Graham Platner was all but certain to win Maine’s Democratic Senate primary on Tuesday. But the swirl of controversies over Platner’s past personal behavior had raised a slew of questions about the outcome: Would there be a significant number of protest votes lodged for Gov. Janet Mills, whose name was still on the ballot even though she suspended her campaign in April? Would Democratic voters skip the race entirely? None of that came to pass. With votes still being counted Tuesday night, the progressive populist Platner was on course to earn about three-fourths of primary voters’ support — effectively ending any question about whether Maine Democrats wanted him to be their standard-bearer against Republican Sen. Susan Collins in one of the nation’s marquee races in November.
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Police in Northern Ireland deployed water cannons as anti-immigrant protests entered their second night after a Sudanese man was charged with attempted murder following a knife attack. Video showed a crowd of protesters hurling objects toward police vehicles that fired water cannons on them. Northern Ireland police said they were trying to maintain public order in Newtownabbey, north of Belfast. The protests Wednesday evening followed a night of masked rioters torching homes and vehicles in a wave of anti-immigrant violence that erupted Tuesday following news of the knife attack.
https://edition.cnn.com/2026/06/09/europe/northern-ireland-knife-attack-belfast-intl
It’s World Cup season, folks, which means a summer spent watching the very best players on the planet. For those who follow the sport of soccer (yes, we are calling it that despite it being known as football around the world), you know exactly what to expect. Undiluted drama, pure cinema and narratives that even the best scriptwriters in Hollywood would struggle to muster up. But this isn’t just a World Cup for your initiated soccer fan, this is a chance for everyone to fall in love with the world’s game. To do that, you need to understand the basics. Trust me, I know. I spent my first year at CNN trying to understand what March Madness was… I’m still not totally sure I understand it either, despite my colleague Dana O’Neil’s attempts to explain it.
https://edition.cnn.com/2026/06/08/sport/world-cup-what-you-need-to-know
Billionaire Bill Gates told members of the House Oversight Committee that he had no knowledge of Jeffrey Epstein’s crimes and that Epstein attempted to use information about his personal life — including that he had been unfaithful in his marriage — to pressure him, according to a copy of his opening remarks obtained by CNN. “I never witnessed nor had any indication that Epstein was engaged in ongoing criminal conduct. I never went to his island, his ranch, or his Florida home. I have never victimized anyone. While he may have sought to foster a personal relationship, I was never interested in that and never reciprocated,” Gates said Wednesday, according to his prepared remarks. “I learned Epstein had become aware of sensitive information about my personal life, including the fact that I had been unfaithful in my marriage. These affairs had nothing to do with my interactions with Epstein, but they were painful for my family.” Gates said he was introduced to Epstein in 2011 and that the late convicted sex offender promised he could raise billions of dollars for global health. “I recall being aware that Epstein had faced prior legal issues, but I did not fully understand the extent of the crimes he committed. I accepted the introduction without applying the scrutiny I should have,” he told lawmakers.
https://edition.cnn.com/2026/06/10/politics/bill-gates-epstein-house-oversight
Federal authorities have seized over a dozen websites they say were used by suspected Chinese agents to recruit former and current American officials with security clearances. According to the FBI’s affidavit for the seizures, several unnamed people used the websites as a front for fake “consulting companies to recruit individuals in the United States to obtain sensitive and possibly classified information in exchange for monetary payments.” The websites allegedly advertised for such positions as “International Affairs Analysts (Remote),” Defense Analyst, “Jobs for Ex-Military Personnel” as well as generic “consulting” positions.