US World Cup Exit and Controversy

Graham Platner faces calls to drop out of the Senate race in Maine. A woman he dated says the Democratic candidate raped her in twenty twenty one. Platner denies it, but says he is considering his best path forward, what his obptious. I'm Stehvenskpe with A Martinez, and this is up first from NPR News President Trump is in Turkey today, meeting with NATO allies he has spent years berating. He wants them spending more on their own defense. As Russia's attacks on Ukraine intensify, Europe wants to know if America still has their back. And the US is out of the worldld Cup after a blowout loss to Belgium in a round of sixteen at Ct team USA's tournament full of promise and political Controversy, stay with us. We've got news you need to start your day Graham Platner is under pressure this morning to end his bid for the U.S. Senate. Yeah, the Democratic Party has been depending on Platner to win a race considered vital to their hopes in the midterm elections. And on Monday, political published allegations by a woman he dated She also gave an interview to CNN and accused Platner of raping her Llatner denies this allegation, but posted a video saying he is assessing his next steps. Regardless of the inaccuracy of the reporting, but mindful the political reality it will inflict We are taking the time to reflect on the best path forward NPR political reporter, Elena Moore has been trac the latest developments and a warning to our listeners this story contains descriptions of sexual assault. Elena, tellell us about these serious allegations Politico's story details an account made by a former girlfriend of Platner, Jenny Rasacott, who alleges that in twenty twenty one, Platner entered her home, intoxicated and forced her to have sex with him, despite her repeatedly saying no. Here's part of how she described it in an interview with CNN's Jake Tapper. He violated multiple layers of consent en by coming into my home when I asked them not to and by advancing on me when I told them not to And MPR has not independently verified those claims, but Politico says it was able to corroborate the allegations by reviewing past messages sent between the accuser and her therapist and talking with individuals whom she confided in. Okay, what is Graham Platner's response Well In a statement to NPR, Platner adamantly denied the allegations, calling them troubling, serious, and false. But, as we heard, he also said he would take time to think about what's next. It seems many Democrats though are unwilling to wait. What are people in the partart he saying Well, almost instantly after Politico's story published, we started to see a steady drumbeat of calls for Platner to end his bid for Senate that included calls from high profile Democrats, most notably Senate mininority Leader Chuck Schumer, who said that the Senate Democrats campaign arm wouldn't spend in the main race if Platner remains on the ballot Not the first time though that Graham Platinner has dealt with the scandal. What makes this one different Well, he's faced other allegations about his behavior towards women, but this is the first time a major news outlet is reporting an allegation of assault. And obviously, that's an extremely serious claim and one that follows several other pretty serious scandals. That includes you know, back in May, when Platner's campaign confirmed reporting that he had exchanged sexually explicit messages with multiple women towards the start of his marriage, as well as last fall when past online comments Platner had made resurfaced, including some where he disparaged sexual assault victims. In his response to a lot of these controversies, Platner has acknowledged he's not a perfect person. He's talked a lot about struggling with post traumatic stress disorder after serving in the military, and he's argued these are experiences many voters can relate to Now to the politics of this, because that's what happens. What does this mean for Democrats? Yeah, these allegations are a serious blow. Remember, this is a race Democrats have seen as key to taking back the Senate this fall. President Trump lost Maine in twenty twenty four, and party officials see incumbent Republican Senator Susan Collins as vulnerable. Plus, despite all his controversies, Platner was neck in neck with Collins in recent polling lifted by an economic populist message that's been resonating with folks who want political change. Now we heard Grand Platner say that he is reassessing. What happens if he decides to drop out Yeah It's technical. Maine election law says that a general election candidate has to drop out on or before the second Monday in July. If Platner were to do that, Maine Democrats would have until the twenty seventh to select a replacement. If that happens, A, it's currently unclear who that would be. That is NPR pololitical reporter, Allena Moore, Elena thanks I think so NATO leaders are gathering in Turkey's capital Ankara today for the start of the annual summit of the Alliance's thirty two member states, with President Trump among those going to be there. Yeah, the war in Ukraine continues. The U.S. led war with Iran is not resolved, and NATO leaders hope to project unity while confronting some of the alliance's biggest challenges in decades. MPR Sadil Al Salti is in AnNka, joins us now. So what's its stake at this summit? What are leaders are going to try to accomplish Well, just like Steve mentioned, the opening day is about demonstrating unity and credibility, But it also comes at a time when the US is planning to shrink its presence in Europe. It says it wants to focus its resources elsewhere. The administration just announced a six month Pentagon review of US forces in Europe. So this week, the main issues will include increasing defense spending, investing in military capabilities And there's going to be a focus on sustaining support for Ukraine to keep deterring Russia Allies are also expected to discuss their commitment to spend five percent of GDP on defense and broader security needs. That's a major increase from NATO's previous target. NATO's Secretary General has said there will be announcements on tens of billions in new military contracts. Now, President Trump has argued for some time that NATO allies rely too heavily on the U. S.. And he's warned that the U. S. support can't be taken for granted. So this summit is also an opportunity for European allies to show that they're stepping up. The wars in Ukraine and Iran, how are they shaping or influencing NATO's priorities Well, the leaders are meeting as Russia attacked Keeiv again this week, killing at least twenty two people, according to Ukrainian officials. So Russia's invasion of Ukraine has brought NATO back to its original mission collective defense against a major military threat in Europe. Allies ce supporting Ukraine, not just as helpping Kyiv defend itself, but is strengthening Europe's own security by weakening Russia's military capabilities. Now the U.S Israeli war with Iran is also hanging over the summit. There's a fragile ceasefire. It's holding, with both sides are meant to meet again soon to iron out the final terms of a deal. But the situation on the ground continues to be unstable. This morning, a tanker was struck in the Strait of Hormuz. Again, President Trump says that Europe isn't doing enough to help him at this war. Allies have been reluctant to take part in efforts to secure shipping through the Strait of Hormuz or provide military support to the U.S. I you mentioned that all of this is in Ankora, that's the capital of Turkey Why Ankora as the venue at this moment So let's remember, Turkey has the alliance's second largest military. It controls access to the Black Sea through the Turkish straits and has acted as a mediator in major conflicts across the Middle East. It's also been involved in ceasefire talks in Iran, for example. Also, Turkey's defense industry is growing. So this summit is really President Erdogan's chance to present Turkey indispensable NATO ally, especially after years of being at odds with many European countries because of Turkey's human rights record. NATO now sees that they too need Turkey, not only to help with the wars in Ukraine and Iran, but also to manage the relationship with President Trump. Trump has praised Erdogan, know he's a strong man, he's admired many times and even said last week, he wouldn't even have come to the NATO summit if it wasn't for Erdogan So NATO is muting its criticisms of Erdogan's authoritarian rule, deterring Russia, making NATO stronger is just more important today. As MPRZaddal Al Salti in Anka, thank you very much. You're welcome. The US men's National Soccer team's World Cup is over. wasasn't even close. The Americans lost to Belgium four to one in the round of sixteen, ending a run that inspired a new generation of fans and filled stadiums for the Rare World Cup here at home rightight before the end They also became the center of controversy NPR sports correspondent Becky Sullivan was at the game in Seattle. Becky. a big broad question here, but what happened Boy, ain't that the question to ask me, A, I mean, geez, so much had been made of this past four year cycle for the US men. They had this promising young team back in twenty two. You might remember that should have had these past four years to improve and mature. They had all these guys who were getting experience on top flight clubs in Europe. They had the name brraanch coach, Mauricio Pochatino they had The home field advantages you mentioned and yet someomehow all of that amounted to just another exit exactly the same stage as their previous three World Cup appearances, a loss in the round of ' sixteen and for the third time in a row at the hands of a European opponent. obviously, Watching this game last night, Belgium was just quite clearly the better team. They took advantage of all these countless US turnovers, defensive mistakes They just won easily. And so after the game, all of the US players were just so glum. It's hard to choose which one to play for you, but here is goalkeeper Matt Freezes. This moment hurts. this moment hurts more This' more than probably any other moment in my life Byes. I know that this is a step along a longer journey. It's a painful step, but it is a step regardless All right, so that's the game, Becky. Let's talk about the red card, the Fullar and Balligan Rd card and whether he should have been on the pitch or not if you your team USA maybe you think Oh it was too harsh of a call. He should have been right where he was playing with us. And then if you're Belgium, you're thinking, well, wait a second. It's the world against us and maybe that inspired them. I mean, what do you think factd the way we saw that play out You know, all I'll say is that it's just not every day that FIFA decides to delay, as you're talking about, the suspension, the automatic suspension of one game for a player who gets a Rd card. It's certainly not every day that the president of the United States decides to make a phone call to the head of FIFA to ask for a review of said Rd card as President Trump did last week. I mean, this was just quite the hubbub around this game that had blown up over the past couple of daysS players they said afterward that they hadn't let this whole thing get to them that they weren't affected by all the noise. But the vibe shift I thought around the US team was profound. There was so much excitement, you might remember about them. Before all of this,, but then this weekend came this FIFA decision to allow Balagant to play despite the red card. That was already so unusual, so unexpected. Th then of course, the news about Trump calling Gianni An Fantino, the president of FIFA directly to ask for this review. And I think for many US fans, at least, the whole thing suddenly carried with it a bit of a stench, even if the red card had, as you say, felt bogus to begin with. But you know, I think for me it was hard to wonder if know, all of the above had gotten to the team and certainly Belgium was energized by it. It really just kind of turned the whole script on its head. And now if you're team USA are you're wondering, well, how good are we really? I guess we're back at square one I think that's exactly right. I mean I don't see how they escape feeling like they have ended this exactly the same place they started from. And I think too, it's tough to compare them with another host country in this tournament, Mexico who had their own round of sixteen losost in these last few days, fought tooth and nailed till the end in this battle with England in this game just by contrast, the Americans just didn't really have any fight at all in this game. And so you know, what's next for them? It's hard to say. their coach Poachatino has been tight lipped about whether he plans to leave or stay. I think nobody would really be surprised if he left and Boy it's just a really long four year wait until the next World Cup for these guys. And you're right. Mexico fought until the very last second against England. that last goal that Belgium scored against the US. That was the US just given up. Absolutely given up. Yeah. Okay. World Cup not over yet. what's still left to come? Yeah well we're on the brink of the quarter finals. There is still one sort of final quarter final that hasn't been set yet. But the other three are in place. thoseose are going to be France versus Morocco, Norway versus England and Spain versus Belgium. Personally, I'm very eager to see how Norway does. I think they're the sort of c Cinderella that is left in this tournament. This is their first World Cup appearance since the nineteen nineties And of course, I think maybe as you know, they have this thrilling Terrifying funny striker all of the abbove and Airling Holland whoo is incredible to watch has seven goals so far in this World Cup and counting. That's My TV. I will certainly be tuning in. Yeah, The Viking king can't wait to see more of him. NPRs Becky Sullivan in Seattle, Becky thanks You're welc And that's up first for Tuesday, july seventh, Ammy Martortinez. And I'm Steve Escape. Tod's up first was edited by Tina Crya, Jason Breslo, Russell Lewis, Alice Wolfley and Mohamed Al Bardisi. It was produced by Ziad Bunch as. Our director is Christopher Thomas, who's putting up with us yet another day We get engineering support from Awen Fain, and our technical director is Damian Harring. Our supervising senior producer is Vince Pearson. Join us again tomorrow. Damiian Will So