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Platner should drop out of Maine’s US Senate race after sexual assault allegation, Sanders says

PORTLAND, Maine (AP) — Sen. Bernie Sanders on Tuesday became the latest and most notable lawmaker to pull support for Maine Democratic U.S. Senate nominee Graham Platner following an allegation of sexual assault, adding to a chorus of calls for him to step aside as party leaders scramble to determine the next steps. Sanders, a Vermont independent who caucuses with Democrats, has long backed Platner in the high-stakes race against Republican Sen. Susan Collins, but he said in a statement that he spoke with the candidate and “in light of these very serious allegations, I have ...

McConnell speaks to GOP leaders as speculation swirls about his health, remains hospitalized

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Senate’s top two Republicans have spoken individually to Kentucky Sen. Mitch McConnell, according to aides, as the former GOP leader remains in the hospital more than three weeks after being admitted for undisclosed health issues. Aides to McConnell have declined to release any information about his condition, fueling speculation about his prognosis and whether he will be healthy enough to be at the Capitol when the Senate returns to Washington next week after a two-week recess. McConnell, 84, is retiring at the end of his term in January. A spokesperson for ...

Today in History

On July 8, 2018, divers rescued four of the 12 boys who had been trapped in a flooded cave in northern Thailand with their soccer coach for more than two weeks. (The remaining eight boys and their coach were rescued over the next two days.) Also on this date: In 1776, Col. John Nixon gave the first public reading of the Declaration of Independence, outside the State House (now Independence Hall) in Philadelphia. In 1853, an expedition led by U.S. Commodore Matthew Perry arrived in Edo Bay, Japan, on a mission to seek diplomatic and trade relations with the Japanese. In 1889, the ...

Three tankers hit in the Strait of Hormuz as US revokes license authorizing sale of Iranian oil

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Three tankers were struck by projectiles Tuesday in the Strait of Hormuz, the British military said, and the United States revoked a license that had authorized the sale of Iranian oil as part an interim deal to end the fighting between the U.S. and Iran. The new assaults in the fuel-shipping waterway were the most in a single day since late April, according to the U.N. International Maritime Organization. The fresh attacks threatened to choke off the flow of traffic in the strait just as countries hoped to restore normal shipping practices and ease ...