Steve Mistler
@stevemistler.bsky.social
Politics & government reporter for Maine Public Broadcasting. Contribs to NPR. Former 📰 guy. Signal: @stevemistler.83
Worth your time to read this Laura Loomer piece. Includes a peek at the pay-to-play influencer machine
Laura Loomer’s Endless Payback www.newyorker.com/magazine/202...
Laura Loomer’s Endless Payback www.newyorker.com/magazine/202...
November 13, 2025 at 10:52 PM
Worth your time to read this Laura Loomer piece. Includes a peek at the pay-to-play influencer machine
Laura Loomer’s Endless Payback www.newyorker.com/magazine/202...
Laura Loomer’s Endless Payback www.newyorker.com/magazine/202...
Wrote about the Dems’ shutdown backlash against Sen. Angus King and others.
One of the clearest examples yet that they’re experiencing a tea party-like moment — with the ACA helping it along.
www.mainepublic.org/politics/202...
One of the clearest examples yet that they’re experiencing a tea party-like moment — with the ACA helping it along.
www.mainepublic.org/politics/202...
Angus King broke ranks to help end the government shutdown. The backlash has been withering
The longest federal government shutdown in U.S. history is over. But with little to show for it, the mostly Democratic politicians who ended the standoff now face intense backlash.
www.mainepublic.org
November 13, 2025 at 10:10 PM
Wrote about the Dems’ shutdown backlash against Sen. Angus King and others.
One of the clearest examples yet that they’re experiencing a tea party-like moment — with the ACA helping it along.
www.mainepublic.org/politics/202...
One of the clearest examples yet that they’re experiencing a tea party-like moment — with the ACA helping it along.
www.mainepublic.org/politics/202...
Reposted by Steve Mistler
The longest federal government shutdown in U.S. history is over. But with little to show for it, the mostly Democratic politicians who ended the standoff now face intense backlash:
Angus King broke ranks to help end the government shutdown. The backlash has been withering
The longest federal government shutdown in U.S. history is over. But with little to show for it, the mostly Democratic politicians who ended the standoff now face intense backlash.
www.mainepublic.org
November 13, 2025 at 8:28 PM
The longest federal government shutdown in U.S. history is over. But with little to show for it, the mostly Democratic politicians who ended the standoff now face intense backlash:
Platner has a new campaign manager. A local guy. Never done it before.
www.mainepublic.org/politics/202...
www.mainepublic.org/politics/202...
Platner taps Maine progressive leader to lead campaign
Ben Chin of the Maine People's Alliance will become U.S. Senate candidate Graham Platner's new campaign manager. He arrives as the campaign has been beset by staff upheaval.
www.mainepublic.org
November 7, 2025 at 9:42 PM
Platner has a new campaign manager. A local guy. Never done it before.
www.mainepublic.org/politics/202...
www.mainepublic.org/politics/202...
Been to several of these now. The stump varies on delivery — he’s ditched the notes and pretty much riffs — but essentially the same message. What I noticed tonight, though, is the questions are getting tougher
Graham Platner at the Chocolate Church in Bath. Full house. Seats 300. Begins by calling on attendees to support local food banks amid shutdown and suspension of SNAP assistance.
November 7, 2025 at 1:36 AM
Been to several of these now. The stump varies on delivery — he’s ditched the notes and pretty much riffs — but essentially the same message. What I noticed tonight, though, is the questions are getting tougher
Graham Platner at the Chocolate Church in Bath. Full house. Seats 300. Begins by calling on attendees to support local food banks amid shutdown and suspension of SNAP assistance.
November 6, 2025 at 11:31 PM
Graham Platner at the Chocolate Church in Bath. Full house. Seats 300. Begins by calling on attendees to support local food banks amid shutdown and suspension of SNAP assistance.
Reposted by Steve Mistler
Jared Golden made the announcement in a lengthy column published in the Bangor Daily News in which he lamented the increasing hostility in the nation's politics and threats against him and his family:
Maine congressman Jared Golden decides not to seek reelection to US House
Jared Golden made the announcement in a lengthy column published in the Bangor Daily News in which he lamented the increasing hostility in the nation's politics and threats against him and his family.
www.mainepublic.org
November 5, 2025 at 8:50 PM
Jared Golden made the announcement in a lengthy column published in the Bangor Daily News in which he lamented the increasing hostility in the nation's politics and threats against him and his family:
Gun rights groups have long held supremacy over Maine’s gun laws. The Lewiston mass shooting brought new scrutiny. Two years later, voters approved a red flag law that supporters say could have prevented the tragedy.
www.mainepublic.org/politics/202...
www.mainepublic.org/politics/202...
Mainers pass Question 2, enacting red-flag gun law
Mainers have enacted a red-flag gun law at the ballot box, with 58.8% of the vote. The Associated Press called the race at 9:55 p.m. on Nov. 4, 2025.
www.mainepublic.org
November 5, 2025 at 3:57 AM
Gun rights groups have long held supremacy over Maine’s gun laws. The Lewiston mass shooting brought new scrutiny. Two years later, voters approved a red flag law that supporters say could have prevented the tragedy.
www.mainepublic.org/politics/202...
www.mainepublic.org/politics/202...
In Sept, Graham Platner said the response to his campaign has been "surreal."
Reality has arrived over the past week. Now comes a test of Maine Democratic primary voters' risk aversion.
buff.ly/0aayG5f
Reality has arrived over the past week. Now comes a test of Maine Democratic primary voters' risk aversion.
buff.ly/0aayG5f
Will Graham Platner's commanding polling lead falter amid stream of opposition research releases?
For nearly two months, Graham Platner’s bid for the U.S. Senate was marked by momentum and bravado as the political newcomer drew big crowds to his town halls and he channeled Democratic voters’…
www.mainepublic.org
October 23, 2025 at 6:32 PM
In Sept, Graham Platner said the response to his campaign has been "surreal."
Reality has arrived over the past week. Now comes a test of Maine Democratic primary voters' risk aversion.
buff.ly/0aayG5f
Reality has arrived over the past week. Now comes a test of Maine Democratic primary voters' risk aversion.
buff.ly/0aayG5f
Reposted by Steve Mistler
For nearly two months, Graham Platner’s bid for the U.S. Senate was marked by momentum and bravado as the political newcomer drew big crowds to his town halls and he channeled Democratic voters’ hopes for a newer, brasher kind of candidate:
Will Graham Platner's commanding polling lead falter amid stream of opposition research releases?
For nearly two months, Graham Platner’s bid for the U.S. Senate was marked by momentum and bravado as the political newcomer drew big crowds to his town halls and he channeled Democratic voters’ hopes...
www.mainepublic.org
October 23, 2025 at 6:15 PM
For nearly two months, Graham Platner’s bid for the U.S. Senate was marked by momentum and bravado as the political newcomer drew big crowds to his town halls and he channeled Democratic voters’ hopes for a newer, brasher kind of candidate:
Really interesting pollster note in the UNH survey. Tries to account for Mills performance v Platner with declining approval. Her approval was +4 in August before she got in the race but flirting with it. It dropped to -12 once she got in. Did approval fall because she got in?
buff.ly/ehktz3M
buff.ly/ehktz3M
October 23, 2025 at 6:16 PM
Really interesting pollster note in the UNH survey. Tries to account for Mills performance v Platner with declining approval. Her approval was +4 in August before she got in the race but flirting with it. It dropped to -12 once she got in. Did approval fall because she got in?
buff.ly/ehktz3M
buff.ly/ehktz3M
Coast Guard Buys Two Private Jets for Noem, Costing $172 Million www.nytimes.com/2025/10/18/u...
Coast Guard Buys Two Private Jets for Noem, Costing $172 Million
www.nytimes.com
October 19, 2025 at 2:04 AM
Coast Guard Buys Two Private Jets for Noem, Costing $172 Million www.nytimes.com/2025/10/18/u...
Reposted by Steve Mistler
Proponents of Question 2 argue the existing law — often referred to as Maine’s yellow flag law — is a failed experiment that was not used to stop a gunman in Lewiston from killing 18 people and injuring and traumatizing countless others in 2023 despite warnings about his deteriorating mental health:
With Question 2, voters will weigh in on whether Maine's current gun-confiscation law is sufficient
Proponents of Question 2 argue that the existing law — often referred to as Maine’s yellow flag law — is a failed experiment that was not used to stop a gunman in Lewiston from killing 18 people and i...
www.mainepublic.org
October 16, 2025 at 4:53 PM
Proponents of Question 2 argue the existing law — often referred to as Maine’s yellow flag law — is a failed experiment that was not used to stop a gunman in Lewiston from killing 18 people and injuring and traumatizing countless others in 2023 despite warnings about his deteriorating mental health:
Reposted by Steve Mistler
NEW:
A dramatic voiceover video the White House and Donald Trump shared last week claiming to show "chaos" in Chicago is littered with outdated footage from Florida, Texas, South Carolina, Nebraska, California and Arizona, an AFP investigation found.
factcheck.afp.com/doc.afp.com....
A dramatic voiceover video the White House and Donald Trump shared last week claiming to show "chaos" in Chicago is littered with outdated footage from Florida, Texas, South Carolina, Nebraska, California and Arizona, an AFP investigation found.
factcheck.afp.com/doc.afp.com....
October 14, 2025 at 7:21 PM
NEW:
A dramatic voiceover video the White House and Donald Trump shared last week claiming to show "chaos" in Chicago is littered with outdated footage from Florida, Texas, South Carolina, Nebraska, California and Arizona, an AFP investigation found.
factcheck.afp.com/doc.afp.com....
A dramatic voiceover video the White House and Donald Trump shared last week claiming to show "chaos" in Chicago is littered with outdated footage from Florida, Texas, South Carolina, Nebraska, California and Arizona, an AFP investigation found.
factcheck.afp.com/doc.afp.com....
EMILY’s List out with the quick endorsement.
October 14, 2025 at 1:07 PM
EMILY’s List out with the quick endorsement.
Mills says her confrontation with Trump in February helped push her into the race. To unseat Sen. Susan Collins, she'll have to win a potentially difficult Democratic primary via @npr.org
www.npr.org/2025/10/14/n...
www.npr.org/2025/10/14/n...
Maine Gov. Janet Mills enters crowded Democratic race to unseat Susan Collins
Mills was reportedly recruited by Democratic Senate leaders after her high-profile confrontation with President Donald Trump in February, in which she told the president she'd "see you in court."
www.npr.org
October 14, 2025 at 12:22 PM
Mills says her confrontation with Trump in February helped push her into the race. To unseat Sen. Susan Collins, she'll have to win a potentially difficult Democratic primary via @npr.org
www.npr.org/2025/10/14/n...
www.npr.org/2025/10/14/n...
Reposted by Steve Mistler
Mills was reportedly recruited by Democratic Senate leaders after her high-profile confrontation with President Donald Trump in February, in which she told the president she'd "see you in court."
Maine Gov. Janet Mills enters crowded Democratic race to unseat Susan Collins
Mills was reportedly recruited by Democratic Senate leaders after her high-profile confrontation with President Donald Trump in February, in which she told the president she'd "see you in court."
www.mainepublic.org
October 14, 2025 at 11:00 AM
Mills was reportedly recruited by Democratic Senate leaders after her high-profile confrontation with President Donald Trump in February, in which she told the president she'd "see you in court."
ICYMI: Oyster farmer and veteran Graham Platner hopes his message lands with Maine voters via @npr.org 📻 🎧
one.npr.org/i/nx-s1-5565...
one.npr.org/i/nx-s1-5565...
🔊 Listen Now: Oyster farmer and veteran Graham Platner hopes his message lands with Maine voters
All Things Considered on NPR One | 4:35
one.npr.org
October 11, 2025 at 1:20 AM
ICYMI: Oyster farmer and veteran Graham Platner hopes his message lands with Maine voters via @npr.org 📻 🎧
one.npr.org/i/nx-s1-5565...
one.npr.org/i/nx-s1-5565...
Reposted by Steve Mistler
The Trump appointee accusing the president’s political foes of mortgage fraud skipped over his agency’s inspector general when making criminal referrals,, bypassing rules meant to ensure that federal officials don’t abuse their power for partisan purposes.
www.reuters.com/world/us/tru...
www.reuters.com/world/us/tru...
October 7, 2025 at 12:11 AM
The Trump appointee accusing the president’s political foes of mortgage fraud skipped over his agency’s inspector general when making criminal referrals,, bypassing rules meant to ensure that federal officials don’t abuse their power for partisan purposes.
www.reuters.com/world/us/tru...
www.reuters.com/world/us/tru...
Seeking to tap Democrats' anger over Trump, former Maine Secretary of State Matt Dunlap launches primary challenge against Rep. Jared Golden.
buff.ly/giO4Tmb
buff.ly/giO4Tmb
Former Maine Secretary of State Matt Dunlap launches primary challenge against Jared Golden
Dunlap's campaign launch is trying to tap Democrats' frustration with Golden's approach to President Donald Trump.
www.mainepublic.org
October 6, 2025 at 2:50 PM
Seeking to tap Democrats' anger over Trump, former Maine Secretary of State Matt Dunlap launches primary challenge against Rep. Jared Golden.
buff.ly/giO4Tmb
buff.ly/giO4Tmb
Reposted by Steve Mistler
Dunlap's campaign launch is trying to tap Democrats' frustration with Golden's approach to President Donald Trump:
Former Maine Secretary of State Matt Dunlap launches primary challenge against Jared Golden
Dunlap's campaign launch is trying to tap Democrats' frustration with Golden's approach to President Donald Trump.
www.mainepublic.org
October 6, 2025 at 2:03 PM
Dunlap's campaign launch is trying to tap Democrats' frustration with Golden's approach to President Donald Trump:
Reposted by Steve Mistler
How it looked in print ...
October 1, 2025 at 3:58 PM
How it looked in print ...
Reposted by Steve Mistler
Today's court ruling has thoughts on masked ICE agents:
"This Court has listened carefully to the reasons given by Öztürk’s captors for masking-up... It rejects this testimony as disingenuous, squalid and dishonorable. ICE goes masked for a single reason -- to terrorize Americans into quiescence."
"This Court has listened carefully to the reasons given by Öztürk’s captors for masking-up... It rejects this testimony as disingenuous, squalid and dishonorable. ICE goes masked for a single reason -- to terrorize Americans into quiescence."
![And there’s the issue of masks. This Court has listened carefully to the reasons given by Öztürk’s captors for masking-up and has heard the same reasons advanced by the defendant Todd Lyons, Acting Director of ICE. It rejects this testimony as disingenuous, squalid and dishonorable. ICE goes masked for a single reason -- to terrorize Americans into quiescence. Small wonder ICE often seems to need our respected military to guard
them as they go about implementing our immigration laws. It should be noted that our troops do not ordinarily wear masks.
Can you imagine a masked marine? It is a matter of honor -- and honor still matters. To us, masks are associated with cowardly
desperados and the despised Ku Klux Klan. In all our history we have never tolerated an armed masked secret police. Carrying on
in this fashion, ICE brings indelible obloquy to this administration and everyone who works in it. “We can not escape history,” Lincoln righty said. “[It] will light us down in honor or dishonor, to the latest generation.”](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:7sfqvvcpwyzjrai4xuz5xj7h/bafkreifvwozkhrr4oewcoeuzfpizmn6fjl3rwwucp3oirfhbwrdn7oywhu@jpeg)
September 30, 2025 at 6:26 PM
Today's court ruling has thoughts on masked ICE agents:
"This Court has listened carefully to the reasons given by Öztürk’s captors for masking-up... It rejects this testimony as disingenuous, squalid and dishonorable. ICE goes masked for a single reason -- to terrorize Americans into quiescence."
"This Court has listened carefully to the reasons given by Öztürk’s captors for masking-up... It rejects this testimony as disingenuous, squalid and dishonorable. ICE goes masked for a single reason -- to terrorize Americans into quiescence."
Reposted by Steve Mistler
NEW: DNC Chair Ken Martin tells me @npr.org special election results show Democrats are on the right track for 2026, and tells detractors to "stop bitching" and help the party's efforts.
More on Martin's view that Democrats are winning -- even when they lose.
More on Martin's view that Democrats are winning -- even when they lose.
DNC chair says special elections show Democrats are winning, even when they lose
DNC Chair Ken Martin says recent special election results show Democrats are on the right track for 2026, and tells detractors to "stop bitching" and help the party's efforts.
www.npr.org
September 26, 2025 at 1:33 PM
NEW: DNC Chair Ken Martin tells me @npr.org special election results show Democrats are on the right track for 2026, and tells detractors to "stop bitching" and help the party's efforts.
More on Martin's view that Democrats are winning -- even when they lose.
More on Martin's view that Democrats are winning -- even when they lose.
Reposted by Steve Mistler
This is what I’ve been reporting on for months. Agencies are taking money and repurposing it against Congressional instructions, and there’s no way to know what they are taking the money from or what they are using it for.
Billions in Taxpayer Dollars Have Become Virtually Untraceable
The Trump administration’s aggressive approach to overhauling the executive branch has obscured how federal dollars are actually being spent — even for the members of Congress.
www.notus.org
September 26, 2025 at 2:05 PM
This is what I’ve been reporting on for months. Agencies are taking money and repurposing it against Congressional instructions, and there’s no way to know what they are taking the money from or what they are using it for.