Graham Platner privately told staff that he's planning to officially file paperwork to end his Senate campaign on Monday — the deadline for him to exit the race, Axios' Holly Otterbein scoops.

• His last-minute timing is likely to cause a final pang of anxiety for Democrats.

👂What we're hearing: Platner made the comments to his team last night shortly before his public announcement.

• "On Monday, I ... intend to file the requisite paperwork with the secretary of state to remove my name from the ballot," he said, according to a person on the call.

🔎 Zoom in: Under state law, Platner has until Monday at 5 p.m. to drop out of the race in time for the party to replace him with a new nominee.

• As of early this afternoon, Platner hadn't officially withdrawn from the race, according to the Maine secretary of state.

🧐 Between the lines: Platner has sought to influence the process to choose his replacement, saying in a social media video that the protocol "needs to be driven not from back rooms, but by the will of the people."

• Liam Kerr, co-founder of the centrist Democratic group Welcome, tells Axios that it "seems like people are underrating the odds he just doesn't file the actual withdrawal."
• Platner's allies have described his comments as parting wishes, not hostage-taking.

🔮 What's next: Maine Democrats are scrambling to replace Platner as the state's Senate race is among the most important for Democrats this election cycle, Axios' Josephine Walker writes.

• List of potential replacements ... How Platner's replacement is picked.

💰 More venture capital dollars were invested in U.S. companies during the first half of 2026 than in any full year, Axios' Dan Primack reports from PitchBook and the National Venture Capital Association data.

• U.S. companies raised $412.7 billion between January and June.
• That's a whopping 29% increase over what U.S. companies raised in all of 2025 and a 15% increase over the all-time record set in 2021.

💵 The boost was driven by mega-rounds, with over 81% of H1 2026 dollars going to deals of $100 million or more.

• This includes seven rounds of $1 billion+ in Q2.

🥊 Reality check: The only dark cloud is that Q1 significantly outpaced Q2, although Q2 is where most of the exit activity was found.

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1. ✈️ PBI is now DJT. The FAA has alerted air traffic controllers that Palm Beach International Airport's three-letter identifier officially changed today to honor President Trump. Read the announcement.
2. 🏡 U.S. home prices hit an all-time high in June, with the median sales price hitting a record $440,600, according to the National Association of Realtors. Go deeper.
3. 🕯️ Singer Bonnie Tyler, 75, died last night at a hospital in Portugal where she was being treated for an illness, her family said. She was best known for the chart-topping hit "Total Eclipse of the Heart" — an iconic love ballad that has endured for more than 40 years. Family statement ... NYT obit (gift link).
4. 🎥 Hollywood Burbank Airport plans an October opening for a $1.3 billion terminal that will replace two smaller concourses in use for decades, the L.A. Times reports.
5. 🤖 OpenAI broadly released its new GPT-5.6 model after staggering the rollout of the powerful new model at the request of the U.S. government, Axios' Ina Fried and Madison Mills report.

⚽ U.S. soccer star Christian Pulisic fractured his right leg during America's World Cup loss to Belgium on Monday, AP reports.

• Pulisic has a bone bruise and a microfracture of his tibia and fibula, sources tell AP. But he's expected to be ready to practice before AC Milan's Serie A opener in August.

👀 The intrigue: Following the loss, Pulisic initially downplayed his injury and told reporters that he needed to rest — drawing widespread criticism from fans and commentators displeased that he left the game early.

• USMNT soccer legend Landon Donovan's reaction: "You would have had to drag me off the f—ing field."

🏆 What we're watching: The World Cup quarterfinals get underway this afternoon with a 4 p.m. ET showdown between France and Morocco.

• Get the latest.