LIABILITY IN SEX ABUSE SUITS COULD HAMPER ATTEMPT TO FIX DEFICIT: An effort by Gov. Wes Moore (D) to resolve a $3 billion budget deficit could be hampered by hundreds of millions — potentially billions — in settlements related to a 2023 law that eliminated statutory limits on lawsuits filed by survivors of child sexual abuse. Bryan Sears/Maryland Matters.
WHAT HAPPENED TO THE POST-PANDEMIC SURPLUS? Two years before Maryland’s top fiscal analysts dropped the bombshell in November about the state’s financial position — the one showing a dramatic and growing $2.7 billion budget deficit — the same group of experts spoke about it in almost magical terms. What happened? Sam Janesch/The Baltimore Sun.
TRUMP SWORN INTO OFFICE AS 47th PRESIDENT: Republican Donald Trump took office as the 47th president of the United States Monday, saying that he was “saved by God to make America great again.” “In everything we do, my administration will be inspired by a strong pursuit of excellence and unrelenting success,” Trump said in his inaugural address. “We will not forget our country, we will not forget our constitution and we will not forget our God.” Jack Bowman, Emma Tufo and Paul Kiefer of Capital News Service/Maryland Reporter.
LAWMAKERS CONSIDER BILL ALLOWING ‘X’ FOR SEX ON BIRTH CERTIFICATES: Maryland lawmakers are considering a measure that would create a new designation of “X” for sex on Maryland birth certificates, a design meant to give official recognition to transgender and non-binary people at a moment of uncertainty for their community. Emma Tufo of Capital News Service/Maryland Reporter.
STATE SAYS PJM ELECTRIC GRID FIXES FALL SHORT: PJM Interconnection, the regional transmission operator for Maryland, has acknowledged that the ways it procures power for its electric grid have to be fixed — but a Maryland utility watchdog agency claims PJM’s proposed solutions fall short and would still impose unfair costs on residents. Gabrielle Lewis/The Frederick News Post.
BLACK CAUCUS SEEKS COMMISSION TO STUDY REPARATIONS: The Legislative Black Caucus of Maryland said Thursday its members plan to support legislation to create a commission to study reparations, including “financial restitution” and ways to support vulnerable communities. Gary Collins and Julian Baron/The Baltimore Sun.
WHAT TRUMP ‘s EXECUTIVE ORDERS COULD MEAN FOR MARYLAND: Many of Donald Trump’s executive orders are sure to draw legal challenges. But some steps — from declarations to weaken protections for the federal workforce, crack down on undocumented Latin American immigrants and roll back former President Joe Biden’s climate agenda — could have big implications for Maryland. Adam Willis/The Baltimore Banner.
COMMENTARY: TIME FOR GOOD CAUSE PROTECTIONS FOR RENTERS: For more than 15 years, the Renters Alliance has pursued good-cause protection against arbitrary evictions. The effort has steadily gained support from legal, labor, ethnic, political and religious organizations, the Maryland Association of Counties and leading elected officials. Gov. Wes Moore has said just-cause protections are “important,” and his Housing Secretary Jake Day promised full backing to get the bill passed. Despite that support, the bill did not get a vote last year in the Senate Judicial Proceedings Committee. Matt Losak/Maryland Matters.
WILL TRUMP HELP WORCESTER COUNTY STOP O.C. WIND PROJECT? With President Donald Trump’s recent inauguration comes uncertainty for the massive wind energy project planned to be erected along the coast of Ocean City. But, despite a potential executive order that could halt wind energy projects across the country, Worcester County officials and residents still find themselves battling to stop a project they’ve made clear they don’t want. Hannah Gaskill/The Baltimore Sun.
DOZENS OF MARYLAND RIOTERS AMONG TRUMP PARDONS: Donald Trump issued pardons for participants in the Jan. 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol, one of his first acts after being sworn in as the country’s 47th president on Monday. The 1,600 people pardoned include dozens of Maryland residents. Adam Willis, Zeke Miller, Chris Megerian and Joshua Boak/The Associated Press and The Baltimore Banner.
HARRY DUNN HOLDS MIXED EMOTIONS ON BIDEN PARDON: On Jan. 6, 2021, Harry Dunn of Silver Spring was U.S. Capitol Police officer grappling with supporters of President Donald Trump who had stormed the Capitol in a failed effort to block Congress from finalizing the 2020 presidential electoral vote. He later testified before the Jan. 6th Committee and campaigned for President Joe Biden. On Monday, Dunn learned that Biden was preemptively pardoning him. Dunn said he is gratified that Biden presented him with a legal shield in case Trump considers charges against those who investigated or publicly countered the president’s version of Jan. 6 events. But he is disheartened that such a pardon was necessary. Jeff Barker/The Baltimore Sun.
MOSBY FAILS IN BID TO GET PARDON FROM BIDEN: Dr. Anthony Fauci. Retired Gen. Mark Milley. Former U.S. Rep. Liz Cheney. These public figures, along with several of his relatives, were among those former President Joe Biden pardoned in the final hours before the inauguration of President Donald Trump. Absent from that list was former Baltimore State’s Attorney Marilyn Mosby, whose supporters had called on Biden to exonerate her before he left office. Alex Mann/The Baltimore Sun.
HOW ANGER SENT A RED WAVE THROUGH BLUE DUNDALK: Wilbur Ross, Trump’s commerce secretary during Trump’s first term, made billions off the pieces of Bethlehem Steel and other mills that were closing and shutting down jobs. Angered by the losses, the blue-collar workers of Sparrows Point and surrounding communities headed to the polls to punch back with the only weight they had left — their votes. These loyal Democrats hoisted a red flag for Donald Trump. Brenda Wintrode/The Baltimore Banner.
POLS USE SURPLUS CAMPAIGN FUNDS TO BUILD POLITICAL GOODWILL: New campaign finance records submitted last week to the State Board of Elections showed that state Sen. Sarah Elfreth steered $122,500 from her state campaign account to fellow Democratic candidates and causes in the months after she won the May Democratic primary for the open congressional seat. Elfreth couldn’t use that account, which contained $140,241 last January, for her successful congressional bid, which she launched in November 2023. Josh Kurtz/Maryland Matters.
