The 2026 midterm elections have an unlikely focal point: Maine. The state’s Democratic primary has been marred with drama since self-styled populist Graham Platner was revealed to have made social media posts bashing cops and labeling himself a “communist.” Platner, who is battling Governor Janet Mills for the opportunity to face incumbent Republican Senator Susan Collins, has been bleeding staff since it came to light that he had a Nazi symbol tattooed on his chest. Then Rep. Jared Golden (D-ME) announced earlier this week that he would not be seeking re-election to Maine’s Second Congressional District. The Cook Political Report promptly moved the race from “toss-up” to “Likely Republican.” “After much deliberation, I’ve decided not to seek reelection in 2026,” the Democrat posted to X on Wednesday. “I’m confident that were I to run again, I would win. But recent events have made me reconsider whether the good I can do in Congress still outweighs the cost to my family.” The race, along with a few others, might be one of the few chances for Republicans to beef up their congressional representation in New England, as Collins is the only Republican representing the region in Washington. In 2024, President Donald Trump won the district with 54%, but Golden has held on to the seat since he first won in 2018, a Democratic flip. The district covers northern Maine and is significantly more red compared with the deep blue First Congressional District. Last year, Golden defeated Republican Austin Theriault by roughly 2,700 votes. “Serial flip-flopper Jared Golden’s exit from Congress says it all: He’s turned his back on Mainers for years and now his chickens are coming home to roost,” National Republican Campaign Committee Spokeswoman Maureen O’Toole said in a statement earlier this week when he called it quits. “He, nor any other Democrat, has a path to victory in ME-02 and Republicans will flip this seat red in 2026.” Maine’s former Republican Governor Paul LePage, who served from 2011-2019, is running for Golden’s seat, posting to X on Thursday a meme saying “Shot” with a poll for LePage beating Golden, and then “chaser” as a headline showing that the Democrat would not run for re-election. The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee also commented on Golden’s retirement, suggesting that Tuesday night’s election results gave promising signs for Democrats. “Last night’s election results make clear that voters are ready to elect a Democratic majority that keeps its promise to lower costs and fight for everyday people. Democrats will do everything necessary to keep this seat blue so that Mainers continue to have a voice fighting for them in Congress — and we are confident we will be successful,” DCCC Chair Suzan DelBene said in a statement on Wednesday. There’s fairly limited wiggle room in New England for Republicans to succeed, despite currently holding the governorship in New Hampshire and Vermont. If a Republican wins the Maine seat, they would be the only one in the House chamber for the region, unless they also flip the seat left open by Rep. Chris Pappas (D-NH), who’s running for Senate, and Rep. Maggie Goodlander’s seat. Cook Political Report ranks both New Hampshire seats as “Likely Democrat,” along with Connecticut’s Fifth Congressional District. As for New Hampshire’s Senate race, a tough battle is underway for the open seat, as former Republican Sen. John Sununu is in a primary with former Massachusetts Sen. Scott Brown. Whoever wins the primary will presumably face off against Pappas. Cook Political Report ranks the New Hampshire race to succeed Democratic Sen. Jeanne Shaheen as “Lean Democrat” and the Maine race as a “toss-up.”

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Thursday’s edition of PBS’s Amanpour and Company went off the rails when guest host Bianna Golodryga welcomed The Atlantic staff writer David Graham to discuss supposed threats to next year’s midterm elections. The duo would muse about everything from Marines seizing ballot boxes to the idea that the elections will be the fake sort that you get in places like Russia, but no evidence was presented to justify any of the fearmongering. Discussing a recent article Graham wrote, Golodryga gave credence to a wild idea, “You open the piece with a fictional but plausible scenario, and that is Marines seizing voting ballots in Arizona. Just walk us through some other possible scenarios that you envision. And I guess what keeps you up at night is what you haven't thought of yet.” After recalling the aftermath of the 2020 election, Graham claimed that, “One of the things that I worry about and that voting experts worry about a lot is the presence of potentially, you know, the military or other armed law enforcement on the streets around the election. Obviously, we've seen the National Guard and, in some cases, Marines on the streets, ICE, and other federal law enforcement. And that's a way that can interfere with elections as well. It may drive turnout down. It can create inconveniences. It can intimidate people. So, you know, that's something that election officials are very concerned about and something we haven't seen before.”     Troops currently deployed to big cities for law enforcement purposes aren’t even arresting people, so why would there be any reason to assume they will tamper with elections? However, freaking out about a potential martial takeover of the 2026 elections wasn’t enough for Golodryga and Graham. A few minutes later, the former sought to bring in some foreign examples of what next year might look like: You also write off the bat that Trump will not cancel elections, but we shouldn't be resting assured that all will go well, and without, sort of, the administration stepping in and overreaching here, because you note that other countries around the world where you have authoritarians in place, if you're looking at Russia, Turkey, and Hungary, for example, these are countries run by leaders who like to have and host elections, but obviously they're not free and fair. So, talk about some of the concerns and parallels you may see or you worry about here with Donald Trump. Graham elaborated, “You know, I've had people ask me if we'll have elections in 2026, and I think the answer is yes. You know, Trump would not be, for example, pushing Republican states to redistrict if he didn't expect to have elections. What we see in countries like those is a kind of modern variety of authoritarianism where you don't ban the opposition party, you don't cancel elections, you don't ban an opposition media entirely. You just make it much harder for the opposition to compete. So, there's an election, but they can't fundraise as effectively, or they don't have the media to get to it, or the votes are suppressed in some way.” Anyone who lives in Virginia can tell you that Democrats had no problem getting their ads on the air for everyone to see. Nevertheless, Graham continued, “That way, from the outside, it looks like a democracy. Voters have the sense that they have a say, but in practice, you don't have to wield up a lot of power. And we see, you know, in intimidation of the media, in arrests and investigations of adversaries, for example, a lot of the steps that have happened in other countries, like Turkey or Hungary, now taking place here.” The media are so intimidated by Trump they are still doing their best to avoid blaming Democrats for the government shutdown. If the simple presence of “investigations of adversaries” is enough to compare Trump’s America to Russia, Turkey, or Hungary, then what was Biden’s America? Here is a transcript for the November 6-taped show: PBS Amanpour and Company 11/6/2025 BIANNA GOLODRYGA: You open the piece with a fictional but plausible scenario, and that is Marines seizing voting ballots in Arizona. Just walk us through some other possible scenarios that you envision. And I guess what keeps you up at night is what you haven't thought of yet. DAVID GRAHAM: That's right. I think it's—you know, it's hard to imagine the possibilities. You know, nobody, I think, really anticipated something like January 6, 2021, before it happened. And I'm not sure many people anticipated the kind of broad legal effort that Trump mounted after the 2020 election also to change those results. One of the things that I worry about and that voting experts worry about a lot is the presence of potentially, you know, the military or other armed law enforcement on the streets around the election. Obviously, we've seen the National Guard and, in some cases, Marines on the streets, ICE, and other federal law enforcement. And that's a way that can interfere with elections as well. It may drive turnout down. It can create inconveniences. It can intimidate people. So, you know, that's something that election officials are very concerned about and something we haven't seen before. … GOLODRYGA: You also write off the bat that Trump will not cancel elections, but we shouldn't be resting assured that all will go well, and without, sort of, the administration stepping in and overreaching here, because you note that other countries around the world where you have authoritarians in place, if you're looking at Russia, Turkey, and Hungary, for example, these are countries run by leaders who like to have and host elections, but obviously they're not free and fair. So, talk about some of the concerns and parallels you may see or you worry about here with Donald Trump. GRAHAM: Yes. You know, I've had people ask me if we'll have elections in 2026, and I think the answer is yes. You know, Trump would not be, for example, pushing Republican states to redistrict if he didn't expect to have elections. What we see in countries like those is a kind of modern variety of authoritarianism where you don't ban the opposition party, you don't cancel elections, you don't ban an opposition media entirely. You just make it much harder for the opposition to compete. So, there's an election, but they can't fundraise as effectively, or they don't have the media to get to it, or the votes are suppressed in some way. That way, from the outside, it looks like a democracy. Voters have the sense that they have a say, but in practice, you don't have to wield up a lot of power. And we see, you know, in intimidation of the media, in arrests and investigations of adversaries, for example, a lot of the steps that have happened in other countries, like Turkey or Hungary, now taking place here.

Lethal injection to the skull.That's the likely method of execution awaiting hundreds of seemingly healthy ostriches in Canada. Although shooting, neck-breaking, and gassing are also on the table.'Pray for the CFIA agents who were not willing to listen to a case that could have helped so many.'The Supreme Court of Canada on Thursday dismissed an appeal from Universal Ostrich Farms, clearing the way for the Canadian Food Inspection Agency to proceed with the slaughter of hundreds of ostriches following an alleged outbreak of H5N1 avian influenza detected in December 2024.'Sad day'The CFIA plans to cull the flock despite reports that the birds have remained healthy for roughly 300 consecutive days. The exact number of ostriches slated for slaughter remains uncertain; the agency has said it is still working to establish a precise count, while the farm’s owners — Karen Espersen, Dave Bilinski, and Katie Pasitney — say they have been prevented from conducting their own tally since federal authorities assumed control of the property.Under a Supreme Court order granting the CFIA “custody” of the animals, the farmers were also prohibited from feeding or caring for them. The agency was instead tasked with providing food, water, and bedding.“This is a sad day for Canada,” Pasitney, who has served as the farm’s spokeswoman throughout the case, told Align.RELATED: Dead bird walking: RFK Jr. is the only hope for 399 healthy ostriches on Canada's chopping block David Krayden/Alex Wroblewski/Getty ImagesGuilty of 'innovation'?“Our leaders have let us down yet again. We will make it our life’s mission to ensure that the Canadian Food Inspection Agency is held accountable for the damage they’ve done — not just to our family, but to all the families out there.”She added that the farm’s owners “pray for the CFIA agents who were not willing to listen to a case that could have helped so many — not just Canadians, but the world — with innovation and science to mitigate viral risk.”Accusations of mistreatmentFederal authorities first seized control of Universal Ostrich Farms on Sept. 22, with CFIA and RCMP officers occupying the 58-acre property in Edgewood, British Columbia, about two hours east of Kelowna. Two days later, the Supreme Court issued a temporary stay on the planned cull, agreeing to review the farm’s appeal of the CFIA order.In the weeks since, the farm has released videos purporting to show CFIA inspectors neglecting or mistreating the ostriches in violation of that court stay — evidence the owners said they hoped would justify removing the agency from the property.In a statement Thursday, the CFIA reiterated that the ostriches posed “a risk to animal and human health” and confirmed it would “move forward to complete depopulation and disposal measures as authorized by the Health of Animals Act.”“The Federal Court of Canada and the Federal Court of Appeal both determined that the CFIA acted reasonably and in a procedurally fair manner,” the statement said. The agency also warned supporters gathered at the farm not to obstruct inspectors, citing potential prosecution under Sections 35 and 65 of the Health of Animals Act.

The Supreme Court is not likely to apply deference to the president in the tariffs case and is likelier to closely scrutinize what powers were delegated.

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