AS TRUMP ADMIN TELLS STATES TO REVERSE SNAP AID, MOORE SAYS NO: The Trump administration has instructed states that they must “immediately undo any steps” that were taken to provide full SNAP benefits to low-income Americans, saying states were “unauthorized.” The U.S. Department of Agriculture, in a late-night Saturday memo, also threatened to impose financial penalties on states that did not comply with the government’s new orders. The Associated Press/CBS-TV News.
- Maryland appears unlikely to change its plan to spend $62 million to help state residents who depend on food stamps. During a television appearance Sunday, Gov. Wes Moore said his state would not wait to find out whether SNAP funds will be available to residents trying to buy food. Carson Swick/The Baltimore Sun.
- Moore said that there has been “intentional chaos” from the Trump administration, which contends that it cannot fund SNAP benefits amid the shutdown. “They got money for everything but when it’s to supporting the people, that’s now when they are crying, well, we are broke and that’s not what the law requires us to do,” Moore said. Margaret Brennan/Face the Nation.
MOORE ANNOUNCES MORE AID FOR FED WORKERS, LOW-INCOME FOLKS: On day 38 of the federal government shutdown — the longest ever recorded — Gov. Wes Moore announced another round of state assistance for federal workers and low-income Marylanders. Staff/WYPR-FM.
BALTIMORE HONORS HEROES AS SHUTDOWN IMPERILS VETERANS, FAMILIES: After Veronica Flynn served for almost nine years and went on two deployments with the U.S. Navy, she took a job at the Medical Readiness Clinic at Fort Meade to continue to help soldiers. Now Flynn, who is supporting three kids and paying a mortgage, has been furloughed because of the longest federal government shutdown in history. She is among the roughly 700,000 veterans who are federal workers, many of whom have been furloughed as well. Sara Ruberg/The Baltimore Banner.
PRESSURE MOUNTS ON FERGUSON TO ALLOW REDISTRICTING: The announcement by Maryland Senate President Bill Ferguson that his chamber won’t join the nationwide push to redraw congressional districts wasn’t just saying no to his House counterpart or to Gov. Wes Moore. He was saying no to the entire Democratic Party. And now the party is pushing back — and trying to strong-arm him. Brenda Wintrode/The Baltimore Banner.
- Dozens of people gathered on the first floor of the Maryland State House on Friday to call for Democrats to redraw the state’s congressional districts to counter partisan redistricting in GOP-led states — and specifically to rally against Ferguson’s opposition to redistricting. Nicole Pilsbury/Maryland Matters.
OPINION: MOORE SEEKS TO DISENFRANCHISE REPUBLICANS: Make no mistake, what Gov. Wes Moore really wants to do is disenfranchise his Republican constituents, especially in the conservative Eastern Shore and western Panhandle. Moore capitulated to escalating pressure from his left because he wants to be president. Editorial Board/The Washington Post.
COMMISSION: END CHARGING YOUTH AS ADULTS AUTOMATICALLY FOR SOME CRIMES: A Maryland commission is recommending that the state do away with its practice of automatically charging youth as adults for certain crimes, saying it doesn’t improve public safety and can harm the youth. William Ford/Maryland Matters.
TASK FORCE RECOMMENDS DECRIMILIZING SOME PSYCHEDELICS: Some psychedelic drugs could be decriminalized in Maryland in the near future if lawmakers heed the recommendations of a task force they assigned to consider the impacts of making the drugs more accessible. Scott Maucione/WYPR-FM.
- The Maryland Task Force on Responsible Use of Natural Psychedelic Substances says that with interest in the medicinal and therapeutic use of natural psychedelics on the rise, Maryland is “well positioned to be among the first states to expand access to psychedelic substances.” “It’s a big deal and we need to take it seriously,” said Gene Ransom, CEO for MedChi, the Maryland State Medical Society. Danielle Brown/Maryland Matters.
POLICE LAUD LICENSE PLATE READERS, BUT SOME WARN OF PROBLEMS: When Anne Arundel County Police announced in August that their crime rates had dropped since the beginning of the year, they attributed it in part to the technology at their fingertips, including automated license plate readers. But experts and critics alike warn that, as they grow in use, these license plate readers could be more of a cause for concern than a solution. Maggie Trovato/The Baltimore Sun.
MARYLAND ARTISTS PUSH BACK AGAINST CENSORSHIP: Free speech and censorship are coming to the forefront nationally as the Baltimore Museum of Art opened a controversial exhibit by the former Maryland artist Amy Sherald, who believes the Smithsonian Institute’s National Portrait Gallery attempted to censor her work. She’s among the artists and cultural groups who are using paintbrushes, musical instruments and publications to push back against what they view as the Trump administration’s attempt to curtail free speech. Mary Carole McCauley/The Baltimore Sun.
STATE PLANS TO BUILD RADIO TOWER AT PATAPSCO PARK: State officials consider the many dead zones within Patapsco Valley State Park dangerous. Some 2 million people each year visit the park that sprawls for miles along the Patapsco River to go hiking, mountain biking, kayaking and swimming. So officials plan to build a radio tower at a peak near the park’s edge that would rise high above the trees. The tower would give park rangers comprehensive communications coverage for responding to emergencies. Adam Willis/The Baltimore Banner.
LITTMANN POISED TO BECOME ANNAPOLIS’ NEXT MAYOR: Democrat Jared Littmann, a former city alderman and current hardware store owner, is poised to take the reins of Annapolis as Mayor Gavin Buckley’s second term ends. Littmann had 73% of the vote as of the count Thursday, with only a few mail-in ballots and provisional ballots expected to be counted Wednesday. Robert O’Shea, the Republican mayoral candidate, conceded the race Tuesday. Katharine Wilson/The Baltimore Sun.
AI ALERT FAILS TO TURN UP WEAPON AT 2nd BALTIMORE COUNTY SCHOOL: Baltimore County police determined there was no threat to safety after responding to a flag from the Parkville High School’s artificial intelligence-powered weapons detection system, the department said in a news release. Racquel Bazos/The Baltimore Sun.
MO CO TO PRESERVE SHRIVER HOME THAT WAS SPECIAL OLYMPICS PRECURSOR: The Rockville home where Eunice Kennedy Shriver founded a summer camp for children with intellectual disabilities, a precursor to the Special Olympics, will be preserved for future generations following a unanimous vote by the Montgomery County Council on Tuesday. Ceoli Jacoby/Bethesda Today.
I dare Gov. Moore to redistrict, he clearly isn’t going to stop lying about it. Do Gov. I dare you and when the courts call foul and add Repub seats or say we can’t mid-decade redistrict, you’ll look like a fool and have egg on your face like you deserve. I stand with Senate Prez. on this one.