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<\/figure>\n\nIf Rahm Emanuel<\/b> runs for president in 2028, he will do so unconventionally.<\/p>\n
Just ask him.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m not going to do a campaign the traditional way,\u201d Emanuel said, referring to running for president as whether he opts to \u201ctake the dive into the deep end.\u201d<\/p>\n
But his flirtation with the presidency this year has been notably unique, from praising Mississippi for its education policy<\/a> to lauding Texas for its stance on renewable energy<\/a> to biking across New Hampshire<\/a> and pledging to tell voters what they need to hear, not what they want to hear.<\/p>\n The latest in that line of unique pre-campaign moves will happen this week when Emanuel, a <\/b>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 \u201csurvive as it has been.\u201d<\/p>\n I spoke with Emanuel on Monday about his speech<\/a> \u2014 and reviewed his draft remarks \u2014 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.<\/p>\n \u201cThis trip is part of a consistency, a different path, not the traditional,\u201d Emanuel told us.<\/p>\n The speech is full of criticism for all parties involved in the decades-long conflict between Israel and its Arab neighbors \u2014 warning that Israel has become a \u201cpariah\u201d under Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu<\/b>, calling out \u201cthe corruption of the Palestinian leadership\u201d and challenging the \u201cunconditional support\u201d the U.S. has offered Israel.<\/p>\n \u201cThe United States cannot continue to finance and support that cynicism in silence,\u201d Emanuel plans to tell the audience at Tel Aviv University. \u201cYou 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.\u201d<\/p>\n 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 \u201cAmerican taxpayer\u2019s subsidy of Israel\u2019s defense budget.\u201d<\/p>\n This is personal for Emanuel: He is Jewish; his uncle is buried in Jerusalem\u2019s 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 <\/b>and Barack Obama<\/b>.<\/p>\n \u201cThe most important thing a true friend can do is to tell the truth even when it\u2019s painful,\u201d he plans to say. \u201cAnd today is a day for truth.\u201d<\/p>\n 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<\/a> and Israel\u2019s aggressive retaliatory military campaign that ultimately killed more than 70,000 Palestinians<\/a>.<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n All of that, along with Netanyahu\u2019s leadership in recent years, has led Emanuel to this place.<\/p>\n \u201cIf you want to not only maintain but strengthen the alliance, you have to make these changes,\u201d Emanuel told us, describing his speech. \u201cIt\u2019s the price of being an ally of the United States.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYou can stand apart from the Middle East, or you can stand as a part of the Middle East,\u201d Emanuel said. \u201cI happen to think the alliance, if done right, serves American interests. But if it doesn\u2019t, as an American patriot, I\u2019m going to say, \u2018This is going to change.\u2019 And if it doesn\u2019t change, it can\u2019t stay as is. This is not sustainable for the United States.\u201d<\/p>\n If you want to read my full report on Emanuel\u2019s planned speech in Israel, you can do so here<\/a>.<\/p>\n Another allegation has rocked Graham Platner<\/b>\u2019s Senate campaign.<\/p>\n Politico first reported<\/a> on Monday that a woman who previously dated Platner alleged he sexually assaulted her in her Maine home in 2021. Our colleagues Liz Goodwin<\/b> and Amy Brittain <\/b>published their own version of this story<\/a>. \u201cI remember saying, \u2018Hey, I\u2019m not into this and like, \u2018Don\u2019t do that. Don\u2019t touch me,\u2019\u201d she said. \u201cLike saying every way that I could think to say \u2018No,\u2019\u201d Jenny Racicot<\/b> told them.<\/p>\n Platner has been subject to a string of controversies \u2014 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 \u2014 all of which tested the resolve of Democrats who had endorsed him and his standing with Maine voters.<\/p> Read more Staffers push Congress for new sexual misconduct rules<\/a><\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n \u201cRegardless 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<\/b>,\u201d Platner said in a video posted on X<\/a>. He added that he was \u201cmindful of the political reality\u201d that the story will \u201cinflict\u201d on his campaign.<\/p>\n And I reported with colleague Alexei Koseff <\/b>on how a string of top Democrats who had endorsed Platner<\/a> rescinded their support and called for the Maine Democrat to end his campaign.<\/p>\n \u201cGraham 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,\u201d Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer<\/b> (New York) and Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand <\/b>(New York), who leads the caucus\u2019s campaign committee, said in a statement.<\/p>\n We have written at length about this race, in part because Democrats\u2019 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.<\/p>\n So what now? There is already chatter in Maine on who could replace Platner on the ballot. According to state law<\/a>, if Platner were to withdraw before July 13, the state deadline to finalize the November ballot, Maine\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n Who that would be is really anyone\u2019s guess. Maine Gov. Janet Mills<\/b> obviously ran against Platner and lost<\/a>. There is also some discussion of whether one of the Democrats who lost the governor\u2019s primary, namely former state senator Troy Jackson<\/b> or Maine Secretary of State Shenna Bellows<\/b>, could run against Collins.<\/p>\n Wilson Times (North Carolina)<\/b>: As grocery prices continue to climb, this local school district in Eastern North Carolina has seen requests for free summer meals nearly double<\/a>, highlighting the broader impact of economic distress.<\/p>\n San Joaquin Valley Sun<\/b>: Three major U.S. egg producers have settled claims of price fixing<\/a> 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.<\/p>\n Dallas Morning News<\/b>: 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<\/a>.<\/p>\n Thank you for all the kind words about this newsletter after our announcement yesterday. It means a lot.<\/p>\n We asked you about how you feel about the state of the country<\/a> after the Fourth of July and the nation\u2019s 250th anniversary. Many of you expressed concern.<\/p>\n \u201cI am saddened. I believe in the ideals our country has been founded on. I am very worried that our Country\u2019s Democracy is eroding,\u201d wrote Lisa Constance<\/b>. \u201cWe are the laughing stock of the world, no one trusts us. … Where are our leaders who uphold the law and the Constitution?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI love America – even now with Trump in Office,\u201d wrote Swati Mantione<\/b>. \u201cOur 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\u2019s the best place in the world to live.\u201d<\/p>\n And Mary Ciriello<\/b> added, \u201cFrom its inception, our nation was founded on \u2018life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.\u2019 These concepts have been applied \u2014 and misapplied \u2014 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.\u201d<\/p>\n Mary added: \u201cWe 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.\u201d<\/p>\n Our colleague Ben Binday<\/b> has a fascinating timeline<\/a> of scandals around Platner. <\/b>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 earlytips@washpost.com<\/a>.<\/p> Read more Here\u2019s what we know about Sen. Mitch McConnell\u2019s health<\/a><\/p>\n