Author: Mandy Matthews

Democrat Xavier Becerra has moved on to the California governor general election after presenting himself as an experienced option to lead the nation’s most populous state. Xavier Becerra’s advance to the general election puts California voters on notice that the contest will be a choice about direction, priorities, and results. He has cast himself as an experienced manager ready to step into the governor’s role, while opponents and many voters are ready to press him on actual outcomes. Republicans see this as an opportunity to sharpen contrasts on taxes, public safety, and the economy. The coming campaign will be about…

Jill Biden says she has not made peace with Nancy Pelosi after the cornering of Joe Biden following the June 2024 debate, and her new memoir and recent interviews lay bare a long friendship turned cold, private anger, and lingering questions about how Democratic leaders handled that campaign moment. In an interview tied to her memoir, View from the East Wing, Jill Biden described Nancy Pelosi’s role in pressing Joe Biden to leave the 2024 race as a personal and political betrayal she has not been able to forgive. The split cuts deep because Biden and Pelosi were allies for…

John Thune is positioning himself as a last holdout for establishment Republicans even as tensions with the president grow, and the debate over the party’s future sharpened on Jun 4, 2026. What began as routine intra-party debate has hardened into a clear choice between an insurgent base and a comfortable establishment, with Senator John Thune increasingly cast in the latter role. He is a long-serving senator from South Dakota and has been a familiar face in GOP leadership circles, which gives his posture weight beyond his state. For many conservatives, his recent moves feel like an attempt to preserve the…

Gov. Tony Evers publicly doubled down on defying a recent U.S. Supreme Court ruling on so-called “conversion therapy” for children during a Pride Flag Raising event at the State Capitol, where he celebrated vetoes of Republican-backed bills while standing amid attendees waving rainbow flags. On Monday, Gov. Tony Evers used a Pride Flag Raising at the State Capitol to make a pointed political statement. The event, described in reports as a “Pride Flag Raising” gathering, featured Evers surrounded by supporters waving rainbow flags as he discussed his record of vetoes. He positioned those vetoes as deliberate actions, even as critics…

The deal to give Australia nuclear-powered submarines, struck by the U.S. and Britain, is facing fresh doubts as Indo-Pacific democracies grow anxious over China’s rise and the complexities of delivering on that commitment. The AUKUS partnership promised a leap in naval capability for Australia with support from the United States and the United Kingdom, but the plan has encountered political and technical headwinds. Leaders across the region are watching closely because the stakes are high: deterrence, regional stability, and strategic credibility. Questions now focus on whether the partners can move from pledge to performance without losing momentum or credibility. From…

Nancy Guthrie, an 84-year-old woman living in Tucson, vanished in the early hours of February 1 and more than a month later remains missing; a veteran medicolegal investigator believes the case points to someone local who knew her routine, while law enforcement continues to probe and a combined reward tops $1.2 million. A longtime forensic investigator shared a grim theory on the sidelines of a recent event, saying the disappearance looks like the work of someone from the neighborhood rather than a complete stranger. The investigator, Barbara Butcher, spent decades with a major medical examiner’s office and now hosts Oxygen’s…

The high court on Tuesday cleared Alabama to use a congressional map that favors Republicans in this year’s elections, putting on hold a lower court’s ruling that found the redistricting plan intentionally discriminatory. The Supreme Court’s move halted a lower court decision and allowed the contested districts to stand for the upcoming contests. That action keeps the map in place for now, avoiding last-minute chaos in ballot preparation and election logistics. Republicans see the stay as a correction against judicial overreach and a win for predictable election administration. From a Republican perspective this decision underscores the need for judicial restraint…

Vanessa O’Rourke, a 37-year-old Pennsylvania woman indicted on 15 counts of wire fraud for allegedly faking terminal brain cancer, remains a fugitive as federal authorities continue to seek her after visitors and neighbors raised money that prosecutors say funded luxury trips to Australia instead of medical care. Federal authorities say O’Rourke spent months convincing friends, family, and supporters between October 2015 and July 2016 that she suffered from glioblastoma, an aggressive brain cancer. According to the indictment, she asked for help with experimental treatment and rallied neighbors to donate, set up a donation page, and attended benefit events. Prosecutors allege…

Iran is reported by the state-affiliated Mehr News to be considering the full text of a memorandum of understanding proposed by the United States, even as diplomatic ties between the two countries have recently hit rough patches. Reports that Tehran is reviewing a U.S. memorandum of understanding deserve skeptical scrutiny from any serious American observer. The basic fact is straightforward: a state-affiliated outlet says Iran is weighing the full text of a U.S. proposal despite recent blows to diplomacy. That alone does not prove a meaningful turn in Iranian policy or a new commitment to American interests. From a Republican…

Russia launched hundreds of drones and dozens of missiles against Kyiv and other Ukrainian cities overnight, killing at least 18 civilians and wounding more than 100 others, authorities said Tuesday. The assault came in the dead of night and left neighborhoods scarred and families grieving, showing once again how this conflict keeps spilling violence into civilian life. Emergency services responded under fire, pulling survivors from rubble and tallying the human cost while hospitals treated the wounded. Local officials gave the casualty figures and described a city that faced waves of strikes in rapid succession. Witnesses described bright streaks crossing the…