BIDEN SEEKS $100B IN EMERGENCY FUNDING, INCLUDING FOR NEW KEY BRIDGE: On his way out of office, President Joe Biden is trying to keep his promise to pay for a new Francis Scott Key Bridge. In a letter to House Speaker Mike Johnson on Monday, Biden asked for nearly $100 billion in emergency relief funding, including the rebuild of the collapsed bridge “at 100 percent Federal cost share.” Dillon Mullan/The Baltimore Sun.
- The Biden administration is asking Congress to approve $98.4 billion in emergency spending to bolster the federal government’s response and recovery efforts following a series of natural disasters, including Hurricanes Helene and Milton that devastated parts of Southeastern states. Within that package is the Key Bridge replacement. Jennifer Shutt/Maryland Matters.
- The request is necessary for Biden to secure the funding from the lame-duck Congress before he leaves office — fulfilling a pledge he made publicly just hours after the bridge was toppled following a ship strike last March. Pamela Wood/The Baltimore Banner.
WITH ‘ENORMOUS’ STATE BUDGET GAP, TAX HIKES POSSIBLE: “Everything is on the table” when it comes to combating a budget gap analysts described as “enormous,” according to Senate President Bill Ferguson. Maryland faces a projected $2.7 billion deficit for fiscal 2026 that grows to almost $6 billion over a five-year period, according to budget analysts. Ferguson’s statement opens the door to a discussion on some kind of tax increase. Bryan Sears/Maryland Matters.
O’MALLEY FIRST TO ANNOUNCE RUN FOR DNC CHAIR: Martin O’Malley, the former Maryland governor and Baltimore mayor who for the last year has served as commissioner of the Social Security Administration, on Monday became the first announced candidate for chair of the Democratic National Committee. Reid Epstein/The New York Times.
- O’Malley, 61, is vying to succeed Jaime Harrison, who is stepping down. Democrats are coming off a devastating election in which Vice President Kamala Harris lost her White House bid to Republican former President Donald Trump, who won all seven states designated as “battlegrounds” because of their slim margins. Jeff Barker/The Baltimore Sun.
- O’Malley is one of several expected candidates who are expected to seek to replace outgoing DNC Chair Jaime Harrison in early 2025. The next chair will be chosen by 440 DNC members from across the country. Josh Kurtz/Maryland Matters.
- Effective Nov. 29, O’Malley is resigning as Social Security Administration commissioner to run for chairman of the Democratic National Committee. Lee O. Sanderlin/The Baltimore Banner.
MOORE ADMIN HIRES ADVISER TO PREP FOR TRUMP: Gov. Wes Moore’s administration has hired one of the world’s largest consulting and technology firms to help prepare for the cascading effects President-elect Donald Trump’s new administration could have on the state. Sam Janesch/The Baltimore Sun.
WHAT WILL HAPPEN TO THE STATE’s TOP FEDERAL PROSECUTOR IN TRUMP ERA? In the coming weeks, President-elect Donald Trump is expected to turn his attention to state-based appointees, including U.S. attorneys. Though there’s no requirement to replace current U.S. Attorney for Maryland Erek Barron, U.S. attorneys over the past 50 years typically have been ordered or asked to tender their resignations when a new president is elected, said Carl Tobias, a professor at the University of Richmond School of Law. Brooke Conrad/The Baltimore Sun.
MARYLAND NEAR THE MIDDLE WHEN IT COMES TO LUNG CANCER SCREENING: Lung cancer screening and early diagnosis were the two areas where Maryland was weakest compared to other states, according to a report from the American Lung Association, which looked at data from 2021, the most recent year for which numbers were available. The report said Maryland was 23rd of 51 states and the District for screening, and 26th of 47 states for early diagnosis. In other areas, Maryland did relatively well. Danielle Brown/Maryland Matters.
STATE URGES MARYLANDERS TO REDUCE WATER USE DURING FALL DROUGHT: State environmental officials are urging Marylanders and businesses to reduce water use when possible as the department has expanded drought watches and warnings across the state. Julie Greene/The Hagerstown Herald-Mail.
FORMER PG COUNCILMAN FRANKLIN TO SERVE ONE YEAR IN JAIL: Former Prince George’s County Council member Mel Franklin was sentenced by Anne Arundel County Circuit Court Judge Mark W. Crooks to five years in jail for a theft charge, with all but one year suspended. Franklin, who represented the county’s District 9 for two terms before being twice elected countywide, also received a five-year sentence for perjury with all five years suspended. His sentence will begin on Nov. 30. Richard Elliott/The Washington Informer.
FORMER HARFORD COUNCILMAN SAYS HE SHOULD NOT HAVE LOST SEAT: Dion Guthrie, a former Democratic Harford County councilman, is claiming that he should not have been removed from office after he pleaded no contest to theft for stealing almost $23,500 from the union that he led for more than 50 years. Last week Guthrie accepted responsibility in Baltimore County Circuit Court but maintained that he did not embezzle money from the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 1501. Dylan Segelbaum/The Baltimore Banner.
MARRIOTT TO LAYOFF 833 EMPLOYEES: Bethesda-based Marriott International plans to lay off hundreds of workers in January. Some 833 employees will be part of a mass layoff that takes effect Jan. 3, the hotel giant said in a notice filed with the Maryland Department of Labor. Marriott said it began a strategic review of all aspects of its global business earlier this year to boost its “effectiveness.” Lorraine Mirabella/The Baltimore Sun.
