We’re off to the races with more utter madness from the Mad King Trump. He is making yet another threat to Iran if they don’t reach a deal. I don’t remember hearing about this type of thing being part of The Art of the Deal. I can’t imagine why Iran isn’t keen to reach a deal.
We’re offering a very fair and reasonable DEAL, and I hope they take it because, if they don’t, the United States is going to knock out every single Power Plant, and every single Bridge, in Iran. NO MORE MR. NICE GUY!
If they don’t sign this deal, the whole country is going to get blown up
Mad King Trump doubled down with his second quote there while talking on Fox News. It doesn’t seem like we are really holding up our end of the ceasefire either. Over the weekend, we attacked and seized a cargo ship in the Strait of Hormuz. This type of erratic behavior is clearly a pattern, as we have all seen over the last month+ (let’s be real, the last 10 years easily). That’s probably why aides in the regime are now completely sidelining him during some operations. That gives me simultaneous relief and sheer terror honestly. If he can be sidelined here, what else are they keeping from him? Who is running this government?
Speaking of sheer terror, we now have Palantir, the company that is hoovering up everyone’s data and doing God-know-what with it, advocating for Universal National Service.
National service should be a universal duty. We should, as a society, seriously consider moving away from an all-volunteer force and only fight the next war if everyone shares in the risk and the cost.
The Lion, the Witch, and audacity of this bitch! The sheer nerve for this company (whose CEO/Founder is squarely part of the American Oligarchy) to call for this after we have started an illegal war in Iran. They want OUR KIDS to fight these wars. You can be damn sure their kids aren’t going to be required to do it – they are already finding ways to keep them out of the draft system as it stands. We shouldn’t have a draft in the first place, but if we’re not going to remove, it needs to be fairly applied. That’s all moot because we shouldn’t be entering these ridiculous and illegal wars in the first place.
This all brings me to the best part. There was yet another vote in the House to end war powers that failed – due to a single Democratic vote. That’s right! Our favorite Representative from CD-2, Jared Golden, cast the deciding vote to continue this illegal war. That definitely has nothing to do with the amount of money he’s accepted from AIPAC and other pro-Israel lobby groups & their donors. It’s almost as much as Susan Collins has accepted. Maybe it’s time to start protesting outside his office?
Indivisible is planning their next large scale action: Mayday 2026!
They have posted a whole participation guide on how you can participate and find events. Check it out here!
❗We are deeply disappointed that Maine Congressman Jared Golden has once again voted against the House War Powers Resolution bill, this time casting the only Democratic vote against the bill, which resulted in the bill being defeated by one vote. Sign the petition to tell Congress about it here.
❗The War on Terror-era legislation that authorized decades of civil liberties-eroding mass surveillance is set to expire on April 19. Congress should let it die. Tell Congress to say no to warrant-less AI Mass surveillance here.
❗The ACLU has created a form to tell Congress NOT to authorize any additional funds here.
❗Head over to take action on our site, or visiting 5calls.org to demand Congress take action NOW!
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Do you want to become more involved? Would you like to help with the website and communications? Help organize events like rallies and visibility actions? Or do you just want to keep up with what we’re doing? Sign up to volunteer with Indivisible Bangor — your level of involvement is up to you!
Weekly member meetings are on Zoom, with in-person meetings on the first Wednesday of the month. As always, check out our Bluesky and Instagram for the latest info.
NEWS
Graham Platner nets another endorsement in high-interest Maine Senate race
Count Sen. Elizabeth Warren among the officials endorsing Graham Platner as the Democratic candidate in Maine’s hotly contested U.S. Senate primary.
Standing next to Platner, the Massachusetts Democrat gave her backing to the political newcomer at a rally in Portland, Maine on April 18. Warren told the crowd that Washington needed fighters like Platner, a 41-year-old former Marine, to beat incumbent Sen. Susan Collins, who is running for a sixth term in one of the most competitive and closely-watched battles in the country.
Read the entire article here.
FBI Director Kash Patel sues the Atlantic claiming false reporting about drinking, absences
FBI Director Kash Patel filed a defamation lawsuit against the Atlantic and its reporter Sarah Fitzpatrick following the publication of an article on Friday alleging the director had a drinking problem that could pose a threat to national security.
The magazine’s story, initially titled “Kash Patel’s Erratic Behavior Could Cost Him His Job,” cited more than two dozen anonymous sources expressing concern about Patel’s “conspicuous inebriation and unexplained absences” that “alarmed officials at the FBI and the Department of Justice.”
Read the entire article here.
FBI, DOJ scrambling to rebuild after being depleted by resignations and firings
The FBI and Justice Department are scrambling to rebuild a depleted workforce after a wave of departures over the past year, with leaders easing hiring requirements and accelerating recruitment in ways that some current and former officials see as a lowering of long-accepted standards.
Read’s full article here.
Susan Collins supports “Save America Act”
Despite Mainers voting overwhelmingly to reject the voter suppression measures list in Question 1 last November, Senator Collins has decided that she supports even stricter voter suppression measures.The bill recently passed in the House and will be up for vote in the Senate soon. From Bangor Daily News:
Trump has framed the bill as a national voter ID push, although it is slightly different than that. Democrats have argued it could still bar millions of people from voting, with the liberal Brennan Center for Justice saying 21 million Americans lack ready access to the documents that would be required to prove citizenship. Noncitizens are barred from voting in federal elections.
Read the entire article here.
ACTIONS
Event: Attend an event!
Events are easy to attend and only require a small amount of time investment – some you can even attend from the comfort of your own couch! Take a look at the upcoming events below and register.
Petition: Sign “Iran War Concerns” Petition
As United States citizens from various political perspectives, we have serious concerns about the current war in Iran and the justification that was used for initiating it.
Petition: Sign “A Winning Democratic Strategy” Petition
This petition lists a number of items that Democrats should pledge to do.
Contact: Oppose the SAVE Act, MEGA Act, and Save America Act
Take action on the SAVE Act, the MEGA Act, and the Save America Act. These anti-democratic bills could be fast-tracked through Congress, with the Save America Act passed in the U.S. House last week (SAVE Act passed in the House last year). These laws would require voters to prove their citizenship by showing a passport or birth certificate in order to register to vote — a requirement that would disenfranchise millions of voters. According to the Brennan Center, “21 million American citizens don’t have these documents readily available.”
This bill would especially burden military voters, tribal voters, rural voters, and survivors of natural disasters. Plus, are you someone who’s married and changed your name? Or just someone who’s changed your name? You, too, could be affected. This could also affect Mainers living near the border who might have been born at a Canadian hospital to U.S. parents.
The MEGA Act would prohibit the use of mail-in voting (like absentee voting) and Ranked Choice Voting. The bill promotes voter roll purges and criminalizes clerical errors by election workers. It’s a package of terrible ideas built upon false, debunked theories that our elections are not secure. Maine has the right to conduct our elections, which are already fair, transparent, and accessible. Let’s reject this federal intervention.
Letter: Support childcare funding
Next week, our legislators will be considering a number of bills that will make Maine’s childcare system stronger.
This includes LD 1955, which will provide $15 million in ongoing funding for the Child Care Affordability Program. This will provide immediate relief to children and families who are currently on waitlists, while also ensuring future families can access affordable childcare without delays as they work, pursue education, or engage in job training.
LD 2066 will make the Child Care Affordability Program Educator Employment Award permanent. This will ensure that current employees at licensed childcare programs receive tuition support and will help to both recruit and retain qualified staff. And lastly, LD 1414 will increase infant and toddler payment rates through the Child Care Affordability Program for eligible families—making it easier for providers to offer affordable care for the youngest kids.
This action is sponsored by our friends over at Maine People’s Alliance.
Letter: Tell Congress: Stop President Trump’s illegal boat strikes
The Trump administration is murdering civilians in international waters. We need answers so we can stop the killing.
Since September, the Trump administration has ordered dozens of lethal strikes on civilian boats near Venezuela, killing over 150 people in clear violation of domestic and international law. For weeks, the Trump administration has promoted unsubstantiated, fear-mongering claims about the people being targeted, even though investigations show that the strikes killed fishermen who were simply trying to make a living for their families. The administration is reportedly relying on a secret legal memo that wrongly claims these killings are lawful and that anyone involved in the strikes would somehow be immune from prosecution for murder or other crimes, yet they refuse to make the memo public.
Letter: Reject the Deportation & Detention Agenda
The Big Ugly Bill funneled enough money for ICE and Border Patrol to fund their terror for years to come. We have already seen how dangerous this is in communities across the country. Now the administration is trying to use this money to do a massive expansion in detention facilities across the country. They have been buying up properties, and sometimes actually converting warehouses into camps that will hold human beings, often in dangerous and horrifying conditions.
We have a chance to stop this expansion in its tracks, in partnership with experts across the country, by speaking up and demanding our elected officials speak up too. This is already working – and even some Republicans are criticizing the warehouses – from Pennsylvania, to Tennessee, and beyond. So let’s keep up the pressure.
Letter: Write a letter to the editor
Letters to the editor are published regularly in the local newspapers from Mainers who support the brutal tactics of the authoritarian Trump regime. Write a letter to set the record straight. Click the button to go to the Bangor Daily News “Submit a letter or column” page, the Portland Press Herald “Letters to the editor” page, and the “Letter to the Editor” page at the Ellsworth American.
Contact: Call or email your legislators
If you want an easy way to actually do something, check out 5calls.org. You enter your location, pick an issue you care about, and it gives you your representatives’ phone numbers and a script. That’s it. Calling your elected officials is one of the most effective forms of civic engagement there is!
If you are more comfortable with sending emails to our Maine congressional delegation in Washington, click the links/buttons. This is a good option if you have lengthy comments or questions.
Boycott: Pressure companies to stop working with ICE
Vote with your wallet and boycott companies and services that work with ICE! Check out the full list here.
Donate: Give to a food bank
Please DONATE to a local food pantry- food, personal items, and even cash. Faith Linking in Action maintains a database of all food pantries and free meals– organized by both location and day of the week– in the Bangor area. Check it out here.
ActivateMaine has created a site, SNAP Into Action: “a statewide effort to help those who are affected by the freezing of benefits due to the Government shut down.” If you know of any food drives that are happening, please visit this site to add it to the database!
Legislator Contact Info
The names of our senators and representatives listed below are links that go right to their official congressional contact form pages. The telephone numbers are links that should open your phone app to call that number. It’s that easy!
Senator Angus King
DC: (202) 224-5344
Augusta: (207) 622-8292
Senator Susan Collins
DC: (202) 224-2523
Augusta: (207) 622-8414
Bangor: (207) 945-0417
Congresswoman Chellie Pingree
DC: (202) 225-6116
Portland: (207) 774-5019
Waterville: (207) 873-5713
Congressman Jared Golden
DC: (202) 225-6306
Bangor: (207) 249-7400
Caribou: (207) 492-6009
Lewiston: (207) 241-6767
Find your State Representative:
By name: Here
By district: Here
Find your State Senator:
By name: Here
By district: Here
Our government in Augusta:
Governor Janet Mills
Email Governor Mills
Call (207) 287-3531
Secretary of State Shenna Bellows
Contact Secretary Bellows
Call (207)626-8400
Attorney General Aaron M. Frey
Contact Mr. Frey
Call (207) 626-8800
Questions or comments? Contact George!