With Congress having gone home leaving the wrecking ball of the Big Beautiful Bill (really, that's its name) behind for the Senate to tackle when it returns next week, our entertainment comes from Trump's social media posts showing lots of choler but no knowledge of his prickly problems: Russia/Ukraine; Israel/Gaza and the Middle East (source of free planes), South Africa and its ambushed president ("I wish I had a plane to give you") and the prospect that no national leaders will want to visit Trump anymore. Everything appears to be on hold until Congress returns, at which point the real fireworks are likely to smoke up the sky.

HERE IN MARYLAND

Energy Dominated Moore's Vetoes and Signings: Very nerdy but thorough coverage of energy issues surrounding some contentious Moore vetoes of bills backed by the 2025 General Assembly. He signed bills promoting in-state generation and solar farms. Maryland Matters

And: California emissions standards adopted by Maryland under attack by Trumpworld: Maryland one of 17 states and the District following California rules that called for sales of gas-powered cars to be phased out by 2035.Maryland Matters

AND Pluribus News reports “California intends to sue the Trump administration if President Trump signs legislation overturning clean-air regulations that phase out the sale of gas-powered cars by 2035. Attorney General Rob Bonta (D) said the Senate’s use of the Congressional Review Act to revoke an EPA waiver the state received under the Biden administration is illegal."

This year’s Maryland Party: Another cozy gathering of developers and political leaders in Vegas The Maryland real estate industry is paying at least $2.1 million to Howard Perlow’s networking company to hobnob with state and city politicians under the cover of palm trees and cabanas. Baltimore Brew

Summaries from Maryland Reporter

Elfreth Questions Hegseth about Book Removals at Naval Academy, Other Military Libraries : Rep. Sarah Elfreth of Anne Arundel County is seeking answers from Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth as military libraries face a deadline to remove books and other materials to comply with a Pentagon directive on diversity, equity, and inclusion. Baltimore Sun

State Job Gains Gut-Punched By Federal Workforce Layoffs:: Maryland added around 4,900 new jobs in April, but labor officials said those gains were dragged down by a loss of 2,600 jobs in the federal workforce in the same month. The Maryland Department of Labor reports that mass federal layoffs and other actions by the Trump administration are “tempering the state’s overall jobs growth.” The federal impact was even sharper in March, when the state’s 2,300 new jobs were eclipsed by the loss of 2,700 federal jobs for the month. Maryland Matters.

Maryland's Large Global Network Imperiled by Trump Tariffs: Last year, trade linked Maryland’s economy with more than 200 countries, from Afghanistan to Zimbabwe. President Donald Trump’s sweeping tariffs on foreign imports — and retaliatory levies by several countries — have cast uncertainty over that integrated global network. Baltimore Banner.

Officials boost efforts to inspect assisted living facilities; senior advocates say it’s not enough Almost half of Maryland’s assisted living facilities did not receive an annual inspection in 2024, state reports Maryland Matters

THE OTHER 49

Republicans target a tax that keeps state Medicaid programs running

For years, states have been taxing health care providers to draw down additional federal funds for their Medicaid programs. The BBB that House GOPers sent the Senate would curtail that practice and likely throw Medicaid under the bus. Stateline

For data center sustainability in Virginia, state regulation is a must: Spreading out from Northern Virginia, data centers are being proposed in communities across the Chesapeake Bay region. They promise big bursts of local revenue, but they also consume huge amounts of energy and can sometimes negatively impact neighborhoods and natural areas. When data centers come knocking, what should local environmentalists do?  Bay Journal

Education Woes As teacher burnout deepens, states scramble to fill school job vacancies Some states are changing standards by dropping tests, recruiting aides to become teachers. Stateline Daily

And more … Maryland, guard your education assets: Facing shortage of special education teachers, Virginia board votes to expand educator pipeline via Pluribus,| Virginia Mercury

And more (next door): The Delaware House has approved legislation requiring school libraries to develop policies and procedures for objections to library material. The bill would require books to remain available while school boards review whether content is appropriate. (Delaware Public Media) via Pluribus

HOUSING: New Jersey lawmakers approved legislation allowing judges to consider whether rent hikes are too high. The bill would allow judges to consider the amount of the hike, the amount of profit a landlord makes, area rents and the condition of the property in question. (New Jersey Monitor) via Pluribus

AND a little history: An assistant professor of urban and regional planning tells the story of the Model Cities Program, a lesser-known prong of Lyndon B. Johnson’s Great Society. A core tenet of the program was keeping communities involved and intact. Unlike the slum clearance efforts earlier in the 20th century, the program sought to preserve existing communities by building housing on vacant lots, or renovating existing structures. The Conversation.

ENERGY: Lawmakers in at least 16 states considered legislation related to nuclear energy this year as energy demand increases. Indiana lawmakers approved a 20% tax credit for small modular reactor manufacturers. Montana lawmakers backed a bill allowing uranium enrichment facilities to be built in the state. Tennessee plans to build an enrichment facility. (Pluribus News) [paywalled]

AND if you are exhausted by the national-level attacks on climate solutions, you can take a look at the NY Times “50 States, 50 Fixes” series: “Now more than ever, environmental solutions may seem out of reach. But they’re happening all over the country. This year, NYT will be highlighting one thing that’s working in every state.” [You may have seen some of these before, including the one about Maryland preserving public land…].

GLOBAL, NATIONAL AND THE FEDS

The House and Senate are out all week.

ANOTHER INSTITUTION UNDER ATTACK: “GOP declares war on GAO,” by POLITICO’s Jennifer Scholtes and colleagues: “The independent Government Accountability Office has served Congress as the nation’s chief investigator of wrongdoing at federal agencies for more than a century. Now it’s under assault. The typically uncontroversial, under-the-radar agency is fighting to retain power against attempts by Republicans in the Trump administration and on Capitol Hill to undercut its legal conclusions and independence — an onslaught that has been fast and furious.” POLITICO Playbook

And Megan E's report from People's Action, about skullduggery in the Senate while all eyes were on the tumult in the House:

I hope everyone had a restful long weekend. I’m sorry this is late today.  I’m just sending an update on the GENIUS Act, which should be getting more attention.  In my opinion, Democrats handing Republicans the votes for this bill is much worse than Schumer voting for the CR. 

The crypto industry spent at least $245 million on the 2024 elections, to get people in both parties elected, but mostly in favor of Trump on ads that did not mention crypto. They spent $40 million alone, to oust the former Chair of the Senate Banking Committee, Sherrod Brown (D-OH).  Now the crypto industry is demanding its payment in the form of the GENIUS Act, which creates a light regulatory framework for stablecoins (stablecoin is a more “stable” form of cryptocurrency that is pegged to something such as the dollar). 

The bill threatens democracy by allowing stablecoins to proliferate, including by companies such as Musk’s X, consolidating the oligarchy’s power. Trump’s own stablecoin, which has made him $2.9 billion since inauguration, will continue to be allowed to be used for him to receive payments in exchange for political favors. Trump held a dinner over the weekend for his top investors in the stablecoin that included, “a Chinese billionaire fighting a lawsuit from U.S. regulators, a lawyer for Justice Clarence Thomas and a former basketball star.”

“The crypto titans and venture capital political donors that are pushing stablecoin legislation, such as Brian Armstrong and Marc Andreessen, are also cheering as Musk and Trump dismantle the Consumer Finance Protection Board and the FTC. Passing the GENIUS Act enriches them since they are either investors or prospective issuers.”

Longstanding banking law has not allowed companies that sell goods or services, like Walmart, to create their own currency or to operate as banks because it poses huge risks to consumers and the economy. Americans from Financial Reform explains: “These risks include data privacy, consumer exploitation and manipulation, and economic concentration risks. For example, X could surveil people’s individual transactions with its Musk Money and offer preferences or penalties to customers based on their use of its new coin. Commercial stablecoin issuers could unduly control pricing or demand for products and effectively hold vast pools of customer deposits. And, if a company with a branded stablecoin went into a tailspin, it would not only affect the company but also its stablecoin could spread contagion that would cause a market crash.” Unlike our bank deposits, stablecoin is not insured by the federal government if there is a run on deposits. In other words, regular people will not be bailed out and the people who caused the crisis will walk away richer. [Sounds like 2008]

While we and many others were focused on defeating the House budget reconciliation bill last week, 16 Senate Democrats led by Sen. Gillibrand gave Republicans the votes to end the filibuster and move forward on the The GENIUS Act (S. 1582) a bill to very lightly regulate stablecoins. Two Republicans voted against the bill, Paul (KY) & Moran (KS). Sen. Hawley (MO) did not vote on the measure. Marylanders note that Sen. Alsobrooks voted with Gillibrand to advance the bill; Sen. Van Hollen did not.. 

Punchbowl News reported that, "Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand’s (D-N.Y.) chief of staff, Jess Fassler, rankled senior aides in a meeting Monday after he invoked Gillibrand’s role as chair of Senate Democrats’ campaign arm during a discussion about crypto policy, per four people present. In the meeting of Democratic chiefs of staff, Fassler said Democrats should keep her DSCC chairmanship in mind as she pushes to advance a stablecoin reform bill, according to two participants."

Sen. Elizabeth Warren, the top Democrat (and expert on this issue) on the Banking Committee, led the opposition to the bill.  Her counterpart in the House, Rep. Maxine Waters (D-CA) has also been vocal in her opposition to the bill. Warren argues that stablecoin should be subject to at least as stringent regulation as banks. 

Stablecoin [like most crypto] also facilitates money laundering and tax evasion, is the primary banking system for international cartels and threatens the green transition and drives up electric bills. Crypto mining is a terrible drain on electricity. Data center growth due to crypto and AI is causing electric usage and energy bills to go up. 

The bill will move through the Senate next week where some Democrats will seek to offer amendments, particularly around Trump’s grift. 

Speaking of grift [non-crypto division], Trump pardoned a rich tax cheat after his mother [who also raised tons of money for Trump and oiled some anti-Biden-family rumors] attended a $1 million fundraiser, “sparing him from having to pay nearly $4.4 million in restitution and from reporting to prison for an 18-month sentence that had been handed down just 12 days earlier, the Seattle Times reported. A judge had justified the incarceration by declaring that there “is not a get-out-of-jail-free card” for the rich.”

Megan E, federal affairs director, People's Action

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