President Donald Trump’s endorsement this week of California gubernatorial candidate Steve Hilton may help keep power in Democratic hands in the June primary election, said Politico. Hilton and Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco had a chance of creating a “Republican-on-Republican general election,” but Trump’s backing seems likely to send GOP voter support mostly to Hilton, giving Democrats an opening for the second slot. 

The Hilton endorsement is the latest twist in an “unusually messy” campaign to replace outgoing Gov. Gavin Newsom, said The New York Times. The slate also includes “eight prominent Democrats” who created a field “so fractured that no clear front-runner has emerged.” Democrats were “increasingly panicked” about the possibility of a GOP-only November election, but Trump may have “solved their problem.”

What did the commentators say?
GOP voters are “badly outnumbered,” said Matthew Hennessey at The Wall Street Journal. Democrats have twice the number of registered voters as Republicans in California. The key to pulling off a Democratic lockout, then, was “keeping the split between the two Republicans relatively even” while letting their opponents divvy up voters eight ways. The president’s endorsement means the “dream of a complete Democratic lockout is probably over.”

Two Republicans facing off to win the governorship of a famously Democratic state would have produced the “funniest of all possible results” for conservatives, said Noah Rothman at the National Review. That was an “unlikely” outcome, but the prospect might have forced Democrats to spend millions to avoid it. 

California is in the midst of the “weirdest campaign for governor in recent history,” said Dan Waters at CalMatters. But Trump’s support for Hilton “does not absolutely close the door” to an all-GOP general election. The “top tier” of Democrats includes Rep. Eric Swalwell, former Rep. Katie Porter and billionaire Tom Steyer. Without a breakthrough by one of them, Republicans could still win both slots.

What next?
Trump’s endorsement will help Hilton “coalesce conservative support” in the primary but could “become a liability” in a general election campaign against a Democrat, said The Associated Press. Hilton remains a long shot anyway, as GOP candidates have “not won a statewide election in California in two decades.”

Russian commanders are charging “up to $40,000 to spare soldiers from the front lines in Ukraine,” said The Telegraph. Recruits unwilling or unable to pay are “reset,” a “euphemism for sending them to their deaths” on the front line. 

Wounded soldiers must “pay thousands” to be declared unfit for active service, said PBS. Those who do not are “forced to literally limp into battle.” Injured soldiers, sometimes on crutches, are being “used as bait” to “draw fire” from hidden Ukrainian artillery, said Seth Jones, of the Center for Strategic and International Studies, to the outlet. 

‘Extortion and punishment’ 
“Corruption and slave labor have long been features of the Russian and Soviet armies,” said The Economist. Soldiers are viewed as “cannon fodder” for their superiors and as a “source of enrichment.” Infantry soldiers must “buy their own” military gear in the Russian army, which operates on a “system of extortion and punishment.” Officers demand money from their men “under the pretext of raising money for drones, equipment or food.” Sources have even told of commanders who “requisition troops’ bank cards and PIN codes” before sending them into battle. 

In the Russian military, soldiers “learn quickly to fear their commanders more than their foe,” said PBS. Videos on social media depict the “horrific punishments” if they fail to pay up, with reports of some “being locked in cages, electrocuted and sexually assaulted.” 

‘Public resentment’ 
The problem is widespread, said The New York Times. In the last two years, “at least 12 high-ranking Russian military officials and generals, as well as dozens of lower-ranking officers, have been indicted on corruption charges.” 

Most recently, Lieutenant Colonel Konstantin Frolov, known as the Executioner, has been put on trial in a military court, accused of leading a scheme in which “more than 30 soldiers and medics” in his regiment “used weapons to shoot themselves in order to obtain payouts for battlefield injuries.” The plot reportedly defrauded the army of “200 million rubles,” equivalent to more than $2.6 million. This case, in particular, has “fed public resentment of the economic and social privileges” of high-ranking officials, who are accused of perpetuating the war “only for the money.”

A first responder emerges at the site of an Israeli airstrike that hit an apartment building in Beirut, Lebanon. Israel’s strikes on Lebanon, amid its ongoing conflict with Hezbollah, continue even as the Iran-aligned group paused its attacks on Israeli troops under the two-week U.S.-Iran ceasefire.
Bilal Hussein / AP Photo

Nothing about these impeccably designed hotels is ordinary. With their architecture, decor and aesthetics, each property welcomes you into a thoughtfully curated world. Every detail tells a story that makes your stay worth it.

Hotel Château Du Grand-Lucé, Loire Valley, France
This “impressive” 18th-century chateau (pictured above) is a shining example of neoclassical architecture, where “grandeur is still the order of the day,” said the Michelin Guide. Think extravagant toile and damask wallpaper, limestone and French white oak flooring, crystal chandeliers and heavy curtains tied back with impressive tassels.

La Valise San Miguel, San Miguel de Allende, Mexico
Tucked away in a “vibrant” corner of San Miguel de Allende is La Valise San Miguel, a “surrealist sanctuary” designed to “pay tribute” to the city’s history of art and culture, said Condé Nast Traveler. Guests have six “completely unique” suites to choose from, and each one has a “standout” design feature, like a domed shower or white-stucco fireplace “adorned with Aztec monkeys.”

Royal Palms Resort and Spa, Phoenix, Arizona
The 1929 Spanish Colonial mansion anchoring this property “stands in sharp contrast” to the “bland, corporate architecture” of area chain hotels, said the Michelin Guide. Hand-painted tiles, antique furnishings and oriental rugs “defy the usual pastel Southwesternisms” and give the resort a “distinctly Mediterranean feeling.” The grounds are just as stunning, and even on the hottest summer day, guests feel at ease walking through the lush, shaded gardens planted nearly 100 years ago.