Fridays with Fossel
The weekly update for Friday, June 27, 2025
Welcome to this week’s recap, everyone - for Friday, June 27, 2025.1
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🗳 Maine News & Politics🗳
Well, the Great Divide amongst Democrats continued in New York City this week, with Zohran Mamdani, a progressive, defeating former governor and centrist Andrew Cuomo in the mayoral primary. The big question for Maine next year is whether Jackson or Bellows can Cuomo Pingree in the gubernatorial primary - or if she’ll fend off the challenge like a pro. 🍿🍿🍿
For some reason, current state senator and former Maine Republican Party Chairman Rick Bennett is running for governor - as an independent. I’ll definitely have more thoughts on this, but it doesn’t make much sense. He’s voted with Democrats on a few issues that are just as likely to alienate centrist voters as they are to endear him to them, and he’ll never get much support from either the liberals or the conservatives.
Janet Mills has begun vetoing bills; I’ve got a rundown here. None of them are particularly momentous pieces of legislation, and four of her five vetoes have been upheld thus far. Many of them were vetoed for fiscal reasons, but that doesn’t mean the Legislature is totally averse to spending more money.
Legislators have begun funding bills passed this session, spending more money even as the state faces a budget crunch. If that seems incongruous, it’s because you have more common sense than a lot of state legislators. That funding was fairly minimal and/or delayed, but the state still shouldn’t be spending more money this year.
Here are some free outdoor concert series for you to enjoy this summer.
Paper mills are, unsurprisingly, still dirty, and two in Maine are among some of the worst in the country. It will be interesting to see if, down the road, this becomes an issue in the gubernatorial campaign or for the next governor and Legislature. I could see it becoming divisive, especially during the Democratic primary.
The Maine House voted to restore the voting and speaking rights of State Representative Laurel Libby on the last day of session. Libby had been censured by the House in a party-line vote for posting photos of a transgender student athlete, which initially barred her from speaking and voting on the floor. The U.S. Supreme Court intervened, restoring her right to vote but not to speak, after she sued over the issue. By voting to restore her on the last day of sessions, Democrats have basically punted on the issue: unless there’s a special session later this year or next, it won’t have any practical impact. What it will do is make the lawsuit a moot point and spare both the state and the U.S. Supreme Court from having to wade into the issue any further. That preserves the ability of the Maine Legislature to censure lawmakers in the future, avoiding any legal restrictions on that power.
The dispute between the Trump and Mills administration over the participation of transgender athletes in sports remains ongoing, however. That, too, will likely wind up in the U.S. Supreme Court at some point, in one form or another - but not immediately. Instead, it will continue to play out over the course of the rest of this year and possibly into the election next year, unless either Trump or Mills completely retreats.
🏀 Sports 🏀
The Boston Celtics traded away point guard Jrue Holiday and center Kristap Porzingas, showing that they know they won’t be in contention next year with Jason Tatum’s injury. It was heartening to see that they haven’t - at least, as of yet - completely blown the team apart. The Red Sox continue to toil away in mediocrity; kudos to those able to maintain their enthusiasm.
Cooper Flagg, of Newport, Maine, was selected first overall by the Dallas Mavericks in the NBA draft, as predicted. There was never really any doubt or drama about this at all. You may well hear more people talking more about him than the Red Sox this summer, with how things are going so far. You might also see quite a few Dallas Mavericks jerseys around the Pine Tree State now.
🍺 What I’m drinking 🍺
I first had The Way Life Should Be (6.0%), by Orono Brewing company, at a Phish show in Bangor. It’s a bright, juicy, light, but hoppy IPA that is eminently drinkable and crushable on a beautiful summer evening. It has an excellent mouthfeel that goes down extremely smoothly, perfect for any activity or setting. In fact, it’s the ideal introduction to craft beer for your friend who’s used to the mass-produced stuff, but has an open mind and is willing to explore.
🎵What I’m listening to 🎵
Phish’s summer tour began recently in Manchester, New Hampshire; I recapped it here. So, that’s what I’ve been listening to lately. Take a look at this remarkable sequence from Sunday night, if you’ve got an hour:
Jim is also a weekly columnist for the Portland Press Herald, Maine’s largest daily newspaper. Follow him on X, BlueSky, on Facebook.
This was written Thursday evening and scheduled for publication Friday morning.