Scholars Strategy Network-Maine

Letter: Save absentee voting "Voting yes on Question 1 means voting to make it harder for elderly and homebound Mainers to get their absentee ballots."

One of Maine SSN’s newest members, Lucy Britt (Assistant Professor of Politics at Bates College), has a letter to the editor in the Bangor Daily News on why Q1 is about much more than voter ID—it would make absentee voting harder for many Mainers.

Opinion: Question 1 is about much more than voter ID “If the proponents wanted a referendum solely on photo ID, they could have written legislation accordingly. Instead, after getting the bill title they wanted for petitions, they added many absentee vo...

Maine SSN's Amy Fried shows why Question 1 is about much more than “voter ID” — it would restrict absentee voting, eliminate phone requests, cut early-vote days, and more.
Read in the BDN: www.bangordailynews.com/2025/10/01/o...

Opinion: LBJ’s Great Society is being unraveled "Johnson’s ambitious programs generated significant backlash. Ever since the 1970s, Republicans have tried to roll back many elements of his Great Society."

Maine SSN's @rlarochelle.bsky.social argues that the Trump administration is actively unraveling LBJ’s Great Society — cutting back on popular health, education, and social safety net programs built over decades.
Read his full op-ed in the BDN ⬇️
www.bangordailynews.com/2025/09/26/o...

A picture of seven scholars from around the country who have been chosen by the organization Scholars Strategy Network to serve as "Media Fellows" in the 2025-2026 Academic Year. Circular cropped photos against a composite background of newspapers. For more information visit: www.scholars.org/media-fellowship

👏 Congrats to chapter member Mara Casey Tieken (Bates College) on being named a 2025–26 SSN Media Fellow! Casey Tieken's work focuses on racial and educational equity in rural schools.

She’ll work with mentors to sharpen media skills and enrich public conversations on these topics with research.

Research shows Question 1 would harm Maine voters | Opinion There's a lot more to the Nov. 4 referendum question than simply presenting identification to vote.

Our chapter member Amy Fried explains how Maine’s Question 1 would restrict voter access — from tighter mail ballot rules to fewer drop boxes. 📉

Read her op-ed in the @PressHerald: www.pressherald.com/2025/10/03/r...

Pictures of Dr. Rob Glover and Dr. Jordan LaBouff on an orange and yellow background. Maine Scholars Strategy Network logo in corner. 2025 Best Chapter Award in bold black letters at bottom of graphic.

The Maine Scholars Strategy Network has been named the 2025 “Best Chapter” Award winner by the national organization, chosen from 38 chapters nationwide. 🏆

Thanks to all our amazing members who make this work possible! 👏

Single-payer system could help Mainers avoid rising health care costs “Forty percent of Mainers struggle with medical debt, according to Consumers for Affordable Health Care.”

Maine @scholars.org member Daniel Bryant has a piece in the
@bangordailynews.bsky.social this week examining Maine's urgent need for a single-payer health care system. Check it out at the link below.

Opinion: An opera of loons "'Asylum' is not some quaint, Victorian word. It conjures up trauma of loved ones lost to systems that saw them as problems to be contained rather than people deserving of care."

What do you call a group of loons? Maine @scholars.org co-leader Rob Glover and Amanda Sohns say it’s time to retire “asylum” and embrace something that captures their drama and grace: "opera."

Their @bangordailynews.bsky.social op-ed dives into the power of language, history, and why words matter.

Wow. A group of top scholars at Harvard just sent a letter to its president, Alan Garber, warning against surrendering to Trump.

Signatories include Steven Levitsky, Dani Rodrik, Ryan Enos, Theda Skocpol, and Steven Walt.

Someone forwarded it to me. Read it here:

Now that the federal government is severely curtailing investments in science and education, state governments will need to step up.

This announcement from @massgovernor.bsky.social is a great development.

www.nytimes.com/live/2025/07...

Opinion: Maine can harvest more benefits from youth in agriculture "Even if youth aren’t interested in an agriculture-based career, self employment for a few months or years can develop career-ready skills."

In today’s @bangordailynews.bsky.social, Andrew Hudacs of @umaine.bsky.social Cooperative Extension lays out why Maine should invest more in youth agricultural programs — not just to grow future farmers, but to build stronger, healthier communities.

Trump’s big bill is not the least bit beautiful | Opinion In Maine, the impacts will be especially harsh for low-income and older adults.

Maine @scholars.org member Sandy Butler has an op-ed in @pressherald.com today which maps out the likely impact of Trump's budget bill on low-income and older Mainers.

The Business And Economic Case For Academic Freedom Academic freedom fuels U.S. innovation and economic growth. Political interference risks undermining our universities—and America's global competitive edge.

"Attacks on university research put at risk one of government's highest-return investments."

In this op-ed, SSN Board Member Ian Simmons writes about the governments recent involvement in #HigherEd and how academic freedom is crucial for long-term economic growth.

Read more in @forbes.com. ⤵️

Gun violence is down, thanks in part to policies that address its root causes. In this No Jargon episode, @daniel-semenza.bsky.social (@njgvrc.bsky.social) explains what’s working, what’s at risk, and why cutting federal support could reverse progress.

🎙️ Listen now: scholars.org/podcast/drop...

Maine @scholars.org member Amy Blackstone was featured on @wmtwchannel8.bsky.social (picked up by @MSN) discussing declining birthrates in the US and ways to address demographic decline that do not involve individuals having more children.
www.msn.com/en-us/health...

Health Insurers Are Denying More Drug Claims, Data Shows

This NYT analysis of rising prescription drug denials by health insurers aligns closely w/ findings from my forthcoming book Coverage Denied. Prescription drugs were one of the two biggest categories of denials I observed, and many physicians spoke to recent increases www.nytimes.com/2025/07/18/h...

Column: Trump is opening a new chapter in US foreign policy Hal Brands is a Bloomberg Opinion columnist and the Henry Kissinger Distinguished Professor at Johns Hopkins University’s School of Advanced International Studies.

"Trump revels in using U.S. power, but he doesn’t quite understand where it comes from."

In this op-ed, Hal Brands writes about #foreignpolicy under the #Trump administration and the three problems with it.

Read more in @pilotonline.com ⤵️

Gun violence rates are down across the U.S. In our latest No Jargon podcast episode, @daniel-semenza.bsky.social explains what's working to keep these rates down and what we stand to lose as federal support for violence prevention is rolled back. #GunPolicy

🎧 Listen. ⤵️
scholars.org/podcast/real...

Maine police department to update social media policy after publishing edited photo The department said it used a photo-editing app to add the department’s patch to the picture, which then altered other aspects of the photo.

The @bangordailynews.bsky.social spoke w/ UMaine criminologist and Maine @scholars.org member Karyn Sporer about a digitally altered photo shared by Westbrook, Maine police department.

I’m not exactly sure how Ben finds the time to compile this and put it together every week, but I’m honored to be included!

Head of local weather warnings takes early retirement as NOAA cuts continue Yura has over 32 years experience, spending more than half of his career at the NWS Austin/San Antonio office.

The Austin/San Antonio NWS warning coordination meteorologist, Paul Yura, was DOGEd in April.

"Yura’s final date of employment, April 30, comes just before severe weather season in Central Texas typically peaks in the month of May."

h/t @theiconoclast.bsky.social

Trump's second presidency begins: evaluating effects on the US health system The first hundred days of the second Trump administration was unprecedented, with the administration taking remarkably aggressive, often questionably …

My colleague @mirandayaver.bsky.social has a new piece out in @thelancet.com Regional Health on Trump's first 100 days. Short form: it's a disaster for all of us. Keep writing. Telling the truth. History depends on us. www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...

Why a Non-Partisan U.S. Military is Essential When partisanship threatened to politicize the military, a Republican helped maintain the military’s legitimacy.

My incredible former student Kate Flynn and I have an article in TIME Magazine today about the importance of keeping the military out of partisan political battles, based on our research on Secretary of Defense William S. Cohen. A short thread: time.com/7296041/non-...

Tax Changes in the Federal Budget Bill Are a Disaster for Many Orange County Families Tax changes in the budget reconciliation bill currently under consideration by the U.S. Senate will exclude many Orange County children and families from vital tax credits—credits shown to improve…

Millions of families are currently left out of the #CTC and #EITC and Congress’s budget bill could leave even more behind. In this op-ed, @kelleyfong.bsky.social explains why these tax credits are essential tools in the fight against child poverty.

Learn more in @thefulcrum-us.bsky.social:

Why a Non-Partisan U.S. Military is Essential When partisanship threatened to politicize the military, a Republican helped maintain the military’s legitimacy.

In @time.com, Maine SSN-er Ryan LaRochelle and recent @umaine.bsky.social graduate Kate Flynn argue that keeping the military out of partisan politics is vital to democracy. They look back to Sec. Cohen during the Clinton era—and warn what Trump’s recent moves could mean.

Evidence-based drug policy is reducing Maine overdose deaths. Trump’s budget could destroy it. | Opinion We need to pressure lawmakers to resist proposals that would wipe out the progress that has been made.

Trump’s budget could gut evidence-based solutions to the opioid crisis that are driving positive trends in Maine. Here, @robglover.bsky.social, co-leader of @scholars.org (Maine) breaks down what’s at risk—and why it matters.

Opinion: Medicaid cuts could worsen Maine’s opioid epidemic “Maine and other states with high overdose deaths heavily rely on Medicaid and have seen a lot of benefits with Medicaid expansion.”

With the Senate taking up the Trump administration's spending bill, check out @umaine.bsky.social undergraduate Olivia Marsanskis's guest column on the potential effects that spending cuts could have on our fragile gains fighting opioid overdose.
www.bangordailynews.com/2025/06/25/o...

Educated Out Through the stories of nine rural, first-generation students and their families, Educated Out shows how geography shapes college opportunities, from admission to postgraduation options.   A former th...

This topic aligns closely with Dr. Tieken's recently released book "Educated Out" which was released in May by @uchicagopress.bsky.social. Check it out at the link below!

Rural Students: Options & Goals What options do rural students have after high school, and how can they overcome obstacles to meeting their goals?

🧵One of Maine's newest SSN members, Dr. Mara Tieken from @batescollege.bsky.social, was recently featured on @mainepublic.org's "Maine Calling" discussing rural Maine youth's postsecondary education plans.

Medical Providers: Please, Educate Yourselves! Why We Need Bills Like Maine's LD1688

Amy B's substack about testifying on the hill she helped get drafted and her testimony.