Good Tuesday evening. In this edition: Trump renews NATO criticism at start of annual summit; and Platner faces growing calls to withdraw from Senate race.
Plus, Iran, USMNT, McConnell, justices and Farage.
NATO
President Trump lashed out at NATO as the alliance's leaders met in Ankara, Turkey, for their annual summit, criticizing allies for refusing to join the war against Iran, complaining about defense spending, and renewing his call for the U.S. to take control of Greenland.
"I was very disappointed with NATO, and frankly if it weren't held in Turkey, where my friend happens to be a very strong leader, a very strong person, it's possible that I wouldn't have attended," he told reporters alongside Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. "I felt I had to attend because of the fact that I know he's gone all out."
"We've invested trillions of dollars in NATO. Why? To protect European countries and others," he added. "You would think that they'd be very willing to do something to help us, and they really weren't."
The president insisted the U.S. "didn't need any help" in the war against Iran and said he had been merely "testing" the alliance with his calls for assistance.
"Italy turned us down, and Germany turned us down, and France turned us down," he said. "And that's okay. But, you know, why are we spending hundreds of billions of dollars and they're not there for us? We've always been there for them."
He also renewed his call for Greenland to be "controlled" by the United States, reigniting an issue that has driven a wedge between the U.S. and its European allies.
"That's what hurt my relationship with NATO because Greenland doesn't help Denmark," he told reporters. "Denmark doesn't spend money or really help Greenland, but it's an important part for the United States."
The president has repeatedly said the U.S. should take over Greenland, a semiautonomous territory of NATO ally Denmark, arguing it is necessary for global security and to counter Chinese and Russian threats in the Arctic.
"They wouldn't go along with it, and with all the money we spend to help them with Russia, and we don't have to spend any money. We could remove all of our soldiers out of Europe. Because as you've probably noticed, Europe's a very different place than it was 20 years ago," he said.
Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen quickly responded, saying there are no plans to discuss Greenland while in Ankara.
"It is a well-known position of the United States that it wants to own and take over Greenland. I hope that it is equally well known everywhere that this is not going to happen," she said, according to Reuters.
At the same time, President Trump praised President Erdogan, suggesting Turkey could once again be allowed to purchase advanced U.S. stealth fighter jets and that the U.S. would lift sanctions imposed after Ankara acquired a Russian air defense system in 2019.
"We're going to be taking the sanctions off," President Trump said. "It's time. We don't want to sanction friends."
In a separate press conference, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte touted "real progress" in allies' defense spending commitments.
"Last year, at the NATO summit in The Hague, allies made important commitments, to invest 5% of GDP in defense, to accelerate production, and to speed up innovation. One year later, we can already see the results," he said.
President Trump, who has long criticized the alliance as one-sided, called on NATO countries to double their defense spending commitments last year, and allies agreed to a target of 5% of GDP by 2035.
European leaders have faced increased urgency to boost defense spending as Russia continues its war in Ukraine and President Trump signals the U.S. is preparing to draw down its military support on the continent.
The NATO chief said European allies and Canada have invested hundreds of billions of additional dollars in defense over the past several years and highlighted "substantial" new contracts and announcements at this year's forum.
"So yes, we have made real progress. We are moving in the right direction," he said. "But the match is far from over. And to win it, we need all team members to pull their weight. Do more, faster, together. We don't have the luxury of time. We need capabilities now, to ensure we remain ready. The security situation demands it."
Graham Platner's campaign to unseat Sen. Susan Collins (R) in Maine appears to be on life support, with top Democratic leaders and allies pulling their support in the wake of sexual assault allegations.
The populist oysterman has weathered a series of scandals since announcing his candidacy, but a Politico report published Monday, in which an ex-girlfriend accused him of forcing her to have sex in 2021, appears to have been the final straw.
Senate Democratic leaders called on him to withdraw, and the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee (DSCC), the caucus's campaign arm, said it will not provide any funding in the race while he remains the nominee.
"Graham Platner needs to immediately withdraw as the Democratic nominee for Senate and allow Maine Democrats the opportunity to choose a new candidate who can defeat Susan Collins."
New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani (D), one of the country's most prominent progressive leaders, also called on Mr. Platner to bow out.
"I believe that it's time for him to drop out of the race," the mayor said at a press conference. "I think the focus of today should be to respond to the gravity of what so many of us have read, and I think that the only appropriate response is for the campaign to come to an end."
Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT), one of Mr. Platner's earliest backers who stood by him through previous scandals, also called for him to withdraw.
"I have spoken with Graham Platner about the best path forward for Maine. In light of these very serious allegations, I have recommended that he step aside," he said in a statement.
Mr. Platner on Monday denied the allegations in the Politico report but said he was "taking the time to reflect" on the future of his campaign.
"Regardless of the inaccuracy of the reporting, but mindful of the political reality it will inflict, we are taking the time to reflect on the best path forward for the state that I love, the people that I love, the movement I belong to, and the goal of defeating Susan Collins," he said in a video message posted to social media.
Mr. Platner secured the Democratic nomination last month, defeating Maine Gov. Janet Mills (D), but state law allows Democrats to replace him on the ballot if he withdraws by Monday.
If he does, the Maine Democratic Party would have until July 27 to select a new candidate.
The U.S.launched new strikes against Iran on Tuesday afternoon and reimposed sanctions on the country's oil sales in retaliation for a series of attacks on commercial ships near the Strait of Hormuz. "U.S. Central Command forces have begun launching a series of powerful strikes against Iran to impose heavy costs for targeting and attacking commercial shipping crewed by innocent civilians in an international waterway," the combatant command said in a statement. "The U.S. strikes are in response to Iranian attacks on three commercial vessels that were transiting the Strait of Hormuz. Iran's demonstrated aggression was unwarranted, dangerous, and a clear violation of the ceasefire." Shortly before the strikes, the U.S. said it was reimposing sanctions on the country's oil sales that it had lifted as part of the memorandum of understanding signed last month. Oil prices rose following the announcement, with Brent crude, the international benchmark, up 3% and U.S. crude nearly 6%.
The U.S. men's soccer team was trounced4–1 by Belgium on Monday night, ending its promising World Cup run in the round of 16. The match in Seattle was widely viewed as the team's biggest in decades and came amid a firestorm after FIFA lifted U.S. star Folarin Balogun's one-game suspension for a red card at President Trump's request for a review of the decision. "We don't need to find another excuse. I think we were not good enough. It wasn't our day. We didn't perform in the way that we're supposed to perform or show our quality," head coach Mauricio Pochettino said when asked whether the controversy affected the team. "All that was happening around was around, but I think it wasn't a situation that affects us in the group. All the teams can have one day sometimes that is, you don't perform and nothing is right for you. And today was that type of day."
Sen. Mitch McConnell's (R-KY) office said the longtime senator is "continuing his recovery" but provided little other information about the reason for his hospitalization or his condition, which has become the subject of rampant speculation among conservative influencers online. Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD), Majority Whip John Barrasso (R-WY) and the senator's longtime adviser Scott Jennings, now a CNN commentator, all issued statements Tuesday saying they had spoken with the Kentucky senator. Speculation about Sen. McConnell's health has ramped up since he was hospitalized on June 14, particularly after news outlets reported that EMS dispatch traffic indicated emergency personnel found an unconscious person at his DC address who required CPR.
Justices Elena Kagan and Amy Coney Barrett are set to testify on Capitol Hill next week, marking the first time since 2019 that members of the Supreme Court have appeared before lawmakers to discuss the court's annual budget request. They will appear before the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Financial Services and General Government, which has jurisdiction over the court's funding, and are also expected to testify the same day before the Senate. The high court requested a $14 million funding increase for 2027 to bolster justices' security. House appropriators have already advanced legislation that would provide the court with $207 million next year, nearly $44 million more than current funding.
Nigel Farage, the populist leader of the right-wing Reform U.K. party best known for leading the Brexit campaign, resigned from Parliament amid damaging revelations about his finances, including undisclosed gifts from a cryptocurrency billionaire. However, he plans to run for reelection in the ensuing by-election in his eastern England constituency, hoping a victory will give him an electoral mandate and quiet his critics. "I have decided that the people of Clacton should be the judges of my actions," he said in a video statement. "This will be a 'people versus the establishment' by-election."
For your radar…
President Trump holds a press conference in Ankara, Turkey, on Wednesday at the conclusion of the NATO summit. Watch LIVE on C-SPAN at 9:15am ET.
