Politics

The Orioles and representatives of Gov. Wes Moore said Friday they have reached agreement on a nonbinding “memorandum of understanding” — but not a lease — to keep the Orioles committed to Camden Yards for 30 years. While representatives from the governor’s office and the team proclaimed Thursday night that there was a 30-year agreement, they acknowledged during a Friday morning briefing that no lease has been signed.

The threat of a federal government shutdown suddenly lifted late Saturday as President Joe Biden signed a temporary funding bill to keep agencies open with little time to spare after Congress rushed to approve the bipartisan deal. The package drops aid to Ukraine, a White House priority opposed by a growing number of GOP lawmakers, but increases federal disaster assistance by $16 billion, meeting Biden’s full request. The bill funds government until Nov. 17.

Congress approved a bill Saturday night that would stave off a government shutdown until at least mid-November, though the measure doesn’t include Ukraine aid backed by both Republicans and Democrats. The bipartisan 88-9 vote in the U.S. Senate, just hours before a midnight deadline, took place after the U.S. House earlier in the day voted 335-91 to approve the legislation, with the support of members of both parties.

Harford County Executive Bob Cassilly is once again targeting a member of the County Council due to their primary job. In a letter to Harford County Council President Patrick Vincenti, Cassilly said Councilman Aaron Penman has “processed paperwork employing him as a Harford County sheriff’s deputy,” therefore, making him no longer eligible to serve on the council.

A Republican Women of Baltimore County fundraiser that featured denigrating movies about transgender people was canceled by its host the day it was scheduled to happen at the Greene Turtle in Hunt Valley. After public pressure from the North Baltimore County Democrat Club and other LGBTQ+ community advocates, the Greene Turtle in Hunt Valley Towne Centre reversed its agreement to host the Tuesday fundraiser — a “double feature” pushing far-right narratives about transgender children and adults.

New laws regulating guns, where to carry them and how to store them take effect Sunday as Maryland continues to grapple with the U.S. Supreme Court decision that upended the state’s former rules. There already have been challenges to these policies from people who see them as too restrictive, including one that got a federal judge to roll back part of the law restricting where people can concealed carry.

A decision by the Baltimore City Council on a proposed redistricting plan presented by Mayor Brandon Scott will come down to the wire. Council President Nick Mosby recessed the council’s committee hearing on the proposed map Friday without taking a vote to advance the mayor’s plan or presenting an alternative. That means the council will now need to take three votes — one in committee and two of the full council — on a plan Monday if it hopes to thwart a potential mayoral veto.