RASKIN SPEAKS ON JAN. 6 INSURRECTION TO PACKED DNC VENUE: U.S. Rep. Jamie Raskin of Takoma Park, a constitutional scholar who gained national notoriety as a crucial member on the Jan. 6 Committee looking into the insurrection in 2021 that attempted to stop the certification of Joe Biden’s election, spoke at the Democratic National Convention Monday night to remind the delegates of the violence on that day in the name of then-President Donald Trump. Video/PBS News Hour.
- “Make no mistake, a man who uses fraud, theft, and violence to take power will commit any crime to keep it,” Raskin told cheering delegates. “We’re going to defeat Donald Trump, the career criminal and incorrigible recidivist con man and his pet chameleon. JD Vance,” the congressman said. Katherine Wilson of Capital News Service/Maryland Reporter.
MARYLANDERS IN CHICAGO FUNDRAISE FOR ABORTION RIGHTS AMENDMENT: Marylanders took their fight to enshrine abortion rights in the state constitution to the Democratic National Convention Monday. Lawmakers and advocates from the Free State held a Monday evening fundraiser with their counterparts from Illinois, co-hosted by Maryland Senate President Bill Ferguson (D-Baltimore City) and Illinois Senate President Don Harmon (D). Josh Kurtz/Maryland Matters.
DNC NOTES: ALSOBROOKS FUND-RAISER; CRAB MALLETS: In the history of this republic, three Black women have served in the U.S. Senate. One of them is a little busy right now: Kamala Harris. But the other two, Sen. LaPhonza Butler (D-Calif.) and former Sen. Carol Moseley Braun (D-Ill.), are scheduled to appear Tuesday at a fundraiser benefiting two women who are vying to join their very exclusive club next January: U.S. Rep. Lisa Blunt Rochester (D-Del.) and Prince George’s County Executive Angela Alsobrooks. Josh Kurtz/Maryland Matters.
- Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer crashed the Monday Maryland delegation breakfast and thanked Gov. Wes Moore. He quickly moved to address the candidacy of Angela Alsobrooks, the Prince George’s County executive who is running for the U.S. Senate against former Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan. “I want to make sure that we elect Angela Alsobrooks,” Schumer said. Emily Condon of CNS/MarylandReporter.com.
- The first Maryland delegation breakfast at the Democratic National Convention kicked off Monday morning with some gifts for the delegation: Fisher’s popcorn, Guinness coffee mugs and crab mallets. Maryland Democratic Party Chairman Ken Ulman used an under-sized mallet in lieu of a gavel, officially calling the state delegation to order in blue crab style. James Matheson and Emily Condon of CNS/MarylandReporter.com.
GOV. MOORE TO ADDRESS CONVENTION ‘SOON:’ Gov. Wes Moore will address the Democratic National Convention this week about the importance of public service, a theme he has sought to make a signature of his administration. It remained uncertain Sunday night when the first-term governor would deliver his speech. He said an announcement was coming “very, very soon.” Jeff Barker/The Baltimore Sun.
REP. IVEY RELISHES SEAT ON ASSASSINATION TASK FORCE: In an election year, and with the conservative House Freedom Caucus tying up appropriations bills, it’s likely to be a relatively quiet fall on Capitol Hill — but not for U.S. Rep. Glenn Ivey (D-4th) and a dozen of his colleagues, who are probing the July 13 assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump. Josh Kurtz/Maryland Matters.
WOULD-BE CANDIDATE ASKS COURT TO STRIKE SIGNATURE REQUIREMENT: A Lansdowne man is asking a federal judge strike down a state provision he says is barring him from appearing on the general election ballot as a U.S. Senate candidate in November. Emmanuel Osuchukwu said in a lawsuit filed in U.S. District Court in Baltimore that the requirement that he collect signatures of 10,000 registered Maryland voters to make the ballot as an independent candidate is a violation of his First and 14th Amendment rights to free speech and due process. Bryan Sears/Maryland Matters.
15 B’MORE TODDLERS DIED OF OVERDOSES SINCE 2020: Four children under the age of 5 died of overdoses in Baltimore in 2023 — the smallest and least suspecting victims in an epidemic that remains unrivaled across major American cities. Since 2020, 15 have died. All but two cases involved fentanyl, according to a Banner analysis of autopsy data obtained from the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner. Saul Pink and Adriana Navarro/The Baltimore Banner.
STATE SUSPENDS THREAT TO HOMEOWNERS OVER DAM REPAIRS: The Maryland Department of the Environment has “suspended” its threat to take legal action against residents in a dispute over repairs to Aspen Lake Dam just west of Hampstead. In June, the department had told seven property owners living near or around the lake and dam that it would take legal action against them unless they paid for repairs to the dam. Last week, the MDE backed off its threat, as long as the homeowners continue to monitor water levels and provide updated photos to the department, an idea first suggested by state Sen. Chris West. Sherry Greenfield/Carroll County Times.
FREE-MARKET ADVOCATE LAUNCH STATEWIDE POLICY ORGANIZATION: A group of free-market advocates has launched an organization designed to influence economic policy in Maryland this month. Opportunity Maryland, a nonprofit advocacy group, says its mission is to “fortify free enterprise, incentivize economic growth, and contribute to a more prosperous Maryland,” according to the group’s website. Jessica Haire, a former Anne Arundel County Council member who unsuccessfully ran for Anne Arundel County executive as a Republican in 2022, is leading the organization. Bridget Byrne/The Baltimore Sun.
MOSBY ASKS APPEALS COURT TO TOSS FRAUD, PERJURY CONVICTIONS: Former Baltimore State’s Attorney Marilyn Mosby wants a federal appeals court to throw out her convictions on mortgage fraud and perjury charges, which she claims in a new court filing were the result of a prosecution that was “ill-advised and ill-conceived from the beginning.” Madeleine O’Neill/The Baltimore Sun.
- Mosby, 44, a Democrat who served two terms as the city’s top prosecutor from 2015 to 2023, was found guilty at separate trials in U.S. District Court in Greenbelt of two counts of perjury as well as one count of making a false statement on a loan application related to her purchase of two luxury vacation homes in Florida. Dylan Segelbaum/The Baltimore Banner.
CECIL COLLEGE TO GET $109,000 IN FED FUNDS: Sens. Ben Cardin and Chris Van Hollen announced recently that more than $25 million in funding has been awarded for education, medical care and workforce training projects; some of it coming to Cecil County. Cecil College will use its $109,000 grant to purchase a commercial truck driving simulator for its CDL License program. This will give truck drivers in training a more realistic experience on the road. Jane Bellmyer/The Cecil Whig.
