Closely-Watched Primaries, Wall Street's AI Race & NHL Baby Boom - Tuesday, June 9, 2026

**Erica Mandy** (0:00)
Today is Tuesday, June 9th. Want to know about some of the most talked about matchups as four more states hold primaries today? Also, why President Trump's new choice for attorney general could have a tough confirmation battle ahead of him? And where millions of Americans are facing the first major heat wave of the year. Plus the start of a new chapter for OpenAI. How Apple's Siri is getting an overhaul, and why the two top NHL teams are already celebrating, and it's only halfway through the Stanley Cup final. Those stories and even more news coming up.
Welcome to The NewsWorthy, all the day's news in less than 15 minutes. I'm Erica Mandy. Thanks so much for being here. Let's do this.
Today marks yet another day for primaries in this midterm election season. Voters are casting their ballots in South Carolina, Nevada, Maine, and North Dakota. We'll start with South Carolina. Both Democrats and Republicans are choosing their nominee for governor, who is expected to play a key role in the next presidential race. That's because South Carolina will likely host one of the first, if not the first, nominating contests. So the next governor could become a key powerbroker as White House hopefuls try to build early momentum. The state's GOP will also decide whether to re-nominate US Senator Lindsey Graham, who is a top Trump ally facing five primary challengers from the right. Then there's Nevada, which is considered one of the country's most competitive battleground states. So both parties are watching closely to see who will win their primaries for Congress and other positions. In Maine, US Senator Susan Collins is running unopposed for the Republican nomination, but there's a lot of uncertainty on the Democratic side. Right now, Graham Platner is the leading contender to challenge Collins in the fall. But several of his former romantic partners have recently accused him of being controlling, misogynistic or intimidating in their relationships. There are also controversies involving him sending sexually explicit messages to women while he was married, to posting some offensive comments online and more. So it's unclear how those scandals will impact his support. Meanwhile, in North Dakota, Republicans are holding primaries for several federal and state offices in a state that's grown increasingly conservative over the last decade. Of course, all four states have dozens of other contests to consider, and many of them are being closely watched around the country. By the way, one of the most talked about contests from last week's primary in California was finally called yesterday. We're talking about the race for Los Angeles mayor. According to the AP, it will be progressive Democrat Nithya Raman, who has drawn comparisons to New York City Mayor Zoran Mamdani, and current LA mayor Karen Bass, who is considered a more moderate Democrat. That means the former reality TV star Spencer Pratt is out of the running, while Raman and Bass advanced to a competitive general election in November.
Another one of President Trump's immigration initiatives was struck down in court. This time, it was the new fee for H-1B visas that are given to highly skilled workers. The Trump administration was charging applicants $100,000.
But a coalition of Democrat-led states sued, saying the fee made it hard to bring in enough people to work at schools and health care systems. And the judge said it was illegal, amounting to a tax that only Congress should be able to impose. The White House disagrees and has already promised to appeal.
Meanwhile, the White House is planning another new fee, this time for people seeking either business or tourist visas. The State Department says it will offer a premium expedited service for people who pay another $750 on top of the initial $185 fee. The plan is anyone who pays it will be able to schedule an appointment for an interview within 10 days, while the wait times for other people can be several months or longer. Granted, the premium service will only be offered to people from certain countries that have not been announced yet, and it does not guarantee approval. That program is expected to start next month.
A US military helicopter went down near the Strait of Hormuz, and the two pilots on board had to be rescued. Thankfully, President Trump says no one was hurt, but other details still are not clear, like whether the helicopter was shot down or had some kind of mechanical failure. This happened as tensions in the region have ramped up and then eased several times over the last few days. At last check, both Iran and Israel said they were holding their fire. But remember, there was a dramatic escalation over the weekend that involved back and forth attacks that tested the already fragile truce between the US and Iran. So what changed? President Trump says he told both Israel and Iran to call off any further strikes since a breakthrough in diplomatic talks is apparently possible within days. Still, Israel, Iran, and the US all say that they are ready to resume strikes at a moment's notice if the diplomatic talks don't pan out.