June 1, 2026 - US Bombs Iran; Kuwait Hit by Strikes

"You're nothing but a right-wing, Trump boot-licking MAGA hack. CNN should fire your ass..."

That social media reaction to my Saturday commentary was not an outlier. But my words were prescient - validated within hours.

On CNN Saturday morning I delivered a commentary called "The Democrat Blind Spot." My thesis: hatred of Donald Trump has caused the party to lose its bearings. Inconvenient truths get buried when the objective is fighting Trump. So when a progressive pugilist named Graham Platner emerged in Maine challenging Susan Collins, the only thing that seemed to matter is that he had the moxie to knee the President in the groin. Never mind the skull-and-crossbones tattoo - widely linked to Nazi symbolism - he wore on his chest for nearly 20 years. Never mind the 2019 Reddit post mocking a fellow soldier shown on helmet camera being wounded in Afghanistan, calling him a "dumb motherf***er" who "didn't deserve to live." None of that mattered. He's a street fighter.

Few wished to engage me substantively. Instead: vitriol and whataboutism.

Then, hours after the show, the Wall Street Journal dropped a new story: Platner's wife, Amy Gertner, had disclosed to his campaign that he'd been sexting with as many as a dozen women - telling aides just days before a big Labor Day rally with Bernie Sanders. Gertner went public Saturday defending her husband.

Primary day is June 9. Governor Janet Mills has already suspended her campaign, leaving Platner as the presumptive nominee. Democrats' desire for a fiery candidate has so far trumped all concerns. Republicans would be wise to let him get the nomination before they drop what they have.

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The United States struck Iranian military sites while Kuwait was targeted by drone and missile fire, marking a sharp escalation in the widening Middle East conflict.

Associated Press

Israeli forces have advanced past the Litani River, captured the strategic Beaufort Castle and reached the outskirts of Nabatieh, occupying roughly a fifth of Lebanon despite an April ceasefire, as analysts warn Israel is laying the groundwork for long-term territorial control.

Al Jazeera

Jill Biden defended former President Joe Biden’s pardon of son Hunter, saying the family feared he would be unfairly targeted under a Trump Justice Department and “could not let” him go to jail over charges she argued rarely result in incarceration.

CBS News

Graham Platner’s wife is defending the Democratic Senate hopeful amid reports of sexually explicit texts with other women, calling the media coverage “shameful” as the controversy adds new scrutiny to his closely watched Maine campaign.

Associated Press

Former Vice President Mike Pence said Republicans have “lost our way” under Trump’s leadership but argued Democrats have “lost their mind,” contending that GOP electoral success depends more on voter backlash to Democratic “extremism” than on the party’s current direction.

NBC News

Companies from Ford to GE Vernova are pouring into the power business as AI's voracious electricity demand turns energy into one of the most valuable strategic assets in the economy — even as community opposition forces a record number of data center cancellations.

Axios

Angels reliever Brent Suter and Rays pitchers Steven Wilson and Manuel Rodriguez were thrown out before Saturday's game in Tampa Bay after refusing to leave the field following the national anthem, a 'standoff' that dragged on as the leadoff hitter stepped into the batter's box.

Daily Mail

Students are secretly snapping and sharing photos of classmates eating in the cafeteria — targeting messy bites or kids sitting alone — in a new cyberbullying trend that's leaving victims too anxious to eat at school.

The Wall Street Journal

Once the quintessential symbol of middle-class American suburbia, the white picket fence is disappearing as homeowners increasingly opt for taller, more private barriers over neighborly front-yard charm.

The Washington Post

A late-Friday White House memo declared the 79-year-old president "in excellent health" after his Walter Reed visit, but doctors say it failed to explain repeated cardiac scans, daytime fatigue, aspirin use and two cholesterol medications.

Axios