Happening Today: Elections, Scott Pruitt, PTSD, Kate Spade, Miss America

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Winners, Losers Emerge in Crucial California as 8 States Vote

Holding hopes of a "blue wave" in November, Democrats fought to shape the political battlefield in primaries across eight states, none more important than California where Republicans avoided an embarrassing setback in the race for governor. Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom, a Democrat, easily advanced to the general election, with business executive John Cox coming in second. Cox's strong finish put to rest GOP fears that no Republican would qualify for the deeply Democratic state's top office this fall and the party's other candidates would suffer from a resulting lack of voter interest on election day. Voters in seven other states went to the polls. And it was a big night for women, as female candidates for governor advanced. Democratic incumbents, including California's Sen. Dianne Feinstein, fared well, fending off challenges from the left. Neither party immediately appeared to suffer major setbacks. New Jersey Sen. Bob Menendez, a Democrat who faced federal bribery charges last year, won his primary contest. Republican businessman Bob Hugin claimed the Republican nomination to face Menendez this fall.

Pruitt Had Top EPA Aide Contact Chick-Fil-A CEO About for His Wife

Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Scott Pruitt had one of his top aides reach out to Chick-fil-A's CEO last year to discuss a "potential business opportunity," according to emails released by the Sierra Club and obtained by NBC News. That "business opportunity" was actually an effort to help Pruitt's wife become a franchisee of the popular fast food chain, Carrie Kurlander, the company's vice president of public relations, confirmed to The Washington Post. The newspaper first reported that while Pruitt never succeeded in speaking with Chik-fil-A CEO Dan Cathy directly, he did talk to someone in the company's legal department, revealing that the "potential business opportunity" was one he sought for his wife, Marlyn Pruitt. Chick-fil-A did not respond to a request for comment from NBC News. The EPA also did not respond to a request for comment.

Secluded Resort Chosen for Trump-Kim Summit in Singapore

President Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un will meet at a luxury resort on Sentosa Island for nuclear talks next week in Singapore, the White House said. The historic meeting will be held at the Capella Hotel, press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders tweeted. Trump and Kim's highly anticipated meeting is scheduled for 9 a.m. local time June 12 at — or 9 p.m. June 11 on the East Coast of the U.S. — after a flurry of on-again-off-again action. Trump hopes to secure a nuclear deal with the North Koreans, seeking for Kim to give up his nuclear program, though he stressed last week that the process would likely take longer than a single meeting. Located a quarter-mile off the coast of the city-state, Sentosa Island is known for its high-end beach hotels, golf courses and amusement parks.

Ariana Grande Talks of Post-Traumatic Stress After Bombing

Ariana Grande says she has been struggling with some symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder following last year's suicide bomb attack at the end of her concert at Manchester Arena. The 24-year-old pop star told British Vogue she does not like to talk about her experiences because so many people suffered much worse fates in the May 22, 2017 attack that claimed 22 lives. "I don't think I'll ever know how to talk about it and not cry," she says, calling the stress disorder "a real thing." Grande has reached out to victims since the attack and has had an emblem of Manchester — an image of a worker bee — tattooed behind her left ear.

Kate Spade Found Dead of Apparent Suicide in Park Avenue Apartment

Fashion icon Kate Spade has been found dead of an apparent suicide in her Manhattan home, law enforcement sources tell News 4. She was 55 years old. A housekeeper found Spade hanged from a red scarf on a bedroom door at her Park Avenue residence, law enforcement sources and officials say. The NYPD confirmed Spade was found unresponsive at her Park Avenue address on the Upper East Side shortly after 10 a.m. There was a note left at the scene, NYPD Chief of Detectives Dermot Shea said, but he declined to elaborate on it. According to the Associated Press, the note had a message for Spade's 13-year-old daughter, who was at school at the time -- it wasn't her fault. Spade's longtime husband Andy was in the house, the AP said. Born in Kansas City, Missouri, Spade leaves behind her husband of 24 years, Andy, and a daughter born in 2005, Frances Beatrix Spade. The company she founded, Kate Spade New York, has more than 140 retail shops and outlet stores across the country, as well as more than 175 stores internationally.

Miss America Scraps Its Swimsuit Competition

Miss America, which started as a bathing beauty contest nearly a century ago, is ending its swimsuit competition and will no longer judge women on their physical appearance. "We are no longer a pageant. We are a competition," Gretchen Carlson, chairwoman of the Miss America Organization's board of directors, said. Carlson described the big shift in the competition format as an outgrowth of the #MeToo movement and said her organization is now led by women and wants to be more inclusive. Besides ending the swimsuit competition, the event will revamp its evening gown part of the show and allow women to choose their own attire. Carlson said she is not worried ratings for the nationally televised broadcast might suffer because of the elimination of swimsuits. She said that the swimsuit portion is not the highest rated section of the broadcast and that viewers seem to be more interested in the talent competition.