{"id":943,"date":"2026-07-08T14:39:00","date_gmt":"2026-07-08T14:39:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/modernhomejournals.com\/?p=943"},"modified":"2026-07-08T14:39:00","modified_gmt":"2026-07-08T14:39:00","slug":"distance-from-graham","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/modernhomejournals.com\/?p=943","title":{"rendered":"Distance from Graham"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Today\u2019s notice:<\/i><\/b> The new requirement to run for Senate in Maine. Michigan Democratic Senate candidates debate Bibi. Project 2029, why not. More trouble ahead for the ACA. And: Why D.C. residents will pay more for DoorDash and UberEats.<\/i><\/p>\n

Read more That Food Delivery Is Soon Going To Cost You a Little More in D.C.<\/a><\/p>\n

THE LATEST<\/b><\/h2>\n

While they wait for Graham Platner to drop out<\/b>, which it is important to note he has not yet done, Democrats in Maine are busying themselves trying to figure out how to replace him as their Senate nominee. Who gets to be considered?<\/p>\n

\u201cPeople who have come to his defense are more at risk now,\u201d <\/b>a former state party official told NOTUS\u2019 Christa Dutton<\/u><\/span> of what kind of Platner baggage is acceptable in a new nominee.<\/p>\n

This poses a complex problem. <\/b>Platner set Democratic politics in Maine alight, drawing huge crowds and prompting the state\u2019s sitting Democratic governor to suspend her campaign. That energy drew a lot of support from elected officials. But now those same folks are seen as tainted; someone who has no connection at all to the movement that animated the electorate is seen as the safer pick.<\/p>\n

The list of potential replacements is getting longer. <\/b>The former director of the state\u2019s Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Nirav Shah,<\/b> and Maine Secretary of State Shenna Bellows<\/b> \u2014 both of whom lost in the gubernatorial primary \u2014are interested. (A third candidate from that race, former state Senate President Troy Jackson<\/b>, took the first official step toward a potential candidacy.<\/u><\/span>)<\/p>\n

Bellows actually campaigned with Platner, but is now calling for him to drop out. Is that enough distance?<\/p>\n

Before anyone can find out how far is far enough, Platner has to make his move. <\/b>Again, he\u2019s still the nominee until he\u2019s not. He has to quit by Monday to start the actual process to replace him. Even the Maine Democratic Party says Platner\u2019s team is reaching out, but he has \u201cno role\u201d other than to drop out<\/u><\/span>. If he\u2019s waiting for someone to call him and ask who the next nominee should be, he will keep waiting. No one\u2019s interested in who he wants, Christa writes.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat person will be dead in the water with the general electorate from the beginning,\u201d state Sen. Joe Baldacci<\/b> said. For what it\u2019s worth, he also told Christa he is not looking to be Platner\u2019s replacement.<\/p>\n

Open tabs:<\/b> NATO unveils billions in arms deals to prove its firepower as Trump again demands Greenland<\/u><\/span> (AP); Trump-promoted Freedom Fuel gas stations are opening around Philly<\/u><\/span> (Inquirer); IOC paves way for Russia\u2019s Olympic return<\/u><\/span> (Politico); White House dismisses birthright citizenship irony in Balogun case<\/u><\/span> (USA Today)<\/p>\n

From Michigan<\/b><\/h2>\n

The Democratic Senate primary debate last night <\/b>was the first major event of the newly two-way race after state lawmaker Mallory McMorrow <\/b>dropped out last week. NOTUS\u2019 Igor Bobic reports that, unsurprisingly, Israel became a flashpoint. Rep. Haley Stevens<\/b>, who has received AIPAC support,pointed out that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu <\/b>recentlyfaulted her<\/u><\/span> for being critical of him. \u201cI am not afraid of bullies,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

Former Wayne County public health director Abdul El-Sayed<\/b>, currently leading primary polls with a strong pro-Palestine message, suggested the Stevens-Bibi argument was a political ruse. \u201cI think he\u2019s attacking her to try and steer away the stink of how staunchly she stands for their policy,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

From the campaign trail<\/b><\/h2>\n

Meet Project 2029. <\/b>It\u2019s being drafted by a group of Democrats, and yes it\u2019s a similar idea to the conservative Project 2025 that caused so much trouble for Donald Trump <\/b>in 2024 (before being largely adopted as a policy document in 2025, of course.) But drafters of the Democratic version tell NOTUS\u2019 Daniella Diaz<\/u><\/span> it will be a helpful addition to the next cycle. \u201cWe\u2019re going to have many, many people running for president over the next year and a half or so,\u201d said the project\u2019s executive director, Chad Maisel<\/b>. \u201cThis is really about anchoring that debate, shaping that debate on these big issues in particular.\u201d<\/p>\n

A preview of what\u2019s inside:<\/b> A child-care proposal that would offer either free, publicly funded child care or a $1,000-a-month \u201ccare credit\u201d for families who opt out of the public option.<\/p>\n

From HHS<\/b><\/h2>\n

Insurers are proposing premium increases again.<\/b> More Americans could drop off Obamacare enrollments as insurers look for hikes in ACA marketplace premiums for next year, NOTUS\u2019 Paige Winfield Cunningham reports<\/u><\/span>. Last year, marketplace insurers across the country raised premiums by a median of 20%, she writes, and next year\u2019s hikes could be similar, according to a KFF review of initial filings. Insurers have until July 15 to submit next year\u2019s premiums to states.<\/p>\n

Read more Trump Revokes Iran Oil-Sales Waiver After Strait of Hormuz Attacks<\/a><\/p>\n

NOTUS METRO<\/b><\/h2>\n

Sign up for our local newsletter.<\/b> D.C.-area news, sports and culture, straight into your inbox. Sign up here!<\/u><\/span><\/p>\n

Local news.<\/b> That Food Delivery Is Soon Going To Cost You a Little More in D.C.<\/u><\/span> By Martin Austermuhle<\/p>\n

NOTUS PERSPECTIVES<\/b><\/h2>\n

After Lauren Leader<\/b> criticized Graham Platner<\/b> for reasons having nothing to do with Israel, she was hit with a torrent of comments accusing her of being secretly motivated by Zionism. And she wasn\u2019t alone. Today at NOTUS Perspectives, she reminds progressives: Not everything is about Israel<\/u>.<\/span><\/p>\n

NEW ON NOTUS<\/b><\/h2>\n

Republicans do not like Donald Trump\u2019s F-35 deal.<\/b> The president wants to sell the jets to Turkey and it\u2019s causing a stir in his own party, NOTUS\u2019 Joe Gould reports<\/u><\/span>. \u201cProviding Turkey with our most advanced fighter jet would jeopardize U.S. national security, risk sensitive technology falling into the wrong hands, and endanger our allies in the Eastern Mediterranean and Middle East,\u201d Rep. Nicole Malliotakis<\/b> (R-New York) told NOTUS.<\/p>\n

More:<\/b> Trump Revokes Iran Oil-Sales Waiver After Strait of Hormuz Attacks<\/u><\/span>, by Hamed Ahmadi<\/p>\n

Judge Voids a \u2018Staggering\u2019 DOJ Bid for Georgia Election Workers\u2019 Personal Data<\/u><\/span>, by Angie Orellana Hernandez<\/p>\n

Legal Defense Group Sues Administration for Sharing Asylum Records With Iran<\/u><\/span>, by Angie Orellana Hernandez<\/p>\n

Republican Leaders Say They\u2019ve Spoken With Hospitalized McConnell<\/u><\/span>, by Angie Orellana Hernandez and Al Weaver<\/p>\n

NOT US<\/b><\/h2>\n