Succession fight under way as Bernie Sanders calls for Platner to drop out of Maine Senate race – US politics live

Republican leaders have moved to quash speculation about Mitch McConnell, the former Republican leader in the US Senate, amid a growing revolt over the lack of transparency around his health.

The ۸۴-year-old Kentucky politician, who led Senate Republicans for longer than anyone in history before stepping down last year, was admitted to hospital on ۱۴ June but his office declined to say what he was being treated for.

The secrecy led to a backlash from Donald Trump’s support base, with some claiming that McConnell’s condition is graver than acknowledged and accusing his office of a cover-up.

On Tuesday, John Thune, McConnell’s successor as Republican leader, sought to quell the anger by claiming that he had spoken by phone with McConnell on Monday. A Thune spokesperson said: “They had a lengthy and substantive conversation that covered a variety of topics, including national security.”

Senate Republican whip John Barrasso also weighed in. Kate Noyes, a spokesperson for the Wyoming senator, said on Tuesday: “Senator Barrasso and Senator McConnell had a lengthy conversation early this afternoon. Their phone call lasted roughly ۲۰ minutes.”

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The fight to replace Graham Platner is already under way as Bernie Sanders became the latest key figure to call for the scandal-hit Democratic nominee to step down.

Sanders, an independent senator from Vermont, called on Graham Platner to withdraw from the US Senate race in Maine, citing “very serious allegations” of sexual assault, hours before the embattled nominee faced another claim of sexual misconduct.

“I have spoken with Graham Platner about the best path forward for Maine,” Sanders said in a statement on Tuesday. “In light of these very serious allegations, I have recommended that he step aside.”

While Platner has denied the latest allegations, reported by Politico, and later by the Washington Post, the initial report prompted a wave of prominent Democrats to urge him to stand aside as the party’s nominee in the consequential Senate contest.

However by Tuesday night, executive director Devon Murphy-Anderson released a video saying the party is developing an “open, inclusive, transparent and fair” process but won’t disclose details until Platner formally withdraws. Platner’s team has repeatedly tried to “put their thumb on the scale,” she said.

“We have repeatedly reiterated to Graham Platner’s team that they have no role in determining our next Democratic nominee for the US Senate, nor in determining what this process looks like,” she said.

In the Politico report, published on Monday, Jenny Racicot, ۴۱, who previously dated Platner, said he forced her to have sex despite repeated objections. Racicot said the incident, which she described to CNN as rape, happened five years ago while Platner was heavily intoxicated. Platner has denied the allegations.

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In other developments:

• Donald Trump has revived his bid for the US to acquire Greenland, threatening to pull all American armed forces out of Europe after the continent repeatedly pushed back. Arriving at the Nato summit in Ankara, the US president also suggested his commitment to defending Europe had been tempered by political decisions by leaders on immigration and energy. More here.

• A federal appeals panel struck down a significant chunk of Ron DeSantis’s so-called Stop Woke Act, delivering another rebuff to the Republican Florida governor’s efforts to stifle free speech in higher education. Judges of the ۱۱th circuit court of appeal said that the higher education component of the law – which prevented college and university professors teaching or sharing thoughts on concepts of race and gender – breached the free expression rights guaranteed under the US constitution’s first amendment. More here.

• Ninety-five per cent of Americans believe the US is suffering an affordability crisis, as many report trouble with the rising cost of groceries and gas, according to an exclusive new poll conducted for the Guardian. The survey, conducted by Harris Poll, paints a bleak picture of how people feel about the US economy amid the war in Iran and ahead of the key midterm elections this fall. More here.