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One of the key divides in Maine’s race for governor came into focus this week as Planned Parenthood Maine Action Fund endorsed Democratic candidate Hannah Pingree and warned that her two opponents, Republican Bobby Charles and independent Rick Bennett, stand in direct opposition to abortion rights.

Pingree faces off against anti-choice rivals on abortion - Maine Beacon

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In this week's Opinions column, Ethan Strimling writes about the U.S. Senate race and how the progressive movement in Maine is bigger than any one candidate. "The fight is ours because we are the ones living in economic fear," he writes. "And ours because that is the only way we win it."

Strimling: The movement has always been ours – Collins’ Senate seat should be, too - Maine Beacon

Since Graham Platner left the Senate race two weeks ago, we’ve seen a lot of people wondering how he could possibly be replaced – a discourse that really, really misses the point. Platner’s greatest s...

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ICE raids continue to escalate in Maine and legal aid groups said young people are increasingly the target. Last week’s deadly ICE shooting in Biddeford of Johan Sebastián Durán Guerrero, a young father on his way to work, has only heightened the terror people are experiencing.

ICE targets Maine youth after removal of legal protections - Maine Beacon

ICE raids continue to escalate in Maine and legal aid groups said young people are increasingly the target. For decades, unaccompanied minors who suffered abuse or neglect have been given Special Immi...

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Maine Beacon @mainebeacon.bsky.social · 3w ago

After former State Senate President Troy Jackson won the vast majority of delegates in county meetings over the weekend, his rivals for the Democratic U.S. Senate nomination dropped out of the race, leaving his path clear to face off against Sen. Susan Collins in November.

Jackson triumphant - Maine Beacon

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In the two days since an ICE officer shot and killed Johan Sebastián Durán Guerrero in Biddeford Monday morning, the federal government has offered a series of shifting and contradictory explanations, fueling demands that Maine authorities, not federal agencies, lead the investigation into his death

Shifting rationales for Biddeford killing prompt calls for serious state investigation of ICE - Maine Beacon

In the two days since an ICE officer shot and killed 26-year-old Colombian national Johan Sebastián Durán Guerrero in Biddeford Monday morning, the federal government has offered a series of shifting ...

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Maine Beacon @mainebeacon.bsky.social · 3w ago

In today's column, Ethan Strimling describes the collective grief Mainers are feeling for Johan Sebastián Durán Guerrero and how Sen. Susan Collins must be held accountable for her lack of action. "Abolish ICE. Of course. But those are just words. Vote out Susan Collins and it might just happen."

Strimling: Abolish ICE and defeat Collins (the former won’t happen without the latter) - Maine Beacon

Maine has now joined the ranks of states with a resident murdered by ICE. A man who was here legally (as if that should matter). A father working two jobs to feed his family. Likely terrified that ICE...

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Maine Beacon @mainebeacon.bsky.social · 3w ago

One person is dead after a shooting involving an ICE agent Monday morning in Biddeford, according to local officials and news sources. Several local and statewide organizations have called on people to gather in protest at noon at Mechanics Park. Read the full story at the link below.

Mainers take to streets in Biddeford after fatal ICE-involved shooting - Maine Beacon

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This week on the podcast, we sit down with Maine Center for Economic Policy President and CEO Garrett Martin to talk about why tax fairness has become one of the biggest economic debates in Maine and across the country. Listen now!

How tax policy has shaped economic inequality in the U.S. - Maine Beacon

This week on the podcast, we sit down with Center for Economic Policy President and CEO Garrett Martin to talk about why tax fairness has become one of the biggest economic debates in Maine and across...

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How tax policy has shaped economic inequality in the U.S. - Maine Beacon

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New polling shows Democrat Graham Platner narrowly leading Sen. Susan Collins in Maine's U.S. Senate race. The survey comes as Platner rolls out a new anti-corruption agenda targeting billionaire influence in Washington.

New poll shows Platner leading Collins as he launches ‘Corruption Crackdown’ - Maine Beacon

Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Graham Platner has a narrow lead over incumbent Sen. Susan Collins, according to a New York Times/Portland Press Herald/Siena poll released earlier this week. The surv...

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A citizen-led campaign is working to put universal healthcare before Maine voters next year, with volunteers collecting signatures for a 2027 ballot measure that would require lawmakers to develop a publicly funded healthcare system covering all residents.

Maine petition aims to put universal healthcare on 2027 ballot - Maine Beacon

A citizen-led effort in Maine aims to create the first publicly funded universal healthcare system in the United States. Volunteers are gathering signatures for a 2027 ballot measure that would direct...

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Four years after the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, Mainers gathered in Portland to reflect on the impact of the Dobbs decision and warn that abortion rights remain on the ballot. The event came as the Planned Parenthood Action Fund endorsed Democrat Graham Platner in Maine's US Senate race.

Mainers call out Collins on her role in abortion bans, as Planned Parenthood endorses Platner - Maine Beacon

Mainers observed the fourth anniversary of the U.S. Supreme Court’s Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health decision last week, as the Planned Parenthood Action Fund announced earlier this month that they wer...

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Questions about Republican unity remain after several top party figures, including Susan Collins and Paul LePage, skipped a weekend "Unity Breakfast" intended to bring Maine Republicans together ahead of November. It highlighted ongoing tensions over Bobby Charles' nomination for governor.

Maine Republicans address concerns that Charles’ extremism will harm other GOP candidates - Maine Beacon

U.S. Sen. Susan Collins didn’t attend the Maine Republican Party’s “Unity Breakfast” on Saturday. Neither did former governor and Second District congressional candidate Paul LePage, or several of the...

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As Maine Democrats head into the general election united behind their nominee, Opinion columnist @strim.bsky.social says that ranked choice voting helped progressives avoid splitting the vote. Meanwhile, Republicans' refusal to embrace the system left them with a "racist, phony MAGA nominee".

Strimling: Ranked choice voting worked! - Maine Beacon

One of my failings during the early months of this past gubernatorial election was my inability to understand why Nirav Shah was leading in all the polls. Yes, he had strong name ID, but so did many o...

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A federal judge has ordered the Trump administration to restore historical and science-based exhibits removed from national parks by July 4, including displays about climate change and Wabanaki history at Acadia National Park.

Court orders national park signage restoration by 4th of July - Maine Beacon

A federal judge has ordered historical and science-based displays removed from America’s national parks and monuments must be restored by July 4.A coalition of conservationists sued after nearly 60 it...

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The Trump administration is paying energy developer Invenergy $765 million in taxpayer dollars to abandon four offshore wind leases, including two in the Gulf of Maine, in the latest effort to dismantle the offshore wind industry.

Trump uses taxpayer dollars to shut down Gulf of Maine wind projects - Maine Beacon

The Trump administration is paying energy developer Invenergy $765 million in taxpayer dollars to abandon four offshore wind leases, including two in the Gulf of Maine, escalating its campaign against...

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Former Maine House Speaker Hannah Pingree is headed to the general election after winning the Democratic primary for governor through Maine's ranked-choice voting system. After her victory, she said her campaign is about Maine's potential and standing up against Donald Trump.

Hannah Pingree wins Democratic nomination for Maine governor after ranked-choice count - Maine Beacon

Former Maine House Speaker Hannah Pingree won the Democratic nomination for governor early Friday following Maine's ranked-choice voting tabulation, advancing to the November election. "Now the real w...

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State Auditor Matt Dunlap won the Democratic nomination for Maine's 2nd Congressional District early Friday after ranked-choice voting helped him overtake State Sen. Joe Baldacci in a closely contested four-way primary.

Matt Dunlap secures Democratic nomination in CD2, turns focus to defeating LePage - Maine Beacon

State Auditor Matt Dunlap won the Democratic nomination for Maine's 2nd Congressional District early Friday after ranked-choice voting reshaped a tightly contested four-way primary. “Today's results t...

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Sen. Susan Collins says she does not regret voting to confirm Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh, despite his role in overturning the federal right to abortion.

Years after Roe v. Wade overturned, Collins still doesn’t regret Kavanaugh vote - Maine Beacon

Sen. Susan Collins said she does not regret voting to confirm Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh, despite his role in overturning the federal right to abortion. In an interview with News Center Mai...

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With the Republican gubernatorial primary all but settled, attention is shifting to the general election and what a Bobby Charles candidacy could mean for Maine. @strim.bsky.social writes Charles' record in government, lobbying career and anti-immigrant rhetoric make him unfit to lead the state.

Strimling: In Charles, MAGA gets their racist, incompetent, phony axe-man for the GOP nominee - Maine Beacon

As we await the final ranked choice count from the race to pick the Democratic nominee for governor (I put my money on Shenna Bellows or Hannah Pingree winning, with Shah in second), the Republican no...

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Central Maine Power customers were supposed to get some relief this summer as a temporary storm surcharge expired. Instead, the utility is asking regulators to approve new rate hikes that could cost the average household an extra $216 a year.

Don’t let CMP raise Mainers’ electric bills again, Bellows and others testify at public hearing - Maine Beacon

With rising energy costs creating high levels of “frustration and fear”, advocates and Mainers are resisting Central Maine Power’s attempts to raise its rates as its parent company predicts profits in...

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Ahead of the FIFA World Cup, immigrant rights advocates are noting the risks international visitors could face while traveling in the United States, saying that fans should know their rights before attending matches in New England.

Immigrant groups issue travel warning ahead of FIFA World Cup games - Maine Beacon

New England-based immigrant support groups are warning FIFA World Cup fans to know their rights before traveling to the United States. The groups say federal ICE agents have engaged in racially motiva...

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Maine Democrats still don't know who their nominee for governor will be. With no candidate earning a majority of first-choice votes, the race is heading to a ranked-choice tabulation that could reshape the standings.

It’s not over: Democratic governor’s primary heads to ranked-choice tabulation - Maine Beacon

Maine's Democratic gubernatorial primary isn’t decided yet, with the race now headed to a ranked-choice tabulation after no candidate secured a majority of first-choice votes. In the closing weeks of ...

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Graham Platner is officially Maine Democrats' nominee for U.S. Senate after a decisive primary victory Tuesday night, winning more than 72% of the vote. Platner framed his campaign not as a personal story, but as a grassroots movement powered by volunteers and small donors demanding bold change.

Platner wins primary in landslide - Maine Beacon

Graham Platner, a veteran and oyster farmer from Sullivan, Maine, is the Democratic nominee for United States Senate. The race was called shortly after the polls closed and current totals from the Ban...

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