AUGUSTA, Maine (AP) — Over the last decade, the Maine Legislature has received two complaints of sexual misconduct or harassment against legislators, records obtained Thursday by The Associated Press through a public records request show. Both complaints were against House lawmakers. The Maine Senate has not received any such complaints since 2008. The Maine Legislature’s […]
politics
Posted inNation / World
Congress passes spending bill to avert government shutdown
WASHINGTON — Congress passed a stopgap spending bill Thursday, averting a partial government shutdown at midnight Friday but pushing into January showdowns on spending, immigration, health care and national security. Among the issues still to be resolved is federal aid for victims of recent hurricanes and wildfires. The House on Thursday passed a separate $81 […]
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U.N. rejects U.S. recognition of Jerusalem as Israeli capital
UNITED NATIONS (AP) — The U.N. General Assembly voted 128-9 with 35 abstentions on Thursday in favor of a nonbinding resolution declaring President Donald Trump’s recognition of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital “null and void,” a smaller margin than the Palestinians hoped for but also a rebuke to the Trump administration which is threatening to cut […]
Posted inMaine
Susan Collins says votes promised on bills to stabilize ACA won’t happen until 2018
Sen. Susan Collins announced Wednesday that crucial Affordable Care Act stabilization bills will be delayed until 2018 despite the promises she received from Republican leaders that they would be approved by the end of this year. Collins had emphasized passage of the two bills to secure her vote for the tax reform bill. “I think the policy […]
Posted inNation / World
House passes $1.5 trillion tax bill and sends it to Donald Trump
WASHINGTON (AP) — Congressional Republicans delivered an epic overhaul of U.S. tax laws to President Donald Trump on Wednesday, bringing generous tax cuts for corporations and the wealthiest Americans while providing smaller cuts for middle- and low-income families. In a re-vote due to a last-minute hiccup, the House passed the massive $1.5 trillion tax package […]
Posted inMaine
Bill could pave way for driverless buses in Maine
A bill before the Legislature would help set the stage for putting self-driving buses on the streets of Portland and other Maine communities within the next five years. The proposal, sparked by the Portland city manager’s interest in autonomous transit, is the first piece of Maine legislation to deal specifically with self-driving vehicles, according to […]
Posted inMaine, sj-web
Susan Collins says media coverage of her is ‘unbelievably sexist’
Sen. Susan Collins of Maine is calling media coverage of her support for a tax overhaul “unbelievably sexist.” Her comments Tuesday were made in response to a question posed by a reporter in a hallway near her office in the Senate, which was poised to vote on the Republican tax plan late Tuesday. Collins, a […]
Posted inNation / World, sj-web
GOP tax bill passes Senate as House prepares to send it to Trump
WASHINGTON — Republicans are on the verge of passing the most significant overhaul of the tax code since 1986, after the Senate approved the GOP plan Tuesday evening and House leaders scheduled a Wednesday morning vote to send it to President Donald Trump. The sprawling plan would cut the corporate tax rate dramatically and provide […]
Posted inNation / World
House votes to pass tax bill but errors force a 2nd vote
Update 4:50 p.m.: Democrats say three provisions in the Republican $1.5 trillion tax bill violate Senate rules and will likely be removed before that chamber votes on the measure. The House approved the legislation Tuesday. But this means the House will have to vote again on the legislation once it’s been amended and approved by the […]
Posted inNation / World
White House adviser says North Korea behind WannaCry ransomware attack
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump’s administration on Tuesday publicly blamed North Korea for a “careless and reckless” ransomware attack that infected hundreds of thousands of computers worldwide in May and crippled parts of Britain’s National Health Service. Homeland security adviser Tom Bossert told reporters at a White House briefing that North Korea was directly […]