Maine Morning Star

Maine Morning Star We are an independent, nonprofit and nonpartisan news site covering state policy and politics.

Maine Morning Star is an independent, nonprofit and nonpartisan news site covering state policy and politics — and how they impact the lives of Maine people. We aim to hold powerful people and institutions accountable and explain how their actions affect communities from Kennebunk to Caribou.

In the hour-long debate, hosted by WMTW, the candidates touched upon familiar topics, but the event also highlighted se...
10/15/2026

In the hour-long debate, hosted by WMTW, the candidates touched upon familiar topics, but the event also highlighted several key dynamics that have emerged in the race, with Charles frequently attacking Pingree, seen as the frontrunner, often repeating falsehoods about her record serving in the administration of Gov. Janet Mills.

The three candidates running to be the next governor of Maine — Democrat Hannah Pingree, Republican Bobby Charles, and independent Rick Bennett — met for the fourth and final time on the debate stage Thursday evening. In the hour-long debate, hosted by WMTW, the candidates touched upon familiar ...

“With all due respect to Senator Collins, I just don’t think her denial can be the end of this,” said former Maine Publi...
10/14/2026

“With all due respect to Senator Collins, I just don’t think her denial can be the end of this,” said former Maine Public Advocate Bill Harwood, who was among the signees of a letter calling on the state Attorney General's Office to investigate allegations of corruption.

More than 250 people sent a letter to Maine Attorney General Aaron Frey Wednesday requesting that his office investigate corruption allegations against U.S. Sen. Susan Collins. The group argues that a state statute would permit such an investigation because it governs state election laws and does no...

Inflation grew to a 3.7% annual rate in September, according to an Oct. 14 report from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statisti...
10/14/2026

Inflation grew to a 3.7% annual rate in September, according to an Oct. 14 report from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, up from 3.4% in August. The rate is the highest since May, when it was 4.2%.

Inflation grew to a 3.7% annual rate in September, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, up from 3.4% in August. Spikes in energy prices were largely responsible: Gas is now up 34% for the year, and fuel oil, which includes diesel, is up 72% as the Iran war drags on.

The Social Security Administration announced on Wednesday that recipients will receive a 3.6% increase in benefits in 20...
10/14/2026

The Social Security Administration announced on Wednesday that recipients will receive a 3.6% increase in benefits in 2027.

WASHINGTON — The Social Security Administration announced on Wednesday that recipients will receive a 3.6% increase in benefits in 2027.

ICE and CBP need to improve oversight and guidance for federal immigration officers’ use of body-worn cameras, according...
10/14/2026

ICE and CBP need to improve oversight and guidance for federal immigration officers’ use of body-worn cameras, according to a Wednesday report from independent federal investigators.

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and U.S. Customs and Border Protection need to improve oversight and guidance for federal immigration officers' use of body-worn cameras, according to a Wednesday report from independent federal investigators.

The U.S. Department of Justice is demanding California not count ballots from voters it says are suspected noncitizens, ...
10/14/2026

The U.S. Department of Justice is demanding California not count ballots from voters it says are suspected noncitizens, a move by the Trump administration to apply last-minute pressure as voting begins in the midterm elections.

Federal law prohibits most states from conducting systematic purges of voters less than 90 days before an election. If the Justice Department sues to force California to remove the suspected noncitizen voters, a judge would likely grapple with whether the DOJ-provided list represents the kind of mas...

A federal judge late Tuesday extended a block on a Trump administration ban of press passes for three news organizations...
10/14/2026

A federal judge late Tuesday extended a block on a Trump administration ban of press passes for three news organizations, which will allow them to continue to enter the White House grounds while a legal challenge to the ban plays out.

A federal judge late Tuesday night extended a block on a Trump administration ban of press passes for three news organizations, which will allow them to continue to enter the White House grounds while a legal challenge to the ban plays out.

“Charles says one thing and yet does another, all while leaving Mainers to figure out what he doesn’t want them to see a...
10/14/2026

“Charles says one thing and yet does another, all while leaving Mainers to figure out what he doesn’t want them to see and who the real Bobby Charles is,” said former Democratic gubernatorial candidate Nirav Shah at a press conference in Portland on Tuesday.

A political action committee registered to support Republican gubernatorial nominee Bobby Charles has spent more than $140,000 to bolster one of his competitors: independent Rick Bennett. The Maine Democratic Party is pointing to that spending as evidence that Charles is running a disingenuous campa...

The decision, issued late last week, marks the latest rebuke of the Trump administration during more than a year of lega...
10/14/2026

The decision, issued late last week, marks the latest rebuke of the Trump administration during more than a year of legal confrontations with dozens of states and voting rights groups over President Donald Trump’s efforts to assert authority over voting ahead of the midterm elections.

The Trump administration’s sprawling project to send sensitive personal information on millions of voters to the Department of Homeland Security has been declared illegal by a federal judge.

“This debate here, if you want to call it that, is exactly why we need independent leadership again in this state,” said...
10/14/2026

“This debate here, if you want to call it that, is exactly why we need independent leadership again in this state,” said independent candidate Rick Bennett, who throughout the evening avoided taking sides.

Republican Bobby Charles and Democrat Hannah Pingree punctuated every answer by blaming each other for Mainers’ troubles during their third televised debate on Thursday night. During the hourlong conversation hosted by WGME, Charles repeatedly accused what he dubbed the “Mills-Pingree administra...

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