Audio News Archive - SRN News

Top News Stories Jun 01, 2026 – 08:00 AM CDT

Top News Stories Jun 01, 2026 – 07:00 AM CDT

One of the country’s messiest and most consequential governor’s races is hurtling toward an inflection point on Tuesday in California.

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VERBATIM:

California voters face a crowded ballot with 61 names during Tuesday’s primary to replace outgoing Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom. The race has no clear front-runner and includes a mix of Democrats and Republicans. The primary operates under a “jungle” system, meaning the top two finishers, regardless of party, will advance to the general election.

Key contenders include former Democrat House member and Biden cabinet member Xavier Becerra. Republican Steve Hilton, endorsed by President Donald Trump, is emphasizing lower taxes and smaller government.

Bernie Bennett reporting.

An upcoming celebration of America’s 250th anniversary, called “The Great American State Fair,” has faced challenges as several musical guests backed out due in part to its connections to President Donald Trump.

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VERBATIM:

Organizers announced Saturday that President Trump himself will now headline the event, set to start June 25 on Washington’s National Mall. Some artists, like Bret Michaels, the Commodores and Martina McBride, withdrew over concerns about the event’s political ties. Others, including rappers Flo Rida and Vanilla Ice, still plan to perform.

Freedom 250 spokesperson Danielle Alvarez emphasized the broader fair that is scheduled from June 25 through July 10… includes an array of exhibits, family friendly attractions, musical performances, flyovers and more.

Bernie Bennett reporting.

Fears of travel chaos flare as DHS Secretary Mullin weighs pulling customs officers from Newark’s airport. Reporter Bernie Bennett explains.

VERBATIM:

One official said Mullin’s call will depend in part on whether protests escalate over the weekend, as well as whether border czar Tom Homan, who visits New Jersey this weekend, can defuse tensions on the ground. And President Donald Trump would have the final say if Mullin decided to make good on his threats.

Bernie Bennett, Washington.

President Donald Trump endorsed a GOP challenger to Rep. Nancy Mace’s campaign for South Carolina governor on Friday, backing Lt. Gov. Pam Evette in the contest. More from Correspondent Bernie Bennett.

[CutID: TRUMP-SC GOV-bennett-v-SATam .mp3

VERBATIM: The president lauded Evette as an “America First Patriot” who “never wavered” in a Truth Social post on Friday evening.

Also in a social media post on Friday, Mace responded, suggesting that her advocacy for the release of the Justice Department’s files related to its probe into convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein contributed to the president’s decision not to back her.

Trump’s Friday endorsement also snubbed Republican Congressman Ralph Norman, who had taken a slight lead on Mace in recent polling.

Bernie Bennett in Washington.

Louisiana lawmakers have passed a new congressional map to pick up a Republican seat while leaving the state with one of its two majority-Black House districts. Details from reporter Bernie Bennett.

VERBATIM:

The U.S. Supreme Court last month struck down one of the state’s majority-Black districts as an illegal racial gerrymander, weakening the landmark 1965 federal Voting Rights Act.

That decision intensified a national battle over partisan redistricting fueled by President Donald Trump’s efforts to protect the GOP’s slim House majority in this year’s midterm elections.

Republican Gov. Jeff Landry is expected to sign the measure.

Bernie Bennett reporting.

WASHINGTON (AP) – Pam Bondi defends the Trump administration’s release of Epstein case files as she testifies before lawmakers Friday. Reporter Bernie Bennett has details.

VERBATIM:

Bondi, who arrived Friday morning on Capitol Hill for her closed-door interview, was defiant in previous public testimony when she was confronted by lawmakers about the Epstein investigation. In her opening statement, she kept to the same tact.

Bernie Bennett, Washington.

A new study of sermons and social issues

VERBATIM:  It comes from the Pew Research Center and it finds that White Evangelical Protestants who attend church regularly are most likely to hear the pastor mention abortion or homosexuality from the pulpit.  Catholics, on the other hand, are more likely to hear about abortion or immigration.  Amongst White Evangelical Protestants, sermons are more likely to mention a wide range of issues, including those mentioned, as well as Israel, the Iran war and the environment.  MH REPORTING

America’s oldest churches look to the country’s birthday

VERBATIM:  On July 4th, this nation will be 250 years old.  But Old North Church in Boston — you remember, one if by land, two if by sea — is 303 years old.  It is one of just a tiny number of churches that were there at America’s founding and are still operating today.  Trinity Church in Newport Rhode Island is even OLDER — founded in 1698.  And then there’s First Baptist Church in America, in Providence, Rhode Island which is still going after 388 years.  MH REPORTING