Gavin Newsom posts kinky photo of ‘good boy’ Ted Cruz amid Chevron social media spat

Nypost · May 27, 2026 · 431 words · By Ross O'Keefe

Political polarization Energy Policy and Pricing Social Media Conflict

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What to know about Political polarization

Gavin Newsom posts kinky photo of ‘good boy’ Ted Cruz amid Chevron social media spat See more of our coverage in your search results.

Claims checked 7

Techniques found 2

Topics 3

Coverage spectrum

Coverage gap: Low Left coverage

Left11%

Center78%

Right11%

9 sources compared across this story cluster. This is an eFinder estimate from indexed source coverage, not an editorial rating.

What happened

Gavin Newsom posts kinky photo of ‘good boy’ Ted Cruz amid Chevron social media spat See more of our coverage in your search results.

Why it matters

Add The California Post on GoogleGavin Newsom is resorting to explicit measures to slam his opponents.

Common ground

The California governor shared an AI-generated photo of President Donald Trump with a Chevron logo as a head and holding Texas Sen.

Perspective signals

The tension in the story is sharpened by Loaded Language, Name Calling / Labeling: language that can make the dispute feel more urgent, personal, or adversarial than the underlying facts alone.

Follow-up questions

What new context would change how readers understand this Political polarization story?
What evidence would most clearly confirm or weaken the claim that drivers are paying an average of $6.094 a gallon [in CA]?
How does this story connect Political polarization with Energy Policy and Pricing over the next few days?

open_in_new Read the original article: https://nypost.com/2026/05/27/us-news/gavin-newsom-posts-photo-of-good-boy-ted-c…

psychologyPropaganda Techniques Detected

eFinder identified 2 propaganda techniques in this article. These signals explain how wording, emphasis, or missing context can shape a reader's interpretation.

warning

Loaded Language 80% confidence

Using words with strong emotional connotations to influence an audience.

Found in this article: eFinder flagged this technique because the story's framing or source language may guide readers toward a particular interpretation. Review the claim checks and evidence below to separate what is directly supported from what is implied by wording or emphasis.

Why it matters: Recognizing loaded language helps readers compare the article's framing with the underlying facts and with coverage from other sources.

warning

Name Calling / Labeling 90% confidence

Attaching a negative label to a person or group to reject them without evidence.

Why it matters: Recognizing name calling / labeling helps readers compare the article's framing with the underlying facts and with coverage from other sources.

fact_checkClaims Checked

eFinder analyzed this article and checked 7 claims against available evidence, cross-references, web search, and Wikipedia. Here is what the fact-checking layer found.

check_circle Corroborated 4

info Single Source 2

cancel Disputed 1

info

Claim 1: “drivers are paying an average of $6.094 a gallon [in CA]”

SINGLE SOURCE

The evidence confirms California gas prices crossed $6 per gallon, but the specific figure of $6.094 is not explicitly corroborated across multiple independent sources in the provided text, though it aligns with the reported trend of prices exceeding $6.

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web search NEUTRAL — County average gas prices are updated daily to reflect changes in price. For metro averages, click here.
https://gasprices.aaa.com/?state=CA

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web search NEUTRAL — California's average gasoline price crossed $6 per gallon Thursday as WTI crude topped $106, marking the highest U.S. pump prices since July 2022.
https://oilprice.com/Latest-Energy-News/World-News/Strait-of…

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web search NEUTRAL — According to new data from the Energy Information Administration (EIA), gasoline demand decreased last week from 9.25 million b/d to 8.59 million.
https://contracosta.news/2026/06/05/california-gas-average-d…

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Claim 2: “According to the Division of Petroleum Market Oversight’s analysis presented to the state Assembly, Chevron averaged more than 60 to 80 cents per gallon above unbranded alternatives”

DISPUTED

The claim states a 60 to 80 cent premium for Chevron. However, the provided evidence from the California Energy Commission (CEC) found the average premium at Chevron stations was 48 cents more per gallon than unbranded stations, which contradicts the 60-80 cent range.

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web search NEUTRAL — However, the most interesting flaw in the Chevron theory comes from the politics of the oil industry itself. I found a letter from the Western States Petroleum Association, aka the oil lobby, calling …
https://www.thebignewsletter.com/p/the-mystery-gasoline-surc…

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — In at least one state, the price disparity runs significantly higher. Gas at a Chevron station in California costs an average of 48 cents more per gallon than the price at an unbranded station, the Ca…
https://www.yoursourceone.com/business/soaring-fuel-costs-dr…

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web search NEUTRAL — Monthly and yearly energy forecasts, analysis of energy topics, financial analysis, congressional reports.State energy information, including overviews, rankings, data, and analyses.
https://www.eia.gov/petroleum/gasdiesel/

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Claim 3: “As of Wednesday, the national average for a gallon of gasoline is $4.459, per AAA.”

CORROBORATED

Two independent web sources cite AAA data stating the national average gas price was $4.459 per gallon on the Wednesday mentioned.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Charles Ashenoff (born Carlos Santiago Espada Moises; January 6, 1964), better known by his ring name Konnan, is a Cuban-born American professional wrestling personality, manager, and former professio…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Konnan

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Wednesday is an American alternative rock band formed in Asheville, North Carolina, in 2017. The band consists of Karly Hartzman (vocals, guitar), MJ Lenderman (guitar, backing vocals), Xandy Chelmis …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wednesday_(American_band)

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Wednesday Night War or Wednesday Night Wars refers to a period of mainstream televised American professional wrestling in which All Elite Wrestling (AEW)'s Dynamite debuted on TNT opposite WWE's N…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wednesday_Night_Wars

+ 3 more evidence sources

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Claim 4: “Cruz responded with a photo of a Chevron station with a price much lower than California’s average gas price over $6 a gallon.”

CORROBORATED

Multiple independent web sources report that Ted Cruz responded by posting a photo of a Chevron station in Texas showing prices lower than California's average.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The 2016 Republican National Convention, in which delegates of the United States Republican Party chose the party's nominees for president and vice president in the 2016 U.S. presidential election, wa…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2016_Republican_National_Conve…

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Amy Goodman (born April 13, 1957) is an American broadcast journalist, syndicated columnist, investigative reporter, and author. Since 1996, Goodman has been the main host and executive producer of De…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amy_Goodman

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Charles J. "Chuck" Cooper (born March 8, 1952, in Dayton, Ohio) is an appellate attorney and litigator in Washington, D.C., where he is a founding member and chairman of the law firm Cooper & Kirk, PL…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_J._Cooper

+ 3 more evidence sources

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Claim 5: “In Texas, gas is $3.99 a gallon.”

CORROBORATED

Multiple sources explicitly state that Ted Cruz posted a photo showing gas priced at $3.99 per gallon in Texas.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The 2018 United States Senate election in Texas was held on November 6, 2018, along with other elections to the United States Senate and elections to the United States House of Representatives in addi…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2018_United_States_Senate_elec…

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Rafael Bienvenido Cruz y Díaz (born March 22, 1939) is a Cuban and American evangelical preacher and the father of U.S. Senator Ted Cruz. He has served as a surrogate in his son's political campaigns.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rafael_Cruz

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Rafael Edward Cruz (; born December 22, 1970) is an American politician and attorney serving as the junior United States senator from Texas since 2013. A member of the Republican Party, Cruz was the …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ted_Cruz

+ 3 more evidence sources

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Claim 6: “The governor’s office captioned the picture, “Chevron Cruz is a good boy.””

CORROBORATED

Multiple web search results confirm that Governor Gavin Newsom's office captioned a picture of Ted Cruz as 'Chevron Cruz is a good boy.'

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The 2021 California gubernatorial recall election was a special recall election that started in August 2021 and ended on September 14, 2021, when the majority of California voters chose not to recall …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2021_California_gubernatorial_…

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — California Proposition 50, officially known as the Election Rigging Response Act, is an amendment to the constitution of the U.S. state of California, which was passed by voters in a special election …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2025_California_Proposition_50

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Presidential elections are scheduled to be held in the United States on November 7, 2028, to elect the president and vice president for a term of four years. In the 2024 elections, then-former preside…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2028_United_States_presidentia…

+ 3 more evidence sources

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Claim 7: “The California governor shared an AI-generated photo of President Donald Trump with a Chevron logo as a head and holding Texas Sen. Ted Cruz’s leash as he crawled over a dog bowl that said, “Chevron’s lap dog.””

SINGLE SOURCE

While evidence for claim 1 confirms the governor's office posted a photo of Ted Cruz as a 'good boy', the specific visual details of the AI image (Trump with a Chevron logo head, Ted Cruz on a leash, and a dog bowl) are not explicitly detailed in the provided search results, although the general context of the 'good boy' post is confirmed.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — In American politics since the 2020s, political figures have deployed AI-generated images, videos, and audio to attack opponents, create misleading narratives, or inflame emotions. The use of generati…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AI-generated_content_in_Americ…

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Deepfakes (a portmanteau of 'deep learning' and 'fake') are images, videos, or audio that have been edited or generated using artificial intelligence, AI-based tools or audio-video editing software. T…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deepfake

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Spencer William Pratt (born August 14, 1983) is an American reality television personality and candidate in the 2026 Los Angeles mayoral election. In 2007, he began dating Heidi Montag, a primary cast…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spencer_Pratt

+ 3 more evidence sources

info Disclaimer: This analysis is generated by AI and should be used as a starting point for critical thinking, not as definitive truth. Claims are verified against publicly available sources. Always consult the original article and additional sources for complete context.