Democratic Senate candidate faces new scandal

Megyn Kelly's blistering new warning to Trump: GOP is out of cards

One of the Make America Great Again movement's biggest stars shared a blistering warning for President Donald Trump during a new interview on Monday. Megyn Kelly, who hosts an eponymous radio show on SiriusXM, warned Trump during an interview with Piers Morgan on his YouTube show that he risks sinking the Republican Party's chances in the upcoming 2026 midterm election and the 2028 general election by continuing the disastrous war in Iran. Kelly added that losing the House seems likely, and losing the Senate has become more likely, according to some polling. "We assume we're going to lose the House on Team GOP, but now more and more political pundits are predicting that the Republicans are going to lose the Senate as well," Kelly said "And the map doesn't get any easier for Republicans two years after these midterms when we go into 2028 with a presidential election and yet another election for House members in some Senate seats. So all the math is bad. We don't have the cards to play."Trump has claimed that he started the war in Iran to prevent the regime from having a nuclear weapon. He's even gone so far as to claim that he "doesn't care about the midterms" so long as Iran never has a nuclear warhead. That claim has not sat well with Republicans and their voters, who are facing a cost-of-living crisis at home. Kelly added that Trump might make those problems worse if he doesn't withdraw the military from Iran soon. "It's already a quagmire. Yes, it's only 13 weeks [old] or whatever it is, but it's already a quagmire because there's no easy solution left even if we just pack up our bags and leave, which is what we should do."

Dems hit by last-minute Platner anxiety before Maine Senate primary

Democrats have been caught in the bind Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) sought to avoid when he backed Gov. Janet Mills over Graham Platner in the Maine Senate race.Why it matters: Democrats must now support an untested and largely unvetted outsider as he faces intense media scrutiny over his relationship with women in a must-win race.⏰ Maine's Democratic primary to take on Sen. Susan Collins (R) in November is in eight days.🔄 Zoom in: Practically, it might be feasible to swap out candidates. Politically, it will be close to impossible."I've heard some of my colleagues' concerns about what we've read in the papers," Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.), who backed Mills, told Axios. "But at the end of the day, we've got to win.""We know that at this point this man can still win the race, and as long as he continues, I think we'll all be there," Sen. Ruben Gallego (D-Ariz.) said.✈️ Driving the news: Platner will have an opportunity to address senators' concerns during a meeting with Senate Democrats tomorrow afternoon, followed by two fundraisers, as Axios scooped today."I'll know more after tomorrow's briefing on that," Sen. Gary Peters (D-Mich.) said. "But clearly, campaigns and candidates have to be fully transparent as things come out.""He has to answer those questions directly and forthrightly. They're fair questions," Sen. Peter Welch (D-Vt.) said. "It's going to be on him to answer them, and it's going to be up to the voters of Maine to decide."⚡️ The intrigue: Some of Mills' political allies have encouraged her to reactivate her campaign, according to people familiar with the matter. So far, she has demurred.But she fueled speculation today that she could rejoin the race, telling the Portland (Maine) Press Herald: "People have the impression that I 'withdrew' or 'dropped out,' but I simply suspended active campaigning. I am still on the ballot."🪓 Between the lines: Democrats do have a break-glass option if more damaging revelations emerge.Maine law allows a party to replace its nominee if the primary winner withdraws by the second Monday in July, which is July 13. The replacement would be selected at a party convention rather than through another primary.✅ The bottom line: Progressive senators who backed Platner in their proxy battle with Schumer aren't abandoning him."I think it's important for us to focus on the issues facing working families a little bit more than Graham Platner's marriage," Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) said."Susan Collins has a history of supporting Donald Trump," Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) told reporters. "Graham Platner is showing the courage and determination to take that on. I believe that's what the people of Maine care most about."

New Zealand Prime Minister Vows to Keep Nuclear-Free Stance

Prime Minister Christopher Luxon said New Zealand will maintain its nuclear-free stance, distancing himself from comments by the nation’s defense minister that a conversation about the decades-old policy would be helpful.

‘He’s actually offering answers’: Democrats are ditching Karen Bass for Spencer Pratt

Poll shows mayoral challenger leads incumbent with Hispanics, 33% to 24%

Speculation Runs Wild After Maine Gov. Janet Mills Throws a Wrench in Senate Primary Race

Mamdani guru under fire for alleged threat in Graham Platner sex scandal is prolific operative in lefty campaigns

“This lunatic drank so much of his own Kool-Aid that he is going to give all of us a diabetic shock.”

New Melania-Epstein claims emerge from ex of Trump envoy: report

Former Brazilian model Amanda Ungaro made explosive claims about first lady Melania Trump over the weekend, tying her to the Jeffrey Epstein scandal, according to a new report. In a since-deleted post on X, Ungaro claimed that Melania Trump was one of Epstein's escorts, and that is how she was introduced to her husband, President Donald Trump, the Daily Beast reported. Ungaro shared a WhatsApp recording on X in which she accused her former partner, Paolo Zampolli, one of Trump's appointees to the Kennedy Center's Board of Trustees, of lying about introducing the Trumps in 1998, the report added. “Let’s tell the public you never were the one introducing Melania to Trump. It was Jeffrey Epstein, as she was [an] escort of Jeffrey Epstein. That’s how she met Donald Trump,” Ungaro said in the recording, posted around 11 p.m. Sunday. “And I know, because I was with you [for] 20 years and you always told me it was not you—it was Jeffrey Epstein,” she added.Ungaro's claims are at odds with statements Melania Trump made during her seemingly impromptu press conference in April about her relationship with Epstein. Melania forcefully denied being introduced to Trump through Epstein or having any involvement in his crimes during the press conference. “I am not Epstein’s victim," Melania Trump said at the time. "Epstein did not introduce me to Donald Trump. I met my husband, by chance, at a New York City party in 1998. This initial encounter with my husband is documented in detail in my book, 'Melania.'”Zampolli told the Daily Beast that Ungaro's claims are a "disgrace" and made him concerned for her mental health.Ungaro's claims also surfaced at a time when she is embroiled in a custody battle with Zampolli. She accused her former partner of using his influence to have her arrested by immigration agents last year, according to the report.

Utah Senate President Calls for Major Reduction in Scale of Planned Data Center

The project, backed by celebrity investor Kevin O'Leary, has spurred major controversy amid Utah's water challenges.