Commentary

For all the focus on this year’s presidential contest, the struggle for control of Congress — also a toss-up, according to most analyses — could be as consequential, or more so. Much depends, too, on whether the legislative branch will be able to function and get anything done, whoever wins. You can write a list of important bills passed in the past four years, topped by the Inflation Reduction, Bipartisan Infrastructure and Chips acts.

As a lifelong Maryland resident and a community leader deeply involved in our state’s public health efforts, I’ve always taken pride in our state’s resilience and community spirit. However, the ongoing effects of former Gov. Larry Hogan’s mishandling of the COVID-19 pandemic have left me disillusioned. Despite the national narrative that paints Hogan as a steady hand during the crisis, the reality for those who lived through his administration’s response is starkly different.

Just when Ravens fans thought there was nothing that could restrain the soaring feeling that came with last Sunday’s rock-solid 30-23 victory over the Washington Commanders at M&T Bank Stadium, a really asinine video is posted on social media to make Purple and Black Nation collectively cringe. Surely, you’ve seen it by now. About 32 million already have, or roughly six times the views needed in a week for a video to be regarded as “viral,” and this was logged in a day.

As Election Day draws nearer, it seems increasingly common for former President Donald Trump to say something on the campaign trail that draws backlash. On Sunday, he was on Fox News calling for the U.S. military to be deployed to fight “the enemy from within” — meaning Americans he deems “radical left lunatics,” a group he termed more dangerous than “China, Russia and all these countries.” During a Saturday rally in California, Trump said a female heckler should “get the hell knocked out of her” — apparently because he found her comments disruptive.

In the coming months, Maryland leaders will implement policies that will either attract data centers to the state and grow our economy or risk sending the jobs to our neighbors. In particular, the Maryland Public Service Commission (PSC) is at the center of a debate about where and how data centers should get their electricity. On behalf of the more than 25,000 workers we represent, we encourage Maryland’s leaders to create an environment where data centers can thrive. This is the industry of the future for working families in Maryland.

The Republican National Convention in July featured a variety of peculiar characters, from Marjorie Taylor Greene to Hulk Hogan, but as a college student, I found it most interesting that the event included University of North Carolina college students — fraternity members — as flag bearers. As a college student myself, this imagery surprised me and gave me pause. It has long been thought that college-educated and younger populations lean liberal, but the Republican Party is seeking to shift that narrative.

We live in a moment of profound uncertainty regarding the future of reproductive rights. In Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, the United States Supreme Court removed U.S. constitutional protections, overturning Roe v. Wade. Almost immediately a flood of state laws across the country has created a functional barrier to abortion. Due to the Dobbs decision, 14 states restrict abortion at all stages of pregnancy. Five states ban abortions at six weeks (about 1 1/2 months) when cardiac activity is detected.