Top Items:
Eric Garcia / The Independent:
Graham Platner drops out of Maine Senate race after sexual assault claim sends Democrats fleeing his campaign — Platner's exit kicks off a mad dash to find a candidate to challenge Republican Sen. Susan Collins — Maine oysterman Graham Platner has dropped his bid to unseat Republican …
RELATED:
Washington Post:
Graham Platner ends U.S. Senate campaign in Maine — The Democratic nominee left the race following an allegation of sexual assault. Maine Democrats have until July 27 to choose a replacement candidate to take on Sen. Susan Collins (R). — Graham Platner, the populist political newcomer …
Discussion:
The Guardian, Mediaite, New York Times, Washington Examiner, Breitbart, The Maine Wire, Newsweek, twitchy.com and The Daily Caller, more at Mediagazer »
Lauren McGaughy / New York Times:
Does a Sex Assault Claim Kill a Political Career? It Depends. — The swift exit of Graham Platner from the Maine Senate race followed Eric Swalwell's similar exit from the California governor's race, but Republicans have taken a different tack. — Eric Swalwell. Tony Gonzales. Now, Graham Platner.
Discussion:
The Federalist and The Daily Wire
Calen Razor / Politico:
Collins loses her foil in Platner — IN TODAY'S EDITION: — No end in sight for Hill's Epstein probe — Dems eye funding, votes to check Iran war — First in IC: VoteVets' Sullivan ad buy — With help from Jordain Carney — Susan Collins' fight to hold onto her seat just got messier.
Sahil Kapur / NBC News:
Graham Platner drops out of Senate race, allowing Maine Democrats to replace him — His decision comes within days of a key deadline, allowing Maine's Democratic Party to select a new candidate to face Republican Sen. Susan Collins in a critical contest for Senate control.
Discussion:
CNN, Straight Arrow, Wall Street Journal, Axios, Talking Points Memo, Rolling Stone, New Republic, Roll Call, MS NOW, New York Times, Washington Monthly, Forbes, The Guardian, Bloomberg, Raw Story, Townhall, Politico, The Downballot, The Portland Press Herald, Washington Times, The Hill, CBS News, Washington Examiner, Scripps News and Semafor
Sophia Cai / Politico:
Collins' allies think Platner's exit makes her reelection bid tougher — Republicans may be publicly using Graham Platner's exit from Maine's Senate race to ratchet up their attacks on Democrats, but behind the scenes, his withdrawal is hardly being viewed as good news for Sen. Susan Collins' reelection campaign.
Discussion:
Townhall, Raw Story and The Guardian
Tim Balk / New York Times:
Graham Platner Suspended His Campaign. Here's What's Next for Democrats. — The deadline to pick a new nominee is July 27 and candidates are already lining up. State party leaders said they would hold some form of nominating convention. — Graham Platner suspended his campaign for Senate …
Discussion:
Politico, NBC News, The Portland Press Herald, The Hill, New York Sun and Jewish Telegraphic Agency
Myah Ward / Politico:
Trump on Platner: 'It's really a question of whether you believe the woman' — President Donald Trump told reporters that the firestorm engulfing Maine oysterman Graham Platner is “really a question of whether you believe the woman” who accused him of sexual assault.
Discussion:
Breitbart, WBUR, The Gateway Pundit, HuffPost, One America News Network, TMZ.com, NewsMax.com, MS NOW, Raw Story, NPR, Bloomberg and CBS News
Politico:
Platner campaign quietly polls potential replacements as pressure mounts
Platner campaign quietly polls potential replacements as pressure mounts
Discussion:
American Prospect, NOTUS, Washington Examiner, NewsMax.com and Bangor Daily News
Beth Reinhard / New York Times:
Who is Troy Jackson, a Democrat running for Senate in Maine?
Who is Troy Jackson, a Democrat running for Senate in Maine?
Discussion:
Washington Post, Liberal Currents and RedState
Politico:
Inside the tense final hours of Graham Platner's campaign
Inside the tense final hours of Graham Platner's campaign
Discussion:
Washington Examiner and Deadline
Ben Binday / Washington Post:
9 possible candidates who could replace Platner on Maine's ballot
9 possible candidates who could replace Platner on Maine's ballot
Discussion:
MeidasTouch, Midcoast Villager, Newsbusters, Newsweek, Fox News, The Hill, New York Times, NBC News, The Guardian, The Status Kuo, Townhall and The Maine Wire
Emily Kennard / NOTUS:
Graham Platner's Collapse Is a ‘Reckoning’ for Political Vetting
Graham Platner's Collapse Is a ‘Reckoning’ for Political Vetting
Discussion:
USA Today
New York Times:
Security Precaution Led Trump to Use Old Air Force One in Leaving Turkey — The Secret Service is said to have asked that the president not use the Qatari-donated jet when he left Ankara. The swap deepens questions about the retrofitting of the new plane.
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Mallory Wilson / The Hill:
Trump returning to US on old Air Force One amid Iran threats — President Trump confirmed Wednesday that he's taking the old Air Force One back to the U.S. from Turkey but deflected questions about security concerns regarding the new Qatari-donated model. — Trump said the new $400 billion Air Force …
Associated Press:
Trump flies partway home from Turkey in an old Air Force One, not the new Qatari-gifted jet
Trump flies partway home from Turkey in an old Air Force One, not the new Qatari-gifted jet
Discussion:
ABC News, Bloomberg, New York Post, NOTUS, Forbes, UPI, NBC News, NPR, Raw Story, Mediaite, Washington Examiner, HuffPost, Los Angeles Times, The Gateway Pundit, Scripps News, Associated Press, Fox News and NewsMax.com
Adrian Carrasquillo / The Bulwark:
He Lived Here for 35 Years. Put Three Kids in College. ICE Killed Him. — LORENZO SALGADO ARAUJO CAME TO THE UNITED STATES thirty-five years ago—a few years too late to benefit from the Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986, popularly known as the “Reagan amnesty.” He worked in construction.
Discussion:
Houston Public Media, Raw Story and One America News Network
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Edgar Sandoval / New York Times:
Family of Man Fatally Shot by ICE Agent Calls for Independent Inquiry
Discussion:
Raw Story, twitchy.com, The Hill, Al Jazeera, Slate, Axios, Houston Public Media and PBS NewsHour
Politico:
Trump yelled at NATO leaders in public. In private, it was a different story. … President Donald Trump spent his first hours at the NATO summit publicly bashing the alliance and reciting a list of grievances that had allies fearing the worst. — Then he went behind closed doors and changed his tune.
Discussion:
Reuters, New York Times, CNBC, Drezner's World, Politico, HuffPost, CBS News, The Guardian, Associated Press, Bloomberg, Deseret News and Axios
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Asawin Suebsaeng / Zeteo:
💣 Iran Humiliates Trump Again as His Imperial Bloodlust Surges — After exchanging strikes with Tehran, and after two wild NATO days in Turkey, the president flew home. In Maine, Graham Platner bowed to massive pressure and suspended his Democratic Senate campaign. — ∙ Paid
Discussion:
Raw Story, Politico, Staff Stories and CNBC
RELATED:
Tom Nichols / The Atlantic:
Iran, Not Trump, Is in Control of This War
Discussion:
The Hill, New York Times, Washington Times, ABC News, Telegraph, Reuters, Commentary Magazine, HotAir, El País, The Daily Wire, Raw Story, Roll Call, Mediaite, New York Magazine, Truthout, Agence France-Presse, New Republic, Mother Jones, The Independent, Human Events, MPR News, One America News Network and Bloomberg
Washington Post:
Smithsonian head disputes White House report in memo to staff — Smithsonian Secretary Lonnie G. Bunch III defended the work of staff under fire from the White House, according to an email obtained by The Post. — Summary — Smithsonian Secretary Lonnie G. Bunch III issued a defense …
Discussion:
NewsMax.com
RELATED:
Kanishka Singh / Reuters:
Smithsonian head says White House report unfairly characterized US history museum
Smithsonian head says White House report unfairly characterized US history museum
Discussion:
Washington Monthly, New Republic, twitchy.com, The Independent, The Daily Caller, Time, CBS News and MS NOW
Rebecca Szlechter / The Jewish Chronicle:
Mamdani's office accused of excluding Jews from map of NYC immigrant neighbourhoods — The map included ‘Little Palestine’ and ‘Little Egypt’, but not its Jewish, Irish and Italian enclaves — New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani lights the Empire State Building in celebration of America 250 on July 04, 2026 (Getty Images)
Discussion:
RedState and New York Post
Nathaniel Weixel / The Hill:
Rising Obamacare premiums fuel Democrats' affordability attacks against GOP — Obamacare premiums are poised for a double-digit increase in 2027, putting more Americans on the hook for hundreds of dollars in additional costs per month and adding fuel to Democratic attacks over affordability ahead of the midterm elections.
Discussion:
Cardinal News, KFF Health News, Bloomberg, USA Today, The Daily Caller and Alaska Story
Paul Waldman / Public Notice:
Trump's red-baiting won't work — This edition of PN is made possible by paid subscribers. Become one ⬇️ — 📈 Subscribe to PN 📈 — With the midterm elections approaching, President Trump hit upon a message that could turn a potential blowout for Republicans into an unexpected win.
Patrick Dempsey / Portland Press-Herald:
Why I'm not running for US Senate — No matter who you are, service begins with a simple question: How can I make someone else's life a little better? — 4 min readFont size + — Patrick Dempsey is an actor, producer, activist and Founder of The Dempsey Center in Maine …
Discussion:
Straight Arrow, New York Times, TMZ.com, NBC News, The Hill, Bangor Daily News, Variety, Raw Story, The Wrap, New York Post and Deadline
Aleena Fayaz / CNN:
Three more people charged with damaging Reflecting Pool after Trump's multimillion-dollar restoration — Three more people have been criminally charged with destruction of property at the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool. — Officers say they detained Cameron Thiers …
Discussion:
TMZ.com
Thomas Frank / Politico:
Trump denies disaster aid for 4 Democratic-led states — President Donald Trump denied disaster aid to four Democratic-led states in a move that is raising new questions about whether he's injecting political motivations into emergency management decisions.
Discussion:
New Republic and Esquire
Jordain Carney / Politico:
Kentucky governor asks Mitch McConnell for a health update — Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear is publicly asking Sen. Mitch McConnell to provide an update on his health amid a secretive weekslong hospitalization. Beshear sent a letter to McConnell Wednesday, saying that Kentuckians had grown …
Discussion:
Straight Arrow, New York Times, HuffPost, Associated Press, CBS News, American Greatness, Washington Examiner, Breitbart, One America News Network, The Independent, Salon, The Hill, Truthout, Axios, ABC News, Deseret News, Blaze Media, UPI, Fox News, Washington Times, New York Post, Townhall, Scripps News, CNBC, Newsweek and Washington Post
Paul Krugman:
The Pain in Spain is Mainly in Trump's Brain — This isn't about economics, it's about mental health — For all my interviews and more, subscribe on YouTube. — Transcript — Yesterday, Donald Trump ordered Scott Bessent, the Secretary of theTreasury, to cut off all trade with Spain.
Discussion:
HuffPost, Breitbart, The Independent, Bloomberg, ABC News, Raw Story, The Hill, New York Post, TWZ, Politico, Euronews, MS NOW, The Mahablog, One America News Network, Reuters, RedState, Fox News and BusinessDay
Michelle Del Rey / USA Today:
White House launches 25 Freedom Fuel gas stations in this region — The White House launched 25 Freedom Fuel gas stations, all selling fuel at $3.47 a gallon. — The White House announced the initiative on July 7 on X with a video of customers thanking President Donald Trump for lowering gas prices.
Hailey Fuchs / Politico:
Why the House's Epstein investigation isn't going away — The House Oversight Committee's Jeffrey Epstein investigation will hit the one-year mark later this month, and the saga isn't ending anytime soon. — No matter which party ends up in control in the next Congress …

