Maryland, not heavily engaged with ICE enforcement at the battleground scale of Minnesota and some other states, is nevertheless ramping up its defenses. Trump's wholly vindictive assault against Minneapolis-St. Paul is showing signs of wear but state and national officials -- including some in Congress -- are still trying to temper the damage by legal means. Judges, however, are making long lists of the number of legal rulings that the mock-warriors of DHS are routinely ignoring. Congress is near-deadlock on funding the Department of Homeland Security unless Democratic requirements for controlling ICE tactics get some satisfaction. If it gets more intense we might have to do this twice a week. It's News You Can Use, but don't look away too fast or you might miss something.

The Memo will be posted here after the email version has been sent.

Right here in Maryland, the slow-building catastrophe of Trump retribution against Blue states adds up, as our legislature works to manage its way through Gov. Moore's proposed tough-love budget. Federal pullbacks in a wide variety of public benefits, from medical care to food assistance to education to the loss of hundreds of thousands of federal jobs by state residents, leave the cupboard pretty bare. Two years in a row of wrenching deficit solutions have shaken the typical good-natured rivalry between progressive groups seeking funding and legislators holding out on funds. Meanwhile, Trump's ICE paramilitary goon squad continues to terrorize populations, not only in Minnesota but in many cities around the nation. And the response is resistance: "ICE out" in Baltimore and at the Grammies, and 9,000-plus Chicagolanders voted to name their newest snowplow "Abolish Ice" -- nearly three-quarters of those who suggested names. It's all News You Can Use.

Anyone, including your correspondent, approaches the keyboard with a heavy heart this week. It feels punk to tap out sentences about resistance while thousands of our fellow humans  are out in subzero temperatures in Minnesota (and this week, everywhere) fighting back against  occupation and terrorism by a  poorly-trained gang of thugs.

Here in Maryland we are much less troubled by that Minnesota not-nice brand of oppression but suffering from the Trump Gang’s discriminatory persecution of many of our fellow citizens and immigrants of various status who don’t look like white billionaires. On top of that, our state budget took a mighty hit from the Big (Un)Beautiful Bill that diverted so much of our tax money to ICE (Trump’s personal armed force) and away from the public-health and premium subsidies that have allowed families to have medical insurance since the Obama administration (as the stories below detail). Our General Assembly is wrestling with the resulting deficit in its session right now (or, actually, after the snow and ice are cleared somewhat). It already looks as though the state’s commitment to a clean energy future will be slowed and the out-of-pocket cost of going to college in Maryland increased.

It’s News You Can Use, sometimes better, sometimes not so great.

We applaud the Governor’s Redistricting Advisory Commission for voting to recommend a new congressional map that reflects the voices of Marylanders and meets the urgency of this moment. The proposed map is the product of a transparent, public-driven process that invited residents to submit maps, provide feedback, and help shape decisions that will directly impact how they are represented in Congress.

Now, as GOP-controlled states across the country continue to cave to pressure from the Trump administration to rig the midterm elections, it is up to Maryland’s legislature to choose to fight for our democracy.

The stakes are real and immediate. Control of the U.S. House could come down to a handful of seats, and Maryland cannot afford to sit on the sidelines while others manipulate the system to their advantage. Federal decisions directly shape the lives of Marylanders — from protecting voting rights to securing infrastructure and transportation funding, to defending workers and public services. This is about whether Maryland has a congressional delegation strong enough to serve as a meaningful check on an increasingly hostile federal government.

We urge the Maryland General Assembly to act with the boldness this moment demands and advance a map that protects fair representation. Delay or inaction is not neutral — it is a decision with national consequences. Leadership means standing up now to defend democracy and protect Maryland communities.

Marylanders are watching, and they expect their leaders to lead.

We’ll lead by passing along Megan E’s abbreviated message for today.

“Hello People’s Action,

”I hope you’re all hanging in there. I’m in a convening today so this will be short but there are a bunch of mass calls and webinars [involved with People’s Action initiatives to fight back] listed below.

“The Senate is on recess. The House is trying to pass government funding bills. 

“And no, I don’t know if we’re going to invade Denmark. From Punchbowl “As tens of thousands of people lined the streets of Copenhagen Saturday to protest Trump’s threats toward Greenland, the president announced he planned to impose new tariffs on Denmark and seven other European nations for opposing his drive to acquire Greenland.”  Republicans in Congress are pretty much uniformly opposed to this plan but  almost uniformly unwilling to speak up against it (with a couple notable exceptions). “ [Megan is People's Action federal affairs director.]

We can’t beat Megan’s account of GOP fearful subservience to the Glorious Leader at this point. Denmark? Yes, invading Greenland is like invading Denmark. Copenhagen, all that. See our several articles on the one-year “Move Fast and Break Things” behavior Trump has used to keep our eyes fixed on him (in self-defense). Trump is crashing the big billionaires’ party in Davos as we write, and Bloomberg reports that many of those hardnosed billionaires are getting scammed by sharpsters selling elite access passes supposed to bring them within ring-kissing range of Himself. Alas, they’ll be out of pocket and disappointed.

Watch this (Trump) space, as if we could safely ignore it. It’s News You Can Use.