Welcome back to our regularly scheduled programming, kinda. I had hoped to get this post out yesterday to give more heads up, but better late than never I suppose! I want to highlight some local event updates before we talk about the orange elephant in the room (and it’s a BIG ELEPHANT).
We have added a form to the events page to submit new events! It can be hard to keep track of all of the various events happening, so who better to keep us informed than YOU! Please submit events that you would like to see highlighted in our newsletter here.
While you’re there, check out the updated events list to see what we’ve added. There’s now a 2nd May Day event happening!
HAPPENING TONIGHT:
Maine’s 2nd Congressional District Candidate Debate
Make sure to check out the debate tonight at 8:00 pm on WMTW8, WABI5, or WAGM8!
Now about that elephant…
PHOTO ILLUSTRATION BY FIVETHIRTYEIGHT / GETTY IMAGES
By now I’m sure you are aware there was another assassination attempt against President Trump at the White House Correspondents Dinner. If I had a nickel for every assassination attempt since Trump took office… I would only have $0.15. It isn’t a lot, but it’s definitely a concerning amount of nickels in this context.
I wish it were surprising at this point, but honestly it isn’t – and it doesn’t appear to be that way for a lot of people either. There has been a troubling amount of speculation that the assassination attempt was staged, or a “false flag” attempt. Conspiracies aren’t a new thing in modern politics – MAGA practically runs on them like it’s a train engine that produces garbage online instead of steam. But the concerning part of it is that this is happening across the spectrum. We’re seeing QAnon join forces with BlueAnon – and we’re all stuck in the backseat while they’re driving us off a cliff.
What does it say as a society when collectively nobody trusts in the Federal government? This assassination was obviously not staged. Let’s not chalk up to conspiracy that which we can attribute to incompetence. Incompetence alone isn’t the only problem here though. According to The Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD):
Continued low trust environments not only damage social cohesion and political participation, but also limit governments’ ability to function effectively and respond to complex domestic and global challenges. Public trust is a pillar of democracy…
We’re seeing it daily – the degradation of our democracy. Our leaders are failing us at a record pace – from local city councilors to Governors and state officials to the federal government. These examples are in Maine, but this is happening everywhere. Don’t get me wrong – these examples aren’t the product of the lack of trust in government, they’re the cause. How are we supposed to reconcile living in an age of complete disparity between the working class (all of us reading this) and the Epstein class of rulers? It’s no wonder that the populace is turning to conspiracies.
Speaking of Epstein, 60 Minutes interviewed Trump after the shooting and boy howdy, what. is. happening?
“I was waiting for you to read that because I knew you would, because you’re horrible people. Horrible people,” Trump said. “Yeah, he did write that. I’m not a rapist. I didn’t rape anybody.”
O’Donnell interjected, “Oh, do you think he was referring to you?”
But the president blew past her question, declaring, “I’m not a pedophile.”
El Presidente Trump lashed out at Norah O’Donnell and attempted to defend himself from the manifesto claims. Once again, however, Trump lied about himself. As we damn well know, E Jean Carroll was a victim of his abuse.
In this case, after a nine-day trial, a jury found that plaintiff-appellee E. Jean Carroll was sexually abused by defendant-appellant Donald J. Trump at the Bergdorf Goodman department store in Manhattan in 1996.
That’s not to mention the vast trove of credible evidence and testimony claiming that Trump indeed may be a pedophile. I mean, surely he wouldn’t have had the FBI cover up and remove his name from the files for nothing, right? Marjorie Taylor Greene said Trump told her directly “my friends will get hurt… people you know, Marjorie, people at Mar-a-Lago.” She said he flat out told then-AG Pam Bondi “do not release the Epstein files.” Acting AG Todd Blanche who, as a refresher, is Trump’s former personal defense attorney – has declared the whole thing over, saying the Epstein files “should not be a part of anything going forward.” Even Fox News’s Jesse Watters told him “I’m not sure you totally get what people feel about that.” Dude… when a chud like Jesse Watters on FOX NEWS is calling your BS, you know it’s bad.
But not to waste a good crisis, the MAGA regime wasted NO TIME in using this event to push for El Presidente’s stupid, expensive, and wasteful ballroom. A, uh ballroom blitz, if you will 🥁.
And naturally, they’re blaming us – the left and the media – for it. Gimme a break dude. It might be a good idea for conservatives to reel in the gaslighting – it’s getting pretty expensive. On the bright side, this week Trump has been stacking up losses in at least 11 different lawsuits. But remember the saying…
How do you eat an elephant?
P.S. Our friend Susan McCaffrey’s letter to the editor was published in the Bangor Daily News. Check it out if you can!
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!
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
State employees union endorses two Dems for governor in latest sign of ranked-choice strategizing
In an unusual move, the labor union representing many state workers’ union is backing two Democratic candidates for governor headed into the June 9 primary — but with one contender receiving a slightly bigger nod from the group.
It’s the latest sign of how ranked-choice voting is affecting both campaign styles and endorsement strategies in Maine.
Read the entire article here.
Bangor to add police detail outside library to watch homeless camp
Bangor city staff are planning to add a police detail and reduce park hours in response to a flood of complaints from the public about a growing group of homeless community members who have been gathering in Peirce Park outside the Bangor Public Library.
Read the entire article here.
Collins votes for $70B ICE funding with no reforms
Sen. Susan Collins voted Thursday to advance a Republican-backed plan to provide $70 billion in new funding for immigration enforcement agencies, despite growing disapproval from Mainers over the conduct of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
The measure, which would fund ICE and Customs and Border Protection for the next three years, passed the Senate 50 to 48.
Read’s full 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.
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!