Benjamin Kail

New followers for Maine reporters this wk: National politics reporter National politics editor Former reporter, author Gentleman from Jersey w/bio "I hate politics" State lawmaker County commish Super PAC Your own editor Voting rights nonprofit 37 Prediction Market accounts

The electorate in this race is now 601 convention delegates, elected by registered Democrats (primary was open to indies too) who chose to show up to county caucuses this weekend. The process self-selects for the most committed, involved, high-information Dems. That creates political incentives for candidates that might be quite different from a traditional primary, where you're simultaneously doing persuasion and mobilization, trying to reach low-information and/or independent voters, each of whom often have heterodox political views.

In speaking with numerous ICE sources today, most are expressing frustration that this will cause their arrest numbers to fall off a cliff while in effect. A large majority of their arrests involve vehicle stops. They will now largely have to rely on court arrests, detainer transfers, USCIS interviews, or “consensual encounters”/roving patrols on foot to make arrests in bigger numbers. ICE prefers to target people in their vehicles instead of their homes because homes require a judicial warrant to enter and vehicles are considered safer (someone can run into a home and grab a weapon etc) and targets can be followed to public areas where warrants aren’t required. In all the ICE embeds I’ve done over the years, I would say 90% + of the targets were arrested in vehicle stops, though, they were egregious aliens (murderers, rapists etc), and those vehicle stops are still allowed to continue for now. This will have a bigger impact on targets in the U.S. illegally who have committed no other crimes.

🧵 Time to play 20 questions, @MaineDems! Voters deserve to know: 1. Will Graham Platner attend your nominating convention? 2. Are you conducting background checks on potential replacement candidates? 3. Are illegal aliens eligible to serve as a delegate? (1/6)

Senate Democrat Ron Wyden has alleged that Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. illegally interfered with elections that the Trump administration wants GOP candidates to win. trib.al/fKC01dQ

.@mainebeerbrewer on ICE murders in January. Now ICE reportedly was involved in a lethal shooting in Biddeford this AM.

Preview of Maine’s Democratic Senate nominating convention July 25?

Ossoff: "We understand the president may be threatening to declare sitting senators illegitimate. If that's the course of action he pursues, he's calling Georgia voters illegitimate ... he was humiliated and furious as a committed lifelong racist that it was Black voters in Georgia who were instrumental in his defeat"

Good reporting from CNN. Border Patrol agent was on scene. A reminder that Border Patrol is supposed to be guarding the border, not invading our neighborhoods.

New: All 7 Democrats trying to replace Graham Platner say #ICE should be abolished. After the deadly shooting in #Biddeford, they're criticizing Susan Collins' vote for ICE funding. Collins' team says Dems are politicizing a tragedy @bangordailynews bangordailynews.com/2026/07/14/pol…

Please review the following statement from the Chairman of the Maine Republican Party.

Susan Collins, Angus King, Chellie Pingree & Jared Golden ask for sequence of events; operation protocols on tactics/use of force; and clarification on audio, body-worn cameras & evidence preservation.

"The facts surrounding this tragedy remain a matter of significant local concern and necessitate thorough, objective accounting.”

New: Entire Maine federal delegation writes to DHS Inspector General's office urging transparent investigation into fatal ICE-involved shooting in Biddeford. “Along w/our constituents, we are deeply saddened by this loss of life."

Justice Elena Kagan on her 2010 confirmation hearing: "Many people have talked about how funny Senator Graham was...What I remember about that hearing was that somehow Senator Graham made me look funny, which is a harder thing entirely, by asking me what I had done on Christmas...many people said to me afterwards that exchange with Senator Graham was the moment my confirmation was sealed." Full video here: youtube.com/live/IRI9hB8if…

Q: The ICE agents who killed a person in Maine yesterday were reportedly not using body cameras. That's despite DHS officials coming to Congress and repeatedly saying they want to expand body cam usage. Does there need to be accountability? MIKE JOHNSON: Uh, I don't know anything about this event. I was a little busy yesterday. You guys can mock me for not knowing that. I worked about 22 hours.

In a major reversal of ICE tactics, ICE will suspend most vehicle stops until further notice after two fatal shootings by federal immigration officers in the past week. CNN's @priscialva brings her brand new reporting to Inside Politics.

ICE OUT of Maine.

NOW: Clashes as ARMED Pro-ICE Protester Confronting Large Anti-ICE Crowd in Maine near ICE Facility.

NEW: Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME): "There's no doubt that ICE needs to improve its performance, but those who are calling for ICE to be abolished are ignoring absolutely vital safety work that ICE does."

I'm told Rep. Chellie Pingree hasn't been in touch w/DHS Sec Mullin "despite repeated requests" & the fact the Biddeford ICE-involved shooting happened in her district & the secretary has talked w/others in delegation. Pingree "has a long list of questions" coming.