1 Top Democrats Call On Graham Platner To Drop Out Of Maine Senate Race
Top Democrats are urging Maine Senate nominee Graham Platner to drop out of the race after a new report accused him of sexual assault. A Maine woman, Jenny Racicot, told Politico that Platner entered her home without permission in late 2021 while drunk and forced himself on her. Platner, a 41-year-old veteran and oyster farmer, flatly denied the allegation, calling it categorically false, and his campaign blamed out-of-state political operatives. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and the Maine Democratic Party called on him to withdraw, with Schumer and Senator Kirsten Gillibrand saying the party's campaign arm will not invest in the race if he stays. Under Maine law, Platner can be replaced if he withdraws by 5 p.m. on July 13th, after which the party has two weeks to pick a new nominee.
2 Microsoft Cutting 3,200 Jobs...Half Of Them At Xbox
Microsoft is cutting about 4,800 jobs, roughly 2.1-percent of its global workforce, with its struggling Xbox gaming division hit hardest. The company said yesterday that about 1,600 of the cuts are in Xbox, with more expected later that will bring total gaming job losses to around 3,200 this fiscal year, or about a fifth of the Xbox staff. Microsoft is also spinning off four game studios to operate on their own. Xbox CEO Asha Sharma called it the biggest restructuring in Xbox history, saying the division spent over $20 billion in five years while its revenue actually shrank. The cuts come as Microsoft pours money into AI infrastructure and faces a nearly 23-percent stock drop in the first half of 2026, its worst since 2022. Officials said the jobs are not being replaced by AI, but that the technology is changing how work gets done.
3 Sen. Mitch McConnell Is "Continuing His Recovery" According To Staff
Senator Mitch McConnell is still recovering in the hospital, his staff says, though details about his condition remain scarce. The Kentucky Republican was admitted on June 14th, with his office saying only that he was receiving excellent care. A later statement said he would not be voting that week, and last Thursday his office said he continues to improve and appreciates the outpouring of support. No updates have come since, and it is unclear whether he will be back at the Capitol when the Senate returns next week. McConnell, 84, has faced several hospitalizations in recent years, including a 2023 concussion from a fall and two on-camera freezing episodes. He was the longest-serving Senate leader in history before stepping aside and is finishing his final term, which ends in January.