In today’s edition … Graham Platner’s campaign is failing … You tell us about the state of the nation on its birthday … but first …
Read more Rahm Emanuel to tell Israel its alliance with the U.S. cannot ‘survive as it has been’
If Rahm Emanuel runs for president in 2028, he will do so unconventionally.
Just ask him.
“I’m not going to do a campaign the traditional way,” Emanuel said, referring to running for president as whether he opts to “take the dive into the deep end.”
But his flirtation with the presidency this year has been notably unique, from praising Mississippi for its education policy to lauding Texas for its stance on renewable energy to biking across New Hampshire and pledging to tell voters what they need to hear, not what they want to hear.
The latest in that line of unique pre-campaign moves will happen this week when Emanuel, a former Chicago mayor and congressman, travels to Israel for a speech in Tel Aviv. There, he will warn the country that its relationship with the United States cannot “survive as it has been.”
I spoke with Emanuel on Monday about his speech — and reviewed his draft remarks — and was struck by how the longtime Democrat is going to offer this tough love directly to Israel instead of from some podium in the U.S.
“This trip is part of a consistency, a different path, not the traditional,” Emanuel told us.
The speech is full of criticism for all parties involved in the decades-long conflict between Israel and its Arab neighbors — warning that Israel has become a “pariah” under Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, calling out “the corruption of the Palestinian leadership” and challenging the “unconditional support” the U.S. has offered Israel.
“The United States cannot continue to finance and support that cynicism in silence,” Emanuel plans to tell the audience at Tel Aviv University. “You cannot fight indefinitely against a world that has stopped believing you have the right to fight. You must instead find a new sustainable path to peace, security, and economic prosperity.”
Emanuel plans to outline a three-part proposal: full diplomatic relations between Israel and its Arab neighbors, who will be responsible for standing up a credible Palestinian authority; economic investment to deepen connections between Israel and its Arab neighbors; and an end to the “American taxpayer’s subsidy of Israel’s defense budget.”
This is personal for Emanuel: He is Jewish; his uncle is buried in Jerusalem’s Mount of Olives; and his father, who was born in Jerusalem, served in the Irgun, a Jewish underground militia, during the 1948 Israeli War of Independence. And while Emanuel had stood up to both Israel and Netanyahu in the past, his political career is linked with Israel due to his central role in negotiations over Arab-Israeli peace as a top aide to presidents Bill Clinton and Barack Obama.
“The most important thing a true friend can do is to tell the truth even when it’s painful,” he plans to say. “And today is a day for truth.”
But all of this is also seen through a political reality: Anyone who runs for president in 2028 will have to grapple with major questions about how to approach Israel following the Oct. 7, 2023 attacks, when Hamas militants surged over the Gaza border and killed about 1,200 people and Israel’s aggressive retaliatory military campaign that ultimately killed more than 70,000 Palestinians.
Negative views of Israel have shot up, especially within the Democratic Party, in recent years, and Democratic lawmakers in New York and Colorado suffered primary defeats recently against political newcomers critical of their past backing of Israel.
All of that, along with Netanyahu’s leadership in recent years, has led Emanuel to this place.
“If you want to not only maintain but strengthen the alliance, you have to make these changes,” Emanuel told us, describing his speech. “It’s the price of being an ally of the United States.”
“You can stand apart from the Middle East, or you can stand as a part of the Middle East,” Emanuel said. “I happen to think the alliance, if done right, serves American interests. But if it doesn’t, as an American patriot, I’m going to say, ‘This is going to change.’ And if it doesn’t change, it can’t stay as is. This is not sustainable for the United States.”
If you want to read my full report on Emanuel’s planned speech in Israel, you can do so here.
Another allegation has rocked Graham Platner’s Senate campaign.
Politico first reported on Monday that a woman who previously dated Platner alleged he sexually assaulted her in her Maine home in 2021. Our colleagues Liz Goodwin and Amy Brittain published their own version of this story. “I remember saying, ‘Hey, I’m not into this and like, ‘Don’t do that. Don’t touch me,’” she said. “Like saying every way that I could think to say ‘No,’” Jenny Racicot told them.
Platner has been subject to a string of controversies — primarily allegations that he has had unhealthy relationships with women, including claims that he sent sexually explicit text messages to women while married and had volatile relationships with women he dated before that — all of which tested the resolve of Democrats who had endorsed him and his standing with Maine voters.
Read more Staffers push Congress for new sexual misconduct rules
But his response to this allegation has been new. While he denied the allegation in Politico, he posted a video on Twitter that seemed to suggest his campaign could be considering withdrawal.
“Regardless of the inaccuracy of the reporting … we are taking the time to reflect on the best path forward for the state that I love, the people that I love, the movement that I belong to and the goal of defeating Susan Collins,” Platner said in a video posted on X. He added that he was “mindful of the political reality” that the story will “inflict” on his campaign.
And I reported with colleague Alexei Koseff on how a string of top Democrats who had endorsed Platner rescinded their support and called for the Maine Democrat to end his campaign.
“Graham Platner needs to immediately withdraw as the Democratic nominee for Senate and allow Maine Democrats the opportunity to choose a new candidate who can defeat Susan Collins,” Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (New York) and Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (New York), who leads the caucus’s campaign committee, said in a statement.
We have written at length about this race, in part because Democrats’ longshot odds of taking back the Senate are nearly impossible without defeating Collins. But as many Democrats noted to us yesterday, this is now an issue of trust with Platner, who responded to the initial spate of stories by saying there was nothing more coming.
So what now? There is already chatter in Maine on who could replace Platner on the ballot. According to state law, if Platner were to withdraw before July 13, the state deadline to finalize the November ballot, Maine’s secretary of state can declare a vacancy and allow Democrats to choose a replacement. The party would have until July 27 at 5 p.m. to select that candidate.
Who that would be is really anyone’s guess. Maine Gov. Janet Mills obviously ran against Platner and lost. There is also some discussion of whether one of the Democrats who lost the governor’s primary, namely former state senator Troy Jackson or Maine Secretary of State Shenna Bellows, could run against Collins.
Wilson Times (North Carolina): As grocery prices continue to climb, this local school district in Eastern North Carolina has seen requests for free summer meals nearly double, highlighting the broader impact of economic distress.
San Joaquin Valley Sun: Three major U.S. egg producers have settled claims of price fixing by the Department of Justice, ending accusations that the companies coordinated bids to fix the price of eggs. The producers will have to pay millions and donate eggs as punishment.
Dallas Morning News: Nonprofits in North Texas are increasingly worried that a change to the SNAP program, formerly known as food stamps, will worsen food insecurity in the area. Food bank leaders in the area are pushing legislators to reverse the cuts to food assistance programs.
Thank you for all the kind words about this newsletter after our announcement yesterday. It means a lot.
We asked you about how you feel about the state of the country after the Fourth of July and the nation’s 250th anniversary. Many of you expressed concern.
“I am saddened. I believe in the ideals our country has been founded on. I am very worried that our Country’s Democracy is eroding,” wrote Lisa Constance. “We are the laughing stock of the world, no one trusts us. … Where are our leaders who uphold the law and the Constitution?”
“I love America – even now with Trump in Office,” wrote Swati Mantione. “Our differences – NY people are different from mid-west people – who are different from southern people – is what makes America so great. It is still the land of opportunity. Even people I disagree with and who disagree with me – love America. It’s the best place in the world to live.”
And Mary Ciriello added, “From its inception, our nation was founded on ‘life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.’ These concepts have been applied — and misapplied — throughout our history. … To me, this means that we must not only rejoice in times of triumph, but also to summon the courage to own our mistakes.”
Mary added: “We must prevail upon our better angels to continually strive to create that more perfect union. That is the essence of patriotism, and that is what keeps hope alive.”
Our colleague Ben Binday has a fascinating timeline of scandals around Platner. So we wanted to ask you: What in our political system allows people facing allegations to run for office, and at times, stay in office amid those allegations? Should Platner end his campaign? How should Democrats handle this moment? Let us and your fellow Early Brief readers know at [email protected].
Read more Here’s what we know about Sen. Mitch McConnell’s health
Thanks for reading. You can follow Dan on X: @merica.
