Prince George's County teachers observe teacher "Un-Appreciation Day" today with a protest against the cascade of local, state and national obstacles to equity, teacher retention and restorative programs in school systems in historically African-American communities. And veteran Prince George's teacher and union activist Yvonne N. Baicich reminds us of the everyday challenges in the classroom, where all these trends converge.

Progressive activists made the Assembly's Democratic Caucus think twice or even three times about cavorting with the GOP minority to choose a new Speaker of the House of Delegates. Read more about how progressives outside the Assembly put some spine in the ones on the inside.

In this hard-nosed and broad-scale account, Josh Kurtz of Maryland Matters outlines the new power map after Adrienne Jones became the compromise House Speaker on Wednesday. Progressive forces made themselves heard when the consequences of collaborating with the minority GOP were on the table. But doing the math over Kurtz's shoulder, we need to take a lesson and an incentive from his observation: "progressives regularly overestimate their overall political strength in Maryland, which isn’t nearly as progressive as they are." We'll keep making the state more progressive, because we can.

A double bonus again: our director Larry Stafford outlines how the state House of Delegates dodged the bullet of a leadership race controlled by the GOP minority and what it will take to bring enough change to ensure this close call doesn't happen again. And in an account from another capital -- the one downtown -- Progressive Maryland and allies in the #People's Wave went to the streets to secure Medicare for All and mass-shamed Big Pharma for its role in raising drug prices to life-threatening levels -- because they can. M4A will insure they lose that edge.

MAY DAY This morning, folks all over the world are celebrating the international holiday that workers made with their own hands.

This morning, we Maryland progressives are fighting off the pushback of neoliberal so-called Democrats who are trying to hook up with Republicans in the Maryland General Assembly to grab the power of the House Speakership. It is happening this morning. Find out how to fight back, build power and win.

Double bonusblog: Richard DeShay Elliott’s hopeful future for the Assembly’s Dem leadership is outlined, plus a warning from two progressive delegates about the dangers of flirting with the retrograde GOP caucus for advantage in the Speaker’s contest; ASSEMBLY VOTING IS TOMORROW, MAY 1.

Big Pharma's claim that high research costs cause high drug prices is a lie. “Between 2006 and 2015, 18 pharmaceutical companies in the S&P 500 spent 11% more on payments to shareholders than on research and development.” People’s Action’s George Goehl and Roosevelt Center president Felicia Wong show how unregulated Big Pharma rips off desperate prescription drug consumers, and how to fix that.

Just a few miles downtown, member organizations of People’s Action are converging in DC this weekend to have a big, organization-wide conversation: how to bring change, big change, for working families in the US.

Progressive Maryland members will be numerous -- and active -- among them. If you aren't signed up for the event, though, there is street action as well as lobbying your representatives on tap for the April 28-30 event. Read on.

Progressive Maryland and allied progressive groups have told Maryland House Democrats to stick together on choosing a new speaker or pay the price -- a clear message to deter collusion with House Republicans -- and the state Democratic Chair, Maya Rockeymoore Cummings, has now echoed that imperative.

“A pact with Republicans to win” the Maryland House speakership would be “a nearly unwashable stain” on any Democratic politician, says Progressive Maryland Executive Director Larry Stafford Jr., quoted in this Maryland Matters article about the possible deviancy in the upcoming contest.