NPR News: 07-08-2026 11PM EDT

Giles Snyder· Host0:00

Live from NPR News, I'm Giles Snyder. Democrat Graham Platner is suspending his campaign for Senate in Maine after a former girlfriend accused him of rape. Platner denies the allegation, but NPR's Barbara Sprunt reports he faced growing calls to drop out.

Barbara Sprunt0:16

Within hours of a report from Platner's former girlfriend alleging rape, the Maine Democratic Party and top congressional Democrats called on Platner to withdraw from the race. The progressive campaign had long been marked by scandal, from a tattoo of a Nazi emblem to reports of him exchanging sexually explicit messages with multiple women near the beginning of his marriage. After the latest allegation, the campaign arm for Senate Democrats vowed to not invest in the race if Platner remained on the ballot. The party will now begin a process to select a new nominee, and the clock is ticking. They have until July 27th. Barbara Sprunt, NPR News, Washington.

Giles Snyder· Host0:57

The Maine Democratic Party says it is planning to hold a convention to choose a candidate to run against incumbent Republican Senator Susan Collins. On his way back from the NATO Summit in Turkey, President Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One that Iran has been hit hard by the latest US military strikes.

Donald Trump· Soundbite1:15

We just hit them very hard, and I say we hit them twenty to one. Every time they hit us, we're gonna hit them twenty.

Giles Snyder· Host1:21

Trump said the strikes are in response to Iranian attacks on three commercial ships in the Strait of Hormuz. Before leaving the NATO summit, Trump said the interim