4,500 IMMIGRANTS LOSE MEDICAID, WHILE THOUSANDS OF ADULTS AT RISK UNDER JANUARY RULES: About 4,500 immigrants living legally in Maryland lost eligibility for full Medicaid coverage Thursday as the first of several sweeping changes to the program takes effect under congressional Republicans’ One Big Beautiful Bill Act. Three months later, new work and renewal requirements will affect about 320,000 low-income Maryland adults who qualify for Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act, with state health officials projecting that about 152,000 could lose coverage by June 2028. Mehedi Marof of Capital News Service/Maryland Reporter.
- About 4,500 immigrants legally living in Maryland lost their Medicaid coverage Thursday in the first wave of federal cuts that state officials estimate will ultimately cost many more people their health insurance. Meredith Cohn/The Baltimore Banner.
OFFICIALS SAY CHANGES TO ELECTRIC GRID GOVERNANCE AREN’T ENOUGH: Democratic leaders in Maryland and around the region have long called for PJM Interconnection, which administers the regional electric grid, to give more weight to state voices in its decision-making. Christine Condon/Maryland Matters.
TRUMP ADMINISTRATION CHALLENGES BAN ON POLICE WEARING MASKS: The U.S. Department of Justice is challenging a new state law that prohibits law enforcement officers from wearing masks to conceal their faces while on duty. The lawsuit was filed Thursday in U.S. District Court in Maryland on the same day the law took effect. Bryan P. Sears and William J. Ford/Maryland Matters.
- The U.S. Department of Justice announced Thursday that it is again suing Montgomery County, this time over a law that prevents law enforcement officers including U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents from wearing masks while on duty in the county. Ceoli Jacoby/Bethesda Today.
MOORE SIGNS EXECUTIVE ORDERS TO REMOVE HURDLES TO NEW HOUSING APPROVAL, CONSTRUCTION: Gov. Wes Moore continued his push against administrative barriers to new housing development Thursday, signing executive orders to identify administrative bottlenecks that delay project permit approvals and to speed construction of those units. Danielle J. Brown/Maryland Matters.
- Moore said he wants to build more housing to bring down costs, but researchers caution that even a significant increase in the state’s housing supply may not make homes affordable for its poorest residents. Jessica Baugh and Karl Hille/The Baltimore Sun.
MOORE INVITES TRUMP TO TOUR KEY BRIDGE REBUILD SITE: In an exclusive interview with CBS News Baltimore, Gov. Wes Moore was asked whether he would invite President Donald Trump to join him on a boat tour of the Francis Scott Key Bridge reconstruction site. The Key Bridge reconstruction has received bipartisan support, with state and federal officials from both parties visiting the site. Drew Aunkst/CBS Baltimore.
IS WES MOORE DELIVERING ON HIS ‘AUDACIOUS’ PROMISE TO END CHILD POVERTY: In his first State of the State address in 2023, Gov. Wes Moore declared: “We can, and we will, end child poverty in the state of Maryland.” But ending child poverty is a monumental task — even Moore describes the goal as “audacious” — and he runs the risk of overpromising and underdelivering, as he did with missed milestones for the Red Line and rebuilding the Key Bridge. Pamela Wood/The Baltimore Banner.
EX-B’MORE SCHOOL COMMISSIONER’S GROUPS GOT MILLIONS IN TAXPAYER MONEY: Entities controlled by Mujahid Muhammad, the former Baltimore City School Commissioner who resigned Wednesday night after the FBI searched a location connected to his nonprofit mental health organization, have received millions in taxpayer grants and contracts, records show. Lee O. Sanderlin, Emily Opilo and Kristen Griffith/The Baltimore Banner.
OFFICIALS SAY CHANGES TO ELECTRIC GRID GOVERNANCE AREN’T ENOUGH: Democratic leaders in Maryland and around the region have long called for PJM Interconnection, which administers the regional electric grid, to give more weight to state voices in its decision-making. Christine Condon/Maryland Matters.
FEDERAL OFFICIALS BACK FEDERAL CORRIDOR PLAN FOR POWER LINES: Carroll County officials are backing a new U.S. Department of Transportation initiative aimed at using existing highway and railroad corridors for utility infrastructure, including transmission lines. The move could help preserve agricultural land, county officials said. Marissa Yelenik/Carroll County Times.
