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Democratic governors say proposed changes to federal grants would harm reproductive healthcare

White House budget director Russell Vought speaks with reporters inside the U.S. Capitol in 2025. The U.S. Office of Management and Budget, under Vought, has proposed a new rule that would overhaul the federal grantmaking process, worrying Democratic governors. (Photo by Jennifer Shutt/States Newsroom) A coalition of 23 state governors and the governor of Guam, all Democrats, submitted a joint comment to the U.S. Office of Management and Budget on Monday objecting to a proposed rule that would drastically change the federal grantmaking process, saying it threatens programs related to maternal health and reproductive care. The public comment period on the draft rule , posted on May 29 with 41 co-signing federal agencies, closes at the end of the day Monday, July 13. The current rule emphasizes that grant applications should be reviewed based on merit, with language about measurable results that align with an agency’s strategic goals and objectives, while considering available data, e...
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Maine AG announces state investigation into fatal ICE shooting

Protesters gather in Biddeford after a man was fatally shot by ICE agents on Monday. (Photo by Emma Davis/Maine Morning Star) The Maine Attorney General’s Office is investigating the fatal shooting of a 26-year-old Colombian man by federal immigration agents Monday morning in Biddeford. The immigration agent who shot the man will be put on leave, according to a statement released by the office. The agent “was conducting an enforcement operation related to a final order of removal when the subject attempted to flee in a vehicle in the direction of the officer and was fatally shot,” the statement says.    It is standard protocol in police involved shootings for officers to be placed on leave. Several law enforcement agencies are assisting with the investigation, including federal authorities and local police departments from Biddeford and Saco, according to a statement on Monday.   The Attorney General’s Office will remain on the scene to continue its investigation, and the man ...
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SC governor appoints Sen. Lindsey Graham’s sister to fulfill his term

Darline Graham Nordone, center, accepted the appointment by South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster, right, at the Statehouse Monday, July 13, 2026, to serve out the remainder of the term of her late brother, U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham. (Photo by Jessica Holdman/SC Daily Gazette) COLUMBIA — Darline Graham Nordone will finish out the term of her older brother, the late Sen. Lindsey Graham, who adopted and raised her following their parents’ deaths. Gov. Henry McMaster’s appointment Monday comes a day after word of Graham’s sudden death, at the age of 71, stunned not only South Carolinians but people around the globe. “It’s my honor to ask his little sister to finish his work,” the governor said in making his announcement at the Statehouse. He took no questions from reporters. Graham Nordone, who heads the state Commission for the Blind and has spent her career helping people with disabilities find jobs, will fulfill the term that expires in January. Voters...
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Judge blasts Trump for using the presidency to ‘manipulate’ courts in IRS case

President Donald Trump attends a bilateral meeting with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi on the sidelines of the G7 Summit on June 17, 2026 in Evian-les-Bains, France. (Photo by Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images) WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump “acted in bad faith” when he swiftly dropped his tax return lawsuit and directed his Cabinet members to establish a $1.8 billion “anti-weaponization” fund, a federal judge in Florida ruled Monday. Federal Judge Kathleen Williams of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida excoriated Trump, his sons Eric and Don Trump Jr., and their private Trump Organization for using the presidency to “manipulate the judicial process to pursue benefits unavailable in litigation.” The Trumps and their private company voluntarily dropped a $10 billion lawsuit against the Internal Revenue Service in May  in exchange for the departments of Justice and Treasury creating a $1.776 billion fund for alleged “victims of lawfare.” Critics  p...
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After US Sen Lindsey Graham’s death, Trump recommends Graham’s sister to fill out term

The late Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., right, at the time a candidate for president, rides on the back of a golf cart with his sister Darline Graham Nordone, center, during the Iowa State Fair on Aug. 17, 2015 in Des Moines, Iowa. (Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images) WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump announced Monday he would like the South Carolina governor to select the late U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham’s sister to fill the Republican’s seat for the remainder of his term. “I recommended, to Governor Henry McMaster, Lindsey Graham’s wonderful sister, Darline, to serve as interim Senator from the Great State of South Carolina,” Trump wrote in a social media post. “This would be a fabulous tribute to Lindsey, who loved her dearly!” McMaster is scheduled to announce his appointment to the Senate at 4 p.m. Eastern during a press conference. The person selected for the role would serve out the remainder of Graham’s term through early January. Graham was  close to his sister , Darline...
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Trump guts election commission in move seen as increasing his sway over midterms

A mail-in ballot dropbox on P Street Northwest in Washington, D.C., on Tuesday, June 16, 2026. (Photo by Ashley Murray/States Newsroom) WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump’s latest shot in a relentless war on how elections are conducted has triggered enormous concern among voting rights activists. As of Thursday night, the U.S Election Assistance Commission has no members. The White House in an email dismissed Democrats Thomas Hicks and Benjamin Hovland. Republican Christy McCormick resigned, and GOP member Donald Palmer left earlier this year. Trump’s move guts, for now, a four-member board  created in 2002 after the chaos that dogged the 2000 presidential election. That result came down to the vote count in Florida, where the question was debated of whether “hanging chads” on ballots counted or not. The commission legislation, signed into law by President George W. Bush in 2002, is designed to have the panel help states establish credible voter registration and voting systems....
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BREAKING: South Carolina US Sen. Lindsey Graham dies after ‘brief and sudden illness’

Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., speaks to reporters in Columbia, S.C., on Jan. 27, 2025. (File photo by Jessica Holdman/SC Daily Gazette) WASHINGTON  — U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham died on Saturday night of a “brief and sudden illness,” the South Carolina Republican’s office announced early Sunday. “Senator Graham’s family appreciates prayers at this time and asks for privacy during this incredibly difficult period,”  the statement added. Graham, who had just turned 71 on Thursday, was a close ally of President Donald Trump and chairman of the Senate Budget Committee. In June he  defeated five Republican challengers in the Senate primary in South Carolina and was to face Democrat Annie Andrews in the general election.  Trump on social media called Graham “one of the greatest people and Senators I have ever known.” “He was always working, and was a true American Patriot. Lindsey will be greatly missed!!! DETAILS AND ARRANGEMENTS TO FOLLOW. So sad!” Graham, the chairma...
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