State education officials are proposing a radical restructuring of Maine’s proficiency-based diploma law, which was one of the first in the nation and touted by the governor as one of his key education reforms when it passed in 2012. Six years later, Department of Education officials are proposing the elimination of a key tenet of […]
politics
Posted inNation / World, sj-web
Roles reduced, Kushner and Ivanka Trump's fate uncertain
WASHINGTON (AP) — They spent their first year in Washington as an untouchable White House power couple, commanding expansive portfolios, outlasting rivals and enjoying unmatched access to the president. But Jared Kushner and Ivanka Trump have undergone a swift and stunning reckoning of late, their powers restricted, their enemies emboldened and their future in the […]
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Posted inMaine, sj-web
Profile: Adam Cote hopes to transform Maine as its next governor
AUBURN — Standing in the modern Main Street office of the marketing-savvy The Brand Collective, Democratic gubernatorial candidate Adam Cote pointed to a grim locale on the far side of the globe to explain why he should be the next Blaine House occupant. Only recently retired from the Maine Army National Guard, the 44-year-old energy […]
Posted inMaine, sj-web
Pollard quits Democrats, plans independent bid for U.S. Senate seat
Instead of seeking Democratic backing for his U.S. Senate race, Portland construction company owner Benjamin Pollard said Friday he plans to run as an independent. “Given the serious divergences between my policy positions and those of the Democratic Party platform, I believe that my campaign will have more appeal to voters in the general election […]
Posted inNation / World, sj-web
Turnover, investigations leave Donald Trump's administration adrift
WASHINGTON (AP) — Rattled by two weeks of muddled messages, departures and spitting matches between the president and his own top officials, Donald Trump is facing a shrinking circle of trusted advisers and a staff that’s grim about any prospect of a reset. Even by the standards of Trump’s often chaotic administration, the announcement of […]
Posted inNation / World, sj-web
Donald Trump: 'Trade wars are good, and easy to win'
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump on Friday insisted “trade wars are good, and easy to win,” a bold claim that prompted pushback from a Nebraska Republican who quipped “kooky 18th century protectionism will jack up prices on American families.” Trump has declared that the U.S. will impose punishing tariffs on steel and aluminum imports, […]
Posted inMaine
Gun rights and gun control advocates clash at the State House
AUGUSTA — Gun rights and gun control advocates clashed Thursday at the State House as the two groups brought countering messages to the Legislature. Advocates from the Maine Gun Safety Coalition, a group that supports stricter gun laws, and Gun Owners of Maine, a gun rights group, engaged in a brief shouting match in the […]
Posted inNation / World, sj-web
Jeff Sessions pushes back on Donald Trump's criticism over handling of FBI
WASHINGTON (AP) — Harshly criticized yet again by his boss, Attorney General Jeff Sessions has abandoned his usual stony silence and pushed back against President Donald Trump for saying Sessions’ response to Republican complaints about the FBI was “disgraceful.” Sessions gave no suggestion he would step down in light of Trump’s charge Wednesday on Twitter […]
Posted inMaine, sj-web
Push in Maine Legislature could lead to U.S. Constitution rewrite
A pair of resolutions under consideration by the Legislature that lift much of their wording from model bills written by a secretive, corporation-funded group could help lead to a radical rewriting of the U.S. Constitution. The resolutions seek to add Maine to the list of states that have called for the convening of a constitutional […]
Posted inNation / World, sj-web
Donald Trump says lawmakers too fearful of NRA to act on guns
WASHINGTON (AP) — Putting fellow Republicans in the hot seat, President Donald Trump is calling for quick and substantial changes to the nation’s gun laws even as he criticizes lawmakers for being too fearful of the National Rifle Association to act. Trump held a freewheeling, televised meeting with lawmakers at the White House that stretched […]