But some critics have asserted that Harris and other top-level Democrats may have avoided the race to dodge any association with California’s heated political battles.

In addition to its persistent struggles with homelessness and housing costs, the state faces a multibillion-dollar budget deficit. Republicans like Hilton and Bianco lay those problems at the feet of the state’s Democratic leadership.

“We need a change from those policies, not more of the same,” Hilton said during a May gubernatorial debate.

But the Democratic leaders argue their party has steered the state through multiple crises, without Republican help.

“It’s been Democrats that have led the state over the last 10-plus years — that have addressed issues like affordability and healthcare and public safety and education,” Hicks said.

“Certainly, the other party in the mix, the California Republicans, have done little to nothing to provide any sort of a meaningful alternative.”

The winners of Tuesday’s primary will likely be candidates who best sell their plan to improve California’s cost-of-living problem.

Throughout the election season, Emerson College has identified the economy and housing as the top two voter issues facing the state, far outpacing concerns like healthcare and immigration.

In a survey released in February, the Public Policy Institute of California also found that nearly a third of Californians named inflation and the cost of living as their top concern for the state.

Because the Democrats have been in power since 2011, their party has fielded much of the blame, according to Thad Kousser, a political science professor at the University of California, San Diego.

Still, Kousser doubts that the primary’s Republican frontrunners represent the will of California’s majority, given the widespread backlash to Trump’s policies across the state.

“There’s a lot of dissatisfaction,” Kousser said. “But the direction that Donald Trump has taken the national Republican Party means it’s almost inconceivable — other than through a quirk of the top-two primary — that Californians would turn to someone as tied to Trump as Steve Hilton to fix it.”

As Democratic hopefuls seek victory in the jungle primary, several are seeking to capitalise on that anti-Trump sentiment. Porter, for instance, appeared on stage at this year’s state Democratic convention with a sign that read, “F*** Trump.”

Experts point out that confronting Trump has helped figures like Governor Newsom elevate their national profile. But Schnur warned that the strategy will only take Democrats so far.

In his opinion, Tuesday’s jungle primary will come down to the issue of consumer costs.

“It’s pretty difficult for any of the candidates to argue that they hate Donald Trump more than the others do,” Schnur said. “So we’re left with this political mosh pit in which the candidates all act like they know how to solve this affordability crisis.”

Rescuers face heavy rains, equipment failures in search for two people trapped in central Laos cave by flash floods.

Heavy rains have threatened to delay the search for two people who remain missing in a flooded cave in Laos, after five others were rescued after being trapped underground for more than a week.

Finnish diver Mikko Paasi, one of the first international rescuers to arrive at the site, told The Associated Press news agency that rains on Sunday had filled the cave up to the second chamber, preventing divers from entering until pumps can lower the water level.

A drainage pump also broke, making the situation even more difficult, said fellow diver Yoshitaka Isaji of Japan.

Rescue teams from Laos and neighbouring Thailand have been working together over the past week to rescue the trapped villagers, alongside divers from countries including Finland, Malaysia, Japan, Indonesia, France and Australia.

Seven people entered the cave in a remote mountainous area of central Xaysomboun province last week to look for valuable minerals such as gold, before being trapped by a flash flood that blocked their way out, according to local media reports.

One other person escaped and alerted the authorities.

A Laotian rescue group said on Sunday it had received “substantial” information on the cave system from the five men who were rescued earlier this week. “The hope is that today’s mission will locate both remaining victims,” the group wrote on social media.

The rescued men were being treated at a local hospital and were doing well, Malaysian diver Lee Kian Lie, who is taking part in the operation, told AP.

“We interviewed them about how the deeper part of the cave looks like. We will continue to search based on the information we have, and perhaps we will be able to get to the other two,” he said.

Rescuers said they navigated more than 200m (650 feet) into the cave and discovered five chambers in the system. The five people rescued so far were found in the fifth chamber.

Paasi, the Finnish diver, told AP that the survivors reported a narrow crack in the fifth chamber that could be a passage leading to a deeper part of the cave system.

“This was the only place that we haven’t checked in the mine, where the two lost miners could still be,” he said in a video interview.

The five men who were rescued – identified by their first names as Khamla, Mued, Ee, Ing and Laen – were first found last Wednesday.

The first man was safely extracted on Friday, guided through a narrow flooded passage by an expert diver. The remaining four left the cave on Saturday, after the water receded enough for them to walk out on their own, rescuers said.

Videos posted online on Saturday showed emotional moments as the men emerged one by one from the cave. Some collapsed on the ground at the cave’s entrance, and were hugged by a group of workers who cried with joy.

Later moments showed them lying on stretchers, wrapped in foil blankets and fitted with oxygen masks before being transported out.

Previous World Cup appearances: 20
Best performance: Winners (1954, 1974, 1990, 2014)
First appearance: 1934 (Italy)
Top goal scorer: Miroslav Klose (16)
Most appearances: Lothar Matthaus (25)
Player to watch: Florian Wirtz
FIFA world ranking: 8

Germany are desperate for a successful World Cup after two spectacular failures – they were knocked out in the group stages in 2018 and 2022.

They certainly look improved under coach Julian Nagelsmann. Germany eased through their World Cup qualification group with five wins from six matches.

The squad blends the youthful brilliance of Jamal Musiala and Florian Wirtz with the experience of Joshua Kimmich, Antonio Rudiger and veteran goalkeeper Manuel Neuer, who surprised many by coming out of international retirement for the tournament.

However, whether the team as a whole is talented enough to pose a serious threat to the favourites and whether all the pieces really fit together under the pressure of a tournament remain to be seen.

Group stage hoodoo

Gary Lineker famously said: “Football is a simple game: 22 men chase a ball for 90 minutes, and at the end, the Germans always win.”

So the failures of the last two tournaments were almost unthinkable for the four-time winners.

In 2018, they crashed out after losing to South Korea. In 2022, they were defeated by Japan en route to being eliminated on goal difference.

Nagelsmann took over in September 2023 and has restored some national pride.

Germany looked decent as the host nation at Euro 2024 and were perhaps unlucky to lose to Spain in the quarterfinals. The mood around the squad seems optimistic, and they will expect to go deep in the tournament.

Gifted young attackers

At the heart of Germany’s ambitions are gifted young attackers in Musiala, Wirtz and Lennart Karl.

Musiala, 23, was the standout performer at Euro 2024 and gives the team an individual spark of genius.

However, he suffered a horrific injury in Bayern Munich’s FIFA Club World Cup quarterfinal defeat to Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) in July, breaking his leg and dislocating an ankle in a collision with then-PSG goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma.

He has suffered injury setbacks during his recovery and has not played as much as expected in recent weeks, mostly from the bench. Germany will be hoping he can get back to full fitness and form before the monthlong tournament, which begins on June 11.

Wirtz, meanwhile, has endured a difficult season after his big money move to Liverpool. After failing to register a goal or an assist in the first few months of the season, he seems to have found his feet in the rough and tumble of the Premier League and is looking increasingly like his old self.

He offers Germany versatility across the front line, and wherever he plays, Wirtz is capable of unpicking any defence.

Karl is another exciting prospect. The 18-year-old Bayern attacker, who can play on the wings or centrally, burst onto the scene this year.

He became Bayern’s youngest scorer in the UEFA Champions League and third youngest in the Bundesliga after scoring against Club Brugge and Borussia Monchengladbach. He has even earned himself comparisons to Lionel Messi for his dribbling and low centre of gravity.

Neuer’s shock return

The 40-year-old goalkeeper was a surprise inclusion in Nagelsmann’s 26-man World Cup squad.

Neuer retired ⁠from international play after Euro 2024, but the Bayern keeper is now set to make his fifth World Cup appearance with Nagelsmann saying he is the first choice ahead of Oliver Baumann and Alexander Nubel.

“Everyone knows the aura and quality Manu has, what he brings to a team,” Nagelsmann said as he announced the squad.

“He has an impact on his own team, on the opposition and can create special moments.”

Kimmich remains as captain despite the return of Neuer, who was Germany’s longtime skipper.

Nagging questions for Nagelsmann

Several players look nailed on to start – think Leon Goretzka alongside Aleksandar Pavlovic as a double pivot in midfield and Kimmich at right back.

But other positions are less settled, not least up front, where Germany lack a world-class out-and-out striker.

Niclas Fullkrug is a traditional number nine but did not make the cut after a terrible season in front of goal for AC Milan, netting just once in Serie A. Newcastle’s Nick Woltemade did make the squad despite a mixed season for his club and has looked better playing as a deeper lying forward.

Kai Havertz can be used as a false nine, but it is not his most natural position. However, the Arsenal star is likely to get the nod in the absence of better alternatives.

Despite the squad’s limitations, Nagelsmann remains ambitious.

“I have repeatedly said we want to become world champions,” Nagelsmann said when he unveiled the squad.

How does their group look?

No disrespect to the other teams, but Germany will likely have breathed a sigh of relief when the draw for Group E was made. On paper, they will expect to progress comfortably.

They open their campaign on June 14 against Curacao, the smallest nation ever to reach a World Cup.

Their second game on June 20 against Ivory Coast should provide a stiffer test as the Ivorians, who are returning to the World Cup for the first time in 12 years, are a dangerous side and boast the likes of Amad Diallo.

The final group game is on June 25 against Ecuador, who finished second in qualifying ahead of Brazil, Colombia and Uruguay. They are a disciplined, well drilled side who conceded just five goals in 18 qualifiers and could be hard for Germany to break down.

Nevertheless, Germany will fully expect to be in the knockout stages in a World Cup for the first time since 2014 when they went on to lift the trophy.

Germany’s group stage matches

⚽ June 14: Germany vs Curacao (Houston, Texas, United States), noon (17:00 GMT)
⚽ June 20: Germany vs Ivory Coast (Toronto, Canada), 4pm (20:00 GMT)
⚽ June 25: Ecuador vs Germany (East Rutherford, New Jersey, US), 4pm (20:00 GMT)

Germany’s World Cup squad

Goalkeepers: Manuel Neuer (Bayern Munich), Oliver Baumann (Hoffenheim), Alexander Nubel (Stuttgart)

Defenders: ‌Joshua Kimmich (captain, Bayern Munich), Nico Schlotterbeck (Borussia Dortmund), David Raum (RB Leipzig), Jonathan Tah (Bayern Munich), Waldemar Anton (Borussia Dortmund), Antonio Rudiger (Real Madrid), Nathaniel Brown (Eintracht Frankfurt), Malick Thiaw (Newcastle United)

Midfielders: Jamal Musiala (Bayern Munich), Florian Wirtz (Liverpool), ‌Lennart Karl (Bayern ‌Munich), Angelo Stiller (Stuttgart), Aleksandar Pavlovic (Bayern Munich), Leon Goretzka (Bayern Munich), Leroy Sane (Galatasaray), Felix Nmecha (Borussia Dortmund), Nadiem Amiri (Mainz), Pascal Gross (Brighton and Hove Albion)

Forwards: Kai Havertz (Arsenal), Deniz Undav (Stuttgart), Jamie Leweling (Stuttgart), Nick Woltemade (Newcastle United), Maximilian Beier (Borussia Dortmund)

Polls have opened in the first round of Colombia’s presidential election, in which a left-wing lawmaker, an independent businessman and a right-wing senator are vying to succeed President Gustavo Petro.

Government-allied Senator Ivan Cepeda is currently leading in the polls. In Sunday’s election, he is angling to cross the 50-percent threshold in the vote tally to avoid a June run-off, which could allow the splintered right wing to consolidate around a single candidate.

Whether Cepeda prevails or not is likely to be a bellwether for the strength of Colombia’s political left.

In 2022, Petro became the first left-wing president in Colombia’s history to be elected, and Cepeda has pledged to continue the outgoing leader’s social reforms to combat poverty.

But scandal and questions about the efficacy of his policies have dented Petro’s popularity. For months, polls had suggested that Petro — who is term-limited — would be replaced by an ideological rival.

But Cepeda, a 63-year-old senator, has been gaining popularity. A poll earlier this month from the National Consulting Centre (CNC) showed him with 33.4 percent support, the most of any candidate.

His closest opponent is Abelardo De La Espriella, 47, a businessman who is promising to crack down on crime and armed groups by bolstering security operations and constructing megaprisons, echoing the policies of El Salvador’s President Nayib Bukele.

Until recently, Paloma Valencia, a senator backed by former President Alvaro Uribe, was the favoured right-wing candidate, but she is currently third in the polls. If elected, Valencia would be the country’s first female president.

While the contest is shaping up to be a three-horse race, 14 candidates in total are running for the presidency.

If no candidate wins more than 50 percent of the votes on Sunday, the top-two vote-getters will face each other in a second round on June 21.

A heavy security presence is expected at Sunday’s vote, and officials are seeking to keep tensions low with a ban on the sale and consumption of alcohol in public places.

The threat of violence has loomed large over the elections. Last year, presidential candidate Miguel Uribe Turbay was assassinated during a campaign stop in the capital Bogota.

Colombia has struggled with more than six decades of internal conflict, with criminal networks, right-wing paramilitaries, left-wing rebels and government forces all fighting for territorial control and political influence.

Uribe Turbay’s death was particularly symbolic, as his mother, journalist Diana Turbay, was famously killed in 1991 during a kidnapping by the Medellin Cartel.

How to approach Colombia’s security and address the patchwork of belligerent factions remains a perennial issue in Colombia’s presidential races.

Cepeda has promised to push on with Petro’s “Total Peace” plan, prioritising talks with armed groups and criminal gangs rather than using a military-only approach.

That strategy has failed to stem the violence, but its supporters say it can root out the problem in the long-term, while security crackdowns only offer a temporary solution.

“The solution to this conflict isn’t aggressive confrontations. It will only end in more bloodshed,” Cristian Morales, a 26-year-old Cepeda supporter, told The Associated Press news agency in Bogota.

“It’s so difficult because it’s either dialogue or arms, and an internal conflict isn’t good for anyone.”

But Maria Eugenia, a 57-year-old seamstress, said she favours de La Espriella’s call for a hardline military campaign to restore security.

“Of course, whenever you come down with a heavy hand, there’s always going to be debate,” she said. “But some people are going to have to fall to clean up what needs to be cleaned.”

The vote will be a referendum on the legacy of Petro, who sought to expand the country’s social safety net and was willing to take stances against the United States, one of Colombia’s closest allies.

A supporter of Palestinian rights, Petro faced US sanctions after President Donald Trump accused him, without evidence, of involvement in the drug trade.

He also spoke out against the US air strikes against suspected drug boats around Latin America — a campaign that rights advocates say amounts to extrajudicial killings.

After months of tensions that saw Trump threaten to take military action against Petro, relations improved after the Colombian president visited the White House in February.