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.
Jared Kushner’s overseas luxury resort project faces anti-corruption investigation amid violent protests
Albanian anti-corruption prosecutors are investigating changes to the protected status of a coastal wetland where a luxury resort project linked to Jared Kushner, the son-in-law of U.S. President Donald Trump, has drawn environmental opposition and protests, according to Politico. SPAK, Albania’s special anti-corruption prosecution office, has opened a probe into changes made to the status of the Vjosa-Narta protected landscape in Zvërnec, Politico reported. The coastal wetland area is home to flamingos, Mediterranean monk seals, and sea turtle nesting sites, Politico reported. IVANKA TRUMP BREAKS DOWN IN EMOTIONAL INTERVIEW TALKING ABOUT HER MOTHER IVANA’S DEATH, OTHER CHALLENGES In 2024, Kushner publicly discussed plans for his firm, Affinity Partners, to develop luxury tourism projects in Albania, including in the Zvërnec area. Earlier this year, he visited the area with his wife, Ivanka Trump. Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama recently confirmed to Politico that talks were ongoing between the government and Kushner over the deal, which is expected to include roughly 10,000 hotel rooms and villas. EUROPEAN CAPITAL ROCKED BY VIOLENT PROTESTS AS GOVERNMENT CORRUPTION PROBE FUELS UNREST “I want to make Albania a country that is a destination to be envied in the region, and this project is part of this effort,” Rama said Monday. Fox News Digital has reached out to Affinity Partners and SPAK for comment. Protests by Albanian citizens and nonprofit groups began in May when large, barbed-wire-topped fences were erected at the proposed site, preventing locals and tourists from accessing the beach. On Sunday, protesters assembled outside government offices to demand an end to the project as well as Rama’s resignation. Following Sunday’s protests, footage emerged showing private security guards appearing to assault and drag a protester along a cliff. Some guards allegedly threatened other demonstrators who were attempting to remove fences and halt construction. The licenses of two private security companies were revoked following the incident. Meanwhile, around 15 protesters have been charged, and the local police chief has been stripped of his duties.
Trump administration names Rosario ‘Pete’ Vasquez to serve as next US Border Patrol chief
The Trump administration has selected a veteran Border Patrol official with more than 26 years of service to lead the agency following the resignation of former Chief Mike Banks. U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) announced Monday that Rosario “Pete” Vasquez will serve as the next chief of the U.S. Border Patrol, overseeing nearly 20,000 agents and professional staff operating across the country. Vasquez most recently led the Border Patrol’s Blaine Sector in Washington state, overseeing operations along the U.S.-Canada border and coordinating with federal, state, local, tribal and international partners. CBP Commissioner Rodney S. Scott praised the appointment, calling Vasquez “a Border Patrol agent’s agent.” US BORDER PATROL CHIEF MIKE BANKS ABRUPTLY RESIGNS, FOX NEWS LEARNS “He has spent more than two decades leading from the front, earning the respect of the workforce, and delivering results in some of the most challenging operational environments in the country,” Scott said in a statement. “He understands what this mission demands because he has lived it. There is no one better suited to lead the United States Border Patrol into its next chapter.” Vasquez succeeds former Border Patrol Chief Mike Banks, who announced his retirement in May after leading the agency during President Donald Trump’s second administration. Banks told Fox News last month that he was stepping down after helping oversee what he described as a dramatic turnaround in border security. BORDER PATROL CHIEF OWENS ANNOUNCES RETIREMENT, TEXAS BORDER CZAR TO TAKE OVER “I feel like I got the ship back on course from the least secure, disastrous, chaotic border to the most secure border this country has ever seen,” Banks told Fox News correspondent Bill Melugin at the time. “Time to pass the reins, 37 years, it’s time to enjoy the family and life.” As chief, Vasquez will be responsible for leading Border Patrol operations across nearly 7,000 miles of international land borders and approximately 2,000 miles of coastal waters. According to CBP, Vasquez has served in a variety of operational and leadership roles throughout his career, including assignments along the southwest and northern borders, at CBP headquarters and in international postings. BORDER PATROL ANNOUNCES ‘PHENOMENAL’ TURNAROUND AS NUMBER OF MONTHLY MIGRANT RELEASES DROPS TO ZERO His résumé includes service with the Border Patrol’s Search, Trauma, and Rescue Unit, the agency’s Special Operations Group and CBP’s Office of Anti-Terrorism. He also served as director of the Alliance to Combat Transnational Threats, assistant attaché for CBP in Canada and acting executive director within CBP’s Office of Trade. The appointment comes as Border Patrol officials continue focusing on efforts to combat transnational criminal organizations, disrupt human smuggling and narcotics trafficking networks and strengthen border security operations. “It is the honor of a lifetime to serve as chief of the United States Border Patrol, and I’m grateful for the trust placed in me by President Trump, Secretary Mullin, and Commissioner Scott,” Vasquez said. “Our agents have never backed down from a challenge, and neither will I. As chief, my focus is clear: support our agents, strengthen our operational capabilities, and ensure the U.S. Border Patrol remains the most effective border security force in the world.” Established in 1924, the U.S. Border Patrol is one of the nation’s largest federal law enforcement organizations and serves as the primary agency responsible for securing America’s land borders.
The next frontier: Washington grapples with its latest space oddity
Isaac Asimov famously declared that he didn’t believe in “flying saucers.” Asimov countered that he believed in “evidence” and “observation.” “I’ll believe anything, no matter how wild and ridiculous, if there’s evidence for it,” Asimov said. “The wilder and more ridiculous something is however, the firmer and more solid the evidence should be.” The Trump administration released another batch of UFO files recently. This is part of making good on a promise to release videos and documents related to UAP, unidentified aerial phenomena. Bipartisan lawmakers pressed President Donald Trump to make good on this promise back in March. This release is the second group of material publicized by the government. And what’s in it? NEW UFO FILES REVEAL STARTLING REPORTS A space oddity. Some 57 years in the making. “They thought it was something, you know, penetrating the spacecraft, if you know what I mean,” said Apollo 12 Command Module 12 pilot about what he and his colleagues saw in outer space in late 1969. That’s one snippet of audio which is now public. The baffled astronauts tried to unravel a cosmic conundrum when they spotted weird beams of light bouncing around their spacecraft more than half a century ago. “The streaks I saw were ones that I saw on the horizontal,” said Apollo 12 Lunar Module Pilot Alan Bean. “The horizontal streaks were always a little bit above the center.” PENTAGON DECLASSIFIES APOLLO 12 AUDIO OF ASTRONAUTS DESCRIBING UNEXPLAINED ‘STREAKS OF LIGHT’ IN SPACE These were clips of audiotape the government recently dumped. Tales from tape never heard before about what some of humankind’s first space explorers experienced and observed when they slipped the surly bonds of Earth. The president pledged to publicize as much unexplained material as possible. “It’s been in the minds of people for a long time,” said President Trump in late April. “And I think some of it’s going to be very interesting to people.” It’s a document dump that is out of this world. But it’s hard to quantify and understand exactly what it all means. Let alone if it provides “evidence,” as Asimov would say, “which explains something, which to some, could be “ridiculous.” No one knows exactly what these videos and documents reveal. Especially when it comes to demonstrating that UFOs exist or that there are visitors to Earth from another planet. But that doesn’t mean that the information isn’t remarkable. EX-PENTAGON OFFICIAL SAYS UAP FILES REVEAL ‘TREASURE TROVE’ OF INTELLIGENCE DATING BACK TO THE 1940S “Virtually speechless!” is how one military pilot characterized strange “orange orbs” which materialized near his helicopter during a flight last year. Then there was a stationary pill-shaped object in the Middle East zipping off at ludicrous speed. Then there was a celestial trinity of objects synchronously hovering over water in Iran. One lawmaker who has long called for UAP transparency isn’t starstruck at the releases. Rep. Tim Burchett, R-Tenn., was skeptical before the Pentagon put out the latest tranche of information. “The stuff they’re dropping right now is just Deep State classic,” said Burchett. “They won’t show us some of the stuff that we’ve seen. They’re going to show stuff that is easily identifiable.” But this information is far from easy to identify, quantify or even understand. The government can explain some weird sightings. At a 2022 House hearing on UAP, the Pentagon demonstrated how light refracting through certain military visual aids created an optical illusion. But the stories are legion about what can’t be explained or defined. The difference now is that Congress mandated the Pentagon create an office to document and study UAP. And the government either can’t – or doesn’t want to explain a lot of what’s out there. “We have been stonewalled. We have been blocked. We have had witnesses intimidated,” said Rep. Anna Paulina Luna, R-Fla., on Fox. She asserted that former workers at the Pentagon UAP office were even “attacking” some witnesses and whistleblowers who have come forward. SECRETLY FILMED UFO DOC REVEALS INSIDER VIDEO AS OFFICIALS RELEASE NEW ALIEN RECORDS: ‘SOMETHING IS IMMINENT’ But here’s the other challenge: understanding exactly what documents and videos the government has in its possession. “This is not an easy thing to do. There’s not one huge repository of all of these documents and videos and photos,” said Rep. Eric Burlison, R-Mo., on Fox. Burlison is now suggesting the government “reverse engineer” what they find at certain “crash locations” or where people have discovered weird physical material here on terra firma. “The White House and the DNI (Director of National Intelligence) is now looking at places to go investigate,” said Burlison on Fox. So people sift through the files in a quest to unearth evidence that is definitely un-Earth. But more information often yields more questions. And that’s to say nothing of the other-worldly expectations set the pending release of files and information. The bar is high. And while the release of information is intriguing, no one quite knows what it all means. If you wanted proof of ET or revelations of a government conspiracy, you’re better off watching an old VHS tape. We just don’t know what these files mean. And, in many cases, even are. The document dump isn’t a nothing-burger. But a something-burger. Still, that doesn’t sate the appetite for those who are on a quest for the truth. And it likely just angers those who are convinced the government has something to hide. TRUMP ADMIN RELEASES HIGHLY ANTICIPATED FILES DOCUMENTING UFOS, ‘EXTRATERRESTRIAL LIFE’ On Fox, Burlison said he “personally” experienced “frustration” about declassifying information. But Burlison cautioned the Trump Administration against holding material back. “I’ve seen those kind of videos,” said Burlison. “I’m telling the administration through you at this moment that if they don’t release those, then I have the capabilities of getting those videos released.” In the meantime, people are sorting through the recently released material, trying to decode it. “There’s a whole bunch of big ones out my window now. It’s just bright. Looks like the