Platner’s online past gets raunchier with crude takes on ‘Latin American hookers,’ cheating abroad
As Maine’s presumptive Democratic nominee for Senate faces criticism for insulting the armed forces on his now-deleted Reddit account, additional comments have emerged showing the combat veteran discussing prostitution overseas, including defending men who cheated on their wives while abroad. Graham Platner made allusions to both Thai and Latin American prostitution in a pair of deleted Reddit posts from 2019 and 2012, respectively. In another post, dated April 2012, he defended men who cheat on their wives and girlfriends overseas while responding to a news article about prostitution. “You don’t have much experience with Latin American hookers, do you?” Platner wrote in April 2012, responding to another user who was expressing concerns that “prostitutes in Colombia are part of a giant sex trade and the women are effectively slaves.” TOP OFF-THE-WALL REDDIT POSTS HAUNTING GRAHAM PLATNER’S MAINE SENATE BID The reviewed comments do not establish that Platner hired sex workers, and the account often used crude or hyperbolic language. The comments emerged as Platner’s deleted Reddit history has become a growing liability in his bid to unseat incumbent Republican Sen. Susan Collins, particularly after posts surfaced in which he called the U.S. Army “full of fat, lazy trash” and mocked Ted Daniels, a former Army infantryman and Purple Heart recipient who was wounded in Afghanistan. The archive has also shown Platner using slurs, denigrating White rural Americans, expressing support for political violence and making sexually explicit comments. The same day as his post on “Latin American hookers,” Platner made a post defending men who had cheated on their significant others while abroad. “I’ve heard that idiotic sentiment made within the confines of the the [sic] military. ‘If you can’t remain faithful to your wife, how can you remain faithful to your comrades?’” Platner wrote, responding to a piece about Secret Service agents using prostitutes. “Well, I have many good buddies who lied and cheated with women, and yet were straight shooting hard men when it came to their work.” “I find it is a sentiment only held by moral relativists who need something to cry about, intelligent people realize they are not mutually exclusive,” he added. NAVY SEAL WHO KILLED BIN LADEN RIPS PLATNER FOR ‘BARBARIC’ POST TRASHING SOLDIER UNDER FIRE: ‘OUT OF LINE’ Years later, Platner continued his discussion of prostitution on Reddit. “And sadly, the Afghan tax f—ed everybody on the 330 game,” Platner wrote in 2019. “Spend your leave banging hookers in Thailand instead of getting b—-ed at by the wife back home, and you could sell it as avoiding federal income tax.” He was likely referring to a tax strategy used by some government contractors working abroad, where, if they spent more than 330 days outside the United States, they could avoid paying federal income tax. PLATNER CALLED PTSD EXCUSE ‘BULL—-‘ IN 2020 POST, NOW CITES HIS OWN STRUGGLE TO EXPLAIN ONLINE CONTROVERSIES The Platner campaign did not respond to a request for comment when reached by Fox News Digital on Friday. The posts were made by the Reddit account “P-Hustle,” which Platner acknowledges was his. Comments from that account have been compiled into a searchable database by the Maine Monitor. “Graham Platner’s moral depravity has alarmed Maine voters, forcing Democrats to distance themselves from him and his scandals,” National Republican Senatorial Committee press secretary Bernadette Breslin told Fox News Digital. The Senate hopeful has attributed his online behavior to psychological trauma stemming from his combat deployments as well as the “crude humor” and “offensive language” he became accustomed to while serving as a Marine. “I’m sorry for this. Just know that it’s not reflective at all of who I am,” Platner said of his Reddit comments in October. “I don’t want you to judge me on the dumbest thing I ever wrote on the internet. I would prefer if people could judge me on the person I am today.”
Funerals for medics killed in Israeli air strikes in southern Lebanon
NewsFeed Funerals were held for paramedics killed by two Israeli air strikes in southern Lebanon on Friday. The Israeli military has repeatedly attacked health facilities and medical teams in Lebanon, accusing Hezbollah of using them to conceal weapons and fighters. Published On 23 May 202623 May 2026 Click here to share on social media share-nodes Share googleAdd Al Jazeera on Googleinfo Adblock test (Why?)
US Secret Service fatally shoots gunman who fired at White House checkpoint
Officers returned fire after suspect pulled weapon from bag, with a bystander also wounded. A man has been shot dead by US Secret Service officers after opening fire on a security checkpoint near the White House, with a bystander wounded in the gunfire. Shortly after 6pm on Saturday (22:00 GMT), the suspect approached a Secret Service checkpoint at the intersection of 17th Street and Pennsylvania Avenue in Washington, DC, pulled a weapon from his bag, and began shooting at officers posted there. Recommended Stories list of 4 itemsend of list The Secret Service, the federal agency responsible for protecting the president, confirmed the sequence of events in an official statement, saying a preliminary investigation indicated that the suspect had concealed his weapon in a bag before drawing it at the checkpoint. The agents returned fire, striking the man, who was later pronounced dead at a nearby hospital. A bystander was also hit during the shooting, though authorities said it remained unclear whether they were struck by the suspect’s initial gunfire or during the exchange that followed. President Donald Trump was inside the White House at the time and was not harmed. The White House was immediately placed under lockdown. No Secret Service personnel were injured. Secretary of Homeland Security Markwayne Mullin said he was closely monitoring the situation and would issue a statement soon. “Tonight’s shooting is a reminder of the dangers our law enforcement officers face every day,” Mullin said on X. Republicans in the House of Representatives posted on X to confirm Trump was safe, while the White House itself issued no immediate statement on the president’s condition. Advertisement Steve Scalise, the Republican House Majority Leader, posted on X, expressing his thoughts for the president and adding, “We live in dangerous times.” More than 30 shots were heard from the White House North Lawn, according to Al Jazeera’s Kimberly Halkett, reporting from the scene. Journalists on the lawn were ordered to run and take shelter inside the press briefing room. Police cordoned off access to the surrounding area, and National Guard troops blocked reporters from approaching. Halkett said the suspect had recently been issued a stay-away order, which he had ignored. He approached the area and started shooting, at which point the Secret Service officers returned fire. The suspect was later transferred to George Washington Hospital, Halkett said. FBI Director Kash Patel confirmed that his agency was on the scene supporting the Secret Service, saying on social media that he would “update the public as we’re able”. White House Director of Communications Steven Cheung sought to project calm, posting on X that Trump was “working at 8pm. Can’t stop, won’t stop.” Saturday’s shooting comes less than a month after what law enforcement authorities described as an attempted assassination of Trump on April 25, when a suspect was arrested at the Washington hotel hosting the annual White House Correspondents’ Association Dinner, a gathering of journalists and public figures. “These incidents are happening with increasing frequency,” Halkett said. That incident raised new questions about the security arrangements around the president. The identity of the suspect and his motive have not been publicly released. The Secret Service said the investigation is ongoing. Adblock test (Why?)
Iranian sources lay out Iran-US deal details
NewsFeed Al Jazeera’s Ali Hashem reveals details of Iran’s position on the potential peace agreement with the US. US President Donald Trump earlier revealed the two countries were close to an Memorandum of Understanding. Published On 24 May 202624 May 2026 Click here to share on social media share-nodes Share googleAdd Al Jazeera on Googleinfo Adblock test (Why?)
Twisha Sharma’s death case reaches Supreme Court, hearing scheduled for May 25
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Tamil Nadu CM Vijay assures action after 10-year-old girl sexually assaulted and murdered in Coimbatore
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Hyderabad Horror: Senior lawyer dies after being rammed by Scorpio outside home, murder suspected
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Feds subpoena Hasan Piker, Medea Benjamin over Cuba trips
FIRST ON FOX: Federal officials have served subpoenas to Marxist political influencer Hasan Piker and CodePink cofounder Susan Medea Benjamin as part of a wider investigation into whether U.S. organizations and leaders violated U.S. laws and sanctions in supporting Cuba’s communist regime, Fox News Digital has learned. Piker and Benjamin are among those caught in a federal inquiry into whether activists who traveled to Cuba in March violated U.S. sanctions laws through the financing, coordination or delivery of goods to Cuba, including potential contacts with Cuban government personnel or entities on the island. The administrative subpoenas were sent to the pair by the Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control The administrative subpoenas — called “Requests for Information,” or RFI — seek financial, logistical and communications information revolving around trips the two widely bragged about making to the island nation in March with delegations of the “Nuestra América Convoy,” or “Our America Convoy,” from a global network of communist sympathizers, activists and influencers who brought supplies to the country’s ruling Communist Party of Cuba, according to sources familiar with the matter. The investigation is part of a broader effort by officials at Treasury, State and Justice departments to curb malign foreign influence operations inside the United States, particularly activities tied to support for political violence, extremist movements or acts the U.S. government classifies as terrorism. The scrutiny reflects growing concern among federal authorities and lawmakers over whether foreign actors and aligned organizations are attempting to shape American political discourse, mobilize activists, sow discord and normalize rhetoric that could encourage violence or undermine U.S. national security interests. According to a Fox News Digital investigation, Singham has pumped $278 million into nonprofit groups that have pushed pro-China, pro-Cuba, anti-U.S. narratives and street protests for almost a decade, since his marriage in February 2017 to CodePink co-founder Jodie Evans, who is also being investigated for her role in the March trip. CodePink received $1.33 million from Singham after he married Evans. POWER COUPLE OF CHAOS: HOW A TYCOON AND ACTIVIST BUILT A ‘REVOLUTIONARY BASE’ AT THE HOUSE OF SINGHAM In mid-March, organizations in the Singham network — from the Venceremos Brigade to People’s Forum, a hub for communist causes in New York City — were leaders of the Nuestra American Convoy, which included an estimated 650 delegates from 33 countries and 120 organizations. The organizations included Democratic Socialists of America, a U.S. nonprofit that promotes Piker as a headline member. The investigation by the Office of Foreign Assets Control is part of a broader dragnet that includes as many as 40 American citizens who joined foreign nationals, including a controversial Brazil activist, Thiago Avila, who are part of a global network of anti-U.S. Marxists, communists and socialists. Additional subpoenas are expected. The administrative subpoenas mark a serious escalation by the Trump administration against a far-left nonprofit activist network that has spent years defending communist regimes, from Cuba to China, while presenting its work as humanitarian aid, anti-war organizing and “solidarity” with people “oppressed” by the “imperialist” U.S “colonial power.” As reported, a Fox News Digital investigation has identified 145 U.S. nonprofits and activist groups with $1 billion in collective revenues that Justice and Treasury Department officials are investigating as part of a wider influence campaign by Cuba’s communist regime and other foreign actors. According to public statements, it’s believed that delegation members stayed at a hotel the U.S. State Department has put on a “Cuba Restricted List,” as businesses directly tied to the communist government of Cuba, designated a state sponsor of terrorism. U.S. law imposes broad restrictions on financial transactions involving Cuba, primarily through the “Cuban Asset Control Regulations,” administered by the Office of Foreign Assets Control. Those rules generally prohibit unlicensed travel-related transactions and the export of goods or services to Cuba, with limited exceptions for journalism, humanitarian projects, educational programs and certain activities meant to support the Cuban people. WHO IS HASAN PIKER? MEET THE FAR-LEFT STREAMER WHO IS STIRRING UP CONTROVERSY ONLINE AND DIVIDING DEMOCRATS Piker, one of the most influential political streamers on Twitch, has built a massive online following with a mix of Marxist politics, anti-American commentary and inflammatory statements that have repeatedly drawn public backlash. On March 10, Piker posted a photo of himself on Instagram with the message: “I’M GOING TO CUBA.” In an Instagram post from the trip, Singham’s wife, Evans, smiled widely in Havana, wearing a red-and-white Palestinian scarf, or kefiyyeh, around her neck, while standing beside Piker, who looked seriously into the camera. On a livestream this week, Piker said that the Justice Department’s indictment of Cuban leader Raúl Castro is a “sham” with “no legal standing,” designed to create a pretext for escalating U.S. pressure on the island. Piker argued that Trump is acting like a “playground bully.” Fox News Digital recently observed Piker outside his Los Angeles home escorting his dog, Kaya, outside the house for a bathroom break early one morning. Kaya, a large-breed dog that is a mix of Tibetan Mastiff, Chow Chow, and St. Bernard, has been the beloved subject of an online campaign, dubbed “Free Kaya,” over allegations Piker trained Kaya with a shock collar that transmits painful stimuli as part of behavior training. At one moment, Piker silently stood over Kaya and gestured with a finger for her to return to the house after relieving herself. Later, Kaya was observed being walked and driven by a woman leaving Piker’s home. Benjamin has made her mark as an activist gadfly who stages media spectacles at Congressional hearings, defense industry trade conferences and the homes of government officials, yelling invectives, chants and slogans, branding herself as “anti-war,” but actually running a pattern of messages denouncing the U.S. and uplifting communist and authoritarian regimes from the Islamic Republic of Iran to the Chinese Communist Party and the Communist Party of Cuba. Fox News Digital recently observed Benjamin outside her colorful home in Washington, D.C., with her partner and fellow activist Tighe Barry, who accompanied her on the