Get Used to Saying Sen. Graham Platner of Maine – The Friday AM Quickie 5/1/26
Happy May Day! Find a rally or action for workers' rights near you at May Day Strong. I'm off, Whitney's back Monday. - Corey
Sunset Lake CBD is brought to you by long-time MR listeners and fans of the show. They know how crazy buying CBD online can be and that’s why they want to be your one-stop CBD shop. Unlike some companies, Sunset Lake CBD grows everything that they infuse into their products and will provide you with certified test results with every order.
Still unsure? Email or call and speak to a real person— they can help walk you through the process and recommend the right product for you. They want to make buying CBD stress-free! Visit www.sunsetlakecbd.com and let them help you find that peace of mind. Enter code “leftisbest” (that’s one word) at checkout for 20% off every order.
Subscribe to the AM Quickie's NEW paid newsletters here!
THE BIG NEWS
Maine Stunner: Janet Mills Ends Campaign, Handing Democratic Senate Nomination to Graham Platner
Oysterman and military veteran Graham Platner became the presumptive Democratic nominee to challenge Republican Maine Sen. Susan Collins in November after Gov. Janet Mills dropped out of the primary race yesterday. Mills claimed a lack of "financial resources" informed her decision to drop out, the Portland Press-Herald reports.
The centrist Democrat declined to endorse the leftist Platner, who has been consistently leading her in the polls, but a spokesperson said she would not vote for Collins. Platner did score some belated endorsements from holdouts yesterday including Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee Chair Kirsten Gillibrand, both of New York. Schumer and Platner spoke for the first time yesterday, the New York Times reports.
The centrist Democratic strategy of sitting back and waiting for their turn in power while Republicans destroy the country is clearly sputtering toward its demise, and Platner's economic populist message combined with his combative attitude toward the Trump regime is showing the party a better way forward. The scandals that plagued Platner's campaign, including his ill-advised online commenting history and an accidental Nazi tattoo acquired during his military service, do not seem to trouble Maine voters – and Republican bluster that Platner will be easy to beat in November will doubtless prove false.
"The race has never been about me or really about one person," Platner told reporters yesterday after vowing to work with Gov. Mills. "It's about a movement of working Mainers who are fed up with being robbed by billionaires and the politicians who own them. We are now taking back our power."
Vermont independent Sen. Bernie Sanders, an early Platner backer, extended his congratulations. "He's surging by taking on the billionaire class and fighting for working families," Sanders wrote online. "Americans are tired of status quo politics. They want REAL change and that's what Graham will deliver."
MORE STORIES TO WATCH
Wider War Watch: Iran's New Supreme Leader Gloats Over Destruction of Billions of Dollars Worth of US War Machines
- Hegseth Tells Congress They Can't Block Trump's Illegal War Because Iran Ceasefire Stops the Clock on 60-Day Deadline Meanwhile, an anonymous senior regime official claims that the war on Iran has already ended, even though Donald Trump got briefed on his wartime options yesterday, which include further strikes. via the Washington Post, the Associated Press, and NBC News.
- Pentagon Not Sure Whether Trump Is Serious About Pulling US Troops Out of Germany Trump yesterday continued hollering online at German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, saying the Christian Democrat leader should fix "his broken Country, especially Immigration and Energy, and [spend] less time on interfering with those that are getting rid of the Iran Nuclear threat." via Politico, the AP, and the Guardian.
- Senate Republicans, Plus Democratic Sen. John Fetterman, Vote Down Resolution to Stop Trump from Invading Cuba "If anyone were doing to the United States what we are doing to Cuba, we would definitely regard it as an act of war," observed Democratic Sen. Tim Kaine of Virginia, who sponsored the war powers resolution. via Democracy Now!, the Guardian, and Bloomberg News.
- After Ukraine Protests, Israel Refuses Shipment of Grain Stolen By Russia Meanwhile, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says he is seeking to "clarify the details of the Russian proposal for a short-term ceasefire" that has already been presented to Trump . via Reuters, Euronews, and the AP.
State Sponsor Suspected in Antisemitic Attacks Across Europe
The New York Times reports that a wave of antisemitic attacks in Europe bear the hallmarks of "hybrid warfare," national security jargon for campaigns that involve "involves tactics, including cyberattacks, sabotage, assassination and disinformation campaigns, that are used covertly to destabilize countries, erode trust in institutions and undermine adversaries without provoking a major military response." Law enforcement and lawyers say the people accused of torching cars in Antwerp and stabbing two Jewish men in London "did not appear to have allegiance to an extremist cause and were likely recruited to act with the promise of money." Iran is the chief suspect as a possible state sponsor.
The United Kingdom raised its terrorism threat level to "severe" after the stabbings Wednesday in Golders Green. Per the Guardian, the increased threat level means that another attack is highly likely within the next six months. Centrist Labour Prime Minister Keir Starmer yesterday called on Britons to "open their eyes to Jewish pain" and, rather disgracefully, linked the attacks to pro-Palestine protests, saying "if you stand alongside people who say 'globalise the intifada,' you are calling for terrorism against Jews, and people who use that phrase should be prosecuted." Protest group Stop the War calls his characterization "false."
QUICKEST QUICKIES
- Trump Signs Bill to End Homeland Security Shutdown Without Funding for Deportations Republican "Rep. Chip Roy of Texas said isolating the immigration-related money on a separate track is 'offensive to the men and women who serve in ICE and Border Patrol, and are serving this country every single day'"—too bad so sad. via the Associated Press and Politico.
- Louisiana Suspends House Primaries After Supreme Court OKs Racist Gerrymanders The court's decision to turn the Voting Rights Act into a "dead letter" "will not only endanger Black incumbents, some of whom have held office for decades, but also threaten a rising generation of Black Democrats in the South, who already have few avenues for ascending in politics." via the Washington Post, the Wall Street Journal, and the New York Times.
- No One Seems to Remember Exactly What Jeffrey Epstein's Secret Suicide Note Said The New York Times filed a court petition yesterday to unseal the note, which has been under wraps in the criminal case of Epstein's former cellmate, Nicholas Tartaglione, a disgraced cop serving four life sentences for quadruple murder. via the Times, Politico, and the Wall Street Journal.
- Illinois Commission Appointed By Gov. JB Pritzker Recommends Charges Against Feds Who Invaded Chicago Last Year "'Our communities and our people were subjected to an unprecedented campaign of harassment, intimidation and brutality," Pritzker says. "They deployed tear gas and smoke grenades against peaceful protesters and peaceful crowds and in peaceful neighborhoods. They committed flagrant and egregious abuses of power and force that went unchecked." via NBC News, the Chicago Sun-Times, and Politico.
SOME NUMBER
$4.30
That's the nationwide average cost for a gallon of gasoline as of yesterday, the Associated Press reports, up 44 percent from $2.98 before Donald Trump launched his war on Iran. Inflation is rising throughout the economy, the Washington Post reports, and the trend isn't expected to change any time soon.
"The gas will go down. As soon as the war is over, it'll drop like a rock," Trump told reporters yesterday. Of course, he can't say when the war will be over.
ON THE SHOW TODAY
5/1: Sam and Emma will be in studio. The guests will be Jeet Heer, national affairs correspondent for The Nation and host of the weekly Nation podcast, The Time of Monsters; and Texas Democratic Rep. Greg Casar, discussing the Congressional Progressive Caucus' proposed New Affordability Agenda.
DON'T MISS MR CLIPS
Erika Kirk Is a Lunatic
Candace Owens is as well, to be fair.
WHAT IS TRUMP DOING???
Move it, Chaz!
PARTING WORDS
"Chonkers is kind of just working smarter and not harder: trying to find the easy, safe place where there’s less competition, less predators."
-- Laura Gill of the Marine Mammal Center in Sausalito, California, speaking to the New York Times about Chonkers, the 2,000-pound Steller sea lion at San Francisco's Pier 39, and his philosophy on work-life balance. As Whitney explained in Monday's newsletter, Chonkers has been drawing crowds from far and wide. Gill tells the Associated Press that Chonkers' favorite "easy prey" in the bay includes rockfish, anchovies, and herring.
Quickie Discount Code Corner
Hey check it out! Stuff on sale!
IAC Laser Engraving: Visit https://iaclasers.com and use Coupon Code MAJORITY10 at checkout to save 10% on your order. They have also updated their site recently, so if you’ve visited in the past, you’ll want to visit again and check out the new products.
Fast Growing Trees: This Spring Fast Growing Trees has the best deals online, up to half off on select plants and other deals. And listeners to our show get an ADDITIONAL 15% OFF their first purchase when using the code MAJORITY at checkout. That’s an ADDITIONAL 15% OFF at https://FastGrowingTrees.com using the code MAJORITY at checkout. https://FastGrowingTrees.com code MAJORITY. Offer is valid for a limited time, terms and conditions may apply.
Earthbreeze: Right now, my listeners can receive 40% off Earth Breeze just by going to https://earthbreeze.com/majority! That's https://earthbreeze.com/majority to cut out single-use plastic in your laundry room and claim forty percent off your subscription.
Blueland Cleaning Products: Blueland has a special offer for listeners. Right now, get 15% off your first order by going to https://Blueland.com/MAJORITY. You won’t want to miss this! https://Blueland.com/MAJORITY for 15% off.
Prolon: Right now, Prolon is offering The Majority Report with Sam Seder listeners 10% off their 5-day nutrition program. Go to https://ProlonLife.com/MAJORITY.
Ritual: Essential for Men is a quality multivitamin from a company you can actually trust. Get 40% off your first month for a limited time at https://ritual.com/MAJORITY. This offer is only available through January 31st. Start Ritual or add Essential For Men to your subscription today.
ZBiotics: Go to https://zbiotics.com/MAJORITY to get 15% off your first order when you use MAJORITY at checkout. You can also sign up for a subscription using my code - so you can stay prepared no matter the time or occasion. ZBiotics is backed with 100% money back guarantee so if you’re unsatisfied for any reason, they’ll refund your money, no questions asked.
Henson Shaving: Henson Shaving is giving my audience a 2-year supply of blades for FREE. Just go to https://HENSONSHAVING.com/MAJORITY, That’s https://HENSONSHAVING.com/MAJORITY. Add a razor and 100-pack of blades to your cart, then enter code MAJORITY to get the blades for free.
Shopify: Sign up for a one-dollar-per-month trial period at https://shopify.com/majority. Go to https://shopify.com/majority now to grow your business–no matter what stage you’re in.
LiquidIV: Revive yourself for the New Year. Grab your Liquid I.V. Hydration Multiplier Sugar-Free in bulk nationwide at Costco or get 20% off your first order when you go to https://liquidiv.com/majorityrep at checkout. That’s 20% off your first order when you shop better hydration today using promo code MAJORITYREP at https://liquidiv.com.
Nutrafol: Take the first step to visibly thicker, healthier hair. For a limited time, Nutrafol is offering our listeners ten dollars off your first month’s subscription and free shipping when you go to https://Nutrafol.com/men and enter the promo code TMR. Find out why over 4,000 healthcare professionals recommend Nutrafol for healthier hair.
Sunset Lake CBD: Sunsetlakecbd is a majority employee owned farm in Vermont, producing 100% pesticide free CBD products. Use code Leftisbest and get 20% off at http://www.sunsetlakecbd.com.
CozyEarth: IF you’ve never tried Cozy Earth, I've got awesome news! You can SAVE up to 35% off Cozy Earth right now! But hurry... this offer won't last. Go to https://CozyEarth.com and enter mypromo code MAJORITY REPORT at checkout for up to 35% off on your first order! That's https://CozyEarth.com promo code MAJORITY REPORT.