Graham Platner’s political implosion has forced Maine Democrats into a monthlong dash to replace the disgraced oysterman-cum-political-upstart and challenge Republican Sen. Susan Collins in November. Senate hopefuls have been courting supporters ahead of a nominating convention on Saturday. But rushed deadlines, unexpected tragedies and residual frustrations over Platner’s failed campaign have put Democrats in a bind. As of now, no candidate has emerged as a clear front-runner.

‘Stakes couldn’t be higher’
Democrats hope to “turn the page from the former standard-bearer” without “abandoning his supporters,” said Roll Call. Progressives who had been buoyed by Platner’s “populist message” are “hoping to maintain their momentum.” 

The “snap” replacement race is “off to a hectic and dramatic start,” said CNN. Maine Democrats are “scrambling to create a highly unorthodox process” in which candidates have rushed to “collect enough signatures to qualify for the convention and assemble slates of delegates to vote for them.”

The harried pace was accelerated further after Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents shot Colombian immigrant Joan Sebastian Guerrero in the town of Biddeford, Maine. Candidates have spent time “in and around Biddeford with the community” in recent days, “expressing outrage,” said The Boston Globe. But with most of the candidates in broad agreement on many issues, the “clarity and contrasts that campaigns tend to reveal” are missing for Democrats at a “time when they would be most helpful.”

The “stakes couldn't be higher” for the party, with Senate control on the line, said NPR. And it’s unclear if "one candidate can capitalize” on Platner’s political momentum.

‘Process for Maine and Mainers’
Faced with the “nearly hopeless position” of rapidly finding a new candidate, the Maine Democratic Party has nevertheless “shown a finesse I never imagined possible,” said Steve Collins at CentralMaine.com. The hypercompressed campaign schedule and upcoming convention are “not a simple solution or one that will make everyone happy.” But that was “never possible.”

Absent throughout much of this process has been Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.). He has been given a “clear message from his party’s voters, candidates and local leaders” in “all-important” Maine,” said The New York Times: “Stay away.” This is a “process for Maine and Mainers,” said Dr. Nirav Shah, one of the candidates, to the Times.

Japan plans to open its first centralized intelligence agency since World War II in the face of the increased security threats posed by China and Russia. Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi has described the new legislation for this agency that has just passed the upper house of Japan’s legislature, the National Diet (pictured above), as a “first step” toward strengthening the country’s independent espionage capabilities.

How will it work?
The agency will be made up of two bodies: A National Intelligence Council will act as the government’s command center for intelligence gathering and analysis, and a National Intelligence Bureau will be responsible for operations. The aim is to improve Japan’s intelligence abilities by “strengthening coordination, reducing inter-agency barriers and ensuring that intelligence products better meet policymakers’ requirements,” said Sanshiro Hosaka, of the International Centre for Defence and Security, to Al Jazeera.

Why now?
Pacifism is enshrined in Japan’s postwar constitution and culture, so the country has relied on cooperation with the U.S. for decades. But the Trump administration’s repudiation of long-standing allies has revealed the dangers of over-reliance on U.S. intelligence sharing. With the reform of its intelligence system, Japan’s approach to security is “becoming more self-reliant and autonomous.”

Japan’s intelligence system has “long been fragmented,” said The New York Times. That has “left the country especially vulnerable to espionage and foreign interference.” To make matters worse, Japan also lacks an anti-espionage law, which has made it relatively easy for foreign intelligence activities to go unpunished. Japan has had “enough of being a ‘spy paradise,’” said Philip Shetler-Jones and Masashi Umehara, of the Royal United Services Institute think tank, to the Times.

How are Russia and China operating now?
Chinese and Russian activity within Japan has increased in recent years. In 2024, cybersecurity research group Citizen Lab exposed a so-called paperwall of Beijing-run websites disguised as Japanese-language news sources to spread pro-China disinformation. 

The Russian military, meanwhile, has taken advantage of lax espionage laws to establish a secretive intelligence unit in Tokyo known as the 20th Directorate. “Posing as diplomats or businesspeople, its officers work to buy or steal battlefield technology and smuggle it into Russia,” said The New York Times, with 90% of Russian missiles and drones used in Ukraine containing Japanese components.

Rodrigo Cascante of Spain, after the country’s defeat of Argentina 1-0, prepares to lift the World Cup Winner’s Trophy as FIFA President Gianni Infantino directs Trump to move to the side at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey.
Dan Mullan / Getty Images

Creole and Cajun food both hail from Louisiana, but only one was born in New Orleans. Rich and soulful, Creole cuisine emerged from the city’s kitchens during the 1700s, influenced by French, African, Indigenous, Spanish and Caribbean cooking styles. In the Crescent City, no one does authentic Creole better than these eight treasured spots.

Guy’s Po-Boys
This corner shop (pictured above) excels at crafting the “classics,” such as golden fried shrimp and blackened catfish, as well as its own creations like The Bomb, said Tasting Table. Its “eclectic” po’boy brings together the shrimp and catfish that put Guy’s “on the map” along with melted Swiss and cheddar cheeses.

Li’l Dizzy’s Cafe
Only open for lunch, diners line up early for a seat at this “cherished” Tremé restaurant that’s “keeping Creole soul food alive,” said Mashed. The “deliciously juicy” fried chicken is regularly heralded as the best in New Orleans, and the gumbo is thick and luscious. If you find yourself at Li’l Dizzy’s on a Friday, you are in luck: The day’s special, catfish jourdain — fried catfish topped with shrimp and crabmeat in a lemon butter sauce — is a local favorite. 

Vaucresson’s Creole Café
When the steaming bowls of gumbo and plates of savory yakamein start coming out of the kitchen at Vaucresson’s Creole Café, “heads turn,” said NOLA.com. That’s because chef Bunny Young’s style of “New Orleans home cooking” is “increasingly rare” to find at restaurants. Try one of the restaurant’s famous sausages in a po’boy or in the smothered okra plate.