HOPE TOWN, Bahamas — Speculation is mounting about the whereabouts of Brian Hooker, the husband of the missing Lynette Hooker, amidst the unresolved circumstances of her disappearance in the Bahamas.

A person claiming close ties to Brian suggested he might have crossed the U.S.-Mexico border from California, either overland or perhaps by sea.

Given Hooker’s significant expertise in boating, such a scenario seems plausible according to the source.

On Wednesday, June 3, 2026, a U.S. Coast Guard rigid-hull inflatable boat patrolled the waters near Elbow Cay in the Bahamas. This vessel, deployed from the cutter Margaret Norvell, is part of the search operation concerning Lynette Hooker, the American boater last seen in early April. (AJ Skuy for News Media)

USCGC Margaret Norvell (WPC-1105) is moored off the coast of Elbow Cay in The Bahamas, Tuesday, June 2, 2026. The Sentinel-class cutter is in the area to conduct a search in relation to the missing American boater, Lynette Hooker, who was last seen alive in early April. (AJ Skuy for News Media)

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The close friend said, “You’re telling me, Brian, 6’4″, Marine Corps tattoo, ultra-white hair, smirk of the century — has not had one person at a Safeway, a QT [QuikTrip], or a Buc-ee’s, or In-N-Out, spot him?”

A rigid-hull inflatable U.S. Coast Guard boat coast cruises through the waters of Elbow Cay in The Bahamas, Wednesday, June 3, 2026. The boat, launched from the cutter, Margaret Norvell, is in the area to conduct a search in relation to the missing American boater, Lynette Hooker who was last seen alive in early April. (AJ Skuy for News Media)

Another source, who asked not to be identified by News Media, said in times past, they had the ability to cross the U.S. border from San Diego, California, into Tijuana, Mexico for day trips. During those trips, border personnel didn’t always require a show of passport, or even ID, the source said.

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Brian Hooker is shown outdoors in the Bahamas amid the search for his missing wife. (Matthew Symons for News Media)

U.S. law requires a passport or passport card for anyone crossing the border into Mexico.

All U.S. citizens need U.S. passport books if re-entering by air. Land and sea border crossings accept additional travel documents, such as U.S. Passport cards and Trusted Traveler cards.

USCG Margaret Norvell (WPC-1105) is moored off the coast of Elbow Cay in The Bahamas, Wednesday, June 3, 2026. The Sentinel-class cutter is in the area to conduct a search in relation to the missing American boater, Lynette Hooker, who was last seen alive in early April. (AJ Skuy for News Media)

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While the world waits for word on where Brian may be, divers with the U.S. Coast Guard arrived in the Bahamas to search an area in the Sea of Abaco for any new clues that may lead to Lynette.

The U.S. Coast Guard asked the public on May 5, 2026, to help identify a sailboat in connection with the disappearance of Lynette Hooker. (Brian Hooker/Facebook; U.S. Coast Guard)

“There is probably a lot more evidence than what the media or general public is even aware of,” said Nicole Parker, former FBI special agent and Fox News contributor.

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Brian was initially detained, questioned, then released by Bahamian authorities in April. He flew back to the U.S. shortly after.

Brian Hooker leaves Central Police Station in Freeport, The Bahamas, on April 13, 2026, after being released from custody. He was accompanied by his lawyer, Terrel A. Butler, following questioning about the disappearance of his wife, Lynette Hooker, who he said fell overboard from their dinghy earlier in the month. (Matthew Symons for News Media)

When asked about the possibility of Brian jumping the border, Julie Rendelman, former federal prosecutor, current criminal defense attorney, said:

“You can’t fail more than if you let an individual who’s the subject of a potential murder of his wife, not only leave the Bahamas to go to the United States, but then disappear altogether,” she said. “They would have a lot of answering to do. I am going to guess they know where he is but they are not acting on it until they’re more comfortable with their case.”

Brian Hooker has not been accused of murder or any criminal wrongdoing. News Media has repeatedly reached out to his lawyer.

News Media has reached out to U.S. Customs and Border Protection for comment.

An NBC reporter showcased remarkable composure during a live segment when she encountered a group of inebriated supporters rallying behind California mayoral hopeful Spencer Pratt. Despite the challenge, the reporter, Liz Kreutz, navigated through the chaotic scene as the spirited fans expressed their reasons for backing the former reality TV star in his bid to become Los Angeles’ next mayor.

The on-air interview quickly shifted as the enthusiastic group, visibly under the influence, began dominating the conversation. A particularly vocal supporter, clad in a pinstripe suit and sporting sunglasses with a drink in hand, set the tone by claiming that Pratt, at 42, is taking a stand against communism and socialism.

He elaborated, stating, “It is a real big problem in our cities, especially in LA, where it’s turned to chaos. It’s not an accident.” The supporter continued by alleging that the issues are deliberate, adding, “They’re doing it by design. Karen Bass wants to destroy our city, and it’s nice to see someone like Spencer Pratt.”

‘It is a real big problem in our cities, especially in LA, where it’s turned to c***. It’s not an accident,’ he continued. 

‘They’re doing it by design. Karen Bass wants to destroy our city, and it’s nice to see someone like Spencer Pratt.’

A fellow supporter jumped into the interview, adding: ‘I can simplify it, because those buzzwords are – they melt the brains of left, you know, leaning people.

‘So, let’s just say it this way: He doesn’t want human feces to be a part of your life. Yeah. He doesn’t want homeless children outside.’

Kreutz was quick to cut him off, however, and thanked him as he spoke. 

Reporter Liz Kreutz struggled to navigate a rowdy group of lively supporters explaining why they were backing the former reality TV star set on being the new mayor of Los Angeles

Former reality TV star Spencer Pratt has thrown his hat into the mayoral race in LA, and surged into second place on Tuesday vowing he was ready for a November election showdown

As another supporter jumped in and began lively discussing Pratt and his plan for homelessness, Kreutz was quick to cut him off and back away from the interview

The supporter was quick to notice, and pointed his finger at her passionately exclaiming: ‘Oh, you didn’t like that. Oh! Ran away!’

As Kreutz tried to calmly bring the interview to a close, the supporter continued on to say, ‘We don’t want… homeless people outside of the elementary schools having sex with their own hands… in front of the children,’ while he made crude motions at the camera.

‘We appreciate you. We have talked a lot about the homeless… thank you,’ Kreutz repeated while slowly walking away from the pair. 

The same supporter quickly followed Kreutz and grabbed the microphone. 

‘We don’t appreciate you ma’am,’ he said, before walking away. 

‘Thank you for navigating that so well,’ anchor Hallie Jackson said from the studio, as Kreutz attempted to compose herself. 

Another supporter jumped into the interview, looking to give a shout out to Pratt’s Chief of Staff June Cutter. 

‘…She’s incredible. MAGA. Mar-a-Lago queen… June we love you… you’re gonna win this,’ he said, while the supporter in the pinstripe suit celebrated in the background with a cigarette and his drink still in hand. 

Anchor Hallie Jackson encouraged Kreutz from the studio, as the reporter attempted to compose herself. Another supporter jumped in shout out to Pratt’s Chief of Staff June Cutter

Kreutz was all smiles as she and Jackson joked about the merriment at the event 

‘Hallie, all I’ll say is, they’re taking a few shots, they’re feeling good out here,’ Kreutz said, still smiling about the ordeal. 

Jackson added: ‘The margaritas are flowing there.’

Pratt, the Republican candidate who previously appeared on The Hills, surged into second place on Tuesday night in the city’s explosive mayoral race – and vowed he was ready for a November election showdown.

In LA mayoral elections, all candidates appear on the same ballot, no matter their party affiliation.

If one candidate wins more than 50 percent of the vote, they take the job outright. If nobody reaches that majority threshold, the top two finishers advance to a head-to-head runoff in November.

Bass may have finished first on Tuesday night – but she still failed to deliver a knockout blow against Pratt, whose campaign has been fueled by his $3 million home burning down in the 2025 Palisades Fire.

With roughly half the vote counted, Pratt – who in the 2000s was one of television’s favorite villains – was sitting in second place and seemed in a prime position to join Bass on the November ballot, while progressive City Council member Nithya Raman trailed in third.

‘She knows it’s on,’ Pratt told reporters. ‘I hope she’s ready. I literally could not be more excited.’

With roughly half the vote counted, Pratt – who was one of television’s favorite villains – was sitting in second place and seemed in a prime position to join Bass on the November ballot

Pratt accused current Mayor Karen Bass of failing Los Angeles on wildfires, homelessness, public safety and basic services

He added that he was ‘confident’ he could win over some of Bass’s supporters, even though Democrats outnumber Republicans by about three to one in Los Angeles and the city’s political establishment is expected to rally hard behind the mayor if Pratt is confirmed as her opponent.

Pratt also said he wanted another chance to face Bass on the debate stage.

‘We can do debates every Friday if she would like,’ he said.

Pratt got a boost from user-created AI videos and his own team’s creative ads, in which the reality veteran pledged to be a change agent who would take on the city’s massive homeless problem. 

He has accused Bass of failing Los Angeles on wildfires, homelessness, public safety and basic services, casting himself as the outsider who will tear through bureaucracy and shake up a city he says has been allowed to decay.

His platform calls for a sweeping audit of emergency infrastructure, a streamlined chain of command for disasters and faster permitting so fire victims and small businesses can rebuild without being trapped in City Hall delays.

On homelessness, Pratt is pushing what he calls a treatment-first approach, saying city money should be redirected toward mental health care, drug treatment and stabilization services.

He has also vowed to back police, recruit and retain more LAPD officers, crack down on retail theft and organized crime, and hold law enforcement leadership to measurable standards. 

Pratt’s platform calls for a sweeping audit of emergency infrastructure, a streamlined chain of command for disasters and faster permitting so fire victims and small businesses can rebuild without being trapped in City Hall delays

Bass, a former congresswoman and the first African-American woman to be Los Angeles mayor, characterized herself as a steady hand who has made progress on homelessness and lowering crime.

The mayor addressed her supporters early on Tuesday night, as the returns indicated that she would advance to a runoff.

‘We’re going to build a city where parents and kids do not have to navigate tents, because in the nation’s second-largest city, there should never be anybody that is sleeping on our streets,’ she pledged. 

‘We are a city that can deal with this, and we have been doing this, and we are going to continue.’

More broadly, she promised to do more if voters gave her another four years. 

‘We want to bring change to our city, and that’s what we’ve been doing, and that’s what we’re going to continue to do,’ Bass vowed. 

Pratt entered the race on January 7, the anniversary of the devastating Palisades fire. 

He pledged to ‘get the golden age of Los Angeles back,’ echoing President Donald Trump’s promise that his second term would be a ‘golden age’ for America.

But the registered Republican has tried to keep national politics at an arm’s distance, downplaying positive comments Trump made about his run and the assertion the President made that Pratt was a ‘MAGA person.’ 

‘I’m a big nobody person,’ he replied when asked about Trump’s comments by LA’s ABC7. 

In another interview, he said his core constituency was ‘mothers.’ 

On the ballot, no candidates are listed with their party affiliation.  

Still, Pratt had a tall order in a heavily Democratic city – the last time a Republican was elected mayor was 1997. 

And some of Pratt’s previous statements and interviews have resurfaced amid his campaign. 

On CNN last week, Jake Tapper asked him about appearing on right-wing conspiracy theorist Alex Jones’s show in 2009, where he agreed that 9/11 was ‘100 percent’ an inside job. 

Pratt chalked up the comments to being ‘young and naive,’ saying what he’s learned since is that ‘it’s actually the negligence of the people in power.’ 

Pratt has been hitting the campaign trail over the past month, with appearances at various events from ice-cream pop-ups to barbecues

‘I would have loved to have gone along with, when my house burned down and my parents’ house burned down, everyone saying, “It was lasers! It was a land grab! It was just like Maui!” But it’s not,’ he said. ‘The reality is, people in charge fail us as taxpayers.’ 

Pratt also appeared to rebound after TMZ revealed he had been staying at the swanky Hotel Bel-Air, not the Airstream trailer he had used in his campaign ads. 

The candidate’s head of security told the Daily Mail that ‘credible threats’ to Pratt’s life forced him to stay at the more secure facility, while Montag and the couple’s two sons were staying outside of LA in Carpinteria.  

Ahead of Election Day, despite polls showing Pratt in third place behind the two Democrats, the reality star predicted an outright victory. 

But by late Tuesday, he was reframing his second-place positioning as unthinkable even just months ago. 

The Daily Mail reached out to NBC News and Spencer Pratt for comment. 

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As the trend of Americans migrating from high-tax states to more tax-friendly areas continues, Florida legislators have achieved what advocates are calling a significant triumph for economic liberty.

In an effort to secure enduring property tax reductions for its citizens, the Florida Legislature has approved a groundbreaking amendment, championed by DeSantis, to appear on the ballot for the general election in November 2026. This amendment proposes a $250,000 homestead exemption, potentially abolishing non-school property taxes for numerous homeowners.

“This will likely be especially attractive to individuals relocating from the Northeast and other states with higher taxes, as they consider where to establish their long-term residence,” said Nick Malinosky of Douglas Elliman in an interview with Fox News Digital.

Florida already offers appealing weather and lifestyle options. Now, with such tax policies, it gains yet another advantage in the increasingly competitive arena of relocation choices.

Tax policy simply becomes another advantage in an increasingly competitive relocation landscape,” Douglas Elliman’s Nick Malinosky told Fox News Digital.

“This proposal could strengthen that appeal, particularly among households planning a permanent move rather than purchasing a second home. I think it could encourage more families, retirees and remote workers to establish Florida residency,” Elliman colleague Lourdes Alatriste added.

“The biggest beneficiaries may be families and retirees looking to establish permanent residency and maximize long-term savings,” The Corcoran Group’s Mick Duchon agreed.

If Florida voters approve House Joint Resolution (HJR) 1-F in November, the amount of your home’s value that is exempt from certain property taxes would increase over the next two years.

On Jan. 1, 2027, the homestead exemption would increase from the existing $50,000 to $150,000. One year later, in 2028, the homestead exemption would rise to $250,000.

For some homeowners, that could reduce non-school local property taxes to zero.

A Florida Senate press release states that this sets up the framework “for full [tax] exemption over time.”

Residents who establish primary Florida residency on or before Dec. 31, 2026, would be eligible for the expanded exemption when it takes effect.

However, those who move to the state after that deadline would have to wait four years before qualifying for the full $250,000 exemption.

“By increasing the homestead exemption, the proposal could help reduce the tax burden on primary residences and provide homeowners with greater financial flexibility year after year,” Alatriste said.

“What I’m hearing from clients is less about speculation and more about affordability. Buyers see it as a potential way to reduce their long-term cost of ownership, while existing homeowners view it as meaningful relief in a market where insurance, maintenance and other housing expenses have continued to climb,” Douglas Elliman’s Senada Adzem said.

“Whether someone owns a $500,000 home or a $20 million home,” Malinosky added, “everyone has felt the impact of rising ownership costs over the past several years. Clients are encouraged that lawmakers are looking at ways to provide tax relief.”

The amendment’s language would reduce the annual assessment increase cap on non-homestead properties, including many commercial properties, from 10% to 5% per year.

This tax break would not apply to school board taxes, and local governments would be required to prioritize remaining property tax revenue for services such as police, fire rescue, EMS, infrastructure, flood-control projects and government employee pensions.

“The strongest argument in favor is that it offers relief to Florida homeowners at a time when affordability remains a major concern,” Alatriste said.

“The biggest challenge will be answering questions about how local governments and school districts would offset the reduction in tax revenue.”

“Voters will likely support the concept of tax relief, but they’ll also want transparency regarding schools, public safety, infrastructure and municipal budgets. If lawmakers can clearly address those concerns, the proposal has a strong chance of gaining broad support,” Duchon noted.

“The strongest selling point is affordability,” Malinosky said. “I think voters are generally supportive of tax relief, but they will want clear answers before approving a constitutional amendment of this magnitude.”

Kuwait has strongly condemned recent Iranian offensives, emphasizing that the Kuwait International Airport was among the targeted sites. The statement from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs criticized the use of ballistic missiles and drones by Iran, which has resulted in ongoing attacks against civilian and crucial infrastructure.

The ministry’s statement, translated from Arabic, stated, “The State of Kuwait expresses its strongest condemnation and denunciation of the relentless Iranian attacks. The latest assault at dawn today targeted vital facilities, including Kuwait International Airport, leading to one fatality, several injuries, and damage to essential infrastructure, including diplomatic missions,” according to a post on X.

A spokesperson for Kuwait’s Ministry of Defense reported that damage occurred at a building within Kuwait International Airport, resulting in injuries. This information was shared via the Kuwait Army general staff headquarters’ official account on X.

Recent images captured at Kuwait International Airport in Kuwait City on June 1, 2026, showcase the tense atmosphere as the aftermath unfolds. (Photo by Jaber Abdulkhaleq/Anadolu via Getty Images)