Graham Platner tears into Republicans after clinching Susan Collins matchup in Maine, and other primary night takeaways

 CNN Politics  By Eric Bradner 

Updated 3 hr ago

Graham Platner was all but certain to win Maine’s Democratic Senate primary on Tuesday

But the swirl of controversies over Platner’s past personal behavior had raised a slew of questions about the outcome: Would there be a significant number of protest votes lodged for Gov. Janet Mills, whose name was still on the ballot even though she suspended her campaign in April? Would Democratic voters skip the race entirely?

None of that came to pass. With votes still being counted Tuesday night, the progressive populist Platner was on course to earn about three-fourths of primary voters’ support — effectively ending any question about whether Maine Democrats wanted him to be their standard-bearer against Republican Sen. Susan Collins in one of the nation’s marquee races in November.

US launches airstrikes on Iran after blaming Tehran for helicopter crash, prompting retaliation

Iran launched attacks on sites in Bahrain, Kuwait, which both sounded alerts and fired air defenses in response. Jordan also reported shooting down five missiles.

By Jon Gambrell | The Associated Press • 

Published 39 minutes ago • Updated 8 minutes ago

NBC Universal, Inc.

President Trump also said early Tuesday that “we’re very close to having a very good, strong, powerful deal” with Iran.

The Geopolitical Significance of Iranian Strikes Against Israel

Iran Israel
09/06/2026
by Trita Parsi

For the first time in decades, a regional power dares to militarily confront Israel's aggressive actions against third parties.

Picture: Israeli settler stands next to a missile fragment embedded in the ground, following Iran's attacks, in the central area of the Israeli occupation in the West Bank, June 8, 2026 [Naama Stern - Reuters]

This is the first time Iran has struck Israel following an Israeli attack on the territory of a third country, meaning not in Iran itself.

Live Updates: Trump says Iran shot down Apache helicopter and U.S. must respond

By Duarte Dias, Frank Andrews
Updated on: June 9, 2026 

2:35 PM EDT / CBS News

What to know about the Iran war today:

• President Trump said Iranians shot down an Apache helicopter that crashed near the Strait of Hormuz on Monday. The two pilots were uninjured but the U.S. "must, of necessity, respond," the president said on social media.
• Mr. Trump said earlier that efforts to reach a deal with Iran were in their "final throes," with a deal possible in "two or three days." It is unclear where negotiations stand following the helicopter incident.
• Israel has continued military operations against Iran-backed Hezbollah in Lebanon, and health authorities said at least eight people were killed Tuesday in new strikes on the southern city of Tyre. Iran warned Monday that it would retaliate for any new Israeli attacks in Lebanon.

FISA standoff: Even the Republicans acknowledge that “It’s all got everything to do with Pulte”

June 9, 2026

Democrats are firmly opposed to the continued appointment of Bill Pulte as acting director of national intelligence. They fear his inexperience could undermine national security and the integrity of intelligence operations. Additionally, considering Trump's influence on him, they prefer a qualified nominee who can restore confidence in the intelligence community, ensure proper oversight, and protect civil liberties, including safeguards against potential abuses of power. This resistance is at the heart of a standoff with the Trump administration that is jeopardizing the reauthorization of Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, a crucial tool for U.S. intelligence agencies.

Spencer Pratt out of LA mayor race as left-wing rival Nithya Raman advances

5 hours ago

Sareen Habeshian

Los Angeles

Reality star Spencer Pratt has lost the race for Los Angeles mayor, with left-wing city council member Nithya Raman advancing to face incumbent Karen Bass, US media projects.

Hiker discovers body of missing New Mexico nuclear lab worker, police say

By Eric Mack
FOX News
Missing Persons
Published June 2, 2026

10:17 AM MST

One of the bodies of the 11 mysteriously missing persons that had potential ties to U.S. nuclear secrets or rocket technology has been discovered by a hiker in a New Mexico national forest.

Powerful earthquake in southern Philippines leaves at least 35 dead

People are told not to enter damaged buildings for fear of aftershocks from the magnitude-7.8 quake

Natasha May and agencies

Mon 8 Jun 2026 15.01 BST

At least 35 people have died after a magnitude-7.8 earthquake shook part of the southern Philippines early on Monday, collapsing buildings and triggering tsunami alerts.

Nithya Raman leaps past Spencer Pratt in tight race to make L.A. mayoral runoff

NBC News hasn’t yet projected who will join Mayor Karen Bass in the November runoff election.

June 7, 2026,

By Scott Bland

Los Angeles City Council member Nithya Raman, a Democrat, has taken a narrow lead for second place over former reality TV star Spencer Pratt, a registered Republican, in the race to take on Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass in a runoff this fall.

Netanyahu says war with Iran, Hezbollah isn’t over after Tehran says it’s halting strikes

Published Mon, Jun 8 2026
Kevin Breuninger
Joseph Wilkins

Key Points

• Iran said it was halting its strikes against Israel, but will resume hostilities if the Israel Defense Forces continue to attack Lebanon.
• Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu later said the war against Iran and its Lebanon-based proxy Hezbollah “has not yet ended.”
• President Donald Trump insisted “final” peace negotiations are ongoing.
• Iran’s military has ceased strikes against Israel, but will resume hostilities if the Israel Defense Forces continue to attack Lebanon, Tehran’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs told CNBC on Monday.
• Hours later, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the war against Iran and its Lebanon-based proxy Hezbollah “has not yet ended,” though he insisted both are weaker than ever.

Trump's Folly has brought the Middle East to the Brink of Armageddon. Now, he Must Navigate Chaos

By Yiannis Damellos

June 7, 2026

The quest for peace in the Middle East was shattered today in the plains of Southern Lebanon, the towns of northern Israel, and at the bombed petroleum installations of Iran. 

The ongoing conflict between Tehran and Tel Aviv has reached new and alarming heights in the recent hours, following Israeli retaliatory strikes on Iranian military targets after Iran launched missiles toward northern Israel. Prior to that, the IDF had struck Hezbollah military positions in Lebanon, and all of this is particularly alarming as it comes at a time when diplomatic negotiations involving the United States and Iran are reportedly on the table. Alas, U.S. President Donald Trump's intervention seems to complicate matters further.

Iran fires missiles towards Israel for first time since April ceasefire

Summary

• Iran has fired multiple waves of missiles at northern Israel
• Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) says this is "the beginning of a full week of continuous strikes"
• Most missiles appear to have been intercepted, and Israelis have now been told they can leave shelter
• The Israeli military's chief of staff says it will "strike the enemy with determination as soon as the order is given". A military spokesman says Iran has made a "grave mistake"
• Earlier on Sunday, Israel said it struck Hezbollah targets in southern Beirut, prompting threats of an Iranian response
• Israeli strikes on Beirut raise questions about the limits of US influence over its partner and the narrowing range of options for Washington to end the war, the BBC's John Sudworth writes
• Fox News reports Trump has urged Iran: "That's enough. Get back to the table". He also reportedly told Fox that he is "not happy" about Israel striking Beirut

Scott Pelley says Bari Weiss wanted 60 Minutes to say Renee Good was ‘driving toward officer’

CBS

Fired journalist accuses CBS News chief of interfering with report because it echoed what Trump said of the shooting

 Edward Helmore 

Sun 7 Jun 2026 16.47 BST

Fired CBS 60 Minutes anchor Scott Pelley has accused editorial management at his old network of interfering with a broadcast segment looking at an immigration officer’s killing of Minneapolis protester Renee Good in January.

Trump Storms Out Of ‘Meet The Press’ Interview After Insisting California’s Primary Election Is ‘Rigged’

By Zachary Folk, Forbes Staff.

I cover breaking news.

Jun 07, 2026

Topline

President Donald Trump stormed out of an interview with “Meet the Press” that aired on Sunday morning, after refusing to provide substantive evidence that the primary elections in California are being “rigged” and chastising the storied interview program and host Kristen Welker as “crooked.”

Greek Independent media accuses a Tsipras confidant and academic of being a British Spy and he sues

Sunday, June 7, 2026

By Imerodromos

Marantzidis states that he will "immediately exercise all rights provided by law," as the newspaper responds that he is infected by Mitsotakis/Trump syndrome for lawsuits when cornered.

"Marantzidis in the Service of the Foreign Office" is the headline of Documento's front-page article this Sunday. The academic and Tsipras' right-hand man issued an announcement stating that he will "immediately exercise all rights provided by law." Subsequently, the newspaper, in its response, argued that: "Marantzidis got Mitsotakis-itis (a Trumpist reaction to reality checks that the Greek Prime Minister is copying) and threatens Documento with lawsuits."

‘The most vulnerable we’ve ever been’ — Ford CEO warns America's blue-collar worker shortage could hit your wallet next

Moneywise

Story by Robyn Tellefsen • 1d • 8 min read

Ford CEO warns labor shortage will hit household budgets

© Bill Pugliano/Getty Images

What will happen if America faces a massive shortage of skilled blue-collar workers to hire? According to Jim Farley, Ford Motor Company’s CEO, it’s a problem that could wreak havoc on household budgets.

Can SpaceX live up to Wall Street’s multitrillion-dollar hype?

As SpaceX prepares for the biggest public debut in history, some analysts warn that the company’s ‘moonshot’ projections could fall short

By Christine Ji

Published: June 6, 2026

SpaceX is seeking to raise $75 billion at a fixed price of $135 per share for its historic June 12 initial public offering.

Transcript: Angry Trump Privately Realizing Obama Outdid Him on Iran

The Daily Blast With Greg Sargent

As leaks reveal Trump’s fury over commentary unfavorably comparing his Iran framework to Obama’s Iran deal, a former NSC official explains why Trump can’t find a way out of his war fiasco.

Win McNamee/Getty Images

The following is a lightly edited transcript of the June 5 episode of the Daily Blast podcast.