The signal
over the noise.

Republican Senator Mitch McConnell released a statement opposing Donald Trump's pick of Bill Pulte for acting director of national intelligence, stating that the role requires extensive national security experience mandated by statute and that he will not vote for any nominee who falls short of this requirement. McConnell's statement echoes his position on former DNI nominee Tulsi Gabbard, whom he was the only Republican to vote against, citing her lapses of judgment and insufficient policy knowledge.

Ben Black, head of the Trump administration's Development Finance Corporation (DFC), had personal and business ties to Jeffrey Epstein spanning several years beginning in 2011, according to Department of Justice records reviewed by the Guardian. Ben Black's father, Leon Black, was Epstein's highest-paying client. Black's lawyers deny any personal or professional relationship between Ben Black and Epstein, and Black has not been accused of wrongdoing. The DFC, recently authorized to invest in high-income countries with its lending cap tripled to $205 billion, also includes Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick on its board, who testified that he traveled to Epstein's private island.

Primary elections across multiple states on Tuesday resulted in Steve Hilton leading the California gubernatorial race with Xavier Becerra in second place, as vote counting continued. In New Jersey, Democrat Rebecca Bennett was nominated to challenge Republican incumbent Tom Kean Jr., while in Iowa, Josh Turek, a state legislator and Paralympic athlete, won the Democratic primary for an open Senate seat, prompting a political rating shift to "lean Republican" from "likely Republican." The results reflected voters' preference for establishment Democrats in key races while also supporting some progressive candidates in solidly Democratic districts.

An armed man with a bomb strapped to his body barricaded himself inside a Chase bank in Bakersfield, California on Tuesday, taking an unknown number of hostages in a standoff lasting roughly 12 hours. The FBI shot and killed the suspect early Wednesday morning after all hostages were released unharmed. Police maintained phone contact with the suspect throughout the standoff while evacuating the downtown area.

This article is a photographic gallery documenting life in New York City during 1973, capturing moments from major cultural events (Led Zeppelin at Madison Square Garden), political activities (Shirley Chisholm's public housing dedication speech, Watergate hearings coverage), sports (Knicks victory over Boston Celtics), and everyday urban scenes across the city's neighborhoods.

Judge Gregory Carro sealed a virtual conference in Luigi Mangione's New York state case on Wednesday after the state courts announced the closure less than 24 hours beforehand, citing a defense request. Multiple media organizations objected and requested the opportunity to address the sealing in court, but Carro did not grant them a hearing before or after the proceeding. The case was adjourned to June 16 for an in-person court appearance.

Millions of voters participated in primary elections across six states on Tuesday, with several races producing clear frontrunners for November's general elections. Iowa Democrat Josh Turek won his Senate primary and will face Trump-endorsed Republican Ashley Hinson, while New Mexico Democrat Deb Haaland advanced in the gubernatorial primary. California's gubernatorial race remains too close to call but several candidates have conceded, and the Supreme Court ruled 6-3 that Alabama may use a redrawn congressional map that eliminates one of two majority-Black districts.

California's gubernatorial primary remained too close to call with early results showing Republican Steve Hilton and Democrats Xavier Becerra and Tom Steyer leading a field of 61 candidates. Two Democratic candidates conceded after polls closed, though final results could take days due to mail-in voting verification. In the Los Angeles mayoral race, incumbent Karen Bass advanced while Spencer Pratt led progressive council member Nithya Raman for the second spot.

Karen Bass won Tuesday's primary for Los Angeles mayor with less than 50% of the vote, setting up a November general election against either Spencer Pratt or Nithya Raman. Bass, facing criticism over her absence during January 2025 wildfires that killed at least 31 people and subsequent budget cuts to the fire department, emphasized her focus on addressing homelessness and building housing. Pratt, a former reality TV star and registered Republican who lost his home in the fires, has made Bass's wildfire response central to his campaign, while Raman, a Democratic socialist councilmember, has positioned herself as offering a different approach to homelessness and housing.

Federal authorities are investigating whether former congressman George Santos engaged in insider trading by betting on a prediction market about his own attendance at Trump's State of the Union address in February. Santos had announced his attendance on social media before claiming travel problems prevented him from going; Kalshi, the prediction market platform, reported the trade to federal regulators. The investigation is part of broader scrutiny of prediction markets like Kalshi and Polymarket over insider trading concerns.