A June showdown in District 1 will decide whether South County clinics, child‑welfare teams and housing programs survive a deep Santa Clara County budget shortfall.

Keith Regan, a longtime Maui administrator, has been named acting lieutenant governor as the office faces a bribery probe. The state comptroller says he won't run in August.

Five leading governor candidates gathered in Oakland to debate housing plans as mail ballots begin arriving. Each sketched different fixes on permitting, production and investor rules.

A San Rafael-registered nonprofit called Neighbors First has blanketed L.A. with glossy mailers that praise some incumbents and attack others, prompting calls for ethics scrutiny.

At a heated Lincoln High forum, Oregon’s budget co‑chairs faced pleas to use reserve funds as districts warn of layoffs and deep program cuts. Advocates pressed for immediate relief while lawmakers pushed for longer-term fixes.

Sen. Jacky Rosen wants extreme heat added to the federal disaster list after a deadly, record‑breaking summer in Southern Nevada to unlock FEMA aid for cooling and relief.

President Trump’s May 14–15 Beijing trip has renewed hope for Rayhan Asat, whose brother Ekpar has been detained in Xinjiang since 2016. Advocates want his case raised directly with Xi.

Thirty-six medical experts told the Senate they believe President Trump is mentally unfit and urged urgent removal, citing worsening cognition and national‑security risks. Their statement was printed in the Congressional Record.

At a University of Chicago event, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez defended her 'you can't earn a billion dollars' line and tied it to market power, tax and antitrust reforms.

Boston Fed President Susan Collins sided with FOMC dissenters over easing language and warned Kevin Warsh's expected chairmanship could reshape Fed communications and local markets.

Gov. Newsom asked FEMA for a 12‑month extension of disaster aid to keep housing and financial help available to Los Angeles wildfire survivors. Officials say thousands remain stalled on rebuilding.

A Key West couple filed a federal suit after city officials ordered them to repaint rainbow pickets used to protest crosswalk removals. The ACLU says the citations were viewpoint discrimination.

A Jackson County judge denied the state’s emergency request to halt sales of concentrated 7‑OH kratom sold by American Shaman, ordering more evidence at a later hearing. The ruling keeps products on shelves while the case moves forward.