NPR News: 06-09-2026 7AM EDT

Korva Coleman· Host0:00

Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Korva Coleman. There are primary elections in four states today: Maine, Nevada, North Dakota, and South Carolina. In Maine, the Democratic Senate candidate is oyster farmer and combat veteran Graham Plattner. The New York Times recently published a story where previous romantic partners described Plattner as a person who is toxic and does not respect women. In an interview with Maine Public Radio, Plattner said he is confident that Maine voters understand that he has changed. NPR's Sage Miller reports if Democrats want to control the U.S. Senate next year, they have to win in Maine.

Sage Miller0:37

That requires flipping the seat away from Republican Senator Susan Collins. She's held the position for 30 years, largely because of her more moderate stance on the Hill. She isn't a Trump loyalist, but she is still a Republican, which means the president's unpopularity nationally and in the state could hurt her. But she's been here before. She's won many competitive elections, and Democrats want this seat. They need this seat.

Korva Coleman· Host1:02

NPR's Sage Miller reporting. The Trump administration is ordering the Census Bureau to come up with new plans for protecting people's privacy when it produces statistics based on people's personal information. NPR's Hansi Lo Wang reports this could limit the data released from the census and other federal government surveys.

Hansi Lo Wang1:20

Federal law requires the Census Bureau to keep people anonymous in its statistics. For decades, one of the main ways the Bureau has done that is by adding what's known as statistical