Trump's Whiplash Foreign Policy, Iran War Escalates, Graham Platner Drops Out

0:02President Trump went from praising Iran's leaders to calling them scum in a matter of weeks.

0:06David Greene:He used a similar strategy at the NATO summit, berating allies, then telling them he felt the love in the room. Is the whiplash part of his strategy or just a sign of his short fuse? I'm Michelle Martin. That's A. Martinez. And this is Up First from NPR News. The U.S. struck Iran for a second night in a row and Iran fired back at U.S. bases again. Again, Israel's military is preparing for the war to escalate while the ceasefire deal in Lebanon is also falling apart. Is the Middle East going back to all-out war? And Graham Plattner is out. The Maine Democrat suspended his insurgent Senate campaign last night, saying it's not an admission of guilt to the allegations he committed sex crimes, but an acknowledgment of political reality.

0:47David Greene:Democrats have three weeks to find a replacement. Stay with us. We've got the news you need to start your day.

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1:57David Greene:Three weeks ago, President Trump praised Iranian leaders as brave people who wanted to change the direction of their country for the better. And we're dealing with people that I think are very rational people. I mean, they were nice to deal with. They were strong people, smart people. I think actually they're smarter than the first and second group. But yesterday, in a dramatic shift in tone, President Trump in Turkey railed against those same Iranian leaders, accusing them of lying and failing to uphold commitments of their ceasefire agreement. To me, I think it's over. I don't want to deal with them anymore.

2:31David Greene:They're scum. You know what scum is? They're scum. They're sick people. They're led by sick people. And they're vicious, violent people. NPR White House correspondent Franco Ordonez joins us now to talk about the diplomatic whiplash that has come to define Trump's approach to global affairs. Franco, I just called it whiplash. Is that a fair word to use here? I think it is. I mean, and it's really part of this pattern that we've kind of been talking about for some time now, whether it's, you know, announcing the war is over or almost over when it's clearly not too dramatically swinging between praise and threats over the course of a few hours.

3:07David Greene:I mean, it's really like these different faces of the same president trying to will this war to an end. And you can almost hear, really hear Trump struggling with that balance, even telling reporters later, insisting that the war will not start again. What did Trump say when asked about these obvious contradictions? Well, he was asked about it and he strained a bit to kind of square the two conflicting assessments of, you know, those Iranian leaders. I think they are more rational, but based on their actions over the last week or two, they're not doing a service to the people. And I think more than anything else is I got to know them.

3:46David Greene:And I'm not sure I want to make a deal with them. We can play games, but I'm not sure I want to make a deal. You know, the thing is with Trump is when he makes these kind of threats, you never really know if it's actual change in policy or simply a negotiating tactic. Yeah, and Franco, it's not just Iran. I mean, his approach to NATO has also generated a lot of whiplash, too. I mean, it seems like through the end, though, allies might be more appreciative of this kind of reversal. Yeah, that's right. Trump went into this summit with a lot of complaints about NATO. I mean, he's really still mad over NATO leaders' lack of support for the war in Iran.

4:20David Greene:And he's complained also about defense spending and revived concerns about the U.S. taking control of Greenland from Denmark, something that really frustrates allies. But during the press conference, Trump actually spoke warmly of NATO leaders in ways I've never heard him do before. I mean, let's just listen a little bit. If you could have seen the respect and the love in the room, and it's love really for the country, for our country. I don't want to say me because you'll say, oh, he's so conceited. He's such a conceited person. But they do. I mean, you know, they like the job I'm doing. They said, we love, sir, we love you.

4:53David Greene:You know, Trump has said in the past that he wants loyalty from allies. And they certainly came into this summit wanting to keep Trump engaged and happy. So what about Trump's announcement, also somewhat of a reversal, too, that the U.S. would be granting Ukraine license to manufacture Patriot air defense missiles? Yeah, I'm sure that was also part of it. It almost appears that Trump's newfound support for Ukraine, along with the charm offenses, has fostered this renewed sense of camaraderie among NATO leaders. One that seems to be reciprocated toward Trump. That is White House correspondent Franco Ordonez.

5:28David Greene:Franco, thanks. Thanks, Ed. We're going to talk more about those U.S. strikes in Iran. It was back-to-back nights of strikes. Iran responded overnight by firing at American military infrastructure in the Gulf, and countries in the Middle East are back on high alert as they prepare for potentially more war. NPR's Emily Fang has been monitoring this newest outbreak in hostilities from Tel Aviv. Emily, tell us what we know so far about these strikes. Good morning. So U.S. Central Command says overnight they hit about 90 military targets in southern Iran along its coast and the Strait of Hormuz. And as you mentioned, Iran has responded.

6:03It launched air attacks overnight at U.S. military infrastructure for a second day as well. And Kuwait and Bahrain, there were sirens going off overnight across the Gulf. Kuwait's defense ministry said it was intercepting missiles and drones early this morning, my time. And I'm speaking to you from Tel Aviv in Israel right now, where it's been quiet, but the military here says it's at full readiness for war against Iran, according to Israeli media. And last night, very suddenly, the prime minister of Israel, Benjamin Netanyahu, and defense minister Israel Katz canceled a public event because they needed to convene an emergency security meeting as they monitored this newest outbreak in the U.S.-Iran war.

6:41David Greene:Emily, the U.S. and Iran were supposed to resume negotiations from a more permanent end of the war after Iran's former supreme leaders buried later today. Are those talks still on? Frankly, it is not clear. Despite this trade in fire and Trump's comments that you just heard from Franco that the ceasefire is over in his eyes, Trump did not rule out more talks with Iran. But both the U.S. and Iran seem to be playing hardball with each other, and they seem to be waiting for the other country to back down first yet again. Iran's top negotiator, Mohammed Bagar Galibaf, wrote on X, the social media site, after the second day of U.S.

7:18strikes began, and he was warning, quote, if you strike, you will get hit. And he wrote that the Strait of Hormuz would only fully reopen on Iranian terms.

7:28David Greene:Okay, so that's pretty intense. What's the reaction been from countries around the region? It has been tense here, to say the least. People in Israel, where I am, are bracing possibly for more attacks again from Iran or its proxies in the region. I should mention Israel's government has generally been supportive of the U.S. resuming strikes on Iran. They were critical of this preliminary ceasefire between the U.S. and Iran. But there's also frustration here, because there's a lack of clarity about what the U.S.'s endgame is with this latest round of strikes on Iran. Iran and Israel are also closely watching what happens next door to me in Lebanon, because Israel has a separate truce there with Hezbollah.

8:07That's the Iran-backed militia based in Lebanon. But that truce is linked to the ceasefire with Iran. And also, Israel continues to bomb in Lebanon, including a strike just this Tuesday, which killed four people, according to Lebanese local authorities and health officials. And then last night, the head of Hezbollah, Hayim Qasim, he gave this fiery speech blasting a recent Lebanese government agreement with Israel. Let's take a listen.

8:37So here he's talking about this framework agreement with Israel, saying it's entirely in Israel's interest that it's illegitimate, unconstitutional, and illegal. So as you can hear, there's a lot of moving pieces in the region. And that means a lot of opportunities for conflicts, both old and new, to flare up.

8:56David Greene:And we'll check in with you if that happens. That's NPR's Emily Fang in Tel Aviv. Emily, thanks. Thank you, A.

9:10David Greene:Democrats are scrambling to find a path forward in the main Senate race this morning after Graham Plattner's announcement last night that he was suspending his campaign. Plattner faced calls to drop out of the race after a woman he once dated came forward and accused him of rape, an allegation he denies. With Plattner out, Democrats now face a time crunch to find a new candidate. Joining us now to talk about the choices facing the party is NPR's political reporter, Elena Moore. Let's start with the announcement. Elena, what did he have to say? Yeah, this video followed reporting from Politico on Monday that in 2021, Plattner drunkenly entered the home of a woman he was dating and raped her.

9:45Over the course of this 11-minute video last night, A, Plattner was visibly emotional. He acknowledged that this was a serious allegation, but emphasized his decision to drop out was not an admission of guilt, instead putting the blame on what he called a political system not meant for normal people.

10:02David Greene:It is a system that is built structurally to make sure that movements like ours cannot flourish, that if they begin to succeed, they can be crushed. All right, so Plattner is out. The Maine Senate race, though, goes on. And really, it's expected to be one of the most competitive in the country this fall. So where does this leave Democrats there? Yeah, Democrats need a new nominee, an ASAP. The stakes are really high because the party wants to win back the Senate. They need to pick up seats. And many think that Maine's current senator, longtime incumbent Republican Susan Collins, is beatable. So there's this tension around what kind of candidate is up for the challenge and not a lot of time to make the decision.

10:45Main election law says that Democrats have until July 27th to get a replacement candidate on the ballot. And the state's Democratic Party says it plans to hold a nominating convention to pick a new nominee.

10:56David Greene:But what about Plattner supporters? What happens to them? Where do they go from here? It's a tough situation. Plattner was popular. He talked about issues like affordability and promised political change. So I think a lot of his supporters who are already really frustrated with the political establishment are hoping that whoever takes his place can keep that momentum going. I talked about this with Joseph Kivargis. He's the executive director of Our Revolution, which was initially started by Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders. Plattner represented the progressive wing that was calling for health care for all.

11:36David Greene:It was calling for good jobs. That is the platform that we think needs to continue. It's really, at the end of the day, not just about the messenger, but it's about the message. All right. Now, what about Democrats, though, outside of that more progressive wing? Well, if Plattner's strategy was to win by challenging the political system, these Democrats have a more pragmatic goal, which is just to flip this seat. Strategists I've talked to say Plattner's campaign energized parts of the Democratic Party who haven't been all that happy with their options over the last few years, but they argue there's a way to campaign on some of the same issues around things like affordability and wealth inequality, but do it with a candidate who doesn't align as closely to the left, is more tested, and A, isn't surrounded by scandal.

12:25David Greene:All right, that is NPR political reporter Elena Moore. Elena, thanks. Thank you.

12:35David Greene:And that's Up First for Thursday, July 9th. Amy Martinez. And I'm Michelle Martin. Today's episode of Up First was edited by Rebecca Metzler, Tina Kraja, Jason Breslow, Mohamed Elbardisi, and Alice Wolfley. It was produced by Ziaq Butch and Nia Dumas. Our director is Christopher Thomas. We get engineering support from Eowyn Fane, our technical director is Damian Herring, and our deputy executive producer is Kelly Dickens. We hope you'll join us again tomorrow.

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