STATE ELECTIONS CHIEF EYES LEGISLATION WITH 2028 IN MIND: With the 2028 presidential election on the horizon, Maryland’s elections administrator wants lawmakers to use next year’s legislative session to address prediction markets and strengthen protections for election judges, along with revisiting a proposal regulating social media algorithms’ influence on elections. Konner Metz/The Baltimore Sun.
HEALTHCARE PANEL BACKS TAX EXTENSION, DRUG POLICY CHANGE: A healthcare coverage watchdog group is urging lawmakers to free up funding that can be used to meet a “desperate need” for revenue to help keep people insured. The Maryland Health Insurance Coverage Protection Commission recommended Tuesday that legislators extend a 1% tax on insurance carriers and that they back legislation making it easier for state officials to lower certain prescription drug costs. Danielle Brown/Maryland Matters.
SCHUMER CONFIDENT HE’LL BE SENATE LEADER; VAN HOLLEN DISMISSES ‘CORONATION:’ U.S. Sen. Chuck Schumer said Tuesday he’s “confident” he will be reelected as Democratic leader for the next Congress, despite opposition from prominent members who argue he isn’t up to the task. While no one has announced they will challenge Schumer, who has led Senate Democrats since 2017, Maryland Sen. Chris Van Hollen hasn’t ruled out the possibility. “What I’ve said is that we should not have a coronation,” Van Hollen said, adding that he is “actively listening” to other Democrats, but isn’t inclined to make any announcements at this time. Jennifer Shutt/Maryland Matters.
RASKIN REMAINS OPEN TO IMPEACHING TRUMP: Democratic leaders robustly supported the campaign to impeach Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth before Republicans put the kibosh on the effort Tuesday. But in the aftermath of a resounding win in last week’s midterm elections, Democrats can’t seem to muster the same enthusiasm for impeaching President Donald Trump. … except for U.S. Rep. Jamie Raskin of Maryland. Jeff Barker/The Baltimore Banner.
RED SEATS FLIPPED, BUT NOT FOR GOV. MOORE: Gov. Wes Moore has celebrated Democrats’ election victories over the past week, including seats flipped in Wicomico County, pointing to an Eastern Shore breakthrough as evidence of his party’s growing reach in the heavily blue state. But according to current state election numbers, voters in that county rejected Moore himself. Again. Gary Collins/The Baltimore Sun.
MUSLIM VOTERS IN ARUNDEL BEGIN TO TAKE A MORE ACTIVE ROLE: Just a few thousand Muslims live in Anne Arundel County, so they’re not known for having a strong voice in local politics. But that started to change in November’s midterm election. “It seems to me now it is time for us,” said Rudwan Abu-rumman, president of the Anne Arundel County Muslim Council and an organizer of the Muslim PAC, a political action committee that began contributing to countywide races in May. Matti Gellman/The Baltimore Banner.
MICROPLASTICS FOUND THROUGHOUT BAY WATERSHED: A small-scale study from the advocacy group Environment America found evidence of microplastics throughout the Chesapeake Bay watershed, the group announced Tuesday. Using citizen scientists, the group collected several water samples at 15 sites throughout the watershed, including five in Maryland waterways. They found microplastics at every site, whether in the form of plastic fiber, film, beads or fragments. Christine Condon/Maryland Matters.
- “This is not just a Baltimore problem,” said Alice Volpitta, a water quality watchdog for the group Blue Water Baltimore. “This is a Maryland problem. This is a Chesapeake Bay problem.” Adam Willis/The Baltimore Banner.
SEVERN DATA CENTER DEVELOPER SEEKS TO DOUBLE ITS SIZE TO 109,000 SF: The developer behind a Severn data center that borders acres of forest conservation and residential land wants to expand the facility to nearly twice its size. The proposal, now in its final planning phase and awaiting approval, would add more than 88,000 square feet to the existing center, which stretches over 109,000 square feet. Matti Gellman/The Baltimore Banner.
HEARING ON FREDERICK’s DATA CENTER MORATORIUM SET FOR LATE JANUARY: A hearing to decide whether to grant a preliminary injunction to a developer against the Frederick County administration’s current data center moratorium has been scheduled for Jan. 28, nearly two months after a new county council is seated and will have a chance to act on the issue. Erik Anderson/The Frederick News Post.
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SUPREME COURT RULING ENDS SHERIFF’s DEPUTY TERM ON HARFORD COUNCIL: A Harford County council member will leave office weeks sooner than expected, after the state’s highest court ruled Tuesday he cannot simultaneously be on the council while employed as a sheriff’s deputy. The brief ruling from the Supreme Court of Maryland follows a hearing last week for Republican Council Member Aaron Penman, who has now been removed twice since being sworn in four years ago in an ongoing legal fight over his status. Bryan Sears/Maryland Matters.
UMD STUDENT IN ICE CUSTODY ON VERGE OF DEPORTATION: A University of Maryland, College Park student and her mother were detained by U.S. ICE last Thursday after a check-in at the agency’s Baltimore office, according to Prince George’s County Executive Aisha Braveboy. Maria Flores Garcia, a freshman public health major, is being held in a Louisiana ICE facility, and will remain in ICE custody pending her removal, according to Homeland Security. Nicole Pilsbury/The Baltimore Sun.
- Less than six months ago, Garcia, 19, delivered her valedictorian speech at Parkdale High School’s graduation in Prince George’s County. Braveboy said in a statement that she is “outraged and deeply concerned” by the detention of Flores Garcia and her mother, whom she called a “law abiding county resident.” Max Schaeffer/The Baltimore Banner.
FORMER B’MORE DEL. DENNIS McCOY, 84, DIES: Dennis C. McCoy, who served in the House of Delegates for a dozen years and was a lifelong civic leader in Baltimore City, died of blood cancer and other illnesses at the Baltimore Washington Medical Center on October 31. He was 84. A son of Baltimore whose political career intersected with some of the most consequential leaders of the state’s recent history, McCoy represented a district in Northeast Baltimore City from 1975 to 1987, a time of great change in the city.
- “When I think of Denny, I always think of the smile on his face,” former U.S. Sen. Ben Cardin (D) recalled. “He was such a nice guy. He was serious about his work, but he always enjoyed being around people.” In Annapolis, McCoy was assigned to the House Ways and Means Committee where Ben Cardin — who chaired the committee at the time — said McCoy thrust himself into battles over education funding, seeking to preserve state funding for Baltimore public schools and other initiatives as the city’s population was declining. Josh Kurtz/Maryland Matters.
