Maine’s embattled Democratic Senate nominee Graham Platner dropped out of the race on Wednesday after a former partner accused him of sexually assaulting her in 2021.“We believe for the movement to continue, it can’t be me and for that reason, we are suspending campaign operations,” Platner said in a video posted to social media.My name might be on the ballot right now, but that ballot line belongs to the people of Maine. pic.twitter.com/RKVyLU76tm— Graham Platner for Senate (@grahamformaine) July 9, 2026 Jenny Racicot, a 41-year-old Maine resident who dated Platner on and off for two years, told Politico on Monday that the former Marine drunkenly entered her home uninvited five years ago and forced himself on her even as she asked him to stop. Platner initially denied Racicot’s allegations, and he maintained his innocence in his announcement. He called the accusations “all false” and blamed a “corporate media system and the political establishment [that] got to act as judge, jury, and executioner.”Maine’s Democratic Party now has until July 27 to pick a candidate to appear on the ballot in November’s general election.Calls for Platner’s exit had been brewing since Racicot’s announcement. Platner’s insurgent progressive populist campaign had come close to derailing on multiple occasions. Last October, Platner had to apologize for commenting on Reddit that people concerned about sexual assault had to “take some responsibility for themselves and not get so fucked up they wind up having sex with someone they don’t mean to.” Around the same time, there was the controversy around his Nazi Totenkopf tattoo, which Platner said he and other Marines had done on leave in Croatia in 2007. And less than two months ago, there was the warning his current wife gave to his Senate campaign about how he had sent sexually explicit texts to several women while they were married. Now, finally, Platner is recusing himself from this political moment. Hopefully, we’re all better off for it. Reminder:A former judge was spared a prison sentence Wednesday after being convicted for helping an immigrant evade ICE agents in her Wisconsin courtroom.U.S. District Judge Lynn Adelman only gave Hannah Dugan a $5,000 fine, saying, “I think this is a situation where an otherwise good person, upset by immigration policies in this country, made a bad decision in the moment.” Dugan faced up to five years in prison.“This is a few minutes of conduct for someone who has dedicated her life to public service,” Adelman said. “It’s a marked deviation from an otherwise law-abiding life.”Dugan was found guilty last December on two counts of federal obstruction, though jurors did not charge her with concealing an individual from arrest. The case followed an incident in which federal immigration agents entered the court in April 2025 to arrest Mexican immigrant Eduardo Flores-Ruiz. Dugan confronted the agents outside her courtroom and redirected them to the chief judge’s office on grounds that their warrant was insufficient. Flores-Ruiz was later arrested outside the court.In his ruling, Adelman noted that Dugan had decades of public service, no pattern of criminal behavior, and an otherwise clean record. He added that the consequences of Dugan having a criminal record and losing her judicial position were enough, and that Flores-Ruiz was ultimately detained and deported anyway.Before her sentencing, Dugan told the court that she meant to preserve “decorum and safety of the courtroom” by helping Flores-Ruiz.“I have been cast as both a scofflaw and a hero. I am neither. I am a public servant who’s just trying to do my job,” Dugan said.Six ICE agents showed up at Dugan’s Milwaukee courthouse in April last year, preparing to arrest and deport Flores-Ruiz, who was set to appear before Dugan in court over three misdemeanor counts of battery. According to prosecutors, Dugan led Flores-Ruiz out of a private door instead of the courtroom’s public exit, telling her court reporter she’d “get the heat” for her actions.The FBI subsequently arrested Dugan, sparking a backlash from Democrats and even some conservatives. She later resigned from the Milwaukee County Circuit bench after Wisconsin Republican legislators threatened to impeach her.More on the courts:Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy announced Tuesday that his department would redirect $1.73 billion in Biden-era grants away from establishing “DEI bike lanes” to build roads and bridges instead.So, what exactly is a “DEI bike lane?” The Daily Wire pointed to former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg’s claim that a series of 2021 grants funding bike lanes would serve to “improve infrastructure, strengthen supply chains, make us safer, advance equity, and combat climate change.”Upon hearing “equity,” President Donald Trump’s goons can’t help but get triggered into attacking any federal spending that won’t benefit them directly. In reality, those Biden-era grants directed funds to build a new transit center in North Carolina, replace bridges in New Mexico, extend streets in New Hampshire, install traffic lights and crosswalks in Missouri, and install bike lanes in Seattle, among other projects. Now the financial status of these projects is unclear. The Daily Wire also complained that when the Biden administration announced the availability of $1.5 billion in grants in 2023, applicants were encouraged “to consider how their projects can address climate change, ensure racial equity, and remove barriers to opportunity.” Those funds were already awarded to dozens of projects across the country—not just bike lanes—in both rural and urban areas.The Trump administration has made extensive efforts to root out federal programs addressing racial discrimination. Now it seems that to even have considered racial inequality is grounds for losing millions of dollars.“America is fortunate to have a Builder in the White House who knows America is only as great as our infrastructure,” Duffy told The Daily Wire. “That’s why this Department is investing in repairing critical roads and bridges that connect Americans to job opportunities, port infrastructure that bolsters our national security, and aviation and transit projects that move American families.”But American families benefit from the presence of bike lanes, even if they don’t use them. Even the federal government acknowledges that bicycle lanes make roads a lot safer. “To make bicycling safer and more comfortable for most types of bicyclists, State and local agencies should consider installing bicycle lanes,” said a statement from the Federal Highway Administration. “Providing bicycle facilities can mitigate or prevent interactions, conflicts, and crashes between bicyclists and motor vehicles, and create a network of safer roadways for bicycling.”Rather, it seems likely that the Trump administration has chosen to zero in on bike lanes because they may be associated with urban areas that are led by Democrats and home to minority groups. The move is simultaneously a blow to the diverse communities in American cities and a cheap culture-war win over the liberal urbanites. At the same time, the policy is in line with Trump’s efforts to boost gas-powered vehicles.But American families will suffer from a lack of bike lanes too, especially with gas prices remaining high—and likely to stay that way. Read more about Duffy:A U.S. soldier who went missing in the Arabian Sea was declared dead just as Trump reignited his war on Iran.The missing soldier was identified Tuesday as Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron 5 commanding officer Gabriel Edwards. He and three other soldiers were forced to emergency-land their helicopter in the Arabian Sea on July 1. While the others were rescued, Edwards was declared officially dead after 102 hours—over four days—of searching.“Commander Gabe Edwards was the epitome of selfless leadership, who dedicated himself to service and sacrifice for the last 20 years,” Captain Matthew Lewis said in a statement on Tuesday. “Our deepest gratitude and sympathy go out to his family, who should know that Gabe led his squadron, the HSC-5 ‘Nightdippers,’ with integrity and fortitude.”The cause of the incident remains under investigation, but the Navy insists that Edwards’s death was not caused by a hostile act.Nevertheless, Edwards’s disappearance and death coincides with a once again active war between the U.S. and Iran. President Trump on Wednesday declared any deal with Iran null and void, following the worst exchange of fire between the two countries since the memorandum of understanding, or MOU, was signed. Iran targeted tankers in the Strait of Hormuz and U.S. bases, and the U.S. bombed several coastal cities in Iran.“To me? I think it’s over,” Trump said of the MOU at the NATO summit in Turkey. “They’re scum. You know what scum is? They’re scum. They’re sick people. They’re led by sick people, and they’re vicious, violent people. And if they had a nuclear weapon, they’d use it. As far as I’m concerned, it’s over.”Thirteen U.S soldiers have been confirmed to be killed in Iran, although that number has been alleged to be an underestimate.Editor’s Pick:President Trump rejected FEMA disaster aid requests from four blue states last Friday, after accepting the aid requests of six red states just two days before, according to Politico. This continues his blatant trend of prioritizing petty political beef over sorely needed FEMA funding—putting Americans at risk in the process.New York, New Jersey, Massachusetts, and Rhode Island were all denied after requesting a total of $227 million in aid following the brutal blizzard in February. All four states were well past the damage threshold required to trigger aid consideration.“After months of waiting, President Trump today denied our request for a Major Disaster Declaration following the blizzard that pummeled New York City, Long Island, and the Mid-Hudson in February of this year,” New York Governor Kathy Hochul said in a statement last week. “New York’s communities … deserve to have access to every resource available to recover and rebuild. Instead they have a President who is turning his back on his home state.… We will appeal to ensure New Yorkers receive the federal assistance they deserve.”Rhode Island Senator Sheldon Whitehouse and the rest of the state’s congressional Democratic delegation similarly condemned Trump.“After months of inaction, on July 2, President Trump denied Rhode Island’s request for a Major Disaster Declaration related to the record snowfall and cold temperatures,” the delegation wrote on Monday.The letter also noted that Trump bragged about granting over $846 million in disaster relief funds to Republican states on Truth Social the same day he denied their request—further proof of Trump purposefully withholding funds from blue states.“Rhode Island’s Congressional delegation believes the Trump Administration improperly rejected the Ocean State’s request, pointing out that President Trump has politicized disaster assistance for states over the last year and made it exponentially harder for so-called ‘blue states’ to get disaster funding under the highly partisan Trump Administration than it is for so-called ‘red states.’” They demanded he reverse the decision.The president also denied disaster relief requests from Vermont, Illinois, and Maryland last year, and from Colorado and California around that same time—all while continuing to deliver aid to states where more people voted for him. 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