WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump has told the leaders of Mexico and Canada that he will not pull out of the North American Free Trade Agreement at this time, just hours after administration officials said he was considering a draft executive order to do just that. The White House made the surprise announcement Wednesday in […]
politics
Posted inBusiness
Here’s the FCC’s plan to undo its own net neutrality rules
WASHINGTON — Tech companies and internet providers are poised for another dramatic showdown as the head of the Federal Communications Commission revealed a plan Wednesday for rolling back his predecessor’s rules mandating a free and open Internet. The proposal from FCC Chairman Ajit Pai marks the first step toward undoing a key decision of the […]
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Posted inMaine
Donald Trump says he sticks with LePage through thick and thin
President Donald Trump, joined by Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke, left, and Vice President Mike Pence right speaks at the Interior Department in Washington on Wednesday, April 26, 2017, before signing an Antiquities Executive Order. The president is asking for a review of the designation of tens of millions of acres of land as “national monuments.” […]
Posted inMaine
Jared Golden seeks to make voter registration ‘automatic’
AUGUSTA — Hoping to boost voter registration, a Lewiston Democrat wants to add anyone doing business with the Department of Motor Vehicles to the voter rolls automatically. Rep. Jared Golden, the Democratic whip, told colleagues that Maine has one of the highest voter participation rates in the country but could get more people to the […]
Posted inMaine
Susan Collins hailed as least partisan senator for 4th straight year
Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W. Va., left, and Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, who serve together on the Senate Appropriations Committee and the Senate Intelligence Committee, confer March 28, 2017, on Capitol Hill after doing television news interviews, in Washington. In an era of often bitter partisanship, U.S. Sen. Susan Collins stands out as the premier example […]
Posted inNation / World
Donald Trump tax plan billed as ‘largest tax reform’ in U.S. history
This April 13, 2014, file photo shows the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) headquarters building in Washington. President Donald Trump’s plan to provide massive tax breaks to corporations faces big challenges as Washington struggles with mounting debt and the populist president tries to make good on promises to bring jobs and prosperity to the middle class. […]
Posted inMaine
Susan Collins, Angus King defend Senate probe into Russia-Trump ties
Despite reports of a lack of progress in the Senate Intelligence Committee’s probe of Russian meddling in last year’s presidential election, the two Maine senators who serve on the panel said they think it’s still on track. “While I would have hoped that the committee would be moving faster, my sense is that this investigation, […]
Posted inNation / World
House committee says Michael Flynn likely broke disclosure law
In this Feb. 1, 2017 photo, then-National Security Adviser Michael Flynn speaks during the daily news briefing at the White House, in Washington. The White House is refusing to provide lawmakers with information and documents related to President Donald Trump’s first national security adviser’s security clearance and payments from organizations tied to the Russian and […]
Posted inMaine
LePage administration moves toward stricter Medicaid rules
Maine will ask President Donald Trump’s administration to let it further rein in the state’s Medicaid program, announcing on Tuesday that the Department of Health and Human Services will have a comment period and two public hearings in May ahead of a formal request. The move was no surprise: Gov. Paul LePage’s administration announced its plan in January to ask […]
Posted inMaine
Legislature weighs raising legal age for tobacco purchases
AUGUSTA — Lawmakers are eyeing a proposal to hike the minimum age to buy cigarettes from 18 to 21. Its sponsor, Sen. Paul Davis, R-Sangerville, said the move would help prevent “the current generation of kids in middle and high school” from getting trapped by a deadly addiction and perhaps pave the way for “the […]