"Live from NPR news in Washington, I'm Janine Herbst.
Ram Platner has formerly withdrawn from Maine's U.S. Senate race, less than a week after
“a former romantic partner accused him of rape, Kevin Miller with Maine Public Radio has”
more." Platner said Wednesday night that he planned to drop out, but the progressive Democrat waited two days to file the official paperwork. His withdrawal letter doesn't mention the accusations against him, which he is repeatedly denied.
Instead, Platner wrote that his overwhelming primary victory shows Maine voters support the ideals at the center of his populist campaign, such as Medicare for All, ending so-called forever wars, and stopping billionaires from buying elections. And he said, by withdrawing, he was seeking to quote, "further than movement we have built."
Maine's Democratic Party now has about two weeks to select a new nominee to challenge Republican Senator Susan Collins this fall. For NPR News, I'm Kevin Miller, a new U.N. report says 120 million women and girls around the world are in need of basic assistance and protection, but the aid organizations that
“are meant to help them are running out of money because of aid cuts from the U.S. and other”
countries.
And here's what Mattanis has more.
U.N. researchers surveyed hundreds of organizations serving women and girls in 52 countries, many of them in crisis. Since the Trump administration's aid cuts in 2025, the report says women who live in remote areas, or unstable environments, have seen a decrease in basic services, like education, health, food, and water.
Many of the groups reported that women and girls also face sharp increases in mental health distress, school dropouts, gender-based violence, and forced marriages. At the same time, aid groups say severe budget shortfalls have led to major layoffs within their organizations and impending closures. Fat Mattanis and PR News.
Spain has joined France by winning its quarterfinal match and has advanced to the final foreign with the World Cup. Steve Futterman has more.
“Spain, which was one of the pre-World Cup favorites, is on its way to the semi-finals after”
a two-one win over Belgium. Spain jumped out to a one-nothing lead in the 30th minute.
Then 11 minutes later, Belgium scored it was the first goal allowed by Spain in this entire
World Cup. It looked like the match would go into extra time, but in the 88th minute on a rebound shot, Michele Moreno put the ball in the net for Spain, Spain beats Belgium, next for the Spanish team, a semi-final matchup, next Tuesday in Dallas against France. For MPR News, I'm Steve Futterman at the World Cup in Los Angeles.
In Washington crews are draining the Lincoln Memorials reflecting pull again after President Trump's problem-plagged renovation effort that left the pool filled with algae and pieces of the new liner appeared to be peeling from the bottom. Trump blames the peeling on vandals critic say it's from Shady Repair work, a official say this draining was planned.
You're listening to NPR News. The president of Pan America, the free speech advocacy organization, has resigned from his post seven months into the job. He appears on Astasia Seal, kiss reports, he quit in response to an article published by Penn about Israeli and Jewish writers who say that their work is being boycotted.
The novelist Denom and guest who was elected the president of Pan America in December. He told the New York Times he had resigned partly due to an article Pan America published about Israeli and Jewish authors, who say they are being isolated and excluded since the October 7th attacks and the war in Gaza. In the story, Pan America outlined its objections to cultural and academic boycotts, according
to the Times, when guest who said it was part of a larger trend at Pan America of what he called, quote, "defending some rights while not defending others." Pan America told the Times they quote, "respect that he's made a decision he believes in." On the Stasit Silcus and Berenu's New York. In Britain, police have arrested a man in his 20s in connection with the death of a former
lawmaker, and Whitakom was a conservative politician who was found dead in her home today. The 78-year-old served in parliament for more than 20 years. She was also a recent spokesperson for the right-wing anti-immigration party and she opposed abortions and LGBTQ rights. She found a new fame after leaving office, appearing on popular TV shows, "There's no
word on a motive, but please say they don't believe it was terrorism." "I'm Janine Herbst, and you're listening to NPR News from Washington."
It's been almost a year since Congress eliminated over a billion dollars in funding for
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