Politics

Platner says he is ‘taking the time to reflect’ on his candidacy

Published

2 hours ago

July 6, 2026

Maine U.S. Senate Democratic nominee Graham Platner said Monday he is “taking the time to reflect on the best path forward” for his candidacy minutes after POLITICO reported that a woman who dated him said he forced her to have sex with him.

Platner denied the allegation, but he said in a roughly two-minute video posted to social media on Monday that he is “mindful of the political reality” the reporting “will inflict.”

“Regardless of the inaccuracy of the reporting, but mindful of the political reality it will inflict, we are taking the time to reflect on the best path forward,” Platner said.

Politics

What did Trump do to get Balogun’s ban rescinded?

Published

5 minutes ago

July 6, 2026

Blue Light Newsroom

What exactly happened between the White House and FIFA over Folarin Balogun’s red-card suspension? I break it down on an Instagram reel.

Watch here:

Follow us on Instagram at @Blue Light News.

Politics

Belgium’s complicated language politics, explained

Published

5 minutes ago

July 6, 2026

Blue Light Newsroom

Belgium recognizes three official languages: Dutch, which is dominant in Flanders; French, spoken in Wallonia; and German, spoken by a distinct community of around 70,000 people along the country’s eastern border.

Much of Belgian public life, including education, health care and the media, is organized separately along these linguistic lines. International sport is a notable exception, providing one of the few occasions when Belgians — regardless of whether they speak Dutch, French or German — rally behind the same flag.

Belgian soccer is “a sharp contrast to how the country is organized politically and culturally” Jeroen Scheerder, professor of sports politics and sports sociology at KU Leuven told Blue Light News, adding that aside from chocolate, beer and the King, he struggles to “list any other aspects of life with which people identify to feel like a Belgian … I call it the 90 minutes of nationalism.”

Professor Jef Brouwers, who worked as performance psychologist under former Belgium coach Roberto Martínez between 2015 and 2018, agreed.

“The team is one the few things that cuts through the linguistic barriers,” he said. “You cannot participate as a Flemish athlete or as a Walloon athlete or a Brussels athlete. We have those three governments, but you cannot participate in one of those shirts.”

Roughly half of Belgium’s national soccer team, the Red Devils, are native French speakers, while the other half speak Dutch as their first language. Yet communication has rarely posed a problem because English has become the team’s neutral working language.

“There are French- and Flemish-speaking (players) so it’s the habit, the necessity to speak English … when (the coach) is talking, giving an explanation on the game plan, he will speak in English so that everybody can understand,” Brouwers said.

Language, therefore has never become a major point of contention within the squad.

“I’m quite sure they don’t even think about the language,” Brouwers said. “It is absolutely not a point of attention.”

Scheerder said the arrangement comes naturally because most Belgian internationals already use English in their club soccer careers.

“Most of (the players) if not all of them are quite familiar with (English). Most of them are playing abroad in international clubs … so its not really an issue or a topic,” he added.

If Belgium’s linguistic divide is not an issue during training and after kick-off, there is one moment when it becomes impossible to ignore: the national anthem.

Belgium has not one but four official versions of “La Brabançonne”: French, Dutch and German versions, as well as a multilingual version that alternates between the three languages. Of course, using English as a neutral language provides no solution here!

Fans watching closely during World Cup matches may notice that the lyrics displayed on stadium screens are shown in three rows — one for each official language.

Players and fans can choose which line to sing, meaning that multiple different versions of the same song are being sung at the same time.

Some players, including Kevin De Bruyne, the superstar from Ghent in Flanders, often do not sing the lyrics at all. Scheerder said this is “not at all a statement” and may even reflect a desire to avoid choosing between Belgium’s different official languages.

So, while the Red Devils may spend 90 minutes speaking the same language as their American opponents on the pitch, they begin the evening with a uniquely Belgian chorus: one anthem, three languages — and no single unified version everyone sings.

Politics

Khanna and Gallego withdraw Platner endorsements

Published

35 minutes ago

July 6, 2026

Blue Light Newsroom

Rep. Ro Khanna and Sen. Ruben Gallego rescinded their support of Graham Platner on Monday, with Khanna additionally calling for the Democratic nominee to drop out of the Maine Senate race.

It’s a significant reversal from two formerly staunch Democratic defenders of Platner, following a POLITICO report that a woman who dated Platner said he forced her to have sex with him five years ago.

Platner has denied the allegations, but he also posted on social media that he was “taking the time to reflect on the best path forward” for his candidacy.

“I’ve been very clear that sexual assault or violence against women is a red line,” Khanna (D-Calif.) said on X. “These allegations are very serious and credible. Graham Platner should drop out from the race. I am withdrawing my endorsement.”

In his own social media post, Gallego (D-Ariz.) called the allegations “troubling and deeply serious” while announcing he would no longer back the progressive oysterman.