Good morning, everybody. I'm Zach
Blanchard and this is Political Brew.
I'm joined by Republican analyst Ray
Richardson and Democrat Ken Altschuler.
Thanks. Good morning with us. Good
morning. Good to see you both.
We want to start out
in Augusta, where the drawn out
legislative session continued this week,
a big blow for Democrats.
The House just couldn't get enough
votes to override Governor Mills
veto on tribal rights legislation.
Bill would have given more federal benefits
and funding to the Wabenaki tribes now,
despite having a 2/3 majority in a
vote last month to override a veto.
A vote in the House this week
just didn't make the mark.
But both sides admit the
issue isn't going away.
What I would like to see is a
collaboration talks between
government and tribes and not
just individual legislators but.
As a whole, to know on the table
what the concerns are and to have
an amicable agreement as to how
they can be addressed or why they're
not being addressed at this time.
As an Indigenous member of an
Indigenous community in the past,
my party is basket mukedi
is we never give up.
We we always keep fighting and
we always keep stepping forward.
So we're what we're going to do
is just we're going to take the
losses of of LD 2004.
We're going to bring ourselves together
and work on a plan moving forward.
OK, let's start with you.
There were rumblings Governor Mills
was working to get the votes to stop
this and obviously she was successful.
That's what a governor does with her party.
She has some control over.
And I have real mixed feelings about this.
I'm a strong advocate for
Native American rights.
On the other hand, there was a deal
struck many years ago and and I do
get a little tired of people trying
to change deals after they make it.
I haven't heard them wanting to
refund the money that they got paid.
That being said,
I think her point is that this would lead
to a lot of legal issues and problems.
She's a good lawyer.
I think she knows what she's talking about.
There are examples of Mick Mack.
She pointed out they had an
agreement by collaboration and it
was possible to do with these tribes.
So I don't think she's anti what they want.
I just think she saw problems on the horizon.
Good for her to veto saying standing
by her principles and getting the
votes she wanted to take her stand.
So I applaud her,
right? Where do we go from here?
Well, I hope in the next session with
the next governor, which will be what,
about 3 1/2 years from now,
we'll have a governor that does
in fact respect Native Americans.
The other tribes in the 49
states in this country get to
benefit from federal legislation.
Now to be clear, philosophically,
I don't like how we do any of this,
but the truth of the matter is Maine tribes
are disadvantaged based on Maine law.
I know about the Land Claims Act.
I I met with Tom Tureen 2 decades
ago and learned all about it.
But at the bottom line here is
main tribes are disadvantaged,
they're hurting.
And this would have been a big help.
Governor Mills made a mistake,
but the way they made a deal,
you as a Republican, I must say,
I would expect you to say a deal's a deal.
You don't change it 30 years later.
So I was actually 4340 wasn't 88 or 40,
right, About 40 years.
You're right. A lot has
happened. And look, there's been 165
federal laws that our tribes cannot be
advantaged by their disadvantaged at
compared to the tribes around the country.
And I think it's time to move on.
I mean, I I was not here in 1980,
but I, as I said, I met with Tom Tureen,
learned all about this deal.
I think it's time to give our tribes
at least some form of sovereign.
Should they pay the money back?
No, I don't think so.
No, I don't think so. He's
in the public. I'm not.
I'm just going to say Ken's doing
the twerk form. Yeah. No, I
just, I just think it's time.
I mean, we, we can't expect people to
move forward and then put chains around
them and that's what we've done here.
We're working our way down the list.
It's being called the most progressive
abortion rights legislation in the country,
and it is all but law.
It allows abortion even after viability,
so long as it's deemed
medically necessary by a doctor.
The Senate voted to enact the bill Thursday,
sending it to the governor's desk.
Governor Mills is expected
to sign it next week.
Ray, are you surprised this made
it across the finish line? No.
No, I'm not. I'm so disappointed.
I can't even begin to tell you.
I gave my first speech
against abortion in 1990.
I think this is an affront to God
and affront to the people of Maine.
I don't believe the people of Maine
support a post viable abortion.
I just don't believe it.
I know there was some
nebulous poll out there,
but if you looked at the details of the poll,
the poll didn't tell the truth.
There are no boundaries.
There are no safeguards.
There are nothing here.
Even the Press Herald,
one of the most liberal
papers in the country,
said it's the least restrictive
abortion law in the country.
This is an affront to humanity.
And I I'm just.
I can't even begin to express my
frustration with these people.
I
gave my first speech pro-choice in the 1970s,
aging myself a little bit,
and I'm pro-choice,
not pro abortion. pro-choice.
And this is between a woman and her doctor,
which is the way it should be.
And there have been no late
term abortions last year.
There were none in the state of Maine.
This is a rarity, but there are cases
where a woman and her physician believes
that it's necessary to terminate.
The the child which I consider
to be a living thing.
I'm not disputing that or doubting that,
but it's a choice between
the woman of the doctor.
It's not the place for the
government to interfere.
As the Republicans said during
the masking during COVID.
The government can tell you not,
you know, to wear a mask,
but they can't tell you about abortion.
You can't be have it both ways,
right?
So,
well, I'm not having it both ways.
If a child's viable outside of
the womb, it's a human being.
It deserves the opportunity to
live and live out its dreams.
And Governor Mills, and
this takes us up to the doctor.
That's exactly right. Well, I
mean, everybody keeps saying,
don't you trust doctors?
Right. Well, during COVID,
there were a lot of doctors who spoke out
against what the government was saying.
They were silenced.
Some of their license were suspended,
some are revoked.
All I have to do is look
at the state website.
I think that there were doctors who
think abortion at any point is OK.
So you doctor shop just
like people drug shop.
We all know you can drug shop if
you want opiates with a doctor.
So I know I don't trust any of this.
If a child is viable outside of the womb,
that child should be allowed to live.
I don't support abortion in any regard,
but this is an affront to humanity.
We kill innocent life
sending drones into Syria.
We execute people into the death penalty.
We choose over life and death,
and a doctor and a woman has a right
to decide what to do in her own body.
I have never advocated for war,
and I do not support the death
penalty because I believe that all
creations are precious and unique
and like your consistency.
I support the death penalty.
So there you go.
Well, there you go.
And finally, Governor Mills faced
a pretty wild legislative session.
An oped published in the Bangor
Daily News did not hold back
taping aim at the governor.
We're going to pull up that oped
here now saying, quote, Janet Mills
keeps breaking her campaign promises.
It goes after Mills for promising to
work with Republicans and Democrats,
then pushing through a majority budget.
Even criticizing her on the abortion
issue because during the campaign she
said she had no plans to change current law.
But Ray, is this criticism
of the governor fair?
Oh, I think it's completely fair.
Governor Mills has said she won't
raise taxes she put in the Family
and Medical Paid Leave Act.
It'll be the largest tax increase in decades.
On main people,
we all know what's happening with
their electricity bills because of
the tax that is the solar subsidies.
And of course this abortion bill,
she's said on this station and two others.
She would not change the abortion law.
And then within two weeks of
getting sworn in, she did.
There is no politician in America
that doesn't lie for a living.
Well, it doesn't lie to get elected.
And lying is such a harsh word.
Let's call it nothing.
No, no, no. Let's tell the truth.
It's lying. If you say you'll
do one thing and then choose
to do another, that's a lie.
And that's my ex partner,
Matt Gonyon on WGAS.
Staunch conservative makes
him look a little liberal.
So I take with the great
assault. With that,
we're going to take a quick
break. The weekend morning
report is back right after this.
Good morning, everybody.
I'm Zach Blanchard,
joined once again by Republican analyst
Ray Richardson and Democrat Ken Altschuler.
Thanks for staying with us.
Let's start with that bizarre discovery
at the White House this week,
Cocaine found not far from The West Wing.
It was found while the president and
his family were away at Camp David.
And Republicans are pouncing on this,
even trying to connect to the
scandal surrounding Hunter Biden.
Here's what Ron DeSantis
had to say about it all.
Well, I've long believed, I think
a lot of us have believed, that the
Biden administration's been blowing it
on a lot of fronts.
But I guess it's a little bit more
literal than even I had thought,
right, Ken? This, obviously this
is the kind of distraction the
Biden administration does not want.
It's just political nonsense at this point.
Of course, I mean, I remember Willie
Nelson smoking pot with Jimmy Carter's
son on the roof of the White House,
and I'm not saying that's a good idea,
but does anybody believe that Joe Biden
had anything to do with cocaine and the
entrance of The West Wing? Seriously.
So make political fodder out of it.
I am sure that this drugs brought
into the White House all the time.
Sometimes employees,
sometimes passer buyers and visitors.
So make the Do whatever you want with this.
But this is a nonstarter.
Absolutely.
So I will agree that the Biden
administration is blowing it,
but not for the reasons Ron DeSantis said.
I think they know who put the drugs there.
I mean, we now know that this
was close to the Situation Room.
Every inch of the White
House is under camera.
I bet the Secret Service knows.
If they would just come out and say,
look, this is a personnel issue,
we've dismissed the person, We've turned
the evidence over to the local authorities.
This would be done.
But the answer But tons of people
going through that by that that room,
not by the situation room.
They now said where it actually was. It
wasn't a lot of people
go, it's not in the past, not
in the tourist area.
Why does it go? I think they're
saying it's the tourist area and
a lot of people don't pass that.
The stuff came out this
morning, some updated stuff saying
that it may have been more so.
But regardless, I mean, just to say
it's Hunter Biden goes to another,
I mean, that's a fun joke, obviously,
because we know he does coke.
But I Hunter Biden doesn't work.
He wouldn't go anywhere
near work was being done.
So he's not his coke. But look,
they could not going to say
they're not going to say he did
it. I mean, look,
they got cameras everywhere.
I mean, really 24/7 surveillance
of every square inch.
So they should have just
said we know who it is.
We've dismissed them.
We've turned it over to the
authorities and moved on.
Yesterday, yesterday,
when they say they don't know
and they may never know, I
I mean, look, I don't trust the FBI
upper echel on leadership anymore.
But yesterday the Biden
administration invoked the Hatch
Act not to talk about this.
This is just bizarre.
It's this is a personnel issue.
Deal with it. Move on.
But nobody does this anymore,
all right? Speaking about Hunter Biden,
GOP presidential candidate Nikki
Haley says Republicans should
absolutely start the impeachment
process against the president.
This is over allegations the
administration meddled with the
investigation into Hunter Biden over
misdemeanor tax related crimes, right?
It is often Biden's predecessor,
former President Donald Trump,
that uses the term witch hunt.
Could President Biden
use the same terms here?
Well, I don't know, you know,
the US Attorney in Delaware,
Weiss has said publicly,
at least to people in the.
Circle and in New York Times verified that
he felt hampered in his investigation.
But I don't agree with impeachment
until we actually know all the facts.
Impeachment, according to the Constitution,
supposed to be an extraordinary thing.
If you read the Federalists,
they didn't want to see somebody impeached
every time they made a move you didn't like.
No one can govern that way.
We have turned impeachment into
an ordinary exercise. We had.
We had 1 from 1789 to when
Bill Clinton was impeached.
What was that, 98?
And now we've had three.
And if this one goes through the 4th,
more importantly,
there were not enough senators
in the Senate to convict him.
We're wasting time when
Americans are struggling
again. How does this benefit Nikki Haley?
Is she trying to attract the Trump base or
something, or she wants to be on the right?
Well, the sentence is more trying to
be on the right than Nikki Haley.
Nikki Haley wants his base to like
her if they abandoned Donald Trump.
So you've got to say what's popular,
But you know, the first impeachment action
of Donald Trump I thought was a mistake.
I don't think they had any grounds for it.
I think the second was.
More solid impeachment, but it was too
late because it was his second presidency.
I think Bill Clinton's impeachment
was absolutely appropriate.
He lied under oath.
Frankly, I think he should resign from
office as much of a good president he was.
But yes, it's ridiculous how
we're abusing this process.
It's all for political appearances.
That's not what was designed to be.
I agree with her.
And some agreement.
All right. Meantime,
candidate for president and Florida
governor Ron De Santis is facing
some blowback over a campaign video.
He shared to go after Donald Trump for
supporting the LGBTQ plus community and
touting his own anti LGBTQ policies.
Advocates and even some Republicans
saying it those policy decisions are
dangerous and politically stupid.
Can do you agree?
Absolutely. I mean,
at first it's homophobic.
Second, it is trying to
cater to the extreme, right.
You're criticizing Donald Trump
because he's pro L GB TQ rights that
that's how you think you're gonna
get votes away from Donald Trump.
His base is gonna abandon
him now because of this.
It's it's incredible that he is trying
to distinguish himself by going more
on the right than Donald Trump.
That's not the way to win the
nomination from Donald Trump.
And and so yes, it's homophobic.
It is a bizarre ad.
I think he should fire all of his
advisors and start over again,
although I don't think he's
ever going to get the nomination
right. Well, first of
all, it appears Donald Trump supporters
are not going to ban him for any reason.
So to do stuff like this is nuts.
That's number one. Number two.
So why can't we just have candidates
tell us what they're going to do and
stop telling us about the other guy?
Because the truth is,
if you're running for office
and you when what the other guy
was going to do doesn't matter.
I don't know when it became the the,
the cachet thing to do to
attack people over everything.
I want to know what you're
If you're running Zach,
I want to know what you're going to do.
I don't care what your opponent
Ken's going to do.
That's what I need you to tell me.
And we just don't do that here anymore.
It's just not.
I wish it would stop and
it is harming our country.
Right. Finally, winners.
Losers, Right. We'll start with
you. Well, oddly enough,
I'm going to have some losers this week.
But I'll start out with the winners,
the winners of the people of Cumberland
County for the wonderful work done
by Cumberland County Sheriff Kevin
Joyce's office and the entire
Cumberland County Sheriff's Office in
coordination with other law enforcement.
We had that terrible shooting
situation out at Naples and they
arrested the young man 45 miles away.
I just so much credit to those guys.
My losers are two.
My first loser are the innocent
unborn viable children of Maine.
That's my first loser.
The 2nd is this legislature who
they should all resign in shame for
what they've done to hurt Maine.
From the solar subsidies to this big
tax to allowing innocent unborn viable
children to be have their life taken,
their disgrace and I wish they were designed.
Wow. The win of the week is Mark Zuckerberg
for starting Threads and giving it
to Elon Musk, who is my loser of the
week for spending billions of dollars
on a worthless thing he purchased.
I hope he loses all of his money. Good going.
And I don't like Mark Zuckerberg,
so congratulations to him.
Did you sign up for Threads?
I haven't yet.
Too many people are signing up,
so I'm going to wait till it calms
down a little bit and I've cancelled
my Twitter account long ago.
Did you have
a loser? Was your loser.
Elon Musk was my loser.
And with that, we want
to give you a heads up that this is
the last political brew of the season.
We'll take a break for the summer and
be back in a couple of months with some
new voices and new discussions about the
major issues facing our state and country.
The morning reports back right after this.