Two major races in California still up in the air

追加: 2026-06-04

[00:00:39]The National News Desk, locally covered, nationally connected.

[00:00:44]>> In a couple of hours, we will declare victory.

[00:00:47]>> Obviously, God wanted five more months of me exposing all the failures of our mayors.

[00:00:53]>> Two major races in California still up in the air. why it could be weeks to find out who really won last night's primary election. Ben, >> let me be clear. He had tied up five of the hostages, but there were 10 hostages in there.

[00:01:08]>> A harrowing night for 10 people in Bakersfield, California, held against their will inside a bank and office building. What we know about the bomb carrying suspect who is now dead, and how all of the hostages made it out alive. And the Affordable Care Act once again at the center of enrollment fraud allegations. One research organization sounding the alarm on what they say are 6.2 million improper signups so far this year. Good evening. I'm Taylor Murray.

[00:01:37]Welcome to the National News Desk.

[00:01:39]America's News Now from Washington DC.

[00:01:41]More cracks are forming in the ceasefire between the United States and Iran.

[00:01:45]Hostilities have resumed in the Gulf as President Trump acknowledges there's no guarantee the Iran war will end through diplomacy. But it does appear new progress has been made in negotiations with Trump saying today Iran has agreed not to have nuclear weapons with a caveat that they may change their mind.

[00:02:04]National news deskar has the latest developments from Washington.

[00:02:09]The US and Iran are back to exchanging fire, each claiming self-defense. At least one person was killed and dozens injured by Iranian missile and drone strikes on Kuwait, hitting the country's main airport. US Central Command says it intercepted Iranian missiles headed for both Kuwait and Bahrain and that American forces struck an Iranian military target on Keshum Island.

[00:02:33]Meanwhile, blasts continue in southern Lebanon as Israel and Hezbollah, an Iranbacked terror group, break their ceasefire, frustrating President Trump.

[00:02:41]Both President Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu responding to questions about reports of a phone call Monday during which Trump said you're expletive crazy. What the expletative are you doing? And that everybody hates Israel because of this.

[00:02:56]>> Did you speak to him in those terms?

[00:02:58]>> I did. I I wouldn't say angry. I was a little bit perturbed at his uh constantly fighting with Lebanon. You know, at some point I said maybe we got to step this.

[00:03:11]>> We have common goals. Sometimes we have as in the best of families, you have these tactical disagreements.

[00:03:16]>> They're united on preventing Iran from getting a nuclear weapon, which requires some level of cooperation from Iran. The president and his secretary of state Marco Rubio giving conflicting accounts of where that stands. They've already agreed they're not going to have a nuclear weapon.

[00:03:31]>> Have they?

[00:03:32]>> Oh, yeah. They've agreed to that.

[00:03:33]>> We don't still don't have final sign off from their system.

[00:03:36]>> Secretary Rubio telling lawmakers Wednesday, negotiations with Iran haven't even started in earnest.

[00:03:42]>> What we're discussing now is what the negotiations will be about.

[00:03:45]>> The president is acknowledging the mixed messaging about a war he originally projected would last four to six weeks.

[00:03:52]>> People at home sometimes you I hear they feel anxious and confused.

[00:03:57]>> That's good. It's good. They're confused and the Iranians are confused.

[00:04:00]>> On the timeline, President Trump said it's unlikely but possible that the US blockade on Iranian ports, a response to Iran's closure of the Straight of Hormuz is still in place come Labor Day. In Washington, I'm Atraar for the National News Desk. America's News Now. A dual American Iranian citizen has been arrested in Southern California under suspicion of supplying US equipment to Iran's nuclear and military establishment. The Department of Justice announcing they charged 63-year-old Jeamshed Gi with violating the International Emergency Economic Powers Act. Now Gi is the CEO of an Iranianbacked tech company and lives in a $35 million estate in Newport Beach.

[00:04:43]The DOJ says they are seeking to seize his assets, including the mansion. In Bakersfield, California, 10 hostages now rescued after being held for 15 hours during a standoff between law enforcement and a man with a bomb.

[00:04:57]Authorities say the suspect, who is now deceased, had a history of violence and is a registered sex offender. The National News Des Patterson is in Bakersfield with the very latest. The 12-hour nightmare for everyone trapped inside this Chase Bank building here in downtown Bakersfield is now over after the FBI says they were able to kill the suspect and successfully rescue everyone that he had trapped inside. At a press conference on Wednesday, local and federal officials providing an update on the terrifying ordeal that began just before 1 Tuesday afternoon. As the situation unfolded, our responding personnel and dispatchers confirmed that the adult male suspect had barricaded himself within the second floor of the building and had taken several hostages.

[00:05:39]The suspect advised he had explosives attached to his person, uh, which our personnel could see as well. He also told law enforcement that additional explosives had been attached to some of the hostages, which we confirmed based on our own observations. The suspect identified as 41-year-old Anthony Sirrills Harris was killed by the FBI early Wednesday morning. Officials are still trying to determine a motive, but they say that his previous criminal convictions may play a part in that.

[00:06:04]>> That at one point he had asked for early on that um notoriety of having FBI involved as well and FBI negotiators.

[00:06:13]>> Now, despite this standoff being over, the FBI says it is going to continue investigating what led up to this and the suspect himself. They encourage anybody who has any information to reach out to them at tips.fbi.gov.

[00:06:24]Reporting in Bakersfield, I'm Michael Patterson.

[00:06:27]>> Now to Pennsylvania where a Montgomery County volunteer firefighter is accused of intentionally setting three fires within a 30hour span. This is according to multiple local news outlets who say the suspect, 29-year-old Justin Shaw, then responded to the scene of two of them with his team. So listen to this.

[00:06:46]According to officials, the investigation began May 29th when the Perseverance Volunteer Fire Company responded to a fire in Franconia Township for a pile of wood logs burning near a road. Later that morning, they responded to a second fire at a detached garage and barn about 50 ft from two homes with people inside. And the third fire linked to Shali happened the next morning, also near a home with people inside. Shali is facing a slew of charges, including arson and criminal trespassing, and he's been suspended.

[00:07:16]That's according to a statement posted to the Perseverance volunteer fire company's Facebook page.

[00:07:23]More than one in four Affordable Care Act enrollments in 2026 were fraudulent.

[00:07:27]This is according to a review of enrollment data by the Paragon Health Institute. Now, the study estimated 6.2 million enrolles were ineligible for the coverage they received. They claimed this could lead to as much as $25 billion in tax payments to non-eligible recipients. Now, the Paragon Health Institute has been researching ACA enrollment since at least 2024 when they found about 5 million ineligible recipients. Paragon Health Institute President Brian Blae believes these numbers will decline in the next two years as the Trump administration removes duplicate and quote phantom enrollments.

[00:08:06]The debate over college athletics has spilled over into Congress. Ass correspondent Matt Galkka reports some warn that recent changes to college sports could wind up killing the institution.

[00:08:19]>> Schmidt who I will not >> some big names in the college athletics world are backing a bipartisan congressional bill that aims to save college sports. That includes Hall of Fame college football coach Nick Sabin.

[00:08:30]He told senators he's worried the current system allowing multiple transfers and huge name image and likeness or NIL paydays for mostly football and basketball players has become payforplay and it's killing other sports.

[00:08:43]>> If you had the biggest baddest Ferrari that you could ever have and it was going 150 m an hour toward the Grand Canyon, somebody needs to tap the brakes and I think that's what we all need to do here.

[00:08:55]>> The bill introduced last week expands on executive orders signed by the president. It would institute a salary cap to pay players, restrict transfers to one free move per college career with a 5-year eligibility window and also prevent coaches from taking new jobs midseason.

[00:09:11]>> We do so much partisan stuff here. It's like Thunderdome a lot of times, right?

[00:09:15]You got your red jersey on and your blue jersey on. This should not be one of those things.

[00:09:19]>> Pack 12 commissioner Terresa Gould said women's competitions and non-revenue Olympic sports were being sacrificed to pay for sports like football and basketball. That money has to come from somewhere. So, it's either going to come from the central campus or it's going to be taken away from other programs.

[00:09:38]>> The Congressional Black Caucus came out against the bill, saying schools need to speak out against the recent Supreme Court ruling that changed the Voting Rights Act. Part of its statement read, "Institutions that profit from black talent in black communities have a responsibility to stand with those communities when their fundamental rights are under attack." I've been hearing a lot of serious concerns about the bill from student athletes and their families, uh, labor unions and civil rights organizations.

[00:10:07]Now, the bill still seemingly has a long way to go. Another major sticking point is the ability for conferences to pull their media rights money together, something supporters say would create competitive balance. At two powerhouse conferences, the SEC and the Big 10, formally opposed the bill ahead of Wednesday's hearing. And Matt, you mentioned those two big conferences as being opposed. Did they say what they it was they didn't like?

[00:10:29]>> Yeah. In a joint statement, the two conferences said critical issues remained unresolved. They said it doesn't meaningfully preempt state laws and instead of limiting lawsuits, it would likely lead to more litigation.

[00:10:40]Both the SEC and Big 10 said they'd be willing to work with Congress on the bill.

[00:10:44]>> Okay. In Washington DC, Matt Gala. Thank you. Convicted former Congressman George Santos could be under federal investigation again. The online prediction Marquet Khi referred the representative to federal prosecutors after noticing suspicious trades he made before President Trump's State of the Union speech. Santos had announced his plans to attend that speech. He then bet that he would not attend. During the speech, Santos posted on X that he was stuck at the airport. President Trump commuted Santos's seven-year prison sentence on wire fraud charges last October.

[00:11:19]Coming up, the postal service is implementing new voting rules ordered by the president. How Democrats are trying to reverse Trump's order. Then, a dransitioned woman tells senators she was too young to understand the consequences of medical gender transition as lawmakers clash over whether the federal government should limit these types of procedures. And tonight on America Remembers, the spacew walk that helped America catch up in the space race. We're back in 90 seconds.

[00:13:24]Two of the most watched races in the country during Tuesday's big primary day may take a little while to get the final results. California's governor's race as well as the highly contested Los Angeles mayor's election. In California, every registered voter gets a mail-in ballot.

[00:13:39]Eligible votes by mail have to be postmarked by election day and can be received up to a week later to be counted. Well, statewide 23 million mail ballots were sent out. Roughly 4.2 million have been received so far. So, let's take a look at the polling numbers. In the race to succeed, Democratic Governor Gavin Newsome, Trump backed Steve Hilton, is leading with nearly 28% of the vote. Former education secretary Democrat Xavier Basera so far has received more than 25% of the vote.

[00:14:08]Tommy Styer, also a Democrat, is in third with 19%. And the top two will advance to the November election. In the race for Los Angeles mayor, elected officials have declared incumbent Karen Bass as the leader, and she will advance to the November runoff with almost 35% of the vote. As of now, Republican Spencer Pratt has more than 30% and also seems likely to advance. Democratic Councilwoman Nifia Ramen uh received um 22% last night. Meanwhile, the lack of an immediate result following an election has long been a frustration of President Trump and many others who blame mail-in voting. The president also worries those who vote by mail could be non US citizens or even duplicate voters. And he's taken action to try to overhaul the process. As Christine Friso reports, it's just the latest battle over ballots. The United States Postal Service moving forward with the plan ordered by the president in this executive order, mandating new standards and rules for those who want to vote by mail, including unique ballot envelope identifiers, barcodes, an official election mail logo, and new requirements. The USPS also provides states with a list of individuals enrolled. Donald Trump has for years raised concerns.

[00:15:27]>> A mail and ballot is by just the nature of it. It's going to be corrupt. so many people handling. You want to have proof of citizenship. You want to have a voter ID. You want to have all these things.

[00:15:37]But to me, maybe the worst of all is the mail and ballots.

[00:15:40]>> The state of Maryland in the spotlight after deciding to resend 500,000 ballots after some voters received ballots for the wrong party.

[00:15:48]>> Right now, I'm totally confused.

[00:15:50]>> 86-year-old Vincent Delpzo, who recently switched parties, says he received three ballots. got a Democrat uh ballot first, then a few days later I got the uh the Republican, and then this Saturday, I just got another Republican.

[00:16:07]>> Ostensibly, he could vote three times.

[00:16:09]>> But the state's website insists every envelope contains a unique code, ensuring there is no risk of duplicate voting.

[00:16:16]>> I don't think it was invalid in any bad way. I think it was just hair or body.

[00:16:22]Democratic le states and voting rights groups are fighting back in court, asserting President Trump's executive order is unconstitutional because the states and Congress, not the president, have the power to set election rules. A federal judge in Boston this week seemed to agree, but like so many legal questions, this one may be decided by the Supreme Court. I'm Christine Fzowl for the National News Desk.

[00:16:47]Seattle City Council Public Safety Committee Chair Bob Kettle is now escalating his criticism of Mayor Katie Wilson's decision not to activate newly installed CCTV cameras in the stadium district and suggesting she's violating established law. This as Seattle preps to host World Cup matches in less than two weeks. The dispute centers on 22 CCTV cameras that have already been installed in and around the stadium district, but remain inactive as city leaders debate privacy concerns. Well, Alabama can use a redrawn congressional map that eliminates one of the state's two majority black districts in November's midterm elections. The Supreme Court ruled Tuesday in a 6-3 decision. Now, the state went to the Supreme Court after a lower court ruled the map discriminated against black voters. The map was adopted three years ago, but wasn't allowed to be used. The renewed redistricting push came after the Supreme Court struck down a majority black district in Louisiana as racial gerrymandering. Republicans will likely now pick up another House seat.

[00:17:50]On Capitol Hill, a heated debate over transgender medical procedures for minors playing out. Senators heard testimony from Khloe Cole, a dransitioned woman who says she regrets the procedure she underwent as a child.

[00:18:04]The National News Desk, Kayla Gaskins reports.

[00:18:07]>> This is medical abuse. During a hearing Wednesday, senators on Capitol Hill clashing over whether minors should be allowed to receive transgender medical procedures.

[00:18:17]>> Let's put politics aside and first do no harm.

[00:18:21]>> This hearing about is not about healthcare. It's not about children. It is about base politics. One witness, Khloe Cole, began medically transitioning from female to male at age 12, underwent a double masectomy at age 15, and dransitioned a year later when she was 16. Now 21 years old, she's urging Congress to ban gender transition procedures for minors. I didn't know what was at stake potentially my ability to have children at the time that I was allowed to go through this because I still very much was a child myself.

[00:18:56]>> Cole also calling for congressional investigations into the medical institutions she says failed her.

[00:19:03]>> This is not medicine.

[00:19:06]Medicine heal heals what is sick.

[00:19:11]But me being female was not a disease.

[00:19:13]But Democrats and transgender advocates warn the federal government should not override parents and doctors.

[00:19:21]>> Gender affirming care for youth should be between a doctor, a patient, and their parents, not politicians and the federal government.

[00:19:30]>> The government is baselessly attacking safe and effective medical care.

[00:19:36]>> Dr. Kurt Miselli with the group Do No Harm testified that medicine has a history of embracing treatments later viewed as harmful.

[00:19:45]>> From frontal lobe labbotomy to the opiate overprescribing crisis, medicine is riddled with examples of misadventure and even scandal.

[00:19:53]>> The issue is now largely being fought at the state level. More than 25 states have enacted restrictions on some combination of puberty blockers, hormone therapy, and transgender procedures for minors with the Supreme Court allowing several of those laws to remain in effect as legal challenges continue on Capitol Hill. I'm Kayla Gaskins reporting for the National News Desk, America's News Now. The Southern Poverty Law Center is now facing new charges from the Department of Justice. The DOJ received a superseding indictment from a grand jury in Alabama with allegations of misuse of more than $4 million of taxexempt funds to pay informants. The claims say SPLC did not properly disclose the payments. The law center still faces 11 counts of wire and bank fraud as well as conspiracy to commit money laundering. The SPLC has pled not guilty to those charges.

[00:20:49]We have reporters all across the country and your neighborhoods covering issues that matter to you. We're taking the Pulse of America and we start in Florida where a property tax cut proposal has been placed on the November ballot.

[00:21:04]In a vote that largely fell along party lines, Florida lawmakers have approved a property tax proposal designed to give homesteaded property owners a break. If 60% of voters approve the amendment this November, the homestead exemption on non-school property taxes would increase to $150,000 starting January 1st, 2027, and then rise to $250,000 the following year. For homeowners like Russ Lobell, the possibility of lower taxes is appealing.

[00:21:33]>> If it could save me money and not paying tax dollars, I would I support it. The retired police officer says saving money sounds good, but he also wants to make sure local services remain funded.

[00:21:49]>> It's brawls. It's individual fights.

[00:21:52]It's It just feels like unending violence.

[00:21:58]>> Three different librarians, three different branches of the Cincinnati Hamilton County Public Library System.

[00:22:03]What would you tell patrons who might be fearful to come to the library for the violent acts that have occurred here?

[00:22:12]>> I would absolutely say that, you know, we are doing our best. We have cameras here that review what's happened. We have our staff. We do work really hard to have CPD here.

[00:22:21]>> Library Administration says fights like this one from April are not the norm.

[00:22:26]While police report that they are called to the main downtown branch on average once a day, they say only one in five calls this year have been for fights.

[00:22:34]And from April to May, the number of fights decreased 40%.

[00:22:42]Crews are calling it a freak accident that burned almost 55 acres. And it all started right over there where you see that white flag.

[00:22:52]How often is it that you see a fire started from an remotec controlled airplane like this hitting a power line?

[00:22:58]>> Out of 31 years in the fire service and the bulk of the wildland, this is my first.

[00:23:02]>> Fire officials tell me that the fire mostly pushed east and that wind and access were issues here. But in the end, they were helped by the railroad on this side of the fire, and it took them a few hours to get it out.

[00:23:15]>> Coming up, before Neil Armstrong, there was Ed White. His daring spacew walk is next.

[00:24:57]In the early 1960s, America and the Soviet Union were locked in a battle to win the space race with the Soviets slightly ahead. For America Remembers, the National News Desk, Angela Brown looks at the mission that helped close the gap.

[00:25:17]Amazing America 250, America remembers, is sponsored by Prevagen. So far, we've talked about Alan Shepard, the first American in space. Now, another milestone, the first American to do a spacew walk.

[00:25:32]Decades later, this photo is still captivating. That's astronaut Ed White floating in space taken June 3rd, 1965.

[00:25:40]The US had just launched Gemini 4 from Cape Kennedy. James McDivet, the command pilot, but it would be Ed White who would make history. Somewhere over the Pacific near Hawaii. The hatch opens and White steps out. You can see in the photo, White is holding an oxygen jet gun to push himself free of the capsule.

[00:26:01]>> It's all the difference in the world with this gun. When that gun was working, I was maneuvering all around.

[00:26:06]>> For 23 minutes, White floats freely, drifting from the Pacific all the way to the Gulf of Mexico. The Soviets had already done it. So, America was playing catch-up. Mission by mission, America was closing the gap with the Soviets, who were leading in the space race of the time. But America's Hollywood ending was just four years away when Neil Armstrong took one giant leap and America won the space race. For America Remembers, I'm Angela Brown. Amazing America 250, America Remembers, was sponsored by Prevagen.

[00:26:41]Coming up, the New York Knicks get a second chance to beat the San Antonio Spurs in a rematch of the 1999 NBA Finals. A preview of tonight's matchup right after this.

[00:28:17]Here is a look of downtown San Antonio where tonight at 8:30 p.m. Eastern, the NBA Finals tips off. The Westwinning Spurs will host the New York Knicks in a best of seven series. Now, this is a rematch of the 1999 Finals that the Spurs won in five games. The Knicks have not been back to the finals since, while the San Antonio Spurs added four more championships in the next 15 years with their last coming in 2014. It's going to be well watched. That's all the time we have for now. I'm Taylor Murray. Thanks for watching.

[00:30:38]The National News Desk, locally covered, nationally connected.

[00:30:43]>> In a couple of hours, we will declare victory.

[00:30:47]>> Obviously, God wanted five more months of me exposing all the failures of our mayors. Two major races in California still up in the air. Why it could be weeks to find out who really won last night's primary election. Then, >> and let me be clear, he had tied up five of the hostages, but there were 10 hostages in there.

[00:31:08]>> A harrowing night for 10 people in Bakersfield, California, held against their will inside a bank and office building. What we know about the bomb carrying suspect who's now dead, and how all of the hostages made it out alive.

[00:31:22]And the Affordable Care Act once again at the center of enrollment fraud allegations. One research organization sounding the alarm on what they say are 6.2 million improper signups so far this year. Good evening. I'm Taylor Murray.

[00:31:37]Welcome to the National News Desk.

[00:31:38]America's News Now from Washington DC.

[00:31:41]More cracks are forming in the ceasefire between the United States and Iran.

[00:31:45]Hostilities have resumed in the Gulf as President Trump acknowledges there's no guarantee the Iran war will end through diplomacy. But it does appear new progress has been made in negotiations with Trump saying today Iran has agreed not to have nuclear weapons with the caveat that they may change their mind.

[00:32:03]The National News Desk Audra Alnashar has the latest developments from Washington.

[00:32:09]The US and Iran are back to exchanging fire, each claiming self-defense. At least one person was killed and dozens injured by Iranian missile and drone strikes on Kuwait, hitting the country's main airport. US Central Command says it intercepted Iranian missiles headed for both Kuwait and Bahrain and that American forces struck an Iranian military target on Keshum Island.

[00:32:32]Meanwhile, blasts continue in southern Lebanon as Israel and Hezbollah, an Iranbacked terror group, break their ceasefire, frustrating President Trump.

[00:32:41]Both President Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu responding to questions about reports of a phone call Monday during which Trump said, "You're expletive crazy. What the expletative are you doing?" And that everybody hates Israel because of this.

[00:32:56]>> Did you speak to him in those terms?

[00:32:58]>> I did. I I wouldn't say angry. I was a little bit perturbed at his uh constantly fighting with Lebanon. You know, at some point I said maybe we got to stop this.

[00:33:10]>> We have common goals. Sometimes we have as in the best of families, you have these tactical disagreements.

[00:33:16]>> They're united on preventing Iran from getting a nuclear weapon, which requires some level of cooperation from Iran. The president and his secretary of state, Marco Rubio, giving conflicting accounts of where that stands. They've already agreed they're not going to have a nuclear weapon.

[00:33:31]>> Have they?

[00:33:31]>> Oh, yeah. They've agreed to that.

[00:33:33]>> We don't still don't have final sign off from their system.

[00:33:36]>> Secretary Rubio telling lawmakers Wednesday, negotiations with Iran haven't even started in earnest.

[00:33:42]>> What we're discussing now is what the negotiations will be about.

[00:33:45]>> The president is acknowledging the mixed messaging about a war he originally projected would last four to six weeks.

[00:33:52]>> People at home sometimes you I hear anxious and confused.

[00:33:57]>> That's good. That's good. They're confused and the Iranians are confused.

[00:34:00]>> On the timeline, President Trump said it's unlikely but possible that the US blockade on Iranian ports, a response to Iran's closure of the Straight of Hormuz is still in place come Labor Day. In Washington, I'm Atar for the National News Desk. America's news now. A dual American Iranian citizen has been arrested in Southern California under suspicion of supplying US equipment to Iran's nuclear and military establishment. Now, the Department of Justice announcing they charge 63-year-old Jeamshed Gi with violating the International Emergency Economic Powers Act. Gi is the CEO of an Iranianbacked tech company and lives in a $35 million estate in Newport Beach.

[00:34:43]And the DOJ says they are seeking to seize his assets, including the mansion.

[00:34:47]In Bakersfield, California, 10 hostages now rescued after being held for 15 hours during a standoff between law enforcement and a man with a bomb.

[00:34:56]Authorities say that suspect, who's now dead, had a history of violence and is a registered sex offender. The National News Desk, Michael Patterson, is in Bakersfield with the very latest. The 12-hour nightmare for everyone trapped inside this Chase Bank building here in downtown Bakersfield is now over after the FBI says they were able to kill the suspect and successfully rescue everyone that he had trapped inside. At a press conference on Wednesday, local and federal officials providing an update on the terrifying ordeal that began just before 1 Tuesday afternoon. As the situation unfolded, our responding personnel and dispatchers confirmed that the adult male suspect had barricaded himself within the second floor of the building and had taken several hostages.

[00:35:39]The suspect advised he had explosives attached to his person, uh, which our personnel could see as well. He also told law enforcement that additional explosives had been attached to some of the hostages, which we confirmed based on our own observations. The suspect identified as 41-year-old Anthony Sirrills Harris was killed by the FBI early Wednesday morning. Officials are still trying to determine a motive, but they say that his previous criminal convictions may play a part in that.

[00:36:04]>> That at one point he had asked for early on that um notoriety of having FBI involved as well and FBI negotiators.

[00:36:12]>> Now, despite this standoff being over, the FBI says it is going to continue investigating what led up to this and the suspect himself. They encourage anybody who has any information to reach out to them at tips.fbi.gov.

[00:36:24]Reporting in Bakersfield, I'm Michael Patterson.

[00:36:27]>> Now to Pennsylvania where a Montgomery County volunteer firefighter is accused of intentionally setting three fires within a 30-our span. This is according to multiple local news outlets who say the suspect, 29-year-old Justin Shaw, then responded to the scene of two of the fires with his team. So listen to the details. According to officials, the investigation began May 29th when the Perseverance Volunteer Fire Company responded to a fire in Franconia Township for a pile of wood logs burning near the road. Later that morning, they responded to a second fire at a detached garage and barn about 50 ft from two homes with people inside. And the third fire linked to Shali happened the next morning, also near a home with people inside of it. Shalley's facing a slew of charges including arson and criminal trespassing and he has been suspended according to that statement you see there posted to the Perseverance Volunteer Fire Company's Facebook page.

[00:37:21]All right. More than one in four Affordable Care Act enrollments in 2026 were fraudulent. This is according to a review of enrollment data by the Paragon Health Institute. The study estimated 6.2 million enrolles were ineligible for the coverage they received. They claim this could lead to as much as$2 billion dollars in tax payments to non-eligible recipients. Now, the Paragon Health Institute has been researching ACA enrollments since at least 2024 when they found about 5 million ineligible recipients. Paragon Health Institute President Brian Blae believes these numbers will decline over the next two years as the Trump administration removes duplicate and quote phantom enrollments.

[00:38:05]The debate over college athletics has spilled over into Congress as national correspondent Matt Gala reports. Some warned that recent changes to college sports could wind up killing the institution.

[00:38:17]>> Schmidt, who I will not.

[00:38:18]>> Some big names in the college athletics world are backing a bipartisan congressional bill that aims to save college sports. That includes Hall of Fame college football coach Nick Sabin.

[00:38:28]He told senators he's worried the current system allowing multiple transfers and huge name image and likeness or NIL paydays for mostly football and basketball players has become payforplay and it's killing other sports.

[00:38:41]>> If you had the biggest baddest Ferrari that you could ever have and it was going 150 m an hour toward the Grand Canyon, somebody needs to tap the brakes and I think that's what we all need to do here.

[00:38:53]>> The bill introduced last week expands on executive orders signed by the president. It would institute a salary cap to pay players, restrict transfers to one free move per college career with a five-year eligibility window and also prevent coaches from taking new jobs midseason.

[00:39:09]>> We do so much partisan stuff here. It's like Thunderdome a lot of times, right?

[00:39:13]You got your red jersey on and your blue jersey on. This should not be one of those things.

[00:39:17]>> Pack 12 commissioner Terresa Gould said women's competitions and non-revenue Olympic sports were being sacrificed to pay for sports like football and basketball. That money has to come from somewhere. So, it's either going to come from the central campus or it's going to be taken away from other programs.

[00:39:36]>> The Congressional Black Caucus came out against the bill, saying schools need to speak out against a recent Supreme Court ruling that changed the Voting Rights Act. Part of its statement read, "Institutions that profit from black talent in black communities have a responsibility to stand with those communities when their fundamental rights are under attack." I've been hearing a lot of serious concerns about the bill from student athletes and their families, uh, labor unions and civil rights organizations.

[00:40:05]>> Now, the bill still seemingly has a long way to go. Another major sticking point is the ability for conferences to pull their media rights money together.

[00:40:12]Something supporters say would create competitive balance, but two powerhouse conferences, the SEC and the Big 10, formally opposed the bill ahead of Wednesday's hearing. And Matt, you just mentioned those two big conferences as being opposed. So, did they say what they didn't like?

[00:40:26]>> Yeah. In a joint statement, the two conferences said critical issues remain unresolved. They said it doesn't meaningfully preempt state laws and instead of limiting lawsuits, it would likely lead to more litigation. Both the SEC and Big 10 say they'd work with Congress on the bill.

[00:40:41]>> In Washington, DC, Matt Gala, thank you.

[00:40:44]Convicted former Congressman George Santos could be under federal investigation again. The online prediction market cali referred the representative to federal prosecutors after noticing suspicious trades he made before President Trump's State of the Union speech. Santos had announced his plans to attend the speech. Then he bet that he would not attend. During the speech, Santos posted on X that he was stuck at the airport. President Trump commuted Santos's seven-year prison sentence on wire fraud charges last October.

[00:41:15]Coming up, the postal service is implementing new voting rules ordered by the president. How Democrats are trying to reverse Trump's order. Then, a dransitioned woman tells senators she was too young to understand the consequences of medical gender transition as lawmakers clash over whether the federal government should limit these types of procedures. And tonight on America Remembers, the spacew walk that helped America catch up in the space race. More back in 90 seconds.

[00:43:19]Two of the most watched races in the country during Tuesday's big primary day may take a little while to get the final results. California's governor's race as well as the highly contested Los Angeles mayor's election. Now, in California, every registered voter gets a mail-in ballot. Eligible votes by mail have to be postmarked by election day and can be received up to a week later to be counted. Statewide, 23 million mail ballots were sent out. Roughly 4.2 million have been received so far. So, let's take a look at the polling numbers. In the race to succeed Democratic Governor Gavin Newsome, Trump backed Steve Hilton is leading with nearly 28% of the vote. Former education secretary Democrat Xavier Xavier Basera so far has received more than 25% of the vote. And as you see here, Tom Styer, also a Democrat, is in third with around 19%. The top two will advance to the November election. In the race for Los Angeles mayor, election officials have declared incumbent Karen Bass as the leader. She'll likely advance to the November runoff with almost 35% of the vote. As of now, Republican Spencer Pratt has more than 30%. also seems likely to advance. Democratic Councilwoman Nifia Ramen received 22% last night. Meanwhile, the lack of an immediate result following an election has long been a frustration of President Trump and many others who blame mail and voting. The president also worries those who vote by mail could be non US citizens or duplicate voters. And he's taken action to try to overhaul the process. As Christine Friso reports, >> it's just the latest battle over ballots. The United States Postal Service moving forward with the plan ordered by the president in this executive order mandating new standards and rules for those who want to vote by mail, including unique ballot envelope identifiers, barcodes, an official election mail logo, and new requirements. The USPS also provides states with a list of individuals enrolled. Donald Trump has for years raised concerns.

[00:45:19]>> A mail in ballot is by just the nature of it. It's going to be corrupt. So many people handling. You want to have proof of citizenship. You want to have a voter ID. You want to have all these things.

[00:45:29]But to me, maybe the worst of all is the mail in ballots.

[00:45:32]>> The state of Maryland in the spotlight after deciding to resend 500,000 ballots after some voters received ballots for the wrong party.

[00:45:40]>> Right now, I'm totally confused.

[00:45:42]86-year-old Vincent Delpzo, who recently switched parties, says he received three ballots.

[00:45:48]>> Got a Democrat uh ballot first, then few days later, I got the uh the Republican, and then this Saturday, I just got another Republican.

[00:45:59]>> Ostensibly, he could vote three times.

[00:46:01]>> But the state's website insists every envelope contains a unique code, ensuring there is no risk of duplicate voting. I don't think it was invalid in any bad way. I think it was hair or body.

[00:46:14]>> Democratic le states and voting rights groups are fighting back in court, asserting President Trump's executive order is unconstitutional because the states and Congress, not the president, have the power to set election rules. A federal judge in Boston this week seemed to agree, but like so many legal questions, this one may be decided by the Supreme Court. I'm Christine Fzowl for the National News Desk.

[00:46:39]>> Seattle City Council Public Safety Committee Chair Bob Kettle is now escalating his criticism of Mayor Katie Wilson's decision not to activate newly installed CCTV cameras in the stadium district and suggesting she is violating established law. This as Seattle preps to host World Mat uh World Cup, excuse me, matches in less than two weeks. The dispute centers on 22 CCTV cameras that have been already installed in and around Seattle's stadium district, but remain inactive as city leaders debate privacy concerns. Well, Alabama can use a redrawn congressional map that eliminates one of the state's two majority black districts in November's midterm elections. The Supreme Court ruling Tuesday in a 6-3 decision. The state went to the Supreme Court after a lower court ruled the map discriminated against black voters. The map was adopted three years ago, but wasn't allowed to be used. The renewed redistricting push came after the Supreme Court struck down a majority black district in Louisiana. As racial gerrymandering, Republicans will likely now pick up another House seat.

[00:47:43]On Capitol Hill, a heated debate over transgender medical procedures for minors playing out. Senators heard testimony from Khloe Cole, a dransitioned woman who says she regrets the procedure she underwent as a child.

[00:47:56]The National News Desk, Kayla Gaskins reports.

[00:47:59]>> This is medical abuse. During a hearing Wednesday, senators on Capitol Hill clashing over whether minors should be allowed to receive transgender medical procedures.

[00:48:09]>> Let's put politics aside and first do no harm.

[00:48:13]>> This hearing about is not about healthcare. It's not about children. It is about base politics. One witness, Khloe Cole, began medically transitioning from female to male at age 12, underwent a double masectomy at age 15, and dransitioned a year later when she was 16. Now 21 years old, she's urging Congress to ban gender transition procedures for minors. I didn't know what was at stake potentially my ability to have children at the time that I was allowed to go through this because I still very much was a child myself.

[00:48:48]>> Cole also calling for congressional investigations into the medical institutions she says failed her. This is not medicine.

[00:48:58]Medicine heal heals what is sick.

[00:49:03]But me being female was not a disease.

[00:49:05]But Democrats and transgender advocates warn the federal government should not override parents and doctors.

[00:49:13]>> Gender affirming care for youth should be between a doctor, a patient, and their parents, not politicians and the federal government.

[00:49:22]>> The government is baselessly attacking safe and effective medical care.

[00:49:27]>> Dr. Dr. Kurt Meelli with the group Do No Harm testified that medicine has a history of embracing treatments later viewed as harmful.

[00:49:37]>> From frontal lobe labbotomy to the opiate overprescribing crisis, medicine is riddled with examples of misadventure and even scandal.

[00:49:45]>> The issue is now largely being fought at the state level. More than 25 states have enacted restrictions on some combination of puberty blockers, hormone therapy, and transgender procedures for minors with the Supreme Court allowing several of those laws to remain in effect as legal challenges continue on Capitol Hill. I'm Kayla Gaskins reporting for the National News Desk, America's News Now.

[00:50:08]The Southern Poverty Law Center is now facing new charges from the Department of Justice. The DOJ received a superseding indictment from a grand jury in Alabama with allegations of misuse of more than $4 million of taxexempt funds to pay informants. Now, the claims say SPLC did not properly disclose the payments. The law center still faces 11 counts of wire and bank fraud as well as conspiracy to commit money laundering and the SPLC has pled not guilty to those charges.

[00:50:41]We have reporters all across the country in your neighborhoods covering issues that matter to you. We're taking the pulse of America and we start in Florida where a property tax cut proposal has been added to the November ballot.

[00:50:55]In a vote that largely fell along party lines, Florida lawmakers have approved a property tax proposal designed to give homesteaded property owners a break. If 60% of voters approved the amendment this November, the homestead exemption on non-school property taxes would increase to $150,000 starting January 1st, 2027, and then rise to $250,000 the following year. For homeowners like Russ Lobell, the possibility of lower taxes is appealing.

[00:51:24]>> If it could save me money and not paying tax dollars, I would I support it. The retired police officer says saving money sounds good, but he also wants to make sure local services remain funded.

[00:51:39]>> It's brawls. It's individual fights.

[00:51:42]It's It just feels like unending violence.

[00:51:48]>> Three different librarians, three different branches of the Cincinnati Hamilton County Public Library system.

[00:51:53]What would you tell patrons who might be fearful to come to the library for the violent acts that have occurred here?

[00:52:02]>> I would absolutely say that, you know, we are doing our best. We have cameras here that review what's happened. We have our staff. We do work really hard to have CPD here.

[00:52:11]>> Library Administration says fights like this one from April are not the norm.

[00:52:16]While police report that they are called to the main downtown branch on average once a day, they say only one in five calls this year have been for fights.

[00:52:25]And from April to May, the number of fights decreased 40%.

[00:52:32]Crews are calling it a freak accident that burned almost 55 acres. And it all started right over there where you see that white flag.

[00:52:42]How often is it that you see a fire started from an remotec controlled airplane like this hitting a power line.

[00:52:48]>> Out of 31 years in the fire service and the bulk of the wild line, this is my first.

[00:52:52]>> Fire officials tell me that the fire mostly pushed east and that wind and access were issues here. But in the end, they were helped by the railroad on this side of the fire and it took them a few hours to get it out. Coming up, before Neil Armstrong, there was Ed White. His daring spacew walk is next.

[00:54:46]By the early 1960s, America and the Soviet Union were locked in a battle to win the space race with the Soviets slightly ahead. For America Remembers, the National News Desk, Angela Brown looks at a mission that helped close the gap.

[00:55:04]Amazing America 250, America remembers, is sponsored by Prevagen. So far, we've talked about Alan Shepard, the first American in space. Now, another milestone. The first American to do a spacew walk.

[00:55:19]Decades later, this photo is still captivating. That's astronaut Ed White floating in space. Taken June 3rd, 1965.

[00:55:28]The US had just launched Gemini 4 from Cape Kennedy. James McDivet, the command pilot, but it would be Ed White who would make history. Somewhere over the Pacific near Hawaii, the hatch opens and White steps out. You can see in the photo, White is holding an oxygen jet gun to push himself free of the capsule.

[00:55:48]>> Listen, it's all the difference in the world with this gun. When that gun was working, I was maneuvering all around >> for 23 minutes. white floats freely drifting from the Pacific all the way to the Gulf of Mexico. The Soviets had already done it, so America was playing catch-up. Mission by mission, America was closing the gap with the Soviets, who were leading in the space race of the time. But America's Hollywood ending was just four years away when Neil Armstrong took one giant leap and America won the space race. For America remembers, I'm Angela Brown. Amazing America 250. America Remembers was sponsored by Prevagen.

[00:56:29]Coming up, the New York Knicks get a second chance to beat the San Antonio Spurs in a rematch of the 1999 NBA Finals. A preview of tonight's matchup right after this.

[00:58:03]Here's a look at downtown San Antonio where tonight at 8:30 p.m. Eastern, the NBA Finals tips off. The Westwinning Spurs will host the New York Knicks in a best of seven series. This is a rematch of the 1999 finals that the Spurs won in five games. Now, the Knicks have not been back to the finals since. Well, San Antonio added four more championships in the next 15 years with their last coming in 2014. Got to watch and see what happens. That's all the time we have for now. Thank you so much for joining us.

[00:58:43]I'm Taylor Murray.