Following the five-week closure of much of the federal government, U.S. Rep. Jared Golden has introduced a bipartisan measure that calls for withholding the pay of members of Congress, the president and vice president during a government shutdown. The Solidarity in Salary Act of 2019 “will help prevent the American people from being political pawns […]
politics
Posted inNews, sj-web
Bill could require Maine drivers to use certain tires on vehicles
PORTLAND (WGME) – Maine drivers could soon be forced to put certain tires on their vehicles. It’s an expensive idea, that leaves Mainers without snow or all-season tires footing the bill for a new set. The bill being proposed would require all Mainers to have snow or all-weather tires for more than half of the […]
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Posted inPerspective, sj-web
Mainstream media rushed to keep up with the viral outrage
The video, taken from an Instagram account and reposted to Twitter, went viral with the caption, “This MAGA loser gleefully bothering a Native American protester at the Indigenous Peoples March.” In the clip, an activist named Nathan Phillips beat a drum as a teen in a Make America Great Again hat stood inches from him, […]
Posted inPerspective, sj-web
The MAGA hat: A policy statement or an inflammatory declaration of identity?
The bright red “Make America Great Again” baseball cap entered the popular culture as candidate Donald Trump’s political swag. It has transformed into an open wound, a firestorm of hate and a marker of societal atavism. An aesthetically benign baseball cap is a 21st-century grotesquerie. Has there been in recent memory any other item of […]
Posted inMaine, sj-web
In a tumultuous time, Maine searches for civility
The state is already known nationally for its more measured discourse, but groups and political leaders push harder for compromise over conflict. As former Gov. Paul LePage and legislators clashed and the toxic national discourse seeped into the everyday discussions of many Mainers, some feared the state had veered from its famously civic-minded roots. In […]
Posted inNation / World
FAA staffing problems delays flights to Northeast airports
Federal officials temporarily restricted flights Friday into and out of New York’s LaGuardia Airport, another example of the toll the partial government shutdown – in its 35th day – is having on the nation’s airports. “We have experienced a slight increase in sick leave at two facilities,” a spokesman for the Federal Aviation Administration said […]
Posted inNation / World, Politics
Trump associate Roger Stone arrested, charged with obstruction in Mueller probe
The seven-count indictment against Stone, a self-proclaimed “dirty trickster,” is the first criminal case in months from special counsel Robert Mueller.
Posted inMaine, sj-web
Transgender woman enters U.S. Senate race to unseat Republican Susan Collins
SANGERVILLE — Hoping to become the first transgender member of Congress, independent Danielle VanHelsing said Thursday she is running for U.S. Senate in 2020. VanHelsing said the incumbent Republican, Susan Collins, is “a terrible senator” who doesn’t put the needs of Mainers first. VanHelsing, 36, said this is “a horrifying time” for the trans community. […]
Posted inMaine
Hunters, activists brace for spat over bear hunt bills
PORTLAND (AP) — Bear hunting is one of Maine’s oldest traditions, and residents might be able to do more of it in the future — but not before some claws come out in the Maine State House. Hunters and animal welfare activists are preparing for a spat over a pair of bills that could potentially […]
Posted inNation / World, Politics
Susan Collins says she supports Trump’s plan for border wall funding to end shutdown
She also becomes the first Republican to say she will support a Democrat-sponsored bill to reopen the government if the president’s measure fails.