Skip to content
Search

Latest Stories

Top Stories

Maryland primary offers glimpse into state of the Republican Party

Kelly Schulz

Republican gubernatorial candidate Kelly Schulz has been endorsed by the man she hopes to replace, Gov. Larry Hogan.

Michael S. Williamson/The Washington Post via Getty Images

The results of the Maryland gubernatorial primary, which wraps up Tuesday, may provide insight into the state of the Republican Party with the leading candidates serving as proxies for the MAGA and moderate wings of the GOP.

Among the four candidates seeking the party’s nomination are Del. Dan Cox, who has been endorsed by former President Donald Trump, and former state Commerce Secretary Kelly Schulz, who has been endorsed by the man she hopes to succeed, Gov. Larry Hogan.

The winner will face one of 10 candidates for the Democratic nomination. There are another 10 people seeking the Republican nomination to challenge Sen. Chris Van Hollen, and every U.S. House race has at least one competitive primary.


Maryland has term limits, preventing Hogan, a popular moderate Republican in a state that has Democratic supermajorities in the legislature, from seeking a third term. Recent polling had Cox slightly ahead of Schulz, but with nearly half of GOP voters undecided.

About 175,000 people cast ballots during Maryland’s eight days of early voting. The state has closed primaries, meaning only people registered with a party may participate in the primary.

Since the outbreak of Covid-19, Maryland’s divided government has instituted a number of legislative changes that have made it easier for people to vote.

In 2020 and 2021, the state enacted a pair of laws expanding the use of mail-in voting. The first requires that absentee ballots include prepaid postage and the second created permanent absentee voter lists, open to anyone eligible to vote by mail.

Among other changes:

  • A 2021 law requires public safety officials to provide voter registration materials to eligible voters upon their release from correctional facilities.
  • Another 2021 law punishes anyone who engages in campaign activities that obstruct access to drop boxes.
  • Two laws, one enacted in 2019 and another in 2020, expanded the use of voting centers.

The state hasn’t done a lot this year to change election laws this year. One enacted bill allowing the Board of Elections to place polling places in buildings where a business may have a liquor license. Another makes changes to campaign finance laws.

More notable is a bill that didn’t become law. In May, Hogan vetoed a bill that would have allowed voters to fix, or “cure,” rejected ballots and election officials to verify mail ballots earlier than currently allowed. While Hogan said he supported those provisions, he also wanted the bill to include a signature matching section.

Read more about voting changes in Maryland.

Read More

Ingrassia Exit Highlights Rare GOP Pushback to Trump’s Personnel Picks

President Donald Trump speaks at a White House press briefing on Jan. 30, 2025.

Credit: Jonah Elkowitz/Medill News Service

Ingrassia Exit Highlights Rare GOP Pushback to Trump’s Personnel Picks

WASHINGTON — Paul Ingrassia withdrew his nomination to lead the Office of Special Counsel on Tuesday night after facing Republican pushback over past controversial statements.

While Ingrassia joins a growing list of President Donald Trump’s nominees who have withdrawn from consideration, many who have aired controversial beliefs or lack requisite qualifications have still been appointed or are still in the nomination process.

Keep ReadingShow less
In Laredo, families grapple with air pollution as efforts to reduce toxic emissions stall

Nidia Nevares walks with her son, Juan Jose "JJ" Nevares, at Father Charles M. McNaboe Park on Sept. 20, 2025. The park is near both their home and the Midwest Sterilization Co. plant, which uses a known carcinogen. Photo by Sean Jimenez/South Texas Project

Photo by Sean Jimenez/South Texas Project

In Laredo, families grapple with air pollution as efforts to reduce toxic emissions stall

LAREDO, Texas – The Nevares family home is a lively space, with kittens milling about and happiness in the air. It’s a feeling the family had to fight for, following a devastating leukemia diagnosis for their youngest son seven years ago.

Not far from them lives Xavier Ortiz, a hardworking man who wants to provide for his family but is hindered by an aggressive cancer.

Keep ReadingShow less
A doctor and patient holding hands.

Trust in America’s doctors has hit historic lows. This story explores how decades of missed opportunities, rising costs, and systemic inertia eroded the doctor-patient bond — and what it will take to restore confidence in modern medicine.

Getty Images, thianchai sitthikongsak

The Collapse of Patient Trust: How U.S. Healthcare Lost Its Way

Just as the political health of a nation requires trust in elected officials, the physical and mental health of Americans depends on the trust embedded in the doctor-patient relationship.

For most of the past century, that bond was ironclad. Now, that relationship is fraying.

Keep ReadingShow less
A child looking at a smartphone.

With autism rates doubling every decade, scientists are reexamining environmental and behavioral factors. Could the explosion of social media use since the 1990s be influencing neurodevelopment? A closer look at the data, the risks, and what research must uncover next.

Getty Images, Arindam Ghosh

The Increase in Autism and Social Media – Coincidence or Causal?

Autism has been in the headlines recently because of controversy over Robert F. Kennedy, Jr's statements. But forgetting about Kennedy, autism is headline-worthy because of the huge increase in its incidence over the past two decades and its potential impact on not just the individual children but the health and strength of our country.

In the 1990s, a new definition of autism—ASD (Autism Spectrum Disorder)—was universally adopted. Initially, the prevalence rate was pretty stable. In the year 2,000, with this broader definition and better diagnosis, the CDC estimated that one in 150 eight-year-olds in the U.S. had an autism spectrum disorder. (The reports always study eight-year-olds, so this data was for children born in 1992.)

Keep ReadingShow less