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▪ Iran responds to U.S. strikes overnight

▪ Platner glides to nomination in Maine

▪ Reconciliation bill heads to Trump’s desk

▪ U.S. contends with spreading screwworm

© The Associated Press | Robert F. Bukaty

MAINE EVENT: Graham Platner easily coasted to win the nomination for a key Senate seat in Maine despite a series of controversies surrounding his candidacy.

While Platner’s main opposition, Maine Gov. Janet Mills (D), had dropped out following poor polling and fundraising numbers weeks ago, she remained on the ballot. Some Democrats have expressed increasing concern about Platner’s viability to take on Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine), fueling speculation that some Mainers could cast protest votes against the oyster farmer.

But Platner cruised to the nomination with 72 percent of the vote as of early Wednesday morning. Mills won just under 20 percent, while Democrat David Costello won about 8 percent.

Democrats quickly rallied behind Platner following his victory.

“While Susan Collins cuts healthcare, increases everyday costs, undercuts workers, and rubberstamps Donald Trump’s extreme agenda, Graham will focus on making life more affordable and delivering for communities across Maine,” Democratic National Committee Chair Ken Martin said in a statement.

“He understands that he needs to do work, and he understands that they’re giving him a chance at redemption,” Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.), who has been a staunch supporter of Platner, said on CNN.

Platner’s win comes days after reports indicated he had sent sexual messages to multiple women while married a few years ago and had displayed “toxic” behavior in past relationships. Platner’s campaign disputed allegations of physical intimidation and altercations.

Eyes will now turn to the general election, with Collins’s seat key to Democrats’ hopes of winning back a majority in the Senate in November.

SOUTH CAROLINA: In other notable primary news, Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) fended off multiple primary challengers to avoid a runoff and clinch the GOP nomination. His most significant challenger, businessman Mark Lynch, had sought to attack Graham from the right over his support for the Iran war.

The power of Trump’s endorsement was again on display Tuesday, as his endorsed candidate in South Carolina’s gubernatorial race, Lt. Gov. Pamela Evette (R), advanced to a runoff against state Attorney General Alan Wilson (R). The GOP primary featured several high-profile names, including South Carolina Reps. Nancy Mace and Ralph Norman, who both failed to advance.

▪ The Hill: Five takeaways from Tuesday’s primaries.

▪ The Hill: Tom Steyer endorses Xavier Becerra after losing primary.

NEXT STOP TRUMP: The GOP’s nearly $70 billion budget reconciliation bill to fund immigration enforcement agencies is on the verge of becoming law after the House narrowly passed the legislation entirely along party lines Tuesday.

The lower chamber passed the bill, which will fund U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and U.S. Border Patrol through fiscal 2029, in a 214-212 vote. Rep. Kevin Kiley (Calif.), an independent who caucuses with Republicans, joined all Democrats in voting against the bill, while all Republicans voted in favor.

Kiley had told reporters he would vote against the bill because it didn’t include changes to interior immigration enforcement.

With approval from the House, the reconciliation bill is heading to Trump’s desk for his signature.

The GOP turned to the reconciliation process, which allowed them to pass the bill by a simple majority, earlier this year after negotiations with Democrats on reforms to immigration enforcement failed. It’s the second bill that Republicans have used reconciliation for during Trump’s second term, following the One Big Beautiful Bill Act last year.

The legislation may be the last major legislative achievement for Congress during this session. Some Republicans have floated a possible third reconciliation bill to address affordability concerns and crack down on fraud in social programs.

But Sens. Susan Collins (R-Maine) and Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) said Tuesday they believe Congress is unlikely to pass a third such bill.

▪ The Hill: Trump puts MAGA’s pressure on John Thune.

▪ The Hill: Republicans fume at discharge petitions.

▪ Axios: How Israel, Iran nearly pulled Trump back to war.

SPY POWERS STANDOFF: Top Republican congressional leaders are looking for a path ahead on reauthorizing the country’s foreign warrantless surveillance powers amid backlash to the president’s pick of Bill Pulte as acting director of national intelligence.

Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) said Tuesday that the White House is “weighing seriously” a long-term nominee to replace Tulsi Gabbard, who is set to step down at the end of the month, instead of the controversial Pulte, who leads the Federal Housing Finance Agency.

The pressure has significantly escalated as Democrats have vowed to oppose a renewal of Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, currently set to expire Friday, if Pulte remains on track to lead the country’s intelligence agencies.

Trump appeared to double down on Pulte in a post on Truth Social later on Tuesday, saying he would take over as acting intelligence chief on June 19, sooner than originally anticipated.

Johnson met with Trump on Tuesday morning to discuss the hurdle toward renewing FISA and Trump’s selection of Pulte.

▪ The Hill: Trump faces tough choice.

▪ The Hill: Todd Blanche’s nomination collides with GOP anger.

SYSTEMS GO: NASA has unveiled the Artemis III crew that will take the next trip into outer space as soon as next year, following up on the successful Artemis II mission this year.

The four-member crew will feature pilot Luca Parmitano, Commander Randy Bresnik and mission specialists Andre Douglas and Col. Frank Rubio. There will be one backup crew member, Bob Hines, who will train along with the four others.

The Artemis mission is designed to eventually return Americans to the lunar surface. Artemis II saw the team of astronauts orbit the moon and travel to a point further than any human has ever traveled.

Artemis III, which is expected to last around two weeks potentially in late 2027, will test one or both lunar landers in Earth’s orbit. Rendezvous and docking operations will be evaluated.

If the mission is successful, it would clear the way for Artemis IV, which is set to be the first crewed lunar landing of the program as soon as 2028.

▪ BBC: What is Artemis III’s mission?

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© The Associated Press | J. Scott Applewhite

BACK ONLINE: Hunter Biden has reemerged on the political scene with a flurry of social media posts that include crude responses to his GOP critics and self-deprecating commentary making light of his personal struggles.

The former president’s son has embraced authenticity, talking openly about his addiction issues, the scrutiny he faced during his father’s term in office and his newfound freedom now that his family is out of public office, The Hill’s Miranda Nazzaro reports.

“It was never really about me. It was about power, it was about the presidency, and it wasn’t my place to be even more of a distraction that obviously my addiction and troubles created the administration or for anybody else,” Biden said in a video, responding to rumors last month that questioned whether he was truly behind the account.

One user responded to the video, saying, “hunter biden could be one of the best follows here at the moment.”

The former president’s son discouraged people from being “hateful and vengeful and so mean all the time,” but he has also leaned into publicly trolling his GOP critics.

In one post, he called White House deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller a “sadistic, infantile ugly f---,” just a week after the account for the Democratic National Committee told Miller to “shut up you ugly f---.”

He also poked fun at himself about his addiction, quipping that the bag of cocaine found in the White House in 2023 was “most definitely not his,” adding, “I would have never forgotten my drugs.”

In response to questions about whether his public return was motivated by money, Biden said, “yes I’m broke AF, but how do you make money on here. Real question if you can help let me know.”

▪ The Atlantic: Why the public is gravitating toward the Hunter Biden approach.

© The Associated Press | Eric Gay

BLAME GAME: The Trump administration is turning to a familiar playbook in responding to the spread of New World screwworm in the country: casting blame on former President Biden, The Hill’s Nathaniel Weixel reports.

Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins said the parasite — which had been eliminated in the U.S. for decades — is reemerging because of the Biden administration’s lax immigration policies.

But experts told Weixel the reality is more complicated, noting the Trump administration cut funding for screwworm monitoring in Central America. They said what happens next is ultimately more important than how the situation arose.

The detection of the screwworm in Texas last week marked the first time in decades that the flesh-eating parasite has been seen in the U.S. There has also been a confirmed case in New Mexico.

The fly doesn’t pose as much danger directly to humans but can have harsh effects on livestock.

The screwworm typically enters warm-blooded animals through open wounds, feeding on their flesh. The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) said it is working to expedite the release of sterilized flies and engage in trapping and surveillance efforts to manage the infestation.

The parasites pose a growing threat to Texas’s cattle and beef industry, potentially causing a rise in prices at a time when supply is already tight.

▪ The Hill: USDA confirms two new screwworm cases in Texas.

▪ CNN: What screwworm means for beef prices.

© The Associated Press | Nathan Howard

And finally … Vice President Vance has installed a chicken coop to his residence, the Naval Observatory, now home to dozens of chicks.

The coop was designed to look like the Victorian-style residence itself and was built by Carolina Coops, a business based in North Carolina. Matt DuBoise, who co-founded the company with Gnon DuBoise in 2008, told The Associated Press that construction on the coop was completed on May 29.

“It’s something I thought was amazing to do for this country,” Matt DuBoise told the AP. “It’s a place of history and a place of significance.”

The Naval Observatory has been the residence for the vice president since Walter Mondale moved there in 1977. The Vances join 11 million other Americans who have backyard chickens, according to a 2025 survey from the American Pet Products Association.

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