Maine Democrats rally around Troy Jackson to replace Graham Platner in crucial Senate race – US politics live | Democrats
As Troy Jackson becomes frontrunner for Maine Democrats, what happens next?
A reminder of the next steps in the frantic replacement process in the Maine Senate race, now that Troy Jackson appears poised to clinch the Democratic nomination.
Over the weekend, all 16 counties elected 500 delegates who will vote in a special convention in Bangor on Saturday – the remaining 101 delegates will come from the state Democratic party committee.
This will the formal process of selecting the new nominee after Graham Platner abruptly ended his campaign following allegations of sexual assault from a former partner.
Jackson, now the progressive frontrunner, once campaigned alongside Platner and received his endorsement during his gubernatorial run, where he finished third.
That proximity to Platner – whose campaign was beset by controversy – raised concerns that Jackson might be tainted in the breakneck process to replace the disgraced former nominee. Questions have also lingered about Jackson’s public speaking style and whether he could match the commanding presence that helped Platner build a statewide populist following.
But Jackson has consolidated support from major unions, numerous state Democrats, and national progressive groups, and he appears to have locked down broad backing from the newly selected delegates. While their commitments are not legally binding, a large majority of the 601 delegates have now pledged to vote for him.
On Sunday, Jackson told Politico it was “incredible” to see people “really concerned about making sure this momentum, this movement continues” as it became clear he would emerge as the presumptive nominee and his rivals dropped out of the competition. His campaign said Monday it was turning its “full focus” to defeating Collins after the weekend’s surge of delegate support.
State Democrats have until 27 July to formally choose Platner’s replacement for the general-election ballot.
Key events
New York mayor Zohran Mamdani calls incident outside 26 Federal Plaza ‘deeply disturbing’
New York mayor Zohran Mamdani called the incident outside 26 Federal Plaza, which saw an “incendiary device” deployed, “deeply disturbing”.
“I’m relieved no one was seriously injured and that a suspect is in custody,” Mamdani wrote on social media. “My team is in touch with the NYPD and we will support the federal investigation. Our administration will continue to ensure that every New Yorker is safe in their city – and hold accountable any who threaten that.”
José Olivares
Ismael Zambada García, the Mexican drug lord known as “El Mayo”, who co-founded and led the Sinaloa cartel, was sentenced to life in prison by a Brooklyn federal judge on Monday morning and was ordered to forfeit $15bn in drug proceeds.
The 76-year-old Zambada, who has spent nearly two years inside a Brooklyn federal prison, limped inside the courtroom dressed in a beige prison outfit, with white hair and a beard. Before his sentencing, Zambada read a public letter, saying that he took responsibility for his crimes and calling for an end to the violence that has plagued Mexico for decades during the drug-fueled conflict.
“I did not go to trial because I did not want to deny the truth,” Zambada read aloud in court, adding that “violence must end” and urging the next generation of drug traffickers to “choose a different path”.
Zambada helped lead the Sinaloa cartel, one of Mexico’s biggest organized crime groups, and signed a guilty plea last August admitting to trafficking tons of cocaine, marijuana, heroin and, in recent years, fentanyl. He also admitted to engaging in violence to further the cartel’s business operations and corrupting Mexican public officials.
The federal judge, Brian Cogan, said his sentencing was “anticlimactic”, due to his plea agreement and the general understanding by all parties involved that Zambada would spend the rest of his life in prison.
“I think he deserves life,” Cogan said, but added that even if anyone disagreed, the US government’s sentencing guidelines would require a life-in-prison sentence due to the severity of Zambada’s crimes.
Zambada’s defense attorneys requested that the judge recommend the Bureau of Prisons to send Zambada to a federal medical facility, rather than a traditional prison, due to his medical conditions. The kingpin’s medical conditions are redacted in court records, but the judge mentioned during the sentencing hearing that Zambada was “drifting” towards being “cognitively impaired”. Mexican outlets have reported Zambada is dealing with the early stages of dementia. The Bureau of Prisons still has to evaluate where Zambada will be sent to serve the rest of his days.
FBI investigating ‘incendiary device’ deployed outside New York ICE holding facility
The FBI is investigating an incident where an “incendiary device” that was deployed outside 26 Federal Plaza, a notorious Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) holding facility in New York.
In a statement, FBI director Kash Patel said that “an individual is in custody and two minor injuries reported thus far”. The Joint Terrorism Task Force is also part of the investigation.
The building is also the site of the largest federal immigration courthouse in Manhattan, where there have been several instances of people being apprehended by federal officials waiting just outside courtrooms, following immigration hearings.
My colleague Julius Constantine-Motal reported from the courthouse last month, and captured instances of people being detained after their appearances in court by federal agents who are often masked.
José Olivares
One of Mexico’s most important and significant drug traffickers in recent history will be sentenced this morning by a federal judge in Brooklyn and will probably spend the rest of his life behind bars.
Ismael Zambada García, the 76-year-old Mexican drug lord known as “El Mayo”, helped co-found and lead the Sinaloa cartel, becoming one of the most wanted targets by US intelligence and law enforcement agencies for decades.
El Mayo signed a guilty plea last August and decided not to proceed with a federal trial that would have likely lasted weeks and cost the US government millions of dollars. El Mayo is facing life-in-prison, due to his age, the gravity of his crimes and the guilty plea he signed. The US government is also asking that he pay $15bn as part of his punishment.
As one of the co-founders of the Sinaloa cartel, El Mayo is one of the biggest drug traffickers in the history of the US-Mexico drug war. The US government has accused him of trafficking tons of cocaine, marijuana, heroin and, in recent years, fentanyl to the US and other parts of the world. Prosecutors also accused him of being one of the leaders of a violent organization that led to corruption among Mexican politicians, military officials and law enforcement agents.
Although Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán is known to be the face of the Sinaloa cartel, the elderly Mayo was known to be the elusive leader, who ran the cartel’s operations from behind the scenes. El Mayo was little seen by the public and was relatively unknown, in sharp contrast to El Chapo.
El Mayo’s arrest in 2024, however, came as a shock. During a mysterious operation, he was beaten and kidnapped by one of El Chapo’s sons and was flown across the border to New Mexico, where he was arrested by US federal agents. It is still unknown whether US agencies helped facilitate the cross-border kidnapping operation that led to his arrest. El Chapo’s son, who orchestrated the kidnapping, pled guilty late last year and has become a cooperating witness for the US justice department.
El Mayo’s arrest led to a splintering of the Sinaloa cartel, with El Mayo’s son and El Chapo’s sons leading different factions in a raging intra-cartel war for territory that has ravaged parts of Mexico.
El Mayo’s sentence comes amid a difficult time in US-Mexico relations, as the Trump administration has escalated its pressure on the Mexican government to further attack criminal groups. Last year, the Trump administration designated the Sinaloa cartel as a terrorist group and has threatened military intervention to attack the cartel and other drug trafficking organizations.
Reporters are heading up to the courtroom now, where the Brooklyn federal judge Brian Cogan, who also presided over El Chapo’s trial years ago, will dictate El Mayo’s sentence.
As Troy Jackson becomes frontrunner for Maine Democrats, what happens next?
A reminder of the next steps in the frantic replacement process in the Maine Senate race, now that Troy Jackson appears poised to clinch the Democratic nomination.
Over the weekend, all 16 counties elected 500 delegates who will vote in a special convention in Bangor on Saturday – the remaining 101 delegates will come from the state Democratic party committee.
This will the formal process of selecting the new nominee after Graham Platner abruptly ended his campaign following allegations of sexual assault from a former partner.
Jackson, now the progressive frontrunner, once campaigned alongside Platner and received his endorsement during his gubernatorial run, where he finished third.
That proximity to Platner – whose campaign was beset by controversy – raised concerns that Jackson might be tainted in the breakneck process to replace the disgraced former nominee. Questions have also lingered about Jackson’s public speaking style and whether he could match the commanding presence that helped Platner build a statewide populist following.
But Jackson has consolidated support from major unions, numerous state Democrats, and national progressive groups, and he appears to have locked down broad backing from the newly selected delegates. While their commitments are not legally binding, a large majority of the 601 delegates have now pledged to vote for him.
On Sunday, Jackson told Politico it was “incredible” to see people “really concerned about making sure this momentum, this movement continues” as it became clear he would emerge as the presumptive nominee and his rivals dropped out of the competition. His campaign said Monday it was turning its “full focus” to defeating Collins after the weekend’s surge of delegate support.
State Democrats have until 27 July to formally choose Platner’s replacement for the general-election ballot.
Tom Perkins
The Trump administration has killed proposed regulations for sewage sludge contaminated with Pfas and spread on farmland as fertilizer, a practice that has sickened farmers, destroyed their livelihoods, killed livestock, polluted water supplies, and poisoned meat and food products sold to the public.
The proposed regulations would largely have ended the use of sludge, also called biosolids, in the nation’s food system. But the Environmental Protection Agency tossed out its scientific research from less than two years ago that formed the basis of the proposed regulations. It justified the decision by declaring that sludge was not a wide threat to the public because it is mostly used on farms, and only a small percentage of cropland.
However, in comments published to the federal register, the EPA also advised the US public to “research” sludge companies to protect itself from the highly toxic chemicals contaminating home fertilizer widely sold for use in home gardens.
The decision is “a bit bonkers”, said Laura Dumais, an attorney with the Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility (Peer) non-profit.
“It’s shocking for the EPA to take a scientific assessment and simply throw it out,” Dumais said. “Basically, they’re saying: farmers’ lives don’t matter.”
Pfas are a class of about 16,000 compounds dubbed “forever chemicals” because they do not naturally break down, and accumulate in the human body and environment. The chemicals are linked to a range of serious health problems like cancer, liver disease, kidney issues, high cholesterol, birth defects and decreased immunity.
Sludge is a mix of human and industrial waste that is a byproduct of treating waste sent through the nation’s sewer system. Its disposal is expensive, and the EPA in the early 1990s began allowing it to be spread on cropland because it is also rich in plant nutrients.
Donald Trump congratulated his vice-president, JD Vance, and his wife, Usha, on the birth of their fourth child.
“A perfect baby boy for the wonderful Vance family,” Trump wrote on Truth Social.
A reminder that my colleagues are tracking the latest developments in the Middle East – including new reporting from the New York Times that, in the week before Friday’s Iranian strike that killed two American troops in Jordan, Iran carried out three additional attacks on US forces in the country. Dozens of service members were injured, but the Pentagon did not disclose either the strikes or the resulting casualties.
The Times, citing several unnamed US officials, also reports that the attacks in Jordan damaged multiple helicopters – another detail the Pentagon reportedly kept secret.
Trump says he feels ‘very badly’ about three US military casualties
While speaking to reporters on Sunday, Donald Trump acknowledged the three US military casualties as the strikes on Iran continue unabated.
“Well, we feel very badly, but you know those great people, those great patriots, were out there fighting that Iran cannot have a nuclear weapon,” Trump said while returning to Washington from the Fifa World Cup final in New Jersey.
The president insisted that Iran “lost everything almost militarily” and the US controls the strait of Hormuz. “They don’t control anything. So we’ll see what happens. But we hit them very hard again tonight,” Trump added.
Donald Trump is in Washington today. He’ll spend most of his day in closed-door meetings. At 3.30pm ET he’ll welcome the 2025 Little League Softball World Series winners to the White House. That event is currently closed to the press, but we’ll keep you updated if anything changes.
Ramon Antonio Vargas
Rather than continue fixating on the 2020 election defeat that ended his first presidency, Donald Trump could instead “do something positive”, including resolving the US war in Iran, Pennsylvania senator John Fetterman said in an interview on Sunday.
“I don’t know why the president is dragging up all this stuff,” Fetterman remarked on CNN’s State of the Union, three days after Trump dedicated a televised, primetime address to claims about Chinese meddling in the 2020 White House race that he lost to Joe Biden. “You’re the president. Do something positive – and you are talking about 2020; that’s been settled over six years ago.
“It’s deeply unhelpful and that distracts [from] important things, especially like the Iranian war right now.”
His comments to CNN came amid a stretch that could prove to be an inflection point in his political career. On Wednesday, he said he would consider leaving the Democratic party if ever it became “the anti-Israel party”, a comment that he delivered after more than 100 US House lawmakers voted in favor of halting Israeli military aid over incursions into Gaza and Lebanon.
Fetterman has emerged as a prominent advocate of Israel among Democrats since he joined the Senate in 2023. You can read the full story here:
Nato member Bulgaria will seek parliamentary approval later today for up to eight US tanker aircraft to be stationed at a military airport in the country.
The government will ask parliament to approve a request by Washington to station tanker planes at the Bezmer military facility, about 260 km (160 miles) southeast of the capital Sofia, to support US military actions in the Middle East, Bulgaria’s prime minister Rumen Radev said.
A move earlier this year to station the aircraft, used mainly for airborne refuelling of other aircraft, at a civilian airport in Sofia without prior parliamentary approval, sparked controversy and the planes left last month.
“The problem was that the military planes were based at a civilian airport in close proximity to Sofia. That is why we proposed to our allies to occupy military airfields,” Radev told an annual conference of Bulgarian Ambassadors in Sofia.
Vice-President JD Vance and his wife, second lady Usha Vance, on Sunday announced the birth of their fourth child, the first born to a sitting vice-president in more than 150 years.
Born on Sunday, Alec Neel Vance joins older siblings Ewan, nine; Vivek, six; and Mirabel, four. Vance announced the birth on social media with a statement signed by him and his wife.
“We are excited to announce that our baby boy, Alec Neel Vance, was born this morning. Usha and the baby are happy and healthy, and our kids are overjoyed to meet their little brother,” the statement said.
You can keep up with all the latest developments in the US-Israel war on Iran in our Middle East live blog here:
Vivian Ho
The national average for a gallon of regular gasoline has jumped once again on Monday as the US and Iran launched more attacks, AP reports.
The national average for a gallon of regular gasoline is now back to $4, almost an entire dollar more than the average price a year ago at $3.14 a gallon, according to motor club federation AAA.
Average gas prices reached over $4 gallon at the start of the conflict at the end of March, but dipped in mid-June and continued to fall after US and Iran reached an interim deal.
Trump says Qatari-gifted Air Force One will get ‘maxed out’ upgrades
The US president, Donald Trump, has said the Qatari-donated jet that serves as an Air Force One plane will soon be sent away for “maxed out” upgrades, as concerns grow over the plane’s security features.
Trump started flying aboard the Boeing luxury jet on 1 July after accepting the $400m plane as an “unconditional” gift from the Qatari government last year.
But concerns about the plane came into focus earlier this month when the president unexpectedly flew from Turkey to England onboard the older Air Force One, rather than the new, Qatari-gifted aircraft he had used to travel to the Nato summit in Ankara.
Trump was asked about whether the Qatari plane lacked missile-defense capabilities as he returned home from the World Cup final in New Jersey on Sunday. He told reporters:
“Well, it has – it has a lot, and you know it has a lot of capability, but as I understand it, in about a month or so, they’re going to send it to have it be maxed out. So they’re going to be sending it, and they’ll have it be maxed out.” “It’ll take about a month,” Trump added, suggesting the Qatari jet could get additional defensive capabilities to enhance its security.
Earlier this month, the New York Times reported that the new jet lacks the same defensive countermeasures as the older model, including antimissile capabilities, citing anonymous sources.
The coverage prompted a leak investigation and led the Trump administration to issue subpoenas to several of the Times’ journalists in what was condemned as an attempt to punish the outlet for its reporting and to intimidate independent media organisations.
The subpoenas, some of which were delivered to reporters at their homes, sought to force the reporters to testify before a federal grand jury in Manhattan. The Times has since filed a motion to quash the subpoenas served by the justice department.
Trump administration activates dormant court for ‘alien terrorist’ deportations
In other news, the Trump administration has filed a first-ever petition to a secretive and dormant court created 30 years ago to consider government requests to deport so-called “alien terrorists” from the US.
The Alien Terrorist Removal Court (ATRC) was established in 1996 but had never received a petition until Wednesday, when the US justice department filed an application seeking the removal of an individual whose name is withheld from the single-page document posted on the court’s website.
Joan Ericksen, the chief judge of the five-member court, said in a written response to the petition that a hearing was held on Thursday during which the court had “questions about the nexus that the government alleges between the actions of the respondent and the specific sections and subsections it invokes with respect to those actions”.
Ericksen, a federal judge in Minnesota, wrote: “The answers persuaded the court that the government could benefit from the opportunity for more thoughtful consideration.” She 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 crucial Senate race
Troy Jackson, a former state legislator, moved into a strong position to replace Graham Platner as the Democratic candidate in the crucial Maine Senate race after several of his opponents dropped out over the weekend.
Maine’s secretary of state, Shenna Bellows, withdrew yesterday morning, saying Democrats didn’t have “a day to waste in unifying” around the goal of defeating the state’s longtime Republican Senator Susan Collins in the November midterm elections.
Nirav Shah, former director of Maine’s Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, also dropped out – and endorsed Jackson, a fifth-generation logger from the northern part of the state, in the evening.
He was shortly followed by Dan Kleban, the co-founder of Maine Beer Company, and Jordan Wood, a progressive who worked as the chief of staff to former Representative Katie Porter of California, both of whom also endorsed Jackson.
Democrats are scrambling to regroup after their initial nominee, Graham Platner, suspended his campaign earlier this month after a series of scandals that included a woman accusing him of sexual assault, an allegation he denies.
Maine is considered a must-win state in the Democratic party’s mission of taking control of the Senate.
Jackson rallied broad support at the county-level meetings this weekend when party committees across the state began choosing delegates for a nominating convention that will meet on 25 July in Bangor to select a new candidate.
Though not legally binding, according to POLITICO, over two-thirds of the 601 delegates have now committed to voting for Jackson at that statewide convention next weekend.
Jackson, 58, was elected to the state legislature in 2002 and ultimately became the president of Maine’s senate. He left office in 2024 due to term limits. Jackson then unsuccessfully ran to be the Democratic nominee for governor earlier this year with Platner’s backing, but was unsuccessful.
