Vance is set to speak in Maine about fraud investigations ahead of primary election

BANGOR, Maine (AP) — Vice President JD Vance is slated to make an appearance in Maine on Thursday to highlight the Trump administration’s efforts to combat fraud ahead of the state’s primary elections for several high-profile races.

Vance, who chairs the administration’s anti-fraud task force, is scheduled to deliver remarks at Bangor International Airport, the White House and the Maine Republican Party announced.

The vice president, who is seen as a potential GOP candidate for president in 2028, has been promoting the work of the task force as he has campaigned for Republican candidates in recent months. But Thursday's visit is the first that has been expressly billed as a stop to talk about the fraud-fighting efforts rather than an economic-focused message he's delivered in other visits.

Vance's pitch on President Donald Trump's economic policies has become tougher in the wake of the Iran war, which has driven up costs of gas and other goods, including food.

The visit to Maine comes after the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services Administrator Dr. Mehmet Oz said earlier in the year that he was calling for corrective action on alleged fraud in government health programs in Maine, a request characterized by the state’s Democratic governor, Janet Mills, as a “political attack.” It also comes as Maine residents begin voting ahead of the state’s primary elections on June 9, when they will be selecting candidates for governor, the U.S. Senate and the U.S. House.

Mills, who is prevented by term limit laws from running for a third term, recently dropped out of the Democratic primary race to challenge Republican Sen. Susan Collins, effectively ceding the nomination to progressive activist and oyster farmer Graham Platner. The seat is considered one of the most competitive in the nation and critical to Democratic hopes of reclaiming control of the chamber.

Republicans are bullish about their chances of taking back the 2nd Congressional District, which encompasses Bangor, after Democratic Rep. Jared Golden announced he wouldn’t be seeking reelection to the seat. Former Gov. Paul LePage, a Trump ally looking to make a political comeback, is the sole Republican vying for the nomination.

LePage is expected to speak at Thursday's event, but Collins is scheduled to be in Washington. LePage posted on social media channel X before the event that “every dollar of fraud is a dollar stolen from taxpayers and not used to help those who truly need assistance.”

In the governor's race, seven Republicans and five Democrats are vying to replace Mills, who has sparred with the Trump administration over the issue of transgender athletes in high school sports.

Some Maine Democrats have used Vance’s appearance as an opportunity to boost their campaign messages. Progressive groups were planning a demonstration in Bangor at the time of the appearance, and Maine Secretary of State and governor candidate Shenna Bellows said she planned to speak at it.

Nirav Shah, the former Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention director who is now running for governor, said in an email to supporters and media that Vance is visiting Maine when costs of necessities such as heating oil and gas are surging in the state.

“That is the record JD Vance is bringing to Maine on Thursday. That is the record the Maine Republicans hosting him are ‘honored’ to celebrate,” Shah said.

Maine is a largely Democratic state, but Trump has proven popular in rural areas, and he has won the 2nd District in three consecutive elections. Mills had made her opposition to Trump a focus of her Senate run against Collins until she suspended her campaign in late April, clearing a path for Platner to take the nomination.

Vance paid a visit to northern New England in March 2025, when he went to Vermont on a family vacation. The appearance attracted protests near a ski resort.

Associated Press reporter Michelle L. Price in Washington contributed to this report.

Vice President JD Vance listens as Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services Administrator Dr. Mehmet Oz speaks to the media from the Eisenhower Executive Office Building on the White House campus, Wednesday, May 13, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)

Vice President JD Vance arrives to speak to the media from the Eisenhower Executive Office Building on the White House campus, Wednesday, May 13, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)

Vice President JD Vance speaks to the media from the Eisenhower Executive Office Building on the White House campus, Wednesday, May 13, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)

Vice President JD Vance speaks to the media from the Eisenhower Executive Office Building on the White House campus, Wednesday, May 13, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)

LUCKNOW, India (AP) — Dust storms, heavy rain, and lightning damaged homes and other structures and killed at least 96 people in northern India, officials said Thursday.

The storms also injured more than 50 people as they swept across several districts late Wednesday in Uttar Pradesh, India’s most populous state.

Officials said some deaths were caused by falling trees, collapsing structures and lightning. Police and disaster response teams used chainsaws and cranes to clear fallen trees from roads and railway tracks in several districts.

Storms are common in northern India during the hot season from March to June, before the annual monsoon rains arrive.

Narendra N. Srivastava, an administrative official, said emergency teams were deployed across the affected areas and that homes, crops and power infrastructure were widely damaged, particularly in rural districts.

In Prayagraj district, residents described panic as strong winds tore through neighborhoods.

“The storm came suddenly and the sky turned completely dark within minutes,” Ram Kishore said. “Tin roofs were flying and people ran indoors. We could hear trees falling throughout the evening.”

In neighboring Bhadohi district, Savitri Devi said her family narrowly escaped after strong winds damaged their mud house.

“We rushed outside when the walls started shaking because of the wind. Our roof collapsed moments later. We spent the night at a relative’s house," she said.

Uttar Pradesh's Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath ordered officials to complete relief operations within 24 hours and directed authorities to provide compensation and emergency aid to affected families.

Shweta Yadav, 16, who was injured while trying to save her brother Summit Yadav, 24, after a wall of their neighbor's house collapsed following dust storms and heavy rain, is consoled by a relative in Prayagraj, India, Thursday, May 14, 2026. (AP Photo/Rajesh Kumar Singh)

Relatives place the body of Summit Yadav, 24, who died after the wall of his neighbor's house collapsed following dust storms and heavy rain, into an ambulance at a mortuary in Prayagraj, India, Thursday, May 14, 2026. (AP Photo/Rajesh Kumar Singh) CORRECTION: Corrected to that Yadav died after the wall of his neighbor's house collapsed, not his own house's.

Relatives cry after seeing the body of Summit Yadav, 24, who died after a wall of his neighbor's house collapsed following dust storms and heavy rain in Prayagraj, India, Thursday, May 14, 2026. (AP Photo/Rajesh Kumar Singh)

Relatives mourn beside the body of Summit Yadav, 24, who died after the wall of his neighbor's house collapsed following dust storms and heavy rain in Prayagraj, India, Thursday, May 14, 2026. (AP Photo/Rajesh Kumar Singh) CORRECTION: Corrected to that Yadav died after the wall of his neighbor's house collapsed, not his own house's.

A Home Guard member ties a rope to a fallen tree to set up a temporary shelter following dust storms and heavy rain in Prayagraj, India, Thursday, May 14, 2026. (AP Photo/Rajesh Kumar Singh)