Maine Democrats rally around Troy Jackson to replace Graham Platner in crucial Senate race – US politics live | Democrats
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You can follow the latest developments in the US-Israeli war against Iran on our Middle East live blog:
Vivian Ho
The national average for a gallon of regular gasoline rose once again Monday as the United States and Iran launched more attacks, the AP reported.
According to AAA, the motor club federation, the national average for a gallon of regular gasoline is now back to $4; That’s almost a full dollar more than the average price of $3.14 per gallon a year ago.
Average gas prices rose above $4 a gallon in late March at the start of the conflict, but fell in mid-June and continued to fall after the United States and Iran reached an interim agreement.
Trump says upgrades to Qatar’s capable Air Force One will be ‘maximised’
US President Donald Trump said the jet donated by Qatar and serving as Air Force One aircraft would soon be sent for “high-end” upgrades as concerns grow about the plane’s safety features.
Trump started flying on the luxury Boeing jet on July 1 after accepting the $400 million plane as an “unconditional” gift from the Qatari government last year.
However, concerns about the plane came to the fore earlier this month when the president unexpectedly flew from Türkiye to the UK on an old Air Force One plane, instead of the new plane gifted to Qatar that he used to attend the NATO summit in Ankara.
On his way home from the World Cup final in New Jersey on Sunday, Trump was asked whether the Qatari plane lacked missile defense capabilities. He told reporters:
“Yes, he has a lot of it and you know he has a lot of talent, but I understand that in about a month they will send him to maximize. So they will send him and maximize him.” “It will take about a month,” Trump added, suggesting that the Qatari jet could receive additional defensive capabilities to increase its security.
Earlier this month, the New York Times reported that the new jet lacks the same defensive measures As the old model, including missile defense capabilities, citing anonymous sources.
The news sparked a leak investigation and led the Trump administration to issue subpoenas to some Times journalists in what was condemned as an attempt to punish the media outlet that reported it and intimidate independent media outlets.
The subpoenas, some of which were sent to reporters at their homes, were intended to compel reporters to testify before a federal grand jury in Manhattan. The Times has since filed a petition to quash the subpoenas issued by the justice department.
Trump administration activates dormant court for ‘alien terrorist’ deportations
On the other hand, the Trump administration has petitioned for the first time to a secret and inactive court created 30 years ago to consider government requests for the deportation of so-called “foreign terrorists” from the United States.
The Alien Terrorist Removal Tribunal (ATRC) was established in 1996 but had not received any petitions until Wednesday, when the U.S. justice department filed a motion to remove an individual whose name was kept secret in a one-page document posted on the court’s website.
Joan Ericksen, the five-member court’s chief judge, said in her written response to the petition that a hearing was held Thursday in which the court heard “questions about the government’s alleged connection between the defendant’s actions and the specific sections and subsections it alleges related to those actions.”
“The answers convinced the court that the government could benefit from the opportunity for more careful consideration,” wrote Ericksen, a federal judge in Minnesota. He directed the justice department to provide more information by Wednesday. You can read more here:
Maine Democrats rally around Troy Jackson to replace Graham Platner in critical Senate race
Troy Jackson, a former state legislator, has moved into a strong position to replace Graham Platner as the Democratic nominee in the key Maine Senate race. After several of their weekend rivals withdrew.
Shenna Bellows, Maine’s secretary of state, withdrew yesterday morning, saying Democrats “don’t have a day to lose to unite” around their goal of defeating the state’s longtime Republican Senator Susan Collins in the November midterm elections.
Nirav Shah, former director of the Maine Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, also left the job and in the evening endorsed Jackson, a fifth-generation logger from the northern part of the state.
He was soon followed by Maine Beer Company co-founder Dan Kleban and progressive Jordan Wood, who worked as chief of staff to former California Rep. Katie Porter; both supported Jackson.
Democrats have been scrambling to regroup after their primary candidate, Graham Platner, suspended his campaign earlier this month following a series of scandals, including a woman accusing him of sexual assault, an allegation Platner denies.
Maine is seen as a must-win state in the Democratic party’s mission to take control of the Senate.
Jackson garners broad support in county-level meetings This weekend, party committees across the state began selecting delegates for the nominating convention, which will meet in Bangor on July 25 to choose a new candidate.
Although not legally binding, According to POLITICOMore than two-thirds of the 601 delegates have pledged to vote for Jackson at next weekend’s statewide convention.
Jackson, 58, was elected to the state legislature in 2002 and eventually became president of the Maine senate. He left office in 2024 due to his term of office. Jackson then unsuccessfully ran for the Democratic nomination for governor earlier this year with Platner’s support.
