First Thing: Nato summit faces tricky diplomacy with Trump over his defense spending demands | US news

Good morning. NATO leaders will gather in Ankara today for their final summit after a turbulent six months, hoping to placate an unpredictable Donald Trump as Washington continues to pressure its allies to increase defense spending.

On Friday, Trump posted a chart on his Truth Social platform showing the defense budgets of NATO members, comparing the massive $999 million (£747 million) US spend with smaller figures from European states, saying the situation was “ridiculous” and “one-sided”. The USA plans to reduce the number of soldiers and materials it allocates to Europe in the event of a war with Russia.

NATO members will announce new arms contracts worth tens of billions of dollars at an industry forum to be held on the sidelines of the summit. NATO secretary general Mark Rutte called on allies to present “clear, concrete and credible plans” to meet the organisation’s spending targets. “President Trump expects all allies to take immediate action and get on the path to 5 percent, and to do so urgently,” he said.

• What causes tensions between the United States and the rest of NATO? Since Trump threatened to wrest control of Greenland from ally Denmark, the US and Israel have failed to consult European leaders before launching their economically disastrous strikes on Iran, complaining that countries including Britain have refused to allow US jets to bomb Iran from their territory. Bizarrely, he accused Italian Giorgia Meloni of being obsessed with him, and relations with Canadian Mark Carney became strained after Trump expressed interest in taking over the US’s northern neighbour.

Calls grow for Graham Platner to resign following sexual assault allegation

Calls for Graham Platner, the Democratic candidate for the U.S. Senate in Maine, to withdraw his candidacy intensified after a woman accused him of sexual assault. While Platner has denied the allegations, many senior Democratic figures have called for the beleaguered candidate to resign immediately.

Maine’s Democratic party leadership said Platner should withdraw from the race, and in a joint statement, Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer and Democratic senator campaign committee chair Kirsten Gillibrand said Platner should “immediately withdraw.” “DSCC will not invest in the Maine Senate race if the platform remains on the ballot,” they said.

• What are the allegations against Platner? In an exclusive Politico report, Jenny Racicot, 41, who was previously with Platner, said he forced her to have sex despite her repeated objections. The report included statements from a man Racicot later trusted, as well as recent therapist emails and messages warning an acquaintance about Platner in 2023.

• How did Platner react? Platner denied the allegations in a statement to Politico. “These allegations are disturbing, serious and false. Any accusation of non-consensual conduct is categorically untrue,” he said.

US airman accused of exposing himself to 16-year-old girl escapes trial in UK

A US airman who allegedly exposed himself to a 16-year-old girl and four young women in England managed to escape the British justice system after the US military took control of the case. Cambridgeshire police received complaints that airman Hannes Marschalek indecently exposed himself to women passing by his home in a small Cambridgeshire town in 2022.

The case has echoes of that of US fighter pilot Captain Jacob Wulfson, who strangled a British woman in his flat in Cambridge city centre. Marschalek was eventually taken to a court-martial held at the air base in 2023, where he and prosecutors negotiated a plea bargain. He later won an appeal in a US military court that overturned his conviction on technical grounds.

• Why is the handling of these cases causing a problem in the UK? In both cases, Cambridgeshire police chose to hand over responsibility for investigating sexual offenses to the US military, even though the crimes were committed on British soil while the perpetrators were off duty. Wulfson’s victim spoke of the “humiliating” ordeal when his case was heard in a US military court rather than a British court.

In other news…

• USMNT eliminated from World Cup Following the controversy in Seattle following Trump’s intervention in the suspension of a key player in the 4-1 defeat to Belgium.

• Utah prosecutors begin presenting their case in the murder of Charlie Kirkas part of a five-day preliminary hearing to determine whether there is sufficient evidence to proceed with the trial.

• An Idaho woman who said her twin babies died due to vaccines has been charged with murder. Andrea Shaw and her husband appeared on an RFK Jr-related podcast following the deaths.

• Mitch McConnell’s staff says Kentucky senator “continues to recover” in hospitalbut exact details of his condition are still scarce.

Stat of the day: Microsoft is cutting 4,800 jobs as it revamps Xbox in latest wave of mass layoffs

Microsoft will eliminate approximately 4,800 jobs (roughly 2% of its global workforce) in a cost-cutting move. The cuts include the deepest overhaul in Xbox history, with nearly 3,200 gaming jobs eliminated and four game studios spun off or sold.

Culture Pick: Why The Pitt is the most promising show on TV

In a time of wars, natural disasters and cynically political divisions, The Pitt offers a rare dose of optimism. That’s Michael Hogan’s view in this piece, which looks at the gritty US hospital drama that intertwines life-or-death medical cases with staff’s personal crises in a compelling real-time format.

Don’t miss this: Oscars winner Helen Hunt talks great roles, unruly audiences and her RSC debut

Helen Hunt has come a long way since I was obsessed with the sitcom Mad About You in the 1990s. The gorgeous actor tells Arifa Akbar about the difficulties of finding meaty characters, difficult times in the US and starring opposite his father’s hero Kenneth Branagh in The Cherry Orchard.

…or this: Meet the tribute artists On the ship of famous impersonators

“I can feel Sinatra entering my body and exiting my lungs” is one of the less likely sentences you might encounter today; that’s thanks to this long read by Sunburst Convention attendee Mina Tavakoli, who made an unexpected splash for Famous Impersonators.

Climate control: Why oil companies are profiting as the world warms dangerously

The scientific consensus is that burning fossil fuels is causing the climate crisis, but as Jonathan Watts reports, the world’s largest oil companies are planning to increase production. Conclusion? This stunning photo gallery from the bushfires ravaging southern Europe shows the risk of severe climate events is increasing.

Last Thing: Madonna was always against nostalgia; Looking back at Confessions II has reinvigorated his music

Madonna biographer Lucy O’Brien says her new album, a direct follow-up to 2005’s Confessions on a Dance Floor, grapples with nostalgia, grief and loss, making Madonna’s music deeper than it has been in the past two decades, but also making it more vibrant.

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