PBS NewsHour

Graham Platner, seeking the Democratic nomination for U.S. Senate in Maine against incumbent Susan Collins, exchanged sexually explicit text messages with several women according to multiple outlets. His wife Amy Gertner is identified across sources as having notified the campaign in August and later described coverage as shameful gossip. The Wall Street Journal first reported the messages, with subsequent coverage by the New York Times naming former aide Genevieve McDonald.

Karen Bass is running for reelection as mayor of Los Angeles, a city of nearly 4 million residents scheduled to host the 2028 Olympics. Official records show reductions in street homelessness and homicides during her term alongside more than $2 billion allocated to homeless services. Polls indicate Bass holds below 50 percent support while Spencer Pratt and Nithya Raman compete for second place.

A Texas Public Opinion Research poll released Friday found Democratic state Rep. James Talarico leading Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton 47 percent to 44 percent among likely voters in a potential U.S. Senate matchup. The survey was discussed on the May 29, 2026 PBS NewsHour broadcast alongside midterm primary results showing strength for President Trump within the GOP. Analyses differ on the poll's meaning and durability.

Four members of a seven-person climbing team fell near Denali Pass at approximately 18,200 feet on Mount McKinley. The remaining climbers provided aid and returned to high camp at 17,000 feet while Denali National Park rangers awaited a weather window for helicopter access. The condition of the injured climbers remains unknown.

Rescue divers evacuated the first of five villagers from a flooded cave in Laos on Friday night after the group was located on Wednesday. Two additional villagers remain missing following flash flooding that trapped seven men who entered the cave the previous week. Lao and Thai teams supplied essentials and pumped water amid overnight rain that complicated operations.

A randomized study of 500 patients with treatment-resistant metastatic pancreatic cancer found that daraxonrasib produced a median survival of 13.2 months compared with 6.7 months for chemotherapy. The findings were published in the New England Journal of Medicine and presented at the American Society of Clinical Oncology meeting. All data originate from a single PBS NewsHour report citing study leaders and an independent oncologist.