Dems pick challenger for GOP congressman who vanished from public view amid health mystery
Democrat Rebecca Bennett will face Rep. Tom Kean Jr., R-N.J., an embattled lawmaker sidelined for months by an undisclosed health issue, in November’s general election. Bennett, a former Navy helicopter pilot, won the Democratic nomination in a crowded primary for a battleground New Jersey House seat, according to The Associated Press. Kean, who has not appeared in public since early March, ran unopposed for the GOP nomination. Bennett’s primary victory sets up what could be the two-term incumbent’s toughest re-election fight yet. The suburban swing district is considered critical to House Republicans’ efforts to hold their slim majority. VIDEO SHOWS DEM CANDIDATE DODGING TRUMP VIOLENCE QUESTION AS CAMPAIGN ISSUES RESPONSE Gov. Mikie Sherrill, D-N.J., narrowly carried the northern New Jersey swing seat during her gubernatorial race in 2025. The nonpartisan Cook Political Report rated the contest as a “toss-up.” The brewing general election battle comes as Kean has faced mounting scrutiny for a prolonged absence from Congress that has left even House GOP leadership in the dark. “He’s had a medical issue, and he’s gonna be fully transparent and disclose all that,” House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., told reporters in May. “I mean, that’s what he told me. But I don’t even know the details, and I have to respect that.” Kean released a written statement shortly before polls closed Tuesday saying he will be “completely transparent” about his medical issue when he resumes in-person work, which he said he expects to do “within a matter of weeks.” “I understand the need for transparency on this matter, and I look forward to sharing my experience with the public,” he continued, without further elaborating on his condition. DEMOCRAT TINA SHAH CALLS TRANSGENDER HEALTHCARE FOR CHILDREN A ‘NO-BRAINER’ IN COMPETITIVE NJ HOUSE RACE Kean previously said in mid-May that he would resume work “in the next couple of weeks,” according to the New Jersey Globe. The New Jersey Republican has missed all 104 of the most recent roll call votes, according to GovTrack, a website that monitors congressional absences. He last voted March 5. His office has continued to post on social media and Kean has even introduced legislation during his absence. President Donald Trump highlighted his endorsement of Kean in a post on social media, stating the incumbent lawmaker “WILL NEVER LET YOU DOWN.” Tina Shah and Michael Roth — two former Biden administration officials — challenged Bennett for the Democratic nomination. Brian Varela, a businessman running on a progressive platform, also launched a bid for the seat. Bennett, a first-time candidate, ran a less progressive campaign than the other Democrats in the race. She was the lone Democrat to stop short of calling for the abolition of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). Kean defeated Democratic challenger Sue Altman by roughly 5 points in 2024. He is the son of former two-term New Jersey Gov. Tom Kean, who led the Garden State throughout much of the 1980s. The National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC), House Republicans’ campaign arm, immediately criticized Bennett following her primary win. “The truth is, Bennett is a tax-and-spend liberal who worships the socialist Squad and wants to make life more expensive for New Jerseyans,” National Republican Congressional Committee spokeswoman Maureen O’Toole said in a statement Tuesday.
Spencer Pratt stops at iconic LA restaurant on Election Day, vows to make city ‘streets safe again’
Los Angeles mayoral candidate Spencer Pratt spent part of Election Day at Roscoe’s House of Chicken ‘N Waffles, one of the city’s many recognizable culinary institutions, as voters headed to the polls in Tuesday’s primary election. Pratt first rose to fame on MTV’s reality show “The Hills” alongside his wife, Heidi Montag. This year he launched an unconventional bid for Los Angeles mayor as a registered Republican, running as an independent, in the city’s open primary election. DEMOCRACY ’26: STAY UP TO DATE WITH THE FOX NEWS ELECTION HUB After eating at the restaurant, Pratt praised the food and contrasted his visit with a recent stop by incumbent Democratic Mayor Karen Bass at another one of the soul food restaurant’s locations. “Oh, it was incredible,” Pratt told Fox News Digital. “We went to the actual Roscoe’s in LA City.” “I saw Mayor Bass enjoyed a different Roscoe’s. Still good,” he snubbed. “I don’t think she ate anything. I think she just had a soda and a photo op, but I wanted to actually go experience the LA City Roscoe’s.” Asked what he ordered, Pratt replied: “I had waffles and chicken. It was incredible.” DENNIS QUAID THROWS SUPPORT BEHIND SPENCER PRATT FOR LA MAYOR WITH BLUNT MESSAGE Founded in 1975, Roscoe’s House of Chicken ‘N Waffles has become a Los Angeles institution known for its signature pairing of fried chicken and waffles and its place in the city’s cultural history. The restaurant has long attracted a mix of local residents, celebrities, athletes and politicians. Pratt entered the mayoral race after losing his Pacific Palisades home in the devastating 2025 wildfire and has since become a vocal critic of Bass and city leadership. His campaign has focused on public safety, homelessness, wildfire preparedness and government accountability. LA MAYORAL CANDIDATE SPENCER PRATT VOWS ‘ZERO ENCAMPMENTS’ OF HOMELESS, NO FENTANYL ON STREETS Speaking outside of Roscoe’s, Pratt used the stop to reinforce his law-and-order message and vowed to clean-up the city. “What am I doing on day one? We’re gonna start making the streets safe again,” Pratt said. “It’s gonna take the first couple weeks — I gotta warn everybody — the law’s back in LA.,” he continued. “But then, once everybody’s been warned, we will be enforcing all the laws so that everybody can feel safe all across the city. Because right now, no one feels safe.” Though initially viewed as a celebrity long shot, Pratt has attracted attention through his social media presence, catchy campaign ads, viral debate performance, name recognition and outsider campaign message. His Election Day appearance at Roscoe’s reflected a campaign that has leaned heavily into Los Angeles culture while seeking to connect with voters frustrated by the city’s challenges — especially in the wake of the deadly and widely destructive wildfires last year.
California’s sluggish vote counting ripped across the political spectrum: ‘Extremely embarrassing’
Though California voters are heading to the polls tonight, they may not know the results of several key primary races for days – a fact that has people across the political spectrum raising concerns. “The fact that California elections often can’t be resolved for weeks is kind of insane and not common in other electoral systems around the world,” Nate Silver, a top political data analyst, wrote on X on Tuesday afternoon. “Like honestly ‘it’s going to take us several weeks to tell you who won the election’ is failed state sh-t and should be much more stigmatized. The fact that it’s tolerated is bad too a textbook example of learned helplessness.” Lengthy vote counts in California are a product of the state’s reliance on mail voting and its thorough review process. Under California law, every registered voter receives a mail-in ballot and votes that arrive at election offices up to a week after election day are considered valid so long as they were postmarked by election day. RNC RAILS AGAINST CALIFORNIA’S LATE MAIL-IN BALLOT COUNTING AMID NATIONAL LITIGATION: ‘IT IS ABSURD’ In tight primaries where a handful of votes decide outcomes, this process can cause voters to go weeks without knowing who will advance to the general election. “Every other state manages to count its votes in a somewhat timely manner,” Rep. Kevin Kiley, an independent who caucuses with the GOP, wrote on X. “California’s inability to competently handle the basic administration of democracy is embarrassing. It’s also indicative of why our state has so many other problems.” TRUMP MAKES LATE-NIGHT ENDORSEMENTS IN SIX STATES AHEAD OF TUESDAY PRIMARIES, INCLUDING CALIFORNIA Florida famously tweaked its election laws after the state failed to declare a winner during the 2004 presidential election and has since had relatively few problems in providing quick and accurate counts. Some, however, defend California’s system, arguing that the slow pace of counting is a worthwhile trade-off to ensure greater access for voters. USPS GIVES CRITICAL WARNING ABOUT MAIL-IN BALLOTS AS ELECTION DAY LOOMS NEXT WEEK “The delayed count is in service of maximizing turnout and access,” Democratic strategist Addisu Demissie wrote on X. “LA County is bigger than 40 states, but, well, a county.” He added that critics were being unreasonable, as knowing the results of the elections by the end of the week, which he says is acceptable. David Dayen, executive editor at The American Prospect, a liberal magazine, pointed out that fraud prevention efforts – such as checking all ballot signatures against a master file – lengthen the counting process. In a different vein, Logan Dobson, a conservative political operative, argued that California’s slow vote counting could throw the nation into disarray if the United States moved to a national popular vote system, leaving the results of presidential elections unclear for days or even weeks. “This is correct and extremely embarrassing for US democracy,” Princeton Professor Arthur Spirling wrote, responding to Silver’s criticism. “What’s also bad is the number of people, political scientists among them, who show up to tell you there’s no other way and you’re damaging the civic fabric by pointing out how ridiculous it is.”
WATCH: Dem senators excuse Platner’s conduct at crisis huddle with embattled Maine candidate
Democratic senators attending a closed-door meeting with Maine Senate candidate Graham Platner on Tuesday brushed off questions about the controversies engulfing his campaign, with some expressing confidence in his chances. Platner made a crisis trip to Washington, D.C. to meet with Democratic senators a week before his primary election on June 9 as his campaign continues to face questions over his alleged sexting scandals and resurfaced online posts. “I’m very confident we are going to win Maine,” Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, D-N.Y., told reporters outside the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee building when asked if she still supports the progressive candidate. DEM SENATORS DEFLECT QUESTIONS ON PLATNER’S SCANDAL-PLAGUED CAMPAIGN: ‘NOT FOLLOWING THAT RACE CLOSELY’ Pressed on whether she had confidence in Platner, Gillibrand replied, “I do. I have confidence that we are going to win Maine and I have no doubt.” Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., defended Platner, pointing to the millions of dollars being spent on advertising in Maine targeting the Democratic candidate. “All I can tell you is that the wealthiest people in this country have now reserved close to $100 million in TV ads in a small state like Maine,” Sanders said. “So what are the billionaires worried about? Why are they spending so much money trying to defeat this guy?” “The answer is that he’s going to stand up to the oligarchies,” he concluded ahead of the sit-down with Platner. SANDERS SAYS PLATNER HAS THE ‘GUTS’ TO FIGHT BILLIONAIRES DESPITE GROWING SCANDAL PILEUP Meanwhile, Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., declined to answer questions from reporters about the controversies surrounding Platner’s campaign as she entered the meeting at DSCC headquarters. Sen. Peter Welch, D-Vt., for his part, said the decision is “going to be up to voters in Maine.” Asked whether he believes the moderate jurisdiction will back Platner, the Vermont senator replied, “We’ll see.” Among the controversies facing the leading Democratic candidate is a Wall Street Journal report that his wife discovered sexually explicit text exchanges with multiple women just months after they were married in 2024. In a statement sent to Fox News Digital, Platner said, “Amy and I went through something hard — because of me.” SENATE CANDIDATE GRAHAM PLATNER SENT EXPLICIT TEXTS TO MULTIPLE WOMEN WHILE MARRIED, WIFE SAYS: REPORT “We did the work, and I’m grateful for her every hour of every day,” he added. “I’ve learned throughout this campaign is that people don’t care about gossip or headlines, they care that you’re fighting for their hospitals, their paycheck, their kids.” A Kik account appearing to belong to Platner featuring a sexually suggestive photo of Platner posing shirtless with only a towel wrapped around his waist was found. However, his campaign told Fox News Digital that the account was created while he was single and “has long been deleted from his phone.” The Marine Corps veteran has also faced criticism over a Nazi-linked tattoo and resurfaced online posts, including a 2019 Reddit post that said Purple Heart veteran Teddy Daniels “didn’t deserve to live.” Platner will face David Costello in Maine’s Democratic Senate primary on June 9. The winner will take on five-term Republican Sen. Susan Collins in the general election.
Trump-backed candidate ‘confident’ Republicans will have great night in California: ‘Very excited’
HUNTINGTON BEACH, CA – Trump-backed Republican Steve Hilton expressed confidence Tuesday as California Republicans fight to avoid being shut out of the governor’s race under the state’s unique “jungle-primary” system. Hilton and Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco are the two main Republicans in the race to succeed term-limited Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom. After Hilton received President Donald Trump’s endorsement, his neck-and-neck position with Bianco became a lead, but as the election neared, concern arose that two Democrats may outdo he and the sheriff – leaving no Republican on the ballot, “I’m very excited that it looks like we’re going to have a good night tonight,” Hilton said. “I think the president’s endorsement has been a great honor. The vice president endorsed me this morning. What an incredible thing for someone who’s a new American citizen,” the former Fox News host – a native of Great Britain – added. Hilton portended a good night regardless of Bianco’s decision to stay in the race. “I think everyone in California understands we need change,” he said. Hilton said California Republicans – of which there are more numerically than any other state – are energized and that the early ballot returns depict such. “I’m pretty confident that we are going to do fine one way or the other.” The mood extended beyond the governor’s race. In Los Angeles, independent mayoral candidate Spencer Pratt spent Election Day courting voters in neighborhoods Republicans and independents increasingly see as receptive to change. Pratt was spotted at the famed Roscoe’s Chicken & Waffles, mingling with voters at the soul food establishment – and also seen in another clip hosting a cookout in a park in a majority-minority community. With Gov. Gavin Newsom term-limited and Mayor Karen Bass under fire for her handling of crime, homelessness and the Palisades fires, Republicans and Pratt see an opportunity for marked change in California. Former Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger – who like Hilton is an immigrant and Republican – was the last member of the Grand Old Party to hold court in Sacramento.
President Trump attempts to end hostilities in Lebanon
NewsFeed Al Jazeera’s Kimberly Halkett reports on US President Trump’s claim of a diplomatic breakthrough after speaking with Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu to halt escalation toward Beirut. Israel maintains that the ceasefire is conditional, with the broader situation remaining fragile amid conflicting statements and regional tensions. Published On 2 Jun 20262 Jun 2026 Click here to share on social media share-nodes Share googleAdd Al Jazeera on Googleinfo Adblock test (Why?)
US Defense Department bars journalists from its press office
Media freedom advocates condemn move as latest effort to curtail independent reporting on the US military. Published On 2 Jun 20262 Jun 2026 The United States Department of Defense has barred journalists from its press office, the latest move by the Pentagon to restrict media access since President Donald Trump’s return to the White House. Acting Pentagon Press Secretary Joel Valdez said on Monday that the administration had re-designated the office as a “Sensitive Compartmented Information Facility” due to its use by speechwriters with access to classified government information. Recommended Stories list of 4 itemsend of list “These speechwriters routinely handle classified material and require SIPRNet access,” Valdez said in a statement provided to Al Jazeera, referring to the secure computer network used by the Pentagon to share classified information. “As a result, journalists will no longer be permitted to enter the office space. Access to the office of the Assistant to the Secretary of War for Public Affairs and to the Press Secretary remains available by appointment only,” Valdez added, using the Trump administration’s preferred title for Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth. The Washington Post first reported the change. The move follows a slew of steps by the Trump administration to curtail the ability of US media outlets to report on the military and other areas of the government. In March, the Defense Department said it would no longer allow media outlets to maintain offices at the Pentagon after a judge sided with The New York Times in a lawsuit challenging the imposition of new rules for obtaining press credentials. The Pentagon also announced that journalists would require an official escort while inside the complex, a policy that The New York Times is seeking to overturn in a separate lawsuit filed in May. Advertisement The National Press Club, the main professional organisation for journalists in the US, condemned the latest restrictions as a “troubling escalation” in the Trump administration’s efforts to curtail media scrutiny of the Pentagon. “Independent reporting on the US military is not optional,” National Press Club President Mark Schoeff Jr said in a statement. “When journalists are pushed farther from the institutions they cover, the American people are left with less information, less transparency, and less oversight. Any effort to restrict that access should alarm everyone who values a free and informed society.” The Freedom of the Press Foundation, a nonprofit advocacy organisation, also criticised the move. “It’s rare for anything other than disingenuous spin and outright lies to come out of the Pentagon’s press office these days, so it’s hard to imagine what basis they have to call the space classified,” Seth Stern, chief of advocacy at the organisation, told Al Jazeera. “The only thing sensitive or confidential about the information released by Pete Hegseth’s Pentagon is that it’s not true.” Adblock test (Why?)
Woman assaulted by Dutch police at asylum centre speaks to Al Jazeera
NewsFeed Malak Mahmoud, the heavily pregnant woman filmed being thrown to the ground by a Dutch police officer as her Palestinian husband from Gaza was detained, has spoken to Al Jazeera. Police in Zeist issued a statement saying they are reviewing the use of force and have opened an investigation, but have not responded to Al Jazeera’s request for comment. Published On 2 Jun 20262 Jun 2026 Click here to share on social media share-nodes Share googleAdd Al Jazeera on Googleinfo Adblock test (Why?)
Students protest outside Ministry of Education amid NEET, CBSE controversies; demand Pradhan’s resignation
Members of the All India Students’ Association (AISA) staged a demonstration demanding accountability for the recurring examination-related irregularities. Some of the protesters were later detained by the police.
Big Change for Foreigners in India: New immigration rules say 180-day Visa holders must register before their stay expires
The Union Home Ministry has amended the Immigration and Foreigners Rules, 2025. Under the new rule notified on Monday, foreigners entering India on a visa valid for 180 days or less must now register “any time before the expiry of the said period of 180 days” if they wish to extend their stay beyond the visa period.