No state can handle disasters alone. "Devolution is a bad idea likely to exacerbate existing injustices," said our @kennystancil.bsky.social. "It probably means slashing school budgets and taking funding away from other essential public services." Great reporting from @gurleygg.bsky.social.
The American Prospect@prospect.org · 2w agoThe Trump administration aims to reverse the expectation that the federal government is always going to come to the rescue. prospect.org?p=141202
Knew some Mainer would step up to say exactly this about the Platner fiasco—Over to Chellie Pingree (D-ME): “My #1 request is, could everybody just leave us alone in ME...high-paid consultants, all the people who want to make money off of us, who want to treat us like a petri dish—just stay away...
facebook.com
Many candidates are seeking the nomination in Maine, but the most viable are the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th-place finishers in last month's gubernatorial primary. @gurleygg.bsky.social is an experienced Maine watcher and interviewed Troy Jackson as far back as 2016. She looks at the candidates:
Maine’s Three Likely Replacements for Graham Platner - The American Prospect
Troy Jackson, Shenna Bellows, and Nirav Shah all bring different qualities to a showdown with Susan Collins.
prospect.org
Whether any of these candidates or some sleeper pick can stand up to the ruthless gentility of the Susan Collins machine is the quandary that the Maine Democratic Party leaders must quickly figure out.
Maine’s Three Likely Replacements for Graham Platner - The American Prospect
Troy Jackson, Shenna Bellows, and Nirav Shah all bring different qualities to a showdown with Susan Collins.
prospect.org
After the 2024 Democratic primaryless pres debacle, holding an emergency primary would be smart. Let Nirav Shah, fmr Maine CDC, Troy Jackson, Sen Pres; Shenna Bellows, Sec of State ,and Angus King III go at it...but but but logistical nightmare. OTOH, Shah got the most votes in RCV, so path clear?
Checkmate.That's it. Per the DSCC: “Graham Platner needs to immediately withdraw as the Democratic nominee for Senate and allow Maine Democrats the opportunity to choose a new candidate...DSCC will not invest in the Maine Senate race if Platner remains on the ballot. www.dscc.org/article/dscc...
Maine Democratic leaders are calling for Graham Platner to withdraw from Senate race. "We respect the women who made the hard decision to come forward. Speaking up is costly." Deadline for withdrawals is 7/13. If he does withdrawal, replacement likely to be one of the gubernatorial candidates.
And....QTS, the data center developer left standing in the Digital Gateway case, has dropped its appeal to the VA Supreme Court last week. This after the VA Lege slapped an energy consumption tax on the sector. My latest on the backstory on the legislature's move: prospect.org/2026/07/06/d...
Data Centers Win-Lose in Virginia - The American Prospect
In an era of austerity, Virginia’s state budget deal puts its lawmakers supporting Big Tech and its tax exemptions on a crash course with their constituents.
prospect.org
Virginia maintained its tax exemptions for data centers while imposing an electricity consumption tax, a compromise that has pleased almost nobody. @gurleygg.bsky.social reports. prospect.org/2026/07/06/d...
Data Centers Win-Lose in Virginia - The American Prospect
In an era of austerity, Virginia’s state budget deal puts its lawmakers supporting Big Tech and its tax exemptions on a crash course with their constituents.
prospect.org
Virginia lawmakers are hyperconscious of tax revenues provided by the sector. Those lawmakers will soon find out that their data-centers-produce-revenues mindset comes with electoral consequences.
Data Centers Win-Lose in Virginia - The American Prospect
In an era of austerity, Virginia’s state budget deal puts its lawmakers supporting Big Tech and its tax exemptions on a crash course with their constituents.
buff.ly
"Members of the group Patriot Front ride the metro as a commuter looks on, during the 250th anniversary of U.S. independence in Washington, D.C., U.S., July 4, 2026. REUTERS/Cheney Orr"
I must not read Axios. Axios is the mind-killer. Axios is the little-death that brings total obliteration.
Reconstructionist@unavaleable.bsky.social · last mo.I will not let Axios invade my mind palace
Second Chance Animal Shelter in East Brookfield has at least 16 cats and kittens that need a new home, after their owner was unexpectedly placed in assisted living. www.secondchanceanimals.org.
@gurleygg.bsky.social does know how to read the room: "The mixed messages coming out of the state capital led voters to wonder about the value of a Mills candidacy long before Platner showed up to dazzle Mainers unaccustomed to high-voltage candidates."
David Dayen@ddayen.bsky.social · 3mo agoAll you had to do was read Janet Mills' list of vetoes to know that she would be wholly unprepared to mount another statewide race. Her approval ratings were sinking before she even started running. @gurleygg.bsky.social looks back: prospect.org/2026/05/06/f...
Early Tuesday, a dangerous heat dome was taking shape over the Tennessee Valley, one that will expand, intensify and find itself located over the Mid-Atlantic by the end of the week. Here are three key stats to know about the building heat and humidity:
Three stats to know about the dangerous heat dome taking hold in the U.S.
More than 60 percent of Americans will experience extreme heat and humidity in the days ahead.
washingtonpost.com
Psst! "something as simple as failing to adhere to regulations about posting a public notice can upend an entire project." @gurleygg.bsky.social at The American Prospect: prospect.org/2026/06/02/j...
Take This Data Center and Shove It - The American Prospect
Americans ain’t puttin’ up with these things no more. Welcome to Virginia, ground zero for data center defiance.
prospect.org
NEW: Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and fmr. Gov. Rick Snyder plan to cut the ribbon on the Gordie Howe Intl Bridge this Friday. Will traffic follow? Unclear-- Some backstory in my latest: prospect.org/2026/06/08/g...
Canada Built a New Bridge From Ontario to Detroit. Trump Refuses to Open It. - The American Prospect
Will the trade war leave a new bridge just sitting over an international waterway?
prospect.org
It's not infrastructure week. In fact, there's a whole bridge to Canada that's not being used because of a petty dispute with Trump, which has ballooned into a leverage play around the US-Mexico-Canada agreement. Good report from @gurleygg.bsky.social. prospect.org/2026/06/08/g...
Canada Built a New Bridge From Ontario to Detroit. Trump Refuses to Open It. - The American Prospect
Will the trade war leave a new bridge just sitting over an international waterway?
prospect.org
Rep. Barney Frank (D-MA) was brilliant & intense. This 2015 convo-before I moved to DC-remains one of my most challenging and memorable interviews/sparing matches with any political figure. His memorial service was held on Monday in Boston. RIP Rep. Frank. commonwealthbeacon.org/politics/to-...
To be Frank
BARNEY FRANK IS passing time with a newspaper crossword puzzle before our interview. When I arrive at the West Newton video studio where he does live
commonwealthbeacon.org
Downtown Minneapolis was full of purple and Prince fans yesterday ☔️ 🎥: Alex Kormann + @stribrooks.bsky.social
#StreetArt Prince #Photography #Art Bonne fin de journée ! #Photo #stunday #Prince #flowers #OnThisDay
A Prince sing along on what would have been his 68th birthday. 💜
Minneapolis hosts a birthday sing-along for Prince
There’s still time to brush up on the lyrics to “Little Red Corvette.”
startribune.com
Prince in mid air, London, 1986 Photo by Michael Putland
Great piece from @gurleygg.bsky.social about the dramatic reversal in approval for data centers in Virginia, the world leader in the facilities. Now neighborhood groups are opposing new locations, lawmakers want to review tax breaks, and promises of jobs don't hold up. prospect.org/2026/06/02/j...
Take This Data Center and Shove It - The American Prospect
Americans ain’t puttin’ up with these things no more. Welcome to Virginia, ground zero for data center defiance.
prospect.org
South Carolina state lawmakers are proceeding with the Great Erasure of African American voters without the legal hindrances of the Voting Rights Act, that now timeworn relic of the late Great Society.
Is Chaos the Point in South Carolina? - The American Prospect
Seems to be, but overzealous Republican state legislators steamrolling new congressional maps onto baffled voters may end up in a world of hurt.
buff.ly
Point taken: SC Senate Republicans—there are no state Senate elections this year— voted down new House maps and preserved Rep Jim Clyburn's district. Wonder what else? Here's why: prospect.org/2026/05/21/i...
Is Chaos the Point in South Carolina? - The American Prospect
Seems to be, but overzealous Republican state legislators steamrolling new congressional maps onto baffled voters may end up in a world of hurt.
prospect.org
"...NIMBYism may serve the common good by putting a brake on the rapid proliferation of these mammoth facilities...The rise of A.I. data centers threatens the quality of life in communities throughout the United States..." @americamag.bsky.social
Stopping the spread of A.I. data centers serves the common good
A.I. data centers have driven up greenhouse gas emissions and polluted communities across America. But in one town, residents fought back.
americamagazine.org
