Politics

Maryland Gov. Wes Moore, D, brushed off concerns about Vice President Kamala Harris’ short-lived 2020 campaign as she ramps up her presidential campaign this year. “This Week” co-anchor Martha Raddatz pressed Moore on if anything “gives you pause” after Harris’ 2020 campaign ended before any primary votes were cast.

The proposed Maryland Piedmont Reliability Project is becoming a campaign issue in Maryland’s race for the U.S. Senate. The project consists of a 70-mile high-voltage electric transmission line that would run through Baltimore, Carroll and Frederick counties. Republican U.S. Senate nominee Larry Hogan is voicing strong opposition to the proposal, while his Democratic counterpart, Angela Alsobrooks, has not publicly taken a position.

Carolyn Valone was not going to cast a presidential vote in November. The 84-year-old Democrat from St. Louis said she “just cannot forgive Joe Biden for Gaza” and his continued support for the Israeli counteroffensive against Hamas. Matteo Saracco and Cooper Brock, two 25-year-old traffic planners in Atlanta, were prepared to vote for Biden over Republican Donald Trump.

Former U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi will speak about her new book, her path to becoming the first woman to serve as Speaker of the House, and more during a sold-out talk at the Enoch Pratt Free Library on Aug. 8. She will be joined in conversation by Karsonya Wise Whitehead, host of Today with Dr. Kaye on WEAA 88.9 FM. Whitehead is also a professor of communication and African and African American studies at Loyola University of Maryland, and the founding director of The Karson Institute for Race, Peace, and Social Justice.

Anne Arundel County Executive Steuart Pittman said Claudia Roll will be the county’s new Animal Care and Control administrator. Roll, a Severna Park resident with nearly 30 years of experience in animal welfare, starts as the agency’s administrator Monday, Pittman said in a news release. Her hiring comes a week after the county executive announced plans to consider a new quasi-governmental model for running the troubled Animal Care and Control.

Gov. Wes Moore’s administration hailed the news this week that Maryland had won $130 million in federal funding for various climate initiatives. As the state scrambles for the billions of dollars it will need to meet its ambitious climate mandates, state officials and environmental groups cast the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency grants as good news — and a momentum-builder as the state seeks to develop a clean energy economy.

Construction on the Maryland State House is reaching the final stages as work on the main building wraps up and focus shifts to the Old Treasury Building and other projects. Crews are working on areas of the building below the dome, making improvements to the grounds and restoring the Old Treasury Building. The restoration of the dome, including waterproofing and other repairs, was completed shortly before Gov. Wes Moore’s inauguration last year.

Former President Barack Obama officially endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris on Thursday to be the Democratic Party’s 2024 nominee. Obama was one of the only high-profile Democrats who had yet to endorse Harris, who quickly secured enough delegate support to clinch the nomination so long as the delegates do not change their mind before the Democratic National Convention’s virtual roll next month.