The President of the United States bragged about his new Air Force One plane. It was a damn near $400 million gift from the government of Qatar. The president was told by the U.S. Secret Service, the vice president and several Republicans about the optics.
President Donald J. Trump has a job approval of 29%.
Vice President JD Vance has a job approval of 34%.
Congress has a job approval of 23%.
Supreme Court has a job approval of 29%.
The junk food media in general is viewed negatively more by Republicans but is starting to be viewed negatively by Democrats.
Israel is viewed very negatively by Democrats overwhelmingly. In the Republican Party, younger voters view Israel extremely negative. Older and religious Republicans view Israel still favorably. Democratic lawmakers like Haley Stevens, Chuck Schumer, Jared Moskowitz, Josh Gottheimer, Angie Craig, Ritchie Torres, Tom Suozzi, Laura Gillen, Hakeem Jeffries and even independent John Fetterman still back Israel despite opposition.
The war in Iran is very unpopular. The aggression has led to high gas prices, high food prices, high shipping costs, high insurance premiums and global instability.
Trump flew out of Turkey on Wednesday night on the old Air Force One instead of his new Qatari-donated Boeing 747-8 as a security precaution related to the resumption of hostilities with Iran, according to people briefed on the plans, who said the change came at the urging of the Secret Service.
The swap deepens questions about whether the new plane, which the president had pressed to be ready as soon as possible, was retrofitted with sufficient security measures over the last year. Lawmakers and some officials have raised concerns about whether the expedited timeline allowed for the addition of an advanced missile defense system and other modifications used to protect the president.
In a statement, Steven Cheung, the White House communications director, said that “the new Air Force One is a state-of-the-art aircraft that has been fitted with high-level security protocols that ensure the safety of the president and his staff.”
Trump doesn't look well.
“As the president has said recently, there are many enemies of America who have their sights on him, and we use every tool at our disposal — including distraction and misdirection — to address those threats,” he added.
The older plane has been widely reported to be equipped with a system designed to blind an incoming antiaircraft missile, along with “chaff” that could be deployed to mislead a missile and force it off course.
It is unclear how many, if any, of those capabilities have been installed on the newer plane that was donated from Qatar, which Trump has been eager to get into service.
Industry and Pentagon officials have said such an extensive upgrade could cost as much as $1 billion and take up to two years to complete. But in testimony before Congress, Troy E. Meink, the Air Force secretary, estimated that the modifications would run “probably less than $400 million.”
The Air Force started upgrading the 747 jetliner in the United States last summer.
Air Force officials said at the time that they were modifying the jet for “executive airlift” support, on orders of Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, but that all other details about the upgrade were classified.
The plan immediately drew criticism from some members of Congress. The lawmakers expressed concern that Trump would pressure the Air Force to do the work so fast that sufficient security measures would not be built into the plane, including missile defense systems or even systems to protect it from the electromagnetic effects of a nuclear blast.
Iconic singer Bonnie Tyler passed away from an intestinal infection.
The singers who sound American but were born overseas.
Yearly Wrap Up.
The legendary singer Bonnie Tyler has passed away in Portugal after an illness. If you grew up in the 1980s, you heard the hit "Total Eclipse of the Heart", which is a popular prom song.
Also "Holding Out for a Hero" which was used for the Super Mario Bros. film, Shrek, Short Circuit and other themes.
The Welsh singer was 75 years old. One month of her birthday.
Tyler died unexpectedly in a hospital in Portugal where she was being treated for an illness, her family said Thursday in a statement on her website. She was hospitalized in May in Faro, where she had a home, for emergency intestinal surgery. She had been placed in an induced coma for a period but was reportedly improving last month and expected to make a good recovery.
“Bonnie’s family and team are heartbroken to announce that Bonnie unexpectedly passed away last night in hospital in Portugal as a result of the illness that she was being treated for,” her family said.
Tyler earned three Grammy nods and in 2013 represented Britain at the Eurovision Song Contest, where she came in 19th. She was honored as a Member of the Order of the British Empire in 2022 for her services to music by Queen Elizabeth II, thanks mainly to “Total Eclipse of the Heart,” which has had more than 1 billion streams, boosted by real eclipses in 2017 and 2024.
The song spent four weeks at No. 1, and when Stereogum reevaluated it in 2020, the music outlet declared it an “extinction-level event rendered in musical form.”
“It’s pop music as heart-pounding, chest-thumping, blood-gargling, heavens-falling passion explosion. It’s sheer spectacle. It’s fireworks and lasers and lightning and thunder. It soars and swoops and barrel-rolls,” the site said.
The song has never really gone away: it was covered by the English singer Nicki French in 1995, and the band Westlife in 2006. Cate Blanchett sang it while hitting Billy Bob Thornton with her car in 2001’s “Bandits,” it appeared in a wedding scene in 2003’s “Old School” and One Direction sang it in 2010 on a U.K. version of “The X Factor.”
Early life
Tyler was born — as Gaynor Hopkins — a coal miner’s daughter in public housing with an outside toilet in Skewen, Wales, about 7 miles (11 kilometers) outside Swansea. She grew up with three sisters and two brothers.
She adored the Beatles and her first album was “A Hard Day’s Night.” The first song she bought, at 13, was “Hippy Hippy Shake” by the Swinging Blue Jeans and she watched “Top of the Pops” religiously, according to her memoir, “Straight From the Heart.”
She would record “Top of the Pops” on a reel-to-reel two-track recorder and write down the lyrics of songs she loved. Her favorites were by Janis Joplin, Nina Simone, Tina Turner, Wilson Pickett and Otis Redding.
“I used to sing them into my hairbrush for hours and hours, and that’s how it all started for me. I fell in love with singing just from doing that. Looking back, even then my voice had a husky tone to it, but I didn’t think much of it. I thought everyone’s voices were different from each other’s,” she wrote.
In 1976 she had to have surgery to remove nodules on her throat, leaving her with that trademark vocal sound. Changing her name to Sherene Davis, she was fronting a soul band when she was discovered by talent scout Roger Bell, who brought her to London for demo sessions. Then she waited for a label until RCA said it was interested.
Under her new RCA-sanctioned name Bonnie Tyler, her debut album “The World Starts Tonight” in 1977 contained her first chart hit, “Lost in France,” and she was nominated for a breakthrough artists award at the Brit Awards. She then had a No. 3 hit in 1978 with “It’s a Heartache,” but soon drifted. She then signed with Sony and saw Meat Loaf perform “Bat Out of Hell” on the BBC. Impressed, she requested to work with Meat Loaf songwriter and producer Jim Steinman.
‘Total Eclipse of the Heart’
Steinman introduced her to his song “Total Eclipse of the Heart,” which would become the debut single for her fifth studio album, “Faster Than the Speed of Night.” He borrowed one of the song’s lyrics — “Turn around, bright eyes” — from his 1969 musical “The Dream Engine,” written when he was a student at Massachusetts’ Amherst College. He told her the song was from a prospective musical version of “Nosferatu.”
“Jim liked to put down a basic rhythm track, do nine takes of the song, choose the best one and then put the kitchen sink on there, like Phil Spector used to,” Tyler told The Guardian in 2023. “He gave me a cassette to listen to in my hotel and we both preferred take two.”
Thank you Bonnie.
Featuring E Street Band members Roy Bittan on piano and Max Weinberg on drums, “Total Eclipse” is a rumination on lost love: “Once upon a time there was light in my life/But now there’s only love in the dark,” she sings.
The video, a staple of early-days MTV, was shot in a frightening gothic former asylum in Surrey, where the guard dogs apparently wouldn’t set foot in the rooms downstairs where they used to give people electric shock treatment. The visuals included slow-motion tossed doves, candles, dancing ninjas, dancing greasers, Tyler in frighteningly big shoulder pads, fencers, gymnasts, wind machines and shirtless boys wearing swim goggles being doused with water.
“Faster Than the Speed of Night” earned a Grammy nomination for best rock vocal performance — losing to Pat Benatar’s “Love Is a Battlefield” — and Tyler got another nod for “Total Eclipse of the Heart” in the best pop vocal performance category, losing to Irene Cara’s “Flashdance — What a Feeling.”
After the ‘Eclipse’
Tyler never reached such dizzying heights again but stayed current with such movie soundtrack singles as “Holding Out For a Hero” — from 1984’s “Footloose” — and “Here She Comes” from “Metropolis” also in 1984.
Her 2019 disc “Between the Earth and the Stars” featured duets with Rod Stewart, Cliff Richard and Status Quo’s Francis Rossi, and she ended that year performing a Vatican Christmas concert before Pope Francis.
In 2013, she switched gears to make a country-flavored record in Nashville, “Rocks and Honey,” which included the Vince Gill duet “What You Need From Me” and a little ballad called “Believe in Me,” written by American songwriter Desmond Child and British songwriters Lauren Christy and Christopher Braide. “Believe in Me” was picked to represent the United Kingdom at that year’s Eurovision Song Contest in Sweden.
“It was an absolutely wonderful atmosphere there,” she told the San Francisco Examiner in 2023. “I was being interviewed every 15, 20 minutes, and when I walked out onstage behind the British flag, I thought the roof was going to come off! It was awesome, just awesome!”
In 2017, she joined Joe Jonas’ band DNCE for a performance on the cruise ship Oasis of the Seas as part of a “Total Eclipse Cruise.” When the moon passed in front of the sun, they played “Total Eclipse of the Heart.”
Tyler was married to property developer and former Olympic judo competitor Robert Sullivan.
Valero and Sunoco gas stations are ending their licensing at several gas stations in the Mid-Atlantic states. What comes in its place is Freedom Fuel Network.
What the fuck is this?
Another MAGA based entity that President Donald J. Trump is pushing on his gullible supporters.
Job approval at 29%.
The White House announced that the first "Freedom Fuel" gas station has opened and was offering gas for $3.47.
The initiative was announced Tuesday, along with a minute-long video of customers buying gas from the Freedom Fuel Network and thanking Trump. The gas station is located in the Philadelphia area and is the first of 25 gas stations announced.
FREEDOM FUEL HAS ARRIVED. ⛽️🇺🇸
The FIRST Freedom Fuel Network gas station has LANDED in Philadelphia, lowering the price at the pump to $3.47 for our 47th President.
President Trump is leading the charge to lower gas prices this summer - putting more money in your pocket. 🔥 pic.twitter.com/lcrCuioQv5
The gas station shown in the video was decorated with American flags and says "Freedom Fuel Network" on the top.
The Trump-promoted gas stations arrive as the president announced the ceasefire agreement with Iran was "over," launching new strikes on Wednesday.
The ceasefire began on June 17, but oil markets had been reacting to expectations that it would happen weeks before the announcement. According to AAA, the average cost of a gallon of gas in the U.S. on Wednesday was $3.796, down more than a dollar from its high a few months ago.
Where are Freedom Fuel gas stations located?
There are 25 locations, according to the Freedom Fuel Network webpage. It's unclear whether all 25 stations are open.
The gas stations are listed in Pennsylvania and New Jersey.
Why is gas so expensive?
Gas prices have surged worldwide since the U.S. and Israel first attacked Iran on Feb. 28. Conflict in the region and a subsequent war have led to instability in the region, which is a crucial part of the global oil market.
A dueling U.S. and Iranian blockade in the Strait of Hormuz, through which roughly 20% of oil flows, has been one of the biggest disruptors of global oil markets.
After climbing significantly in the opening days of the war, the average price for a gallon of gas dropped below $4 on June 18 and has been in the $3 range since. However, Wednesday's announcement that the ceasefire with Iran is "over" will likely increase gas prices again.
The cost of a barrel of oil, the driving force behind gas prices, jumped in the wake of Trump's early morning announcement. Oil prices surged nearly 6% after Trump said that the interim agreement with Iran is over, though he will allow talks to continue.
The restarting of the conflict and its impact on gas prices likely won't be felt immediately. Refineries typically pay for crude oil a month or more in advance, so even after oil prices drop or increase, they won’t immediately be processing products at the new rate. It could take weeks or months for oil to start flowing through the Strait of Hormuz again. And even when it does, it will still take significant time for oil to flow again at the level it was moving before the war.
And you wonder why the Iranians say "death to America!"
The President of the United States, Congress, the Supreme Court and the junk food media are at record levels of unpopularity.
Iran, North Korea, China and Russia can sit back and eat popcorn. We are watching our country fall apart because of the same tired old 20th Century policies that keeps the elite rich and the struggling angry at the vulnerable.
Since 1776, the U.S. has been at some level of violence.
Iran closing the Strait of Hormuz has impacted over 20% of the world's economy.
The president is willing to gamble the world's economy to please Israel and distract us from his perversions in the Epstein files.
On Tuesday, the U.S. launched attacks on Iran. The U.S. claimed Iran attacked commercial vessels which merited a response.
The U.S. continues this one sided aggression at the behest of Israel. The apartheid genocidal ethnostate has continued its aggression in Gaza, Lebanon and Syria despite "ceasefires."
Here in the United States, folks are being laid off from their jobs. More Americans are exhausted of their jobs.
More Americans are tired of paying hundreds of dollars for gas. They have to put aside vacations, health visits and mechanics to save money.
More Americans cannot get child care that is affordable. They have to put more pressures on family members and friends to save money.
More Americans are really frustrated with grocery prices. As companies like Walmart are phasing out paper tags for electronic tags, the fears is the pricing surges will come when people notice the price of milk and eggs surge at peak crisis.
More Americans are fed up with rent rising. As rent and housing are surging in prices, many Americans are angry at President Donald J. Trump refusing to sign the bipartisan affordable housing bill into law. It will quietly become law but Trump has threatened a veto if the Congress refuse his SAVE Act.
The junk food media is obsessed with Graham Platner's personal life instead of the issues that Americans are facing.
Are you tired of the noise?
Trump in Türkiye for the NATO Summit. He is upset that NATO didn't aid in his aggression of Iran. He claims that Russian President Vladimir Putin will eventually come to some agreement with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
Russia is testing Poland.
He also is lifting sanctions on Türkiye when it comes to fighter jets. Israel vehemently opposes it. Giving the country military resources, it allows a buffer to stop Israel from further aggression.
Trump said Wednesday he believes the current ceasefire with Iran is over after an exchange of attacks between the U.S. and Iran, the latest escalation straining the agreement to end the war.
"I think it's over. I don't want to deal with them anymore. They're scum," Trump told reporters in Ankara, where he is attending the NATO summit.
He called the Iranian leaders "vicious, violent people."
"If they had a nuclear weapon, they'd use it," he added.
Trump, however, did not rule out talks continuing to permanently end the war with Iran.
He said the top U.S. negotiators, Steve Witkoff and his son-in-law Jared Kushner, want to negotiate.
But, Trump added, "as far as I'm concerned, it's just a waste of time dealing with them. They're liars."
There was no immediate response from the Iranian government.
His comments came after the U.S. and Iran traded attacks again overnight Wednesday, the second such escalation since the two sides signed an interim deal in mid-June.
The strikes followed Tuesday's attacks on three commercial ships in the Strait of Hormuz. The U.S. said it carried out strikes on Iranian targets in what it said was retaliation for the previous Iranian aggression. Iranian Revolutionary Guard said it responded to those strikes by launching missiles and drones against Kuwait and Bahrain, two Arab Gulf countries that host U.S. military bases.
An uneasy alliance. Turkiye is tried of being restraint as Israel mounts a possible attack on it. NATO will react but the U.S. might now join them if Israel attacks.
Trump is in Ankara, Türkiye, to attend the NATO summit, where he has continued to air grievances, lamenting that European countries don't contribute enough to their own defense spending, as Russia's war against Ukraine has dragged on.
He has also expressed frustration since the U.S. and Israel's war with Iran began that Europe hasn't been supportive enough of his agenda.
Earlier in the day, the president said he was "testing" allies on how they'd help with the war.
"Italy turned us down, and Germany turned us down, and France turned us down, and it's OK, 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," Trump said.
The tension between Trump and NATO nations has also grown as the president continued on Tuesday to insist that the U.S. should have control of Greenland, a territory currently under Denmark.
Despite friction in the alliance, at the gathering Trump has discussed some issues important to him related to the U.S.-Israel-led war in Iran, such as increased defense spending and logistics around opening the Strait of Hormuz.
And as the two-day summit ends, Trump is expected to take questions during a Wednesday press conference.
The brief two-day gathering typically left little time for one-on-one meetings, but Trump was expected to meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on the sidelines of the gathering. Negotiating an end to the conflict between Russia and Ukraine has been an elusive goal for Trump, who has teased recently that the end of the war is "getting closer," without providing much further detail. He also said he recently spoke to Russian President Vladimir Putin.
On Tuesday, Trump met with the leader of the host nation, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, whom he considers a friend. The two discussed the U.S. potentially selling F-35 fighter jets to Türkiye — despite there being a congressional ban in place that prevents this.
"We have a very good relationship. … Why wouldn't we do that?" Trump said in his meeting with Erdogan.
Goodbye to any hopes of winning back young white men who wanted a populist in the Democratic Party. The party elites chased Graham Platner out over allegations. By the way, the president launched another war with Iran. Expect gas and food prices to rise again.
Yearly Wrap Up.
Senate nominee Graham Platner ends his bid as the Democrat to take on Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME).
Allegations were too much. I guess the Democrats will chase out a candidate with personal flaws and fly into rage over he said/she said noise.
Okay.
I now have Maine senate race as Likely Republican.
He wanted to focus on issues that affect people in Maine. But here we are talking about some issue facing him and his personal life. Last month it was the allegations of cheating through a social media app. Then it was about a few ex-girlfriends who said he was either a lousy guy or a great partner.
Now sexual abuse.
The allegations comes from a woman who claimed that a mere five years ago, Platner broke into her home and sexually assaulted her. She went to CNN, the network owned by Larry and David Ellison.
What is not being discussed is the jobs report.
The cost of living.
The price of gasoline.
These corporations are raking in massive profits despite Americans tightening their wallets.
The price of groceries are still high.
The cost of housing is unbearable.
The cost of insurance premiums are high.
The cost of shipping goods is high.
The option to go to the doctor, the car mechanic or take a vacation is expensive.
You know the U.S. and Israel attacked Iran again.
More people are struggling under this president. Yet, we are more concerned about a he said/she said story.
This has the Democratic Party got him to step aside.
I take sexual abuse allegations very seriously.
However, for every allegation, there is a Tara Reade and Donald J. Trump.
My thing is, why the victim go the junk food media instead of the police?
Me thinks it was an op from the Israelis.
A woman who previously dated Maine Democratic Senate candidate Graham Platner said he drunkenly forced her to have sex after she told him to stop, according to a Politico report released Monday, leading prominent supporters to pull their endorsements and throwing a must-win race for the party into turmoil.
White women tears have locked up Black men. They often get away with sending innocent people to the iron college if they have a bogus allegation.
That curmudgeon Collins will likely face a milquetoast who is backed by the establishment. The pro Israel Dems and KHive are celebrating the decision of Platner leaving the race.
The Maine Democratic primary voters will be either angry or relieved.
The young white male voter, well I guess they're in President Donald J. Trump's corner thanks to the Democratic Party's decision to play on moralism.
It makes me less likely to support Democrats come Midterm and 2028.
The enthusiasm is drying up and the Democratic Party will be shell shocked when they realize the progressive base they claim should find their own party will eventually do it at a crucial time.
Platner said Wednesday that he plans to withdraw from the U.S. Senate race in Maine after facing an allegation of sexual assault, shuttering an insurgent campaign that had withstood months of controversy only to implode and imperil Democrats’ attempt to regain power in Washington.
Platner’s exit was expected to further divisions between the party’s moderate and progressive factions, as Democrats struggle to unify ahead of this year’s midterm elections.
Maine is considered a key state for control of the narrowly divided Senate, and Democrats were desperate for a candidate capable of defeating Republican Sen. Susan Collins while President Donald Trump is broadly unpopular.
In an 11-minute video posted to social media, Platner said the process to replace him needs to be “open, transparent and democratic” and to reflect the will and values of people who supported him. He also lashed out at Democratic leaders in Washington, D.C.
“People in D.C. need to stay in D.C.,” Platner said. “Decisions should not be made by people in places of political power.”
At times scratching his beard and looking off camera as he spoke, Platner seemed to become emotional as he announced his plans, seated on what appeared to be a wooden deck as the noise of nearby traffic whizzed by. He also stressed that his decision was not an admission of guilt.
Although Platner had never before held elected office, progressive leaders promoted him over Gov. Janet Mills, who was favored by the Democratic establishment. Mills dropped out of the race in late April as Platner, a military veteran and oyster farmer, consolidated support from primary voters who were eager for a more combative candidate and were willing to overlook his checkered past, which included a tattoo recognized as a Nazi symbol and online postings dismissive of sexual assault.
Shortly before Platner clinched the Democratic nomination in the June 9 primary, there were reports that he had exchanged sexually explicit messages with other women while married and that he had become physical with a previous girlfriend during an argument.
Susan Collins and Lisa Murkowski support an adjudicated sexual predator.
But Platner’s support didn’t crater until Monday, when Politico reported that a woman said he drunkenly forced her to have sex after she told him to stop.
Jenny Racicot, who lives in Maine, told Politico she had been in an on-and-off relationship with Platner but cut off contact with him after that night in 2021 and told him the encounter wasn’t consensual. In a CNN interview, she said she had been raped “by definition.”
After the story was published, Platner in a video released on social media denied the allegation as “categorically false” but said he would be “taking the time to reflect on the best path forward” for his campaign. High-level backers pulled their support, including Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, who said the next day that he spoke with Platner and that “in light of these very serious allegations, I have recommended that he step aside.”
State law includes a provision for Democrats to replace Platner before the general election. The state Democratic Party held an emergency meeting Wednesday, where more than 100 state committee members signed off on holding a nominating convention, in the event of Platner’s withdrawal.
Platner announced he would do just that less than an hour later.
According to the statute, party officials may select a new nominee if a candidate who won the primary withdraws by 5 p.m. on July 13. The replacement candidate must be named by July 27.
Democrats must net four Senate seats to gain control of the 100-member chamber, and party leaders viewed Maine as a critical piece of the puzzle, along with Alaska, Ohio and North Carolina.
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
Nazi tattoo, Reddit posts and more had already been challenges for Platner
Platner has faced difficult questions almost from the moment he started his campaign last year. News outlets uncovered years-old comments on Reddit that appeared to endorse political violence, dismiss rape in the military, criticize rural Americans and use anti-gay slurs.
There was another controversy over the skull-and-crossbones tattoo, which is widely recognized as a Nazi symbol, on his chest. He said he was unaware of the history and chose the tattoo while drunk and on leave with fellow Marines in Croatia. He covered the tattoo after becoming a candidate, and he said in an Oct. 21 interview with the Pod Save America political podcast that he was “not a secret Nazi.”
“Skulls and crossbones are a pretty standard military thing,” Platner added.
However, a former girlfriend told The New York Times that Platner joked about the tattoo being a Nazi symbol and called it “my Totenkopf.”
The revelations about the tattoo and the online comments stirred concern among Democrats that Platner had been poorly vetted as a political candidate and demonstrated questionable judgment. Some party leaders despaired over Platner’s chances to win even before allegations about previous relationships began to surface.
Platner drew progressive buzz and support
Before Politico’s story was published, Platner canceled some town halls planned around the state. Such events were a calling card for his campaign, which prided itself on a willingness to go anywhere to rally voters. Volunteers hosted happy hours and trivia nights that helped generate enthusiasm for a generational shift from Collins, 73, to Platner, 41.
At a time when Democrats have grown dissatisfied with the party establishment, Platner seemed like an appealing alternative. His deep voice could command a room, and voters were drawn to his gruff populism and focus on economic inequality.
They were also willing to look past controversies as Platner portrayed himself as a regular person who had made mistakes and was striving to better himself and his community. Sometimes he talked about his struggles with post-traumatic stress disorder, and he focused on the power of redemption.
Before the sexual assault allegation became public, some voters said they also wouldn’t want to be judged on their worst moments, such as drunken behavior or crude comments.
Platner was backed by progressives including Rep. Ro Khanna of California, but that support quickly eroded after Racicot’s allegations.
“I’ve been very clear that sexual assault or violence against women is a red line,” Khanna said Monday. “These allegations are very serious and credible. Graham Platner should drop out from the race. I am withdrawing my endorsement.”
Sonja Birthisel, a Democrat and data analyst in Orono, Maine, voted for Platner in the primary. But she said he did the right thing by dropping out.
“My hope for the future of our democracy is that we can hold all of our elected officials to higher standards,” she said.
But the 38-year-old said she rejects the idea that the race is a proxy battle between moderate and progressive forces nationwide.
“Maine is a big small town,” she said. “I’d really love to see out-of-state influence and out-of-state money keep out of our beeswax as much as possible.”
The U.S. will never learn. They can't attack a country and not think they ain't gonna respond back.
If I were the Iranian government, I would end all talks with the United States and hold the Strait of Hormuz on an indefinite blockade. Only entities that trade with Iran are allowed passage.
They should charge passage fees at $75,000 (USD) or ¥95,000 (CNY).
If Iranians were really agitated, I would believe they would hack into the Democratic and Republican Parties national database. Also target lawmakers and media agitators who constantly agitate for total destruction of the Iranian sovereignty.
I am not advocating for violence or the U.S. to fail. I am advocating for President Donald J. Trump, Vice President JD Vance, Elon Musk, Larry Ellison, David Ellison, Mark Zuckerberg, Jeff Bezos, Rupert Murdoch, Miriam Adelson, Peter Thiel, Republicans, weak ass Democrats, Israel, Russia and the agitators who constantly get paid to keep us fighting one another to fail.
And fail they will.
The U.S. once again launched an attack on Iran putting the Memorandum of Understanding in jeopardy of collapse.
The U.S. military attacked Iran early Wednesday after it said Tehran struck three ships in the Strait of Hormuz, part of an American effort that also revoked the Islamic Republic’s ability to openly sell crude oil in the world market.
Iran immediately warned Washington it would “take whatever measures it deems necessary,” raising the risks that an interim agreement in the war halting fighting could break down, putting the wider Middle East again at risk of a wider conflict. Bahrain, home to the U.S. Navy’s 5th Fleet, sounded its missile alert sirens Wednesday morning after the American attack on Iran.
The attacks on shipping and the resulting strikes on Iran came during the dayslong funeral for Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who was killed Feb. 28 in the war’s first moments at age 86. The funeral, which ends Thursday, had been thought to be a period of lower tensions — though mourners have repeatedly called for the killings of U.S. President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Negotiations to reach a final deal had been due to start after Khamenei’s burial and focus on the toughest matters, including fully reopening the strait and rolling back Tehran’s disputed nuclear program.
Iran wants reparations and a formal apology before they end tensions with the U.S.
Overnight US strikes target Iran
The U.S. military’s Central Command said American forces launched the strikes “to impose heavy costs for targeting and attacking commercial shipping crewed by innocent civilians in an international waterway.”
It said it hit Iranian targets including air defense systems, radars and over 60 small boats used by Iran’s paramilitary Revolutionary Guard. Those boats have been key in harassing ships in the strait.
The U.S. military remains “postured and prepared to hold Iran accountable when the agreement is not adhered to or obeyed,” it added, saying this round of attacks had ended.
Iran acknowledged the strikes, but offered no word on any losses. Iranian state media reported the sound of explosions in Bandar Abbas, Qeshm and Sirik.
Iran’s central military command warned it “will respond decisively to this aggression and terrorist act.”
“Under no circumstances will (the Iranian armed forces) allow interference in the affairs of the Strait of Hormuz, nor will they permit others to manage it,” it said.
A similar spate of Iranian attacks on shipping and U.S. retaliatory strikes occurred late last month — which drew Iranian attacks on Bahrain and Kuwait. Wednesday’s strikes also came as Trump was in Turkey for a summit of the NATO military alliance.
US revokes license for the sale of Iranian oil
The U.S. also revoked a license that authorized the sale of Iranian oil as part of the interim deal. That had allowed Iran for the first time in years to conduct oil sales openly on the international market for U.S. dollars. Iran long had been suspected of selling sanctioned crude oil at below-market prices to China.
A U.S. official said the license was revoked because Iran’s actions in the strait were unacceptable and needed to be met with consequences. The official spoke on the condition of anonymity to share insight into the reasoning behind the move.
The decision came after the strikes on shipping. One tanker was traveling off the coast of Oman when it was hit and caught fire, the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations center said. Iranian state television said the liquefied natural gas tanker came under attack after ignoring warnings but did not directly claim the assault.
The other two ships sustained some damage, but no one was injured, and both continued on their way in the Strait of Hormuz, the U.K. maritime agency said. Iran has maintained a chokehold on the Strait of Hormuz since the war, disrupting global energy markets as a fifth of all traded oil and natural gas passed through the channel in peacetime. The ships attacked Tuesday all appeared to be using a route close to Oman’s shore, rather than one ordered by Tehran.
Tehran repeatedly has declared that only its approved route through the strait is safe and is suspected of attacking other ships that have used the Oman route.
Majed al-Ansari, a spokesperson for the Qatari Foreign Ministry, said the Qatari tanker Al Rekayyat was targeted in an “unacceptable attack” on international navigation and global energy security. He said Qatar holds Iran “fully legally responsible.”
Iran and the United States agreed as part of the interim deal to allow ships to pass without paying charges for 60 days. But Tehran insisted it must control the vessels’ routes and later charge fees for passage, which would upend decades of practice in the waterway.
The U.S. and many Gulf Arab states say they will not agree to Iran charging for passage through the strait.
The U.S. broke its ceasefire once again. Iran stated that limited passage in the Strait of Hormuz is allowed. They said no aggression when Ali Khamenei is laid to rest. The U.S. pressured by Israel launched "retaliatory" attacks.
Mourners gather in Qom for Khamenei’s funeral
Authorities flew Khamenei’s body to the Shiite seminary city of Qom, where mourners honored him Tuesday.
Iranian state television aired live images of hundreds of thousands of people walking toward Jamkaran Mosque, just south of Qom, for the funeral service. Shiites believe the mosque once hosted Muhammad al-Mahdi, the 12th and last Shiite imam, who disappeared in the 9th century and is supposed to one day reappear to bring justice to the world.
Khamenei’s son, Iran’s new Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei, has yet to make an appearance at the ceremonies, which began Saturday in Tehran. He is believed to be in hiding after reportedly being wounded in the airstrike that killed his father.
Israel First.
Khamenei’s body arrived late Tuesday in Iraq, where it was received by officials from both countries. Processions are planned for Wednesday in Najaf and Karbala, the two holy Shiite cities.
Khamenei will then be returned to Iran to be buried Thursday at the Imam Reza shrine in Mashhad, his birthplace.
Iran's negotiations with the U.S. are pretty clear.
They want the U.S. to end all aggressions against Iran.
They want the U.S. and Israel to compensate for the victims and property damaged by the aggression.
They want the U.S. to end all sanctions on Iranian trade and communications.
They want the U.S. to stop calling Iran a "state sponsor of terrorism."
They want the International Criminal Court to apprehend Benjamin Netanyahu and his cronies.
Everywhere you go, you see antisemitism. This is what Zionists have you believe. But who is doing deed theft in Brooklyn, New York?
The United States has another issue that our inept Congress and president ignores.
While the country is on the verge of a civil war, the junk food media obsesses over a candidate's "sex scandal" in a politically charged race in Maine.
They are not talking about the most deadliest holiday weekend. There were 35 mass shootings in the United States.
While gas prices are on the decline, the truth about them is the U.S. Strategic Oil Reserves are being depleted. The president also illegally seized oil reserves from Venezuela.
Israel has continued its aggression in Syria, Lebanon and Gaza. The government of Hamas has formally dissolved under this crappy ceasefire agreement brokered by the U.S.
The U.S. was knocked out of the World Cup days after the president pressured the FIFA president to reverse a decision to expel a player.
Americans are losing their homes to individuals and companies that literally take homes under false or predatory pretenses. They use tactics to illegally seize homes from the vulnerable and elderly. They often target Black and poor Americans who have ownership of their homes, their land and their resources.
Scammers or just colonialists want to buy up homes.
The AARP details it like this.
Though it is still a relatively uncommon scam, deed-theft cases are popping up across the country. There are two typical variations:
In the first type, thieves forge a deed that transfers ownership of a property to them. They file the deed with a county clerk, who records the sale. Then the property is quickly sold to an unsuspecting purchaser.
In the second type, crooks deceive a homeowner, convincing them to sign a deed to transfer ownership, often by promising help refinancing a mortgage or paying overdue property taxes.
Please don't blame them!
You know it's antisemitic when you accuse a certain group of being responsible for most of the deed theft.
Hey, did you know that Brooklyn and Queens residents have seen this specific group operate like they are their own country?
But who is responsible for illegal deed theft in the United States?
Private equity companies are very notorious for this.
Former Tallahassee mayor and gubernatorial nominee for Florida busted again.
Andrew Gillum, the co host of the Native Land Podcast with Angela Rye and Tiffany Cross was arrested on drug possession.
Gillum, who lost to Ron DeSantis by an extremely slim margin in the 2018 Florida governor’s race and served as Tallahassee’s mayor from 2014-2018, was arrested last week in Alabama on drug charges.
According to online jail records, the former politician was arrested Thursday night in Daphne, Alabama on charges of possession of dangerous drugs, drug paraphernalia and possession of marijuana.
He has since been released from jail.
Further details surrounding the 46-year-old’s arrest were not immediately released. Local 10 News has requested a copy of his arrest report from the Daphne Police Department.
Gillum, who ran as a Democrat against DeSantis in the 2018 election, previously made headlines in March 2020 after Miami Beach police said they found him at the Mondrian South Beach Hotel in an “inebriated” state with two other men.
According to a police report, officers found three small clear bags inside the hotel room containing suspected crystal meth, although the men were never charged with a crime.
Gillum released a statement after the 2020 incident, saying he was at a wedding the night before the incident and was drinking, but denied taking any methamphetamines.
Gillum also made headlines in 2023 when he was acquitted of lying to the FBI in a corruption case that also involved illegal use of campaign contributions.
He has not publicly released a statement regarding the latest incident in Alabama, as of Tuesday morning.
He is still married to his wife, R. Jai Gillum. They have three children.
He had numerous affairs with men and women. He came out as bisexual.
The suspect is innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
Call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline (Lifeline) at 1-800-273-TALK (8255) or 988, or text the Crisis Text Line (text HELLO to 741741). Both services are free and available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. The deaf and hard of hearing can contact the Lifeline via TTY at 1-800-799-4889. All calls are confidential. Contact social media outlets directly if you are concerned about a friend’s social media updates or dial 911 in an emergency. Learn more on the Lifeline’s website or the Crisis Text Line’s website.
You can get help if you, a loved one or friend is dealing with drug abuse.
SAMHSA’s National Helpline is a free, confidential, 24/7, 365-day-a-year treatment referral and information service (in English and Spanish) for individuals and families facing mental and/or substance use disorders.
Democrats are losing white men. Graham Platner was an answer to that. Now an allegation from a woman has an upheaval of his campaign. Pro Israel, establishment and even progressives are calling for him to step down.
An allegation surfaced on Democratic senate nominee Graham Platner.
Platner is angry. Rightfully so.
He wants to focus on issues that affect people in Maine. But here we are talking about some issue facing him and his personal life. Last month it was the allegations of cheating through a social media app. Then it was about a few ex-girlfriends who said he was either a lousy guy or a great partner.
Now sexual abuse.
The allegations comes from a woman who claimed that a mere five years ago, Platner broke into her home and sexually assaulted her. She went to CNN, the network owned by Larry and David Ellison.
What is not being discussed is the jobs report.
The cost of living.
The price of gasoline.
These corporations are raking in massive profits despite Americans tightening their wallets.
The price of groceries are still high.
The cost of housing is unbearable.
The cost of insurance premiums are high.
The cost of shipping goods is high.
The option to go to the doctor, the car mechanic or take a vacation is expensive.
More people are struggling under this president. Yet, we are more concerned about a he said/she said story.
This has the Democratic Party demanding he steps aside.
Ran to Zionist platforms Jake Tapper and the Politico.
I take sexual abuse allegations very seriously. However, for every allegation, there is a Tara Reade and Donald J. Trump.
Me thinks it's an op from the Israelis.
A woman who previously dated Maine Democratic Senate candidate Graham Platner said he drunkenly forced her to have sex after she told him to stop, according to a Politico report released Monday, leading prominent supporters to pull their endorsements and throwing a must-win race for the party into turmoil.
Why didn't she file a police report the moment this happened?
Why did she talk to the Zionist New York Times before the Politico bombshell?
Suspect.
White women tears have locked up Black men. They often get away with sending innocent people to the iron college if they have a bogus allegation.
Platner denied the allegation, but said he would be considering next steps for his campaign.
“Regardless of the inaccuracy of the reporting but mindful of the political reality it will inflict, we’re taking the time to reflect on the best path forward,” he said in a video released on social media.
Jenny Racicot, who lives in Maine, told Politico that Platner entered her home in 2021 while drunk and assaulted her. Racicot said she had been in an on-and-off relationship with Platner, but she cut off contact with him after that night and told him the incident wasn’t consensual. A voicemail left at a number listed for Racicot seeking comment did not receive an immediate response, but she said in a CNN interview on Monday evening that she opted not to fight back for fear of Platner, a former Marine, becoming more violent.
“He violated multiple layers of consent that night,” Racicot said.
Platner’s campaign did not immediately respond to an email and phone message from The Associated Press seeking comment.
“Any accusation of non-consensual behavior is categorically false,” Platner said in his video.
Uproar in the Democratic Party
Platner won the Democratic nomination last month, setting himself up to face Republican Sen. Susan Collins, who has beaten back previous attempts to dislodge her from the seat that she’s held for nearly three decades.
Although Platner has long been controversial, the sexual allegation sparked a flight away from the candidate, who canceled a handful of town hall events. The main campaign arm of Senate Democrats called on Platner to drop out and said it would spend no money on the race, which is considered critical to control of the chamber, if he is 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,” Kirsten Gillibrand, chair of the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, and Chuck Schumer, the top Senate Democrat, said in a joint statement.
The Democratic National Committee sent out an email soliciting money for Senate races hours after the Politico report posted, but Maine was not one of them. Ken Martin, the party chair, said, “Maine Democrats should select a new nominee.”
Rep. Ro Khanna, a California Democrat who stood by Platner even as the candidate faced previous controversies, said Monday’s allegation was enough. “I’ve been very clear that sexual assault or violence against women is a red line,” Khanna said. “These allegations are very serious and credible. Graham Platner should drop out from the race. I am withdrawing my endorsement.”
Accuser goes to Zionist Jake Tapper.
Arizona Sen. Ruben Gallego and Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren announced they were pulling their endorsements and called on Platner to drop out. The Democratic leaders of Maine’s legislature and top officials at the state Democratic Party did the same.
“This Senate race comes at a pivotal moment in the struggle against a government, supported by Senator Collins, that serves the interests of the wealthy and powerful at the expense of ordinary Maine people. It is essential that we refocus this campaign on that struggle,” party chair Charlie Dingman, vice chair Imke Schessler and executive director Devon Murphy-Anderson said in a joint statement.
Collins issued only a brief statement.
“These allegations are appalling,” she said. “Nevertheless, it is not up to me to choose the Democratic nominee for Senate.”
State law allows Platner to be replaced on the ballot if he withdraws by July 13. The replacement candidate must be named by July 27.
The Associated Press generally does not name victims of sexual assault, but in this case Racicot spoke in an interview with Politico.
A succession of campaign controversies
Platner had never before held elected office, and Democratic leaders in Washington preferred Gov. Janet Mills in the primary. However, Mills, 78, dropped out as Platner, 41, consolidated support with help from progressive leaders at a time when Democratic voters have grown disenchanted with the party establishment.
While some Democrats came around to support him after his commanding primary win, Platner’s controversial history had already left others openly despairing of their chances of winning the race. A veteran who also worked for a private security contractor, Platner has a chest tattoo recognized as a Nazi symbol, reportedly sexted with other women shortly after getting married and had a history of inflammatory comments on social media.
In 2013, Platner posted on Reddit that people shouldn’t get so drunk “they wind up having sex with someone they don’t mean to” and that sexual assault victims should “just take some responsibility for themselves.” He’s since apologized for the post and says he no longer holds those beliefs.
The New York Times also reported that Platner had volatile relationships with previous girlfriends, one of him said an argument became physical. Platner denied the allegation.
Hasan Piker, a leftist commentator and streamer who backed Platner, seemed to reverse himself Monday following the Politico report.
“If new evidence presents itself, I’m going to change my perspective — it’s that simple,” Piker said during a livestream on Twitch, adding: “This is a clear-cut instance of verifiable sexual assault allegations. It’s completely irredeemable.”
Our Revolution, a progressive organization founded by Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont, said Platner should withdraw because the allegations “are too serious to treat as a distraction from the campaign or the issues.”
It also hinted at the potential battle over who would replace Platner.
“Whoever leads this movement forward must be someone who has actually lived the fight Graham Platner ran on: a record with working people, with unions, against corporate money, already tested and trusted by the same base that delivered this result,” said a statement from Joseph Geevarghese, executive director of Our Revolution.
Platner had pitched himself as a blue-collar oysterman and veteran who could reach disaffected voters. But as controversies mounted, some state Democrats had heartburn, embodied by Mills’ refusal to endorse Platner after she dropped out of the primary. Chatter circulated about possible replacements, including former state senator and logger Troy Jackson and Secretary of State Shenna Bellows.
“I’ve known this has been coming,” said Marie Follayttar, a Democrat and community organizer in Maine, talking the growing whispers inside the state’s small population that had been bracing for yet another revelation surrounding Platner. “I’ve been scared and I’ve been sick waiting.”
Mike Connelly, a business owner and Democrat in Brunswick, Maine, said in an interview that he wants Platner to drop out after the latest allegations. But Connelly said he’d vote for him if he stays in.
“I would vote for a comatose Democrat before I would vote for Susan Collins,” Connelly said.
Fair game.
But if you care about that shit while you are paying $70 dollars to fill up a mid size car or $156 for a bigger ride, you priorities on other shit.
The President of the United States is getting richer. President Donald J. Trump is 80 years old. He has amassed nearly $4 billion since returning to the White House.
What does this mean for you when you are working twice as hard and still not making enough to pay the bills?
What does it mean when you are online worrying about a flawed human being over your choice of geriatric politicians who retains power through corporate donors, a foreign country and their word that they would change the next go around?
Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME) is as MAGA as Trump. She claims to be an independent conservative with this notion she works across the aisle. A fascist is still a fascist.
She is over 70 years old and completely out of touch with reality.
Platner is an asshole. Yeah, I said it. He had a tattoo some saw as a Nazi emboldem. He covered it up. He apologized and said he doesn't harbor those views. He wrote shit on social media about how radical he is and how he wrote dark humor. Okay, we read it and saw how tasteless the shit is. He claimed he was an asshole and had beliefs that he regrets. All right, it's over,
Okay, we move on.
He said he does not want our troops to die for Israel. Now here comes the allegations and accusations against him.
The New York Times released a bombshell report about *gasp* Platner's former relationships.
Count on your fingers how many Republicans and Democrats had affairs. I can assure you there's dozens. I mean seriously, this is a low bar.
Trump has set a standard. A flawed man can still win.
In 2026, we will have candidates running for some form of political office. Several of these candidates will be running as Democrats. Some are flawed people. The Democrats continue to push out candidates that are against the status quo. They are still committed to elected members who are old, supportive of Israel, willing to be bipartisan and willing to embrace conservative policies to stay in office.
It's that type of things that keeps Democrats in the minority.
About NED.
Neverending Distractions.
Words are just words.
Actions have consequences.
While being diverse in ideas, the Democratic Party is far from progressive. These three entities in the Senate as well as Democrats in House districts Trump won in 2024 are placing the party in the centrist/conservative category.
The Democrats will have to build a different ground game now that President Donald J. Trump will get to appoint up to three new Supreme Court nominees again.
No more mocking the white angry voters. No more taking advantage of the non college educated voter. Democrats need to get into the business of troll farming, disinformation, grievance politics and less about identity politics.
No more idol worshiping. The Republicans worship Trump.
The Republicans worship greed, hate, getting in people's businesses and sexual predatory behavior. If a Democrat has a sex scandal that doesn't involve legal ramifications, fucking ignore the allegations. I am serious. If there is no criminal conviction, it's an allegation.
Ignore the calls to leave but clearly state why you carry baggage. Because if you care about changing the city, district or state you want to represent, your personal problems cannot outweigh the actual problems constituents face.
Stop trying to paint MAGAland as idiots. I know that sounds like I am siding with Trump but I am not. I am no longer going to embrace the social influencers who try to paint the Trump supporters as morons.
The time to do soul searching is over. It is all out war.
If Republicans want to keep their guns, maybe Democrats should keep theirs.
No more condemning racism. It is time to just allow the conspiracy theories, racism and hate fester. Cause it may eventually be the Republican Party's undoing. It's free speech no matter how disgusting it is. I mean as long as these folks have no physical contact, it's just smoke and no fire.
Let the right deal with it and no longer allow our impulses to react to it.
The Republicans are moving towards fascism while the Democrats are moving towards conservatism.
Is it possible for a new political party?
Yes.
The two party system is wearing thin. Republicans have a favorably of 28%. The Democrats have a favorably of 29%.
Both parties are not doing enough to solve America's problems.
If progressives need to divorce the Democrats, the time is now. I am not voting for the status quo.
I am going to vote for a candidate that focuses on issues that impact the growth of this flawed nation. Not distractions or words. Words do not pay the rent. They do not feed the families. They do not pay my bills. Words do not control the movement of policies.
No more slogans.
It's noise.
Folks, the Democrats must end the rules of engagement. They need to kick out the filth.
End their support of Israel, stop pandering to win votes, embrace embarrassments and stop trying to be friends with MAGAland.
Blue MAGA is a threat too. Because they are too cozy with religion, apartheid, income inequality and racism.
The Democratic Party is now conservative while the Republican Party is now fascist.
The Democrats are ignoring the progressive base.
No more happy clappy liberal.
I am sorry Stephanie Miller, Laurie Daniels Favors, Zerlina Maxwell, Reecie Colbert, Clay Cane and Thom Hartmann: we ain't winning on being positive. I think it time to go negative and embrace the right's definitions of the left.
I am not advocating for violence but I will no longer condemn it if it's done in the name of politics. I am tired of trying to push for issues that are ignored.
I will now be an independent. I will not support the Republican Party or Democratic Party any longer. I am going to stay progressive on most issues involving domestic and social issues. Show some conservative stances on finances giving that things are more expensive and the focus is more on home meals and no longer eating out.
I am no longer tolerating mass texts from Democrats. No more polls. No more we need you.
I will not worry about Biden, Trump or any future president. They will have costly mistakes and proven successes. I must accept it.
If the Democrats get their act together, maybe they might have a shot in 2026. No reference to gun violence.
Don't tire yourself, Mr. President. We can put the medal over you.
President Donald J. Trump has tainted FIFA. The football club is facing a worldwide backlash after the president got on the phone to convince the FIFA president to overturn a decision that put an American player back in the game.
Trump intervened on behalf of star U.S. forward Folarin Balogun, whose red-card suspension was lifted in a decision that allows him to play in a World Cup match against Belgium on Monday.
Balogun, the American leader with three goals in the tournament, received a red card for stepping awkwardly on the right ankle of Tarik Muharemović of Bosnia-Herzegovina in a 2-0 round of 32 win on Wednesday, triggering an automatic one-game suspension.
FIFA announced Sunday that the suspension had been lifted for the round of 16 match, an extraordinary move that triggered praise from Trump and outrage from Belgium’s team. It appeared to be the first time since 1962 that a red card during a World Cup didn’t result in a suspension.
Trump called FIFA president Gianni Infantino after the game asking FIFA review the red card, according to a person familiar with the call who spoke on condition of anonymity because the person was not authorized to speak publicly about the matter.
“Thank you to FIFA for doing what was right, and reversing a great injustice!” Trump said in a statement on social media.
The Royal Belgian Football Association (RBFA) said it was “astonished,” and Belgium coach Rudi Garcia mocked FIFA’s action.
“I didn’t know that in the offices of FIFA the fifth of July was the first of April in Europe,” Garcia said through a translator in an April Fools’ Day comparison. “The Belgian federation does not defend itself, it does not protect the national team. She defends football in general, she defends her integrity, her ethics. I think it’s the first time in the history of the World Cup that there is this kind of decision.”
Garcia wouldn’t respond when asked about a possible appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport or whether he thought Trump impacted FIFA’s action.
“In order to safeguard the legitimate rights of all participating teams and to protect the fundamental principles of fair play in our sport, both at this FIFA World Cup and at future editions of the tournament, the RBFA is investigating all potential options,” the Belgian federation said in a statement.
American players learned of Balogun’s availability when social media posts started popping up during the 10-minute bus ride Sunday morning from their hotel to training at the University of Washington’s Husky Soccer Stadium, where they were greeted by Dubs II, the university’s Alaskan Malamute.
Balogun’s red card had been one of the World Cup’s most controversial and consequential decisions. Brazilian referee Raphael Claus didn’t initially signal a card but showed Balogun red after a video review.
“If you look at the foul, it was just zero intent at all,” U.S. star Christian Pulisic said. “I felt like there was much worse ones that went on this tournament.”
The U.S. Soccer Federation learned of FIFA’s action in a message sent by FIFA in its portal at 10:31 a.m. EDT.
“The implementation of the match suspension is suspended for a probationary period of one year,” FIFA announced. “If Folarin Balogun commits another infringement of a similar nature and gravity during the probationary period, the suspension shall be revoked and the sanction enforced without prejudice to any additional sanction imposed for the new infringement.”
U.S. coach Mauricio Pochettino applauded FIFA’s move.
“We were punished enough against Bosnia-Herzegovina to play with 10 men (for) 30 minutes in a decision that was completely unfair,” he said.
Pochettino, who played for Argentina in the 2002 World Cup, was not surprised Trump decided to call Infantino.
“I came from a culture, Argentina or Europe, that football, soccer is a religion, more than the religion,” he said. “If we go keep going, pushing on, maybe one step more tomorrow you will see that the sport is magic, that the sport is amazing, is so powerful, unite people, unite a country like us.”
England coach Thomas Tuchel wondered whether more decisions going forward could be challenged, whether yellow cards could be overturned for England’s Declan Rice and France’s Michael Olise.
“We can now debate endlessly: I think it’s not a yellow card,” he said. “Where does this end? Where does it stop?”
Back in the game and a lot of trouble.
Balogun’s three goals included a go-ahead strike against Bosnia. He matched Landon Donovan in 2010 for the second-most goals by an American in a World Cup, behind only Bert Patenaude’s four in the initial tournament in 1930.
A 25-year-old who plays for Monaco, Balogun scored 13 Ligue 1 goals last season and has 12 goals in 30 international appearances. He was born in Brooklyn to Nigerian parents who were living in London and in 2023 opted to change his national team affiliation from England, which he had represented at the under-21 level.
“He strikes fear into a lot of defenders,” Richards said.
The host U.S. is seeking to reach the quarterfinals for the first time since 2002. The Americans lost in the round of 16 to Ghana in 2010, Belgium in 2014 and the Netherlands in 2022. They failed to advance from the group stage in 2006 and didn’t qualify for the 2018 tournament.
The USSF didn’t make Balogun available for comment Sunday, but Balogun posted on social media a picture of himself in front of U.S. fans and overlaid with music of Michael Jackson’s pop single “Bad.”
On Friday, Balogun said he thought a yellow card instead of red “would have been fair.”
FIFA said its decision relied on Article 27 of disciplinary committee rules.
“The judicial body may decide to fully or partially suspend the implementation of a disciplinary measure,” the rule states. “By suspending the implementation of the sanction, the judicial body subjects the person sanctioned to a probationary period of one to four years.”
FIFA in November deferred the final two games of a three-match ban for Portugal’s Cristiano Ronaldo for a red card against Ireland in a World Cup qualifier, allowing him to play at the start of the World Cup.
Argentine defender Nicolás Otamendi and Ecuadoran midfielder Moisés Caicedo in April had one-game bans deferred for red cards in qualifiers, also allowing them to be available for World Cup openers.
Brazilian midfielder Garrincha received a red card in the 83rd minute of the 1962 semifinal against host Chile for kicking an opponent but was allowed to play in the final against Czechoslovakia after a lobbying campaign that included support from Chile President Jorge Alessandri. Brazil won the final for its second straight title.
“What about the next red card? What happens then?” Norway coach Ståle Solbakken said. “Is there going to be some committee somewhere that is going to take that card away? It’s a bad, bad, bad, bad, bad decision that will hurt the World Cup.”
FIFA allows Israel to play, banned Russia and North Korea, reversed a decision on behalf of the hosting nation and its controversial ties to the U.S. president.
