Early results from California’s primary elections indicate that the Democrat Xavier Becerra and Steve Hilton, a Republican, will face off for the governorship of the nation’s most populous state in a November runoff. Both candidates emerged from a tight contest that will shape the state’s political direction after the departure of Governor Gavin Newsom, one of the most visible opponents of President Donald Trump. Since 2011, California has been under Democratic control and has become a laboratory for progressive policies that often clash with the White House agenda.

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President Donald Trump was displeased with the outcome of the California primary elections. Convinced his intervention was decisive, he insists that without the pressure he exerted in recent days on behalf of the Republican candidate for governor, Steve Hilton, he would not have advanced to the November runoff, where he will face the candidate backed by the Democratic establishment, Xavier Becerra. “But the only reason they approved Steve Hilton, it was going to be two weeks, they said. And then they approved it that night because the heat was on them because they’re cheating dogs,” the president said Wednesday from the Oval Office.

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Today, Vox launched an updated version of its homepage, with new features designed to help audiences more easily understand the biggest stories of the day, while also being able to discover more of the site’s journalism.

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WASHINGTON, June 5 — US President Donald Trump’s administration will ask an appeals court today to allow construction of a US$400 million ballroom on the site of the White House’s demolished East Wing, pitting Trump ‌against preservationists in a case testing the limits of presidential authority.

The East Wing, part of the White House complex in Washington, traditionally housed the offices of the first lady and her staff. The National Trust for Historic Preservation, a nonprofit group that campaigns to protect significant American sites, sued last year after the Trump administration tore down the East Wing in October 2025 and began building a 90,000-square-foot (8,360-square-meter) ballroom without seeking authorisation from Congress. Trump’s ballroom plan is part of a broader push by the Republican leader to reshape central Washington’s landscape of government buildings and national monuments. The hearing before a three-judge panel of the US Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, a powerful court one rung below the Supreme Court, is scheduled ‌for 9:30 am EDT (1330 GMT). US District Judge Richard Leon, appointed by Republican former President George W. ⁠Bush, twice blocked above-ground construction on Trump’s ballroom while ⁠allowing underground work to continue.

Leon said no federal statute even “comes close to ⁠giving the President” the required authority to ⁠construct the ballroom without approval ⁠by Congress.

The administration’s appeal is being heard by Democratic-appointed D.C. Circuit judges Patricia Millett and Bradley Garcia alongside Trump-appointed Judge Neomi Rao. In an order last month, the appeals court allowed construction to continue during the legal ⁠battle without ruling on the merits of the case. The administration has framed the ballroom project as a national security necessity, citing recent assassination attempts against Trump.

“The East Wing Project answers that critical security need, and ensures that the President can fulfill his constitutional duties in a safe and heavily secured facility,” the Justice Department told the appeals court in May.

Preservationists reject that argument. The National Trust for Historic Preservation contends ⁠that the D.C. Circuit and US Supreme Court have never allowed a president to “usurp powers vested in Congress by the Constitution based on nothing more than his claim of necessity.”

The organisation said ⁠in a filing that “the public has a strong interest in pausing a project that will irreparably damage what is ⁠perhaps the ⁠most significant historic site in the country.” Trump also intends to erect a 250-foot (76-meter) arch near the National Mall, the tree-lined strip between the US Capitol and the Lincoln Memorial, and renovate the Kennedy Center performing arts complex. A federal judge last week ‌ordered Trump to remove his name from the iconic Kennedy Center building and blocked his plans to close it for renovations.

Trump has said his planned ballroom is scheduled to open around September 2028. — Reuters

SINGAPORE: Singapore workers received pay rises for a second straight year in 2025, although wage growth slowed compared with 2024.

The good news is that workers were still better off in real terms. With inflation easing, salaries stretched further, giving employees a stronger boost in purchasing power than the year before.

According to the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) on May 28, nominal wages for full-time resident employees who stayed with the same employer for at least a year rose by 4.9 per cent in 2025, down fro`m 5.6 per cent in 2024. After adjusting for inflation, real wages increased by 4.0 per cent, up from 3.2 per cent the previous year.

Nick Karean/The Independent Singapore News

MOM: Wage Growth 2025

The figures suggest that while pay packets didn’t grow as fast based on data, workers still benefited from a lower cost-of-living environment than in 2024.

More companies remained profitable

MOM’s report showed that business conditions stayed fairly healthy through 2025. More than eight in 10 establishments, or 83.1 per cent, reported making a profit, up from 80.8 per cent in 2024. At the same time, the share of companies reporting losses fell to 16.9 per cent from 19.2 per cent a year earlier.

The data paints a picture of a business sector that stayed resilient despite ongoing global economic uncertainty. Smaller firms were still more likely to report losses than larger companies, mirroring the tougher operating conditions faced by businesses with fewer resources.

Employers became more careful with salary increases for employees

While most employers continued raising salaries for workers, there were signs of greater caution. About 72.4 per cent of establishments increased wages in 2025, down from 78.3 per cent in 2024. Meanwhile, nearly a quarter of firms left wages unchanged, up from 18.5 per cent the year before.

Among companies that granted pay increases, the average wage rise was 5.8 per cent. Employee retention remained the main reason employers chose to increase salaries. In a tight labour market, retaining experienced staff remains a priority for many businesses.

Only 3.1 per cent of companies reduced wages; those that did generally faced weaker business performance than in the previous year. The trend shows that workers still expect wage growth, but businesses are also preparing for economic uncertainty and rising costs.

Wage gains spread across sectors and job levels

One notable finding from the report was that wage growth was broad-based. Rank-and-file employees saw wages grow by 4.8 per cent, junior managers by 5.1 per cent and senior managers by 4.9 per cent. The differences between these groups narrowed, suggesting gains were shared more evenly across the workforce.

Every sector recorded positive wage growth. Administrative and Support Services posted the strongest increase at 7.5 per cent. The sector includes cleaning, security and landscape services, where lower-wage workers continue to benefit from the Progressive Wage Model and Local Qualifying Salary requirements.

Financial Services and Insurance Services also recorded healthy wage growth as demand remained strong for professionals and managers.

Nick Karean/The Independent Singapore News

MOM: Wage Growth by Industry 2025

The accommodation and construction sectors still saw pay increases, but at a slower pace than the previous year, as hiring demand stabilised following the post-pandemic rebound.

Workers can expect real wage growth to stay positive in 2026

MOM expects real wage growth to remain positive in 2026. However, businesses are likely to stay cautious when deciding on salary increases due to inflation risks and geopolitical tensions.

As such, workers may continue seeing pay rises, but probably not at the pace many experienced during the stronger post-pandemic recovery years.

The report indicates that wage growth is still tied to productivity. Sustainable salary increases depend on businesses becoming more productive, workers upgrading their skills and companies maintaining healthy financial performance.

What matters more now than how much salaries increase is how much purchasing power is left for Singaporeans after their everyday expenses are paid.

Read related: Singapore job hiring drops across most sectors despite AI-driven manufacturing demand; employment outlook weakens in the coming months

This article (MOM: Wage growth slowed down for workers in Singapore last year compared with 2024; expected to stay moderate in 2026) first appeared on The Independent Singapore News.