Washington, DC

1. Platner drops
2. Post-Platner dreams
3. Vance’s Iran risk
4. New US-Iran strikes
5. Europe’s mixed bag
6. Immigration support dips
7. Sens’ manufacturing push

PDB: Trump signals support for Ukrainian strikes on Russia

Newsom in Nevada … OpenAI to publicly release new models … UK Labour Party starts process to nominate Starmer replacement

Platner ends campaign under pressure

Maine Democrats are scrambling for a new Senate nominee after Graham Platner suspended his campaign last night. Platner denied new allegations of sexual assault but conceded he couldn’t keep running after his party abandoned him. “The corporate media system and the political establishment got to act as judge, jury, and executioner,” Platner said in an 11-minute campaign video. On a call with campaign staff, Platner said he’d sought “assurances from the Democratic Party that they will ensure a process for a replacement nominee that respects the will of the voters” who supported him in the June 9 primary. Minutes before Platner spoke, the Maine Democratic Party announced that it would hold a nominating convention to replace him. Meanwhile, the National Republican Senatorial Committee told its stakeholders that a snap poll it conducted in Maine found that most Democrats didn’t want him to quit.

— David Weigel

Progressives dream beyond Maine

Platner’s demise in Maine is a clear loss for progressives coming off of wins in Colorado and New York. But they’re still trying to influence the process as the state party prepares to name a new candidate before the end of the month, to ensure a more progressive candidate like former Maine State Senate President Troy Jackson — who threw his hat into the ring last night — ends up on the ballot. Others, like Maine state Rep. Valli Geiger, are already claiming to have Platner’s backing. There’s hope for progressives elsewhere if Minnesota Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan or Michigan public health expert Abdul El-Sayed win their upcoming Senate primaries. And that’s not to mention the incoming bumper crop of progressive House lawmakers. If Democrats flip the House, a “Squad 3.0” will arguably have more leverage than progressive senators would have from the minority.

Vance in waiting mode as truce falters

Vice President JD Vance became the face of the administration’s deal with Iran. Wednesday’s strikes put that agreement in serious jeopardy, even as President Donald Trump insisted Wednesday that Tehran wants to “make a deal.” Vance has been in wait-and-see mode, focusing on domestic priorities while Trump and the military take point on the conflict. Vance wasn’t blindsided by the return to hostilities, with one ally noting that the vice president has always been clear-eyed about the challenge of trying to come to an agreement with the Iranian government. “If you shoot at ships, we are going to punch back,” Vance said on Wednesday during a trip focused on anti-fraud efforts. And Vance’s allies aren’t worried about the breakdown of peace talks looking like a failure on his part — those in his orbit have always believed that voters will prefer an attempt at peace, even if it fails.

— Shelby Talcott

Strait in focus amid fresh US-Iran strikes

The US and Iran traded strikes for the second night in a row, hours after Trump said he believed a fragile ceasefire was over. The reigniting conflict saw the US mount strikes aimed at hampering Iran’s ability to attack ships in the Strait of Hormuz, while Tehran targeted American bases in Bahrain and Kuwait. Traffic through the strait has ground to a halt once again, with Iran’s top negotiator saying the waterway would only reopen under Tehran’s orders: “Let me be clear: Strike, and you will pay the price.” The renewed hostilities led US diesel futures to rise at the quickest pace in four years, compounding the political toll for Trump ahead of November’s midterm elections. The president has left himself with few good options to end the conflict, one expert told Reuters: “Trump has put himself ​in a box.”

Trump and Europe: It’s complicated

After the NATO summit, Trump’s rocky relationship with European allies hasn’t changed all too much. Trump revived his wish to exercise greater control over Greenland, called for cutting off “all trade” with Spain, and mused about pulling all US troops from Europe. His decision to restart the war with Iran will further vex European capitals nervous about the far-reaching economic effects of the conflict. But Europe did emerge from the summit with important wins: Trump agreed to provide licenses to allow Ukraine to make Patriot missile interceptors, which will help Kyiv resist the Russian invasion. And Trump’s message to NATO allies in private was one of commitment, despite his tendency to publicly lambast it. “The unity in that room was incredible,” Trump said of a closed-door meeting with NATO leaders, adding that there was “love in that room.”

Immigration support falls from record high

The number of Americans who support immigration dropped from a record high last year but remains strong, as the Trump administration pursues policies to curb illegal and legal migration. Seventy-three percent of US adults say immigration is a good thing, according to June Gallup polling, down from 79% who said so last year. The shift is largely driven by Republicans; the share of these voters who support immigration fell by 14 points since last year after a dramatic upward swing. Majorities say legal immigration has a positive impact on filling workforce gaps; filling low-wage jobs; generating tax revenue for public programs; and boosting the tech workforce. Americans are more negative on immigration’s effects on job opportunities for US-born workers and on housing. Americans’ support for hiring more border patrol agents also fell by 10 points, following the passage of congressional Republicans’ party-line border funding bill.

Senators seek to reverse manufacturing cuts

Senators plan to introduce a bipartisan bill today that would force the Trump administration to restore a Commerce Department program that helps hundreds of thousands of US manufacturing firms thrive. The legislation from Sens. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., Jon Husted, R-Ohio, Bernie Moreno, R-Ohio, and Andy Kim, D-N.J., shared first with Semafor, comes as Commerce withholds funding for Manufacturing Extension Partnership centers across the country, forcing hiring freezes or layoffs at 90% of them, according to one estimate. Ohio alone has seen six centers shuttered after officials froze more than $6 million in federal funding. “In order to help small manufacturers compete in an increasingly small and globalized world, it is important that they have the resources to grow and adapt,” Schiff said, calling the funding “essential to hundreds of thousands of workers and manufacturers.” Trump’s most recent budget request has proposed scrapping the program altogether.

— Eleanor Mueller

Platner’s fall won’t harm Sanders wing

For 21 hours, while Bernie Sanders said nothing about the sexual assault allegation destroying Platner’s campaign, speculation grew that the Vermont senator might be trying to talk his ally out of Maine’s Senate race. Sanders helped write the Platner story, after all, so he could close the book. It sounded good, but this story — and Sanders’ entire movement — doesn’t work that way. The founding myth of the Sanders camp, now entering its second decade at the arguable peak of its power as a left-wing electoral force, is that it sits outside the Democratic Party. Sanders can style himself that way because he never won the presidential primary. But the reality is that he, and his faithful, are inside the party — competing in its primaries, voting for most Democratic candidates, and communicating in all the forums where Democrats get news and opinions.

On Wednesday, July 22, Sen. Angela Alsobrooks, D-Md., Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP), will join Semafor’s The World of Work in Washington, DC to unpack how institutions are adapting and thriving in an increasingly fragmented economy.

As companies face rapid technological change, economic uncertainty, and shifting workforce expectations, leaders are rethinking performance, trust, and long-term success. To explore how AI adoption, workforce transformation, and evolving leadership demands are reshaping the future of work, Semafor editors will sit down with policymakers, business executives, and workplace innovators including Claire MacIntyre, Chief People Officer, Sam’s Club; Katy George, Corporate Vice President of Workforce Transformation, Microsoft; Mary Moreland, Executive Vice President, Human Resources, Abbott; Allison Peek Bebo, Chief Human Resources Officer, Pearson; and more.

July 22 | Washington, DC | Request Invite

Beltway Newsletters

Punchbowl News: The White House has written to Senate Majority Leader John Thune and Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, hitting back at claims from Democrats that the Trump administration has failed to make key appointments to various boards and commissions.

Playbook: Graham Platner ignored his advisers’ advice to strike a conciliatory tone in his video ending his campaign for the Senate, instead making it a condition of dropping out that “he get free rein to assail establishment Democrats and blame them for the ignominious end to his rapid political rise.”

Axios: Top Trump officials are discussing taking a more robust and prescriptive approach to AI to ensure the US retains its lead over China. “The possibilities are wide open,” said one outside adviser involved in the talks.

White House

• President Trump seemed to back Ukra