MARYLAND SUES TRUMP ADMIN OVER LOST RESEARCH FUNDING: Maryland is suing the Trump administration to stop a drastic cost-cutting measure that could cost Johns Hopkins, the University of Maryland and other universities in the state hundreds of millions of dollars in lost research-related funding. The funding at risk from the National Institutes of Health pays for so-called indirect costs. Meredith Cohn/The Baltimore Banner.
RETIREES, FEDERAL WORKERS ‘SCARED TO DEATH’ OF TRUMP SLASHING SOCIAL SECURITY: A 35-year veteran of the Social Security Administration who works out of its headquarters in Woodlawn, Shelley Washington describes himself as “the guy that makes sure grandma gets her check.” He’s the one, he said, who gets the call at 2 a.m. if the system goes down. A potential mass exodus of his colleagues because of President Donald Trump’s steps to slash the federal workforce isn’t just destabilizing for his office — it’s a moment he believes could upend a service he’s dedicated his career to and that millions of people rely on. Sam Janesch/The Baltimore Sun.
AG BROWN DEFENDS MARYLAND AS TRUMP WAGES ‘WAR WITH PEOPLE OF AMERICA:’ Attorney General Anthony Brown is one of a cohort of Democratic attorneys general firing off motions and briefs to federal judges to thwart what they say are unconstitutional and illegal government actions. Brown has joined lawsuits that so far seek to protect Americans’ birthright citizenship, federal funding for state programs and the private financial information of millions of Americans. Brenda Wintrode/The Baltimore Banner.
- “Every day in the last three weeks … It’s waking up to a natural disaster or some other crisis – this sense of urgency, the need to act,” Brown said Monday at the Office of the Attorney General in Baltimore. “Here we have a federal government that seems to be at war with the people of America, and it seems to be at war with communities across America.” Danielle Brown/Maryland Matters.
- Upon taking office, Trump immediately began sweeping actions to remake the federal government. The Republican president said he ended diversity, equity and inclusion practices to end “illegal discrimination” and “create a society that is blind to color and based on merit.” Trump also ordered massive staff cuts throughout several agencies to combat what he said was wasteful government spending. Hannah Gaskill/The Baltimore Sun.
HOW A NATIONAL HOUSING CRISIS HITS HOME: The U.S. lacks about 7.3 million homes for renters with extremely low incomes, according to estimates from the National Low Income Housing Coalition. No state has enough homes to bridge this gap. Maryland pegs its overall shortfall at around 96,000 houses, with about one-third missing in the Baltimore area. Hallie Miller/The Baltimore Banner.
RALLY GOERS URGE STATE TO FULLY FUND EDUCATION BLUEPRINT: About a dozen speakers at the rally Monday night of slightly more than 100 students, educators and advocates demanded that Gov. Wes Moore (D) and state lawmakers “fully fund the Blueprint.” Their demand comes as Moore and state legislative leaders have called for changes to the multibillion-dollar plan as the state grapples with a projected $3 billion deficit in the state’s $67 billion budget for fiscal 2026. William Ford/Maryland Matters.
ARTS ADVOCATES TO PROTEST REMOVAL OF ‘LEVEL FUNDING’ REQUIREMENT: About 600 Maryland cultural advocates are expected to descend Thursday on Annapolis to lobby legislators to reject a plan by Gov. Wes Moore that they fear could wreak havoc on the state’s fragile arts ecosystem. At issue is a densely worded passage in the governor’s proposed $67.3 billion budget for the fiscal year beginning July 1 that seeks to revoke a law that requires legislators to set aside at least as much money for the arts as they did the year before. Mary Carole McCauley/The Baltimore Sun.
PANEL ADVANCES UMS BOARD NOMINEES AFTER ATTEMPT TO DELAY VOTE: Two nominees to the University of Maryland Medical System Board appear headed for a confirmation vote after an attempt to delay Senate action by the chair of the Senate Executive Nominations Committee failed. Sen. Clarence Lam, (D-Howard and Anne Arundel), chair of the panel, attempted to hold the appointments of former Montgomery County Executive Isiah “Ike” Leggett and William Joseph McCarthy Jr. because he said they had failed to meet with him before Monday. Bryan Sears/Maryland Matters.
FEDERAL JUDGE: STATE CAN’T SUE DALI OWNER OUTSIDE OF DISTRICT COURT: A federal judge denied a petition filed by the state of Maryland and Ace American Insurance Co. to sue Grace Ocean Private outside of the U.S. District Court of Maryland in an attempt to expedite the ruling. Grace Ocean owns the ship that hit the Key Bridge last March. Scott Maucione/WYPR-FM.
CONGRESSIONAL DEMS TO DOGE: HANDS OFF SOCIAL SECURITY: Maryland’s Democratic congressional leaders called for the Elon Musk-led Department of Government Efficiency to keep its “hands off of Social Security” at a rally Monday outside the administration’s headquarters in Woodlawn. The gathering came after reports that DOGE gained access to the nearby Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services last week. Bria Overs/The Baltimore Banner.
COLUMN: VAN HOLLEN FIGHTS TRUMP WITH WORDS. ARE THEY ENOUGH? FINDS At every opportunity, the 66-year-old Democrat talks about ideas and in language you don’t often hear from a Maryland senior senator. U.S. Sen. Chris Van Hollen has put himself out front in the fight against Donald Trump’s unprecedented expansion of presidential powers. He seems bolder. Words are easy things for politicians. They can be the maddening absurdist noise of American politics. It’s routine to tune them out. Rick Hutzell/The Baltimore Banner.
BA CO COUNCIL ADMITS TO VIOLATING OPEN MEETINGS ACT: The Baltimore County Council, in a Feb. 10 letter to Maryland’s Office of the Attorney General, said it violated the state’s Open Meetings Act when it held an unpublicized, closed-door meeting Jan. 3. John Lee/WYPR-FM.
DEMS LINE UP IN RACE FOR BA CO COUNTY EXEC: The 2026 campaign for Baltimore County executive is shaping up to be a multimillion-dollar race. Recent campaign finance disclosures show county councilmembers Izzy Patoka and Julian Jones, both who have suggested launching campaigns soon, with account balances of $1.3 million and $1 million, respectively. Democratic State Sen. Charles Sydnor also is considering a campaign. His most recent disclosure shows a balance of $110,000. Nick Stewart, co-founder of the advocacy group We The People, said he’s “having conversations” about jumping in the race as a Democrat. And Democratic Councilmember Pat Young’s most recent disclosure shows a balance of $228,000. Brooke Conrad/The Baltimore Sun.
FORMER U.S. REP. BEVERLY BYRON DIES AT 92: Beverly Byron, part of a powerful and durable Western Maryland Democratic family and one of only 11 women elected to represent Maryland in Congress, died Sunday of heart failure at her home in Frederick, surrounded by several members of her family. She was 92. Josh Kurtz/Maryland Matters.
