Maine votes as scandal-ridden Graham Platner seeks Senate primary win

9 June 2026 at 18:44

Oysterman and marine veteran favored to win Democratic primary amid a string of controversies

Voters are headed to the polls on Tuesday for primary elections that include a crucial Senate race involving the scandal-haunted Graham Platner.

In Maine, Platner is favored to win the Democratic primary after his main opponent, former governor Janet Mills suspended her campaign. Incumbent senator Susan Collins remains safely at the top of the Republican ticket – just slightly behind newcomer Platner’s lead in polling.

Ken Paxton’s ex-lawyer endorses rival James Talarico in Texas Senate race

The Guardian - World news

By: Associated Press in Austin

9 June 2026 at 13:10

Attorney Dan Cogdell backs Paxton’s Democratic opponent and says the Republican is too focused on appeasing Trump

A lawyer who represented Ken Paxton, Texas’s attorney general, for nearly a decade over accusations of corruption and securities fraud is supporting Democrat James Talarico – and not his former client – in one of the biggest US Senate races.

Talarico on Monday drew attention to his campaign winning the endorsement of Houston attorney Dan Cogdell, who was part of Paxton’s defense team during the Republican’s historic impeachment trial in 2023 that ended in acquittal.

‘I’m tired of getting kicked in the teeth’: firefighting union leader seeks to shake up Congress

The Guardian - World news

By: Michael Sainato

8 June 2026 at 11:00

Pennsylvania’s Bob Brooks one of a slew of working-class Democrats on the ballot – can he beat a Koch-backed rival?

Bob Brooks has worked a lot of jobs, sometimes several at once to make ends meet.

He was a paper boy at age 10, and then a dishwasher, prep cook, pizza deliverer, bartender and truck driver. Even after he became a firefighter in 2005, Brooks managed to start a snow-removal and lawn-care business and coach baseball.

Maine voters head to polls on Tuesday for closely watched primary election

The Guardian - World news

By: Shrai Popat and David Smith

8 June 2026 at 11:00

All eyes on US Senate race as Graham Platner, embroiled in controversy, is set to advance as Democratic nominee

Voters in Maine head to the polls on Tuesday for one of the most closely watched primary elections in the country. The US Senate race has become a national fixation as Democrats try to unseat a longtime Republican with a political newcomer who has spent months under fire.

Graham Platner, 41, is set to advance as the Democratic nominee for the Senate, after his primary rival – the state’s two-term governor, Janet Mills – suspended her campaign in April. The primary result will likely set up a months-long run-up between Platner, an oysterman and marine veteran with a groundswell of popularity and a mounting list of scandals, and Susan Collins, a 73-year-old Republican senator who has held the seat for nearly three decades.

Should Legislators Use AI To Write Complex Laws?

Truth Unmuted

By: Jesse Smith

11 April 2025 at 14:00

Like it or not, AI is producing volumes of increasingly complex legislation. Legislators are apparently happy that it saves their brains for more important things. Meanwhile, the lobbying industry is going hog wild with AI to crank out complex legalese to hand to legislators. Do we want our “rule of law” taken over by AI? – Commentary by Patrick Wood, Editor of Technocracy News by Nathan Sanders & Bruce Schneier | Lawfare Media Artificial intelligence (AI) is writing law today. This has required no changes in legislative procedure or the rules of legislative bodies—all it takes is one legislator, or […]

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