Reminder that last year a Republican senator speaking on the record (!) admitted in so many words that all of this is playacting -- that GOP leadership "allow[s] [Susan] Collins the flexibility to vote no on some nominees" for electoral reasons. #MEpolitics

Admin has finalized a rule that will deny student loans to people in low-earning degree programs, including future social workers & teaching aides. Policy will be implemented in 2027.

The New Republic@newrepublic.com · 2d ago

President Trump is banning students majoring in degrees that don’t make enough money from taking out college loans. Degrees for social work, art, religious studies, teaching aides, and music will be hit the hardest. trib.al/aaAEu6v

Wild pair of paragraphs in Press Herald's story on Susan Collins and Troy Jackson's roots in Aroostook County. Who knew that being a worker and hiring workers were the same thing! (Lots of ownership class folks think this way, actually.) #MEpolitics

Wanna help? www.jacksonformaine.com

Troy Jackson@troyjackson207.bsky.social · 3d ago

My response to Elon Musk.

Blanche’s appeasement is hollow. Trump still gets immunity from tax audits worth $100 million. And last week’s payout to abortion clinic blocker shows the path to payouts to rewrite history will be individual settlements instead of one designated fund. www.nytimes.com/2026/08/03/u...

Blanche Gives G.O.P. Senators Written Assurances on Trump’s I.R.S. Deal (Gift Article)

Todd Blanche’s confirmation as attorney general has been held up over concerns about a planned $1.8 billion fund for Trump allies and the president’s immunity from tax scrutiny.

nytimes.com

Susan Collins's staff routinely asks the ME press to make stories more favorable to her. As @collinswatch.bsky.social reported this week, @pressherald.com has agreed. Free Press editor Andy O'Brien did not. Here's the staffer's markup of his editorial. andyobrien.substack.com/p/the-collin...

According to this, Susan Collins "has appeared to hold grudges against people who criticized her vote" for Kavanaugh. Oh, really? And what about us? I think we can/should hold a grudge against her for that! #mepolitics www.nytimes.com/2026/08/01/u...

She Voted for a Justice Who Overturned Roe. Now it Haunts Her on the Trail. (Gift Article)

Senator Susan Collins, who supports abortion rights, endorsed Brett Kavanaugh’s nomination for the Supreme Court. It has emerged as a major issue in her campaign for re-election.

nytimes.com

Susan Collins's 5-term Senate career is in the "but": She's concerned. She hopes she doesn't have to vote in favor. "But that's up to the leadership." The Senate Appropriations Chair is no leader. If you can kick in $5 to beat Collins, we'd sure appreciate it here in Maine. www.jacksonformaine.com

Yeah, uh-huh. And Kavanaugh wouldn’t vote to overturn Roe, and Trump learned his lesson . #MePolitics www.pressherald.com/2026/07/30/a...

All immigration stops will be recorded, Sen. Collins says after meeting with ICE leader

Maine's Republican senator met Thursday with the acting director of Immigration and Customs Enforcement to press for details about the deployment of body cameras.

pressherald.com

Is Susan Collins extremely gullible or just plain dumb when it comes to judging character?

Ron Filipkowski@ronfilipkowski.bsky.social · 6d ago

8 years ago.

7/30 Press Herald editor admits to changing a headline about Senator Collins supporting more money for the Iran War to make it friendlier to Senator Collins at her staffer’s request #maine #MEpolitics

Any new #pain med is good news, but I fear docs will use the new OTC Tylenol + Naproxen as an excuse to deny #opioids to patients who need them & use them appropriately. Research shows opioids are safer than NSAIDs for many. www.fda.gov/drugs/news-e...

FDA Approves Combination of Acetaminophen and Naproxen Sodium

Tylenol with Naproxen is the first fixed-dose combination product to pair acetaminophen with naproxen sodium.

fda.gov

The Hill reports that "Blanche’s nomination has run aground with 2 Republicans, Sens. Tillis & Cornyn." I'm not surprised that Collins hasn't taken a stand. She & her PACs have taken millions from known Epstein associates & she voted to not release the files. #MESen www.yahoo.com/news/politic...

More Donations from Epstein Contacts to Susan Collins Uncovered

Collins took money from men on the Epstein list before voting against releasing the files

yahoo.com

Susan Collins decided that it was OK with her to have a DNI willing to say only that Biden was "certified" as President, & none of ME's news outlets decided that was worth covering. @pressherald.com @mainepublic.org @bangordailynews.bsky.social www.theatlantic.com/ideas/2026/0...

Susan Collins Is Not Concerned About Election Denial

Mortal threats to the republic are apparently a sideshow that distracts from cutting taxes, confirming judges, and deregulation.

theatlantic.com

Collins Watch@collinswatch.bsky.social · last wk.

Can't find any Maine coverage of Susan Collins hugely consequential vote to install this hack -- even though there have been dozens of ME-SEN stories this week alone. Makes you wonder about who's making decisions re: what deserves coverage, and who those decisions are meant to serve. #MEpolitics

NEW: Susan Collins was close enough with Tom Daffron nine years before their marriage that she took him as her date to a black tie White House function -- at a time when he was a registered lobbyist and still married to his former wife. Our story at the link. #MEpolitics

SUSAN COLLINS'S MARRIED FUTURE HUSBAND WAS HER DATE TO A 2003 WHITE HOUSE GALA

Four reactions to the resurfacing of a remarkable, memory-holed moment

susancollinswatch.substack.com

Susan Collins, Chair of the Appropriations Committee, has apparently lost her gavel. Since taking the job, she's held exactly 0 oversight hearings, even though stories like the fleet of non-appropriated 250 Cadillac Escalades hit the news day after day. #MESen www.usatoday.com/story/news/n...

'We look sharp': Trump says White House ordered 250 Cadillac Escalades

President Trump announced the White House ordered 250 Cadillac Escalades for government use during a Michigan speech.

usatoday.com

Susan Collins reiterates her support for the SAVE Act, which would "enact strict documentary proof of citizenship requirements & photo ID to vote, as well as banning no-excuse mail voting, & would potentially disenfranchise millions." ME doesn't require photo ID & makes it easy to vote by mail.

Marc Elias@marcelias.bsky.social · last wk.

U.S. Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) is not willing to nix the Senate filibuster to pass President Donald Trump’s SAVE America Act. www.democracydocket.com/news-alerts/...

Can’t make this up. 30-year incumbent Trump-endorsed Susan Collins is now attacking her opponent for being in office too long.

Worth saying again: Susan Collins hasn't held a single oversight hearing since she took over the Appropriations Committee. Not one. #MEpolitics

"Collins voted against releasing Epstein files while taking campaign money from implicated individuals." #MESen

MeidasTouch@meidastouch.com · 2w ago

Financial disclosures show that Susan Collins was taking checks from some of the men named in Epstein Files.

Jackson 49%, Collins 46% UNH Pine Tree Poll 7/21. 88% of Ds vote Jackson; 99% of Rs vote Collins. Among Independents: 46% would vote for Jackson, 42% for Collins. 33% see Jackson as unfavorable; 53% see Collins as unfavorable. MOE +/- 2.8%. #MESen Full poll: scholars.unh.edu/survey_cente...

What the Jackson campaign looks like from a Maine perspective ... #MESen

@cuuixsilver.bsky.social · 2w ago

Great piece about Troy from Andy O'Brien. open.substack.com/pub/andyobri...

Good info about #migraine. If you have 4 or more migraine days monthly, you should seek preventive treatment, per international guidelines. Frequent migraine puts you at high risk of developing daily or near-daily chronic migraine. www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle...

The truth about migraines: what causes them – and how to find relief

Over the last decade, the understanding of these devastating headaches has grown enormously, as has the understanding of what can be done to treat them

theguardian.com

This thoughtful and generous endorsement of Troy Jackson from Jordan Wood is well worth a listen.

Jordan Wood@jordanwood.bsky.social · 2w ago

Tonight, we are suspending our campaign for US Senate, and I’m proud to endorse my friend, Troy Jackson. To our team and volunteers who gave everything around the clock with almost no notice: I’m so grateful to you. This fight is bigger than any one person. See you on the doors this November.

In November, Mainers will defeat Susan Collins, and we will take back our Senate seat from the billionaires and corporations who think they own it.

There is no career politician that deserves to lose her seat in power more than Susan Collins. We must all enthusiastically rally behind Troy Jackson and his candidacy. @troyjackson207.bsky.social

Politico@politico.com · 2w ago

Troy Jackson has effectively secured the Maine Senate Democratic nomination

She apparently finds it an easy call to place an official who refuses to accept the obvious reality of Trump’s 2020 defeat in a position that he could use to help undermine American elections. Republicans are still treating threats to the republic as a sideshow. www.theatlantic.com/ideas/2026/0...

Susan Collins Is Not Concerned About Election Denial

Mortal threats to the republic are apparently a sideshow that distracts from cutting taxes, confirming judges, and deregulation.

theatlantic.com

If you haven't already, you can add your signature to the network of volunteers core commitment open letter here. Both Troy and Shenna have signed on. www.mainepeoplepoweredmovement.net

Susan Collins, Appropriations Chair, has *never* held an oversight hearing. Now she's claiming her vote for supplemental ICE funding included "accountability measures" like body cameras. Her office today said they "hadn't heard" whether she plans to hold a hearing & ask where the body cameras are.

danny@dabbs346.bsky.social · 3w ago

Portland Press Herald: Susan Collins’ office defended the senator’s vote for ICE funding #mesen #mepolitics www.pressherald.com/2026/07/13/p...

Bangor Daily News: Susan Collins cast the "deciding vote" to provide ICE $70 billion without reforms, even after they murdered two Americans #mesen #mepolitics www.bangordailynews.com/2026/07/13/p...