Trump arrives in Turkey for NATO summit
President Donald Trump arrived in Ankara, Turkey, for a two-day NATO summit and held a meeting with Turkey’s dictator Erdogan. Trump was expected to use the summit as opportunity to weaken the NATO alliance and step up his demands that European countries contribute more funding to NATO while the U.S. cuts back its funding. Trump revived his call for the U.S. to take over Greenland and said that the U.S. should pull all of its troops out of Europe. Russia revealed that Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin held an hour-and-a-half phone call on July 4. One of Putin’s long-held goals has been to destroy NATO.
Tanker hit by missile at Strait of Hormuz
Citing unnamed U.S. officials, both The Wall Street Journal and Axios report that that Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) had fired at two commercial ships near or transiting the Strait of Hormuz. Iran’s semi-official Fars News Agency reported a Qatari oil tanker was attacked while attempting to transit through the Strait of Hormuz “after ignoring repeated warnings.” The Iranians have paused negotiations with the U.S. aimed at reaching a lasting deal to end the war started by Donald Trump during the multi-day funeral for the Ayatollah Khamenei, who was killed in a U.S.-Israeli strike in February, on the first day of the war. In an internet post Tuesday alongside photos of crowds of mourners honoring Khamenei, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi warned negotiations on a final deal “will not commence if threats continue.”
Calls for Platner to end Senate candidacy
Democratic support for Graham Platner’s campaign for the Democratic nomination to run for U.S. Senate against Republican incumbent Susan Collins collapsed Monday evening. Platner has been accused by a woman of raping her nearly five years ago while they were dating. Platner said he was “taking the time to reflect on the best path forward.” New York Sens. Chuck Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand, who chairs the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, are among those calling on Platner to step aside. The Maine Democratic Party has called for Platner to drop out. There is a July 13 deadline for general election candidates to withdraw from the ballot. If Platner did withdraw by the deadline, the state Democratic Party would then have two weeks to put forward a replacement candidate.
Cuba suffers nationwide blackout
Cuba suffered a nationwide blackout on Monday as it faces an ongoing energy crisis, worsened by an effective U.S. blockade on fuel shipments. Cuba’s energy ministry said the national electrical grid had suffered a total collapse. Energy Minister Vicente de la O Levy said officials were working to restore energy and that they’ve already activated emergency “microsystems” that power vital services. Cuba has experienced several nationwide blackouts over the past few years, as the country’s aging electricity infrastructure struggles to meet demand. The country’s power crisis worsened this year after the U.S. forced Cuba’s main suppliers to stop oil shipments. On Monday, Cuba’s President Miguel Díaz-Canel criticized the U.S. for blocking fuel imports. Fresh sanctions by the U.S. have also further deteriorated the Cuban economy and prevented many tourists from visiting the island. The U.S. has accused Cuban officials of hosting Russian and Chinese listening posts on the island and thwarting U.S. interests in the region. Cuba denies the claims.
Status of Sen. Mitch McConnell still being covered up
There still have been no details released by Kentucky Sen. Mitch McConnell’s office regarding the health of the former Senate majority leader. Right-wing activist Laura Loomer, who has close ties to the Trump administration, said that a White House source told her that McConnell is brain dead. McConnell was hospitalized last month after suffering a heart attack. McConnell previously had announced that he would not be running for reelection and there will be an election in November to decide who will take over the seat next year. Kentucky changed its law regarding filling unexpired terms, so if McConnell’s seat is declared vacant Kentucky’s governor could not appoint sometime to fill out his term. The new law requires a special election, but it could not take place if it would be too close to the November election. There’s speculation that Republicans want to avoid a special election by keeping McConnell’s health situation secret so they won’t have to declare McConnell’s seat vacant right now.
Electric costs projected to remain high
A new report from clean energy think tank Energy Innovation suggests higher energy bills will continue for the next decade, tied directly to Donald Trump’s policies. The administration has made it harder to get permits to build clean energy projects and has tipped the scales in favor of more expensive coal-fired power. Energy Secretary Chris Wright said he was “thrilled” to celebrate the anniversary of Trump ending the clean energy tax credits last week, calling renewable energy “low-value.” Republicans, including Wright, have criticized solar and wind as unreliable and intermittent, driving up Americans’ electricity prices. The White House does not consider Energy Innovation’s report to be fair and non-partisan, White House spokesperson Taylor Rogers said, blaming today’s higher electricity prices on the Biden administration. Electricity rates are up 7.4% nationwide since last fall, with over a dozen states seeing double digit increases year-over-year.
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