STIRRING SKEPTICISM: Trump claimed without evidence that Democrats were “trying to steal” the elections in California on Thursday, as former Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra advanced to the general election in the governor’s race.
“The Dumocrats are at it again! They are trying to STEAL THE GOVERNOR OF CALIFORNIA PRIMARY, AND THE MAYOR OF LOS ANGELES, PRIMARY, AWAY FROM TWO GREAT REPUBLICAN CANDIDATES,” Trump said in a post on Truth Social on Thursday.
“Here we go with the very late and massive numbers of MAIL IN BALLOTS,” he added.
In the governor’s race, Republican Steve Hilton is still leading in first place, but Becerra appears likely to make up ground in mail-in ballots.
The top two finishers in California’s blanket primary will advance to the general election, regardless of party.
Becerra holds 26.04 percent of the vote as of early Friday morning, while Hilton has won 27.18 percent of the vote and progressive Democrat Tom Steyer is in third place with 20.19 percent of the vote.
But many votes, expected to be Democratic-leaning, remain uncounted, giving Steyer a chance to make the top two.
California conducts its elections overwhelmingly by mail-in ballots. The state has faced scrutiny for years over its election tabulation procedures, which often take days or even weeks because of rules surrounding voting.
Trump has regularly railed against mail-in voting, pushing for the practice to be heavily restricted.
Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass (D) has advanced to the general election in her bid for a second term, while Republican Spencer Pratt leads City Council member Nithya Raman in the race for second by 6 points — setting up a similar dynamic to Hilton and Steyer with many votes uncounted.
▪ USA Today: What to know as California continues counting.
▪ The Guardian: Big Tech’s wins after spending millions in primaries.
ONE STEP BACK: The militant group Hezbollah has rejected a U.S.-brokered ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon, a setback that could restore a major obstacle to progress in talks to end the Iran war.
The Wednesday ceasefire that Israel and Lebanon agreed upon to end the latest round of fighting involved the creation of “pilot zones” in which the Lebanese military would force out Hezbollah. But the deal was contingent on the militant group agreeing to a ceasefire as well, and its leader, Naim Qassem, denounced it as “absurd, and insulting.”
“So long as our villages are not safe and are being bombed and destroyed and our people are killed,” northern Israel will not be safe, he said in a written statement read on television.
Hezbollah’s rejection of the deal could also complicate talks between the U.S. and Iran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, as Tehran has demanded that Lebanon be covered by any ceasefire with the U.S. and Israel. As Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu sent troops into Lebanon earlier this week, Iran suspended peace talks with the U.S.
Following a phone conversation with Netanyahu, Trump said the prime minister agreed to turn troops back from moving into Hezbollah-controlled neighborhoods in Beirut.
A ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon has been declared and extended on multiple occasions in recent months, but it has regularly been interrupted by strikes from both sides. The Associated Press noted that the Lebanese government has agreed to take more action to push back on Hezbollah in the past, but it doesn’t have the capabilities to dismantle the group.
▪ The Hill: Iran nuclear program relatively unchanged since war started.
▪ ABC News: Will falling gas prices last?
BOLTON PLEA DEAL: Former national security adviser John Bolton plans to plead guilty to one charge accusing him of improperly handling sensitive defense information as part of a settlement deal.
Two sources familiar with the matter told The Hill’s Rebecca Beitsch that Bolton will plead guilty to one count of retention of national security information at a rearraignment hearing scheduled for June 26. He was indicted in October on 18 counts related to alleged violations of the Espionage Act.
The sources said Bolton also agreed to pay a fine of $2.25 million as part of the deal, which will ensure he will not serve longer than five years in prison. Bolton’s legal team will argue he should avoid prison time entirely, though the recommendation from the DOJ is unclear.
The indictment against Bolton accused him of sending more than one thousand “diary-like entries” to two relatives and improperly retaining documents to prepare a possible book. Bolton alleged that he was the victim of a political prosecution, similar to those filed against other high-profile Trump critics.
But legal experts have noted key differences giving the case greater legitimacy than others.
NOT HERE TO STAY: Trump suggested Pulte, the federal housing director, would not stay on long as acting director of national intelligence amid bipartisan pushback to his selection.
“It’s an acting position, it’s not a permanent — he’s not going to be permanent because, you know, I don’t think he’d want to be permanent,” Trump told reporters, calling Pulte “very smart" with “high integrity.”
Pulte is set to take over leading the country’s intelligence agencies for Tulsi Gabbard once she steps down at the end of the month, but Democrats and some Republicans have questioned the move, given Pulte’s lack of national security or intelligence background.
Others have criticized Pulte for the various criminal referrals he has made to the Justice Department of high-profile Trump adversaries, fueling accusations of politicizing the justice system.
▪ The Hill: Gabbard says husband’s surgery was successful.
COMING DOWN: Staff at the Kennedy Center have been instructed to remove Trump’s name from the facility following a judge’s ruling blocking the administration from renaming the institution.
Lawyers for the center said in an internal memo Thursday that email signatures, letterheads and other documents must be changed to reflect the center’s original name. Interior and exterior signage must be removed by June 12.
After a federal judge ruled last week in favor of a legal challenge from Rep. Joyce Beatty (D-Ohio), an ex officio member of the center’s board, Trump suggested he would step back from involvement with the center, yielding authority to Congress.
The center had been set to close for renovations on July 5, but whether it will now remain open is unclear.
▪ The Washington Post: National Symphony Orchestra season at risk.
