Maine Democrats vie to replace Graham Platner as Senate nominee
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The U.S. and Iran escalated attacks overnight and into today after Trump declared the ceasefire “over.”
What to know today
- JOCKEYING BEGINS: Several Maine Democrats are already jockeying to replace Graham Platner as the nominee to take on Republican Sen. Susan Collins in November. Platner announced yesterday that he will suspend his Senate campaign after an allegation of sexual assault pushed backers to withdraw their endorsements this week. Platner has said the allegation is false.
- ELECTION COMMISSION FIRINGS: The White House ousted all three sitting members of the U.S. Election Assistance Commission today, hamstringing the bipartisan agency ahead of the midterms. An administration official said they would be replaced.
- NEW VANCE HOME: The Secret Service is planning to provide additional security to a new residence for Vice President JD Vance and his family in the upscale town of Middleburg, Virginia, about 45 minutes outside Washington.
- TRUMP ARCH: The National Capital Planning Commission heard testimony from experts and private citizens about President Donald Trump's proposed 250-foot arch. The commission recommended that the Trump administration lower the proposed height of the arch to comply with the Height of Buildings Act.
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Ministry founder Victor Marx wins Republican primary for Colorado governor
Ministry leader Victor Marx has won the Republican primary for governor of Colorado, NBC News projects, setting up a general election matchup with state Attorney General Phil Weiser, the Democratic nominee.
Marx narrowly defeated Republican state Sen. Barb Kirkmeyer after a protracted count of the final votes following the June 30 primary. Marx took 39.9% of the GOP primary vote, while Kirkmeyer took 39.4%.
A third Republican candidate, state Rep. Scott Bottoms, finished a distant third.
On the same day, a Florida airport and a Tennessee bridge are renamed after Trump
The next time Trump flies to Mar-a-Lago, he’ll be landing at an airport named after himself. And if his motorcade ever passes along I-40 in East Tennessee, he’ll see a bridge bearing his name.
That’s because officials in Palm Beach, Florida, and Dandridge, Tennessee, debuted signage today to honor a president who has shown an affinity for attaching his name to everything from federal buildings to discount drug programs.
Airport officials announced that Palm Beach International Airport has officially been renamed President Donald J. Trump International Airport. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis signed a bill into law in March to change the airport’s name.
“A very big day in Palm Beach, Florida, where it was my Great Honor to have the Palm Beach International Airport be renamed, by a spectacular vote, The President Donald J. Trump International Airport,” Trump wrote this evening on Truth Social. “This will soon be one of the Greatest and Most Spectacular Airports anywhere in the World!”
Vance family eyes an additional residence in an upscale rural Virginia town
The Secret Service is planning to provide additional security to a new residence for Vice President JD Vance and his family in Middleburg, Virginia, a senior law enforcement official told NBC News.
Planning commission advances Trump’s proposal to build triumphal arch
A key federal commission gave initial approval for Trump’s proposed 250-foot arch today, signaling unprecedented leniency under a 116-year-old law that regulates the height of buildings in the capital.
Trump ousts remaining members of the Election Assistance Commission ahead of midterms
The White House ousted all three sitting members of the U.S. Election Assistance Commission today, leaving the bipartisan agency hamstrung ahead of midterms.
Smithsonian pushes back on Trump’s criticism of the American History museum
The Trump administration has opened a new front in its yearlong feud with Washington’s iconic Smithsonian Institution, the steward of 21 museums, the National Zoo and 14 research and education centers for 180 years.
In a blistering 162-page report the White House Domestic Policy Council issued over the July Fourth weekend, the administration accused the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History of “adopting an ideological framework” as “a political instrument to divide, dispirit and discourage our citizens,” rather than promoting a “shared national inheritance to be taught or celebrated.”
Smithsonian Secretary Lonnie Bunch defended the institution in an email sent to staff members, which was obtained by NBC News.
He wrote that while the Smithsonian continues “to review the report,” it “is not a fair characterization of the work and totality of the National Museum of American History.”
New Mexico AG says the Justice Department is failing to cooperate with his office's Epstein probe
New Mexico Attorney General Raúl Torrez has asked the Justice Department to release unredacted records his office needs for its probe of criminal activity at late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein's sprawling Zorro Ranch.
Zorro Ranch in Stanley, N.M. Adria Malcolm for NBC News
In a letter to acting Attorney General Todd Blanche, Torrez said his office has been asking the Justice Department for the documents for months and has yet to receive any.
“Despite verbal assurances of cooperation from the USDOJ, access to the requested records has not been granted, no substantive response has been provided, and more than 130 days have now elapsed since the NMDOJ’s initial request,” Torrez wrote in the letter, which his office made public.
“The NMDOJ views this length of time as an unreasonable delay,” the letter said.
"Heavily redacted open-source records already establish that multiple survivors were brought to Zorro Ranch in Santa Fe County, New Mexico, on numerous occasions, where they were subjected to sexual abuse and exploitation," the letter said, adding that "records in the USDOJ’s custody contain the names of survivors, witnesses, co-conspirators, and other individuals whose identities are essential to the NMDOJ’s ability to fulfill its obligation to investigate and prosecute criminal conduct occurring within this State."
Torrez said he first wrote Blanche in February, seeking an unredacted version of a specific document and "all related Zorro Ranch investigative materials."
He said his office's investigation is "active and is ongoing." "The USDOJ’s continued withholding of unredacted records is causing real and escalating harm to the NMDOJ’s criminal investigation," he wrote.
A spokesperson for the Justice Department denied the allegation in a statement today and said it had “substantively responded last month to requests from the New Mexico Attorney General’s Office."
"The DOJ reiterates that it welcomes New Mexico undertaking additional investigation of the Zorro Ranch and stands ready to provide necessary assistance with New Mexico’s investigation," the spokesperson added.
The letter comes less than a week before Blanche is scheduled to appear before the Senate for his confirmation hearing. It's scheduled for Wednesday.
Public commenter compares Trump’s proposed arch to Hitler’s, with NCPC chairman calling the remarks ‘deeply, deeply offensive’
During public comments at a National Capital Planning Commission meeting to review Trump’s proposed 250-foot arch in Washington today, an attendee likened Trump’s plan to Adolf Hitler’s failed proposal to build a triumphal arch, sparking a rebuke from a commission official.
A model of Trump's planned "Triumphal Arch" at the Great American State Fair in Washington last month. Joe Raedle / Getty Images file
“The arch is fascist in intent and design,” Lawrence MacDonald said during his allotted time. “Not surprisingly, it has a striking resemblance to a sketch that Hitler himself made for an arch that he wanted to be built in Berlin.”
“Photographs of Hitler admiring a scale model of his arch are creepily similar to the photos of Trump showing off the model of his arch,” MacDonald continued. “That resemblance is not a coincidence."
MacDonald said there is a "striking similarity between Trump's proposed arch and Hitler's: "Neither of them will ever be built."
“The end of Trump’s reign will be less dramatic and less bloody, but one way or another his time as our nation’s leader will end well before this monstrous arch can be completed,” he said.
MacDonald's remarks drew criticism from commission Chairman William Scharf, who is also an assistant to Trump and White House staff secretary.
“As a Jew, as an American Jew who had family fighting against Hitler in World War II and who lost family in the Shoah, in the Holocaust, the idea that because of some picture you dragged out of the archives that the president of the United States, the duly elected president of the United States, is somehow comparable to the most evil man who’s probably ever lived in history is just deeply, deeply offensive to me,” Scharf said.
“We can disagree about this project without that sort of invective being leveled against members of this commission, and I just don’t know what you think you’re accomplishing, sir,” Scharf added, before he invited the next commenter to the podium.
Senate Democrats’ PAC aims to spend same amount on new Maine candidate as it had planned for Platner
A top political action committee devoted to electing Senate Democrats plans to spend as much on Maine's new Democratic candidate as it planned for Platner, the group's president said today.
"I don't know if I ever said a dollar figure, but I doubt it's any more or any less that we were going to spend in Maine," Senate Majority PAC President J.B. Poersch said on Punchbowl News' "Fly Out Day," a weekly online show.
Platner announced yesterday that he would drop out of the race amid an allegation of sexual assault, which he denies, leaving Democrats roughly two weeks to find a replacement to take on GOP Sen. Susan Collins in November. State party officials plan to hold a nominating convention soon.
Before Platner's announcement, Senate Majority PAC said it was redirecting resources away from the Maine Senate race in light of the new allegation against Platner.
Poersch said that the PAC vetted Platner’s candidacy but that "there wasn't a surprise," despite the string of past controversial statements and behavior that surfaced about him.
“There were concerns right on, but he wins the primary,” Poersch said. “He certainly was not only a veteran, but somebody who was making a sound populist argument. But his past caught up with him.”
Poersch said the PAC spent about $35 million in the Maine Senate race six years ago, when Collins defeated Democrat Sara Gideon. Now, Poersch said, it may spend as much as $40 million.
Graham Platner to officially withdraw from Maine Senate race Monday
Platner will wait until Monday, the deadline to withdraw, to officially exit the race.
Sofia Aldinio for NBC News
In his video suspending his campaign, Platner warned party leaders that he wanted to see an inclusive and transparent replacement process.
“I will say this: It needs to be open, transparent and democratic. It needs to be reflecting the will and the values of the people that built this movement, the people that showed up on June 9. People in D.C. need to stay in D.C. Decisions should not be made in back rooms by people in places of political power,” he said.
Veterans, Gold Star mothers and architects oppose Trump's planned 250-foot arch near Arlington National Cemetery
Military veterans, Gold Star mothers, architects, historians and others are voicing opposition to Trump's planned 250-foot "Triumphal Arch" that would be built near Arlington National Cemetery.
Robert Alexander / Geetty Images file
Some witnesses expressed their rejection at a National Capital Planning Commission meeting. Gold Star mother Cynthia Morrison, whose son's death last year was connected to his military service, said she's "deeply concerned" that the arch would "alter" the experience and view between the Lincoln Memorial and the cemetery "by shifting the focus away from Arlington itself and toward the structure."
Marine Corps veteran Jimi Shaughnessy, whose great-grandparents are buried in Arlington National Cemetery's Section 60, said he wants the entrance to the historic cemetery to be preserved.
"This arch is for one person. Whom do we owe our allegiance?" he said in his testimony. "Every view from our contemplated landscape will be dominated by this overt symbol of hasty, selfish celebration."
Shaughnessy and others argued that the Trump administration is bypassing Congress and not having lawmakers authorize the construction of the memorial structure.
Priya Jane, a representative of the Society of Architectural Historians, said: "This project does not stem from any critical public needs, but simply from an executive order to broadly promote beautification in the nation's capital. This beautification should not come at the cost of causing grave harm to our existing historic properties. The executive order also calls for preservation of our history and heritage, which this project runs counter to."
Longtime D.C.-based architect Carolinn Kuebler said, "Major objections are based on important considerations such as safety, pedestrian, vehicular and air design. The height and the mass of the arch are wildly inappropriate. Environmental impacts studies are incomplete."
NCPC staff recommends Trump lower the height of his triumphal arch
In a meeting about Trump’s proposed Triumphal Arch for Washington, National Capital Planning Commission staff members recommended that Trump revise his plan and lower the height of the arch to comply with a 116-year-old law. The commission is led by Trump appointees and is considering whether the law, which regulates the height of buildings in the nation’s capital, applies to federal projects like Trump’s arch.
The Height of Buildings Act of 1910 says no house or building can exceed four stories, or 50 feet above the ground, in the District of Columbia. Since it was created in 1938, the commission has consistently upheld the interpretation that the Height of Buildings Act does apply to federal projects.
An NCPC staffer said today that the current design is “inconsistent with the act” and that the “staff suggests the commission request the applicant revise the project to comply with the Height of Buildings Act and return to NCPC for final review, as noted in the executive director's report.”
Trump has touted his plan to construct a 250-foot arch in a traffic circle near the Potomac River in celebration of the nation’s 250th year of independence. The 250-foot design would make the arch twice the height of the Lincoln Memorial and almost the same height as the Capitol.
Critics have sued Trump over the project, arguing congressional approval is needed for its construction.
Maine secretary of state announces Senate bid
Maine Secretary of State Shenna Bellows has announced she’s also running to replace Platner.
“I’m in,” she wrote on X. “The people of Maine have been building something real — a movement that deserves to go all the way to November. I’ve spent my entire career taking on tough fights for working people, and I’m not stopping now. I’m running for United States Senate, and together we are going to defeat Susan Collins.”
Rep. Ro Khanna endorses Troy Jackson for Maine Senate
Progressive Rep. Ro Khanna, D-Calif., formerly a big supporter of Platner, is endorsing Troy Jackson to replace him as the Democratic nominee for Maine Senate. Jackson, a former state Senate president, is also endorsed by Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., another prominent progressive lawmaker.
Rep. Ro Khanna, D-Calif. David Paul Morris / Bloomberg via Getty Imagesv file
Khanna, who withdrew his endorsement of Platner hours after the assault allegation was published, said of Jackson, “He is for Medicare for all, against the genocide and foreign wars and for the working class over the billionaire class.”
Platner supporters dismayed by his candidacy ending and impact on the Senate race
Mainers who supported Platner are expressing a range of emotions about the situation facing Democrats in the race to unseat Republican Sen. Susan Collins.
Supporters of Graham Platner during a rally in Portland, Maine in April. Sofia Aldinio for NBC News
Robin Ratcliffe, who has lived in Maine for over 20 years and voted for Platner in the primary, said she is “devastated” that he dropped out, but acknowledged it was “the right thing to do under the circumstances.”
“He wouldn’t have made it. It would have been horrible," she said. "I’m very sad, and I hope the allegations aren’t true. But unfortunately, we don’t know for sure, but it’s not — it makes his candidacy not viable."
As the process of picking a replacement for Platner begins, Ratcliffe worries the three-week stretch could be a “mess.” “It’s just thrown confusion into everything,” she said.
Gary Brunotte, another Platner supporter, said he was angry about the situation.
“If he knew that, why didn’t he expose it up front and say, ‘No, I can’t run.’ But he didn’t, so it pisses me off,” Brunotte told NBC, referring to a barrage of allegations against Platner, including an accusation of sexual assault, which he denies.
“I’m just disappointed that he had a chance at beating Collins," Brunotte said. "Now I don’t know if anybody can, and that’s going to be the problem.”
Ratcliffe, Brunotte, and James O’Keefe, an Independent voter who was supporting Platner, all compared Platner’s last-minute exit from the race to Joe Biden stepping aside in 2024.
“It’s a Kamala Harris situation. Whoever walks in here is kind of behind the eight ball right away,” Ratcliffe said.
O’Keefe said that, similar to the 2024 presidential election, Democrats have been “stymied” by the “power brokers” of the party who got involved in pushing the nominee out.
“They’re not Mainers,” Brunotte said of lawmakers in Washington who have weighed in on the race. “Maine people should decide, but the people don’t have a chance to do that. So now it’s down to the committee here.”
Trump returns from NATO on old Air Force One
Trump returned to Washington, D.C., after a critical NATO summit in Turkey aboard an older Air Force One aircraft rather than the new plane gifted by Qatar. A source familiar with the president’s travel plans told NBC News the swap was a security decision, coming as Trump warned he considers himself a target of Iran following the killing of its supreme leader. NBC’s Gabe Gutierrez reports for the "TODAY" show.
Suspect in National Guard shooting hospitalized after not eating, drinking
The man charged with shooting and killing West Virginia National Guard specialist Sarah Beckstrom and injuring another guardsman last year on the streets of Washington has been hospitalized after refusing to eat — and often drink water — over the course of the past two weeks.
Ramanullah Lakanwal was transported overnight to George Washington University Hospital, his attorney said today during an emergency hearing. U.S. District Judge Amit Mehta, who is overseeing the case, said the man's health condition “deteriorated quite rapidly.”
Calling the development a “dire circumstance,” government attorneys argued in court for access to his medical records — which they had been blocked from seeing — to be able to make accommodations on behalf of the U.S. Marshals Service.
Lakanwal’s attorney vigorously opposed the release of previous records, suggesting that any medical information shared with the government at this stage could affect his case when it gets to trial — especially because the case has been deemed eligible for the death penalty.
Mehta did not agree to have Lakanwal’s medical history shared with the government, but said he will order any information from Lakanwal’s current hospitalization to be released to the Department of Justice so that it can decide what next steps might be best for the Marshals Service and Lakanwal himself while in custody.
NATO survives another summit in the Trump era
Leaders at the NATO Summit in Ankara, Turkey on Wednesday. Krisztian Bocsi / Bloomberg via Getty Images
The NATO summit that Trump attended this week could be his last, and for the European nations that are part of the 77-year-old alliance, that may come as a relief.
NATO leaders have spent considerable time mollifying the U.S. president over the years, but there are never any guarantees of what they’ll get when he shows up.
Take the two-day summit in Turkey’s capital. There was a bit of whiplash yesterday when Trump trashed NATO countries in the morning for not joining his war with Iran, then praised them in the evening for the “unity” and “love” he said they showed in closed-door meetings.
Yet in the end, both Trump and his European counterparts departed with much of what they wanted heading in.
Appeals court denies Trump's bid to halt E. Jean Carroll's $5.8 million payout
A federal appeals court late last night denied the president's emergency bid to stop writer E. Jean Carroll from collecting her $5 million sexual abuse and defamation award against him, as well as $800,000 in accrued interest on the money.
Lawyers for Trump had asked the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals for an immediate "administrative stay" to stop the turnover of the money shortly after U.S. District Judge Lewis Kaplan ordered it be handed over yesterday.
The appeals court did not explain its decision. In a ruling last night, Kaplan said that lawyers for Carroll and the president had agreed in writing back in 2023 that Carroll could collect the award if the Supreme Court declined to hear a Trump appeal in the case.
The high court did just that last week. Trump's attorneys then asked Carroll and the judge to hold off on her collection of the money, which had been deposited in a court account, saying they planned to ask the court to reconsider — something it rarely does.
Carroll's lawyers argued their 82-year-old client had already waited more than three years to collect and said any further delay would be “profoundly unfair.”
Kaplan agreed, noting that Trump has been "stalling this case for years. A jury unanimously concluded that he sexually abused and defamed plaintiff and awarded her damages accordingly. The judgment on that verdict has been upheld on appeal" and the Supreme Court has declined to hear a further challenge. "It is time for him to 'do equity' and pay the judgment," the judge wrote.
Trump has denied Carroll's claim that he sexually abused her in a New York department store in the 1990s. He said in a post on social media on the day the high court refused to step in that he would “continue the fight against this Weaponization and Lawfare Case against me, including the ridiculous claim of Defamation, with all of my power and strength.”
Security decision led Trump to take older Air Force One when he left Turkey
A security decision made out of an “abundance of caution” led Trump to leave the NATO summit in Ankara, Turkey, on the old Air Force One instead of taking the new, Qatari-donated version, according to a source familiar with Trump’s plans.
Trump said yesterday morning on Truth Social that he would be “taking the former Air Force One, from Turkey to Mildenhall,” referring to Royal Air Force Station Mildenhall in Suffolk, England, where he boarded the new jet and flew back to Washington.
The decision set off speculation about why the administration made the switch and raised questions about the readiness of the new Air Force One to serve the president.
The flight out of Turkey is within missile range of Iran, according to an analysis by the Center for Strategic and International Studies. Unlike the newer plane, the older Air Force One cannot fly from Turkey to the U.S. without refueling. RAF Mildenhall, which supports U.S. Air Force operations, would be a prime candidate for a plane swap because it is outside the range of Iranian missiles.
A senior White House official said that they can’t speak to specific threats but that “the safety of the President is paramount.”
Turkey’s Erdoğan gives NATO leaders handgun conundrum after summit
Belgium’s prime minister was a little surprised on landing back home from yesterday’s NATO summit in Turkey to find that he had a handgun and ammunition in his luggage.
After NATO leaders gathered for a series of fractious meetings in Ankara, their host, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, handed each an unusual parting gift: a vintage revolver, along with live ammunition indicating it was not just for show.
Erdoğan wanted to showcase Turkey’s defense industry, which has become a key export and foreign policy tool.
A gun gifted by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan to Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda at the NATO summit in Ankara. Lithuanian President's Office via Reuters
Top U.S. trade official downplays Trump's threat to end commerce with Spain
U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer this morning downplayed Trump’s threat to end trade with Spain over NATO defense commitments and lack of cooperation on Iran.
Greer told reporters at the White House that Trump had a positive conversation with Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez.
“I don’t think there’s anything imminent on that,” he said about any move to halt trade.
During the NATO summit in Ankara yesterday, Trump called Spain “a terrible partner in NATO.”
“They don’t participate; they don’t pay,” he said. “I don’t want anything to do with Spain. Cut off all trade with Spain, please, including visits.”
The Los Angeles Dodgers will visit the White House
The Los Angeles Dodgers, the MLB World Series champions, will visit the White House on July 23 to celebrate their back-to-back victories.
The Dodgers' hard-fought victory over the Toronto Blue Jays in Game 7 brought the storied franchise their ninth World Series title.
“President Trump is excited to welcome the Los Angeles Dodgers BACK to the White House to celebrate their World Series championship!" White House spokeswoman Taylor Rogers said in a statement.
The visit was first reported by the California Post.
Three charged with taking or trying to take pieces of blue sealant from Reflecting Pool
Three people have been charged with taking or trying to take pieces of blue sealant from the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool in Washington, according to court documents.
Sophie Elaine Dennison-Gibby, Justin Toribio Carreno and Cameron Michael Thiers were each charged with misdemeanor destruction of public property less than $1,000 in D.C. Superior Court this month.
They were arraigned yesterday and have pleaded not guilty. All were arrested the afternoon of June 20 amid a busy tourist season in Washington and events commemorating the nation’s 250th anniversary.
Former House candidate Jordan Wood says he's running for Senate in Maine
Jordan Wood announced he is running to be Platner's replacement in the Maine Senate race.
Wood previously ran in the Maine Democratic primary for the second congressional district, but lost.
In a statement shared on X, Wood said, "I have been told that I am too progressive, that I am too young, that a gay man can't win."
"These cynics are wrong," he said. "They have been wrong all of our lives. They remain wrong today. I'm asking for your support to take back control of our party, and our country."
Wood has been a progressive activist and previously served as chief of staff to now-former Rep. Katie Porter.
Platner has not formally filed paperwork to withdraw from Senate race
While Platner has said he plans to withdraw from the Maine Senate race, the secretary of state’s office tells NBC News that “no official withdrawal notice has been received from Mr. Platner.”
"A public declaration is not an official withdrawal, and a candidate must formally withdraw to the Elections office in writing, including signature,” Jana Spaulding, a spokesperson for the office, said.
The withdrawal notice can come digitally, Spaulding said, so Platner doesn’t need to deliver it in person.
Platner has until 5 p.m. Monday to withdraw from the race or his name will remain on the ballot in November.
U.S. Olympian David Hearn pleads not guilty to charges in Reflecting Pool vandalism case
U.S. Olympic canoeist David “Davey” Hearn pleaded not guilty at his arraignment this morning in connection with alleged damage to the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool.
Hearn was arraigned in D.C. Superior Court following a grand jury indictment on a single count of destruction of property after he was accused of causing more than $1,000 in damage to the pool.
He is among at least four people facing charges in connection with the alleged tampering of the pool, which Trump began renovating this spring.
Protesters march outside the court where Hearn was arraigned today. Finn Gomez / Getty Images
Trump says Iran wants to ‘make a deal badly’
Trump has insisted that Iran is desperate to make a deal with the U.S. to end the war, despite the escalation in hostilities between the two sides, with the president saying overnight that Tehran had called him over peace efforts.
Speaking aboard Air Force One last night, Trump insisted that Iran “wanna make a deal so badly,” even after Washington accused Tehran of launching attacks on commercial ships in the Strait of Hormuz, triggering a back-and-forth series of attacks from both sides. “They called a little while ago,” he said.
“I just don’t know that they’re worthy of making a deal. I don’t know that they’re going to honor the deal,” Trump continued. “That’s the problem.”
Asked why Tehran would attack commercial vessels amid the ongoing ceasefire with the U.S., Trump responded, “because they’re sort of crazy, to be honest with you. ... They’re a little bit out of control, but they wanna make a deal badly.”
6,000 seafarers remain trapped around Strait of Hormuz, U.N. maritime agency says
About 6,000 seafarers remain trapped around the Strait of Hormuz, the head of the U.N. maritime agency said, as he condemned the latest U.S. and Iranian attacks that have further delayed their evacuation.
“These reckless attacks have again placed innocent seafarers in grave danger. No seafarer should have to risk their life simply for doing their job,” said Arsenio Dominguez, secretary-general of the International Maritime Organization.
Global trade is powered by about 2 million seafarers, many of them from Asian countries, including India and the Philippines, who spend much of their time away from home. At the height of the Iran war in March, 20,000 seafarers were trapped on about 2,000 vessels, the agency said at the time.
“This is not simply a matter of shipping statistics. Behind the figures are seafarers, and in some cases their families, who continue to bear the human cost of this conflict,” Dominguez said yesterday. “Too many seafarers have tragically lost their lives in connection with this conflict.”
Nirav Shah announces he's running to replace Platner
Nirav Shah, the former director of Maine's Center for Disease Control and Prevention, announced today that he's jumping into the race for the Democratic nomination to take on Republican Sen. Susan Collins after Platner dropped out.
"We must defeat Susan Collins, hold Donald Trump accountable, and fight for a government that delivers for everyday Mainers, not the privileged few," he said in a post to X. "That’s why today, I am proud to announce my candidacy for the United States Senate."
"Establishment politicians have failed us," he continued. "To defeat Susan Collins, we need an outsider who is not afraid to take on the broken system she has spent decades upholding."
Shah had called for Platner to end his candidacy earlier this week in the wake of a new sexual assault allegation, which Platner denies.
Shah previously ran for the Democratic nomination in the state's governor's race and lost, finishing second in the Democratic primary.
One Democratic voter, Cheryl Sullivan, told NBC News in Ellsworth, Maine, yesterday that Shah would be her preferred candidate to replace Platner.
“I thought he was very good during the Covid pandemic. I listened to him every day, and it helped me feel safe and calm,” she said.
Sullivan added that she doesn’t think Shah has a chance to beat Collins. “I don’t know who can beat Susan," she said.
Kremlin says Putin and Trump haven't spoken after NATO summit
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov told reporters today that President Vladimir Putin and Trump have yet to speak after the NATO summit.
“Mr. Trump was apparently very busy after his contacts in Ankara," Peskov said on a daily press call. "No one called yesterday. President Putin is always happy to talk."
While meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy yesterday, Trump gestured to Zelenskyy while asking reporters if they had a question for "President Putin."
“Do you have a question for President Putin, not Zelenskyy,” Trump then said, seeming to correct any impression he had accidentally referred to Zelenskyy as Putin. “What would you like to ask him because I’m going to ask him that question,” he said.
Another Maine candidate throws his hat in the ring
Dan Kleban, the co-founder of Maine Beer Co., said in an email to supporters yesterday that he was throwing his hat into the ring to replace Platner hours before the Democratic nominee for Senate dropped out of the race. Kleban was briefly a candidate in the primary before he dropped out and endorsed Mills.
Dan Kleban, co-owner of Maine Beer Company, said he will run for the Democratic nomination for Senate. Brianna Soukup / Portland Press Herald via Getty Images file
“Over the next two weeks, we need an open, transparent process to select our nominee,” he writes, “I’m ready to fight for Mainers and bring a new generation of leadership to Washington. I believe I can unite our party and finally defeat Susan Collins in November.”
Former Platner ally Troy Jackson launches campaign in Maine Democratic Senate race
Troy Jackson, a former state senator, officially launched his bid to take over the Democratic nomination in the Maine Senate race, less than an hour after Platner announced he was suspending his campaign.
“There is a powerful movement of working class people in the state of Maine, and millions more across America who are ready to send a progressive fighter to the Senate,” Jackson wrote last night on X.
“I’ve been fighting for that movement my whole life — and I’m sure as hell not backing down now, when this fight is needed most,” he continued. “I’m in. And we’re going to defeat Susan Collins.”
Jackson, who ran unsuccessfully in the Democratic primary for governor, filed paperwork yesterday to begin the process of replacing Platner. The state Democratic Party voted today to hold a nominating convention later.
While Jackson is a former ally of Platner, he said this afternoon that he did not want an endorsement from him.
“When it came down to a credible allegation of somebody that was sexually assaulted, that was the end. That was the bright-red line,” Jackson said on NBC News’ "Meet the Press NOW."
Platner says he will suspend his Senate campaign in Maine
Platner announced yesterday that he’s ending his Senate campaign, capping a chaotic few days of uncertainty and Democratic infighting and leaving the party without a candidate in the vitally important Maine race this fall.
The announcement by the populist progressive came after a woman he dated accused him of sexual assault in 2021, causing his support to hemorrhage even among top Democratic allies, who rescinded their endorsements and called on him to drop out.
In a video message on X, Platner denied the allegation as “false” but said it has “placed an immense amount of weight” on him, as he has until only July 13 to decide whether to continue his candidacy. He said that if he continued, he’d lose his ability to raise money, access voter data or run a campaign.
“What comes next needs to come from the people, needs to come from the people of Maine,” he said. “It needs to be open, transparent and democratic. It needs to be reflecting the will and the values of the people that built this movement.”
What to know about the latest round of U.S.-Iran attacks
The United States and Iran traded new attacks overnight into today, intensifying an exchange that threatens to collapse their agreement to end the war.
The American military said it hit around 90 targets in airstrikes across Iran, hours after Trump said he considered the tenuous ceasefire between the two countries over following Iranian attacks on shipping in the Strait of Hormuz.
Tehran retaliated with attacks on three Gulf states — a wave of strikes that sparked alerts in U.S. allies Qatar, Bahrain and Kuwait — as the two sides accused each other of violating the terms of their interim deal.
The two days of renewed fighting cast doubt on whether Washington and Tehran remained committed to reaching a final deal to end the war, which was launched by the U.S. and Israel in February.
