As we enter the third week of what may be a VERY long federal shutdown, a batch of Marylanders -- federal employees or federal contractors -- are out of work this week and many are not expecting paychecks (except for those in uniform). The legal scuffle over National Guard deployments continues in other allegedly "high-crime" states and cities, with no consideration of the facts on the ground. As noted below, National Guard personnel and others currently in uniform need to keep their thoughts to themselves, but veterans, individually and in their organizations, are pretty exercised about this misuse of authority (see the story in our national section). Out there in the fifty states, for every bad move there seems to be a good move as people wise up to the TrumpWorld script, so there's hope there. Congress is stuck in stupid mode, with Dems holding out (justifiably) for a restoration of some or all of the ACA premium subsidies, while the Senate GOP leadership keeps on doing the same thing over and over in hopes it will have a different outcome (we all know what THAT is called) and the House speaker keeps his folks on vacation so the Senate will not be tempted to pass a CR that includes relief on the ACA subsidies (which the House would then have to re-vote on). No House, no hope. Ask the Speaker if he cares.
HERE IN MARYLAND
Summaries from Maryland Reporter:
State Failed To Document Children's Deaths From Abuse Or Neglect: The state’s Department of Human Services repeatedly violated a policy mandating detailed reports when children die from suspected abuse or neglect, a requirement that experts say is needed to provide transparency, force accountability and prevent future tragedies. Baltimore Banner.
Lawmakers To Consider Ai's Potential Benefits And Dangers: Del. Caylin Young said artificial intelligence is potentially as “transformative” for the nation as electricity. Many members of Maryland’s General Assembly — who will soon consider several proposals to regulate AI — are equally intrigued by the technology’s potential applications in health care, education and other industries. Members also worry that, like electricity, AI can be dangerous. Baltimore Sun.
Moore Taps State Senator As Col Butler Retires As State Police Secty: Col. Roland L. Butler Jr. is out as Maryland State Police secretary, with a former Prince George’s County sheriff and state senator tapped as his replacement, Gov. Wes Moore announced. Butler, the first Black person to lead the agency, was appointed to the post in February 2023. Baltimore Banner. >>>> Butler is set to retire on Nov. 1. “During Col. Butler’s tenure at the helm of State Police, Maryland has become a national leader in crime reduction and public safety gains. He leaves behind a profound legacy as he enters retirement,” Moore said. “And I also know Sen. Michael A. Jackson — an exceptional public servant in his own right — will build on the foundation Col. Butler laid.” Maryland Matters.
Moore Taps Weissmann as Budget Secretary: Gov. Wes Moore is picking an experienced political strategist, Yaakov “Jake” Weissmann, to be his next budget secretary. Weissmann has spent the last two years as a vice president at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County. Before that, he was a top administrator for Montgomery County’s government and spent 14 years as a staffer in the General Assembly. Baltimore Banner. >>> Weissmann will succeed Helene Grady, who announced this summer that she was leaving in October. While Grady has a more traditional budget background, Weissmann brings a depth of relationships with the General Assembly to his new role, at a time when relations between the legislature and the Moore administration are strained. Maryland Matters.
Work On Thurgood Marshall Memorial Halted: Work began last month to restore the prominent memorial honoring Thurgood Marshall, the first Black justice on the U.S. Supreme Court, but stopped almost as quickly as scaffolding was erected behind the bronze status of the history-making Maryland native. Maryland Matters.
Hopkins Prof Wins Genius Grant For Research Into Saving Democracy: When Hahrie Han joined a student-led adult literacy group at Harvard University, she didn’t imagine it would spark a lifelong fascination with how ordinary people come together to make extraordinary change. Decades later, that curiosity — about what drives citizens to act collectively and strengthens democracy — has earned the Johns Hopkins political scientist one of the nation’s highest honors: the MacArthur Foundation “Genius” grant. Baltimore Banner.
End Coming For Baltimore Police Horse Program: Baltimore will pay $2 million to cut the reins with a stable that houses the city’s police horses, the final straw in a yearslong effort to end the program. The payout, which will be considered by the mayor-controlled Board of Estimates next week, was negotiated between the city’s legal team and the First Mile Stable Charitable Foundation LLC, the stable’s manager. Baltimore Banner.
Judge Leans Toward Releasing Garcia As 3 Countries Say No To Trump: A federal judge in Maryland seemed inclined to order the release of Kilmar Abrego Garcia from immigration detention after oral arguments in court Friday, a potentially major development in the high-profile case. Maryland Matters >>> In the meantime, three African nations have refused the Trump administration’s entreaties to accept the deportation of Kilmar Abrego García, a U.S. official said at a federal court hearing Friday as a judge weighed whether to release Abrego from immigration detention. WaPo
Seniors Expect Notification Of End To Medicare Supplemental: Thousands of Maryland seniors expected to receive notice this month that their supplemental Medicare plans will no longer be available next year, sparking frustration, fear and confusion. Insurance carriers say that Maryland’s unique hospital system is costly for them to do business in, and several are reducing their coverage in the state or pulling out of counties entirely. Maryland Matters.
Maryland Leads 24-State Challenge To Guard Deployment In Illinois: Maryland is the lead state, joined by 24 other jurisdictions, on a legal brief filed Saturday that calls the Trump administration’s attempted deployment of National Guard troops in Illinois “unlawful, unconstitutional and undemocratic.” Maryland Matters.
THE OTHER 49
[Next Door in] VA: Virginia lawmakers propose plans to reduce energy costs for most vulnerable | VPM Our neighbor state is of course the US champ in data center power drains.
VOTER IDENTIFICATION: Maine Democratic Gov. Janet Mills is urging voters to reject the referendum question on the Nov. 4 ballot initiative that aims to require voters to show identification at the polls, the Maine Morning Star reports. Mills argued that the proposed changes would make it harder for seniors, people with disabilities, rural residents, first responders and workers with unpredictable schedules to vote. News from the States
Federal judge rules against ICE in the warrantless arrests of 11 KC-area workers --The warrantless arrests of 11 immigrant restaurant workers in Liberty earlier this year violated a 2022 consent decree, a federal judge ruled. The arrests of the workers at El Potro Mexican Café in February were among the first in the Kansas City area to draw widespread media attention. The Liberty cases became part of a broader filing, challenging government tactics under the second Trump administration on behalf of 26 immigrant plaintiffs.Stateline Daily
NEW ORLEANS: City council member Helena Moreno (D) won election to be New Orleans’s next mayor on Saturday, taking 55% of the vote to win outright. Moreno will take over for outgoing Mayor LaToya Cantrell (D), who is facing federal corruption charges. (Associated Press) via Pluribus
Despite widespread interest, only 3 states passed license plate reader laws this year Lawmakers in at least 16 states this year introduced bills to regulate the use of automated license plate readers responsible for collecting large amounts of data on drivers across the country. But just three states — Arkansas, Idaho and Virginia — enacted laws this session that establish or amend rules for law enforcement agencies using the high-tech camera systems and the manner in which license plate data should be stored. Stateline Daily
INCARCERATED FIREFIGHTERS: California Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom signed a set of bills meant to recognize incarcerated firefighters, including a historic measure to raise their pay to meet the federal minimum wage during active fires, CalMatters reports. The wage increase, funded through the state budget, follows years of advocacy to improve pay and working conditions for incarcerated labor. States Newsroom
Canary in the tariff coal mine? 19%: The decline in sales of Minnesota-produced products to foreign countries over last year, according to new data from the state Department of Employment and Economic Development. The decline was driven by a falloff in sales to Minnesota’s largest trading partners, Mexico, Canada and China. (Minnesota Reformer) via Pluribus
NATIONAL GUARD: A federal appeals court has allowed the federalization of National Guard troops in Illinois but told the federal government that those troops can’t be deployed while the case makes its way through the courts, Capitol News Illinois reports. The order from the lower court blocking the deployment of troops remains in effect through Oct. 24, at which point U.S. District Judge April Perry may extend it. States Newsroom
GLOBAL, NATIONAL AND THE FEDS
Veterans especially upset about military’s assignments to support ICE
US military veterans increasingly face arrest and injury amid protests over Donald Trump’s deportation campaign and his push to deploy national guard members to an ever-widening number of American cities. US military veterans increasingly face arrest and injury amid protests over Donald Trump’s deportation campaign and his push to deploy national guard members to an ever-widening number of American cities. Jose Vasquez, a former US army staff sergeant and executive director of the progressive veterans’ organization Common Defense, said: “What drives so many veterans into action is not only the injustice faced by immigrants and protesters, but also the larger threat to democracy rooted in government brutality and militarization… “The disturbing escalation in arrests and violence signals that the basic freedoms we once swore to protect are under attack.” The Guardian (UK)
Far fewer Americans support political violence than recent polls suggest, scholar suggests …in this follow-up survey, about 33% of Democrats agreed with the statement that “use of force is justified to remove President Trump from office.” However, when asked why they agreed, more than 57% gave responses like this: “I was not thinking physically but more in the sense that he – the president – might need to be ‘fired’ or forced out of office due to rules or laws.” The Conversation
>>>>>>>>>> And here is the Weekly report from DC about the malfeasance of Congress and the TrumpWorld true believers in the executive branch. It’s from Megan E, federal affairs director for our national affiliate, People’s Action.
Hello People's Action!
We’re on day 14 of the government shutdown with no end in sight. Trump directed the Department of Defense to find funds to pay the troops on Wednesday. Republicans in Congress gave the Defense department a $150 billion slush fund in H.R. 1, the Big Ugly bill. Speaker Johnson has held the House in recess since before the shutdown, refusing to do any work. Even Marjorie Taylor-Greene (R-GA) is joining rank-and-file Republican members’ calls for the Speaker to reopen the session. Taylor-Greene is also calling for the ACA premium tax credits to be extended. The Senate is in session and will continue to vote on the continuing resolution but no more Democrats are expected to change their vote at this writing.
Over the weekend, over a thousand people were laid off at the Department of Health and Human Services, including many people who work on mental health and overdose prevention. Over 600 hundred people were also laid off from the Centers for Disease Control with more people given layoff notices that were later rescinded. The White House is also ensuring that the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children — known as WIC continues and is trying to find funding to pay federal law enforcement.
What to do? Continued pressure is needed on Republican members of Congress facing competitive reelections next year [Marylanders, think about your relatives in other states]. They should be pressed to urge leadership and the President to bring a swift end to the shutdown and to extend the Affordable Care Act premium tax credits. Premiums are more than doubling for over 20 million Americans because Republicans chose handouts for billionaires over health care. Open enrollment for the Affordable Care Act marketplaces opens on November 1st, when people will see their health insurance costs go up by hundreds of dollars. The marketplaces are already open in several states. This map shows rate changes by state. Please continue to drive phone calls to these members, via op-eds and press conferences or other pressure tactics.
ICE’s tactics are becoming increasingly more violent, dragging people from cars, arresting U.S. citizens, tear-gassing and shooting people with pepper balls. From the National Immigration Law Center: “NILC’s blog on the Price of Cruelty explores how the administration’s violent anti-immigrant agenda not only devastates immigrant communities but also threatens the economic, public health, and safety interests of the entire nation. By weaponizing fear and suffering, the administration is driving immigrants to self-deport, destabilizing our communities in the process. Now that our government has shut down, the price of this cruelty has become even more evident: while vital services like food assistance and housing programs grind to a halt, the machinery of deportation remains fully operational.”
And even conservative strategist Karl Rove thinks that deploying the National Guard is a political loser. A solid 58 percent of U.S. adults say the president should only deploy troops to areas with external threats — a view held by 72 percent of Democrats, 51 percent of Republicans and 53 percent who identify as “other.” A federal appeals court in Illinois ruled that the Trump administration can keep federalized National Guard members in the state of Illinois but cannot deploy them for now.
Hostages and detainees were returned home by Israel and Hamas over the weekend and a major step in the ceasefire deal. Future peace remains uncertain. *
In solidarity,
Megan
*Update: Israel is tightening its grip due to Hamas not delivering all bodies of dead hostages: “The Rafah border crossing between Gaza and Egypt will stay closed through Wednesday, The Guardian reports, “and the flow of aid into the Palestinian enclave will be reduced, three Israeli officials said” [midday Monday].