You’re not going to believe this, but the governor of Maryland signed a deal that guarantees that if there’s a payout of more than $50 million in the state’s expected lawsuit against Hyundai Heavy Industries, the South Korean company that built the ship that rammed into the Francis Scott Key Bridge and destroyed it back in 2024, then half the money after a $50 million threshold goes to the companies that owned and operated the ship. Except . . . the U.S. Department of Justice is contending in court that the operators of the ship altered it to make it less safe, lied to the National Transportation Safety Board, and did everything possible to shift blame to Hyundai. If you’re a Maryland taxpayer, why do you want any money that could be going to the state as part of a judgment or settlement going to the company that operated the ship? Governor Moore, did you read the deal you signed?

This is why @iamwesmoore won’t approve Maryland opting into the federal tax credit program. Because he knows parents will leave failing Maryland public schools even faster. Instead of trapping families without resources, give them the choice to do what’s best for our children.

Maryland broke federal rules. More than 200 disability appeals missed the 90-day deadline. One man has waited more than six months without getting a hearing. Now families want the federal government to step in. Spotlight on Maryland reporter @conrad_brooke investigates.

Bob Costas was 18 when his father dropped dead at JFK airport. At the wake, a man handed him a thick envelope with $6,000 in $100 bills. It was everything his father left behind, and a bookie would never have paid it to a dead man. In the video below, he tells the story himself. His father, John, was a big-time gambler. Not casinos, not racetracks. Ball games. Bob says the mortgage was literally riding on his bets. When the games went the wrong way, he threw things, cursed and yelled. Bob’s mom and sister would leave. Bob stayed, because watching the games with his dad was the only way to be close to him. Friday, May 15, 1970. A cop knocks on the door. Before he says a word, Bob’s mother asks, “My husband’s dead, isn’t he?” John Costas had a heart attack walking through JFK. He was 42. At the wake, one of his gambling buddies walked in with the envelope. “Your father was up when he died. Give this to your mother.” A bookie never pays a dead man, so the friend went to the bookie himself and said John sent him to collect. Decades later, Bob Costas refused to read sports betting ads on air. Today the bookie lives in everyone’s phone. Is that progress?

BANNED. STILL RIDING. NOT PAYING. A young man told Spotlight on Maryland he was banned from public transit. Minutes later, we watched him and a friend jump a subway turnstile without paying. An MTA worker nearby didn't stop them. As fare evasion continues, Maryland drivers pay about 73% more in vehicle registration fees. Those fees go to the Transportation Trust Fund, which largely pays for public transit. Spotlight reporter @TessaBentulan has the story at 5:30 p.m. on @FOXBaltimore and Wednesday morning in the @baltimoresun.

BREAKING: President Trump announces Fort Hood shooter Nidal Hasan’s execution by firing squad will NOT be live streamed.

🚨 MARYLAND CANNABIS INDUSTRY: STATE REGULATORS ACKNOWLEDGE THAT ISSUING LICENSES ISN’T ENOUGH TO BUILD SUCCESSFUL BUSINESSES. Nearly three years after recreational cannabis sales began in Maryland, state officials are confronting the challenge of turning social equity licenses into operational, financially sustainable businesses. In a new High Times examination of cannabis regulation across four states, Maryland Cannabis Administration Director Tabatha Robinson outlined the challenges facing the state’s developing market. KEY FINDINGS: ▪️ SOCIAL EQUITY LICENSING: Maryland’s first licensing round prioritized applicants from communities disproportionately affected by previous cannabis enforcement policies. ▪️ BUSINESS STARTUP CHALLENGES: Receiving a conditional license does not guarantee that an applicant can secure financing, obtain property, meet zoning requirements, or open a profitable operation. ▪️ BANKING AND REAL ESTATE: Robinson says regulators must also educate lenders, landlords, local zoning boards, and suppliers about the legal cannabis industry. ▪️ FREE WORKFORCE TRAINING: Maryland’s Cannabis Industry Professional Certificate Program provides advanced instruction in laboratory testing, manufacturing, packaging, labeling, quality assurance, inspections, and regulatory compliance. ▪️ FEDERAL RESCHEDULING: Qualifying state-licensed medical marijuana was moved to Schedule III in April 2026, while recreational marijuana remains classified under Schedule I. ▪️ STATE AUTHORITY: Robinson emphasized that federal rescheduling has not changed Maryland’s existing cannabis licensing and enforcement requirements. ▪️ REGULATORY CHALLENGES: Maryland lawmakers have separately identified difficulties converting conditional social equity licenses into operating businesses and concerns involving unlicensed sales of intoxicating hemp-derived products. Maryland legalized recreational cannabis sales on July 1, 2023, establishing a regulated commercial market with an initial 9% sales tax. The state’s current challenge extends beyond granting licenses: ensuring that new businesses have access to capital, locations, trained workers, and the resources necessary to survive. THE ACCOUNTABILITY QUESTION: How many Maryland social equity license recipients have actually opened businesses, how many remain unable to operate, and how much financial support has reached those applicants? A successful licensing program can be measured by more than approvals. Business openings, financial sustainability, jobs, and long-term ownership provide additional measures of its results. SOURCES: High Times, Veronica Castillo, October 13, 2026; Maryland Cannabis Administration; Maryland Department of Legislative Services.