JUDGE BLOCKS TRUMP’S FEDERAL WORKER BUYOUT PROGRAM, CALLED A ‘SCHEME’ BY MD LEADERS: A federal judge on Thursday temporarily paused President Trump’s plan to offer buyouts to millions of federal workers, an initiative aimed at trimming the federal workforce but that Democrats and unions warned would be illegal and damaging. Sam Janesch/The Baltimore Sun.
- The ruling came hours before the midnight deadline for workers to apply for the deferred resignation program, which has been commonly described as a buyout. Chris Megerian, Collin Binkley and Byron Tau, Associated Press/The Baltimore Banner.
HEALTH SECRETARY LEAVING: Maryland Health Secretary Laura Herrera Scott will leave the position she has held since the start of the Moore administration to make room for Meena Seshamani, who until recently was deputy administrator at the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services. Bryan P. Sears and Danielle J. Brown/Maryland Matters.
- The health department has faced intense scrutiny over its handling of state psychiatric hospitals, nursing home inspections and funding deficits that have contributed to the state’s $3 billion budget crisis. Katie Mettler and Katie Shepherd/The Washington Post.
APPEALS COURT DISMISSES SUIT CLAIMING MD ELECTIONS, VOTER REGISTRATION ARE FLAWED: A federal appeals court has rejected a lawsuit by a pair of election integrity groups that claimed Maryland’s elections are fatally flawed, saying the groups failed to show that they suffered any injury that would give them standing to sue. Staff/Maryland Matters.
HOW LAWMAKERS WANT TO REDUCE RACIAL DISPARITIES IN TRAFFIC STOPS: A group of lawmakers in Annapolis wants to reimagine how police departments handle low-level traffic violations by cutting down the number of offenses that would justify pulling over a driver — a proposal that has law enforcement up in arms. Madeleine O’Neill/The Baltimore Banner.
SENATE, HOUSE HEAR ARGUMENTS ON LIMITING PRESCRIPTION DRUG COSTS: Senate and House committees both heard hours-long arguments on bills to give the Prescription Drug Affordability Board more authority over the private sector. The move would allow the board to set Upper Payment Limits on certain prescription drugs it deems a cost burden for Marylanders. Rachel Sawiki/WBAL News Radio.
WHAT GOV. MOORE DIDN’T SAY IN HIS STATE OF THE STATE SPEECH: Surely, one speech can’t possibly capture every pressing matter. And as Moore laid out his road map for the journey ahead, there were some notable, salient topics that didn’t make the cut. Brenda Wintrode and Pamela Wood/The Baltimore Banner.
A SESSION’S WORTH OF ENERGY DEBATES IN ONE LONG AFTERNOON: For the last few years, the nuclear energy industry has stood on the precipice of the Maryland energy policy debate, waiting for its close-up. Josh Kurtz/Maryland Matters.
B’MORE CO. OFFICIALS GIVE GLIMPSE INTO ‘VERY UNCERTAIN’ 2026 BUDGET: At a public meeting Thursday night, Baltimore County officials gave the public a first look into their budget situation for the upcoming 2026 fiscal year — which begins on July 1. Carson Swick/The Baltimore Sun.
MD AMONG STATES CHALLENGING MUSK’S ACCESS TO SENSITIVE PERSONAL DATA: Democratic attorneys general in several states, including Maryland, vowed Thursday to file a lawsuit to stop Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency from accessing federal payment systems containing Americans’ sensitive personal information. Associated Press/The Daily Record.
ANOTHER B’MORE BASED GLOBAL AID GROUP FACES CUTS: Catholic Relief Services, the Baltimore-based global humanitarian aid organization, appears to be bracing for major cuts tied to the Trump administration’s shutdown of the U.S. Agency for International Development. Meredith Cohn and Jasmine Vaughn-Hall/The Baltimore Banner.
- The Trump administration presented a plan Thursday to dramatically cut staffing worldwide for U.S. aid projects as part of its dismantling of the U.S. Agency for International Development, leaving fewer than 300 workers out of thousands. Ellen Knickmeyer, Associated Press/The Baltimore Banner.
WESTMINSTER MAYOR OPPOSES PLANS FOR HOMELESS RESPITE CENTER DOWNTOWN: Westminster Mayor Mona Becker is asking the Board of Carroll County Commissioners to join her in opposition of a short-term care facility for homeless individuals suffering from mental health issues and substance abuse to be located in the city. Sherry Greenfield/Carroll County Times.
DEBATE BEGINS OVER BILL TO LIMIT CRIMES FOR WHICH JUVENILES COULD BE CHARGED AS ADULTS: Criminal justice advocates welcomed a Senate bill that would sharply reduce the number of crimes for which a juvenile could be charged as an adult. Senate Bill 422 by Sen. William C. Smith Jr. (D-Montgomery) would raise the age at which a juvenile would be tried as an adult from 14 in the current law, to 16. It would also eliminate a number of crimes for which 16-year-olds are currently made eligible to be charged as adults. William J. Ford/Maryland Matters.
HAVRE DE GRACE OFFICIALS ACCUSED OF INTIMIDATION AND CONFLICTS OF INTEREST IN ETHICS COMPLAINT: An ethics complaint by the city’s former planning director alleging intimidation and conflicts of interest among top Havre de Grace officials has been dropped. Matt Hubbard/The Aegis.
PROPOSAL WOULD BROADEN WHO FILLS B’MORE COUNTY COUNCIL: It’s been 40 years since there was a vacancy on the Baltimore County Council. A council member is proposing legislation that the next one be picked by the County Council, not the county executive. John Lee/WYPR-FM.
