Top Items:
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:
New York Times, Mediaite, The Guardian, Washington Examiner, Newsweek, The Maine Wire, Breitbart, twitchy.com and The Daily Caller
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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 …
Discussion:
ABC News, Axios, New York Times, The Free Press, Fox News, Bangor Daily News, Deadline, Scripps News, Raw Story, The Wrap, Bloomberg, CBS News, The Hill, NBC News, Wall Street Journal and The Guardian, more at Mediagazer »
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:
NPR, NewsMax.com, One America News Network, WBUR, MS NOW, TMZ.com, The Gateway Pundit, Raw Story, Bloomberg, CBS News and Forbes
Politico:
Platner campaign quietly polls potential replacements as pressure mounts — Democratic Maine Senate nominee Graham Platner's team quietly fielded a poll Tuesday gauging the strength of people who could replace him on the ballot, as pressure mounts for him to drop out of the race.
Discussion:
Washington Examiner, NOTUS, NewsMax.com and Bangor Daily News
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.
Politico:
Maine Democrats plan nomination convention to choose Platner replacement
Discussion:
The Dean's Report, The Maine Wire, Washington Examiner and Associated Press
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:
Liberal Currents and RedState
Politico:
What we know - and don't - about how Maine Democrats will replace Graham Platner
What we know - and don't - about how Maine Democrats will replace Graham Platner
Discussion:
CNN, Axios, Bangor Daily News, The Daily Signal, ricochet.com and NBC News
Tarini Parti / Wall Street Journal:
Graham Platner Halts Maine Senate Campaign After Sexual Assault Allegation
Graham Platner Halts Maine Senate Campaign After Sexual Assault Allegation
Discussion:
Washington Times, The Gateway Pundit, The Portland Press Herald, Lawyers, Guns & Money, The Atlantic, CBS News and The Hill
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:
Midcoast Villager, Newsweek, Newsbusters, The Hill, New York Times, NBC News, Fox News, The Guardian, The Status Kuo, Townhall, The Maine Wire and New York Sun
Bonnie Bishop / WMTW-TV:
Rep. Valli Geiger says Graham Platner is supporting her for Senate race
Rep. Valli Geiger says Graham Platner is supporting her for Senate race
Discussion:
Washington Post, Fox News, UPI, The Gateway Pundit, New York Post, Washington Examiner, Deseret News, The Daily Caller, The Maine Wire, Mediaite, NOTUS and Roll Call
Sophia Cai / Politico:
Collins' allies think Platner's exit makes her reelection bid tougher
Collins' allies think Platner's exit makes her reelection bid tougher
Discussion:
The Guardian and New Jersey Globe
Tim Balk / New York Times:
Graham Platner Suspended His Campaign. Here's What's Next for Democrats.
Graham Platner Suspended His Campaign. Here's What's Next for Democrats.
Discussion:
Do What's Write, New York Sun, Jewish Telegraphic Agency and The Hill
Politico:
Graham Platner just dropped out. Here's who could replace him.
Graham Platner just dropped out. Here's who could replace him.
Discussion:
NPR, Payday Report, Fox News, The Portland Press Herald, Washington Examiner, The Intercept and Mediaite
Andrew Howard / Politico:
Senate Majority PAC back in
Garrett Downs / CNBC:
Platner quits Maine Senate race; Democrats set to pick new nominee
Platner quits Maine Senate race; Democrats set to pick new nominee
Discussion:
Talking Points Memo, Bangor Daily News, RedState and Bloomberg
Michael Shepherd / Bangor Daily News:
Maine Democrats approve 600-person convention to pick Graham Platner's replacement
Maine Democrats approve 600-person convention to pick Graham Platner's replacement
Discussion:
The Portland Press Herald, The Maine Wire, The Downballot, HotAir and Semafor
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.
Discussion:
RedState, The Hill and The Independent
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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 …
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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Associated Press:
Son demands independent probe after father shot and killed by ICE officer in Houston — A Mexican national fatally shot by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer in Houston had no criminal convictions during his decades living in the U.S. and was driving a crew to a homebuilding site …
Edgar Sandoval / New York Times:
Family of Man Fatally Shot by ICE Agent Calls for Independent Inquiry
Family of Man Fatally Shot by ICE Agent Calls for Independent Inquiry
Discussion:
The Hill, twitchy.com, Raw Story, Al Jazeera, Slate, Axios, Houston Public Media, PBS NewsHour and Newsweek
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:
New York Times, CNBC, Politico, CBS News, The Guardian, Associated Press, Reuters, Bloomberg, Axios, Deseret News, The Hill and HuffPost
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Cameron Peters / Vox:
Is the US at war with Iran again? — This story appeared in The Logoff, a daily newsletter that helps you stay informed about the Trump administration without letting political news take over your life. Subscribe here. — Welcome to The Logoff: Is the US-Iran deal “over”? — What's happening?
Discussion:
CNBC, The Preamble and The Maine Wire
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Barak Ravid / Axios:
U.S. strikes Iranian targets in Strait of Hormuz for 2nd straight day
Discussion:
Bloomberg, Telegraph, CBS News, Breitbart, El País, Diplomatic,, NewsMax.com, The Times of Israel, New York Times, UPI, Forbes, HotAir, The Hill, RedState, New York Post, Townhall, The Gateway Pundit, Straight Arrow, Scripps News, Deseret News, Human Events, NOTUS, KFTC-TV and Responsible Statecraft
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
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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, The Independent, Time, The Daily Caller, twitchy.com, CBS News and MS NOW
Tom Nichols / The Atlantic:
Iran, Not Trump, Is in Control of This War — The cease-fire was always just a Trump fantasy. — If Donald Trump ever had any control over the war he started with Iran, he's lost it. The Iranians are now setting the terms of this conflict, and routinely humiliating the American president.
Discussion:
New York Times, ABC News, The Hill, Commentary Magazine, Reuters, The Daily Wire, Raw Story, Roll Call, Mediaite, Agence France-Presse, Washington Post, New York Magazine, Mother Jones, Truthout, New Republic, Washington Times, The Independent, MPR News, One America News Network, Bloomberg and Straight Arrow
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.
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
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
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:
New York Times, TMZ.com, The Hill, Bangor Daily News, Raw Story, The Wrap, Deadline, NBC News, Variety, New York Post and Scripps News
Justin Baragona / Zeteo:
Meet Fox's Latest Favorite Primetime Guest: John Fetterman — Trump's fav cable network can't get enough of the Dem it once called a ‘giant walking vegetable.’ Plus, ‘60 Minutes’ is still getting Bari'd, and a new TDS is taking over the MAGA world. — ∙ Paid — Good evening, and welcome to this week's ‘Ragebait.’
Kyle Mantyla / People For:
Dale Partridge Calls For The Return Of ‘European Christian Colonization Of African Nations’ — For the last several weeks, far-right Christian nationalist pastor Dale Partridge has been preaching on the Curse of Ham, a controversial theological theory long used to justify slavery and racism.


