Free Republic

U.S. Sen. Susan Collins said early Thursday that the U.S. Department of Homeland Security has ended its enhanced immigration operation in the state of Maine. The Republican senator said she had several “direct conversations” with Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem since the agency launched its operation over a week ago, which comes after she’d received no information from the agency at the start of its heightened presence. While not saying when the operation ended, Collins said in a statement, “There are currently no ongoing or planned large-scale ICE operations here.” It is unclear how U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement activity...

Portland Police Make Nine Arrests At Protest PORTLAND, Maine – On Tuesday, January 27, 2026 at 1:03 p.m., Portland Police responded to Senator Collins’ office on the eighth floor of One Canal Plaza for a report of approximately 50 people protesting. The group was repeatedly told if they did not disperse, individuals would be charged with Criminal Trespass. After several warnings, many of the protesters left the building, while nine remained and asked to be arrested. The following individuals were arrested, charged with Criminal Trespass and transported to the Cumberland County Jail: 65-year-old Norman Allen of Portland 60-year-old Christine Dyke...

he Biden administration grappled with research suggesting natural immunity was more effective than COVID-19 vaccination shortly before federal vaccine mandates in 2021, admitting the rigor of the massive Israeli study and worrying it might undermine its promotion of one-size-fits-all vaccination, newly released emails show.

President Trump’s call for Sen. Susan Collins (R) to be ousted in November tossed a monkey wrench into the high-stakes Maine Senate race, raising further questions about the GOP’s most vulnerable incumbent and whether she will be able to pull off another high-wire act in the blue-leaning state this year. Frustrations at the White House boiled over on Thursday after Collins and four other Republicans sided with Democrats on a war powers resolution that would block further military action in Venezuela. While Republicans were miffed at the attack on the handful of members, it’s Collins they are most concerned with...

After a bruising presidential election loss in 2024, this year proved decisive for a Democratic Party looking to recover from its defeats and regain momentum. Heading into 2026, all 435 districts in the House of Representatives and 33 seats in the U.S. Senate are up for election in the midterms. Republicans currently have a three-seat majority in the Senate, while they hold 219 seats to Democrats’ 213 in the House. - Rep. Thomas Massie’s Primary Kentucky Rep. Thomas Massie, a Republican, has made an enemy of President Trump by leading the campaign for the release of the files relating to...

The Department of Veterans Affairs is reportedly creating a new internal database of non-U.S. citizens who work for or are affiliated with the agency — a move that could include thousands of doctors, nurses, contractors, trainees, and even military veterans.According to a memo obtained by The Guardian, the VA is ordering its offices nationwide to identify every non-citizen who is "employed or affiliated" with the department. That includes part-timers, contractors, medical trainees, and volunteers.The information is reportedly scheduled to be compiled into a report for Veterans Affairs Secretary Doug Collins by Dec. 30.A VA spokesperson confirmed to The Guardian that...

Bangor Daily News Susan Collins says Maine should be ‘transparent’ with SNAP data amid Trump’s threat by Billy Kobin December 3, 2025 U.S. Sen. Susan Collins said Maine should be “transparent” with data on food stamp recipients and their immigration status but expected a threat from President Donald Trump’s administration to withhold aid to states over the issue to be blocked in court. The president initially asked states earlier in the year to provide the data on the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program. Most Republican-led states did so. Maine was among the 21 Democratic-led states that partnered on a lawsuit that...

The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs … announced $84 million in grants to 176 organizations across the country to help veterans who are homeless or at risk of becoming homeless. Of the total amount, $42 million in grants will cover legal services and another $42 million in grants will go toward case management services to improve housing retention by veterans who are at risk of becoming homeless or who were previously homeless and are transitioning to permanent housing. Legal services grants will be distributed through VA’s Legal Services for Homeless Veterans and Veterans At-Risk for Homelessness Grants program and provide...

Why it matters: (Graham) Platner drew the backing of Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) as an anti-establishment outsider, but his campaign is already trying to clean up recently resurfaced Reddit posts where he espoused offensive views about Black people and sexual assault victims. Platner’s campaign shared video with Pod Save America of him singing shirtless that exposed a skull tattoo on his chest that resembles the “Totenkopf,” a symbol used by Hitler’s Schutzstaffel (SS). The move was intended to get ahead of opposition research, and the GOP’s Senate campaign arm seized on the images, accusing Platner of having a “Nazi tattoo.”...

Graham Platner, the Maine Democratic Senate candidate backed by Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), wrote in 2020 that he had an "antifa supersoldier" label on his "armor," according to an archived post reviewed by Axios. Why it matters: Progressives have elevated Platner as one of their top candidates in next year's midterm elections, but his old Reddit posts have thrown his campaign into turmoil. Platner is running to unseat Sen. Susan Collins, Senate Democrats' top Republican target next year. The contest for the Democratic nomination between Platner and Maine Gov. Janet Mills — who's preferred by Democratic Party leaders — already...

Activists upset with Sen. Susan Collins’s vote to confirm Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh say they will inflict economic damage on the Republican senator's home state by boycotting Maine products and tourism. “Dear Susan Collins – I really struggled with this but my tourist $ just voted against ever visiting Maine while you remain in office,” actor and comedian John Fugelsang said Friday in a tweet that has since been deleted, according to the Portland Press Herald. The tweet garnered hundreds of comments saying they would join Fugelsang in the boycott, with one person canceling a $2,200 reservation at Point...

President Donald Trump is going after Republican Sen. Susan Collins despite hopes among some in the party that she will run again next year and help the GOP hold the Senate. Trump, who has privately discussed finding someone to run for her seat should she not seek reelection, attacked the Maine senator’s voting record in a post on Truth Social. The senator has voted against two of Trump’s signature legislative achievements this year — the domestic policy megabill and the measure to claw back $9 billion in foreign aid and public media funding. “Republicans, when in doubt, vote the exact...

What the f---?' Maine Democrat Gov. Janet Mills responded when peppered with questions about cocaine.. Maine Democrat Gov. Janet Mills was at a loss for words last month during a trip to the nation's capital when pressed about her alleged cocaine use. "What the f---?" Mills replied when asked if "sniffing cocaine at work" is a "human right." Mills refused to answer the question, which was followed by, "How much more does an eight-ball cost with inflation?" Mills ignored the second question and continued walking. A source shared the video with Fox News Digital after reporting Friday revealed the Department...

ATLANTA - Georgia Republican Mike Collins said Monday that he will join the field challenging Democratic U.S. Sen. Jon Ossoff in the state the GOP has named as their top target to add a Senate seat in 2026. What we know: A second-term member of Congress from a district east of Atlanta, Collins becomes the newest top Republican to get into the primary race. U.S. Rep. Buddy Carter is already running, while state Insurance Commissioner John King dropped out. Also expected to run is former University of Tennessee football coach Derek Dooley . What they're saying: "Jon Ossoff must go,"...

The US Senate on Thursday voted to advance Emil Bove’s confirmation to the Florida-based Third Circuit Court of Appeals. Toxin RINOs Murkowski (Alaska) and Collins (Maine) voted against invoking cloture. Collins said on MSNBC on Tuesday that Emil Bove “would not serve as an impartial jurist” based on his work to ferret out corrupt prosecutors while serving as acting Deputy Attorney General. The Senate broke the filibuster so they will have 30 hours of debate. Emil Bove can be confirmed as soon as Monday.

For a party with such distrust in the mainstream media, Republicans certainly put a lot of stock in the headlines about PEPFAR. While thousands of people would most certainly not die from the targeted cuts to the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief, Senate Republicans are determined to keep throwing taxpayer dollars at the Democrats’ woke programs in the name of “foreign aid.” In a blow to Donald Trump’s goal to end government bloat and abuse, moderate senators — led by Susan Collins (R-Maine) — threw a tantrum over the White House’s plan to shave a fraction ($400 million) of...

Senate Republicans blasted through Democratic and internal opposition to pass President Donald Trump’s multibillion-dollar clawback package early Thursday morning. The final vote tally was 51-48, with Republican Sens. Susan Collins of Maine and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska joining every Democrat in voting against it. The package will now be sent to the House, which has until Friday to pass it. The $9 billion rescissions bill tees up cuts to "woke" spending on foreign aid programs and NPR and PBS that Congress previously approved. Republicans have pitched the bill as building on their quest to root out waste, fraud and abuse...

There will always be three who give us heartburn. Shockingly, Sen. Thom Tillis (R-NC), who has become the new John McCain of the Senate regarding being a thorn in the side, opted not to break ranks on the recissions package, which codifies some $9 billion in cuts. The gutting of the Corporation for Public Broadcasting and National Public Radio is included in this package, which barely advanced on a key vote to move the bill forward. Vice President JD Vance had to go up to the hill to break the 50-50 tie. Sens. Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), Susan Collins (R-ME), and...

Elon Musk just revealed that the government handed the Navy $12 billion to build new submarines—and not a single submarine was built. When investigators asked where the money went, Navy officials shrugged and said they had no idea. “There’s a case where I think Senator Collins was telling me about how she gave the Navy $12 billion for more submarines, got no extra submarines, and then held a hearing to say where the $12 billion go. “And they were like, we don’t know. That was it. I mean, basically, stuff is so crazy. Only the federal government could get away...

CNN’s Collins: Media Didn’t Help Shut Down Skepticism, Critical Thinking During COVID Video Source: CNN Ian Hanchett23 May 202544 1:10 During a portion of an interview with Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. that was aired on Thursday’s broadcast of CNN’s “The Source,” host Kaitlan Collins argued that the media wasn’t involved in shutting down skepticism, critical thinking, and people making their own decisions during the coronavirus pandemic. Towards the end of the interview, Kennedy stated, “I would say be skeptical of authority. My father told me that when I was a young kid, people in authority...