Dear Friend, 

We have a short memo today we we'll get right to the point – Trump’s latest actions in Washington, D.C., are a chilling escalation of his authoritarian agenda. Deploying the National Guard and federal law enforcement under the guise of addressing ‘crime’ is a direct attack on immigrants, unhoused individuals, and those exercising their right to protest. This is a full-on assault on DC residents, businesses, communities, and a violation of its fundamental rights as a city to govern and run itself. Read our full statement on this dangerous overreach and what we’re calling on Congress to do. Let’s stand together to protect our communities and our democracy.

In some better news – yesterday, we were proud to be part of the Renters United Maryland Housing Justice Summit, a powerful and transformative gathering where renters and advocates from across Maryland came together to set the housing agenda for 2026. The energy in the room was inspiring, and the vision we built together will help drive real change for communities across the state.

Read on for more updates and ways to get involved.

In solidarity,

The Progressive Maryland Team

Progressive Maryland Executive Director, Larry Stafford, Jr., Issued the Following Statement on Trump Deploying The National Guard in DC:

"President Trump’s deployment of the National Guard and federal law enforcement to Washington, D.C., under the guise of addressing ‘crime’ is a calculated attack on immigrants, unhoused individuals, and those exercising their right to protest. This militarization of our streets is not about public safety—it is about fear, control, and silencing dissent. 

In our view, this abuse of power is a test run for implementing authoritarian rule in other cities across the country. If unchecked, this reckless overreach will set a dangerous precedent for using federal forces to dismantle local governance and escalate the violence against our communities. 

We call on Congress to immediately intervene and block this terrorist decision. Lawmakers must act to ensure that federal resources are not weaponized against vulnerable residents.

Progressive Maryland urges all allies and advocates to amplify Know Your Rights campaigns, support local organizing efforts, and demand accountability from those in power. We must resist this assault on our democracy and fight for our dignity and safety."

A federal judge brought a major win for Maryland and other states fighting to protect their communities from climate-fueled disasters.

U.S. District Judge Richard Stearns temporarily blocked the Trump administration from reallocating more than $4 billion in FEMA disaster mitigation funding, halting an illegal attempt to dismantle the Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities (BRIC) program. This funding is vital for flood prevention, infrastructure upgrades, and community resilience projects across the country,  including right here in Maryland.

People in the DC suburbs  -- northern Prince George's, specifically -- are breathing a sigh of relief because a pretty unnecessary but locally disruptive sorta-rail pilot project has had its federal funds pulled. It would have meant a VERY expensive 15-minute ride from DC to Baltimore at a construction price ticket of $20 billion; in the sweet buy and buy a one-hour trip DC-NYC for a sum (and a ticket price) one can only imagine. Gov. Moore was a "magnetic levitation" fan, having seen such a wonder in everyday use in Japan, where they know how to do this stuff. Perhaps some improvements to the existing Amtrak right-of-way to NYC and Boston would allow Amtrak's trains to go as fast as they are actually able to. That would be a start.

Also in Maryland: superhot weather, superthunderstorms and flooding (and don't swim in that water); the state's plan to hire laid-off federal workers is crosswise with a state hiring freeze and buyout offers; the race to build solar renewable power while extremely dirty backup generator plants have to be turned on in the hottest of high-demand weather. 

Maryland, like many states, avoiding losing population because of immigration, but the fastest-growing states are in a battle to redistrict House seats to improve their chances in 2026. It is more exciting than baseball (some consider that a low bar).

And speaking of Congress, they have gone home exasperated, having been blocked from mass-appointing Trump Chumps to the federal bench. GOP warriors aim to change the Senate rules to make those appointments debate-free; that sword cuts two ways, election to election, so stay tuned. 

It's News You Can Use, as always. 

TrumpWorld has more and more ways of poking at our sore spots in pursuit of retribution for his imagined insults and injustices: refusal to provide disaster aid to flooded Western MD communities; grasping attacks from public and private right-wing minions on states' lists of registered voters; hyper-aggressive ICE tactics right here in Maryland; two years and out for the housing-threatened; cuts in workplace safety and wage theft enforcement. Whew And EPA is working on a plan to pretend carbon dioxide has no effect on our climate (ask flood victims in Westernport). Plus, as you will see, everyday people in working families pushing back. The beat goes on, and so does the weekly News You Can Use...

Big news for Marylanders: The state has officially launched an upgraded website that simplifies the application process for government benefits, including food, cash, healthcare, and energy assistance. The new platform, Maryland Benefits (benefits.maryland.gov), allows people to apply for multiple programs all in one place, with one application.

Maryland is having to defend its permit for offshore wind development, having kinda let it slide for some years thanks to the good businesspersons of O.C. Now Trump's puppet feds are after them, along with anyone else nationwide who is trying to shift from fossil-fuel dependency. Not a good look. Another bad look: Trump's puppet House committees crashed housing availability to the tune of 400,000 fewer available Section 8 vouchers for low-income renters, making homelessness much more common and throwing big burdens on the states and cities -- that's becoming a clear trend for the Trump forces. 

And Trump wants to see the NFL Commanders change their name back to that racist original or he's promised to intervene in D.C.'s elaborate stadium deal. Maybe Gov. Moore will get to keep the team in Maryland after all. We can imagine how many people will be happy about that.

It's all News You Can Use, palatable or not.