Alphabet Taps Investors to Fund Its AI Buildout

On the morning of Tuesday, June 2nd, California voters head to the polls in a primary that briefly spooked Democrats, Google announces an $80 billion equity raise to fund its AI buildout, and a massive Russian missile barrage kills at least 11 people across multiple Ukrainian cities. The episode also covers a new Trump administration tariff proposal on Brazil, a reported White House demand that Arab states recognize Israel as part of an Iran deal, and growing public backlash against robotaxis.

California’s Top-Two Primary and the Ghost of a Republican Sweep

California uses a top-two primary system, meaning all candidates from all parties compete on a single ballot, and the two highest vote-getters advance to the general election. For a few weeks, that system looked like it could produce a nightmare scenario for Democrats: with so many Democratic candidates splitting the vote, two Republicans were leading in the polls, raising the possibility that no Democrat would make the general election ballot for governor. President Trump helped consolidate the Republican field by endorsing one candidate, narrowing it to Steve Hilton, a former advisor to British Prime Minister David Cameron and a Fox News host. The two leading Democrats are Javier Becerra, the former Health and Human Services Secretary, and Tom By comparison (the transcript cuts off the second name). Meanwhile, the Lo