‘HIDDEN DISABILITY’ DESIGNATION ON DRIVER’s LICENSES UNANIMOUSLY APPROVED: It started with a conversation between a mother and her son about interacting with police in the wake of the May 202o death of George Floyd at the hands of Minneapolis police. It ended Thursday with cheers and applause as first one chamber of the General Assembly, then the other, gave unanimous approval to “Eric’s ID Law.” It would require that the Motor Vehicle Administration place a butterfly logo above the words “hidden disability” on driver’s licenses, identification cards, even moped licenses, for people with a “nonapparent disability.” William Ford/Maryland Matters.
ROSENBERG PUSHES BETTER OVERSIGHT OF DRUG TREATMENT CENTERS: Del. Sandy Rosenberg, a Baltimore Democrat, is pushing a new bill to improve state oversight of drug addiction treatment centers following a series of stories by The Banner exposing unscrupulous practices by program operators. Alissa Zhu/The Baltimore Banner.
MOORE’s LEADERSHIP UNDER QUESTION AS DEFICIT MOUNTS: Questions are mounting about the state’s management and the governor’s leadership as Maryland faces a historic budget deficit that ballooned to $3.3 billion, alongside substantial proposed tax and fee increases. Gary Collins/The Baltimore Sun.
MOORE EFFORT GETS PUSHBACK FROM POORER COUNTIES: Gov. Wes Moore plans to change how Marylanders take deductions on their state income taxes, but officials in some of the state’s poorest counties say that plan could force them to cut services. Del. Jefferson Ghrist, told Moore: “You mentioned that the federal government is creating chaos for our state government in an effort to balance their budget. It appears that your budget does sort of the same thing to our county governments.” Paul Kiefer of Capital News Service/Maryland Reporter.
COMMENTARY: MOORE SHOULD LISTEN TO FREEDOM CAUCUS: The Maryland Freedom Caucus has sent several formal letters to the governor with just what he requested — “a plan.” In January, we sent a letter requesting he immediately get the State of Maryland out of the disastrous California Clean Cars Initiative — still no response from the governor for weeks. Del. Lauren Arikan/The Aegis.
ENVIRO ADVOCATES FIGHT DEMS ON ENERGY BILL: Environmental advocates are fighting an energy bill that Democratic leaders say will lower utility bills and further the state’s clean energy initiative. If it is passed, the legislation would make it easier to build new natural gas plants in the state – a move that has frustrated environmentalists typically allied with the party. Adriana Navarro and Rachel McCrea of Capital News Service/Maryland Reporter.
ATTY GEN BROWN TO HEAD 20-STATE LAWSUIT AGAINST TRUMP FIRINGS: Attorney General Anthony Brown (D) is the lead attorney in a 20-state lawsuit against the Trump administration’s mass firing of probationary federal workers, one of two lawsuits Brown joined Thursday — and one of two dozen since Trump’s swearing-in. Thursday’s second lawsuit was filed in Massachusetts by eight states, including Maryland, against the Department of Education’s decision to suspend, without warning last month, $600 million in grants that states use to train teachers and place them in hard-to-staff schools. William Ford/Maryland Matters.
- The lawsuit says that the federal government must inform states 60 days prior of any attempt to layoff large amounts of its workforce so that states can prepare for the fallout. Brown says the White House did not do that, making the layoffs illegal. Scott Maucione/WYPR-FM.
MOORE CALLS OUT TRUMP, MUSK: Gov. Wes Moore doesn’t mince words during this 15-minute interview, calling out President Donald Trump and his second, billionaire Elon Musk. Ben Meiselas/The MeidasTouch Podcast.
STATE DEM PARTY SEEKS PROBE INTO MYSTERY ANTI-MOORE EFFORT: The Maryland Democratic Party is calling on state elections officials to open an investigation into an online effort targeting Gov. Wes Moore. The Democratic Party, in a 14-page complaint to the Maryland State Board of Elections, questioned whether the effort violates state election laws. Bryan Sears/Maryland Matters.
DOGE LEAVES MARYLAND FARMERS HANGING WITH UNPAID SOLAR FARMS: Mike Protas, owner of One Acre Farm in Dickerson, installed a $100,000 solar panel project on his property last year, expecting half of it to be paid for through a U.S. Department of Agriculture grant. Now, with federal funds frozen via recent Department of Government Efficiency actions, Protas doesn’t know if or when he will get the promised grant money. He’s not the only one. Brennan Stewart/The Baltimore Sun.
STATE, LOCAL EDUCATORS WORRY ABOUT END TO DEPT. OF EDUCATION: Emotional shock waves have been running through Maryland education circles since President Donald Trump instructed his education secretary to begin dismantling the federal Department of Education. State and local school districts depend on federal funding. If that source is disrupted, a tax hike may be needed to fill the budget gap. Maryland receives $2.1 billion from the federal government each year, representing 11% of its state education budget. David Collins/WBAL-TV News.
UNIONS ASK FEDERAL COURT IN MARYLAND TO STOP DOGE ACCESS TO SS DATA: A group of labor unions is asking a federal court in Maryland for an emergency order to stop Elon Musk‘s Department of Government Efficiency from accessing the sensitive Social Security data of millions of Americans. Fatima Hussein and Lindsay Whitehurst/Associated Press.
MARYLAND CITES B’MORE IN DEATH OF SANITATION WORKER: The State of Maryland has cited Baltimore with a “serious violation” in connection with the death of sanitation worker Ronald Silver II last August, finding that Silver and his co-workers were made to work without proper protection when the heat index reached “approximately 108.6 F.” Fern Shen/Baltimore Brew.
- The finding comes months after a series of revelations about awful working conditions in Baltimore’s sanitation division and 36-year-old’s death on a blistering day in August. MOSH’s citation doesn’t carry a financial penalty but gives Baltimore officials until March 17 to show remediation of dangerous conditions. Adam Willis/The Baltimore Banner.
COLUMN: AN ATTACK ON MARYLAND FOR AN ELECTION IN VIRGINIA: It’s bad enough that Virginia is scamming Maryland. As my colleague Danny Zawodny reported, Marylanders can register their cars in the Old Dominion with a wink and a nod to avoid fair fees and just fines. That’s not the only insult. Virginia’s quirky lieutenant governor, Winsome Earle-Sears, decided to attack her likely Democratic opponent in the fall campaign for governor by trashing Maryland. Rick Hutzell/The Baltimore Banner.
O’MALLEY BLASTS TRUMP, MUSK ATTACKS ON SOCIAL SECURITY: Former Social Security Administration Commissioner Martin O’Malley, who is also a former two-term governor of Maryland, breaks down Elon Musk’s efforts to dismantle Social Security and potentially go after the Social Security Trust, with former Lt. Gov. Michael Steele. Inside with Jen Psaki/MSNBC.
- The Trump administration is slashing 7,000 jobs at the Social Security Administration, threatening the agency’s 90-year record of delivering benefits on time. O’Malley slams President Trump for “wrecking” the agency and predicts payments will be disrupted within three months. Jonathan Capeheart/MSNBC.
MANY MARYLAND RESEARCHERS OFFERED BUYOUTS FROM FEDERAL JOBS: Most of the 80,000 federal workers responsible for researching diseases, inspecting food and administering Medicare and Medicaid under the auspices of the Health and Human Services Department were emailed an offer to leave their job for as much as a $25,000 payment as part of President Donald Trump’s government cuts. The email was sent to staff across the department, which includes the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta, and the National Institutes of Health as well as the Food and Drug Administration, both in Maryland. Staff/The Associated Press.
MARYLANDERS PROTEST TRUMP ACTIONS THROUGHOUT STATE: Maryland Democrats fanned out over the weekend to try to rally people to oppose the federal budget cuts being made by the Trump administration. At one protest in Catonsville, some said they are concerned that the party has not figured out how to effectively oppose the president’s actions. John Lee/WYPR-FM.
- Around 1,000 people gathered in Bethesda Saturday to express their frustration and fear over possible cuts to Medicare, Medicaid and research at the National Institutes of Health headquarters. Many were doctors worried federal cuts could come for them. John Doran/WUSA-TV News.
TWO PRINCE GEORGE’S ELEMENTARY PUPILS DIE FROM FLU: At least two elementary school students in Prince George’s County have died from the flu. A third student also died recently, although it is unclear if it’s due to the flu. In a newsletter sent home to county parents Friday, Prince George’s County Public Schools Superintendent Millard House II said the school system is “feeling the impact of a nationwide rise in flu cases, with increasing numbers across the county and outbreaks in several of our schools.” Ciara Wells/WTOP-FM.
MEASLES CONFIRMED IN HOWARD RESIDENT WHO PASSED THROUGH DULLES: A positive measles case has been found in a Howard County resident who traveled internationally through Dulles International Airport, said the Maryland and Virginia health departments. The local health departments announced the case Sunday and said they’re looking to find anyone who might have come in contact with the virus. Jeffery Leon/WTOP-FM.
- The Maryland Department of Health said this case is not associated with a measles outbreak in Texas and New Mexico. Greg Ng/WBAL-TV News.
- Local authorities are working to identify who else in the area may have been exposed to measles, and they said others may have come into contact with the virus at Dulles and at a Howard County medical center. Lauren Lumpkin/The Washington Post.
MARYLAND PASTOR LEADS CHARGE ON 40-DAY BOYCOTT OF TARGET: A prominent former Baltimore pastor is leading the charge on a 40-day boycott of Target following the company’s decision to revoke diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives. The boycott, named the Target Fast, began Wednesday at the start of the 40-day Christian observance, Lent. Matt Hubbard/The Baltimore Sun.
- “This is a fast for accountability. A fast for justice. A fast for a future where corporations do not bow to pressure at the expense of marginalized communities,” reads a message on targetfast.org. “Turn your dollars into data, power, and change.” Wyatte Grantham-Philips/Associated Press.
