CA Gov Race & the Fight for Democratic Party's Future
A massive field, no clear frontrunners and one big scandal have turned the high-stakes battle into a head-scratcher

The shift in management is certain to spark a flurry of new fates for the capital, spanning public parks, national monuments and the Metropolitan Police Department.
A massive field, no clear frontrunners and one big scandal have turned the high-stakes battle into a head-scratcher
Thousands have been evacuated as officials warn a tank containing about 7,000 gallons of methyl methacrylate could explode.
Busch's words after his last win now seem eerily prescient: 'You never know when the last one is going to be, so cherish them all — trust me.'
Sarah Kellen, the former personal assistant to Jeffrey Epstein who told Congress Thursday she was repeatedly raped and abused by the convicted sex trafficker, has named three of his alleged accomplices — and the identities have sent shockwaves through political and celebrity circles.According to Tara Palmeri's The Red Letter, Kellen identified celebrity hairstylist Frederic Fekkai, former Miami Beach Mayor Philip Levine, and the late fashion photographer Patrick Demarchelier during her closed-door, transcribed interview with the House Oversight Committee. The Miami Herald's Julie K. Brown — the journalist whose reporting helped bring down Epstein — independently confirmed that Kellen accused Levine of sexually assaulting her.Levine, a Democrat who ran for Florida governor in 2018, has previously denied having any meaningful relationship with Epstein. But DOJ files tell a different story — emails show him referring to the disgraced financier as "a great guy" and signing off as "Your friend, Philip" even after Epstein's 2008 conviction for soliciting prostitution from a minor. Ghislaine Maxwell, in a DOJ interview, called Levine her "very good friend." Levine has not responded to the new allegations.Fekkai's ex-wife, Elizabeth, pushed back on the claims. "There's no f------ way," she told Palmeri. "He's a lot of things, but he's not abusive." Epstein victim Johanna Sjoberg, however, testified in 2024 that she overheard Epstein ask Fekkai if he could "find some girls for him." Fekkai has not commented directly.Demarchelier, who died in 2022, was a fixture on Epstein's Lolita Express flight logs and was accused by multiple models and former assistants of pervasive sexual harassment during his lifetime.The disclosure marks a significant milestone in a survivor-led push that has been building for months. Last September, a group of Epstein survivors gathered on Capitol Hill and announced they were compiling their own list of abusers after growing frustrated with the government's failure to act. "We know the names. Many of us were abused by them," one survivor said at the time. "Now together as survivors, we will confidentially compile the names who were regularly in the Epstein world." Kellen's testimony appears to be on the list arriving on Capitol Hill.Committee Chairman Rep. James Comer (R-KY) confirmed Thursday that the three names Kellen provided were ones investigators "hadn't heard before," calling her testimony "by far the most substantive and productive interview" the committee has conducted. He promised to release the transcript as quickly as possible.The committee has not officially released the three names. No charges have been filed against any of the men named.
The main sticking point that ended up tanking the vote was the new "Anti-Weaponization Fund" introduced this week.
Lawmakers left Washington for Memorial Day weekend without passing a budget reconciliation bill to fund Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Border Patrol, due in large part to GOP backlash against the Trump administration’s newly announced $1.776 billion “anti-weaponization” fund. Senate Republicans on Thursday blasted acting Attorney General Todd Blanche over the proposal to set…
Most Democratic senators say they aren't focused on Maine's Senate race amid scrutiny of candidate Graham Platner's resurfaced controversial comments.
Kyle Busch shared some upsetting words just weeks before his unexpected death on Thursday.