Yes, the effort to make Maryland liberal-business-friendly Dem from Eastern Shore to Allegheny West is under way (wishing them luck) but as we observe, other events inside and outside the state are noteworthy too -- 38 deaths from excessively hot weather in Maryland, surpassing all of last year by the beginning of August, while cyclosporia and measles continue to lurk, veiled behind news of the first West Nile case of the year.

Our Guv takes over as chair of the National Governors Association, apparently pursued by a defamation suit from the Baltimore Sun's Trumpy owner.

In news from the wider world, our readers might take extra steps to avoid needing a transfusion as the national blood supply reaches crisis level, and the Trump administration, irritated by all those citizens and NGOs winning suits to stop Trumpworld environmental despoliation or arrant neglect, asks a court to wipe out the Congressionally approved citizen-remedy opportunities written into the environmental protection acts of the good old days -- to protect from executive-branch malfeasance. And there's much more, including People's Action fed misbehavior specialist Megan E's report from D.C. It's all News You Can Use.

HERE IN MARYLAND

Summaries from Maryland Reporter

This week’s biggest news in Maryland is the Special Session of the Assembly:

As Special Session Begins, Redistricting Outcome May Be Weaker Than Sought: Gov. Wes Moore’s redistricting push was supposed to oust Maryland’s only Republican in Congress this November and boost House Democrats’ ability to check President Donald Trump’s agenda. Instead, the effort has been mired in months of debate, has deeply divided Democrats, and won’t affect congressional maps until 2028 — if ever. State lawmakers are slated to return to Annapolis on Monday for a brief special session on a constitutional change that could help reshape Maryland’s congressional districts. The Democratic-led legislature is expected to approve the measure, which would appear on the November ballot. Baltimore Banner. >> Session strictly limited to redistricting: As lawmakers return to Annapolis today for a rare three-day special session, Marylanders hoping for action on soaring electricity bills, disability services or other affordability concerns will likely have to wait until the General Assembly reconvenes in January. Senate President Bill Ferguson and House Speaker Joseline Peña-Melnyk have limited the session almost entirely to legislation related to a proposed constitutional amendment governing future congressional redistricting, saying the compressed timeline leaves little room for unrelated measures. Baltimore Sun. >> A little drama, a little tension: what to expect from this Session: Rewriting part of the state constitution — subject to voter approval in November — would give Democrats a freer hand in drawing districts in the future, should they choose to do so. But getting to this point meant some leaders had to give up their goals, at least for now. And it inflamed tensions, tested relationships and perhaps led to the end of one political career. Baltimore Banner. >> Debate will be tightly controlled and legislative leaders hope to be done before Wednesday. But that doesn’t mean there won’t be drama along the way. While Democrats are believed to have the votes to pass the legislation, they would all need to show up, which was still a question last week. And Republicans have long made their displeasure apparent, both at the overall concept of redistricting, which is expected to target the only GOP seat in the state’s congressional delegation, and at what they call the rushed and straitjacketed process. >> A special session is an official gathering of the legislature outside the annual 90-day session that begins each year on the second Wednesday in January. They are not often called, but they’re not all that special either: There have been eight in this century alone, the most recent in December when the House met to elect a new speaker. Maryland Matters.

With 2 Months Left In Heat Season, Maryland Hits 38 Deaths: Maryland has recorded 38 heat-related deaths so far this year, the second-highest total in the last 15 years, with two months left in the heat season, according to the latest data from the Maryland Department of Health. The state’s weather-related illness dashboard reported 31 deaths in July, which started off with a major heatwave and several 100-degree days. Those deaths pushed this year’s total past the 36 recorded in all of last year, and were second only to the 46 heat-related deaths recorded in 2012. Maryland Matters.

First Human Case of West Nile Virus in Maryland in 2026 is Confirmed: The Maryland Department of Health has confirmed the first human case of West Nile virus for the state this year, weeks after the mosquito-borne disease was traced to Anne Arundel County. WTOP-FM.

Sun Owner Smith Sues Moore For Defamation: David D. Smith, owner of The Baltimore Sun, has filed a lawsuit against Gov. Wes Moore, claiming Moore defamed him and portrayed him in a false light by misrepresenting comments about President Donald Trump and suggesting he had ties to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. The 12-page lawsuit filed Friday in Anne Arundel County Circuit Court stems from Moore’s June 16 appearance on MSNOW’s “The Weeknight.” According to the complaint, Moore falsely claimed Smith “has openly said, and not my words, his words, that he believes that the job of the Sun is to do Donald Trump’s work. That is his words….” The Baltimore Sun.

EVEN AS:

Moore Takes Chair Of National Governors Association: Gov. Wes Moore officially took over as chair of the National Governors Association on Saturday, assuming the prominent position just ahead of a high-stakes national election that could reset the balance of power in Washington and across the states. Oklahoma’s Republican Gov. Kevin Stitt handed the gavel to Moore, a Democrat, at Oklahoma City’s National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum. The pair repeatedly touted their close personal friendship as a model for more civil public discourse in these politically divisive times. Maryland Matters. >> The National Governors Association is a bipartisan organization that presses the needs of governors and states, particularly with the federal government. That means that Moore is the spokesperson for his fellow governors when it comes to dealing with President Donald Trump and his administration. Baltimore Banner.

Cannabis Odor Can Trigger Police Search When Minors Involved, Court Rules: An odor of marijuana is not normally sufficient cause for police to conduct a search, but it can be if police determine that the occupants of a car are minors and thus prohibited from possessing cannabis, a three-judge panel of the Appellate Court of Maryland ruled on Thursday. Maryland Matters.

LATE LAST WEEK ICYMI—MARYLAND REPORTER

Moore Announces Fast Tracked Admissions For Unenrolled Howard University Students: Governor Wes Moore on Thursday announced that hundreds of students who were suddenly unenrolled at Howard University last week can get fast-tracked admission and an $800 credit to a University System of Maryland college. Baltimore Banner. 

Four Tornadoes Confirmed Amid Storm That Brought Power Outages And Flooding:  The National Weather Service confirmed that two tornadoes touched down in Anne Arundel County during Tuesday’s storm. Two other twisters spun up on the Eastern Shore. In a report released Wednesday evening, the agency noted that an EF1 tornado touched down in Lake Shore near Patapsco Road with an estimated maximum wind speed of 100 mph. Baltimore Sun. 

Harford Sheriff Debuts Automated Drones: The Harford County Sheriff’s Office introduced its “Drone as First Responder” program, a system that automatically dispatches unmanned drones to developing crime scenes, in June. The AEGIS.

THE REGION AND THE OTHER 49

Democrats’ big Virginia plans were foiled, but it’s still at the center of the battle for the House: The Democratic redistricting plan creating four more blue-leaning seats got shot down in court. Instead, two existing GOP-held swing districts are home to hard-fought campaigns. NBC News

Trump Administration Rules Out Mass ICE Enforcement At Polls In Midterms: ICE, an agency within DHS that has sustained intense criticism since the start of the second Trump administration for its aggressive and sometimes deadly tactics, has no plans to target polling sites in November. Maryland Matters/States Newsroom

SNAP: State leaders are racing to more accurately calculate food stamp payments to avoid financial penalties set to take effect next year. Beginning Oct. 1, 2027, states that have SNAP payment error rates above 6% must partly cover program costs. States are hiring additional staff, using new AI and data analytics tools and improving outreach to lower error rates. (Pluribus News, paywalled) Note: Maryland is among those states struggling to meet the SNAP error rate mark

American Red Cross Declares National Blood Supply Crisis: For the second time in its history, the American Red Cross is declaring a national blood supply crisis. According to the organization, some patients are having to wait for blood transfusions. WYPR-FM. 

Almost 12%: The increase in electricity costs in Pennsylvania during the six month period beginning in June, according to the state’s Independent Fiscal Office. The average monthly household electric bill has jumped 34.9% in the last four years. [Another PJM casualty] (State Affairs) via Pluribus “By the Numbers”

A wave of cyberattacks targeting US water systems exposed a growing vulnerability in the nation’s critical infrastructure as federal investigators examine whether Iran was responsible for disruptions reported in at least seven states. The episode highlights a challenge facing state and local governments, which often lack the resources to secure aging infrastructure against increasingly sophisticated cyber threats, particularly as AI compounds cybersecurity concerns. Semafor

GLOBAL, NATIONAL AND THE FEDS

There are no signs that the Senate will cancel the five-week August recess set to start at the end of the week, according to senators and aides. But it’ll still be a difficult few days of late nights and bipartisan negotiations before they can get out of town. Senate Majority Leader John Thune wants to finish confirming a package of nominees, send a Russia sanctions bill to the House, and vote on a deal funding the government into December — all of which will take agreement from all 100 senators to finish this week. But there’s more: Leadership aides are bullish on holding at least an initial vote on cryptocurrency legislation. And over the weekend, the Big Ten and Southeastern Conference signed off on a bipartisan college sports bill, possibly unlocking Senate passage; it’s just not clear when. Semafor/DC

>> Donald Trump’s pick to be Attorney General, Todd Blanche, published an order saying that plans for a $1.8bn “anti-weaponisation” fund had been dropped. The fund was intended to compensate those who the president says have been unfairly investigated by the government. In another document Blanche, who is currently acting attorney general, also clarified the limits of Trump’s immunity from audits, saying the protection only applied “retroactively” from when it was agreed in May. The Economist [UK]

Trump administration moves to block public from enforcing environmental protection laws: Reducing rampant pollution across the United States was so important that when Congress passed many environmental protection laws, including the Clean Air Act, Clean Water Act and Safe Drinking Water Act, it didn’t want to leave enforcement only to the executive branch. Congress specifically wrote into those laws ways for citizens to enforce them through the courts when the government does not act to address the problem. Called “citizen suit provisions,” those parts of the laws allow regular people and advocacy groups to sue companies they believe are violating the law. Citizens can also sue federal agencies that fail to enforce the laws. Since the 1970s, those provisions have been used in over 2,000 lawsuits. Now the Trump administration has filed for a rule reversal, claiming that citizens can no longer contest government action – or inaction – on environmental law. The Conversation

Here is the lowdown on D.C. doings for this week while the House yahoos are back in their Home District—from People’s Action’s federal affairs director, Megan E.

The House is out for a long August recess. The Senate is in session one more week and has a lot to do. 

The White House cut a deal with Republican senators to advance Todd Blanche's nomination for Attorney General out of the Senate Judiciary Committee. Blanche issued a formal document rescinding the $1.8 billion "anti-weaponization fund" "with no force or effect" and affirming his confirmation hearing testimony on the limits of Trump's tax audit immunity deal. Sens. John Cornyn (R-TX) and Thom Tillis (R-NC) had blocked Blanche's path until the Department of Justice formally agreed to narrow the immunity deal and scrap the fund.

Senate appropriators reached a bipartisan deal Sunday to fund the government through December 11th, punting hot-button issues to lame-duck. This includes a delay of a proposed OMB rule expanding the administration's power to rescind grant funding — a key Democratic win. Without a deal, funding would run out September 30th, threatening a shutdown weeks before Election Day.

Republicans are still trying to pass a budget resolution this week in order to ready a third reconciliation bill.  Senate Republican leadership says they don't yet have 50 votes, despite huge pressure from Trump. They are trying to include pieces of the SAVE America Act, the terrible anti-voting voting bill, which is Trump’s top priority. Sen. Mike Lee (R-UT) has vowed to force a vote blocking the recess to push for it. 

Thune seeks to force a procedural vote on a crypto market structure bill before recess. Senator Elizabeth Warren strongly opposes the Digital Asset Market Clarity Act (CLARITY Act), calling the current legislative draft "unacceptable" and demanding it be "dead on arrival". As the Ranking Member of the Senate Banking Committee, she has blasted it as a bill "written by the crypto industry for the crypto industry" that threatens consumers, investors, and national security. The crypto industry spent more than Elon Musk to elect Trump, and now it's collecting. Unfortunately, the industry has also bought some Democratic Senators. 

Tomorrow’s primary in Michigan is a big test for whether people power can beat huge PAC spending. AIPAC alone has spent $30 million to prop up moderate Haley Stevens against progressive Medicare for All champion Abdul El-Sayed, who is not taking corporate money and is critical of Israel. The political establishment is framing the question around ideology.  

Politico reports that this week's Michigan primaries are "ground zero" for the Democratic Party's ideological war — and a major proving ground for whether progressive messaging can break through in battleground states. El-Sayed has recently surged in the polls. He’ll also have to win in November as the establishment’s main argument for backing moderates is that they are better positioned to win in purple states. (The data does not support this claim -- majorities of cross-pressured voters tend to support progressive economic policies but are more conflicted on civil rights issues including trans-rights and immigrants’ rights. In fact, two different recent polls have indicated that Medicare for All is a top issue that moves swing voters to favor a candidate.)

Also from Politico: Meanwhile, in the purple MI-7, Sunrise Movement co-founder William Lawrence (also backed by Sanders and El-Sayed) is rising in polls against two moderates, with his campaign centered on fighting data centers (and boosting Medicare for All). And in safe-blue MI-13, Sanders-backed state Rep. Donavan McKinney is challenging incumbent Rep. Shri Thanedar, who has the backing of House Democratic leadership. Justice Democrats have spent nearly $1 million backing McKinney. Centrists are nervous — one operative told Politico that if Lawrence wins the primary, "we're done." We'll be watching Tuesday night.

Last month, the Congressional Progressive Caucus hosted a "Universal Healthcare: Now is the Time for Medicare for All" shadow hearing led by CPC Chair Emerita Rep. Pramila Jayapal (WA-07) and Rep. Debbie Dingell (MI-06), the lead sponsors of the Medicare for All Act of 2025. CPC Chair Rep. Greg Casar (TX-35) and 13 other CPC Members attended. Witnesses included Dr. Diljeet Singh (Physicians for a National Health Program), Jamie Brown, RN (NNU President), and Eagan Kemp (Public Citizen) — and Chela Garcia, a member-leader and volunteer organizer with the People's Lobby Education Institute and People's Action Institute, who traveled from Chicago to testify. Watch the full hearing on YouTube here She said it best: "I came to DC from Chicago to testify in Congress because I'm furious that in the richest country in the history of the world, we have to constantly fight the system for dignified health care that we all deserve. Meanwhile, giant corporations like UnitedHealth Care play life and death games and get rich off our suffering. I'm furious that every day, members of the community and people across the country are forced to choose between paying for medicine or buying food. Medicare for All is not a radical dream — it is a moral baseline." The hearing laid out what Medicare for All would actually do: comprehensive coverage for every American, no premiums, no co-pays, no deductibles — and dental, vision, and hearing included. The CBO has estimated it would save the system $650 billion a year. Researchers at Yale estimate it would save 68,000 lives a year. This is the fight. The press release is here. Please continue to drive sign-ons to our Dream Bigger in support of Medicare for All open letter.

In solidarity, 

Megan