County Politics

Distrust, disengagement and legal disputes have plagued relations between the state of Maine and tribal communities for a long time.

Good morning from Augusta. Maine is promising “a big week” for its Medicaid expansion push after enrolling more than 2,100 people in the nascent program so far during the first month of Gov. Janet Mills’ tenure ahead of her first budget proposal.

President Donald Trump and congressional leaders on Friday reached a short-term deal to reopen the government for three weeks while negotiations continue.

Good morning from Augusta. The federal government shutdown continues after the Senate failed on Thursday to pass dueling plans from President Donald Trump and Democrats. Meanwhile, a first act of the new Maine Legislature may be to provide some relief to workers.

A longtime lobbyist for Maine doctors and public health advocate was introduced Thursday as Gov. Janet Mills’ pick to manage her new administration’s response to the state’s opioid crisis.

U.S. Sen. Susan Collins will vote for President Donald Trump’s offer to reopen the federal government for $5.7 billion in border wall funding and a rival Democratic plan that will also come up for a Senate vote on Thursday.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., will not allow President Donald Trump to deliver the State of the Union in the House chamber next week, writing to him on Wednesday afternoon that he can give the annual speech at the Capitol once the government shutdown is over.

Good morning from Augusta, where Gov. Janet Mills marked the 46th anniversary of the U.S. Supreme Court’s Roe v. Wade decision that legalized abortion with a news conference signaling that her administration would work to counter anti-abortion efforts at the state and national levels.

The list of those dealing with fallout from the federal government’s ongoing partial shutdown keeps growing the longer the shutdown persists.

Good morning from Augusta, where Medicaid expansion is ticking on under Gov. Janet Mills and a staff at the Maine Department of Health and Human Services that has done a 180-degree turn from the new governor’s predecessor in less than three weeks.