The chairman of the House Freedom Caucus says news reports that quoted him saying the North Carolina Legislature should consider allocating the state’s presidential electors to Donald Trump before the votes are counted were taken out of context.

A Maryland senator says a third channel will open this month at Baltimore’s port after the Francis Scott Key Bridge collapse two weeks ago.

Maryland Gov_ Larry Hogan has approved a new congressional map with more compact districts, after a judge struck down a previous map 10 days ago for being a “product of extreme partisan gerrymandering.”.

Maryland lawmakers spent their weekend redrawing the state’s U.S. House districts after a judge said the current map shows “extreme partisan gerrymandering.

A Maryland judge has ruled the state's new congressional map is unconstitutional.

In this Saturday, Jan. 23, 2021 photo, riot fencing and razor wire reinforce the security zone on Capitol Hill in Washington. (AP Photo/Eileen Putman)WASHINGTON – The House’s chief law enforcement officer is tightening security for traveling lawmakers as Congress reassesses safety in an era when threats against members were surging even before Donald Trump’s supporters attacked the Capitol. Congress' 535 members travel frequently between their homes and the capital, and many have said they feel vulnerable in their districts and when they travel. The House members asked for tightened security procedures. President Joe Biden is in “close touch” with Pelosi about congressional security, White House press secretary Jen Psaki said.

Pelosi focused her comments on the anxiety and partisan frictions that have persisted in Congress since Trump supporters’ assault on the Capitol, which led to five deaths. Some Republicans have loudly objected to having to pass through newly installed metal detectors before entering the House chamber, while Pelosi has proposed fining lawmakers who bypass the devices. Pelosi did not say whom she meant by her reference to an “enemy" within the House, and a spokesperson provided no examples when asked. Other Republicans have also talked about carrying firearms, which lawmakers are permitted to do, though not on the House or Senate floors. Members of Congress can keep guns in their offices or transport them on the campus if they’re unloaded and securely wrapped.

(AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)WASHINGTON – Capitol Police are investigating an incident in which a Republican lawmaker was blocked from entering the House chamber after setting off a metal detector while apparently carrying a concealed gun. Rep. Andy Harris, R-Md., set off the metal detector while trying to enter the chamber Thursday afternoon. The metal detectors were installed after the Jan. 6 insurrection at the Capitol, which left five people dead, including a Capitol police officer. And the congressman always complies with the House metal detectors and wanding. Capitol Police have now placed desks and velvet ropes near the metal detectors to block anyone from walking around the machines.

If the signatures hold up through the verification process, voters in the nation's capital will face a November ballot initiative that would decriminalize psilocybin magic" mushrooms and other natural psychedelics like mescaline. Activists are deemphasizing the recreational aspects of the drugs, focusing almost exclusively on the therapeutic and medical benefits as treatment for depression, trauma and addiction. A growing body of work is looking at the effects of natural psychedelics to treat depression, trauma and addiction. Maryland Republican Rep. Andy Harris, who sponsored the budget rider that blocked the 2014 marijuana initiative, has already indicated in press interviews that he plans to do the same if this new initiative passes. The Democratic-controlled House approved a landmark D.C. statehood bill in June, but it faces insurmountable opposition in the Republican-held Senate.