Good morning, everybody. I'm Zah
Blanchard and this is Politicalw
Happy 4th of July Weekend.
I'm joined down by Republican analyst Phil
Harriman and Democrat Ethan Strimling.
Good morning to you both.
Good morning, Zach.
Good to see you.
We want to start with what is
likely going to be a big win for
the Mills administration as the
legislative session continues to drag on.
It's being called the most progressive
abortion legislation in the cou.
And this week, it is all but cen
to get to the governor's desk
after a final vote in the Senat.
The bill would allow abortions n
after fetal viability if a doctr
deems it medically necessary,
something Republican lawmakers
say goes too far.
LG 1619 is the most extreme bill we've
seen this session, maybe this decade.
I support the bill as it is bece
it provides discretion for.
Providers and patients to make
these private decisions togethe.
And Phil, I want to start with .
This was a really close vote in
the House. Do you agree that
this legislation is extreme?
I I do. But the the rest of the story,
Zach, is what what does the
department who's going to writee
regulations that back up this bl
what is necessary mean and thats
going to be I think the key to w
people react to this going forw.
Ethan. Yeah, not extreme at all.
This is about women's access to healthcare,
women's access to abortion
services that are needed.
I really commend the Mills administration
for stepping forward in this war
recognizing that women in Mained
these protections and we need to
make sure that we expand accesso
healthcare even further beyond .
In other ways, but a tremendousp
forward for the Mills administration.
But if this goes forward, you're probably
talking some legal challenges, right?
I would suspect in again,
once the regulations come out to
the people who are opposed to ts
are going to find a way to go to
court and make sure it's clarifd
well. But the courts have made y
clear that the states now have e
right to set this up right now.
We didn't want that.
We believe the Roe V Wade
should have been left in place.
And allow states to go further.
But the Supreme Court has made
very clear states can do what
it is that they feel is best
for the women of their state.
And that's what's happened. All
right. Democrats still have
another big item to get through
paid family and medical leave.
Governor Mills published this oped in
the Portland Press Herald this k
saying she will sign it into la.
Writing this bill Taylor to Maie
represents A historic victory for working
people and families across our state.
Ethan, I'm assuming you agree with this,
but businesses are not happy even with
some of the changes that have been made.
Yeah, I am very happy.
And again, this is really import
for workers across the state,
for families across the state
and good for Governor Mills.
She was a little reluctant for a while.
She did do a bit of the bidding
of the business community
to make some changes in it,
to build a better balance in that sense.
But in the end, the final produt
is going to be good for workers.
Look, I mean,
we're one of the few countries in the world,
one of the few industrialized
countries in the world,
that doesn't provide paid family
medical leave for their workers.
It's great that Maine is
leading the way in this way.
So I'm very excited.
Bill, it's not every day you
see a governor write something
like this in the paper.
Why lay it out like that?
Well, I I think the two reasons,
first of all, there are many employers
in Maine who do provide these benefits,
but they didn't need this law
to be passed to to offer them.
But I I understand why the legislation
was put forward and I think the governor
to your point Zach had to react to this.
Hammer over the head of the legislature
by the there was a referendum
that was ready to be introduced.
It was probably much further and more
expansive than the one that was passed.
The question becomes are they sl
going to put forward that referendum.
We could still have this on the ballot.
I don't. I don't think they're
going to They've made pretty
clear that if the legislature
passes something substantial,
you're right it was a hammer.
Good for them because the legislature.
We've been talking about this,
talking about it back when I
was in the Senate 20 years ago.
This is an issue that keeps coming up.
Finally, we're getting it across
the finish line and that is bec.
They went and got the signatures
and said we're going to the balt
one way or the other.
As for what? The governor isn't supporting
a big bill related to tribal ri.
On Friday she said that she
plans to veto that legislation.
But while saying that the Wabani
nations deserve to have rights,
she says this just isn't the right way to go.
So I want to do something a little different.
We're going to talk about what's been
struck down and what's made it through.
I need you to tell me if it wase
right move or the wrong move, P.
Let's start with that veto on tribal rights.
Right move or wrong,
the right move. Ethan
wrong move. We knew it was comi.
I think the big issue now is
will they override the veto?
It could be her first veto override. So,
well, the governor was very cler
from the beginning that they
were constitutional problems.
This was a federal law that was passed
that created the land claims settlement.
This is going to get more complicated.
All right? And most of the gun
legislation put forth failed ton
make it to the governor's desk.
The Senate voted down a
background checks bill as well.
Ethan, right move or wrong move?
Wrong move. You know,
just the amount of gun violence
that we've seen a couple of thee
terrible random shootings just in the
Westbrook parking lot a couple s
ago and a few months before tha,
and the killing of the four people getting
all those weapons out of that person's house.
Clearly Main is seeing gun viol.
We have got to do something.
Legislature failed us on this o.
I think it's the right move in
order for these bills not to
get to the governor's desk.
It takes a bipartisan group in
both the House and the Senate.
Agree with Ethan.
We need to do something.
But it's about the behavior.
It's not about the regulations.
Something that became law.
Gender affirming care, Phil.
Right move or wrong move.
Right move. I think that is the
way the state should treat anyby
who's in a medical necessity.
The keys going to be,
what is the parental involvemenn
gender affirming care for minor,
Ethan? Yeah, definitely the right move.
This was already basically in the rules.
This is codifying it to make sut
can't be taken away. So great j.
And finally this week,
the governor was forced to
respond to this asylum seekers
staying at the Portland Expo,
protesting in the streets over
conditions there and calling one
city and state to do more to mae
sure they have somewhere to sta.
Here's what the governor had to.
We're working with the city
of Portland. I understand the
challenges that the city has,
not only with that population bt
with other people who are unhou.
But we've been working with the
city of Portland, and we've bee.
Using federal money and state
money to provide appropriate
supports for shelters of all
sorts for all sorts of people. ,
there are a lot of moving parts here,
but I think what's really being called
out here is a lack of a formal .
Yeah. And I think, you know,
for the protesters to basicallyy
our generosity is not enough is,
I think, very disappointing to t
least people like me who say my
tax dollars are going to create
this environment that you're in.
Which presumably is much better
than where they they came from.
But as the city of Portland has clearly said,
we can't take anymore.
And this is an example of the ft
that there's no other resources
to accept more asylees.
Ethan, I know a lot of people feel that way.
Yeah. As would be very disappointing.
I'm disappointing to hear it said today.
I mean, who who are we to say t?
Oh, it's OK if you have.
Unsanitary conditions that you e
in just because of it might somw
or another impact our tax hours,
which it doesn't.
These are human beings.
These are people who have traveled around the
world to try to escape political repression,
to try to escape poverty,
to save their families from dea.
And our answer is.
Oh, you should eat stale bread d
be in unsanitary conditions.
Of course, that's not the right answer.
The right answer is what can we do to try to
make Maine the place that we want you to be?
Because if we didn't have immigration
to Maine, we would be losing population.
Immigrants are the reason
that our state is growing.
They are the future of our stat.
They have been since the turn of the century,
whether it was the Irish or
whether it was the Jews,
or whether it was Cambodians
or whether it was Sudanese,
Generation after generation of
immigrants have built our state
and so how could we ever say,
oh, don't worry about it,
you get to live in a slum.
We're going to be okay with that
and how dare you complain and
what is the answer?
Well, the the resources,
I think you know what,
the reason they were in the
Portland Exposition Building,
which is owned by the city of Portland
that has a shelter and showers.
And maybe the food isn't
what they want it to be,
but we're doing the best we
can with the resources we have.
All right, we're
going to take a quick break.
The weekend morning report
is back right after this.
Joined once again by Republican analyst
Phil Harriman and Democrat Ethan Strimley,
Thanks for staying with us. Good morning.
I want to start with some majors
out of the Supreme Court late ts
week as it wraps up its term. Justices.
Ruling on a number of key cases,
from LGBTQ plus rights to student loans.
Friday, they struck down Presidt
Biden's student loan relief pla.
The White House saying it expected this
and is now prepared to continue to fight.
Phil, I know you don't support Biden's plan,
but politically,
did it need to get to this poin?
Yeah, it it did.
I think the president used it aa
political opportunity during the election.
If you vote for me, I'm going to
resolve your student loan debt.
I don't think this was a very
difficult decision for the
Supreme Court to make Ethan
very disappointing again.
I mean, this is, this means tha,
you know, hundreds of millions of dollars
worth of debt is going back on e
backs of students who can't afford it.
We have got to find a way to try
to help our working class studes
in this country get through thee
tough times and it's unfortunat.
Supreme Court is stepping in
and overriding what our elected
leaders were elected to do.
And it wasn't just student loan.
The court struck down affirmative action.
The six to three ruling declared it's
unconstitutional to consider race as a
determining factor in college admissions.
In her dissent, Justice Katanji Brown
Jackson listed the legal and institutional
roadblocks generations of peoplf
color in America have had to overcome,
from slavery to redlining and Jim Crow.
Ethan, do you agree?
Well, I don't agree with their decision.
I agree with her opinion on this for sure.
You know, just a 1-2 punch to our educational
system with the Student Loans and then this.
I mean, this basically means, as we've seen,
is there going to be fewer blacd
Latino students in our higher and our
and our institutions of higher learning.
And there's going to be less
relief in terms of student loan.
So just a terrible blow for
our educational systems.
Try to make sure they're diversd
socio economically and based on race. And
Phil, already a number of colles
and universities in Maine have
spoken out against this ruling.
Yeah, well, I support the rulin.
I think the fact that we're
going to be a colorblind societ,
we need to do it in acts and in deeds and.
I disagree with Ethan.
I think people who have the,
the skill set to get into,
you name the university,
it shouldn't be an edge given because of
someone's ethnicity or skin color. Well,
but they already have that.
That's a mistake about this, ri?
Every student who gets in
is already qualified, right.
If Harvard University picks its pool,
they base that on everybody who's qualified.
And then based on the that they then make
a decision about how is it that we're
going to put this class togethe.
It's it's unfortunate that we as
seem to think that affirmative action
means people who aren't qualified get in.
That isn't the case.
And the Supreme Court missed that beat,
unfortunately.
All right. Former President Dond
Trump continues to dig himself deeper
in this case of classified documents.
Now we're hearing a new recordi,
obtained by CNN, in which he aps
to brag about having the docume,
knowing they contain sensitive information,
including about a possible attack on Iran.
Take a listen.
It is like highly confidential
secret. This is secret info.
Now, Phil. Unsurprisingly,
Trump is sticking to the same
approach without evidence.
He's accusing the special
counsel of illegally leaking
and spinning these recordings.
Do you think that plays
not in the court of law.
It's probably in the court
of public opinion for sure.
And I think that's the crux of
why he's going to go to court.
And this is going to be determid
whether he had the right to have
those documents and and who els.
Had the opportunity to see
them who shouldn't have.
Ethan, is this the the nail in
the coffin so to speak? You
know, I've stopped saying there's a nail in
the coffin for Donald Trump a while ago.
It seems like every time
a new recording comes out,
I think he's done and somehow or
another he finds his way throug.
But you know, it's incredible that his poll
numbers continue to be strong and rise.
I mean this guy's got 2 indictm,
50 charges against him.
At this point,
I just am not sure what the GOP across
this country is thinking keeping
this guy as their standard bear.
All right, meantime, his rival,
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis ht
the campaign trail hard this we.
Both he and Trump made
stops in New Hampshire,
but if you look at the polls,
he is trailing well behind Trump
and dwindling.
Phil, it's still early,
but would you call that Trump
will be the Republican nominee?
I I I hope not, frankly.
But this is not uncommon to have
poll numbers ebb and flow so far
away from the the nomination process.
I think DeSantis and.
Tim Scott and others that need
to continue to campaign forward.
It's a long ways to go.
The court cases may determine people's
opinion of Trump as the summer unfolds.
But what would it take? I mean,
to that margin is a big one.
Well, there's gonna have to be a
fundamental shift in the base o.
Of his support who as I've saidn
several occasions on the political Brew
you might be able to get the nomination,
but you're not going to appeal.
Trump is not going to appeal to
that independent rural female vr
to get the the election. Nathan,
you know, far be it for me to fe
out what the GOP needs to do in order
to figure out how to not have T.
But I do think that DeSantis,
Pence some of these other candidates.
They've got to find a way to apl
somehow or other to his base,
but they have got to be willing
to go after him a little bit.
You know, campaigns are won
both by saying who you are,
but you do also have to contras.
And they've tried that when
it's just not sticking.
But they're not doing it very strongly,
right? They're there.
They take little jabs and
then they back up and say, oh,
Trump shouldn't have been indicd
for having the classified docum.
Oh, but we don't like this little piece.
You have to look at the package
and say Trump should not be the
nominee and they have to be
serious about it and consolidat.
Then maybe they'd have a chance.
But.
I think feels right.
He's going to be the nominee as
far as anything we can see.
All
right, let's wrap things up.
Winners, losers. Ethan, start with you.
Winners this week.
I would say the women of Maine.
Big winners this week with the passage
of paid family medical leave and
the expanded abortion access bi.
I'd say losers this week
based on the Supreme Court,
the LGBTQ plus community,
black and Latino students and
the student loan bill going down
just on those 3 losers of the
week are those constituencies.
I have a little bit of a
dichotomy for winners and loser.
Losers this week.
To me, the the immigrants who ae
protesting our our generosity, I think.
I think that was off base.
The winner of the week is the
protesters who protested the
king of England and created
the United States of America.
That we so much appreciate
what they've given to us. That
is quite the dichotomy.
That is. All right, Billy,
then thanks so much for being with us.
And that's going to do it for
this week's Political Brew.
Your morning report is
back right after this.