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

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Podcast: [Up First from NPR](https://stenobird.com/podcast/up-first-from-npr-7816123)
Published: 2026-07-09T09:52:35+00:00
Episode link: https://www.spreaker.com/episode/trump-s-whiplash-foreign-policy-iran-war-escalates-graham-platner-drops-out--72885828
Audio file: https://api.spreaker.com/download/episode/72885828/default.mp3
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Duration seconds: 855

## Resource

President Trump keeps swinging between threats and flattery, calling Iran's leaders rational and smart three weeks ago and scum this week, and he's a similar tactic with NATO allies, going from freeloaders to friends in a single summit. The U.S. struck Iran for a second straight night, hitting some 90 military targets near the Strait of Hormuz, and Iran fired back at American bases in Kuwait and Bahrain, putting Israel's military on full readiness and leaving the region bracing for more. And Graham Platner has suspended his Senate campaign in Maine, still denying the rape allegation that brought him down, and now Democrats have until the end of the month to pick someone new for a race they think they can win. Want more analysis of the most important news of the day, plus a little fun? Subscribe to the Up First newsletter. Today’s episode of Up First was edited by Rebekah Metzler, Tina Kraja, Jason Breslow, Mohamad ElBardicy and Alice Woelfle. It was produced by Ziad Buchh and Nia Dumas Our director is Christopher Thomas We get engineering support from Eowyn Fain and our technical director is Damian Herring. Our deputy Executive Producer is Kelley Dickens. (0:00) Introduction (01:58) Trump's Whiplash Foreign Policy (05:31) Iran War Escalates (09:10) Graham Platner Drops Out See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences. NPR Privacy Policy 🔗 ADDITIONAL RESOURCES: 📩 Get the full transcript and daily news alerts: 👉 https://goo.su/rXoU5U8 👈 📌 Support the show by visiting our sponsors and partners. 🎧 New episodes every morning at 6 AM ET.

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