Author: The Maine Wire

CBS News Investigations ran a segment Tuesday highlighting the proliferation of Asian transnational criminal organizations throughout rural Maine, including an interview with Maine Wire Editor-in-Chief Steve Robinson: From CBS News: Maine is the newest frontier for the illicit marijuana trade, with potentially hundreds of suspected unlicensed grow houses operating in the state… It’s part of a larger phenomenon nationwide. Thousands of illegal marijuana farms have been cropping up in states like Oklahoma, California and Colorado, according to Raymond Donovan, the former chief of operations for the Drug Enforcement Agency. “[Maine] is a perfect location to cultivate cannabis and do it…

Residents of New England are paying some of the highest taxes in the United States, according to a comprehensive study analyzing the lifetime tax burdens across all fifty states. The report, recently published by financial services firm Self Financial, provides an eye-opening glimpse into the financial futures of Americans based on current tax policies. On average, a Maine resident will pay $581,750 in total taxes over their lifetime, which amounts to 40.9 percent of their estimated lifetime earnings. This places Maine as one of the top ten highest tax-paying states by percentage of lifetime earnings in the nation, alongside its…

U.S. Sen. Susan Collins is urging federal bureaucrats to avoid reclassifying the potato as a vegetable, a move which could have deleterious consequences for consumers of the nutrient rich tuber as well as farmers throughout northern Maine. Sen. Collins and Michael Bennet (D-CO) have spearheaded a bipartisan appeal to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services (DHHS) to maintain the classification of potatoes as vegetables. The move comes amid reports that potatoes may be reclassified as grains in the upcoming Dietary Guidelines for Americans (DGAs), a move which could have a negative…

In an unexpected development that could spell ongoing challenges for the U.S. economy, the U.S. Labor Department reported Thursday that inflation at the wholesale level rose significantly in February 2024. The department’s Producer Price Index (PPI), which measures inflation at the wholesaler level, i.e. before it impacts consumers, jumped 0.6 percent from January to February. This increase outpaced the modest 0.3 percent gain forecasted by federal economists. Over the past 12 months, the PPI has climbed 1.6 percent, marking the highest annual surge since September 2023. Final demand goods experienced a 1.2 percent price increase in February, the most significant…

Maine is the 13th most federally dependent state in the nation, according to a recent study published by WalletHub’s financial analysts. Source: WalletHub The analysis, which is based on U.S. Bureau of Census data, highlights the varying degrees of federal aid reliance among states. Although the analysis found that “Red States” tend to be more reliant on federal tax dollars than “Blue States”, Maine is one of the Democrat-controlled states that bucks the national trend. To determine the levels of federal dependency, WalletHub evaluated states across three critical metrics: the return on taxes paid to the federal government, federal funding…

Republican lawmakers in Washington, D.C., are advancing an effort to ward off the potential threat of a Central Bank Digital Currency (CBDC), a proposed electronic currency that would be centrally controlled by the federal government or the Federal Reserve. A coalition of Senate Republicans, led by Sens. Bill Hagerty (R-Tenn.), Ted Budd (R-N.C.), Mike Braun (R-Ind.), Rick Scott (R-Fla.), and Ted Cruz (R-Texas), have introduced the CBDC Anti-Surveillance State Act (S. 3801). The legislation aims to prevent the Federal Reserve, which is not a government body, from issuing a CBDC, either directly to individuals or indirectly through financial institutions or…

Journalist Tucker Carlson, of Maine, published his controversial Feb. 6 interview with Russian President Vladimir Putin Thursday evening. The interview mostly concerns the Russian invasion of Ukraine, with Putin discoursing at length on the historical factors that have created modern Eurasia. Putin blames the American CIA for blowing up the Nordstream pipeline, insists that Russia has long sought peaceful agreements with the U.S., and pointedly refuses to allow Carlson to return home with WSJ reporter Evan Gershkovich. Here’s the full interview: https://twitter.com/TuckerCarlson/status/1755734526678925682?s=20

Maine, a state that has some of the highest taxes and electricity costs in the country, can also now count itself among the states with the highest levels of consumer debt, according to a new analysis from WalletHub. Mainers saw their average credit card balance climb by 7.27 percent in the span of a single quarter, reaching $6,903. Meanwhile, auto loan balances inched up by 1.12 percent, landing at $24,496, and personal loan debts rose by 3.72 percent to $10,389. The fintech firm’s latest report found that the overall debt load carried by residents of Maine is the fourth highest…

It’s been a transformational year for the Maine Wire. Editor-in-Chief Steve Robinson officially took the reins in February, and now the Wire has six full-time employees, including four reporters and a digital media editor. We’re not done — not by a longshot — and we have plans to continue growing in the coming year and expand our impact throughout state. We’re committed to ensuring that Mainers don’t have to rely on left-wing media companies and lazy hacks to learn what’s happening in Augusta or anywhere else in Maine. We believe that Maine desperately needs an news outlet that doesn’t see…

Notes from a parallel universe… AUGUSTA, Maine – Maine Secretary of State Eric Brakey declared Thursday that former U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton will not be allowed to appear on the Maine Democratic primary ballot for the 2024 presidential election because she is a “war criminal.” “From North Africa to the Middle East, Hillary Clinton is a war criminal who has used war and the might of the American government to enrich herself,” Brakey said in a press release. “It’s also very likely that Clinton has ordered the murder of dozens of American citizens, including Seth Rich and Jeff…

In an eye-opening examination of higher education’s current climate, Bates College stands as a stark example of the struggles with free speech on campus, revealing a disconcerting trend that extends beyond the student body to the very faculty that shapes students’ minds. Bates, located in Lewiston, is ranked dismally for free speech at 213 out of 250 nationally, At the elite liberal arts college, a chilling environment has emerged, according to an article posted by Bates alum Roy Matthews at The Federalist. Students, accustomed to navigating a minefield of restrictive speech codes and peer-enforced social pressure, are not the only…

By Jennie Taer of the Daily Caller News Foundation PORTLAND, Maine — Illegal marijuana grows run by Chinese nationals have sprung up all across the state of Maine, and residents say law enforcement isn’t doing enough to stop their spread. An illegal Chinese marijuana grow is operating ACROSS THE STREET from a daycare in Maine.This video from @JennieSTaer and the @DailyCaller highlights the sheer insanity of the situation. https://t.co/HTWKJaFWJg pic.twitter.com/FIDyy8cU8Y— The Maine Wire (@TheMaineWire) November 22, 2023 The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) identified 270 suspected Chinese illegal marijuana grow operations in the state that could be making an estimated $4.37…

The following is a letter to the editor from Rep. Reagan Paul (R-Winterport): As a member of the Energy, Utilities, and Technology (EUT) committee, it is unfortunately customary to be expected to vote on legislation that comes before us with very little information provided. LD 1895 “An Act Regarding the Procurement of Energy from Offshore Wind Resources”, sponsored by Sen. Mark Lawrence (D-York), is no exception. [RELATED: Another Offshore Wind Project Scuttled as Maine Charges Forward with Mills’ “Roadmap”…] We had no idea what the costs to ratepayers would be, what the environmental or economic impacts were (even though the…

The following is on op-ed submission from Bates Alumnus Roy Mathews At private schools, like Bates College, free speech is on life support if not already underground. Activists have raised the cost of engaging in free speech to a level that most students and faculty would rather stay silent than speak out. I arrived as an undergraduate at Bates College several years ago, ready to be challenged and expand my horizons at school. I expected my papers would be graded strictly and for professors to question, critique, and edit my work to make me a better writer. I did not…

Robert R. Card II, 40, of Bowdoin, is the primary person of interest in the largest mass shooting in Maine’s history, according to the Maine Information and Analysis Center, the intel unit of the Maine State Police. Police began receiving calls about an active shooter incident in Lewiston at 6:56 pm Wednesday. Media reports indicate there are 22 people dead and several dozen more injured, though police officials were reluctant Wednesday evening to confirm those numbers. The shootings occurred first at Sparetime Recreation and minutes later at Schemengees Bar & Grille Restaurant. pic.twitter.com/r1UBE2pRQP— The Maine Wire (@TheMaineWire) October 26, 2023…

The following op-ed was submitted to the Maine Wire by the Republican members of the Energy Committee and reflects the opinion of the authors: In a few short weeks, Maine voters will head to the polls to vote on Question 3. While referendum questions can often be confusing and unclear, Question 3 is straightforward. This proposal asks Mainers one simple question: do you support the forced seizure of two private Maine companies to be replaced by a politician-run electric utility? As members of the Energy Committee, our answer is NO. If Question 3 passes, eminent domain will be used to…

Gov. Janet Mills published the following radio address on Wednesday, finally weighing in decisively against a campaign by the Maine Democratic Socialists of America and national environmental groups to seize Maine’s electrical utilities and place them under government control. The plan is supported by some Maine lawmakers, including Sen. Rick Bennett (R-Oxford) and House Speaker Rachel Talbot Ross (D-Portland). When you walk into the voting booth this November 7th, there will be a whopping eight referendum questions for your consideration – and a few of them have enormously high stakes for Maine and for our future. Hello, this is Governor…

Maine Sen. Susan Collins jokingly told reporters Monday that she plans to wear a bikini on the Senate floor in response to new lax dress code changes introduced by Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) that are set to come into effect this week. https://twitter.com/frankthorp/status/1703895323909718466?s=20 Schumer has directed the Senate’s Sergeant at Arms to no longer enforce the chamber’s informal dress code for its members, according to Axios, which first reported the rule change. “I plan to wear a bikini tomorrow to the Senate floor and [Sen.] Chris Coons [D-Del.] is gonna wear shorts because there’s no dress code anymore,” Collins told…

The COVID-19 authoritarians are on the march. Hospitals from California to Massachusetts are bringing back mask mandates. NPR is openly speculating about the return of broader mandates nationally. On Tuesday, President Joe Biden’s press secretary announced that the Commander-in-Chief would once again be masking. https://twitter.com/TheChiefNerd/status/1699125564978672069?s=20 In Maine, liberal media outlets are hyping the new COVID-19 variant with stories like this one: “COVID-19 infections rise in Maine, and wastewater testing indicates more to come”. Gov. Janet Mills’ sister, Dora Mills, an executive at MaineHealth, recently told the same paper that “COVID is a fire that is circulating the globe…” The writing…

The following is an op-ed submission from Jay T. Allen, a board certified medical doctor currently living in Maine. He retired last year. On July 26, 2023, Michigan passed a ban on conversion therapy. In doing so, it became the 22nd state to pass such a ban. Conversion therapy is broadly defined as interventions imposed with the intent of promoting a particular sexual orientation and/or gender identity as a preferred outcome. This term is generally limited to efforts to align sexual orientation and gender identity with heterosexual and “cisgender” norms but in the broader sense it can apply to any…

President Joe Biden was once again vacationing on Rehoboth Beach in Delaware on Sunday. Asked to comment on the devastating fires that left 96 dead in the Maui town of Lahaina, President Biden said, “No. No comment.” https://twitter.com/piersmorgan/status/1691107234292654080?s=20 https://twitter.com/justinsink/status/1690861939746852864?s=20 Conservatives panned Biden’s apparent lack of empathy online. https://twitter.com/LarryOConnor/status/1690903854492082176?s=20 https://twitter.com/kylenabecker/status/1691142069002055687?s=20 https://twitter.com/TONYxTWO/status/1691093776331423744?s=20 https://twitter.com/MikeASperrazza/status/1691067099240595456?s=20

Last week, the Maine Wire’s Steve Robinson and Edward Tomic spent some time touring Portland’s various homeless encampments. Hundreds of tents are set up throughout the city, but there are three primary encampments at Fore River, Western Promenade, and Marginal Way. Robinson and Tomic recount what they saw at the camps, including open drug trafficking and drug use, the city’s lackluster attempt to get the residents into shelters and housing, and frustrated business owners who feel ignored.

On Thursday, Maine Wire Editor-in-Chief Steve Robinson and reporter Edward Tomic visited Portland’s largest three homeless encampments and spoke with local business owners about how the city’s homeless population is affecting their business operations. The Maine Department of Transportation Park and Ride on Marginal Way recently became Portland’s second largest encampment, with over thirty tents lining the state land next to I-295. The Park and Ride encampment formed after the encampment between the Portland Trader Joe’s and Whole Foods was shut down and cleaned out in May. FULL PODCAST: The Maine Wire’s Steve Robinson and Edward Tomic recount their inspection…

President Joe Biden made his first visit as president to Maine on Friday, giving a short speech at an Auburn manufacturing company before attending a fundraiser at Wolfe’s Neck in Freeport. https://twitter.com/TheMaineWire/status/1685039425347059712?s=20 The Commander in Chief landed at the Brunswick Executive Airport, the former location of the Brunswick Naval Air Base, as its runway is long enough to accommodate Air Force One, a customized Boeing 747-200B series aircraft. Biden deplaned from the big stairs and waved to the hundred or so spectators, mostly supporters, who had gathered to watch him arrive. The 80-year-old made it down the stairs without stumbling.…

The following is an op-ed submission from Joel Stetkis, Chairman of the Maine Republican Party: Growing up here in Maine, being neighborly was always just how we lived our lives — but unfortunately, our Maine way of life seems to be continually changing for the worse. Take the Maine case getting national attention right now. I’m talking about the case of Leonard Leo, longtime leader at the prestigious Federalist Society: right now, this prominent — and deeply effective — conservative activist is under personal fire in Maine in a way that would never have happened in the past. [RELATED: Maine…

The following is an op-ed submission from Jay T. Allen, a board certified medical doctor currently living in Maine. He retired last year. In the words of Patrick K. Hunter, MD, who gave testimony at a joint meeting of the Florida Board of Medicine and the Florida Board of Osteopathic Medicine, “Children and youth with gender dysphoria are suffering. They need care—the best possible care, excellent care.” The vast majority (if not all) of the American gender clinics and specialists, if asked, would declare that “gender affirming” care is the best possible care. They will tell you that “gender affirming”…

Mainstream media outlets reported Thursday on a lawsuit claiming that two Maine police officers wrongfully arrested a left-wing political protester “at the behest of” a conservative legal activist in Northeast Harbor, with the Bangor Daily News writing that the claim was “bolstered” by the dashcam audio. It appears likely that two Maine police departments will pay Eli Durand-McDonnell $150,000 to settle his claim that he was wrongfully arrested for disorderly conduct after he screamed obscenities at Federalist Society co-chairman Leonard Leo, his wife, and their 11-year-old daughter. The media has zealously adopted Durand-McDonnell’s narrative of events: that his civil rights…

This opinion piece was originally published on July 5, 2023 in the Washington Times. The insane election. That’s how I remember the 2021 race for the Charter Commission in Portland, Maine. The ballot asked voters to rank 10 candidates, from the one they liked most to the one they liked least — a system known as ranked-choice voting. When the ballots were counted, the results defied logic. One of the winners started with 4 percent of the vote. My city elected four at-large seats, and in a normal election, the four candidates with the most votes would have won. Not…

Two stories regarding Maine’s second most powerful legislator, House Speaker Rachel Talbot Ross (D-Portland), have remained largely untouched by the state’s newspapers, corporate press, and taxpayer-funded media. One stems from the claim made by a highly credible Maine State Police figure that the House Speaker misrepresented his support for a racial profiling bill before the Judiciary Committee. The other story is her sensational Juneteenth statement that “We should be storming the Capitol” over the “supremacist” ideology of Maine’s Department of Education. The first story, reported exclusively by the Maine Wire, revealed that earlier in June the House Speaker misrepresented the…

The following is an opinion editorial written by Myra Broadway of Gardiner. Originally submitted to the Bangor Daily News and the Portland Press Herald, but never published, the op-ed appears here in its entirety. Broadway was the Executive Director of the Maine State Board of Nursing from 1998-2015, and the Assistant Executive Director for the Maine State Board of Nursing from 1992-1997. Prior to that she worked in QualityAssurance/ Risk Management Coordinator, Pease AFB Hospital, at Pease AFB, Portsmouth, NH. Dr. Shannon Carr, an OB/GYN physician, was one of Maine proponents’ expert witnesses at the public hearing for LD 1619,…

In the latest video for Maine Wire TV, Editor-in-Chief Steve Robinson sat down with Rep. Heidi Sampson (R-Alfred) and Rep. Gary Drinkwater (R-Milford) to discuss a range of issues impacting Maine’s public schools, including healthcare mandates and curriculum transparency. Rep. Drinkwater is the sponsor LD 51, a bill that would restore the philosophical and religious exemptions for public school vaccine mandates. That bill was killed on party line votes in May, and you can read more about it here. Those exemptions were removed in 2019 by the State Legislature, prior to the Covid-19 outbreak, and public school vaccine mandates do…

The Foundation for Government Accountability (FGA) has released a mini-documentary alleging that the Biden Administration is blocking their investigation into attempts by the federal government to interfere with state elections. FGA has filed Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests to obtain public records related to the federal government’s “strategic plan” for state elections, but so far, the Department of Justice has totally stonewalled their inquiry. https://twitter.com/TheFGA/status/1665728608944508930?s=20 The FGA investigation revolves around so-called “Zuckerbucks” — that is, grant money provided by Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg that funded election administration in 2020. Twenty-three states have banned the use of private 3rd party…

Senate Minority Leader Trey Stewart joins Maine Wire Editor-in-Chief Steve Robinson for a conversation about Maine’s net energy billing scheme, the Wabanaki tribal sovereignty push, Gov. Janet Mills’ duplicitous abortion flip flop, and more.

The Press Herald has yet again been duped into quoting a left-wing astroturf group that purports to represent Maine small businesses. The so-called “Maine Small Business Coalition” sounds like a group that represents Maine small businesses. If you only read the Press Herald, you probably think that’s what it is. But according to records from Maine’s Secretary of State, the “coalition” is actually an assumed name registered to the Maine People’s Alliance, a left-wing nonprofit funded by international dark money. Press Herald reporter Joe Lawlor credulously quotes “Selecca Bulgar-Medina, director of the Maine Small Business Coalition” in his story on…

The following is a letter to the editor: During my 33 years specializing in Pediatric care my first motto was first and foremost do no harm. I loved my job but being a parent and protecting my children was always my first priority. So here is my story. From the time my daughter was age 2 years old she would tell people when asked that she was a boy. My co worker always said she should have been born a boy. She grew up very much a tom boy. Perhaps that was because she had been rejected by her dad.…

David Creech, the principal of the Marshwood Middle School, tendered his resignation this week citing health concerns. But the sudden departure of the long-time employee of various public schools in Maine happens to coincide with a district employee’s allegation that he had become infatuated with her and harassed her. The Portland Press Herald was the first outlet to break the news of Creech’s resignation and the unnamed woman’s allegations. The timing, along with MSAD 35 Superintendent John Caverly’s statement that Creech will not return to the district, suggests that the protection from harassment order the unnamed woman sought played a…

The decision to freeze student loan payments in 2020 as part of the response to COVID-19 may have actually led some households to take on more debt. That’s the paradoxical conclusion of researchers from the National Bureau of Economic Research, according to a working paper published this month. In 2020, at the peak of uncertainty over the pandemic, the federal government paused student loan payments, collection and interest. The move was intended to provide economic security to American’s paying down student loan debt during a period of economic turmoil. But the working paper suggests that those who benefited from the…

Florida on Tuesday became the first U.S. state to outlaw the use of a federally adopted Central Bank Digital Currency (CBDC) as well as foreign CBDCs. The legislation, signed into law by Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis, is intended to safeguard the financial freedom of Floridians from what he terms “government overreach” and “globalist efforts to adopt a worldwide digital currency.” The bill, SB 7054, garnered strong bipartisan backing in the legislature and amends the definition of money in Florida’s Uniform Commercial Code to omit any CBDC. This comes on the heels of an executive order from the Biden administration in…

BANGOR, MAINE – A milk delivery truck overturned on the I-395 WB offramp at Exit 3 early Thursday morning, causing a significant spillage of milk onto the roadway and leading to the closure of the ramp. At approximately 6:00 am on May 11, 2023, 35-year-old Austin Davis of Newburgh lost control of the vehicle, subsequently hitting a guardrail and tipping over, the Maine State Police said in a press release. The aftermath of the accident saw gallons of milk strewn across the highway. Davis was immediately rushed to a nearby hospital due to injuries sustained in the crash. His current…

Maine Wire Editor-in-Chief joined WVOM’s George Hale and Ric Tyler Show this morning to discuss the Maine Wire’s reporting on the ongoing debacle in Sanford, where hundreds of migrants have arrived unannounced seeking shelter and benefits. Sanford City Manager Steve Buck has said the city has reached its capacity for accommodating migrants. Buck also said the influx may have started with two Sanford residents who took it upon themselves to tell migrants at the Portland Expo that they could get better accommodations and benefits if they came to Sanford.

The Maine Wire reported Friday about the $1.26 million settlement involving Dr. Shannon Carr, a Maine OB/GYN tapped by Gov. Janet Mills to lobby in support of LD 1619, a bill to legalize full-term abortion in Maine. Last Monday, Carr was invited into the Cabinet Room for a press conference alongside Gov. Mills. Carr also testified in favor of the bill as an expert witness, calling late-term abortion “life-saving care.” But in 2017, Carr authorized and participated in a late-term abortion on 23-year-old Keisha M. Atkins, a 24-weeks-pregnant Albuquerque woman who would later die from complications related to her abortion.…

The following is a commentary submission from Ray Thombs, a small businessman from Union. He is a member of Speak Up for Life. I’m Hooked on It, You? I love to have my fishing lure suddenly snatched off the surface of the water and the subsequent zing of the fishing reel dishing out my line as the big lunker takes off with my lure. It’s exhilarating to reel-it in to find a trophy-sized fish on the end of it. In that moment, a surge of adrenaline kicks in and creates a craving to come back and do this again! That…

The following post by Forrest Robinson has been republished in part with the permission of the author and IM–1776. To read the full post or other articles from IM–1776, click here. In 2019, Portland, Maine was overrun with hundreds of migrants from Central Africa. All of them had traveled along the “underground railroad” of migrant safe houses that extends from Central America through Mexico, and into the United States. Once they arrived in America, Catholic Charities Maine assisted in sending hundreds of the Angolans and Congolese migrants from San Antonio to Portland, paying for their bus fare and providing specific instructions on what…

State Sen. Erica Brakey (R-Androscoggin) joins Maine Wire TV to talk about his 2018 campaign against U.S. Sen. Angus King and the revelation that King had giant social media companies censor Brakey’s supporters. We also cover monetary policy, Bitcoin, precious metals, and a unique proposal that would have Maine create a 100% reserve state bank. Brakey also explains his “Defend the Guard”.

Tucker Carlson, just days before his ouster from Fox News, brought the house down at the Heritage Foundation with a clarifying speech about this moment in American politics. Heritage has posted the speech in its entirety. If you don’t watch the whole thing, just watch the snippet in this Columbia Bugle tweet: https://twitter.com/ColumbiaBugle/status/1649601516783665153 Watch full video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N32UPXGChgo

Three years after Maine ended the prohibition on adult cannabis use, the price of the sticky flower has collapsed by nearly 50 percent. In 2020, one gram of the psychoactive product retailed for an average of $15.83, but so far in 2023 that number is just $8.04 per gram, according to data from the Office of Cannabis Policy (OCP). The trend may be explained, in part, by the large number of Mainers who are growing, refining, and selling the plant. According to OCP, there are currently 126 licensed or conditionally licensed cultivation operations in Maine and 172 licensed or conditionally…

In the inaugural episode of Maine Wire TV, Editor-in-Chief Steve Robinson interviews Amber Lavigne, the mother of a 13-year-old girl who received gender transition counseling at Damariscotta’s Great Salt Bay Community School. Maine Wire readers have followed our exclusive reporting on Samuel Roy, the 26-year-old conditionally licensed social worker who gave Lavigne’s daughter a breast binder. School officials never informed Lavigne about the gender counseling her daughter received, and they took steps to conceal that information from her. While school officials were initially sympathetic to Lavigne’s complaints, they quickly circled the wagons and have refused to share vital information with…

The Joint Standing Committee on Education and Cultural Affairs will hold public hearings on six bills aimed at reinstating religious and philosophical exemptions for COVID-19 vaccines approved under emergency use authorizations on Monday. Supporters of the bills have dubbed the day “Medical Freedom Day.” These bills seek to ensure access to education for all students, regardless of their vaccination status. Rep. Gary Drinkwater (R-Milford) said he now understands the need for exemptions after hearing testimony about vaccine injuries. He added that schools should not withhold education from children due to their vaccination status. Drinkwater’s bill would restore vaccine mandate exemptions…

Former President Donald Trump has been indicted by a Manhattan grand jury in connection to the hush money payment he allegedly made to adult film star Stephanie Clifford, aka Stormy Daniels, during the 2016 presidential campaign. According to NBC News, the indictment is currently under seal. Two sources reportedly confirmed to NBC News that Trump’s lawyers have been notified of the indictment. The investigation is being conducted by Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg. If true, this would be the first time in U.S. history a former president has been indicted. The news will send shockwaves through American politics and throw…

Maine Wire Editor-in-Chief Steve Robinson joined PJ Media’s Megan Fox this week to discuss Maine’s education system and recent Maine Wire reporting regarding Maine schools. https://twitter.com/TheMaineWire/status/1638571745455087621 You can watch the first full video of the interview here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uffcqH03T14

On Monday morning, the Cultural Alliance of Maine, a group purporting to represent “culture workers” in Maine, had a Zoom call with Democratic Gov. Janet Mills that did not go as planned. “We had the opportunity to talk state cultural policy with Governor Mills LIVE at a special CAM Convening on Monday, March 20th,” the group cheerily writes on its website. The meeting coincided with Mills and Secretary of State Shenna Bellows proclaiming a week in March as “Maine Cultural Heritage Week”. But other than the symbolic proclamation, Mills didn’t appear very enthusiastic about supporting CAM and the 71 “culture…

A most basic right, that of fair and honest elections, is the cornerstone of our representative form of government. A Maine Clean Election Act (MCEA) funded elected official recently resigned after being charged with 20 counts of Aggravated Forgery (a felony), and 13 lesser crimes regarding his MCEA funding. His Republican opponent, also an MCEA candidate, lost by less than 300 votes after being outspent 3.4 to 1. Many of the signatures in question were stamped received in Augusta on April 11,2022 almost all were stamped as received prior to June 4. This writer asks, why was this candidate allowed…

Inflation rose by 0.4 percent for February, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported Tuesday. “Over the last 12 months, the all items index increased 6.0 percent before seasonal adjustment,” the BLS said. The largest contributor to increasing inflation was the cost of shelter, which accounted for 70 percent of the total increase. The cost of food, household furnishings, and recreation all went up as well. According to BLS’s inflation calculator, $1,000 in January 2021 had the same buying power as $1,150 today. Wall Street’s main indexes climbed upon the release of the news, with many analysts speculating that a downward…

Maine Sen. Angus King found himself ensnared this week by a bonafide scandal of his own making. For those who haven’t kept up with the news: Mr. King’s 2018 campaign was exposed by independent journalist Matt Taibbi as having conspired with social media giants Facebook and Twitter to suppress and censor the supporters of his political opponents, State Sen. Eric Brakey (R-Androscoggin) and socialist Zak Ringelstein. King popped up to address the controversy midweek, but he’s since disappeared from social media and our television sets. Documents show Mr. King’s campaign created an “enemies list” of social media users and sent…

U.S. Rep. Tom Emmer (R-Minn.) on Wednesday introduced a bill to prohibit the Federal Reserve from issuing a Central Bank Digital Currency (CBDC) or using a CBDC to control monetary policy. https://twitter.com/GOPMajorityWhip/status/1628397390024638466 Emmer’s bill would also require the Federal Reserve to be transparent with Congress about any attempts it makes to study the implementation of digital currency systems in the U.S. Centralized governments are increasingly exploring the possibility of using crypto-currency inspired digital currency technology to digitize money and financial systems, but freedom and privacy advocates warn that such CBDCs would give unprecedented power and control to the Fed and…

Maine Wire Editor-in-Chief Steve Robinson joined WVOM’s George Hale and Ric Tyler morning show Tuesday to cover the revelation — first reported by independent journalist Matt Taibbi — that Maine Sen. Angus King provided an “enemies list” to Twitter and Facebook during his 2018 campaign. Several of the accounts on that list were later suspended from the social media platforms, but King’s office is now claiming it was never their intention to have those accounts censored. Listen here:

Hundreds of students in Milford, N.H., staged a walkout Friday over school officials’ decision to ban urinals for the purpose of achieving gender equity. School Board member Noah Boudreault told the Associated Press he proposed new restrictions on bathroom use as part of a compromise. “I want to be clear, it was a compromise to both sides of this issue,” he told AP. “It was out into effect last week.” Video captured by local TV media showed students holding signs that said, “We Want Urinals.” One student interviewed said just a few parents who complained were behind the policy. https://twitter.com/1776projectpac/status/1625265304640057346?s=43&t=nHBPw7PYmIq96Y3jTvUsxw…

Gov. Janet Mills has thrown her support behind a bill from Sen. Anne Carney (D-Cumberland) that would eliminate the long-standing requirement that governors appoint district court judges who live in the districts over which they will preside. Under current law, Maine has 39 District Court judges, and the governor is required to appoint them to seven year terms. At least one judge must be appointed from each district who is a resident of a county where the district is, with a few other stipulations for specific districts. The Governor’s Office says the residency requirement is preventing her from finding qualified…

As temperatures plummeted on Friday, Maine residents and businesses relied mostly on nuclear energy, natural gas, and oil for their electricity. Friday afternoon, ISO New England reported that 24 percent of Maine’s electricity came from nuclear power generation, while 20 percent came from oil and another 21 percent came from natural gas. Thanks to the blustery weather, wind power was able to account for a higher-than-average 7 percent of Maine’s electricity supply, while solar supplied less than 3 percent. UPDATE: By 4pm, the blend had increased to 25 percent natural gas, 25 percent oil, and 21 percent nuclear. Must have…

Rep. Jared Golden (D-ME) said Thursday he will continue to serve on the House of Representatives Armed Services Committee. Golden said in press release that he planned to use the position, in part, to secure lucrative contracts for General Dynamics, the international defense contractor that owns Bath Iron Works. In a press release published by Golden’s congressional office, a top BIW union official praised the appointment. “Jared Golden’s appointment to the House Armed Services Committee has been crucial for the men and women of Local S6 at Bath Iron Works building ships for the U.S. Navy,” said Chris Williams, president…

A New Jersey city councilwoman was shot dead in New Jersey Wednesday evening in what appears to be a targeted killing. Sayreville Councilwoman Eunice Dwumfour, a 30-year-old Republican serving her first term in elected office, was found dead in her vehicle with multiple gunshot wounds, according to news reports. Sayreville Mayor Victoria Kilpatrick called the incident “horrifying.” Law enforcement officials have not said whether they have a suspect in the killing. https://twitter.com/Charlie4Change/status/1621060244666486784

It was nine years ago today that New York City Mayor Warren Wilhelm, Jr. (pseudonym: “Bill of Blasio”) strode to the front of TV cameras with murder on his mind. Under the guise of celebrating Groundhog Day, he grabbed — without affirmative consent — a female groundhog named Charlotte, a brutal act that would result in Charlotte’s untimely demise days later. Charlotte, a beloved member of the Staten Island Zoo family, drew the unlucky role of standing in for Chuck, her meteorological colleague. Some witnesses have said Wilhelm simply dropped Charlotte, but others say he threw her. In the photographic…

State lawmakers in Virginia are debating a proposed law that would prevent schools from secretly transitioning the genders of students without informing parents. The law would require any school employee to notify a parent if they became a aware that a minor student was identifying as something other than their biological sex at school. The law has been dubbed Sage’s Law, named after a young girl who was the victim of human trafficking. According to the girl’s parents, the school system withheld information from them about Sage’s mental health, which included expressions of gender dysphoria. The parents, whose names have…

I have hesitated for months to write this. I know the hate and threats that will come my way. Even worse, I doubt anyone in our city leadership will do anything to stop it. But with anti-Semitism becoming mainstream in this country with a former president dining with a rapper who praises Hitler and professional sports leagues harboring bigots, I cannot stay silent any longer, particularly this week as the world commemorates International Holocaust Remembrance Day. It started two years ago when I asked the South Portland City Council to not hold voting meetings on the Jewish High Holidays – Rosh Hashanah…

After surging briefly thanks to all the scared flatlanders fleeing the pandemic, Maine has once again dropped in U-Haul’s annual ranking of the top growth states. In 2021, Maine ranked 8th. But in the 2022 report, released this month, Maine has fallen to 29th. Based on moving equipment rental data, U-Haul publishes a report every January that shows which states are the most frequent end destination for movers. The report doesn’t show all net in-migration. For example, it doesn’t show migration by those who arrive in Maine without any belongings for a moving truck to carry. But it’s a pretty…

A Maine business owner who used a fake email to threaten people who left him negative reviews on the Internet has now settled with the Maine Attorney General’s office, the AG’s office said Tuesday. The AG’s office has entered into an agreement with Liberty Bell Moving and Storage Inc., and its owner, Kevin Finkenaur in which Finkenaur agreed to pay $125,000. The AG’s investigation found the company had violated federal and state laws, including the federal Consumer Review Fairness Act, the Maine Unfair Trade Practices Act, and other regulations. The settlement stems from a July 2022 lawsuit filed by the…

Attorney General Merrick Garland said Monday that the U.S. Justice Department does not have different sets of rules based on political party, political connections or wealth. https://twitter.com/greg_price11/status/1617638549687525378?s=20&t=Cab5ETNoReEfPtA7NzY28g “We do not have different rules for Democrats or Republicans, different rules for the powerful or the powerless, different rules for the rich or the poor,” Garland said at a press conference Monday. “We apply the facts and the law in each case in a neutral, non-partisan manner,” he said. Garland made those comments at a press availability on the topic of the dueling investigations into how former President Donald Trump and current…

Famed anti-capitalist and environmentalist superstar Greta Thunberg refused to condemn oil producing nations in the Middle East or Russian President Vladimir Putin when reporters caught up with her at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. Rebel News reporters asked her about her supposedly rehearsed arrest at a coal mine in Germany, how often she flies on private jets, and whether she believes she’s a child actor. Thunberg, perhaps wisely, refused to answer any of the questions, apart from the occasional snide remark or giggle. https://twitter.com/KatieDaviscourt/status/1616488713705652224?s=20&t=Xq2EgGlMV1RuuQvyBOiCag

Americans are pessimistic about what the economy will bring in 2023, with large numbers fearing inflation and a looming recession will undermine their financial security and ability to save. That’s the topline message of Primerica’s U.S. Middle Income Financial Security Monitor’s Jan. 2022 report. The information about American financial thinking comes from an online poll measures economic attitudes of Americans with incomes between $30,000 and $100,000. Just 53 percent of American adults say their personal finances are in “good” or “excellent” condition, while 72 percent said the income is falling behind the rising cost of living. Four in ten Americans…

Federal health officials said Friday COVID-19 injections prepared by Pfizer Inc and its European partner BioNTech may increase the risk of stroke in older adults, according to a preliminary investigation by the the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). In a statement released Friday, federal health officials said the potential risk was flagged by a system that analyzes public health data. The FDA posted the following statement: Following the availability and use of the updated (bivalent) COVID-19 vaccines, CDC’s Vaccine Safety Datalink (VSD), a near real-time surveillance system, met the statistical…

Attorney General Merrick Garland, once a hero of the left-wing media for his investigations of former President Donald Trump, has seen his favor turn on MSNBC following his appointment of a special counsel to investigate President Joe Biden’s mishandling of classified documents. Garland said this week he had tapped Special Counsel Robert Hur to investigate the allegations, which Biden has already admitted to, that Biden improperly stored classified records from his time as Vice President. Right now, Biden’s attorneys have come forward with evidence Biden had classified documents in two separate locations. MSNBC’s Nicole Wallace led the speculative attacks on…

Disclosure: The Maine Wire is a project of the the Maine Policy Institute, a 501(c)3 non-profit dedicated to advancing free market principles, liberty, and limited government. The Maine Policy Institute on Tuesday released a comprehensive budget analysis for the state of Maine that includes a proposal to cut all state income taxes for individuals making less than $50,000 per year. If enacted, the proposal would amount to a nearly 6 percent increase in take home pay for the poorest Mainers. MPI hopes the plan, which includes several other tax and spending reform proposals, will inform conversations around Maine’s biennial budget…

While overwhelming numbers of homeless Americans in every major city across our nation live on the street, in their cars, under bridges, and tents, our government has no plan to manage the thousands of migrants flooding across the U.S.-Mexico border from all over the world. We don’t know who is coming into our country, and the drug cartels are in charge. Has the leadership in Washington, D.C., lost its way? Is the acquisition of wealth and the lust for political power, at any cost, more important to politicians in Washington, D.C., than the safety and well-being of American citizens? People…

Maine Wire Editor-in-Chief Steve Robinson joined WVOM’s George Hale and Ric Tyler Monday morning to tell listeners about his exclusive investigative report on the ties between Gov. Janet Mills’ push for solar panels and human rights violations in the People’s Republic of China. As Robinson reports, the solar industry in America has been criticized by the Biden administration and non-governmental organizations for doing little to ensure that its supply chains don’t connect to forced labor operations in the Xinjiang region of Western China. In fact, the Biden administration has even blacklisted several major solar panel producers for suspected ties to…

A bill proposed in the Maine State Legislature would grant in-state tuition to any student registered to vote in the state of Maine. LD 64, “An Act to Ensure In-state Tuition for Postsecondary Students Who Are Registered to Vote in the State,” doesn’t have a fiscal note just yet, but when it does, the number could threaten to blow a hole in the UMaine system’s budget. “If a student is going to be allowed to vote in Maine and therefore a citizen of Maine, they should qualify for in-state tuition,” said Rep. Shelly Rudnicki (R-Fairfield), the sponsor of the bill.…

Overdose deaths from Fentanyl poisoning have created a lot of pain and suffering for Mainers, their families, and our entire nation. So why hasn’t our government done anything about the trafficking of Fentanyl into our country? The U.S. Centers For Disease Control And Prevention (CDC) reported that Fentanyl is now the #1 cause of death for Americans aged 18 to 45. And that overdose deaths in the United States exceeded 100,000 in a 12 month-period for the first time. The leadership in Washington, D.C., knows Fentanyl is manufactured in China and that the Mexican cartels are making billions and billions…

ABC’s Martha Raddatz said Sunday that President Joe Biden is not responsible for the illegal immigration crisis at the southern border because he’s never publicly said “open borders.” For Raddatz, the people responsible for the unprecedented waves of illegal aliens crossing the border are Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, and former President Donald Trump. Raddatz says they are responsible for the surge in border crossings because they’ve publicly pointed out that the U.S. has an open border with Mexico. https://twitter.com/kevintober94/status/1604481176457973760?s=43&t=aPI0MwUJK5XgB9Pgo-kXRg

Maine Wire Editor-in-Chief Steve Robinson joined Newsmax host Eric Bolling Wednesday night to explain the ongoing federal crusade against the Maine lobstering industry. Robinson talked about what’s really driving a federal agency’s push for onerous regulations that threaten the existence of the industry. Bolling was also joined by Bonnie Brady, head of the Long Island Commercial Fishing Association in New York, who explained regulatory challenges facing commercial fishermen on the east coast. Watch here:

Hackers affiliated with the communist government of the People’s Republic of China stole millions of dollars in COVID-19 pandemic benefits, according to U.S. Secret Service sources cited by NBC News. “The theft of taxpayer funds by the Chengdu-based hacking group known as APT41 is the first instance of pandemic fraud tied to foreign, state-sponsored cybercriminals that the U.S. government has acknowledged publicly, but may just be the tip of the iceberg, according to U.S. law enforcement officials and cybersecurity experts,” NBC News reported. Funds purloined by the Chinese cyber spies amount to nearly $20 million, per the report. Previously, the Secret Service…

Canada has embraced government-assisted suicide with an uncommon vigor, and now at least one private company has joined the pro-euthanasia movement. Canadian retailer Simons produced and published a disturbing video glamorizing assisted suicide. The ad features a woman named Jennyfer Hatch who killed herself in October. According to CBC reporting, the 37-year-old ended her life after struggling with Ehlers Danlos syndrome. Next year, Canada will allow individuals suffering only from mental illness, like depression, to undergo medically assisted suicide. Watch the ad yourself: https://twitter.com/EndWokeness/status/1596866746442747904 The Canadian government is also exploring expanding it’s medically assisted suicide to include babies up to…

The city of Boston has paid Liberty Counsel, a non-profit organization that litigates in defense of religious freedom, more than $2.1 million following a five-year legal fight over a flag the city refused to fly. In 2017, Hal Shurtleff, leader of the Christian group Camp Constitution, asked the city to fly his group’s flag outside of City Hall to commemorate Constitution Day. Boston city officials refused the request despite approving similar requests from other secular organizations. Starting in 2005, the city began flying flags of any groups that submitted a request. All told, the city displayed 284 flags from private…

Maine Wire Editor-in-Chief Steve Robinson joined Newsmax’s National Report to talk about The Maine Wire’s coverage of a lawsuit against the Mass. Department of Public Health and Commissioner Margret Clarke.Watch here: https://twitter.com/TheMaineWire/status/1595465014667796481

Maine Policy Institute Communications Director Jacob Posik joined WVOM’s George Hale and Ric Tyler radio program Monday morning to talk about stunning revelations that Democratic Gov. Janet Mills and her staff conspired to block The Maine Wire from covering official government business. New facts emerged this week that showed Mills’ staffer Scott Ogden scheming behind the scenes with newspaper reporters to execute the plan after a move to block Maine Wire Reporter Katherine Revello from COVID-19 briefing calls backfired. Ogden sought the Maine Press Association’s help in creating a credentialing system that would have given Mills a pretext to deny…

Beyond Meat was a viral sensation that’s now viral in a whole different way. The company sells artificial “meat” made from plant proteins, but a whistleblower who shared information with Bloomberg News suggests that’s not the only organic material in the fake burgers. According to the whistleblower, the firm’s Pennsylvania factory has some serious sanitation issues, including potentially dangerous fungi and bacteria on the production line. Pictures from the factory show storage rooms with mold growing on ingredient containers, and Bloomberg reported that multiple samples of the alleged food product tested positive for Listeria in 2022. Internal company documents shared…

When the New York Post first broke the story that an abandoned laptop contained a treasure trove of incriminating evidence related to then-candidate Joe Biden’s son Hunter, the mainstream media widely derided the report as Russian disinformation without any evidence for the claim. Twitter and Facebook both censored the spread of the story in the weeks leading up to the presidential election. A host of former U.S. intelligence officials all signed a letter supporting the move. Yet no element of the New York Post’s original reporting has ever been proven false. And now, legacy media are suddenly willing to report…

Maine’s Freedom of Access Act, a critical tool journalists and citizens can use to hold state and local governments accountable, is under attack. The “Right to Know” Advisory committee, a legislative body that deliberates on matters concerning access to government records, heard testimony Thursday regarding alleged abuses by citizens of the law. Neal Goldberg, spokesperson for the Maine Municipal Association, told the committee “bad actors” were abusing FOA because they just wanted to stress out town officials. He didn’t offer any evidence to support the malevolent intentions he imputed to requesters’ motives. But let’s cede for a moment that mysterious…

U.S. Rep. Nancy Pelosi, a San Francisco Democrat who became a centimillionaire through shrewd stock market trading during her career as a Democratic leader, announced Thursday that she will not seek a leadership role in the House Democratic caucus next Congress. The decision brings to a close an era of American politics that saw Pelosi rule the House of Representatives with an iron fist, shepherding through major items of legislation and raising hundreds of millions of dollars in campaign spending. She has been a Democratic congressional leader since 2002 when she became the House Minority Whip. As a Democratic leader,…

New England Sports legends Tom Brady and David Ortiz are among the high-profile celebrities who endorsed failed cryptocurrency exchange FTX and now find themselves named in a class-action lawsuit. A lawsuit filed late Tuesday argues that Brady, Ortiz, and other celebrities used their star power to lend instant credibility to the now-insolvent crypto firm operated out of the Bahamas by disgraced billionaire Sam Bankman-Fried. As a result, the suit holds that these celeb endorsers are just as culpable as Bankman-Fried himself. Florida-based attorney Adam M. Moskowitz filed the suit. Other high profile stars who backed FTX include Seinfeld creator Larry…

The White House asked Congress on Tuesday to send another $37 billion in U.S. taxpayer dollars to Ukraine as it continues its fight against Russian aggression. That request for funding includes $21.7 billion in defense aid, $14.5 billion in direct cash transfers, $626 million to secure Ukrainian nuclear facilities, and $900 million to support the healthcare industry in Ukraine. In a letter to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), Office of Management and Budget Director Shalanda D. Young said the funding request was part of a multi-pronged emergency funding request that also included more $10 billion for COVID-19 and additional funding…

Texas Republican Sen. Ted Cruz said Monday the GOP should fight tooth-and-nail against a Democrat-backed proposal that would expand the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) by 87,000 agents. “I think we oughta fight an epic, knock-down, drag-out fight over stopping the Democrats from funding 87,000 new IRS agents to harass and intimidate and persecute Americans and their political enemies,” Cruz said on his podcast. “Now, to do that, we will have to draw a line in the sand and saw, we will not fund them. Here’s what will happen next… The Democrats and the media will say, Republicans are shutting down the…

Mystery still surrounds the horrific attack on House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s husband Paul Pelosi at the couple’s home in San Francisco. Namely, who opened the door when police showed up? The initial police account of the attack indicated that an unnamed third person opened the door when police arrived. Later, the DOJ’s narrative of events said police officers opened the door. Now, NBC is reporting that a source who has seen the bodycam footage said the footage clearly shows Paul Pelosi opening the door. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=toBEGv2pMkU So far, there has been no public statement from local SF law enforcement or the…

State Sen. Troy Jackson (D-Aroostook) will once again lead the Democratic caucus in the Maine Senate following leadership elections Thursday night. [RELATED: LePage, Stewart Call for Investigation into Troy Jackson’s Alleged Threat to Penobscot McCrum Owner…] Jackson emerged victorious from his race against former Rep. Susan Bernard (R-Caribou), a race that broke records for campaign spending. He won that race with 52 percent of the vote. [RELATED: Mystery Surrounds Maine Potato Matriarch’s Stillborn Senate Bid…] Serving under Senate President Jackson will be Majority Leader Sen. Eloise Vitelli (D-Arrowsic) and Assistant Majority Leader Mattie Daughtry (D-Brunswick).

In Colorado’s Third Congressional District, incumbent Republican Rep. Lauren Boebert has pulled ahead of Democrat Adam Frisch with 98 percent of precincts reporting. Boebert’s race has drawn attention not only because the Republican margin in the House of Representatives is smaller than Republicans envisioned prior to Election Day, but also because Boebert has become a lightning rod for left-wing criticism due to her outspoken personality and brash social media presence. As of this writing, Boebert has 157,743 votes and Frisch has 157,357 votes — a gap of 386 votes. Boebert, a former Democrat and small business owner who advocates for…

An environmental activist and attorney who won the Democratic Party primary with the help of more than $300,000 from far-left mega donor George Soros is now the District Attorney in Cumberland County after winning her uncontested general election. Jacqueline Sartoris, whose platform included not charging or dismissing many criminal cases against individuals under the age of 25, will now be the top prosecutor for Maine’s largest city, Portland. Sartoris is just one of many progressive attorneys Soros and ideologically aligned groups have supported in a bid to transform criminal prosecutions at the state and local level. Rachael Rollins, the current…

Total taxes collected from state and local government in 2022 in Maine are headed for the highest level ever recorded. The state of Maine and its various municipalities collected nearly $2.2 billion in the second quarter of 2022, according to data from the St. Louis Federal Reserve. That’s the most revenue collected by governments in the state in history. The next closest quarter was the fourth quarter of 2021, in which governments collected more than $1.8 billion.

Support for Republican Party candidates among African-American and Latino voters is growing, according to a polling analysis released Monday by the Wall Street Journal. “About 17% of Black voters said they would pick a Republican candidate for Congress over a Democrat in Journal polls both in late October and in August. That is a substantially larger share than the 8% of Black voters who voted for former President Donald Trump in 2020 and the 8% who backed GOP candidates in 2018 House races, as recorded by AP VoteCast, a large survey of voters who participated in those elections. “Among Latino voters, Democrats held a lead of…

Former Republican Rep. Bruce Poliquin has a 63.8 percent chance to retake Maine’s 2nd congressional seat from incumbent Democrat Rep. Jared Golden, according to Decision Desk HQ’s forecasting model. The number is lower than the 86 percent odds of victory the firm gave Poliquin back in July, but higher than the 56 percent odds they forecasted in mid-October, when Golden appeared to be gaining ground. The Decision Desk forecasting model takes in to account more than 100 variables, including polling, the districts historical voting patterns, fundraising and more. Other models that rely more on opinion pollsters, like Nate Silver’s 538…

NY Post columnist Stephen Hayward’s Sunday column suggests disaffected suburban women may form a big part of the Red Wave many are expecting to wash a significant number of Republicans into office on Tuesday. Hayward notes recent Wall Street Journal nationwide polling, which suggests suburban women have swung 27 points toward the GOP since August. While the WSJ attributes the shift to the pain from inflation and fear over crime, Hayward theorizes that mothers more likely are reacting to government lockdowns, failures of the public education system, as well as the influx of radical content into schools regarding race and…

Mt. Ararat High School in Topsham has cut parents out of the equation when it comes to students opting to change their names or their gender, according to a document provided by a concerned parent. The “Name Change Form” offers high school students the opportunity to change their name and gender as they will appear on school records without filing the paperwork for a legal change. Next to the line for the parents to sign off on the change, the school helpfully instructs children that parental permission is not required. Similar policies have cropped up at schools throughout Maine. [RELATED:…

National Public Radio, the partially state funded media company located in Washington, D.C., on Thursday played audio of abortion clinic workers performing an abortion. According to the NPR employee narrating the abortion, the woman was 11-weeks pregnant. “It actually feels a lot like a childbirth,” the narrator says. “Whether it’s a birth or an abortion, it’s often women guiding women,” she says, as the sound of a vacuum roars. The audio is graphic and some listeners may find it disturbing. https://twitter.com/greg_price11/status/1588223254799548416