NYT > U.S. > Politics
Several Women Who Dated Graham Platner Recall ‘Unsettling’ Behavior
The Democratic candidate for Senate in Maine could be charming, women said in interviews, but some found his actions intimidating and disturbing.
Center Left
New York Post
Woman-hating Graham Platner made twisted rape comments and lied about Nazi tattoo, ex-girlfriends reveal
Right
Maine Senate hopeful Graham Platner once twisted an ex-girlfriend's arm -- and fantasized about killing people and raping intruders, according to a slew of women who've come forward to out his creepy behavior.
Compare Perspectives
Found 8 stories
Raw Story
Todd Blanche exposed Trump's IRS settlement for what it really is: ex-prosecutor
President Donald Trump's acting Attorney General, Todd Blanche, went to bat for one of the surviving parts of Trump's "settlement" with the IRS in his $10 billion lawsuit, and, in so doing, only cemented how improper it was, former federal prosecutor Harry Litman wrote for his "Talking Feds" Substack.Specifically, Litman said, he defended the provision that excuses Trump and his family from IRS audits going forward.Blanche, under pressure from lawmakers, "declared that 'nothing has changed' in that provision. But he talked out of both sides of his mouth," wrote Litman. To start with, "he characterized the provision as a freestanding 'Attorney General order,' independent of the settlement. In virtually the same breath, however, he defended it as part of 'that settlement.' He told the subcommittee, 'Anytime the IRS settles with an individual taxpayer or another company as part of the settlement, it’s standard, it’s typical…to get rid of past ongoing audits.'"In reality, Litman argued, Blanche's own words here show "that the whole settlement arrangement is collusive and, therefore, not a real case or controversy under the Constitution."The problem, he said, is that in an actual lawsuit, "one party can’t simply declare that the settlement is off. The disavowal would be legally worthless. The other party would be quick to enforce the benefit of its bargain." In the case of the IRS "settlement," Litman said, "there was no bargain — just a benefit — to Trump. They were on the same side of the 'v.,' which is why Blanche could purport to speak for them both."This comes after dozens of retired judges urged the court hearing the original IRS case to reopen it and examine whether it was a fraudulent use of the court system.
Far Left
Raw Story
Trump official alarms onlookers with claims about a destructive parasite: 'Totally fine'
An uncomfortable description of a threatening parasite by a Trump administration official is drawing startled reactions.Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins spoke at an oversight hearing on Thursday about the spread of the New World Screwworm that threatens cattle ranches."It's a vexing challenge that we thought we had beaten in the 1970s," Rollins said. "You need about 400 million sterile flies per week to mate with the bad flies...the larva [of the screwworm] is what actually eats the flesh."Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-MS) called the confirmation of screwworm "alarming." Oklahoma Republican gubernatorial candidate Charles McCall noted that cattlemen across his state are "extremely nervous, and for good reason.""NEW WORLD Screwworm. Totally fine," political commentator Owen Shroyer posted on X. The account FactPost dug up and posted a Fox News clip of Sec. Rollins saying in November that, "We have screwworm under control.""This is what Trump and his cabinet members ALWAYS do," wrote Rep. Shri Thanedar (D-MI). "Tell you that a problem is going to resolve itself by a certain time and then hope you forget once that turns out not to be true.""Did the screwworms buy a pardon from Trump?" joked writer Grant Stern.We are treating the confirmed case of New World Screwworm in a Texas cattle ranch with the utmost seriousness and are responding aggressively alongside our state partners @TAHC.USDA's proactive actions bought us nearly a year to prepare, as models had projected New World… pic.twitter.com/Ws5ceLc9ew— Secretary Brooke Rollins (@SecRollins) June 4, 2026
Far Left
Reason.com
Todd Blanche Hates 'Weaponization' of Government Unless It Benefits His Boss
Blanche is happy to pervert justice in service of the president's personal agenda. No wonder Trump wants to keep him as attorney general.
Center Right
Washington Examiner
Democrats bracing for more bombshells in Platner sexting scandal: Byron York
Washington Examiner chief political correspondent Byron York highlighted the internal tension within the Democratic Party amid Maine Senate candidate Graham Platner‘s sexting scandal. “Clearly, Democratic senators are terrified that there is going to be more to come out,” York said Thursday on Fox News’s America Reports. “I think it’s important to point out right now […]
Center Right
New York Post
Graham Platner dated multiple women at once, had profiles on several dating apps, ex-girlfriends reveal
Maine Senate hopeful Graham Platner dated multiple women at once and made profiles on different dating apps, according to his ex-girlfriends.
Right
Latest Political News on Fox News
SEE IT: Dem senators dodge on backing Platner as Maine candidate’s scandal clouds final days before primary
Democratic senators repeatedly declined to say whether they still support Maine Senate candidate Graham Platner amid leaked explicit sexual messages.
Right
Alternet.org
Rubio rises as Vance falls —all because one told truth and one told lies
President Donald Trump may be boosting Secretary of State Marco Rubio over Vice President JD Vance because Vance, unlike Rubio, told the truth about the Iran war.“It’s clear that Trump is displeased with JD Vance,” wrote The Bulwark’s conservative commentator Jonathan V. Last on Wednesday. “Early on, when Trump thought he was winning in Iran, there were leaks about Vance not being onboard with the war. Daddy Trump sent Vance to negotiate with the Iranians when they clearly had all the cards, setting him up for failure—and at the same time took Rubio with him on vacation to fight night. There was a huge dump of leaks designed to show that Trump doesn’t think Vance has the juice.”Citing Rubio’s recent congressional testimony, in which he parroted Trump’s incorrect claims that "the war is over now” and "[w]e’re going to continue to systematically clear this passageway through the straits to restore freedom of navigation,” Last concluded that Vance fell out of favor with Trump because of his reported reservations about America invading Iran.“In a rational world, you might expect Trump to see Vance’s correct assessment of Iran as a positive and Rubio’s mistaken assessment as a negative,” Last wrote. “But that’s not how humans work.” Quoting the fictional character Albus Dumbledore from the famous “Harry Potter” literary series, Last observed that “people find it far easier to forgive others for being wrong than being right.” He then speculated that “the worse Iran gets, the worse it will be for Vance. Trump will become even more resentful—even if Vance never says told you so. Trump will remember that Vance was the one who told him not to do it.”Last also mused that if Vance had been incorrect about the Iran war, his standing with Trump would potentially be more secure.“In a funny way, I suspect Vance’s position inside Trump’s court would be stronger if the war had been successful and he’d been wrong,” Last explained. “In that case, Trump could magnanimously forgive him and chide him for being a worrywart.”In contrast to Last, ex-GOP presidential aide Steve Schmidt argued on Wednesday that Vance might actually be better positioned to inherit the Republican Party’s presidential leadership than Rubio.“Marco Rubio will never, ever be the President of the United States, but because of the terribleness of [Vice President] JD Vance, he has become sort of a flavor of the month,” Schmidt, who advised President George W. Bush, said on his Substack. “And because of the corruption of the corporate media, Marco Rubio is taken and treated seriously. He's treated like a statesman.”Even though Rubio supporters praise his handling of foreign policy, Schmidt pointed out that Trump still seems to invest greater power in Vance.“At the end of the day, Marco Rubio, the Secretary of State, is not leading the negotiations in Pakistan — JD Vance is,” Schmidt argued. “And he's accompanied by the President's son-in-law, who may be one ... of the most corrupt individuals in the history of the country. ... These men are raking in billions in corrupt acts around the globe and they're leading the negotiations. The man who the Saudis deposited $2 billion of cash into his investment fund despite him having no investment experience.”
Left