asked about the concern among Iranians about a deal with the Islamic Republic, Anna Kelly, a spokeswoman for the White House, told Fox News Digital that “For 47 years, American Presidents and countless other world leaders talked about the threat posed by Iran, but no one had the courage to address it. President Trump took decisive action to ensure that Iran could never harm our homeland, our troops, or our allies again. Once Iran’s nuclear threat is removed for good, the entire region and its people will be safer and more stable.”

IRAN REGIME ESCALATES REPRESSION TOWARD ‘NORTH KOREA-STYLE MODEL OF ISOLATION AND CONTROL’

Protesters march in downtown Tehran, Iran, on Dec. 29, 2025.(Fars News Agency/AP)

However, Trump said last week during his cabinet meeting, “We didn’t set out for regime change,” adding, “But by the fact that we’re dealing with a totally different group of people than we were at the beginning … This is regime change.”

Reza Farnood, an Iranian American who supports the Trump administration and is a researcher, writer and activist, urged that President Trump continue with his maximum pressure campaign against Tehran.

Farnood told Fox News Digital, “We welcome the bombing and attacking the regime because we are aiming to overthrow the regime.” He urged that Trump continue the blockade of Iran’s vessels and deny money to the regime. He said sanctions relief will be used by Iran “against the U.S. and Israel and their allies and innocent Iranians.”

Farnood stressed that the clerical regime is holding the Iranian people “hostage.”

Kianoosh, who lives in the northern city of Karaj, the capital of Alborz province,said about Trump’s proposed deal: “You threw six months of our lives into hell. What answer are you going to give to the mothers of all those children who were killed? Why did you give people false hope? Why did you hand down a death sentence to everything so many people believed in?”

Leading U.S. Senators well-versed in foreign policy have praised Trump’s approach to the Islamic Republic. Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-SC., recently told Fox News’ Sean Hannity “On Trump’s watch, they’re [Iran’s regime] becoming poorer and weaker. That’s the difference.”

TRUMP’S ‘ECONOMIC FURY’ SQUEEZES IRAN — BUT CAN TEHRAN OUTLAST THE PRESSURE?

Graham juxtaposed Trump’s Iran policy with his predecessors. “Obama and Biden screwed Iran up, and Donald Trump is fixing it. On Obama and Biden’s watch, Iran became rich and lethal,” he said. “On Trump’s watch, they’re becoming poorer and weaker. That’s the difference.”

Iran is running dangerously low on oil storage capacity and could face a severe economic breaking point if forced to halt production, former U.S. Energy Secretary Dan Brouillette recently told Fox News.

Trump has said that Iran’s regime murdered as many as 45,000 Iranian demonstrators in January 2026. He urged just days after the mass murder that protesters keep going and promised them that “help is on its way.”

Lawdan Bazargan, a prominent Iranian-American activist who the regime imprisoned in its infamous Evin Prison in Tehran in the 1980s for political dissent, told Fox News Digital that the Iranians she’s spoken with are discouraged by Trump’s dealings. “He was one of the few world leaders who repeatedly spoke about the thousands of Iranians killed in January 2026 and expressed disgust at the sheer brutality of the Islamic Republic. He had promised support for the Iranian people and raised expectations that meaningful change might finally come.”

Iranians attend an anti-government protest in Tehran, Iran, on Jan. 9, 2026.(UGC via AP)

She continued: “Now, 88 days later, many people feel they are left facing the same regime, one that appears more emboldened, more ideological, and still willing to repress, execute, and arrest people. The economy has been devastated, and many feel trapped between a government with no mercy and a future with no clear path forward.

For years, 90 million Iranians have lived as hostages of the Islamic Republic. Now, many fear that the consequences no longer stop at Iran’s borders, through threats to global energy routes, regional stability, and even digital infrastructure.”

According to Bazargan, “The question many ordinary Iranians are asking is simple: How are people expected to fight a system that feels victorious, controls the weapons, controls the narrative through a massive propaganda machine, and possesses countless tools of repression?”

A billboard in Tehran displays Iran’s supreme leaders since 1979: Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, and Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei, who was appointed supreme leader on March 9, 2026.(AFP/Via Getty Images)

Ali, who is also from the sprawling capital city of Tehran, complained about the spiraling prices and inflation and disappointment that the regime is still in place.

“For a government with state-provided housing and billions in patronage and privileges, what difference did any of this make for its supporters?”

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Ali added: “We’re the ones who are paying the price and getting crushed. How are our children ever supposed to afford these housing and car prices, and how are they supposed to get married?”

The U.S. State Department referred Fox News Digital to the White House for a comment.

Benjamin Weinthal reports on Israel, Iran, Syria, Turkey and Europe. You can follow Benjamin on Twitter @BenWeinthal, and email him at benjamin.weinthal@fox.com

Pilot of fighter jet downed over Iran was previously shot down in Kuwaiti friendly fire incident, sources say

2026-06-02T16:42:00-0400 / CBS News

By Eleanor Watson, Eleanor Watson CBS News Reporter
Eleanor Watson is a CBS News multi-platform reporter and producer covering the Pentagon.

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Eleanor Watson, James LaPorta
James LaPorta National security coordinating producer
James LaPorta is the national security coordinating producer for the CBS News’ Washington bureau. He is a former U.S. Marine veteran infantryman and veteran of the Afghanistan war.

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James LaPorta

Updated on: June 2, 2026 / 4:45 PM EDT / CBS News

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The pilot of the F-15E fighter jet downed over Iran was also flying one of the jets shot down at the start of the war by Kuwaiti friendly fire, two people familiar with the incidents tell CBS News.

Just over 30 days after safely ejecting during the friendly fire incident, the pilot was on a mission over Iran when the jet was hit by a surface-to-air missile, prompting a daring rescue operation.

The pilot’s dual shootdowns were first reported by national security reporter Sean Naylor in his Substack The High Side.

In the opening days of the war, the pilot was among six aircrew members who safely ejected after three F-15E Strike Eagles were mistakenly shot down by Kuwaiti air defenses — specifically, a Kuwaiti fighter jet — over Kuwait in a friendly fire incident. Remarkably, just weeks later, the pilot was again forced to eject when the F-15E they were flying was shot down by an Iranian missile on April 3.

CBS News previously reported that the pilot, who sustained serious injuries, was rescued after several hours, and the second crew member was rescued after nearly two days in hiding.

“The courage demonstrated by both the pilot and the weapons system officer while isolated and them evading the enemy cannot be overstated,” Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. Dan Caine said during an April briefing at the White House after the two had been rescued.

“Their grit and warfighting tenacity is a direct result of the absolute trust they have in our rescue forces, their training and their will to survive and return,” Caine said.

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The Pentagon referred questions to U.S. Central Command, which declined to comment.

“It is a highly unusual coincidence,” said Retired Air Force Lt. Gen. David Deptula, who is the Dean of the Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies and was the principal attack planner for the air campaign for Operation Desert Storm, during the 1990-1991 Gulf War.

Deptula told CBS News in a phone interview that he couldn’t think of a pilot being shot down in separate incidents during the same campaign since potentially as far back as the Vietnam War.

“It’s like getting hit by lightning twice,” Deptula said.

老挝播出《习近平的文化情缘》

2026-06-03 07:40 / 联合早报

老挝最高领导人通伦6月2日到访浙江杭州阿里巴巴，考察新兴科技、跨境电商等成果。 （中新社）

老挝最高领导人通伦访华五天，老挝主流媒体同步播出《习近平的文化情缘》。

据新华社报道，由中国中央广播电视总台制作的《习近平的文化情缘》《领航（国际版）》《典籍里的新思想》等三部中国纪录片，6月1日在老挝国家电视台等老挝主流媒体启播。

老挝人民革命党中央总书记、国家主席通伦发贺信，对节目播出表示祝贺。

通伦在贺信中表示，《习近平的文化情缘》等纪录片中“蕴含着中国哲思智慧，体现了习近平总书记对文化遗产保护的高度重视、在治国理政中的远见卓识和深厚炽热的爱国主义情怀，以及他对中华五千年悠久文明历史发自内心的无限热爱”。

通伦称，纪录片也彰显了中华文明作为民族的根脉和不竭动力，正推动中国实现民族复兴的伟大梦想。这对老挝在经济社会发展的同时，保护和弘扬自己独特的民族文化，推进老挝社会主义事业的建设，是极好的借鉴。

延伸阅读

老挝国家主席通伦抵达杭州 开始五天访华行程

今年是中老建交65周年，也是中老两党两国领导人共同开启的“中老友好年”。通伦星期二（6月2日）抵达浙江杭州，开始对中国进行为期五天的国事访问。

Blanche says DOJ “not moving forward” with $1.8 billion “anti-weaponization” fund

2026-06-02T16:56:00-0400 / CBS News

By Caitlin Yilek Politics Reporter
Caitlin Yilek is a politics reporter at CBSNews.com, based in Washington, D.C. She previously worked for the Washington Examiner and The Hill, and was a member of the 2022 Paul Miller Washington Reporting Fellowship with the National Press Foundation.

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Callie Teitelbaum

Updated on: June 2, 2026 / 7:18 PM EDT / CBS News

Washington — Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche said on Tuesday that the Justice Department is not moving forward with its $1.8 billion “anti-weaponization” fund that has become a major obstacle to the GOP agenda in Congress.

“We are not moving forward with the fund. Period,” he told lawmakers on the House Appropriations Committee.

“Not moving forward ever?” Democratic Rep. Grace Meng of New York asked.

“Correct,” Blanche responded.

Meng asked whether Blanche would put that commitment in writing. He responded that it would be in writing through a transcript of the hearing. She followed up on the point later in the hearing and Blanche again declined to commit to put anything in writing.

“Why do I need to put something in writing if I’m telling you what we’re doing?” he said.

“You established it in writing, so it just makes sense to rescind it in writing,” Meng said.

“I’m just concerned ’cause you’re not under oath, and I want to trust you and I want to believe you — we all do — but putting it in writing would settle that issue,” Meng added.

Blanche’s testimony comes a day after the Justice Department said it will stop work on the fund following a district judge’s decision temporarily blocking the establishment of the program.

The fund faced intense pushback from Republicans on Capitol Hill, who warned that it threatened to imperil the GOP agenda. Some Republicans continued to express reservations Tuesday that prevented leaders from moving forward with funding the Department of Homeland Security’s immigration enforcement agencies.

Whether Blanche’s testimony proves definitive enough to win over GOP detractors remains to be seen. The establishment of the fund was also part of a legal settlement, raising questions about how exactly Blanche intends to abandon the program.

Skye Perryman, the president and CEO Democracy Forward, one of the groups that sued over the fund, said in a statement: “If you can say it on TV, you should say it in court.”

Lawyers for President Trump did not immediately respond to a request for comment on whether he has agreed to drop the fund from the settlement.

The fund aimed to provide taxpayer-funded payouts to individuals who alleged the federal government had been “weaponized” against them. But Republican opposition to the plan led GOP leaders to scrap a vote on the DHS funding late last month. Democrats threatened to force votes on amendments on the fund, putting Republicans in a difficult position. And with some GOP members likely to join Democrats, GOP leaders opted to abandon their plans and leave town for a weeklong recess.

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer on Tuesday called the administration’s words “worthless” and said Democrats still plan to force votes on abolishing the fund.

Blanche also told Democratic Rep. Rosa DeLauro of Connecticut during the hearing that the rest of the settlement between the IRS and Mr. Trump, from which the weaponization fund stemmed, remains in place, including the government’s agreement to refrain from auditing any of the president or his family’s previous tax returns. She read the portion of the agreement that would provide them with immunity from all civil or criminal tax actions on all prior tax returns.

“But you are moving forward with this second order,” she said.

“It’s not moving forward. There’s a settlement,” Blanche replied. “There’s a settlement that the IRS entered into with President Trump and others, his family and his companies, as part of that settlement, as is customary in IRS settlements, and there’s a separate AG order.”

Ahead of Blanche’s testimony on Tuesday, Senate Majority Leader John Thune said senators had a “robust conversation” about the fund and how to proceed at their GOP lunch meeting, while pointing out that Blanche would testify later in the afternoon.

“I had a conversation with him a couple hours ago, in which he kind of previewed what he was going to say,” Thune said. “And I think his statements are going to be very definitive, very clear, and create this certainty that I hope all of our members and House members need as well in order for us to proceed on the reconciliation bill.”

But Thune added, “I’m not guaranteeing that happens yet,” saying conversations continue with GOP members.

“Everything dumbs down to a function of math — it’s, do we have the votes? Do we have 50 votes to execute on getting a bill like that across the floor?” he said. “We have to have Republicans hanging together in order to do that.”

Thune affirmed to CBS News ahead of the testimony that it’s his understanding that the fund is off the table.

Senate Republicans leaving the lunch meeting indicated that they would be looking to Blanche’s testimony for assurances, like Sen. John Kennedy of Louisiana, who said “if it goes like we are told it will go, there’s a reasonable possibility we will move pretty quickly to the reconciliation.”

But Sen. John Cornyn, a Texas Republican and the former GOP whip, told CBS News, “I’m not sure that’s going to be good enough for some people.”

House Speaker Mike Johnson said Tuesday that the fund was “off the table for consideration.” Johnson met with Mr. Trump at the White House on Monday.

“I told him that it was a difficult prospect right now, given our vote tallies,” Johnson said when asked by CBS News if he encouraged Mr. Trump to drop the fund. “I understand the intent behind it was a very noble thing. … But I don’t think it was fully understood, and that’s what it made it a difficult thing.”

Nikole Killion contributed to this report.

Takeaways from Blanche’s House testimony: ‘Anti-weaponization’ fund is over, ban on Trump tax audits remains

2026-06-02T23:29:04.545Z / https://www.cnn.com/2026/06/02/politics/blanche-house-testimony-trump-fund-takeaways

Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche testified to lawmakers Tuesday that the Justice Department has abandoned its plans for an “anti-weaponization fund” to compensate people who say they were wrongly prosecuted by the government.

“We are not moving forward with the fund, period,” Blanche told the House Appropriations subcommittee at the hearing set to discuss the Justice Department’s budget request.

“Not moving forward, ever?” asked Democratic Rep. Grace Meng.

“Correct,” Blanche said.

Blanche, largely relaxed during the two-hour hearing, answered questions posed by Democrats with his standard incredulous glare and furrowed brow.

His announcement on the comes one day after the administrated first signaled a willingness to scrap the fund, which was announced in a settlement between the Internal Revenue Service and President Donald Trump, two of his sons and the Trump Organization.

Abandoning the fund reflects an about-face for the department.

At first, senior Justice Department officials insisted that they wouldn’t change the details of the fund despite pushback from republicans, sources told CNN at the time. Blanche publicly backed it during his May 19 Senate testimony as the best way to “change the culture” of weaponization.

But after weeks of unrelenting pushback from congressional republicans, who claimed that there needed to be serious guardrails put in place to ensure that money was being used appropriately and threatened to hold up a separate piece of legislation, some allies began encouraging the president to scrap it entirely.

The Justice Department said vaguely on Monday that it would abide by a court ruling to pause the fund’s creation but did not say what it would do if that ruling was lifted. Blanche’s unequivocal statement during his Tuesday testimony is the first time an administration official definitively said that the fund had been discarded entirely.

Blanche said the “reasons for the fund,” alleged weaponization of the justice system, “remain as important as they were before, but we are not moving forward with the fund.”

Tax audit protections remain

As part of his testimony, the acting attorney general also said that “nothing has changed” in a second agreement that bars the IRS from bringing claims against Trump, his family or businesses for past tax issues will not be rescinded.

The tax term was quietly added to the settlement with the IRS in a hyperlink to a Justice Department press release last month after its initial announcement.

“It’s typical for to get rid of past ongoing audits,” Blanche said defending the document, which he called an “Attorney General order.”

“It’s nothing that gives any sort of immunity in the future to the president or his family or his organizations,” he said.

During a follow up question from Meng, who originally pressed Blanche on the anti-weaponization fund, the acting attorney general said he would not submit any filings rescinding the settlement agreement.

“I just want to make sure,” Meng said, “are you going to issue a new memo in writing, rescinding that May 18 memo?”

Blanche, with a furrowed brow, replied: “I’m not committing to putting anything in writing.”

“I don’t know what the purpose of putting something in writing. I’m telling you what we’re doing,” he added.

Meng said it would “restore a lot of trust” since Americans on “both sides of the aisle are concerned about it.”

“I’m just concerned because you’re not under oath,” she concluded, “and I want to trust you, and I want to believe you. We all do, but putting it in writing would settle that issue.”

Republican leaders are hopeful that Blanche’s commitment that the Justice Department is “not moving forward” with the contentious fund will end a weekslong political headache for Trump. But it’s too early to know for sure.

A massive GOP immigration funding bill has been stalled in the Senate after Republicans revolted over the fund — with many especially anxious over the potential for January 6, 2021, rioters to get payouts.

Many Republicans are now spending Tuesday night reading over the fine print to see whether Blanche’s remarks are enough.

If enough are convinced, Senate GOP leaders believe they can begin advancing their big immigration funding bill in the coming days. But that could all be derailed, with rank-and-file frustration at the White House still high. GOP senators have been pressing for clarity and specifics from the Trump administration over the fund. It’s not yet clear if a critical mass of Republicans are willing to move ahead.

Senate Majority Leader John Thune was asked if he has spoken to his hold outs since the Blanche testimony.

“We’ve been talking to our members, continue to dialog with them and see where it goes,” he said.

CNN’s Sarah Ferris and Ted Barrett contributed to this report.

Schumer meets with Maine Senate candidate Platner ahead of primary

2026-06-02 9:10 PM UTC / Reuters

By Nolan D. McCaskill and Richard Cowan

June 2, 2026 9:10 PM UTC Updated 56 mins ago

[1/3]Graham Platner, Democratic candidate for U.S. Senate in Maine, leaves the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee offices on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., June 2, 2026. REUTERS/Kylie Cooper Purchase Licensing Rights, opens new tab

Summary

Platner presumed to win Democratic nomination after Mills suspends campaign
Schumer backs Platner despite controversies
Maine race seen as key for Democrats to flip Senate

WASHINGTON, June 2 (Reuters) – Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer said on Tuesday that he met with Graham Platner, the party’s leading Senate candidate from Maine who has battled a ​string of controversies ahead of next week’s primary election.

“I have ​endorsed Graham Platner. We are going to beat Susan Collins ⁠and take back the Senate,” Schumer said at a news conference, declining ​to comment further.

The Reuters Iran Briefing newsletter keeps you informed with the latest developments and analysis of the Iran war. Sign up here.

Later in the day, Platner did not appear to comment ​as he left a Democratic Party office building. He was due to hold several fundraisers while in Washington, according to Politico.

Platner, a former Marine and oyster farmer, is ​expected to win the June 9 Democratic nomination to take on ​Collins, the incumbent Republican senator. The race is seen as a must-win for Democrats ‌to take ⁠control of the Senate in the November midterm elections. Republicans currently hold a 53-47 majority in the chamber.

Several news outlets have reported that Platner sent sexually explicit texts to multiple women in the latest controversy to ​hit his populist ​campaign, following revelations ⁠of controversial internet posts and a tattoo that resembled a Nazi insignia. Platner has apologized for the posts ​and has said he did not know the tattoo ​had Nazi ⁠links and has since gotten it covered up. Platner’s campaign did not respond to a request for comment.

His top rival, Governor Janet Mills, suspended her ⁠campaign ​in April but told local media on ​Monday that her name was still on the ballot. Schumer had initially backed Mills.

Reporting by Nolan ​D. McCaskill and Richard Cowan; editing by Andy Sullivan and Nia Williams

Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

GOP Rep. Tom Kean says he will return to work in person “within a matter of weeks” after monthslong absence

2026-06-02 5:32 PM EDT / CBS News

Washington — Republican Rep. Tom Kean Jr. of New Jersey, who has missed more than 100 votes since early March, said Tuesday he will return to Capitol Hill within weeks and provide more details about his health then.

“Right now I am focused on my recovery and under the advice of healthcare professionals, I will transition from virtual work to in person work within a matter of weeks. At that time I will be completely transparent as to the nature of my medical condition,” Kean said in a statement released by his campaign.

Kean is running unopposed in the Republican primary in New Jersey’s competitive 7th Congressional District. The statement’s release came hours before polls close in the state.

“Once again, I appreciate all of the prayers and patience from my constituents and colleagues. I understand the need for transparency on this matter and I look forward to sharing my experience with the public,” he added.

Kean last voted on March 5 and his whereabouts since then have not been disclosed. Kean’s first public statement on his absence came in late April, when the congressman said he was addressing a “personal medical issue.”

“My doctors continue to assure me that my recovery will be complete and that I will be back to the job I love very soon,” the April 27 statement said. “I expect to return to a full schedule and be at 100 percent.”