Natural disasters and nasty bugs are at the top of Maryland's summertime agenda, including the worldwide heat wave costing lives from Europe to Central Maryland and sourced in a Pacific El Nino. You can plan a summer getaway, but where can you go to get away? It's one world, like it or not. Meanwhile, Maryland's biggest adversary is its own national government,  and the state is pushing back on a number of fronts, as see below. Montgomery County has just put up a portal on its website with real-time alerts on ICE activity. Other states (Texas, Maine) are fighting the unrestrained brutality of ICE; see Megan E's accounts below. New DHS boss Markwayne Mullins' hopes to keep ICE out of the headlines will have to wait until he has better recruits and better training -- or maybe abolishes ICE and just starts over. Lots of news at the national/global level starting with the death of Sen. Lindsey Graham, whose ties to Trump and ability to soothe rancor in the Senate was critical to the few things Congress has been able to accomplish. And the Rappahannock tribe in Virginia has been slowly reclaiming land from which they were evicted centuries ago; they just got some more back. It's News You Can Use; occasionally it's not all bad.

HERE IN MARYLAND

Multistate Outbreak of Foodborne Parasitic Illness Hits Maryland, Region: An intestinal illness that can cause nausea and watery, sometimes explosive diarrhea that’s been reported in several states has reached Virginia and Maryland. The illness, cyclosporiasis, is caused by cyclospora, a food- and waterborne parasites. WTOP/Maryland Matters.

Holiday Heat Wave Sent Hundreds to Emergency Rooms: More than 470 heat-related emergency room visits were reported during last week’s Independence Day heat wave, more ER visits in one week than had been recorded for the entire heat season that began in May, according to new data. Maryland Matters.

Deep-Blue Maryland Had Low Turnout in Recent Primaries: While midterm primary season was lively in other states thanks to contentious races – in Texas, for example, primary voters smashed recent midterm turnout records – it was sleepy in Maryland. Deep blue and with only a few progressives challenging establishment Democrats, Maryland saw low voter engagement in the June 23 primary. Baltimore Brew

Trump Administration Sues State Over Passage Of Community Trust Act: The Trump administration sued the state of Maryland Thursday, claiming that the state’s new immigrant protection law, the Community Trust Act, interferes with the federal government’s ability to enforce immigration law and control illegal immigration. Maryland Matters.

More Federal Assistance Available For Farmers: Maryland secured a disaster declaration for 19 of its counties on June 15 following the frost event, but with Virginia’s latest declaration, adjacent Charles County farmers are now also eligible for support. WYPR

State Claims Immunity from Some Sexual Abuse Lawsuits: The Supreme Court of Maryland has agreed to hear the state’s challenge to the Child Victims Act in a case that could end hundreds of sexual abuse lawsuits and save the state and its taxpayers more than $1 billion, while denying some plaintiffs their day in court. Maryland Matters.

Mo Co Unveils ICE Reporting Portal: Montgomery County officials unveiled a new portal Wednesday that allows the public to share information about the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) activities in the county. County Executive Marc Elrich (D) and County Council President Natali Fani-González (D-Dist. 6) announced the new portal in a media briefing on Wednesday. Bethesda Today.

Maryland’s third-party candidates know the odds, but they won’t give up the fight: For third-party candidates — typically outnumbered, outspent, frozen out of primaries and debates, and looked on with suspicion by voters worried about wasting a vote — it’s often not about winning, but about making the incremental gains that allow them to stay on the ballot, to grow and be heard by voters disenchanted by the major parties. Maryland Matters

Data Center Developments Played Role In Election Losses: Frustrations over proposed data center developments led to the ouster of local politicians during last month’s primary election, observers say. In Frederick County, which is planning for a data center hub, the council chair lost his seat in the primary, and politically inexperienced candidates urging “data center sanity” largely won out. In Calvert County, where officials are weighing data centers near the Calvert Cliffs nuclear power plant, a similar story played out, and three county commissioners were shown the door. Maryland Matters.

THE REGION AND THE OTHER 49

Next Door: Va. tribe reclaims stolen land  The Rappahannock Tribe on June 12 reclaimed 704 acres of its ancestral lands at Fones Cliff along on its namesake river in Virginia. The land is along what is known as Fones Cliffs, a stretch of nearly vertical banks that rise high above the north side of the river about 50 miles upstream from the Chesapeake Bay. The high ground gave the Rappahannock a strategic advantage when defending their land against the English in the 1600s. The area is home to three of the tribe’s 14 ancestral towns: Pissacoack, Matchopick and Wecuppom. The colonists took the land in the 1650s, forcing the tribe to relocate in the Middle Peninsula. Between 2017 and 2026, the tribe has slowly secured nearly 2,400 acres around Fones Cliffs. “For millennia, the power of this place has shaped tribal identity and connected the people to the land and to the river that bears our name,” said Anne Richardson, chief of the Rappahannock Tribe. “It is very rewarding to be able to restore the lands of our ancestors to our citizens of today and for future generations.” Bay Journal

Q&A With Van Hollen as He 'Kicks The Tires' On Presidential Bid: Over his 36-year political career, Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) has waged high-profile policy fights with legislative leaders in Annapolis, defeated a Kennedy scion and a popular Republican incumbent en route to winning a congressional seat. In the House, Van Hollen was a top lieutenant to Speaker Nancy Pelosi before moving to the U.S. Senate where he pursued progressive and reform policies. So it should not have been a surprise when Van Hollen, 67, told the “On NOTUS” podcast in mid-June that he was “kicking the tires” on a possible presidential bid in 2028 – when he also must decide whether to seek a third Senate term. Maryland Matters.

US DOJ says ICE won’t comply with Milwaukee mask ban, rebukes mayor:   The Justice Department rejected Milwaukee’s attempts to prohibit immigration agents from wearing masks in a Friday letter to Milwaukee’s Mayor “We write to seek assurances that neither your offices, the Milwaukee Police Department, nor any other entity in Milwaukee plans to enforce Milwaukee Code ordinances…(“Mask Ban” or “Ordinance”) against federal law enforcement officers,” the letter states. “The enforcement of such a law would be unconstitutional under the Supremacy Clause.” News from the States

 Maryland among 15 states that sue Trump administration to block school mental health funding cuts   Maryland was among 15 states that on Friday sued the Trump administration to prevent millions of dollars in cuts to school-based mental health funding. The new lawsuit is part of an ongoing legal battle between Democratic-led states and the U.S. Department of Education over a mental health grant program that Congress established following the 2018 school shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida. At stake is a $1 billion program that offers grants to school districts across the country to help them hire and train more mental health professionals to work in schools. News from the States

ENERGY: Pennsylvania’s new $50 billion budget includes a provision requiring data centers with peak capacity of more than 10 megawatts of energy use to file annual reports on energy and water use with the state Department of Environmental Protection. The budget also requires the transmission system operator PJM to disclose power load forecasting information to the state Public Utility Commission. (State Affairs) via Pluribus

Report: Trump administration stopping 4 Minnesota wind power developments  The Trump administration’s de facto freeze on wind energy puts 1,200 construction jobs, 4,400 “indirect and induced” jobs and more than $168 million in economic impact at risk for Minnesota, according to a new report from a St. Paul-based progressive think tank. The U.S. Department of Defense has stopped completing the mandated — and once-routine — national security review process for proposed wind farms. As a result, Minnesota could lose four wind energy projects that could generate enough power for several hundred thousand homes, North Star Policy Action says. Minnesota Reformer via News from the States

GLOBAL, NATIONAL AND THE FEDS

Top of the headlines in DC, from POLITICO Playbook: “The shocking death of Sen. Lindsey Graham is still reverberating across Washington this morning, fueling a frantic scramble for his Senate seat — both for his immediate temporary replacement and a longer-term successor. [And] that’s while Senate Republicans confront a sudden leadership vacuum heading into a pivotal week.

In the balance: Republicans’ weakening grip on Washington comes as a parade of consequential nominees take to the Hill (acting AG Todd Blanche to seek the job permanently, Jay Clayton to be DNI and Erica Schwartz to lead the CDC on Wednesday; David Cummins to lead TSA and Keith Sonderling to be Labor secretary on Thursday). The majority also planned votes this week on the National Defense Authorization Act [NDAA], with Graham having been counted on to bring crucial Democratic votes on board to pass the annual, and typically bipartisan, defense policy bill. That’s not all: At stake is the White House’s standing with the Senate. Graham was a smoother of the White House’s Senate relationships. … meanwhile, In the House, [Speaker Mike] Johnson still hasn’t quelled hard-liners’ multiple revolts — over the SAVE America Act and immigration — which could gum up the floor indefinitely. Also in limbo: NDAA, government funding (including that controversial Israel aid ban amendment), reconciliation and surveillance, cryptocurrency and [yes] college athletics bills.” And Punchbowl does the math for us: “the heat is on Johnson and House Republicans. There are just 24 legislative days left on the House’s schedule before the election — and eight legislative days until the chamber recesses for all of August.”

Also notable from POLITICO: Progressives look to recharge the Green New Deal for the AI era -- A group of insurgent Democrats have won House primaries in recent weeks. They could have a major impact on how the party deals with the environment.

Here is Megan E’s report from D.C. “returning from recess, like Congress.” She is Federal Affairs director for People’s Action, the national affiliate of Progressive Maryland

“South Carolina Republican Senator Lindsey Graham died of a heart attack over the weekend. Graham will be remembered for his hawkish foreign policy. South Carolina Governor Henry McMaster will appoint a Republican to serve out his term for the rest of the year. Graham was up for reelection this fall. Surprisingly, a June poll in the race shows Democratic candidate Annie Andrews as only trailing Graham by 3 points (within the margin of error). Graham’s death could boost her chances in deep red South Carolina.

Trump’s expensive, pointless war with Iran is escalating again. Trump said today that the US will take over the Strait of Hormuz and will charge a 20% toll on all ships that pass through. It’s unclear if he is serious or not. 

Congress will try again to pass a few bills that will culminate in a whopping, historic $1.5 trillion Pentagon budget for FY2027. The first is the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) which would authorize the $1.5T in spending. Then they want to pass an annual defense appropriations bill that funds just over a $1T in defense spending and a separate supplemental spending bill that funds ammunitions and weapons that have been drawn down by the Iran war. Remember DOGE? Apparently, they only care about cutting spending on things that the American people need, not on weapons and war. 

Members of Congress in both parties need to hear from constituents in opposition to these bills. The Congressional Progressive Caucus has taken a position against NDAA but some Democrats are likely to vote for it and other bills. Republicans are split and therefore vulnerable to critiques of this much spending; they  should feel pressure to oppose the spending and fund health care.

Before the recess, Rep. Anna Paulina Luna (R-FL) was leading the charge (at Trump’s bidding) in blocking any bills from moving forward until the horrible anti-voter SAVE Act passes (it doesn’t have the votes). 

The bipartisan housing bill became law without Trump’s signature last week. It became law after Trump threw a fit and refused to sign the law because Congress hasn’t passed the SAVE Act and he made it clear his only priority is to steal the elections. 

Graham Platner dropped out of the Senate race after serious allegations of rape and the Maine Democratic Party will hold a nominating convention to replace him. It has until June 27th to replace him on the ballot. 

Last week, ICE shot and killed Lorenzo Salgado Araujo, a dad driving a work van with his crew when he was gunned down by ICE deportation agents who remain reckless and out of control. Join us for the virtual Justice for Lorenzo: Day of Action and Accountability Movement Call on July 15th at 8 pm ET, where we will gather in solidarity to hear from Lorenzo’s loved ones, get updates about the case, and learn how you can take action over the coming weeks to demand justice and accountability for Lorenzo and his family. An ICE shooting in Biddeford, Maine is unfolding in real time, see the Portland Press Herald story

The Trump administration continues to kill science. From Politico: “Researchers worry a Trump rule could end U.S. scientific dominance,” by WaPo’s Riley Beggin and colleagues: “The changes would give White House political appointees more power over hundreds of billions of dollars in discretionary grant funding, diminishing the traditional role of scientific peer reviewers. … The rule change marks a departure from the system created in the wake of World War II, in which independent peer reviewers, experts in the field, determine whether scientific proposals are worthy of federal funding. OMB said it intends to finalize the rule by Oct. 1.”

Affordability & Democracy Crisis: The Next Moves Memo from the People’s Affordability & Democracy Summit is available here. Dēmos and People’s Action Institute released a new report, Solving the Affordability Crisis: A Plan for a People-Powered, Racially Just Economy. If you missed the Summit, please check out Scot Nakagawa’s write-up of his speech, it’s available here: “The Whole Playbook in Thirteen Moves”

In solidarity, Megan

GLOBAL

Way hot in Europe too: Europe reported more than 10,000 excess deaths during June’s record-breaking heatwave, new data show, with analysts bracing for a higher toll as forecasts point to higher temperatures. Recent mercury spikes have also led to wildfires across much of Southern Europe, including blazes that killed 13 in Spain last week. Meanwhile firefighters are racing to contain “very virulent” wildfires outside of Paris. Elsewhere, El Niño, a warm weather pattern originating in the Pacific Ocean, has led to warnings of soaring temperatures and an ensuing food price shock that could last for years. Semafor

The death toll from the twin earthquakes that struck Venezuela last month approached 5,000, while thousands more remain missing. The Pan American Health Organization on Friday warned that the country faces a “critical” emergency that could trigger a major health crisis, as poor sanitation and an overburdened health system increase the likelihood of disease outbreaks. Semafor

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