TV News LIES

Graham Platner, a progressive oyster farmer and political newcomer whose campaign has been wrought with controversies, will face off this fall against Republican Sen. Susan Collins in Maine, Decision Desk HQ projects.

Collins, who is seeking a sixth term, was unchallenged on Tuesday, while Platner easily advanced from the Democratic primary despite questions about whether he’s become a liability for the party in the must-win race.

Democrats are eyeing a rare pickup opportunity in the Pine Tree State, where Collins has held onto her Senate seat despite its blue leanings. It’s one of just a handful of races in the upper chamber considered toss-ups this cycle, and it could be pivotal to Democrats’ hopes of taking back the Senate in the midterms.

Platner’s campaign, however, has faced growing scrutiny that sparked Democratic anxieties about his candidacy ahead of Tuesday’s primary.

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The U.S. military launched airstrikes Wednesday on Iran following the crash of an Army helicopter near the Strait of Hormuz that U.S. President Donald Trump blamed on the Islamic Republic.

Tehran vowed to respond, again throwing into question efforts to reach a permanent ceasefire in the Iran war that’s seen the Strait of Hormuz effectively choked off and global energy prices spike. Missile alert sirens sounded in the island kingdom of Bahrain, home to the U.S. Navy’s 5th Fleet, which Tehran said it targeted for retaliation.

Fighter jets from the U.S. Air Force and Navy conducted the strikes, the U.S. military’s Central Command said, targeting “air defense, ground control stations, and surveillance radar sites.” Iran acknowledged strikes around Bandar Abbas and Qeshm Island, but gave no details on the damage.

“The operation was a proportional response to recent attacks on U.S. forces and international commercial ships transiting regional waters,” Central Command said.

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The top soccer referee in Africa says he's devastated he won't be able to officiate in the 2026 World Cup after being denied entry into the United States last Saturday.

"am very, very disappointed," Artan told The New York Times in a telephone interview from Istanbul, Turkey, where he had been diverted after landing in the U.S.

"I’m just simply a referee who’s trying to live his dream, the biggest dream of my life, to come to the World Cup."

Artan told The Times he flew to Miami International Airport on Saturday, June 6 − five days before the tournament's opening games. However, he was stopped by U.S. border officials, who took him into a small room and questioned him for 11 hours.

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Volkswagen is considering plans to convert one of its German car factories into a production hub for Israel’s missile defence systems, the Financial Times reported on Tuesday.

The carmaker has held talks with Israel's Rafael Advanced Defense Systems about repurposing its Osnabruck plant, shifting from vehicle production to manufacturing components for Israel’s Iron Dome system.

The move underscores growing pressure on Germany’s automotive sector, which is struggling to compete with Chinese electric vehicle makers.

It also carries historical resonance: during the Second World War, Volkswagen halted car production and switched to arms manufacturing for Nazi Germany.

The proposal points to a wider shift, as parts of German industry move closer to defence production with support from Berlin.

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Danish shipping giant Maersk is still shipping smaller weapons components to Israel that include rifle and pistol parts, as well as bomb bodies, despite its assertion to the contrary last year, according to a report published on Monday by the Palestinian Youth Movement (PYM) and Oxfam Denmark. 

The bullet parts Maersk has reportedly helped to deliver are the same kind that killed Hind Rajab in 2024 and also countless other children in Gaza, as shown in a New York Times essay published later that year, the authors of the report said.

The bomb bodies provide the casing for the 900-kilogram "bunker buster" MK-84 bombs that Israel has used in Gaza and Lebanon.

The investigation is part of the #MaskOffMaersk campaign. 

"Our question to Maersk is: What's a weapon? You don't ship weapons, so what is a weapon?" Nadya Tannous, the international coordinator for the initiative, told Middle East Eye.

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Russian overnight strikes across Kharkiv region killed three people in Chuhuiv and injured at least 15 others in Kharkiv city, including three children. Officials reported damage to apartment buildings and private homes, while emergency crews worked to extinguish fires and search through rubble.

Russian forces launched a series of deadly overnight strikes across Kharkiv region in the early hours of Tuesday, killing three people in Chuhuiv and injuring at least 15 others in the regional capital, local officials reported.
Three killed in Chuhuiv

Russian missiles struck Chuhuiv, a city located roughly 40 kilometers southeast of Kharkiv, in the early hours of Tuesday.

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Nithya Raman, a progressive Los Angeles city council member, has advanced to the November runoff for LA mayor, edging out former reality TV villain Spencer Pratt for the chance to face incumbent mayor Karen Bass.

Pratt, who decided to run for mayor after his Pacific Palisades home burned down in the 2025 wildfires, held a lead over Raman for days. But as ballot processing from last week’s election continued, the city councillor pulled ahead.

Bass, who is seeking another term leading America’s second largest city,learned on 2 June’s primary election night she had secured enough votes to make it to the November election, but the race for second remained close for nearly a week.

Bass’s campaign released a statement on Monday night after hearing of Raman advancing. “A campaign against Nithya Raman, who allows encampments near schools and cuts the police force, is one Mayor Bass looks forward to winning,” said Douglas Herman, a strategist.

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A pilot and co-pilot from the United States have died in a fiery plane crash as they attempted an emergency landing in the Dominican Republic, authorities said.

Former major league baseball all-star catcher Yadier Molina said on social media that the plane was bound for Texas to pick him up, along with family and friends.

The crash occurred on Sunday near the southern coastal town of La Romana, according to a statement by the Dominican Institute of Civil Aviation, which described the pilot and co-pilot as US citizens.

It was not immediately known what caused the crash, which was captured on a cellphone video that was widely circulated on social media. No passengers were onboard.

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