Health remains on our minds even as we continue venturing out post-COVID, and some underreported progress is heartening. States are cleaning up as their legislatures have mostly sine die'd for summer (the US House shows multiple fractures and went home midweek to calm down, not rest on their laurels). Maryland continues to stay in the hunt for the new FBI headquarters despite cranky responses from the Bureau. So what else is new?... it's all progressive News You Can Use.

Many Marylanders lost friends or family, or both, during the Pandemic. It was like a breath of the harsh old days of the early 20^th century when childhood typhoid was still a terror. Semafor, a newsletter, has this nugget:

You probably have some idea that child mortality has decreased. The actual numbers are startling, writes Saloni Dattani of Our World in Data. Until about 200 years ago, half of children worldwide died by the age of 15. Even in 1950, in living memory for many people, it was 27%. Now it’s just 4%.

But those statistics can seem meaningless. Dattani tries to give some idea of what it would mean, highlighting the billions who lost children and siblings. As recently as the 1960s, she says, half of women had lost a child or a sibling under the age of five. Many of those women are still alive today, presumably still scarred by that loss. Changes in nutrition, health care, and sanitation — especially clean water — have saved hundreds of millions of lives, and prevented an uncountable amount of suffering.

WHAT THE STATES ARE UP TO

Criminal Justice: Oregon Gov. Tina Kotek (D) has signed legislation increasing punishments for those caught street racing. Those convicted of street racing could face up to 364 days in prison and a $6,250 fine for their first offense. (Oregonian) via Pluribus News

Workforce: Nevada Gov. Joe Lombardo (R) signed a budget deal last week that includes a big raise for home health care workers. Those workers stand to make a minimum wage of $16 an hour, up from $11 an hour under current law. (Las Vegas Sun) Oregon Gov. Kotek has signed legislation barring employers from retaliating or discriminating against employees who refuse to do work that would expose them to serious danger. (Salem Statesman Journal) via Pluribus News

Energy, green style: Floating offshore wind farms showing promise: As offshore wind expands into new waters, receives unprecedented investments from the Inflation Reduction Act, and is bolstered by the federal Floating Offshore Wind Shot, to date, 16 U.S. offshore wind farms are under construction — 15 in the Atlantic and one in Lake Erie — and two others have been completed. Their advantage: they can go anywhere, deep or shallow, and continue cranking out power. Utility Dive

Coals to Newcastle? Kansas may import wheat! Kansas is “the wheat state,” the officially adopted moniker that embraces its place as the country’s breadbasket. For decades, Kansas led the nation in wheat production, and the U.S. led the world in wheat exports. But this year’s meager wheat harvest turns that proud tradition on its head. Kansas flour mills will likely buy wheat grown in Eastern Europe. It’s like Texas importing oil, West Virginia hauling in coal, or the Saudis shipping in sand. NPR, KMUW Wichita

And if we kill off our Bay, where will our restaurants buy their crabs and oysters?

IN MARYLAND

FBI HQ Letter: 'Data Remains Imperfect:' The FBI document prepared for Maryland’s congressional delegation saying that the new headquarters should be in Virginia states that about 544 FBI employees who work at a facility that would be folded into the new consolidated headquarters “made a trip through the Quantico gate” last year between July 4 to Sept. 2. The number of trips totaled 1,754. The document notes the “data remains imperfect.” Maryland Matters. Via MD Reporter

 Poll: About 60% Of Marylanders Oppose Plan To Mandate Electric Car Sales

Six in 10 Maryland voters oppose a plan to end the sale of gas-powered vehicles in the state in 12 years. Gov. Wes Moore (D) announced this year that the state would recommit to aggressive climate goals involving the sales of electric vehicles. A poll released by Annapolis-based Gonzales Research & Media Service found a majority of voters oppose the plan even if it meant significant reductions in carbon dioxide emissions. The opposition increases when those surveyed were asked to factor in the higher cost of purchasing an electric vehicle. Maryland Matters.

Local Pols React To Trump Criminal Indictment: Donald Trump said Thursday night that he was indicted on charges of mishandling classified documents, making him the first former president in U.S. history to face federal criminal charges. Here’s what some Maryland officials, including Trump loyalist U.S. Rep. Andy Harris, are saying about the former president’s indictment. Baltimore Sun. via MD Reporter

Maryland Reclaims 'Spangled' Website That Went To Philippines Gaming: The state of Maryland has gotten itself out of the business of promoting gambling in the Philippines. Putting an end to an embarrassing episode, state officials said Friday that they have acquired a web address, www.starspangled200.org, that is printed on 798,000 commemorative license plates. WaPo

AT THE FEDERAL LEVEL

Perez to Join White House staff: Tom Perez, a former secretary of labor and chair of the Democratic National Committee [as well as candidate for Maryland governor] will join the White House as a senior adviser and director of the Office of Intergovernmental Affairs, according to two people familiar with the move. Perez will replace Julie Chavez Rodriguez who left the White House last month to run President Biden’s reelection campaign. POLITICO Playbook

Progressive campaigns:

THIS WEEK! SUPPORT the HOMES GUARANTEE CAMPAIGN by DRIVING COMMENTS to FHFA! Submit an individual comment and send an email to fellow progressives to drive comments. Here is a Homes Guarantee Comment Toolkit: https://ppls.ac/rent2 . Find out more about this growing campaign at the Homes Guarantee Website: tenantcomment.org and the regulatory context at All Things FHFA RFI: all documents + short links for organizing comments [from People’s Action federal affairs director Megan Essaheb].