DOJ’s Probe Into Gavin Newsom Reportedly Dates to Biden Era

(Luis CornelioHeadline USA) California Gov. Gavin Newsom spent much of his Monday announcement making unsubstantiated claims about criminal investigations involving his wife. Left out of the fiery remarks, however, was one notable detail: one of the probes may have started during the Biden administration.

Newsom revealed the alleged investigation in a nearly five-minute video posted on social media and on a taxpayer-funded state government website. He specifically claimed that the DOJ is looking into First Partner Jennifer Siebel Newsom.

A source inside the DOJ told reporters multiple active investigations are related to Newsom’s administration and his aides. None of them directly target the governor himself.

One of the probes pertains to Siebel Newsom’s tax matters and was launched in 2025, according to the Daily Wire. This probe was triggered by whistleblower testimony and people in Sacramento, according to CalMatters.

A separate investigation involves Newsom’s former chief of staff, Dana Williamson, who pleaded guilty in May to a series of fraud-related charges.

According to her guilty plea, Williamson was part of a scheme to steal $225,000 from former Attorney General Xavier Becerra’s dormant campaign account.

Becerra left the funds in the account when he departed his state office to become Biden’s HHS secretary.

The investigations reportedly stem from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of California.

Siebel Newsom leads the California Partners Project and the Representation Project, both nonprofit organizations. Details of the investigations and whether they are tied to these nonprofits remain unclear. In his video announcement, Newsom characterized them as a fishing expedition targeting his family and close associates.

Newsom also claimed that President Donald Trump ordered the investigations, but he offered no evidence to support that allegation.

Trump did say that he would have arrested Newsom on June 9, 2025, but he made these comments in response to the state government’s weak response to the anti-ICE riots of the time.

Trump did say on June 9, 2025, that he would arrest Newsom, though the comments came in response to the governor’s handling of anti-ICE riots in California.

“I would do it if I were Tom [Homan]. I think it’s great,” Trump said. “Look, I like Gavin Newsom. He’s a nice guy. But he’s grossly incompetent.”

Unlike his response this week, Newsom at the time fired back: “Come and get me, tough guy.”

Newsom’s communications director Izzy Gardon did not respond to Headline USA’s request for comment before deadline.

Dem-tied Challenger to GOP Rep. Booted from Ballot Over Same-Name Scheme

(Luis CornelioHeadline USA) A same-name challenger to Sen. Dan Sullivan, R-Alaska, is not eligible to run in the primary after state officials determined on Monday that he launched his campaign to confuse voters.

The Alaska Division of Elections ruled that the candidate, Daniel J. Sullivan, did not properly file his candidacy because it was not submitted in good faith as mandated by state law.

Republicans accused Daniel J. Sullivan of filing as a Republican challenger to mislead voters by exploiting the similarity to Sen. Sullivan’s name.

In practice, Republican voters could likely have confused the challenger with the incumbent senator, potentially benefiting Democrats.

Sen. Sullivan’s seat is viewed as one of the most competitive in the 2026 midterm elections. Alaska uses an open primary system where the top four candidates advance to the November election under ranked-choice voting.

In a letter, Division of Elections Director Carol Beecher wrote that Daniel J. Sullivan’s paperwork was not properly filed “because it was not filed in order to declare an actual good-faith candidacy for the office of United States Senator.”

Instead, Beecher wrote, the filing was made “with a purpose to confuse or mislead and to thereby compromise the ballot’s fairness or neutrality.”

According to Beecher, Sullivan sought to appear on the open primary ballot under the name “Dan Sullivan,” despite never registering under that name. He had previously registered as “Daniel J. Sullivan, Jr.”

He also requested to appear as a Republican-affiliated candidate despite not being a registered member of the party in the past, Beecher wrote.

Alaska officials also took issue with the similarities between Daniel J. Sullivan’s campaign website and that of the incumbent senator. The challenger also reportedly worked with a consultant with ties to Democratic candidates.

While Daniel J. Sullivan pushed back against the allegations, he did not suggest he would pursue legal action or appeal the decision.

“I am a qualified candidate who followed the rules and filed to run for office under my legal name,” he claimed. “Yet, unsupported accusations have been given credibility while political operatives continue their effort to keep me off the ballot. Alaskans have every reason to ask whether this process is being driven by politics rather than by a fair application of the law.”

The investigation was launched June 8 by Alaska Lt. Gov. Nancy Dahlstrom. As part of the probe, Daniel J. Sullivan was asked to submit a sworn statement attesting that he had not communicated with any Democratic candidate or campaign regarding his decision to enter the race.

It is unclear whether Daniel J. Sullivan’s conduct rises to the level of a state offense or implicates federal statutes. Headline USA has reached out to Alaska Assistant Attorney General Cori Mills for comment via email.

The primary is set to take place on Aug. 18, 2026.

Pro Life Org Asks Senate for Another Bill to Keep abortion Defunded of Tax Dollars

(Tate Rosentreter, The Center Square) With the Working Family Tax Cuts that defunded abortion from federal Medicaid dollars set to expire on July 4, Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America sent a letter to Senate Republicans asking them to pursue another budget reconciliation bill to keep taxpayer dollars from funding abortion.

Communications director for SBA Pro-Life America Kelsey Pritchard told The Center Square that “reconciliation is the only viable legislative path to defund Big Abortion again.”

“We know margins for a 3.0 bill will be tight, but Republicans must do everything within their power to renew the defunding measure,” Pritchard said.

“Through our letter and conversations with leaders on Capitol Hill, we hope to spur Republican lawmakers to do everything within their power to once again defund Planned Parenthood and abortion businesses from our Medicaid dollars.”

Pritchard said that “defunding Big Abortion again isn’t just the right thing, it’s the politically smart thing in a midterm election year.”

“A nationwide survey conducted by Cygnal found that a full 75% of Republican primary voters support defunding Planned Parenthood, America’s largest abortion business,” Pritchard said.

“We are doing our part at SBA by investing $160 million in 2026 and 2028 for candidates who will take pro-life action at the national level,” Pritchard said.

“As the largest pro-life field operation in the country, we’re on the ground in Georgia, Ohio, Iowa, Michigan, North Carolina, Texas and other states,” Pritchard said.

Pritchard told The Center Square that “according to their own most recent annual report, Planned Parenthood boasted a record 434,450 abortions in one year.”

“Planned Parenthood has killed women as well as their unborn children,” Pritchard said. “An 18-year-old girl in Colorado died after a late-term abortion at a Planned Parenthood facility last year.”

According to family, rather than call an ambulance immediately, Fort Collins Planned Parenthood admitted waiting too long to call for help and specifically requested no sirens on the ride to the hospital,” Pritchard said, as The Center Square previously reported.

“Abortion businesses should not be getting a dime of our taxpayer dollars,” Pritchard said.

“Since the start of 2025, 54 Planned Parenthoods have closed their doors as taxpayer funding dries up and their crumbling infrastructure fails to keep pace with real health care providers,” Pritchard said.

“Defunding big abortion is now the default expectation from the pro-life movement,” Pritchard said.

In its letter, SBA thanked U.S. Senate Republicans for helping to “accomplish something historic” by the Working Families Tax Cuts which defunded “Big Abortion businesses of their federal Medicaid dollars for one year.”

These tax cuts, also known as H.R. 1, were signed into law on July 4, 2025, meaning that they will expire in just a few weeks.

SBA wrote to the senators: “In light of the completion of Reconciliation 2.0, it is essential that Congress direct its attention towards another reconciliation bill that stops abortion businesses from receiving American taxpayer dollars.”

8 People Died in B-52 Bomber Crash at US Air Force Base in Southern California, Officials Say

(Headline USA) A B-52 bomber crashed shortly after takeoff at a U.S. Air Force base in Southern California’s Mojave Desert and burst into flames Monday, killing all eight people aboard, military officials said.

Aerial footage showed virtually nothing left of the aircraft that went down around 11:20 a.m. during a routine test mission at Edwards Air Force Base, which is north of Los Angeles. Black smoke rose from a large swath of charred desert near the runway on the base, with emergency vehicles nearby.

Those on the B-52 included government contractors and uniformed military. Aircraft manufacturer Boeing confirmed Monday evening that two of its employees were on board.

After reviewing footage of the crash, it was determined that no one could have survived, Col. James Hayes, the deputy commander for the 412 test wing at Edwards, said at a news conference.

“We lost eight great Americans,” Hayes said, adding that officials were working to notify their families.

It was not immediately clear what caused the crash, and it could take up to six months to complete an investigation, Hayes said, but shared that the B-52 was supporting the “radar modernization program.”

The Boeing B-52 Stratofortress is a long-range bomber that entered service in 1955. Designed to carry both conventional and nuclear weapons, it has been used in conflicts involving the U.S. military from Vietnam to Iran.

In 2025, Boeing sent a B-52 to Edwards with a new, modernized radar system. A test team planned to conduct ground and flight test activities on the aircraft throughout 2026 to feed a production decision, the air force said in a 2025 news release. The modern Active Electronically Scanned Array (AESA) radar system replaced the aircraft’s antiquated radar for efficacy. It was unclear if that was the same aircraft involved in Monday’s crash.

Edwards Air Force Base is home to a large portion of the U.S. Air Force’s aircraft test and development efforts and is about 100 miles (161 km) north of Los Angeles. The 412th Test Wing, which runs the base, also conducts developmental testing of all Air Force aircraft, weapons systems, software and components before purchase by the service as well as throughout their lifespan.

The vast desert base is where Air Force test pilot Chuck Yeager reached a speed of Mach 1.05 and broke the sound barrier in 1947.

The airfield was closed most of Monday and all inbound aircraft were being diverted, but it reopened to people coming onto the base by late afternoon. Non-commercial visitor passes for the base were suspended as emergency crews doused the flames.

It’s too soon to say what might have happened.

Air Force Secretary Troy Meink said he is deeply saddened by the lives lost.

“We mourn this loss and honor the service of our Airmen, civilians, and contractors who work every day to advance our mission,” he said in a post on X.

The way the B-52 crashed so quickly after takeoff without getting very high or going far makes aviation safety expert Jeff Guzzetti suspect some kind of flight control malfunction.

It’s possible the controls were rigged wrong after maintenance, he said, or a catastrophic engine problem or a failure of a piece of equipment that was being tested.

“I think it was definitely a controllability issue. Now, whether that was tied to an engine failure, a flight control failure, or some new testing device failure, I’m not sure,” said Guzzetti, who used to investigate crashes for both the Federal Aviation Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board.

Although the Air Force has been flying B-52 bombers for more than 70 years, testing out new equipment on a plane can create new challenges.

“A flight test is always riskier than normal operations, so that’s why you have specially trained test pilots, and you should have other safety protocols,” Guzzetti said.

In recent years, fatal Air Force training accidents in the U.S. have included an instructor pilot who was killed in 2024 when the ejection seat activated while the aircraft was still on the ground in Texas and an Air Force ROTC cadet’s death in a 2022 accident involving a Humvee during a training exercise in Idaho. Two Air Force pilots were killed when a trainer jet crashed near an Alabama airport in 2021.

Adapted from reporting by the Associated Press

Knicks’ NBA Title Celebrations Draw Arrests, Hefty Police Security Bill

(Chris Wade, The Center Square) New York City Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch is praising the city’s officers after celebrating Knicks fans blocked intersections, damaged police cruisers and set school buses on fire Saturday night following the team’s NBA championship win.

The Knicks defeated the San Antonio Spurs, 94-90, to win the third league title in team history and the first in 53 years. After the victory, tens of thousands of fans took to the streets outside Madison Square Garden and on the surrounding blocks, which led to more than 60 arrests, the New York Police Department said.

At least 10 officers were injured during the mayhem and violence, authorities said.

Mobs clashed with police, looted stores, and attacked a convoy of World Cup shuttle buses, smashing windows, and setting several ablaze while others climbed on top of light poles, traffic lights, structures and scaffolding, police said.

“As the game progressed and then following the game, the crowds became increasingly destructive, and there were many incidents of incredibly reckless and dangerous behavior,” the New York Police Department said in a statement.

A 17-year-old was shot several blocks north of Madison Square Garden and an ambulance could not get through the crowd of celebrators, the authorities said. Police said they arrested three people in connection with the shooting. Four others were stabbed, the New York Police Department said.

It’s not yet clear how much the celebrations – or Thursday’s ticker-tape parade – will cost the city’s taxpayers. The Police Department previously reported a $92 million tab for special-events overtime and security details for this summer’s events, including several World Cup matches, with city taxpayers footing most of the costs amid low federal reimbursement.

New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani made no mention of the violence that marred Saturday night’s celebrations, posting a statement on social media over the weekend thanking city workers “who kept New York running throughout the Knicks’ Finals run.”

“Whether you were responding to emergencies, staffing events, directing traffic, cleaning our streets, or working behind the scenes in ways most people never see, your dedication made this historic moment possible for millions of New Yorkers,” Mamdani wrote on social media. “By the time many of us woke up this morning, the city was ready for another day because of your work. I join millions of your fellow New Yorkers in saying thank you.”

Tisch, the police commissioner praised officers for “working across all five boroughs to keep people safe” during the event. She said the celebration was marred by “a relatively small number of people who used the celebration as an ‘excuse’ to turn to violence.”

“Many cops worked long, grueling tours,” she posted on social media. “Many came in on their days off. And many went straight from a long night into the Puerto Rican Day Parade and FIFA watch parties this morning. To every cop who put themselves at risk to ensure others could celebrate safely: thank you for your noble service. This city is grateful.”

The Knicks are scheduled to hold a parade Thursday along the Canyon of Heroes in Manhattan that is expected to draw tens of thousands of revelers to the streets.

Trump Taps Private Attorney for New York Attorney’s Office

(Chris Wade, The Center Square) President Donald Trump has tapped one of his personal attorneys to take over as U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York to fill a vacancy in one of the Justice Department’s most high profile prosecutorial jobs.

Trump announced Saturday that he has recommended James M. McDonald, a partner at the law firm Sullivan & Cromwell, McDonald, to replace Jay Clayton. Trump last week nominated Clayton for the role of director of national intelligence.

McDonald, a former federal prosecutor, is a member of the legal team handling Trump’s appeal of felony convictions in New York related to hush money payments to adult film actor Stormy Daniels during the 2016 presidential election. Last year, Trump was found guilty on 34 counts of felony charges of falsifying business records in the New York City criminal trial. He is expected to appeal the verdict.

McDonald also served as a financial regulator during Trump’s first term and also worked in the White House counsel’s office under President George W. Bush’s administration.

“I am confident that Jamie will deliver strong results for our country,” Trump wrote on social media.

McDonald was also part of the legal team that represented Indian billionaire Gautam Adani when the Trump administration Justice Department dismissed fraud and conspiracy charges filed against the agency under the Biden administration.

Trump nominated Clayton last week to replace Tulsi Gabbard, who announced her resignation as national intelligence director last month. Bill Pulte, head of the Federal Housing Finance Agency, has been serving as interim director of the spy agency.

While presidents traditionally nominate a new roster of federal prosecutors once they take over the White House, the posts are normally Senate-confirmed. The Trump administration has sought to keep U.S. attorneys in several districts in those jobs on a temporary basis amid a shortage of applicants. The White House says Democrats in the Senate have blocked key nominations.

The president’s picks for U.S. attorneys in New York have been controversial. In February, U.S. District Judge Lorna Schofield ruled that interim U.S. attorney for the Northern District of New York John Sarcone – who served as Trump’s campaign attorney – was in that role unlawfully.

The judge also barred Sarcone from heading an investigation into New York Attorney General Letitia James and quashed two subpoenas issued in the Justice Department’s probe into her handling of Trump’s civil fraud trial and a National Rifle Association investigation.

A panel of New York judges appointed former prosecutor Donald T. Kinsella to lead the office. The Justice Department subsequently fired him.

 

Immigration Agent Fires Gun After Being Hit by Vehicle in New Jersey, Police Say

(Headline USA) A federal immigration agent was struck by a vehicle Monday and fired his gun while attempting to apprehend someone in New Jersey, police said.

The agent’s gunfire possibly struck the vehicle as it left the scene, Stafford Township police said in a written statement.

“The agent reportedly sustained unknown injuries,” police said, adding that it was unknown whether the motorist was hurt. “There is no reason to believe there is any concern for the public’s safety.”

An email seeking comment from Immigration and Customs Enforcement was not immediately returned. Photos posted online showed a masked agent sitting on the ground, leaning against a vehicle bumper, before being placed on a stretcher.

The incident occurred on Route 72 in Stafford Township’s Manahawkin community, roughly 60 miles (96.5 kilometers) east of Philadelphia.

There is no universal training standard for law enforcement to shoot at a moving vehicle. But most police departments and federal guidance bar shooting unless the driver poses an imminent threat of deadly force beyond the car itself. 

Adapted from reporting by the Associated Press

California Gov. Gavin Newsom Says Trump’s Justice Department is Investigating Him and His Wife

(Headline USA) Democratic California Gov. Gavin Newsom on Monday accused the Justice Department of launching a politically-motivated investigation into him and his wife, saying the Trump administration was targeting him as he weighs a presidential bid.

Newsom, a longtime political rival of the Republican president, said in a video posted on X that federal agents have knocked on the doors of his friends and former employees, and have asked for records. Newsom didn’t provide specifics on the nature of the probe, but his office said the inquiry appears to have recently expanded into “increasingly personal matters involving the Governor’s family and professional network.”

“Donald Trump isn’t just coming after me because of my mean tweets,” Newsom said, referencing his use of social media to mock Trump. “He’s coming after me because I’m considering running for president, because he hates that I’ve consistently called him out over and over again for his lies and deceit.”

The full details of any Justice Department inquiries related to Newsom were not immediately clear.

A person familiar with the matter denied the existence of an investigation specifically targeting the governor, but said there are multiple federal probes into people around him, including one related to his wife’s taxes. The probes began last year after whistleblower complaints in California government, and political leadership in Washington was not involved in the decision to open them, said the person, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to publicly discuss ongoing investigations.

The Justice Department declined to comment on Monday.

The Justice Department has also opened investigations into or brought prosecutions against former FBI Director James Comey, New York Attorney General Letitia James, former CIA director John Brennan and former Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell, among other perceived political enemies of the president.

“One by one, anyone who has challenged Donald Trump has ended up on his hit list, and today I proudly join that list,” Newsom said in a video.

Jennifer Siebel Newsom, the governor’s wife, said the investigation showed that Trump is unfit for office.

“There are clearly no boundaries to what Donald Trump will do to get his way or to challenge those who get in his way,” she said in a statement.

Adapted from reporting by the Associated Press

Eric Trump Denies Asking About Rigged UFC Fights

(José Niño, Headline USA) UFC Freedom 250 was supposed to be a celebration of America’s 250th anniversary and President Donald Trump’s 80th birthday. But one of the stranger social media controversies in combat sports history became a sideshow during Sunday’s event on the White House lawn.

On the day of the fights, UFC commentator Daniel Cormier posted screenshots on X that appeared to show a private direct message exchange with Eric Trump, according to The Independent. “I’m probably going to get a lot of flak for bringing this to light, but I refuse to stay silent,” Cormier, a multiple-time former UFC champion, wrote. 

In the purported exchange, Eric Trump asked Cormier “Who you got winning?” and “You placing any bets?” before apparently asking whether any fights were “rigged” and showing interest in betting on the Diego Lopes fight. 

He deleted the post shortly after publishing it.

Eric Trump immediately and forcefully denied everything, calling the screenshots “completely fake” and “AI-generated,” according to BBC. The Independent reported that Trump Organization’s spokesperson Kimberly Benza stated the screenshots “were fabricated and do not reflect reality.” Eric Trump later claimed he spoke to Cormier in person at the White House that evening and said Cormier told him he “didn’t put it out” and that it “was a fake.”

Cormier’s own follow up was cryptic. He posted “Are people really this dumb?” without clarifying whether that referred to people believing the screenshots were real or people believing they were fake, according to a report by Yardbarker.

Despite the denials, The Comeback reported that several reputable UFC reporters, including Ryan Frederick of the Wrestling Observer and veteran MMA reporter Adam Martin, confirmed that they personally saw the post on Cormier’s account before he deleted it.

José Niño is the deputy editor of Headline USA. Follow him at x.com/JoseAlNino 

Did Trump Shut Down the Investigation Into His Own Assassination Attempts?

(Ken Silva, Headline USA) Last week, conservative media personality Tucker Carlson said that President Donald Trump shut down the investigations into the attempts on his life in 2024.

Carlson said he was personally informed of this by Dan Bongino, who was FBI deputy director at the time. Carlson said his team had just obtained a trove of social media data from Thomas Crooks, the man who allegedly shot at Trump during a campaign rally on July 13, 2024. Carlson called Bongino before releasing a documentary on his findings. Bongino purportedly wasn’t too thrilled.

“Dan Bongino became hysterical on the phone … He was clearly terrified. Ultimately, after a long series of text exchanges, which I still have of course, and phone conversations, he said, ‘Take it up with Trump. He’s the one who shut down the investigation,’” Carlson said in an interview with Mario Nawfal.

“That was the moment when I realized, ‘Oh wow.’ There’s no good explanation for shutting down an investigation into your own attempted murder. This is not what we’ve been told it was.”

Bongino strongly denied Carlson’s claims. On his own show, he called Carlson a liar and purported to debunk the notion that Trump ordered the investigations closed.

Bongino said that he, FBI Director Kashyap Patel, and Attorney General Pam Bondi briefed Trump on the matter last year. According to Bongino, Trump is satisfied with the FBI’s findings that Crooks and the second would-be assassin, Ryan Routh, were both lone wolves, and that there’s no deeper conspiracy involved in either case.

However, Bongino apparently never actually investigated the assassination attempts himself.

Indeed, Bongino was sworn in as FBI deputy director on March 17, 2025. By March 28, 2025, Trump said he had been briefed by the FBI on the assassination attempts—and that he believed the official narrative. That means Bongino would have had to have briefed Trump on the assassination attempts within days of taking office—meaning that he wouldn’t have had any time to review the evidence.

Moreover, Trump initially expressed dissatisfaction with the answers he received from the FBI. In April 2025, he seemed to still have question about Crooks and his family.

“I don’t know what to believe. I really don’t… the father’s got the ultimate law firm — a white shoe law firm from Pittsburgh. They have a lawyer who IBM would hire. Where did he get this person?” Trump said, referring to the fact that Matthew and Mary hired the prestigious law firm Quinn Logue. “I’ll be honest: It has not been explained to me perfectly by the Secret Service or FBI.”

After initially expressing doubts, Trump again backtracked days later, telling reporters that he was briefed — and that he’s keeping what was told to him secret.

“Can you confirm the Butler investigation? Are you getting intelligence briefings?” a reporter asked Trump during a press scrum, to which Trump responded: “I have. I’ll keep that to myself. It’s very personal.”

Trump has largely been silent on the matter since then.

In May 2025, Bongino and Patel said the case was closed.

Bongino, once one of the government’s fiercest critics on his radio show, told Fox News host Maria Bartiromo in May 2025 that there was no “‘there there” when asked about a wider conspiracy.

Patel sang a similar tune, telling Bartiromo that the Butler case was closed. “I don’t know that there’s more to know, but you’re going to know everything we know,” Patel added to Fox News’s Bret Baier around the same time.

Upon hearing Patel’s announcement, this author filed a Freedom of Information Act request for the 1,000-plus interview reports the FBI created while investigating the Butler case. However, the FBI denied that request on the grounds that the Butler case was still open — an assertion that directly contradicted what Patel told Fox News.

After that, Bongino and Patel claimed that the case was still open, but inactive.

Ken Silva is the editor of Headline USA. Follow him at x.com/jd_cashless.