Progressive groups are ratcheting up the pressure on Sen. Susan Collins of Maine, sending coat hangers to her offices; organizing rallies, social media, telephone and email campaigns; and raising nearly $1 million for a future opponent if she votes to confirm Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh. There also are allegations circulating on Twitter that her […]
politics
Posted inLewiston-Auburn, sj-web
Candidates for Maine governor offer solutions to labor shortage
LEWISTON — Maine voters got their first look at all four candidates for governor on the same stage Monday night during a forum focused largely on workforce development issues. Democrat Janet Mills, Republican Shawn Moody and independents Terry Hayes and Alan Caron offered varying approaches to attracting and keeping young people in a state that’s facing an […]
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Posted inMaine, sj-web
Adrienne Bennett returns to LePage administration
A former spokeswoman for Gov. Paul LePage announced Monday she was returning to the Republican administration to serve in the Maine Department of Labor. Adrienne Bennett, who left the administration in 2017, posted on Facebook that she was rejoining LePage’s team and had started in her new role as the Director of Policy and Legislative […]
Posted inMaine, sj-web
Paul LePage says he will deny Medicaid applicants until expansion is funded
AUGUSTA (AP) — Republican Gov. Paul LePage said he’ll continue denying applications under a voter-approved Medicaid expansion until lawmakers provide funding under his terms. Pro-Medicaid expansion advocates who are suing to force Maine to roll-out voter-approved Medicaid expansion have encouraged Mainers to apply for Medicaid expansion this summer. But LePage said the plan is to deny […]
Posted inMaine, sj-web
Shawn Moody: Self-made millionaire runs on authenticity
The Republican who hopes to follow in the current governor’s footsteps banks on his proven entrepreneurial ability and a life story built on success. Editor’s note: This is the first of four weekly profiles on the candidates campaigning for Maine governor. GORHAM — Shawn Moody built an auto repair business from nothing, transformed a junkyard […]
Posted inOp-Eds, sj-web
Civil servants can't stop Trump. Stop asking them to
Public servants in national security have managed an uncomfortable balancing act since President Donald Trump took office. They were labeled adversaries by members of Trump’s inner circle from the beginning. Opponents of the new administration, meanwhile, hoped the “deep state” would form a silent resistance inside the government to check the president’s authority. Predecessors flooded […]
Posted inPerspective, sj-web
The math behind @RealDonaldTrump's tweets
United States President Donald Trump has a preoccupation with Twitter. Since his account @realDonaldTrump became active in March 2009, it has amassed 53.2 million followers, making it the 18th most popular account on the social media site. While Trump has tweeted more than 38,000 times, his tweets during and after the 2016 presidential election made […]
Posted inPerspective, sj-web
What is shadow banning?
NEW YORK — The sinister-sounding term “shadow banning” has been in play recently, mostly thanks to conservatives — including President Donald Trump — accusing Twitter and other technology companies of political bias. “Twitter ‘SHADOW BANNING’ prominent Republicans. Not good. We will look into this discriminatory and illegal practice at once! Many complaints,” the president tweeted […]
Posted inPerspective, sj-web
Google News does have a bias — toward mainstream media
Google News does not deliver different news to users based on their position on the political spectrum, despite accusations from conservative commentators and even President Donald Trump. Rather than contributing to the sort of “echo chamber” problem that critics fear have plagued Facebook and other social media networks, our research has found that Google News […]
Posted inMaine, sj-web
Jared Golden: From combat to candidate for Congress
The idea of service — military, then political — started at a young age for the Leeds native. Editor’s note: This is the second of four profiles running weekly in the Sunday edition on the candidates for Maine’s 2nd District congressional seat. WILTON — As he walked in the rain during the Wilton Blueberry Festival […]