South-Carolina
Donald Trump draws cheers in Nikki Haley’s home turf during Clemson-South Carolina football game

Donald Trump used college football rivalry weekend to bask among his supporters in a state and region that are key to his presidential fortunes, while trying to upstage his Republican opponent Nikki Haley on her home turf at the Clemson-South Carolina football game.
The former president and current front-runner for the 2024 Republican nomination walked into Williams-Brice Stadium in Columbia on Saturday night to chants of “We want Trump! We want Trump!” from fans gathered for the annual Palmetto Bowl, the state’s biggest sporting event of the year.
Haley, a Clemson alumna and trustee who was twice elected South Carolina governor, did not attend.
Trump was a guest of Gov. Henry McMaster, Haley’s successor. The entourage, which entered through a veritable tunnel of Trump supporters on its way to a private suite, also included South Carolina’s senior U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham, giving the former president a show of local political force at a game featuring Haley’s alma mater.
McMaster ascended to the governor’s office in 2017 when Trump elevated Haley to United Nations ambassador. Graham and Haley have mostly been allies over the years. But both men now back Trump, and the former president enjoys a wide polling lead among Republican primary voters. That includes nationally and in early nominating states like South Carolina.
At halftime, Trump came down to the field with McMaster, drawing mostly cheers and a smattering of boos as he walked around, posed for a few photos and waved. ESPN’s broadcast on the SEC Network also showed the former president sitting with McMaster during the game.
Hours before kickoff, Trump’s campaign announced that he had been endorsed by “more South Carolina legislators than all opposing candidates combined,” including new backing from six state lawmakers who had previously supported U.S. Sen. Tim Scott, before the South Carolinian ended his presidential bid earlier this month.
Columbia was primed for Trump’s visit. Around the stadium Saturday afternoon, more than a half-dozen electronic billboards around the capital city of Columbia boasted a message noting Trump’s 2020 election loss and his pending legal cases: “You lost. You’re guilty. Welcome to Columbia, Donald.”
Some vendors around the venue, meanwhile, hawked Trump-related merchandise, including “Trump 2020” flags, from the previous election cycle. And some fans entering the stadium before Trump’s arrival chanted “Let’s Go Brandon!” — a derogatory reference to President Joe Biden, who defeated Trump in 2020.
Asked about the coming primary matchup with Trump, Haley spokesperson Olivia Perez-Cubas called her “the only candidate with momentum” and referenced Haley’s previous come-from-behind victories.
“South Carolinians know their governor has what it takes to win because they’ve seen her beat the odds before — not just once, but twice,” she said.
Trump has enjoyed tweaking Haley in her own state before. “In 2016, South Carolina gave us 44 out of 46 counties – that’s not so bad,” he said at a state GOP dinner in August. “I can’t wait to win all 46. We want to win all 46.”
South Carolina falls fourth in the GOP voting calendar after Iowa, New Hampshire and Nevada, with the state’s first-in-the-South primary coming up on Feb. 24, 2024. Several Southern states follow on March 5 as part of the Super Tuesday slate that puts more delegates up for grabs than any other day in the primary campaign.
Trump’s South Carolina and Super Tuesday romps in 2016 gave him a delegate lead he would never relinquish.
Haley has answered Trump in recent weeks by emphasizing her roots as she campaigns in Iowa, which opens voting nationally with its Jan. 15 caucuses.
“I’m not going anywhere,” she said recently in Ankeny, predicting a strong showing in the caucuses. “Then I go head-to-head with Trump in my home state of South Carolina. And we take it.”
Trump, who tried to buy an NFL team in the 1980s and ended up part of a failed alternative league, has enjoyed sports cameos over the years. But college football has afforded him his most generous welcomes. Earlier this fall, he attended the Iowa State-Iowa game in Ames, Iowa, including stopping at a fraternity house before kickoff. And while he was president, he attended the 2018 national championship game in Atlanta and the 2019 Alabama-LSU regular season game in Tuscaloosa, Alabama.

South-Carolina
Feds Arrest South Carolina State Lawmaker RJ May – FITSNews

South Carolina state representative RJ May III – the focus of an ongoing federal child pornography investigation – was taken into custody by federal and state law enforcement agents on Wednesday afternoon (June 11, 2025) outside of his West Columbia, S.C. home.
May – clad in a white t-shirt and gym shorts – was handcuffed and placed in the black of a black Nissan Titan truck accompanied by a pair of Chevy Suburbans shortly before 5:00 p.m. EDT. The convoy departed from his neighborhood to whereabouts unknown.
May’s wife, Beth May, was present during her husband’s arrest – pacing the sidewalk outside their home and appearing to record or photograph what was transpiring on her cell phone.
News of May’s arrest was exclusively reported by FITSNews‘ Andy Fancher. It comes less than two weeks after we reported his arrest was “imminent.”
***
??EXCLUSIVE: SOUTH CAROLINA REP. TAKEN INTO CUSTODY
?Lexington County, South Carolina
Disgraced South Carolina Rep. R.J. May III was taken into custody on a federal arrest warrant shortly before 5 p.m. EDT Thursday at his West Columbia home.
According to sources, May has been… pic.twitter.com/Awm0NeySbp
— Andrew Fancher (@RealAndyFancher) June 11, 2025
***
“According to sources familiar with its progression, criminal indictments against the conservative lawmaker are indeed ‘imminent’ – with May likely to be arrested and indicted on multiple counts related to this inquiry ‘before the end of spring,’” we reported on May 30.
May, 38, originally of Newport News, Virginia, is the former vice chairman and top political strategist of the S.C. Freedom Caucus. As of this writing, he is the elected representative for S.C. House District 88 in Lexington County. However, once May is indicted on a crime of “moral turpitude,” he will be automatically suspended from office per the S.C. Code of Laws § 8-13-560.
That suspension would last until May “is acquitted, convicted, pleads guilty, or pleads nolo contendere.”
In the event of a conviction, the office is declared vacant and a special election ensues. In the event of an acquittal or dismissal of charges, the official “is entitled to reinstatement and back pay.”
***
While a warrant for May’s arrest was reportedly issued on Wednesday afternoon (June 11, 2025), our media outlet has not obtained a copy of the document detailing the charges against him – nor has any law enforcement agency associated with the investigation advised us as to the date or time of an arraignment.
We have received conflicting reports on the timing of May’s arraignment on the charges he is facing, with some reports suggesting he could appear before a federal judge as soon as 10:00 a.m. EDT on Thursday (June 12, 2025).
As FITSNews first reported last summer, federal and state law enforcement agents descended upon May’s West Columbia, S.C. home on the morning of August 5, 2024. Upon arrival, they executed a search warrant in connection with an ongoing federal investigation into child sex abuse materials (CSAM, a.k.a. “child porn”).
Our media outlet subsequently confirmed the focus of the raid – and shortly thereafter confirmed that multiple devices had been seized in connection with it. We further confirmed that federal investigators with the special investigations unit (HSI) of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) were securing additional warrants which would enable them to search these devices.
***
RELATED | NANCY MACE SEEKS SANCTIONS OVER ‘ILLEGAL’ DEPOSITION
***
Assisting HSI in its inquiries were assets of the S.C. State Law Enforcement Division (SLED).
Weeks later, federal prosecutors acknowledged being in possession of “various electronics identified as one Lenovo laptop, one Amazon tablet, four cell phones, four hard drives, four SD cards, two DVD-Rs and nineteen thumb drives” which were “seized by agents of (HSI) on August 5, 2024.”
Once indicted, the presumption of innocence applies to May as it applies to all defendants. He is considered innocent until proven guilty by our criminal justice system – or until such time as he may wish to enter some form of allocution in connection with a plea agreement with prosecutors related to any of the charges filed against him.
This is a development story… please check back for updates.
***
ABOUT THE AUTHOR…
Will Folks is the founding editor of the news outlet you are currently reading. Prior to founding FITSNews, he served as press secretary to the governor of South Carolina. He lives in the Midlands region of the state with his wife and eight children.
***
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South-Carolina
SC lawmakers to take a closer look at modernizing, improving state roads

COLUMBIA, S.C. (WIS) – One of the issues South Carolina lawmakers say they hear about all the time from constituents is the shape of the state’s roads.
They have some ideas on how to improve them but want to first hear directly from South Carolinians on what challenges they face during their daily commutes.
It will be part of the work of a new committee at the State House, which will take a closer look at the South Carolina Department of Transportation.
House Speaker Murrell Smith, who established the new South Carolina Department of Transportation Modernization Ad Hoc Committee, said its formation is not meant to criticize SCDOT but to improve and modernize it.
“This job is not to fix potholes. This is not to widen roads. Those are all being done right now. But it’s to build a foundation for long-term growth, safety and opportunity,” Smith, (R–Sumter), said.
It comes as South Carolina’s growth shows no signs of stopping.
But its infrastructure has not always kept up.
“When our road system was built, it was probably built with 2.5 million to 3 million people in mind,” Smith said, compared to the approximately 5.5 million people estimated to now call South Carolina home. “We have 71,000 miles of state roads, being one of the largest road systems per capita in this whole country, and so we have a lot of challenges.”
Areas where the Speaker wants the committee to focus include congestion, permitting reform and SCDOT’s organizational structure.
He also wants them to figure out whether South Carolina needs to revisit its decades-old toll statute and look at how it raises money to fix infrastructure, including potential new resident fees and raising the registration fee that electric vehicle owners pay.
“I do not think that we need to raise the gas tax. We just came off the gas tax increase over the last few years. If you look at where South Carolina is in comparison to other states, we’re right in the middle,” Smith said.
Not mentioned was determining whether the state should turn over control of more roads to local governments.
Gov. Henry McMaster believes that question is worth taking a closer look.
“I think that’s a good idea,” McMaster told reporters. “The specifics would have to be determined, but as you know, we have in South Carolina seems like all our roads are state-owned roads. There are some very large states that don’t have as many miles of state highway miles.”
Over the months ahead, this committee will be traveling around the state and holding public hearings.
Its goal is to have legislation and recommendations ready by the time the full General Assembly reconvenes in Columbia next January.
In response to the committee’s formation, the South Carolina Department of Transportation said it has made significant progress since the passage of the landmark 2017 roads bill, which implemented an increase to the state’s gas tax, which funds infrastructure improvements.
Nearly $7 billion in road and bridge construction is underway now, according to SCDOT.
“We recognize that there is more work to do and we look forward to working with the Study Committee to build upon that progress. South Carolina has grown and changed tremendously and we are committed to delivering a transportation system that will serve our state for generations to come,” the agency said in a statement.
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South-Carolina
South Carolina Lottery Powerball, Pick 3 results for June 9, 2025

Powerball, Mega Millions jackpots: What to know in case you win
Here’s what to know in case you win the Powerball or Mega Millions jackpot.
Just the FAQs, USA TODAY
The South Carolina Education Lottery offers several draw games for those aiming to win big. Here’s a look at June 9, 2025, results for each game:
Winning Powerball numbers from June 9 drawing
30-33-40-43-52, Powerball: 25, Power Play: 4
Check Powerball payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Pick 3 Plus FIREBALL numbers from June 9 drawing
Midday: 2-5-5, FB: 8
Evening: 7-8-9, FB: 7
Check Pick 3 Plus FIREBALL payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Pick 4 Plus FIREBALL numbers from June 9 drawing
Midday: 4-8-6-5, FB: 8
Evening: 7-4-7-8, FB: 7
Check Pick 4 Plus FIREBALL payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Cash Pop numbers from June 9 drawing
Midday: 06
Evening: 04
Check Cash Pop payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Palmetto Cash 5 numbers from June 9 drawing
09-20-24-33-36
Check Palmetto Cash 5 payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Powerball Double Play numbers from June 9 drawing
01-07-24-50-59, Powerball: 11
Check Powerball Double Play payouts and previous drawings here.
Feeling lucky? Explore the latest lottery news & results
Are you a winner? Here’s how to claim your lottery prize
The South Carolina Education Lottery provides multiple ways to claim prizes, depending on the amount won:
For prizes up to $500, you can redeem your winnings directly at any authorized South Carolina Education Lottery retailer. Simply present your signed winning ticket at the retailer for an immediate payout.
Winnings $501 to $100,000, may be redeemed by mailing your signed winning ticket along with a completed claim form and a copy of a government-issued photo ID to the South Carolina Education Lottery Claims Center. For security, keep copies of your documents and use registered mail to ensure the safe arrival of your ticket.
SC Education Lottery
P.O. Box 11039
Columbia, SC 29211-1039
For large winnings above $100,000, claims must be made in person at the South Carolina Education Lottery Headquarters in Columbia. To claim, bring your signed winning ticket, a completed claim form, a government-issued photo ID, and your Social Security card for identity verification. Winners of large prizes may also set up an Electronic Funds Transfer (EFT) for convenient direct deposit of winnings.
Columbia Claims Center
1303 Assembly Street
Columbia, SC 29201
Claim Deadline: All prizes must be claimed within 180 days of the draw date for draw games.
For more details and to access the claim form, visit the South Carolina Lottery claim page.
When are the South Carolina Lottery drawings held?
- Powerball: 10:59 p.m. ET on Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday.
- Mega Millions: 11 p.m. ET on Tuesday and Friday.
- Pick 3: Daily at 12:59 p.m. (Midday) and 6:59 p.m. (Evening).
- Pick 4: Daily at 12:59 p.m. (Midday) and 6:59 p.m. (Evening).
- Cash Pop: Daily at 12:59 p.m. (Midday) and 6:59 p.m. (Evening).
- Palmetto Cash 5: 6:59 p.m. ET daily.
This results page was generated automatically using information from TinBu and a template written and reviewed by a South Carolina editor. You can send feedback using this form.
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