As a deadline for funding the federal government looms (especially important for the many federal workers in Maryland) the potholed pathway to that goal puts federal matters atop this edition of News You Can Use – lots of this comes from Megan E’s Monday newsblast from our national affiliates, People’s Action.

Still, time is looking tight – Punchbowl News reported House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (MD-5) warned lawmakers on the floor Thursday that they could be in the Capitol Oct. 1 to pass a government funding bill. They would much rather be home campaigning.

And in Maryland: Yes, we will all be voting in November, and many of us by mail. How long will we have to wait for mail ballots to be counted? Ask Larry Hogan. Ask Dan Cox. GOP types from supposedly the opposite ends of the party, but both with a thumb on the scale that could stretch out the wait for results and open up a long space of time to fill with lies and conspiracy theories. It’s the GOP playbook nationwide and here in Maryland. It's in court now, when it didn't need to be except for a capricious Hogan veto that opens up the conspiracy space for the guy he campaigned against. Read more below.

As a deadline for funding the federal government looms (especially important for the many federal workers in Maryland) the potholed pathway to that goal puts federal matters atop this edition of News You Can Use – lots of this comes from Megan E’s Monday newsblast from our national affiliates, People’s Action.

Manchin’s dirty side deal – Sen Joe Manchin’s price for his vote in favor of the Inflation Reduction Act (which he had already whittled down, a lot) is to attach a “regulatory” package with climate permitting giveaways to the must-pass Continuing Resolution to keep the government funded after Sept. 30. Megan E writes

“The fight over Manchin’s dirty side deal continues. While Rep. Raul Grijalva’s letter to Speaker Pelosi in opposition to the deal had 71 signatures, it did not explicitly say that signatories would vote against the continuing resolution (CR) with the permitting deal attached. Progressives will be hard pressed by leadership to keep the government open (even though that’s completely in leadership’s control). Schumer has been pressing Senate Democrats hard to support the deal which he intends on attaching to the CR. Senator Sanders is the only Senator who has publicly come out in opposition to the deal.  Manchin is seeking Republican support and Senator Shelley Moore Capito (R-WVA) has come out with her own (worse) permitting language, which is likely posturing on behalf of big oil to scare Democrats into voting for Manchin’s deal.

Still, time is looking tight – Punchbowl News reported House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer warned lawmakers on the floor Thursday that they could be in the Capitol Oct. 1 to pass a government funding bill. They would much rather be home campaigning.

Trains run on time, if…

Last week, The Biden administration helped broker a deal between unions representing freight rail workers and the companies that employ them. On the verge of a strike Secretary of Labor Marty Walsh helped broker a new labor agreement that includes increased “worker wages by a total of 24 percent over five years, stretching back to 2020” The workers also demanded and won the right to take time off for medical appointments, a right they shockingly did not have before. Marylanders note that MARC trains would be affected by a strike, which could still happen if all 12 unions involved don’t ratify. Some feel the workers could have gotten more but union leadership didn’t engage them enough, as this Nation article lays out.

Core inflation: it’s about shelter costs. People’s Action reports “As you've probably seen, the inflation numbers are not coming down as quickly as the Biden Administration would like. That's due, in large part, to rents rising at the fastest pace in 40 years. This NY Times piece Rapidly rising rents could pose a problem for the Fed explains how the rent price index is a lagging indicator that is likely to continue to rise. 

 This Shelterforce Article also describes the Home Guarantee campaign's demand for the Biden administration to impose rent regulations in its programs that subsidize landlords’ profits. What’s aggravating the rental trends? Mortgage rates are up over 6% for the first time since 2008 and that’s not going to help renters or first time homebuyers, but investors (like hedge funds or private equity funds) can pay cash, allowing them to reap rewards while toying with ordinary folks’ lives.

And in Maryland:

And yes, we will all be voting in November, and many of us by mail. How long will we have to wait for mail ballots to be counted? Ask Larry Hogan. Ask Dan Cox. GOP types from supposedly the opposite ends of the party, but both with a thumb on the scale that could stretch out the wait for results and open up a long space of time to fill with lies and conspiracy theories. It’s the GOP playbook nationwide and here in Maryland. See these accounts on the court fight from Maryland Matters/WTOP; and  from the Baltimore Banner;.

Health: New Monkeypox Cases Declining in MD, Still Affecting Black Communities: New monkeypox cases are continuing to decline in Maryland and the District of Columbia. However, newly released data from the Maryland Department of Health shows that Monkeypox cases in Maryland are disproportionately affecting Black communities, mirroring national demographic data as health officials grapple with how to slow the spread. Capital News Service/Maryland Reporter.

Vastly Different Ideas For Schools Proposed In Governor’s Race: The two nominees for governor are competing with vastly different education platforms in a state that’s home to more than 882,000 public school students. Baltimore Sun

Speaking of schools, Bill Ford in Maryland Matters on Saturday scooped that the draft plan for the Blueprint for Maryland’s Schools, the ambitious revamp statewide, will be coming very soon from the commission that is charged with turning it into practical applications.

Getting there from here: Maryland Matters reports “Workers in Charles, Calvert and St. Mary’s are accustomed to waking in the wee hours to begin a long slog up Routes 301 and 5 to reach job sites in Prince George’s, Washington, D.C. and Northern Virginia. Creating a transit line to serve Southern Maryland remained a dream because projects in other parts of the state always loomed larger in the eyes of policymakers. That changed this year when the General Assembly passed a bill enabling a Southern Maryland Transit Project. And money from the trimmed-down but still generous Inflation Reduction Act is making a difference as “Southern Maryland’s Transit Dreams are Showing Signs of Life.

Meanwhile, Maryland’s plan for e-vehicle infrastructure has approval (so far) from the feds. Where will charging stations be and how soon? Check the plan

• Approval Letter
• FY22 EV Deployment Plan

Climate near and far – On the other coast, (from Bloomberg): “California regulators took away a subsidy for builders to use natural gas in new homes and commercial buildings as the state seeks to reduce greenhouse gases and reach its climate goals. The regulation is designed to discourage the use of gas in buildings, which accounts for 10% of the state’s overall emissions. Some CA cities have already banned the use of methane in new buildings.” NOTE that Maryland’s new climate law proposed the same but the builders and contractors lobbied fiercely to peel it out and the Assembly folded on it last January.

Returning Citizens: Progressive Maryland activists have been working to get Prince George’s County’s woeful provisions for its significant number of returning (from prison) citizens up to meet the needs. It is getting response, as we see in this WaPo account.