Platner calls sexual assault allegations ‘all false’ as he drops out of Senate race; Maine Democrats to choose new nominee – as it happened

Graham Platner withdraws from Maine Senate race, calling sexual assault allegations ‘all false’

In a video statement posted online Wednesday night, Graham Platner, the Democratic nominee for the US Senate from Maine, said that he was dropping out of the race, while strongly denying sexual assault allegations, calling them “all false”.

“The things that have been claimed did not happen, it’s not real,” Platner said at the start in an 11-minute statement in which he went on to argue that the allegations had been made to drive him from the race before a deadline next week when it would have been too late to replace him on the November ballot.

Graham Platner during a primary election night event in Blue Hill, Maine on 9 June. Photograph: Graeme Sloan/Bloomberg via Getty Images

Later in the statement, Platner suggested that he had been robbed by the party’s establishment and donors which withdrew crucial support before he had a chance to fight the allegations.

“We went toe to toe with one of the most entrenched political systems in the history of the world and we won,” Platner said of his victory in the Maine Democratic primary over the state’s governor, Janet Mills. “We beat them on June 9th in overwhelming numbers. We did it the right way: we built a campaign; we engaged in electoral politics; we motivated people; we banded together. We did it the way that we are told we are supposed to make change, and we won. And now they are not going to let us have it. Not if it’s me. And so we’re suspending campaign operations.”

“I want to make clear though: I intend to file my paperwork to withdraw,” he continued, before adding, after an abrupt cut in the video: “The process needs to assure that what comes next is reflective of the Mainers who on June 9th turned out and showed that they are desperate for a different kind of politics. It needs to be driven not from back rooms, but by the will of the people.”

“All we were asking for was health care, was to end the genocide, to use our taxpayer dollars at home to uplift our communities instead of aging war overseas,” he added. “We were asking for a fairer system. We were asking for an end to the corruption. The end to the money in politics. We were asking for real democracy and we did it the right way and we won. But now the ball is in the court of the Democratic establishment.”

He concluded by thanking his supporters and urging them to “keep fighting; we’re going to win some day.”

This concludes our live coverage of US politics in the second Trump administration for the day. Here are the latest developments:

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In a video statement, Graham Platner, the Democratic nominee for the US Senate from Maine, said that he was dropping out of the race, while strongly denying sexual assault allegations, calling them “all false”.

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Minutes after Platner announced that he was dropping out, a former Maine state senate president, Troy Jackson, announced that he would seek to win the nomination at a state party convention later this month.

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Republican officials released statements treating the allegations as proven facts, and using them to attack Democratic voters and officials but Donald Trump, who was found liable by a jury of sexually abusing the writer E Jean Carroll in the 1990s, and then sued ABC News for reporting that he had been found “liable for rape”, suggested that Platner’s accuser might have been lying.

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Minutes after Graham Platner announced that he was dropping out of the US Senate race in Maine, after allegations of sexual assault he denies, a former Maine state senate president, Troy Jackson, announced that he would seek to win the nomination at a state party convention later this month.

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“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 said in a statement. “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. I’m in. And we’re going to defeat Susan Collins. Maine deserves a Senator that will fight for working families.”

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Jackson, who ran unsuccessfully for the Democratic nomination to be Maine’s governor with the backing of Platner supporter Bernie Sanders, had also endorsed Platner before the latest allegations.

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Our Revolution, a group started by former Sanders campaign volunteers in 2016, announced on Wednesday that it had withdrawn its endorsement of Platner over the allegations and endorsed Jackson, who had also previously backed Platner.

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As Politico reported on Wednesday, Jackson had deleted several social media posts supporting Platner from February and March. “Troy rescinded his endorsement and just wanted to make that clear,” a spokesperson for Jackson told Politico.

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As soon as Democrat Graham Platner announced on Wednesday that he was withdrawing from the US Senate race in Maine, despite insisting that sexual assault allegations against him were “all false”, Republican officials released statements treating the allegations as proven facts, and using them to attack Democratic voters and officials.

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“Maine Democrats elected a rapist Nazi to be their nominee for Senate, and regardless of who they anoint next, Susan Collins will be re-elected in November,” National Republican Senatorial Committee spokesperson Samantha Cantrell wrote in a statement emailed to reporters.

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“Every Democrat that endorsed Graham Platner endorsed a rapist, and every Democrat that stayed silent was complicit,” Republican National Committee chairman Joe Gruters said.

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The comments were released shortly after Donald Trump, the Republican president who was found liable by a jury of sexually abusing the writer E Jean Carroll in the 1990s, and then sued ABC News for reporting that he had been found “liable for rape”, suggested that Platner’s accuser might have been lying.

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“It’s really a question of whether or not you believe the woman,” Trump told reporters on Air Force One when asked about whether Democrats should be allowed to replace Platner on the ballot. “A lot of people say big falsehoods,” said the president who was also found guilty of defaming Carroll by denying her claim that he had attacked her in the dressing room of a Manhattan department store in the 1990s.

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In a 2023 legal filing in one of Carroll’s suits against Trump, a federal judge, Lewis Kaplan, explained that while the jury did not find that Trump had raped her “within the narrow, technical meaning of a particular section of the New York Penal Law”, which “applies only to vaginal penetration by a penis”, it did find that Trump had subjected Carroll to “[f]orcible, unconsented-to penetration of the vagina or of other bodily orifices by fingers, other body parts, or other articles”.

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“The finding that Ms. Carroll failed to prove that she was ‘raped’ within the meaning of the New York Penal Law does not mean that she failed to prove that Mr. Trump ‘raped’ her as many people commonly understand the word ‘rape,’” the judge concluded. “Indeed, as the evidence at trial recounted below makes clear, the jury found that Mr. Trump in fact did exactly that.”

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Later in the statement, Platner suggested that he had been robbed by the party’s establishment and donors which withdrew crucial support before he had a chance to fight the allegations.

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He concluded by thanking his supporters and urging them to “keep fighting; we’re going to win some day.”

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Ahead of Graham Platner’s expected withdrawal from the US Senate race, after a sexual assault allegation, the Maine Democratic Party said in a statement that over 100 state committee members voted on Wednesday “to hold a nominating convention to choose a new nominee if there is a vacancy to fill”.

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“We will announce the full timeline, details for how the nomination process will move forward, information about how to participate, and requirements for candidates soon.” the party said.

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“There is an unprecedented amount of energy and enthusiasm among Maine Democrats, driven in part by many of the dedicated volunteers and supporters who were inspired by Graham Platner’s campaign”, the party’s top three officials added, in an apparent attempt to reach out to Platner’s supporters. “We look forward to coming together and harnessing that energy around our new nominee as we work to defeat Susan Collins in November.”

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Donald Trump said on Wednesday that he would ask the US supreme court to reconsider its ruling that the 14th amendment to the US constitution guarantees birthright citizenship in light of what he described as shocking new evidence: a hospital in Texas advertised its services to expectant mothers in Mexico on a pair of billboards.

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“Signs and Billboards are being put up all over our Southern Border, and Mexico, advertising BIRTHRIGHT CITIZENSHIP, with ‘Deliveries starting at $4000’, the president wrote on his social media platform, in what appeared to be a wild exaggeration of a Fox News report on just two billboards.

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The president went on to claim that the justices “will destroy America if they don’t change their absolutely insane decision,” after Fox News confirmed that a single hospital in Mission, Texas, which is located just five miles from the border with Reynosa, Mexico, had advertised “delivery packages” in South Texas on two Spanish-language billboards in Mexico, and on social media.

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The Fox News report was based on a photograph of one billboard posted on social media in April by Mayra Flores, a Trump-backed former Republican congresswoman from Texas who was born in Mexico and is running to return to Congress.

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The image has been recirculated recently on social media, as Trump supporters have called for a total and complete shutdown of pregnant women being allowed to enter the United States after the president’s attempt to deny birthright citizenship to children born to non-citizens in the US was rejected by the supreme court.

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Flores, who said she took the photograph in Reynosa, did not initially claim that the billboard was inviting Mexicans to give birth in the US to obtained US citizenship for their children. She expressed outrage, instead, at the idea that the price of the birthing services, $3,950 for a natural birth or $5,525 for a caesarean section, was far lower than the typical cost for American citizens. She offered no proof for her claim that these prices were available only to foreign citizens at the hospital.

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The Texas hospital, Mission Regional Medical Center, told the Guardian that the billboards and a website directed people to, havemybabyinTEXAS.com, “are no longer in use due to any unintended misunderstanding.”

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“Mission Regional Medical Center, a public nonprofit hospital, is committed to providing high-quality, compassionate healthcare and expanding access for the communities we serve,” the hospital said in a statement. “Like hospitals across the nation, we share information about the healthcare services we provide. We do not support or facilitate any unlawful activity and work to comply with all applicable federal and state laws and regulations.”

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“The marketing materials regarding maternity services are no longer in use due to any unintended misunderstanding. We intend to work cooperatively and transparently with local and state officials. Our focus remains on delivering safe, high-quality care to every patient who seeks our services.”

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While the prospect of US citizenship was not mentioned in the text of the hospital’s billboard advertisement, or on an archived copy of the associated website that is no longer online, the governor of Texas, Greg Abbott, ordered an investigation of the hospital on Tuesday, accusing it of promoting “Birth tourism”.

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After the backlash this week from furious Trump supporters, the hospital also deleted an Instagram post in Spanish promoting their birthing services, even though it was crafted as an invitation to women “living abroad” who want to give birth in the US, with no mention of citizenship at all.

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“Are you pregnant, living abroad, and looking to welcome your baby in South Texas?” the Instagram post read, according to a screenshot published by the Houston Chronicle. “Look no further! Come and learn about the maternity packages Mission Regional Medical Center has for you and discover why thousands of families choose to have their baby with us every year.”

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After the supreme court struck down Trump’s executive order to deny citizenship to the children on non-citizens born on US soil, his supporters loudly demanded a ban on travel to the US by pregnant foreigners. None mentioned the fact that the president’s own father was born to a non-citizen mother who arrived in New York six months pregnant after being expelled from her native Germany.

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Speaking to reporters on Air Force One, Donald Trump refused to tamp down speculation about the health of Mitch McConnell, the Republican senator who was hospitalized four weeks ago.

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Asked if he had spoken to McConnell since his hospitalization, Trump said, “No, I haven’t.”

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Pressed for an update on the condition of the senator, who broke with Trump and blamed him for the storming of the US Capitol on January 6 2021, the president said: “I have no idea how he’s doing.”

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Polling commissioned by Graham Platner’s campaign shows that three possible replacements for him as the Democratic nominee for US Senate from Maine would have a better shot at defeating Susan Collins, the Republican incumbent, Politico reports.

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According to the outlet, which obtained a copy of the survey conducted by Public Policy Polling, former Maine state senate president Troy Jackson leads Collins 49%-44%; Maine’s secretary of state, Shenna Bellows, is level with Collins at 47% each; and former public health official Nirav Shah is also tied with Collins on 45% apiece, with more undecided voters.

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Platner’s support in the match-up with Collins has fallen to just 42%, after a sexual assault allegation, with the incumbent senator at 47%.

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Two other potential replacement candidates tested in the poll did worse than Platner: Maine’s governor, Janet Mills, who lags 11 points behind Collins, and Jordan Wood, who finished third in a recent Democratic primary for the House and trails Collins by 9 points.

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Jackson has already filed to potentially replace Platner if the Democratic nominee drops out, as is widely expected.

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Bellows, who was trounced by Collins in the 2014 Maine Senate race, despite support from Zohran Mamdani, a Maine college student at the time, said she would seriously consider joining the race if Platner withdraws. Bellows lost to Collins in a bad midterm year for Democrats, without much support from the national party, and has gone on to hold statewide office and build a reputation in the state as a fighter against Donald Trump.

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A spokesperson for Graham Platner has denied a report that he offered to thrown his support behind a Democratic state lawmaker, Valli Geiger, if he withdraws from the race for the US Senate.

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“He’s not made any decision on endorsing,” the spokesperson told a Notus correspondent. “Graham called Valli to thank her for her support and encouraged her to consider running if he stepped down.”

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Maine’s ABC affiliate MWTM reported earlier on Wednesday that Geiger said “called her on Monday night and said he was throwing his support behind her”.

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The Pentagon announced new strikes on Iran, ordered Donald Trump, in a statement posted on social media 15 minutes ago.

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“At the direction of the Commander in Chief, U.S. Central Command forces have started conducting additional strikes against Iran to further degrade their ability to threaten freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz,” the statement said. “The United States is holding Iran accountable for recent unjustified aggression against commercial shipping and civilian crews freely navigating a vital international waterway.”

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During an exchange with reporters at the Nato summit in Turkey earlier on Wednesday, Trump had expressed his frustration, and some confusion, at missiles being fired at a US aircraft carrier in the region. “Two months ago, we had 111 missiles shot by the Islamic Republic of Japan,” Trump said, twice.

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As Democrats launch a frantic search for a US Senate candidate in Maine, to replace their nominee Graham Platner, who is expected to withdraw after being accused of sexual assault, the actor and Maine native Patrick Dempsey just announced that he will not enter the race, after giving it some thought.

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In an opinion article for the Portland Press Herald published on Wednesday afternoon, headlined “Why I’m not running for US Senate,” Dempsey wrote:

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n

Over the past several days, I’ve been asked a question more than once: Would you ever run for the United States Senate?

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It’s flattering, and I don’t take it lightly. I love my home state of Maine. I care deeply about the people who live there and, like so many Americans, I’m concerned about the direction our country is heading.

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I gave it real thought.

n

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The actor went on to explain that he concluded that he can do more productive work through his non-profit, the Dempsey Center in Maine, which provides supportive care to people affected by cancer at no cost.

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“As I reflected on all of this, I kept coming back to one question: Do I truly want to serve in Congress?” he wrote. “After a lot of thought, I realized the answer is no. Not because public service isn’t honorable – it absolutely is. But because I believe I can contribute more effectively through the life I’ve already built.”

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The Maine Democratic party (MDP) has continued to chide Graham Platner’s operation, accusing the campaign of “distracting from the job of defeating Susan Collins in November with false accusations against us”.

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The statement appeared to be in reference to a text message sent by Platner campaign manager to volunteers, accusing the state party of bringing in the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee (DSCC) and cutting the Platner campaign out of the process, according to a report by Politico.

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Party leaders in Maine say they remain “hyper focused on developing a representative, transparent and inclusive process” for selecting a replacement nominee. At the same time, they’ve made clear their irritation with Platner’s attempts to shape that process, describing “frustration” with his “continued efforts to manipulate” it.

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Still, officials are taking pains to keep Platner’s supporters close. MDP executive director Devon Murphy‑Anderson called them “a vital part of our party” and said they “deserve to participate in an open process to select Platner’s replacement”.

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Pressure continues to mount on embattled Maine Senate nominee Graham Platner to withdraw from the race, as his campaign faces accusations of trying to “put their thumb on the scale” to pick a replacement. Leaders in the Maine Democratic party said that Platner’s campaign would have “no role” in selecting a new nominee, claiming that his team had tried to sway the process. The Platner campaign did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Wednesday, but has told other outlets that it simply reached out to the party to understand the process.

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Kentucky governor Andy Beshear has sent a letter to the office of Republican senator Mitch McConnell – requesting an update on his condition, as concerns grow about the lawmaker’s health since he was admitted to hospital on 14 June. “Allowing speculation to continue in the media is not fair to the Senator or to Kentuckians, and my hope is that this provides him the opportunity to share the information in a transparent manner, direct from the source. I wish him a safe and speedy recovery,” Beshear said. Since the 84-year-old was hospitalized, his office declined to say what he was being treated for.

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While speaking to reporters alongside Mark Rutte, the Nato secretary general, Trump said that memorandum of understanding signed last month by the US and Iran is “over”, in the wake of the latest strikes. Later, during a bilateral meeting with Volodymyr Zelenskyy, the US president said the US will hit Iran “hard again tonight”, adding: “I give them a little warning.” At a wider press conference, Trump reiterated he did not think the Iran war would start again and that the US would eventually “take” Iranian nuclear material. More here.

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Chuck Schumer, the Senate minority leader, has slammed the latest US strikes on Iran. “Trump’s so-called ‘deal’ to end hostilities with Iran has turned into total, utter disaster,” the top Democrat said in a statement. Schumer also noted that since both chambers of Congress have passed war powers resolutions, the administration would need lawmakers’ approval to resume the military campaign against Iran.

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Meanwhile, in Washington, a US appeals court has ruled that the ⁠Trump administration cannot restore Donald Trump’s name to the facade of the Kennedy Center for the Performing ⁠Arts while he challenges a judge’s order that required its removal. The decision by a three-judge panel of the US ⁠court of appeals for the District of Columbia circuit denied the administration’s request to pause a ⁠lower court judge’s order in a lawsuit brought by Democratic representative Joyce Beatty, a Kennedy Center board ‌member.

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Chuck Schumer, the Senate minority leader, has slammed the latest US strikes on Iran.

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“Trump’s so-called ‘deal’ to end hostilities with Iran has turned into total, utter disaster,” the top Democrat said in a statement. “This is what happens when an incompetent president launches a war with no objective, no plan, and no exit strategy – you lose.”

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Schumer also noted that since both chambers of Congress have passed war powers resolutions, the administration would need lawmakers’ approval to resume the military campaign against Iran.

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“The Trump administration must double down on serious negotiations, come to Congress, comply with the majorities in both chambers who voted to end this war, and deliver the relief American families desperately need,” the minority leader added.

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At the Nato summit press conference, Trump voiced his frustration about the perceived lack of support from Spain, France and the UK on the Iran conflict. Trump said: “Spain has been very bad, they didn’t help us, but we didn’t need the help.”

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He added the UK “gave an answer weirder than that, I said ‘would you like to help?’, they said ‘we would but after the war is over’. This is not in the spirit of Winston Churchill.”

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A US appeals court has ruled that the ⁠Trump administration cannot restore Donald Trump’s name to the facade of the Kennedy Center for the Performing ⁠Arts while he challenges a judge’s order that required its removal.

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The decision by a three-judge panel of the US ⁠court of appeals for the District of Columbia circuit denied the administration’s request to pause a ⁠lower court judge’s order in a lawsuit brought by Democratic representative Joyce Beatty, a Kennedy Center board ‌member.

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Trump’s name was ‌removed from the Washington theater center’s facade and signage last month. ‌US district judge Christopher Cooper ordered the removal in May, and also blocked Trump’s plans to close the center for two years of renovations starting 4 July. The Trump administration asked a federal appeals court to put that order on hold.

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After workers stripped Trump’s name from the building, a tarp was installed across the facade. Cooper has since ordered the Trump administration to explain “the purpose and status of the tarp and scaffolding” now in place at ⁠the building by 31 July.

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Back to its appeal, the Trump administration said the removal of Trump’s name would harm fundraising efforts “and contribute to the financial decline of the Center”.

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The unsigned appeals court order said the administration had not backed up that assertion “with ⁠any specific facts or evidence”, Reuters reports.

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The appeals court also said the administration was barred from asserting that a new entity called The Trump Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts Foundation will have ‌to return money if the president’s name is not returned to the facade.

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The panel of judges included two appointed by Barack Obama and a third appointed by Trump during his first term.

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A federal judge in Florida has thrown out Donald Trump’s $3.8bn defamation lawsuit against the Washington Post over an article that said a bank with links to the pornography industry helped fund his fledgling social media operation.

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In a brief order granting summary judgment to the newspaper, Tampa district court judge Thomas Patrick Barber, a Trump appointee, said the Trump Media and Technology Group (TMTG) had “failed to present evidence that would allow a jury to find by clear and convincing evidence” that the Post acted with actual malice, the benchmark for such an action to succeed.

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Barber said a full opinion would be forthcoming, according to the website Reason, which first reported the development.

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It marks the latest defeat for Trump in a series of lawsuits against media outlets that have published articles that displeased him.

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In April, a different Florida judge dismissed an action against the Wall Street Journal over a story that said Trump wrote a “bawdy” letter to the disgraced late financier and convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein; seven months earlier, a third Florida judge tossed a separate $15bn claim against the New York Times and book publisher Penguin, before the president filed an amended complaint a month later.

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Also in April, TMTG dropped a defamation claim against the Guardian over a 2023 report that federal investigators were looking into its reported acceptance of loans from sources with ties to Russia.

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Kentucky governor Andy Beshear has sent a letter to the office of Republican senator Mitch McConnell – requesting an update on his condition, as concerns grow about the lawmaker’s health since he was admitted to hospital on 14 June.

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“As Governor – and a fellow public official who understands the commitment we’ve made to the people we serve – I am requesting the Senator provide an update on his current health status,” Beshear said in a statement. “Allowing speculation to continue in the media is not fair to the Senator or to Kentuckians, and my hope is that this provides him the opportunity to share the information in a transparent manner, direct from the source. I wish him a safe and speedy recovery.”

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As we noted earlier, since the 84-year-old was hospitalized, his office declined to say what he was being treated for. Amid the opacity around his condition, some GOP lawmakers have attempted to quell claims that McConnell’s health is in dire straits, and recounted wide-ranging conversations they have had with the former Republican leader in recent days.

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During a bilateral meeting with Volodymyr Zelenskyy at the Nato summit in Ankara, Donald Trump was asked about Iran, and he repeated his earlier criticism.

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On Wednesday, while speaking to reporters alongside Mark Rutte, the Nato secretary general, Trump said that memorandum of understanding signed last month by the US and Iran is “over”, in the wake of the latest strikes.

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The US president said the US will hit Iran “hard again tonight,” adding: “I give them a little warning.”

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My colleagues are covering the latest out of the Middle East and the Nato summit.

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As we noted earlier, the Maine Democratic Party have said that Graham Platner’s team has repeatedly tried to “put their thumb on the scale,” when it comes to the process of selecting a new nominee, should the beleaguered veteran end his bid for Senate as expected.

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State senator Joe Baldacci, who lost the Democratic primary for Maine’s second congressional district, blasted Platner for attempting to influence the selection of his replacement. “Guess what after you have put the Democratic Party in a shambles and undermined all Democratic candidates running for office in Maine, then you should have no say in who will be your successor,” Baldacci wrote this week, after a woman accused Platner of sexual assault. Shortly after his campaign began to collapse and he lost key endorsements.

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Baldacci added that any alternative candidate with a close tie to Platner would be carrying “a lead weight” into the general election.

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Republican leaders have moved to quash speculation about Mitch McConnell, the former Republican leader in the US Senate, amid a growing revolt over the lack of transparency around his health.

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The 84-year-old Kentucky politician, who led Senate Republicans for longer than anyone in history before stepping down last year, was admitted to hospital on 14 June but his office declined to say what he was being treated for.

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The secrecy led to a backlash from Donald Trump’s support base, with some claiming that McConnell’s condition is graver than acknowledged and accusing his office of a cover-up.

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On Tuesday, John Thune, McConnell’s successor as Republican leader, sought to quell the anger by claiming that he had spoken by phone with McConnell on Monday. A Thune spokesperson said: “They had a lengthy and substantive conversation that covered a variety of topics, including national security.”

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Senate Republican whip John Barrasso also weighed in. Kate Noyes, a spokesperson for the Wyoming senator, said on Tuesday: “Senator Barrasso and Senator McConnell had a lengthy conversation early this afternoon. Their phone call lasted roughly 20 minutes.”

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Hello and welcome to the US politics live blog.

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The fight to replace Graham Platner is already under way as Bernie Sanders became the latest key figure to call for the scandal-hit Democratic nominee to step down.

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Sanders, an independent senator from Vermont, called on Graham Platner to withdraw from the US Senate race in Maine, citing “very serious allegations” of sexual assault, hours before the embattled nominee faced another claim of sexual misconduct.

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“I have spoken with Graham Platner about the best path forward for Maine,” Sanders said in a statement on Tuesday. “In light of these very serious allegations, I have recommended that he step aside.”

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While Platner has denied the latest allegations, reported by Politico, and later by the Washington Post, the initial report prompted a wave of prominent Democrats to urge him to stand aside as the party’s nominee in the consequential Senate contest.

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However by Tuesday night, executive director Devon Murphy-Anderson released a video saying the party is developing an “open, inclusive, transparent and fair” process but won’t disclose details until Platner formally withdraws. Platner’s team has repeatedly tried to “put their thumb on the scale,” she said.

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“We have repeatedly reiterated to Graham Platner’s team that they have no role in determining our next Democratic nominee for the US Senate, nor in determining what this process looks like,” she said.

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In the Politico report, published on Monday, Jenny Racicot, 41, who previously dated Platner, said he forced her to have sex despite repeated objections. Racicot said the incident, which she described to CNN as rape, happened five years ago while Platner was heavily intoxicated. Platner has denied the allegations.

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Read our full story here:

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In other developments:

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n
Donald Trump has revived his bid for the US to acquire Greenland, threatening to pull all American armed forces out of Europe after the continent repeatedly pushed back. Arriving at the Nato summit in Ankara, the US president also suggested his commitment to defending Europe had been tempered by political decisions by leaders on immigration and energy. More here.

n
A federal appeals panel struck down a significant chunk of Ron DeSantis’s so-called Stop Woke Act, delivering another rebuff to the Republican Florida governor’s efforts to stifle free speech in higher education. Judges of the 11th circuit court of appeal said that the higher education component of the law – which prevented college and university professors teaching or sharing thoughts on concepts of race and gender – breached the free expression rights guaranteed under the US constitution’s first amendment. More here.

n
Ninety-five per cent of Americans believe the US is suffering an affordability crisis, as many report trouble with the rising cost of groceries and gas, according to an exclusive new poll conducted for the Guardian. The survey, conducted by Harris Poll, paints a bleak picture of how people feel about the US economy amid the war in Iran and ahead of the key midterm elections this fall. More here.

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Key events

Closing summary

This concludes our live coverage of US politics in the second Trump administration for the day. Here are the latest developments:

In a video statement, Graham Platner, the Democratic nominee for the US Senate from Maine, said that he was dropping out of the race, while strongly denying sexual assault allegations, calling them “all false”.
Minutes after Platner announced that he was dropping out, a former Maine state senate president, Troy Jackson, announced that he would seek to win the nomination at a state party convention later this month.
Republican officials released statements treating the allegations as proven facts, and using them to attack Democratic voters and officials but Donald Trump, who was found liable by a jury of sexually abusing the writer E Jean Carroll in the 1990s, and then sued ABC News for reporting that he had been found “liable for rape”, suggested that Platner’s accuser might have been lying.

‘It’s really a question of whether or not you believe the woman’, Trump says, as Republicans call Platner ‘a rapist’

“Every Democrat that endorsed Graham Platner endorsed a rapist, and every Democrat that stayed silent was complicit,” Republican National Committee chairman Joe Gruters said.

Graham Platner withdraws from Maine Senate race, calling sexual assault allegations ‘all false’

Later in the statement, Platner suggested that he had been robbed by the party’s establishment and donors which withdrew crucial support before he had a chance to fight the allegations.

He concluded by thanking his supporters and urging them to “keep fighting; we’re going to win some day.”

Maine Democrats plan convention to choose a new nominee for US Senate if Platner drops out

“We will announce the full timeline, details for how the nomination process will move forward, information about how to participate, and requirements for candidates soon.” the party said.

Trump demands supreme court reconsider birthright citizenship ruling because Texas hospital advertised birth services on two billboards in Mexico

Trump says he has ‘no idea’ how hospitalized senator Mitch McConnell is doing

Speaking to reporters on Air Force One, Donald Trump refused to tamp down speculation about the health of Mitch McConnell, the Republican senator who was hospitalized four weeks ago.

Asked if he had spoken to McConnell since his hospitalization, Trump said, “No, I haven’t.”

Polling for Platner campaign shows three possible replacements in Senate race fare better than him – report

Platner’s support in the match-up with Collins has fallen to just 42%, after a sexual assault allegation, with the incumbent senator at 47%.

Jackson has already filed to potentially replace Platner if the Democratic nominee drops out, as is widely expected.

Platner campaign denies that he urged Maine lawmaker Valli Geiger to take his place in Senate race

A spokesperson for Graham Platner has denied a report that he offered to thrown his support behind a Democratic state lawmaker, Valli Geiger, if he withdraws from the race for the US Senate.

Maine’s ABC affiliate MWTM reported earlier on Wednesday that Geiger said “called her on Monday night and said he was throwing his support behind her”.

Pentagon announces more strikes on Iran, directed by Trump

The Pentagon announced new strikes on Iran, ordered Donald Trump, in a statement posted on social media 15 minutes ago.

Actor Patrick Dempsey rules out run for US Senate in place of Graham Platner

In an opinion article for the Portland Press Herald published on Wednesday afternoon, headlined “Why I’m not running for US Senate,” Dempsey wrote:

Over the past several days, I’ve been asked a question more than once: Would you ever run for the United States Senate?

It’s flattering, and I don’t take it lightly. I love my home state of Maine. I care deeply about the people who live there and, like so many Americans, I’m concerned about the direction our country is heading.

I gave it real thought.

Maine Democrats blast Platner campaign for ‘distracting’ from job of ‘defeating’ Collins with ‘false accusations’

Platner hasn’t formally bowed out of the Maine Senate race, but the vacuum he’s created is still drawing potential replacements.

Dan Kleban – co‑founder of Maine Beer Company, who exited the primary earlier this year and endorsed Governor Janet Mills – said on Wednesday he was prepared to step in if Platner withdraws. Mills suspended her campaign but stayed on the June ballot, and her team has not indicated whether the term‑limited governor would consider re-entering the race.

“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,” Kleban said.

David Costello, who finished third in the Democratic primary, also signaled he would “jump in” if the field reopens. Costello, who was raised in Maine but spent much of his career as a senior Maryland official, has urged state Democrats to treat Platner’s exit as if he placed last, triggering Maine’s ranked‑choice process.

Under that method, Platner’s votes would be redistributed according to second and third‑choice preferences until a remaining candidate crosses the 50% threshold.

“This would be the simplest approach, and the precedent there is the current gubernatorial nominee,” Costello told the Guardian in a phone interview. He argued that this method allows Platner voters to “have some choice and some involvement” moving forward. “It also guards against a smaller caucus approach, or even if party leaders themselves, like the state committee, just make a determination,” Costello added.

A Manhattan federal court judge has ordered the release of the more than $5m Donald Trump owes E Jean Carroll following her successful 2023 sexual abuse and defamation trial against him. Less than an hour after the judge issued his order, Trump filed paperwork indicating he is appealing the decision.

Trump had deposited this $5m million jury award, plus 11% interest, into a court-controlled account about six weeks after Carroll’s win. Judge Lewis Kaplan’s order directs the disbursement of these court-controlled funds, which now total some $5.8m due to interest accrual.

Kaplan’s decision comes more than three years after Carroll bested Trump in her bombshell civil case; jurors determined that he sexually abused the former Elle writer and unlawfully impugned her reputation with false, vitriolic denials. Trump denied all wrongdoing.

The order stems from the US supreme court’s 29 June decision not to review Trump’s appeal. Trump had asked for the supreme court to weigh his appeal after lower courts repeatedly rejected his fight against this verdict.

After Trump first appealed the verdict, he received an automatic 30-day stay barring collection. Carroll and Trump’s teams agreed in June 2023 that he could put the money into the court’s registry investment system (Cris) while his appeals played out.

The Cris system in effect serves as an escrow agent for money awarded during litigation; funds are secured while whatever post-judgment processes unfold. If someone ultimately loses their appeals, the money is available for collection – since they don’t have it in their possession, it can’t be hidden or shielded with legal maneuvering.

Here’s a recap of the day so far

Pressure continues to mount on embattled Maine Senate nominee Graham Platner to withdraw from the race, as his campaign faces accusations of trying to “put their thumb on the scale” to pick a replacement. Leaders in the Maine Democratic party said that Platner’s campaign would have “no role” in selecting a new nominee, claiming that his team had tried to sway the process. The Platner campaign did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Wednesday, but has told other outlets that it simply reached out to the party to understand the process.
Kentucky governor Andy Beshear has sent a letter to the office of Republican senator Mitch McConnell – requesting an update on his condition, as concerns grow about the lawmaker’s health since he was admitted to hospital on 14 June. “Allowing speculation to continue in the media is not fair to the Senator or to Kentuckians, and my hope is that this provides him the opportunity to share the information in a transparent manner, direct from the source. I wish him a safe and speedy recovery,” Beshear said. Since the 84-year-old was hospitalized, his office declined to say what he was being treated for.
While speaking to reporters alongside Mark Rutte, the Nato secretary general, Trump said that memorandum of understanding signed last month by the US and Iran is “over”, in the wake of the latest strikes. Later, during a bilateral meeting with Volodymyr Zelenskyy, the US president said the US will hit Iran “hard again tonight”, adding: “I give them a little warning.” At a wider press conference, Trump reiterated he did not think the Iran war would start again and that the US would eventually “take” Iranian nuclear material. More here.
Chuck Schumer, the Senate minority leader, has slammed the latest US strikes on Iran. “Trump’s so-called ‘deal’ to end hostilities with Iran has turned into total, utter disaster,” the top Democrat said in a statement. Schumer also noted that since both chambers of Congress have passed war powers resolutions, the administration would need lawmakers’ approval to resume the military campaign against Iran.
Meanwhile, in Washington, a US appeals court has ruled that the ⁠Trump administration cannot restore Donald Trump’s name to the facade of the Kennedy Center for the Performing ⁠Arts while he challenges a judge’s order that required its removal. The decision by a three-judge panel of the US ⁠court of appeals for the District of Columbia circuit denied the administration’s request to pause a ⁠lower court judge’s order in a lawsuit brought by Democratic representative Joyce Beatty, a Kennedy Center board ‌member.

Platner calls sexual assault allegations ‘all false’ as he drops out of Senate race; Maine Democrats to choose new nominee – as it happened

Graham Platner withdraws from Maine Senate race, calling sexual assault allegations ‘all false’

Closing summary

‘It’s really a question of whether or not you believe the woman’, Trump says, as Republicans call Platner ‘a rapist’

Graham Platner withdraws from Maine Senate race, calling sexual assault allegations ‘all false’

Maine Democrats plan convention to choose a new nominee for US Senate if Platner drops out

Trump demands supreme court reconsider birthright citizenship ruling because Texas hospital advertised birth services on two billboards in Mexico

Trump says he has ‘no idea’ how hospitalized senator Mitch McConnell is doing

Polling for Platner campaign shows three possible replacements in Senate race fare better than him – report

Platner campaign denies that he urged Maine lawmaker Valli Geiger to take his place in Senate race

Pentagon announces more strikes on Iran, directed by Trump

Actor Patrick Dempsey rules out run for US Senate in place of Graham Platner

Maine Democrats blast Platner campaign for ‘distracting’ from job of ‘defeating’ Collins with ‘false accusations’

Here’s a recap of the day so far

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