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On Politics

Thu Jul 9 2026

Zachary Schermele | Congressional Correspondent

@zachschermele

Hello readers and welcome back to On Politics. Zach Schermele here, USA TODAY's congressional correspondent. It's Thursday. Call me psychic: As I predicted in yesterday's newsletter, my dinner plans last night devolved into a homemade ham sandwich when Graham Platner dropped out. Ah, the glamorous life of a political reporter...

Next steps in Maine

Here's what's next in the Platner saga: The county chairs in the Maine Democratic Party will meet tonight to go over the delegate selection process for a nominating convention, which they decided to hold this month at last night's emergency meeting.

The plans are still very fluid, but I'm told by Maine Democrats they hope to have more clarity by tonight. Kathie Purdy, the York County chair, confirmed in a Facebook post today that the party would eventually select 500 delegates proportionately by county, along with the roughly 100-person State Committee. That means about 600 Mainers will have the power to decide Susan Collins' challenger (compared to the more than 200,000 ballots cast in the primary).

"No dates, times or locations for the nominating convention have been set," Purdy wrote (under Maine law, it has to happen by July 27). "Please give us the time to get the details."

Platner committed to withdrawing his candidacy last night in a video statement, saying that was his intention. He has until this coming Monday.

Sophie Park, Getty Images

The Maine secretary of state's office, meanwhile, tells me Platner still has yet to submit his formal withdrawal. That has to happen by Monday, or he remains the Democratic contender.

A politics rundown

•	From Susan Page, our Washington bureau chief: Democrats debate party's direction in Maine, Michigan and more
•	Olympian David Hearn pleads not guilty in Reflecting Pool vandalism case
•	Trump swapped Air Force One planes as a precaution when leaving Turkey

Daily photo gallery: See photos of new U.S. airstrikes rocking Iran war zone

High-stakes Education Department meeting starting soon

Back here in DC, another high-stakes meeting is happening. The Education Department is holding a private briefing with stakeholders from the special education community as this newsletter is going out. It was set to start around 2 p.m. ET, I'm told.

The purpose is to discuss the Trump administration's planned transfer of special ed programs to the Health and Human Services Department – a move that has caused uproar in the disability community.

"This partnership is intended to reduce bureaucratic barriers," Meg Kilgannon, the agency's director of external affairs, said in a message to invitees. "We look forward to the opportunity to provide more information about this work."

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Former judge avoids prison time for obstructing ICE

As my USA Today Network colleagues report from Milwaukee, former Wisconsin judge Hannah Dugan was not given a prison term or probation following her conviction for obstructing U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers attempting to arrest someone outside her courtroom.

Instead, at her sentencing hearing yesterday, the judge fined her $5,000, saying the sentence was fitting for “a few minutes of conduct” by a person who has dedicated her life to helping the poor. Read more about the decision here.

Zachary Schermele is the congressional correspondent for USA TODAY. You can reach him by email at zschermele@usatoday.com.