A DIFFICULT TASK: MOORE SEEKS TO ENSURE AUTHORITY OVER MARYLAND GUARD: After President Donald Trump threatened to send military troops into Baltimore and other cities under the pretext of battling violent crime, Gov. Wes Moore has argued he has authority over Maryland’s National Guard and its missions. “I am the commander-in-chief of the Maryland National Guard, not him,” Moore said. He isn’t wrong, though he’s choosing his words carefully. Brenda Wintrode/The Baltimore Banner.
THE LAST TIME U.S. MILITARY OCCUPIED BALTIMORE: The last time the military was sent to bend Baltimore to the president’s will, it was 1861 and 1,000 soldiers slipped into the city on a dark and stormy night to hastily erect a fort and battery of guns on Federal Hill. Their cannons pointed across the harbor toward downtown, sending a clear message: The city would pledge its allegiance to the Union or risk violence. Now, 164 years later, Baltimore faces a new threat of occupation. Lee O. Sanderlin/The Baltimore Banner.
MOORE ADMIN FALLS SHORT ON CLIMATE GOALS: When Wes Moore became Maryland’s governor in 2023, he pledged to lead the state into a climate-resilient future by lowering emissions and decarbonizing the economy — and leave no one behind in doing so. But two and a half years into his term, the Moore administration has fallen short on its climate and environmental justice commitments and notably backflipped on progressive policies, a pair of midyear assessments from the nonprofit Maryland League of Conservation Voters concludes. Aman Azhar/Inside Climate News.
MOORE ADMIN FROZEN IN ATTEMPT TO REBUILD STATE GOVERNMENT: When Wes Moore ran for governor, he made rebuilding state government one of his central promises. He said he planned to fill 5,000 vacant positions in Maryland’s executive branch during his first year in office, telling voters that restoring state capacity was critical to delivering services and rebuilding trust. Now, a little over two years later, Moore’s administration has frozen vacant positions and is reviewing nearly 1,000 voluntary buyouts. Hannah Gaskill/The Baltimore Sun.
HEALTH OFFICIALS WORRY FEDERAL MESSAGING WILL USHER IN COVID RISE: Five years after Covid-19 hit the United States, officials can largely anticipate how the virus will operate and, with available vaccines, antivirals and at-home tests, the natural seasonal rise in cases is more manageable than at the peak of the pandemic. But public health advocates and researchers worry that recent “mixed messaging” from the federal level on who should get the new batch of Covid-19 vaccines may disrupt that progress. Danielle Brown/Maryland Matters.
MOORE TAKES A LEADERSHIP ROLL IN RESISTANCE FIGHTING: At the outset of President Donald Trump’s second administration, Gov. Wes Moore vowed not to be “the leader of the resistance,” but, by last week, Moore was on television telling the leader of the free world to “keep our name out of your mouth.” He discusses how states can lead where Washington fails. He also opens up about clashes with Donald Trump, the challenges of navigating federal politics, and what Democrats must do to deliver real results for working people. Erin Cox and Katie Shepherd/The Washington Post.
- Even as Trump turned his attention elsewhere after the peak back-and-forth early last week, Moore kept going. He told sportscaster Stephen A. Smith on a podcast: “I’m not a simp. I’m a soldier. And I’m not just going to kowtow. Pamela Wood/The Baltimore Banner.
- In this 30-minute video discussion, Moore talks about leadership, service and solutions, from cutting Baltimore’s homicide rate by 40%, to pioneering a statewide service year for young people, to rebuilding the Francis Scott Key Bridge. John Avlon/The Bulwark.
B’MORE HOMICIDES CONTINUE TO DROP AS TRUMP ESCALATES ATTACKS: The seven homicides recorded in Baltimore last month were the fewest in the month of August on record, helping the city record its lowest homicide total through the first eight months of a year in over half a century, Mayor Brandon Scott said Monday. But that didn’t prevent President Donald Trump from escalating his attacks on what he described Monday in a social media post as “the crime-drenched city of Baltimore.” Mary Carole McCauley/The Baltimore Sun.
McCLAIN DELANEY’s CAMPAIGN TO DEFEND HER SEAT IN A SWING DISTRICT: Constituents of the state’s sole swing district got an August preview of Rep. April McClain Delaney’s campaign to defend her seat in 2026. And it will be shaped by the policies passed in President Donald Trump’s One Big, Beautiful Bill. Ben Mause/The Baltimore Sun.
O’MALLEY BLASTS DOGE OVER ‘PIRATING” OF SOCIAL SECURITY DATA: Former Gov. Martin O’Malley, who also headed the Social Security Administration under former President Joe Biden, discusses DOGE employees’ unprecedented “pirating away” of Americans’ Social Security data and how it could lead to the “largest class action in American history.” Ali Velshi/MSNBC.
NOEM SAYS CBS CUT HER ALLEGATIONS ABOUT ABREGO GARCIA: Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem has accused CBS News of removing her statements about the alleged criminal background of Maryland resident Kilmar Abrego Garcia, “shamefully” editing her interview on “Face the Nation.” In her unedited remarks, Noem listed the allegations against Garcia, claiming that he is a member of the MS-13 gang, a human smuggler, and that he abused his wife. Taylor Fishman/Sinclair National Desk.
UPDATED 5:16 p.m. 9/2/25 WITH STATEMENT FROM CBS NEWS:
CBS News has since issued this statement: Secretary Noem’s “Face The Nation” interview was edited for time and met all CBS News standards. The entire interview is publicly available on YouTube, and the full transcript was posted early Sunday morning at CBSNews.com.
SPEECHES AT SOCIAL SECURITY LABOR DAY RALLY SILENCED: Ahead of Labor Day, the rally outside the Social Security Administration building in Woodlawn wasn’t large nor was it rowdy, with just one larger banner and one portable speaker. So there were murmurs of surprise when, after brief remarks from two labor leaders and a Democratic congressman, Courtney Jenkins, of the Metro Baltimore Council AFL-CIO, told those gathered that administrators and building security said they could continue to gather in the courtyard outside the building, but they couldn’t give any more remarks or use the speaker. Cody Boteler/The Baltimore Banner.
WOMEN’S HERITAGE CENTER TO CLOSE: The Maryland Women’s Heritage Center, a nonprofit that has strived to preserve the history of women, is dissolving. Lack of funding and a struggle to find volunteers are among the factors contributing to the group’s demise, said Diana Bailey, the center’s executive director. Kristen Griffith/The Baltimore Banner.
JURY FINDS FIREARMS DEALER LIABLE: A Maryland firearms dealer that Baltimore leaders said intensified its gun violence crisis between 2019 and 2022 by selling ghost gun kits owes the city $62 million in damages, a jury said recently. A statement from the city called it “the largest ever verdict a gun dealer defendant has been dealt in American history.” Jasmine Golden/The Washington Post.
The last time the U.S. military occupied Baltimore was in April 1968, when troops from the 82d Airborne were brought in to suppress the rioting after MLK’s assassination. There was a curfew and all liquor outlets were closed.