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.
HERE IN MARYLAND
Maryland’s High-Speed Maglev Train Project Is Not Happening: Federal Railroad Administration letter says the project ‘will result in significant, unresolvable impacts to federal agencies and federal property’ Maryland Matters
Laid Off Federal Workers Program Paused Amid Hiring Freeze: The Moore administration’s plan to hire laid off federal workers is not happening right now. The decision comes after Republicans blasted the initiative as hypocritical because the state is in the middle of a hiring freeze and offering buyouts. WBAL-TV.
Hispanic, Asian Population Boom Stems Losses In Maryland, 15 Other States Hispanic, Asian and multiracial residents drove population growth in the United States last year, and 16 states would have lost population without gains in those groups, according to a new analysis published last week by the Brookings Institution. In Maryland, population gains among Hispanics (32,646) and Asians (12,016) were augmented by increases in the Black population (14,224) to more than offset a drop in the white population of 17,580, for an overall one-year population gain of 46,158. . In three states where the number of residents declined — Mississippi, Vermont and West Virginia — growth in those communities prevented even greater population loss, according to the analysis. Maryland Matters
Maryland Records Most Flash Flood Warnings Since 2020: Severe thunderstorms across Maryland on Thursday brought torrential rainfall reaching up to 6 inches in some areas, causing thousands to lose power and requiring several water rescues in Harford County after multiple cars were trapped by rising water. Maryland Matters.
Is It Safe to Swim? Heavy Rain Leads to Bacteria Spikes in Chesapeake Rivers Recreation in the natural waters of the Chesapeake Bay region should always be approached with caution after rainfall. And, since mid-June, much of the Bay watershed has been walloped with rain. Afternoon and evening thunderstorms plaguing the area have sent high volumes of stormwater rushing into streams, rivers and the Bay itself — carrying pollution with it. The influx triggered alerts about unsafe swimming conditions across the region. Bay Journal
July Marks Five-Year High In Heat-Illness Hospitalizations: High temperatures this summer have resulted in the deaths of 19 individuals and more than 1,200 Marylanders landing in the emergency room with heat-related illnesses. Maryland Matters.
Energy Dept. Allows For AACO Power Plant To Exceed Limits, Avoid Outages: U.S. Energy Secretary Chris Wright issued an emergency order that authorized an Anne Arundel County power plant to operate more often than typically allowed, including areas served by the Baltimore Gas and Electric Company — a feat that Maryland conservative lawmakers called “a major win.” [Wagner Generating Plant Unit 4 burns fuel oil, not coal]. Baltimore Sun.
The Implications Of Solar In Maryland: The Maryland Department of the Environment is pushing for 50% of the state’s electricity generation by 2030 to come from renewable energy resources, such as solar whether at a home or in an industrial project. A University of Maryland professor has found that 1,965 acres of land in the state are used in utility-scale solar. That’s a total of 19 projects as of May 2024; of those acres, 1,757 were previously farmland. Baltimore Sun.
AI Needs Huge Amounts of Power; Constellation Is Striking Deals: Much of the potential of artificial intelligence may still be beyond imagination, but one thing’s clear — its power needs will be enormous. Less certain is who will pay AI’s electric bills and just how much consumers will bear. But big tech firms like Microsoft, Meta, Google and Amazon are rushing to lock in long-term, clean power sources for ever-larger data centers, making deals with utilities and power plant operators in Maryland and across the U.S., including Baltimore-based Constellation Energy. Baltimore Sun.
State Officials Launch 10-Year Plan To Boost Supports For Growing Senior Population: By 2030, 1 in 4 Marylanders will be above the age of 60; State officials want to make sure the state is ready Across the United States, health officials are bracing for the rising population of senior citizens expected in the next couple years, as “Baby Boomers” continue to age into retirement and will likely need additional supports to secure affordable housing options, health care and other resources. Maryland officials are trying to get ahead of the problem, announcing a 10-year plan called the Longevity Ready Maryland initiative to boost supports for older residents in the state in coming years. Maryland Matters.
New Math Standards: The Maryland State Board of Education this week approved new math standards for the first time in 15 years. Baltimore Banner.
THE OTHER 49
Democrats and Republicans are scrambling to redistrict their Congressional districts to favor their parties in the 2026 election for House seats. Pluribus has the grim numbers: “Realpolitik: Democrats are going to have a tough time making inroads through redistricting from a practical standpoint. Democratic legislatures control the process in states that account for just 35 Republican-held seats, while Republicans oversee the process in states that include 55 Democratic-held districts. So part of the story will be which party is TOO ambitious, rolls the dice too many times and winds up delivering safe seats to the other party.
New York will offer free phone calls to people incarcerated in its state prisons starting Aug. 1, becoming the sixth state to do so. The change is projected to save roughly 30,000 families across the state an estimated $13.3 million per year in phone call fees. New York joins California, Colorado, Connecticut, Massachusetts, and Minnesota in offering free phone calls in state prisons, though Colorado’s policy won’t take full effect until 2026. [Maryland is notably absent from the list]. Stateline Daily
Illinois public school students could soon receive free mental health screenings each year, according to Capitol News Illinois. Democratic Gov. JB Pritzker signed a measure that would require the State Board of Education and a children’s behavioral health team within the governor’s office to develop procedures and make mental health materials available to school districts. Stateline Daily
Pushback Chronicles: Pennsylvania won’t share SNAP data with Trump administration for now | Pennsylvania Capital-Star and Vermont governor denies Trump administration request for state National Guard to help ICE | VTDigger (via States News)
GLOBAL, NATIONAL AND THE FEDS
The BBC reports “A group of some 600 retired Israeli security officials [has] urged President Trump to pressure Israel to immediately end the war in Gaza. ‘It is our professional judgment that Hamas no longer poses a strategic threat to Israel,’ they wrote in an open letter. The appeal comes amid reports that Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is pushing to expand military operations as indirect ceasefire talks with Hamas have stalled.”
Senate Deadlock Double-locks: The Economist sums it up: “John Thune, the Republican leader in the Senate, and Chuck Schumer, his Democratic counterpart, tried and failed to strike a deal to get several Trump nominees approved. In exchange for confirming some low-level appointments, Democrats wanted some funding for foreign aid and health research restored. Republicans are now considering the “nuclear” option when the Senate returns in September from its recess—making more nominees confirmable with a simple majority [not a filibuster 60-vote margin].”
Urban sponge cities go worldwide – as the US stumbles to recover from round after round of devastating floods from Texas to Vermont, globally “Urban planners are hoping to mitigate floods by specifically designing municipalities to soak up water. After massive flooding in 2011 caused $1.8 billion in damage, Copenhagen began refashioning its infrastructure: It built wetlands and parks, plus underground pipes and basins, to gather and redirect the rainwater,” we read in Semafor. “The project is ongoing, but it is already helping the Danish capital withstand torrential rains, and the “sponge city” model is being copied by “cities as disparate as Auckland, Nairobi, Singapore, New York, Rotterdam, and Berlin,” Yale Environment 360 reported. Using nature-based features, like gardens and trees, is key, as while rainwater gathers on top of concrete, it filters down into soil, and is sucked up by plants.” Meanwhile Texas bills increasing youth camp safety face long odds, even after Hill Country floods, reports the Texas Tribune
Corporation for Public Broadcasting to close its doors after loss of funding The Corporation for Public Broadcasting announced Friday that it will be shutting down. The announcement came just one day after a major Senate appropriations bill omitted funding for the nonprofit that funds public media and a week after President Donald Trump signed a bill into law that yanked $1.1 billion in previously approved spending for CPB. CPB, which Congress authorized in 1967, provides funds for National Public Radio, the Public Broadcasting Service and hundreds of local stations across the United States. President Donald Trump and fellow Republicans have criticized NPR and PBS of left-leaning bias, an accusation the public media organizations have rejected. States Newsroom DC via Maryland Matters