The Pittsburgh Steelers signed veteran wide receiver Adam Thielen at the tail end of the 2025 NFL season amidst struggles at the position. Thielen had returned to the Minnesota Vikings in 2025, the team that drafted him for which he carved out a very respectable career before signing with the Carolina Panthers in 2023.

Thielen appeared in five regular season games with the Steelers, catching 11 passes. He joined Good Morning Football on Monday and was asked about his experience in Pittsburgh, to which he couldn’t say enough nice things.

“What an amazing experience,” Thielen said. “First of all, just to experience the Pittsburgh Steelers organization. it was so cool to see it first hand. You hear a lot about it, you play against it, but you don’t really understand it until you get in that building. You just feel the culture and just kind of see how it’s different. It’s a family-owned business and it’s got that family aspect to it that they’re always in the building, they’re always around – it’s a really cool place.”

Thielen then discussed his time with Aaron Rodgers, and praised the four-time MVP for his approach to the game.

“Being around Aaron, I’ve known him for a long time,” Thielen said. “Played a lot of golf with him, built a strong relationship with him outside of football. But to seem in the building and in practice and his communication and the way he does things and his detail, it really showed me why he’s been so great for so long. A lot of times… you just think, ‘Oh, they’re really skilled…‘ these guys are great and separate themselves because of their process. He treated every single practice like it was the Super Bowl. it was unbelievable to see first hand just how hard he practiced, what it meant to him, how much communication there was through the week of trying to get everybody on the same page – whether that be coaches or players. So it was really cool to see that first hand and get to know him on the football side of things.”

Thielen retired after the 2025 season, finishing his career with 704 catches for 8,497 yards and 64 touchdowns.

Let us know what you think in the comments. Be sure to bookmark Behind the Steel Curtain for all the latest news, breakdowns, and more!

by Laura Tillman, CT Mirror
June 8, 2026

Connecticut moved up in a national ranking that uses data to rate how well children are doing state-to-state, moving from eighth to seventh place.

The 2026 Kids Count is compiled by the Annie E. Casey Foundation and state partners like Connecticut Voices for Children and uses 16 indicators in four different categories to assess how well kids are doing — economically and scholastically, as members of families and communities, as well as their physical health.

The dataset, which analyzes 2024 data, rated Connecticut highly in education and health, ranking third and fourth respectively. But Connecticut continues to place closer to the middle of the pack in the categories of economic well-being and family and community, at 20th and 18th in the nation.

Overall, New Hampshire ranked first in the nation while Mississippi came in last.

“Behind every number in this report is a child who is either hungry or fed, housed or homeless, progressing academically or falling behind. No state is consistently getting this right,” said Lisa M. Lawson, president and CEO of the Annie E. Casey Foundation. “The Data Book challenges us to follow the evidence and do what delivers results.”

Connecticut’s 2024 data was measured against numbers from 2019. While most measures didn’t see a significant change, there were some small shifts. That included a slight increase in the number of low birth weight babies, from 7.8% to 8.1%, and more teens not in school and not working — from 4 to 5%. Despite Connecticut’s strong educational ranking, the numbers in that area also slid back — 40% of pre-K aged kids were not in school, compared to a previous measurement of 35%; more fourth-graders were not proficient in reading, up to 64% from 60%; and more eighth-graders were not proficient in math, 68% compared to 61%.

“Connecticut’s overall high ranking is something to be proud of but evidence we are not doing enough — we must engage in big, bold policy changes that advance economic security for all families, not just the privileged and lucky few,” said Emily Byrne, executive director of Connecticut Voices for Children. “The data show both the impact of investments that support children and families and the consequences of longstanding status quo budgets that don’t address equity and opportunity.”

Byrne said that Connecticut has a “moral responsibility” to support families by strengthening the social safety net and investing in policies that benefit all children.

This year, the Kids Count report includes an overall numerical score between 0 and 1000. Connecticut scored 708 — well above the national average of 547. But Connecticut’s score also dropped compared to how the Annie E. Casey Foundation rated it during 2019, when it was rated 727. The Foundation said that 2019 was chosen as a basis of comparison because it represents how kids were faring pre-COVID. The numerical ranking is intended to help make more visible how states are improving or declining on metrics independent of how they rank against other states.

By those scores, kids fared worse in 2024 than they did in 2019, with much of this decline driven by education. Connecticut’s educational data improved in only one metric between 2019 and 2024: slightly more high school students are graduating on time. And, despite its mediocre ranking on economic outcomes, Connecticut’s metrics improved in three of four economic categories, with fewer children living in poverty, fewer children whose parents lack secure employment and fewer children living in households with a high housing cost burden compared to 2019 figures.

Data on the decreasing share of young children not in school is notable as Connecticut embarks on an ambitious plan to fund early childhood education for low-income families with an endowment. Under that plan, which Gov. Ned Lamont has said is central to his legacy, families making less than $100,000 per year would pay nothing for pre-K, while families making more than that would contribute up to 7% of their household income.

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WASHINGTON (AP) — There’s no shortage of competitive, high-stakes races and candidates with famous last names in Maine’s state primary on Tuesday.

Primaries for U.S. Senate and U.S. House will set the stage for a midterm general election in which Maine is expected to play a critical role in deciding control of both chambers. Maine voters will also have the opportunity in November to demonstrate the state’s fiercely independent streak when it comes to electing a new governor.

READ MORE: Amid controversial Senate campaigns, Paxton and Platner visit Washington to shore up support

The races feature the son of a U.S. senator, the daughter of a congresswoman, the brother of a former governor and the nephew and cousin of two presidents.

Republican Sen. Susan Collins is unopposed for renomination to a sixth term, which would put her on track to become the chamber’s longest-serving member from Maine.

Collins, the only Senate Republican to represent a state that Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris carried in 2024, is a pivotal figure in the effort to win control of the chamber in November. The 51% of the vote she received in her 2020 election bid was her poorest showing since the 49% she received in her first successful run in 1996. She is frequently at the top of Democrats’ list of incumbents to oust, but her Democratic opponents have never surpassed the 44% mark in her five previous races.

READ MORE: Platner’s wife calls reports about Senate candidate’s explicit texts with women ‘shameful’

Graham Platner is the leading contender for the Democratic nomination to challenge Collins. He’s a Marine and U.S. Army veteran who took up oyster farming following combat tours in Iraq and Afghanistan. Platner originally faced a competitive primary against Gov. Janet Mills, the preferred candidate among some national Democratic leaders, but the second-term governor dropped out of the race in April citing fundraising challenges.

Platner has two remaining primary opponents, one of them a write-in candidate. Mills is still on the ballot, despite suspending her campaign.

As of May 20, Platner led all candidates, including Collins, in fundraising for the cycle, although Collins sat atop a larger war chest.

WATCH: Dissecting what the latest primary races mean for November elections

He received key early backing from Vermont U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders, who reiterated his support despite recent allegations that Platner had sent sexually explicit text messages to several women while married. Platner was embroiled in another controversy earlier in the campaign regarding a tattoo he once had that was recognized as a Nazi symbol.

In the 2nd Congressional District, Democratic U.S. Rep. Jared Golden announced in November that he would not seek a fifth term in a district Trump won in 2024, along with its one electoral vote. Maine is one of two states that allocates some of its presidential electoral votes by congressional district.

The Democratic field to replace Golden includes former congressional aide Jordan Wood, state Auditor Matt Dunlap and state Sen. Joe Baldacci, brother of Democratic former Gov. John Baldacci.

The winner will face former two-term Republican Gov. Paul LePage, who is unopposed for the nomination.

Wood has far outraised the field, including LePage, in campaign contributions, although LePage had the most money in the bank as of May 20.

In the gubernatorial primaries, state Secretary of State Shenna Bellows, former state Senate President Troy Jackson, renewable energy company co-founder Angus King III, former state House Speaker Hannah Pingree and former Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Deputy Director Nirav Shah all seek the Democratic nomination.

The Republican field includes former healthcare CEO Jonathan Bush, former U.S. State Department official Bobby Charles, former state Senate Majority Leader Garrett Mason and businessman Ben Midgley.

King is the son of independent U.S. Sen. Angus King. Pingree is the daughter of Democratic U.S. Rep. Chellie Pingree. Bush is related to Republican former Presidents George H.W. Bush and George W. Bush.

The governor’s office in Maine frequently changes party hands. The state hasn’t elected consecutive governors from the same party in 74 years.

Maine is divided into 16 counties, but elections are run by the state’s hundreds of cities and towns, a practice common in New England. Portland is by far Maine’s most populous city and forms the heart of the state’s Democratic base. The two congressional districts largely track with the state’s political demographics. The 1st Congressional District along the Southern Maine Coast is heavily Democratic, while the massive 2nd District to the north includes the bulk of the smaller, more rural areas where Trump performed best.

The state uses a ranked-choice voting system in which voters rank the candidates in order of preference. If no candidate receives a majority of first-place votes, the last-place candidate is dropped, and votes cast for that candidate are reallocated among the rest of the field according to the preferences of the dropped candidate’s voters. This process repeats until one candidate emerges with a majority of votes.

Here are some of the key facts about the election and data points the AP Decision Team will monitor as the votes are tallied.

When do polls close?

Polls close at 8 p.m. ET.

What’s on the ballot?

The Associated Press will provide vote results and declare winners in contested primaries for U.S. Senate, U.S. House, governor, state Senate and state House.

Who gets to vote?

Registered party members may vote only in their own party’s primary. In other words, Democrats can’t vote in the Republican primary or vice versa. Independent or unaffiliated voters may participate in either primary.

How many voters are there?

As of January, there were about 354,000 registered Democrats, about 309,000 registered Republicans and about 334,000 voters with no party affiliation.

How many people actually vote?

About 69,000 Democratic primary votes and about 60,000 Republican primary votes were cast in the gubernatorial primaries in 2022, when both nominees ran unopposed.

How much of the vote is cast early or by absentee ballot?

About 26% of the Democratic primary vote and about 12% of the Republican primary vote in the 2022 primaries for governor was cast before primary day.

As of Thursday, about 56,000 ballots had already been cast in Tuesday’s election, about 33,000 from Democrats, about 13,000 from Republicans and about 10,000 from voters not affiliated with any party.

When are early and absentee votes released?

In the 2024 general election, the state’s most populous cities and towns tended to release results from all types of voting together at the beginning of the night.

How long does vote-counting usually take?

In the 2024 general election, the AP first reported results at 8:44 p.m. ET, or 44 minutes after polls closed. About 50% of the total vote had been counted by 12:54 a.m. ET, and counting stopped for the night at 4:11 a.m. ET. By 3:13 p.m. ET the day after Election Day, about 90% of the vote had been counted.

When will the AP declare a winner?

The AP does not make projections and will declare a winner only when it’s determined there is no scenario that would allow a trailing candidate to close the gap. If a race has not been called, the AP will continue to cover any newsworthy developments, such as candidate concessions or declarations of victory. In doing so, the AP will make clear that it has not yet declared a winner and explain why.

How do recounts work?

Under a 2025 law, recounts in Maine are automatic if the vote is tied. A candidate for statewide or multicounty office may request and pay for a recount, although the charges are waived if the vote margin is not more than 1% of the total votes cast or not more than 1,000 votes, whichever is less. The AP may declare a winner in a race that is subject to a recount if it can determine the lead is too large for a recount or legal challenge to change the outcome.

Are we there yet?

As of Tuesday, there will be 147 days until the 2026 midterm elections.

— Robert Yoon, Associated Press