Susan Collins, Most Worthless Senator Ever?; How the Coachella Valley Could Theoretically Become Part of a Very Red State–Coachella Valley Independent’s Indy Digest: Aug. 28, 2025

Indy Digest: Aug. 28, 2025

Breaking News: Susan Collins is again alarmed!

What, you may ask, is the Maine Republican senator alarmed about now? The Hill explains:

GOP Sen. Susan Collins (Maine) on Thursday said she was “alarmed” by the firing of Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Director Susan Monarez as ordered by the Trump administration.

Monarez was originally asked to resign but ultimately chose to hold firm to the post until the White House informed her of the removal.

Various senior agency officials have decried her ouster, and four of them followed her by resigning.

“I am extremely alarmed at the firing of the CDC director,” Collins told reporters following an appearance with the Maine Sheriffs Association, according to Spectrum News.

“I know her. I have met with her several times and talked with her on the phone, and I see no basis for her firing.”

This is not the first time that Collins has expressed alarm, or concern, or even worry over the Trump administration’s actions. Far from it. With a couple of notable exceptions, Collins is famous for expressing alarm, and then voting for something terrible anyway … like, for example, voting to confirm Robert F. Kennedy Jr.—the anti-science cretin who wanted Monarez fired—as the secretary of Health and Human Services.

Monarez, however, did not go without a fight. As The New York Times reports, in a newsletter piece headlined “R.F.K. Jr.’s Firing of C.D.C Director Causes Chaos“:

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention descended further into chaos today as a standoff continued between its director, Susan Monarez, and Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Guards escorted from the agency’s headquarters three top officials who quit in protest of her firing.

The White House said late Wednesday that Monarez, an infectious disease researcher who took over the agency less than a month ago, had been dismissed over a dispute regarding vaccine policy. But her lawyers insisted that only the president can fire her.

Kennedy, who reconstituted an expert advisory panel with people who question the safety of vaccines, demanded in meetings this week that Monarez accept the panel’s demands and fire several top officials.

On Thursday, he called the C.D.C. “very troubled” and said changing it would “require getting rid of some people over the long term.” He said he had confidence that the “political staff” at the agency would make that happen.

The officials who quit today were the chief medical officer, the head of the agency’s center overseeing respiratory illnesses and vaccine recommendations, and the head of the center that oversees emerging diseases and vaccine safety. Yesterday, the leader of the office of public health data also resigned.

Who could have possibly seen such “chaos” coming at an agency headed by RFK Jr.? The answer: Everyone could—including Collins’ fellow senator from Maine, Angus King. Maine Public Radio reported back in February:

King, an independent who caucuses with the Democrats, said in a Senate floor speech Wednesday night that Kennedy was “grossly unqualified” to lead the Department of Health and Human Services. King also called Kennedy “hostile” to the mission of the agency because of his anti-vaccine advocacy and his earlier vows to sideline research on infectious diseases.

“This man is not only unqualified, he is anti-qualified,” King said. “He is a danger. We have physicians in the Senate. I believe the Hippocratic oath should also apply to Senate votes. You should not be voting for someone who you know will do harm to the public health.”

Susan Collins’ lack of a spine is, frankly … alarming.

—Jimmy Boegle

Last Chance! Voting Ends Tomorrow (Friday)!

More News

• A Republican California legislator has put forth a proposal to split the state into two … and the Coachella Valley would wind up in the deep, deep red one. The Sacramento Bee reports: “Assembly Minority Leader James Gallagher, R-Yuba City, proposed Wednesday to split California into two states, dividing coastal and inland cities. … Gallagher’s solution is a move that political observers are describing as a long-shot response to the ongoing redistricting fight. The two state solution is designed to address those in the inland region who are overlooked, Gallagher said. The coastal region would remain California while inland areas would form a new state with separate representation and governance. Democratic leaders wasted little time in pushing back. A spokesperson for the Governor’s Office described the idea as ‘a stunt that will go nowhere.’ Meanwhile, Nick Miller, a spokesperson for Assembly Speaker Robert Rivas, criticized the proposal, calling it a ‘James Gallamander.’ A statement from California Democratic Party Chair Rusty Hicks contrasted the plan with GOP opposition to expanding representation to Washington, D.C., and Puerto Rico.”

• When I saw this story come across my news feed, I gasped … even though it’s depressingly unsurprising, given the current Stephen Miller-soiled reality. The Seattle Times reports: “Two people fighting the Bear Gulch fire on the Olympic Peninsula were arrested by federal law enforcement Wednesday, in a confrontation described by firefighters and depicted in photos and video. Why the two firefighters were arrested is unclear. But a spokesperson for the Incident Management Team leading the firefighting response said the team was ‘aware of a Border Patrol operation on the fire,’ that it was not interfering with the firefighting response and referred reporters to the Border Patrol station in Port Angeles. Over three hours, federal agents demanded identification from the members of two private contractor crews. The crews were among the 400 people including firefighters deployed to fight the wildfire, the largest active blaze in Washington state. … It is unusual for federal border agents to make arrests during the fighting of an active fire, especially in a remote area.” That last sentence … OMG.

• Speaking of unhinged cruelty … there’s this Time magazine headline: “Trump Wants Death Penalty For All Murder Cases in D.C., Which Last Executed Someone in 1957.” Good lord. Details: “President Donald Trump said Tuesday that his Administration will move to reinstate the death penalty in all murder cases in Washington, D.C., his latest effort to crack down on crime and exert more federal control over the nation’s capital. ‘If somebody kills somebody in the capital, Washington, D.C., we’re going to be seeking the death penalty,’ Trump said during a Cabinet meeting at the White House, describing capital punishment as ‘a very strong preventative.’ He added that while states ‘are going to have to make their own decision,’ prosecutors in D.C. would seek the death penalty. ‘We have no choice,’ he said. … The District’s elected leaders abolished the death penalty in 1981, and residents rejected restoring it in a 1992 referendum by a wide margin. But the nation’s capital is unique in that the U.S. attorney’s office in D.C. prosecutes both local and federal crimes and can, in certain cases, bring federal charges that carry the possibility of death.”

• A new study shows that a lack of local news leads local governments to engage in shenanigans. On one hand, duh, and on the other, sigh. Northwestern University’s Local News Initiative says: “The loss of local news is linked with increased government secrecy, according to a new study conducted by the Brechner Center for the Advancement of the First Amendment at the University of Florida. The findings lend the first empirical evidence to the connection long intuited between the declining health of local news ecosystems and decreased government transparency. They add to the growing body of research that demonstrates the impact of news deserts on democracy, including increased partisanship, lower voter participation, and diminished civic engagement. ‘Where there are no newspapers and weakened newspaper systems, government secrecy is flourishing,’ said David Cuillier, director of the Freedom of Information Project at the Brechner Center and author of the report. ‘Government officials see that journalists are hurting, and they’re taking advantage of that.’“

• If you’re traveling with hairstyling tools, the Los Angeles Times has a warning for you: “Lithium-ion batteries used to power cordless hairstyling tools allow these devices to have faster charging and longer usage times, and are thus more reliable, according to the Growth Market Reports, a market research and business consulting firm. But replacing the cord with a battery for power is what’s keeping the devices out of the cargo section of the plane. … Plug-in hair straighteners and curling irons don’t have any flight restrictions so you’re free to pack them in your carry-on or check-in luggage. But the TSA said their counterpart has restrictions: cordless hairstyling tools that are powered by lithium metal or lithium-ion batteries or gas or butane fuel are allowed only in carry-on bags. That’s so that passengers or flight attendants can react if they start to overheat in the cabin. If they overheat or combust in your checked bag in the cargo area of a plane, it may take a while for anyone to notice.”

• And finally … today’s recall news involves … eggs! NBC News reports: “Health officials are investigating a salmonella outbreak linked to eggs that has sickened 95 people across the United States, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Thursday. California-based Country Eggs LLC issued a recall of its large brown cage-free sunshine yolk eggs on Wednesday. The eggs were also sold under the brand names Nagatoshi Produce, Misuho and Nijiya Markets, according to the Food and Drug Administration. They were also packed for food service as large brown ‘sunshine yolks’ or ‘omega-3 golden yolks.’ The eggs were delivered to grocery stores and food service distributors in California and Nevada from June 16 through July 9, the FDA said.”

• And … pressure washers. Because of explosions! The Associated Press explains: “About 780,000 pressure washers sold at retailers like Home Depot are being recalled across the U.S. and Canada, due to a projectile hazard that has resulted in fractures and other injuries among some consumers. According to a Thursday recall notice published by the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, TTI Outdoor Power Equipment is recalling certain models of its Ryobi-branded electric pressure washers because the products’ capacitor can overheat and burst, ‘causing parts to be forcefully ejected.’ That poses serious impact risks to users or bystanders. To date, the CPSC notes, the power tool and equipment company has received 135 reports of capacitors overheating in the U.S.—including 41 reports of explosions that resulted in 32 injuries and/or fractures to consumers’ fingers, hands, face and eyes.”

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