THE NEWS

Graham Platner
The conditions for Graham Platner exiting the race have now come into play, and they may be hard for the Democratic Party to meet.
As The Gateway Pundit reported yesterday, another Platner sex scandal erupted as rumors swirl that the Maine Democrat Senate candidate is going to drop out of the race.
A woman, who may or may not have been unleashed by Democrat operatives desperate to defeat moderate GOP senator Susan Collins, told Politico that he r*ped her while they were dating.
“I remember him grabbing my pelvis and being really forceful with me,” 41-year-old Jenny Racicot told Politico. “I remember the specific moment where I thought to myself, like, ‘This is no longer my choice.’”
Jenny Racicot previously told the New York Times that Platner’s behavior was “unsettling” and “reckless,” however, she detailed more serious allegations of rape during a series of interviews with Politico.
Platner denied the charge in a video posted on X but left the door open to dropping out of the race. National Democrats later pounced and piled on the pressure.
Later Monday night, an aide to Platner revealed exactly what it would take for the scandal-tarred candidate to exit the race. What he said will not be comforting to the ears of Democratic mafia bosses.
“If he were to step down, it would only be with a guarantee of being replaced by a candidate who he believes is true to the values, vision, and policy agenda of the campaign that Maine voted for,” the aide told the New York Times.
In other words, play ball with me. Otherwise, you will have to vote for a credibly accused r*pist to defeat Collins.
Under Maine law, Platner has until July 13 at 5 p.m to drop out of the race so party officials can pick a new candidate.
The New York Post notes that the deadline to choose the replacement candidate is 5 p.m. on July 27. This gives Democrats two weeks to decide on their chosen candidate to run in the general election campaign.
It’s time to see how badly the party wants Platner gone and how badly the candidate wants Collins defeated.

The post Graham Platner Aide Reveals Ultimatum for Democrats Should the Candidate Drop Out of the Race as R*pe Scandal Continues to Explode appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.

Cuba is slowly restoring electricity after the country’s third nationwide power grid collapse of 2026 on Monday, but fuel shortages hamper the effort.

1 Year Inflation Expectations Jump To 3 Year High In Latest NY Fed Consumer Survey

Inflation as measured by the CPI may have peaked, but Americans’ expectations for inflation over the near and medium term rose notably in June according to a Federal Reserve Bank of New York survey released Tuesday, with strong increases anticipated for medical care costs and rent,

Consumers now see inflation at 3.7% over the next year, up from 3.5% in May, the highest since September 2023. Expectations for inflation in three years increased to 3.3%, the highest since June 2022, up from 3.1%, while estimates for inflation in five years remained steady at 3%. 

After months of facing higher energy costs, consumers said they see gas prices rising at the lowest rate since mid-2022. Their outlook for food prices also improved slightly in June, though households expect higher bills for medical care and rent. As shown below, median year-ahead commodity price change expectations increased by 0.5% point for the cost of medical care to 9.4%, and by 0.9 percentage point for rent to 8.3%. Median year-ahead price change expectations decreased by 0.8 percentage point for food to 5.0%, by 2.3 percentage points for the cost of college education to 5.7%, and by 3.5 percentage points for gas to 1.5%. The June reading for gas is the lowest since August 2022.

Energy prices have declined in recent weeks, following an interim peace deal between the US and Iran. Earlier on Tuesday, New York Fed President John Williams said he now sees a positive near-term outlook for inflation, which rose 4.2% in May from a year earlier.  

Despite the jump in near-term inflation expectations, sentiment improved when it comes to jobs: the mean perceived probability of losing one’s job in the next twelve months decreased by 1.0% to 14.1%, and the mean perceived probability of finding a job if one’s current job was lost increased by 1.2% to 44.9%.

The data also pointed to an improvement in consumers’ finances. The share of households saying their financial situation was better than last year increased in June, a smaller share of households reporting a worse financial situation and a larger share reporting a better financial situation, and expectations for future finances also improved.

…. however, expectations for future credit availability deteriorated slightly, with a larger share of respondents expecting that it will be harder to obtain credit in the year ahead.

The mean perceived probability that U.S. stock prices will be higher 12 months from now increased by 2.9 percentage points to 40.9%, the highest level of the series since April 2021.

Some more details from the report:

Labor Market

Median one-year-ahead earnings growth expectations increased by 0.1 percentage point to 2.8% in June. This is the highest reading since March 2025.
Mean unemployment expectations—or the mean probability that the U.S. unemployment rate will be higher one year from now—decreased by 1.5 percentage points to 41.7%, remaining above the 12-month trailing average of 41.3%.
The mean perceived probability of losing one’s job in the next 12 months decreased by 1.0 percentage point to 14.1%, falling below the 12-month trailing average of 14.5%. The mean probability of leaving one’s job voluntarily in the next 12 months (or the expected quit rate), declined by 3.5 percentage points to 17.3%, falling below the 12-month trailing average of 18.6%.
The mean perceived probability of finding a job if one’s current job was lost increased by 1.2 percentage points to 44.9%, though it remains below the 12-month trailing average of 46.3%. The increase was driven by respondents with household incomes under $50,000.
Household Finance

The median expected growth in household income increased by 0.2 percentage point to 3.0% in June. The series has been moving in a narrow range between 2.8% and 3.0% since June 2025.
Median one-year-ahead nominal household spending growth expectations remained unchanged at 5.0%.
Perceptions of credit access compared to a year ago improved, with the net share of households reporting it is harder to get credit decreasing. Expectations for future credit availability deteriorated slightly, with a larger share of respondents expecting it will be harder to obtain credit and a smaller share expecting it will be easier to obtain credit in the year ahead.
The average perceived probability of missing a minimum debt payment over the next three months decreased by 1.8 percentage points to 10.8%, the lowest reading since April 2023. The decline was broad-based across age and education groups.
The median expectation regarding a year-ahead change in taxes at current income level remained unchanged at 3.1%.
Median year-ahead expected growth in government debt decreased by 0.4 percentage point to 9.5%, remaining above the 12-month trailing average of 8.7%.
The mean perceived probability that the average interest rate on saving accounts will be higher in 12 months increased by 2.0 percentage points to 26.6%.
Perceptions about households’ current financial situations compared to a year ago improved, with a smaller share of households reporting a worse financial situation and a larger share of households reporting a better financial situation. Year-ahead expectations about households’ financial situation also improved, with a smaller share of households expecting a worse financial situation and a larger share of households expecting a better financial situation in one year from now.
The report comes as some investors see the Fed raising rates later this year to address elevated inflation, although others such as Morgan Stanley are pretty steadfast the Fed will not hike. Fed officials have kept interest rates steady in 2026, though economic projections released last month showed nine officials see the need for at least one rate increase by year end.

Tyler Durden
Tue, 07/07/2026 – 12:40

Hamas announced Monday that it was dissolving the emergency committee overseeing Gaza’s civilian government, a move that could clear the way for a new U.S.-backed administration to take over civilian affairs.The proposed body, known as the National Committee for the Administration of Gaza (NCAG), is a U.S.-backed committee intended to oversee civilian affairs in Gaza after the war. Hamas, which the U.S. designates as a foreign terrorist organization, has ruled Gaza since seizing control of the territory in 2007. The group led the Oct. 7, 2023, attack on Israel that triggered the war, and Israel has insisted Hamas can have no governing or military role in post-war Gaza.The announcement could therefore become a key test of President Donald Trump’s Gaza framework and broader regional diplomacy. A genuine transfer of power could help advance the establishment of a post-war administration. But Israel and Hamas’ critics say the group is offering to relinquish the burdens of civilian government while retaining its weapons, security apparatus and real influence on the ground.HILLARY CLINTON BREAKS WITH DEMOCRATIC CRITICS BY BACKING TRUMP’S GAZA PLAN AS THE ‘ONLY GAME IN TOWN’The Trump-led Board of Peace responded cautiously, saying its assessment would be “guided by actions, not promises.” The technocratic committee, which is currently based outside Gaza, has said it is prepared to begin operating once conditions allow.But the announcement did not include a commitment by Hamas to disarm, the central demand from Israel and a core element of Trump’s post-war framework.Alaa Abo Naddi, a Gazan teacher and political activist, said that the committee Hamas is dissolving was never the source of its real authority.”I believe this is simply an attempt by Hamas to buy time,” Abo Naddi said. “The real question has always been whether Hamas is willing to give up its weapons and dismantle the armed groups and militias under its control.” AJS: I’d move this up to maybe fourth graph. He said Gaza’s civilian officials have long operated without independent authority and remain subordinate to Hamas’ security apparatus.”In reality, even a low-ranking Hamas security officer can overrule them or have them arrested,” he said. “As long as Hamas retains its arms, this looks like an attempt to preserve its control and gain more time.”NETANYAHU REJECTS REPORTS OF A RIFT WITH PRESIDENT TRUMP, SAYS THE TWO REMAIN ALIGNED ON IRANHadeel Oueis, editor-in-chief of the pan-Arab media outlet Jusoor News, similarly described the announcement as a “performative step” likely encouraged by one of Hamas’ regional backers.Oueis said the move appeared intended to send Trump a message that Hamas had fulfilled its obligations and that Israel was now responsible for blocking the next phase of his plan.”This is just a show and doesn’t change anything on the ground in reality,” Oueis told Fox News Digital. She noted that technical employees are expected to remain in place during the transition, arguing that Hamas would therefore remain the de facto authority unless its security and military structures were removed.Michael Milshtein, head of the Palestinian Studies Forum at Tel Aviv University’s Moshe Dayan Center, also characterized the dissolution as largely symbolic but said its timing could signal a broader diplomatic effort.Milshtein said Egypt, Qatar and Turkey have been working with Hamas to develop a compromise that could move the stalled post-war arrangement forward, particularly on the issue of disarmament.Rather than demanding the immediate and complete surrender of Hamas’ weapons, he said the mediators may be pushing for a gradual and partial process that Hamas could accept.”I assess that the step Hamas took today is part of a move coordinated with Turkey, Qatar and Egypt, intended to begin advancing the broader arrangement,” Milshtein told Fox News Digital.He said Hamas had effectively thrown the ball into Israel’s court and could now argue that it had agreed to relinquish formal government control.HAMAS INFLUENCE LOOMS OVER GAZA ELECTIONS AS EXPERTS WARN VOTE COULD BACKFIREIsraeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar rejected that distinction Tuesday, accusing Hamas of trying to reproduce the model used by Hezbollah in Lebanon, where an armed organization maintains military dominance while civilian institutions handle government services.”They don’t care if others collect the garbage, provide municipal services and administer civilian affairs, if Hamas will remain the dominant military force,” Sa’ar said during a meeting with German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul.Sa’ar said Israel would continue to insist on the “disarmament of Hamas and all other terrorist organizations in the Gaza Strip, and its full demilitarization.”Wadephul backed that position, saying Hamas must relinquish both its weapons and its de facto control of Gaza.The United Nations also offered a cautiously positive response. U.N. spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric said the organization had taken note of Hamas’ announcement concerning the dissolution of the Government Emergency Committee and the proposed transfer of administrative responsibilities to the National Committee for the Administration of Gaza.”We welcome any step that contributes to the implementation of the ceasefire agreement and advances the objectives reflected in relevant Security Council resolutions, including the full implementation of the ceasefire, the protection of civilians, and the unhindered provision of humanitarian aid,” Dujarric said.He added that the U.N. continued to support “efforts toward unified Palestinian governance under the Palestinian Authority.”Milshtein said the real test would be whether the National Committee for the Administration of Gaza is allowed to enter Gaza, operate independently and exercise genuine authority, while Hamas gives up not only its civilian role but also its security and military control.

Traffic in the Strait of Hormuz (screenshot via Fox)
Iran targeted more ships in the Strait of Hormuz on Tuesday, jeopardizing peace negotiations with the US. 
Per CBS, at least three ships in the Strait appeared to come under attack. One of the ships was a Qatari liquefied natural gas tanker that caught fire, risking an explosion. A second Saudi-flagged crude oil tanker was also targeted by a missile, and a third unidentified ship was hit by a drone.
Audio obtained by Fox earlier shows the Iranian Navy threatening one of the ships.
“This is the last warning, this is last warning, this is last warning. You are all in danger. Don’t put your life in danger. You are ordered to alter course. Do so immediately, alter course, do so immediately, and use the south of Larak Island. If you disobey, you will be targeted. Navy out,” the Iranians said before reportedly attacking.
Via Fox:

This comes after fighting temporarily resumed late last month, with the US responding to Iranian strikes on ships in the Strait by targeting Iran’s military in and near the Strait of Hormuz.
The US and Iran agreed to halt strikes and meet in Doha last weekend after the US launched multiple strikes against Iran in response to Iran targeting commercial vessels in the Strait of Hormuz. Trump told reporters last week, “We hit them very hard for three nights, as you know, but we’re getting along very well, so I call it the denuclearization, and it’s all taking place. It’s all going well.”
Still, Trump told reporters on Monday that he may “finish the job” in Iran if no deal is made.
“And it won’t be tough to finish the job. I’d rather make a deal because I don’t want to affect 91 million people,” the President said.
“We can knock down their bridges in one hour. We can knock out their energy supply. All of those big plants that they built, big, beautiful, modern plants. They had a lot of money. They don’t have any money now. We haven’t given them any money. But we can knock out their electricity and power-generating plants in, I would say, a small part of an afternoon. Every plant will be gone, and they know that.”
WATCH:

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi responded on Tuesday, saying Iran’s military will not be “moved by any threats” and threatening that “negotiations on final Deal will not commence if threats continue Honor your signature”

Millions of proud Iranians rallied in unity to honor Grand Ayatollah Khamenei and his legacy. Neither them nor our Brave Armed Forces are moved by any threats.
Para 13 of the MoU is clear: Negotiations on final Deal will not commence if threats continue Honor your signature. pic.twitter.com/uQ7OoFyp8U
— Seyed Abbas Araghchi (@araghchi) July 7, 2026

This is a developing story.

The post JUST IN: Iran Hits Another Ship in the Strait of Hormuz – Audio Shows Iranian Navy Threatening Ships: “This is Last Warning. You Are All in Danger” (VIDEO) appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.

Beams bending in Manhattan skyscraper
A 37-story Manhattan skyscraper under renovation has been evacuated when workers on Tuesday noticed cracks in the structure, falling bricks and support beams that were bending.
At least eight neighboring buildings also were evacuate under concerns the structure could collapse.

Video shows two columns buckled inside a Midtown building under construction. Dozens were evacuated and multiple streets were closed at the height of rush hour. See the full story : https://t.co/lgH632z6TN pic.twitter.com/7eYIZtJNPI
— PIX11 News (@PIX11News) July 7, 2026

BREAKING: Midtown Manhattan high rise evacuated after construction workers discover buckled columns … sagging floors and falling bricks. 42nd & 43rd streets near 2nd avenue closed as DOB assesses the danger. pic.twitter.com/294MXBdkeY
— Steven Bognar (@Bogs4NY) July 7, 2026

A building in midtown Manhattan was evacuated after fire officials said two columns buckled and floors were sagging between the 21st and 26th floors. Several buildings nearby have also been evacuated over concerns of a potential collapse. CBS News’ @lilialuciano has more. pic.twitter.com/mHMTiMjN8A
— CBS News (@CBSNews) July 7, 2026

A report at the Daily Mail said the building on East 42nd Street, which formerly was occupied by Pfizer, was undergoing renovation into 1,500 luxury living units.
“Construction crews self-evacuated from the 37-story skyscraper on East 42nd Street just after 8 a.m. Tuesday after they discovered that two support beams had begun to buckle on the 21st and 22nd floors. The 21st to 26th floors of the building started caving in under the stress, officials say,” according to the report.
“Terrifying footage filmed by workers inside the building showed the massive silver beams buckling and bending just moments before the floor started crumbling,” the report said.
No injuries were reported immediately but the New York Fire Department confirmed it was launching a “major technical rescue response.”
A worker, to the Daily Mail, accused the contractor of failing to shore up the project correctly.
That worker claimed, “The beams started crumbling, the floors started crumbling, and they might have to evacuate the other side.”
Streets around the building were ordered closed.
Mayor Zohran Mamdani issued a statement, “Now luckily there have been no injuries to report at this time, all workers are accounted for, the building has been evacuated, a number of tall buildings in the area are also being evacuated at this time, a school with about 400 children has also been evacuated.”

President Donald Trump promised to eliminate sanctions on Turkey and renewed his threats to control Greenland on Tuesday.

New York Times opinion columnist Michelle Goldberg says she “deeply” regrets an earlier column praising Democratic Senate candidate Graham Platner, writing that a rape allegation against him led her to conclude he appears “significantly worse” than the online criticism she had previously dismissed.Goldberg, who profiled Platner favorably during his rise in Maine Democratic politics, revisited her assessment in a new column after Platner’s former girlfriend accused him of rape, an allegation he has denied.”While I’m assigning blame, I shouldn’t leave out myself,” Goldberg wrote in the Monday column.PLATNER’S LATEST ACCUSER CLAIMS THE DEMOCRATIC SENATE CANDIDATE ‘ABSOLUTELY’ RAPED HER”Last October, when stories about Platner’s tattoo and Reddit posts first broke, I went to Maine to write about him. I tried to convey what I saw: a campaign that was electrifying angry Maine voters. But I deeply regret that, impressed by Platner’s political charisma, I wrote that he was ‘nothing like the edgelord caricature I encountered online.’ If anything, he seems to be significantly worse.”On Monday, during an interview with CNN’s Jake Tapper, Jenny Racicot, who had previously made allegations against Platner, was asked if she thought Platner had raped her, and she responded, “By definition? Yes, absolutely.”Racicot’s allegations were first detailed by Politico in a Monday report. She told that outlet over the course of three interviews that Platner forced her to have sex with him against her will in 2021, which Platner has denied. Racicot told Politico that Platner was “almost blackout drunk” when the incident took place.”I remember him grabbing my pelvis and being really forceful of me,” Racicot told Politico. “I remember the specific moment where I thought to myself, like, ‘This is no longer my choice.’”TOP PLATNER ALLY TURNS ON HIM AFTER BOMBSHELL RAPE ALLEGATION ROCKS CAMPAIGN: ‘RED LINE’In June, the New York Times published a story featuring allegations against Platner from women who formerly dated him, including Racicot.Even though Racicot addressed her relationship with Platner in the Times article, she did not elaborate on the 2021 incident.Goldberg also singled out Platner’s former political director, Genevieve McDonald, writing that McDonald had tried to warn Democrats about him.”She quit when the first Platner scandals emerged and has been increasingly outspoken against him,” Goldberg wrote. “Progressive operatives made her seem like a vindictive person eager to curry favor with Maine’s political establishment. In retrospect, she looks much more like someone who took a profound professional risk to do the right thing. I can’t be the only one who regrets not taking her more seriously.”EXPLOSIVE SEXUAL ASSAULT ALLEGATION ROCKS PLATNER CAMPAIGN AHEAD OF KEY DEADLINE IN CRUCIAL SENATE RACEShe continued, “If there’s a lesson here, it might be about the importance of listening hard to the people telling you what you don’t want to hear. Many Democrats, disgusted by their party’s failure to contain Donald Trump, want representatives as furious as they are, and they no longer trust their leaders to tell them who is electable. That opens space up for outsider candidates who wouldn’t have had a chance a few years ago. It also makes it easier for unfit characters to escape proper vetting.”Fox News Digital reached out to Platner for comment.Fox News’ Rachel Wolf contributed to this report.

After Maine U.S. Senate candidate Graham Platner was accused of drunkenly raping a woman, a litany of progressive Democrats are tucking tail and heading for the hills as their ringing endorsements of the continuously embattled candidate come back to haunt them.Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., said at an April rally that Platner is, “My kind of man.”She issued a statement Monday night after allegations emerged that Platner drunkenly raped 41-year-old Maine resident Jenny Racicot in 2021.”Now more than ever we need leaders in Washington who reflect our values. There can be no tolerance for sexual assault,” Warren’s statement said.”Working families are counting on Democrats to win the Senate election in Maine to unrig our economy and hold Donald Trump accountable. With so much at stake, the best path forward is for Graham Platner to step aside as the Democratic nominee and address these serious allegations outside this Senate race.”WATCH: DEM SENATORS EXCUSE PLATNER’S CONDUCT AT CRISIS HUDDLE WITH EMBATTLED MAINE CANDIDATEA spokesperson for Warren did not answer specific questions about whether the senator regretted backing Platner, who has not dropped out of the race as of Tuesday morning, through his numerous prior scandals.Progressives supported Platner despite a months-long series of damning scandals, including the revelation that the candidate had a Nazi-linked tattoo on his chest. He was also exposed for infidelity to his wife, making lewd Reddit comments about masturbating in portable toilets on a now-deleted account and mocking a Purple Heart veteran.He also faced accusations last month of physical misconduct and violence against an ex-girlfriend who was then smeared as a conservative political operative.Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., was silent on the rape allegations until midday Tuesday. “I have spoken with Graham Platner about the best path forward for Maine,” he said in a statement. “In light of these very serious allegations, I have recommended that he step aside.” Sanders previously said that he would “do everything I can to make sure that Graham Platner is the next Senator from the state of Maine.”The left-wing commentariat played a massive role in propping Platner up.Fox News Digital reached out to Sanders’ office for comment, but did not hear back at time of publishing.TOP PLATNER ALLY TURNS ON HIM AFTER BOMBSHELL RAPE ALLEGATION ROCKS CAMPAIGN: ‘RED LINE’Former Obama aides Jon Favreau, Jon Lovett, Dan Pfeiffer and Tommy Vietor, who now host the “Pod Save America” podcast, were chief among those supporting Platner’s rise in the Democratic Party.”Graham Platner isn’t just our best and only chance to beat Susan Collins, he’s a good, decent man who’s struggled and grown and is always trying to do better,” Favreau said on X in April, well after the Reddit post and Nazi tattoo scandals.Favreau changed his tune Monday night.”Platner needs to drop out ASAP – these are awful, credible allegations,” he posted. “Said on the pod after the (also credible) June NYT story that his biggest problem going forward would be credibility. It’s now abundantly clear that he just hasn’t been honest about his past and can’t be trusted as a candidate for office.”Vietor defended Platner after Rep. Jake Auchincloss, D-Mass., who is Jewish, condemned the candidate’s Nazi-linked tattoo and Reddit posts as “disqualifying” in May.SANDERS CAUGHT ON CAMERA SNAPPING AT REPORTER OVER PLATNER’S POSTS: ‘GET A BETTER JOB’”Have you called or met with him to discuss it?” Vietor asked Auchincloss on X.Vietor had also interviewed Platner after those scandals.But he, too, reversed course on Monday night.”This story is really bad, well-documented and credible, and obviously the right course of action for Platner is to drop out as soon as possible so that Maine democrats can get a replacement on the ballot,” he said.Pfeiffer followed suit.”The allegations against Graham Platner are well-documented, very credible, and highly disturbing. He should drop out ASAP,” he said, on X.Lovett didn’t make a statement, but posted a clip of Monday’s episode of “Pod Save America,” where despite his apology, Vietor jumped straight back to politics and remarked that he was, “very worried now about the prospect of winning this seat” but said the Democratic Party, “could ultimately be in a stronger place politically.”Fox News Digital reached out to Crooked Media, the parent company of “Pod Save America,” but did not hear back.PLATNER’S LATEST ACCUSER CLAIMS THE DEMOCRATIC SENATE CANDIDATE ‘ABSOLUTELY’ RAPED HERSome not only failed to condemn Platner, but instead took offensive positions.”Graham Platner may drop out. (I hope he doesn’t, but.) Meanwhile, the Abuser in Chief just keeps on keepin’ on,” author Stephen King wrote on X, referring to allegations against President Donald Trump over the years.King followed-up with another post claiming everyone in politics in Washington, D.C. is corrupt.”Tell you what–if you knew the whole truth about everyone in the Senate and House of Reps, those chambers would be dead empty. Jesus said, ‘Let him without sin cast the first stone.'”Far-left media personality Cenk Uygur of The Young Turks spent much of Monday blaming everyone but Platner for the scandal, including the media and the “Israeli lobby.””Congratulations to national media on politically assassinating Graham Platner,” he said in one post. “If he drops out and Democratic Party tries to give us two candidates who are both for Israel and corporate pacs [sic], they’ll face a revolt like they’ve never seen. Days of bull—- false choices are over.”Fox News Digital reached out to Uygur.Ryan Grim, formerly of The Intercept, spent ages defending Platner online.”Democrats need people like Platner if they are going to come to terms with the true nature of our country, with what we have done to people at home and abroad, and pull together the coalition needed to heal and reshape it,” he said in a June post regarding an opinion piece that promoted Platner.He reported on X Monday night that Platner “lost his base,” but did not address the rape allegations or his support for the candidate directly.Grim did not return a Fox News Digital comment request.Others prominent Democrats who abandoned the Platner ship include Rep. Ro Khanna, D-Calif., Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., and Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee Chair Kirsten Gillibrand, D-N.Y.

Twelve years ago, nearly to the day, members of the U.S. Men’s National Team sat in stunned silence on a field in Brazil after losing a heartbreaker to Belgium in the 2014 World Cup.Despite goalkeeper Tim Howard’s heroic performance and forward Chris Wondolowski’s near miss that would have likely ended the game in regulation, the USMNT were outclassed by a final score of 2-1 in the round of 16.Fast forward to Monday night, and a team of American men that was previously anointed “the golden generation,” sat in a similarly stunned fashion after being blitzed by an almost completely different team of Belgians on their home turf in Seattle.BELGIUM EMBARRASSES TEAM USA BEFORE BREAKING OUT TRUMP’S SIGNATURE DANCE CELEBRATION AFTER FOURTH GOALIt begs the question: has anything changed in the last 12 years?I mean, after all, following that loss to Belgium at the 2014 World Cup, many pundits predicted the Americans were on the up and up when it came to soccer, and that a close loss to such a quality opponent meant the USMNT was on the fast track to success.But just three years later, the program bottomed out with an embarrassing loss to Trinidad and Tobago in the last game of the qualifying rounds that kept them out of the 2018 World Cup.USA ADVANCES IN WORLD CUP AFTER CONTROVERSIAL RED CARD VS BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINAThe 2022 iteration of the USMNT didn’t fare much better, gritting their way through the group stages in Qatar before once again bowing out in the round of 16 to a superior European squad (Netherlands).And now we have this result, a 4-1 drubbing at the hands of a Belgian team in the midst of a fading “golden generation” of their own.Superstars like Eden Hazard, Kevin DeBruyne, and Vincent Kompany who were the engines of those Belgian squads from the 2010s were nowhere to be found on Monday night, but the results were still the same – worse, even.USA COACH MAURICIO POCHETTINO KICKS POWERADE BOTTLES IN FRUSTRATION AS TEAM’S FIRST HALF DEFENSE LOOKS SHAKYSo again, I ask: what changed?It would be reductive to look at just the result against Belgium and say, “nothing,” but you would also be removing the previous three weeks of soccer that directly preceded Monday evening’s blowout loss.Yes, the team looked out of sorts as if the moment was too big for them.Yes, their best player, Christian Pulisic, was dreadful when his country needed him the most.These things can be true, but what’s also true is this is still the most talented team many of us have seen in the Red, White, and Blue in our lifetimes.The 2026 World Cup was the first time the USMNT had won back-to-back games at the world tournament since 1930, and the team won a game in the knockout round for the first time since 2002.This is one of the most prolific offenses America has ever produced, and many of their young stars, like Malik Tillman and Folarin Balogun, are only just now entering their primes.In World Cups past, American fans would have prayed for results like the ones they saw against Paraguay, Australia, and Bosnia and Herzegovina.It wasn’t that long ago where a 0-0 draw against teams of their ilk would have been seen as “getting the job done.”Now, this team and this country expects to pick up three points against “inferior” opponents.Go back and look at what pundits were predicting against Paraguay before the start of the World Cup. I can assure you that no one was expecting a 4-1 smackdown.The team and program has a long way to grow still.Nowhere was that more evident than on the pitch in Seattle on Monday.Belgium looked like they belonged in a game of that magnitude, while the USMNT wilted when the spotlight got hot.That has to change, there is no getting around that.CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON FOXNEWS.COMBut while we wipe the taste of that loss from our mouths, let’s also look back and appreciate the heights we have reached in the past month.America is expected to win games in the knockout rounds of the World Cup, and that alone is massive progress.We no longer have to sit around and pray for a 1-0 victory where our only goal comes from a corner kick.That’s growth.So, to answer the question: yes, the USMNT has gotten better in the last decade. Appreciably so.There’s work to be done, but we should also appreciate the work that’s already been done.Thanks to the U.S. Men’s National Team for a tournament that Americans will never forget.