Maryland
Maryland’s Wes Moore says he was singled out by White House, excluded from governors’ events
Maryland Democratic Gov. Wes Moore says the White House singled him out by excluding him from a couple of bipartisan events for the nation’s governors later this month.
The National Governors Association will be in Washington, D.C. for its annual meeting and dinner with the president from Feb. 19 to Feb. 21. According to Politico, and other reports, all Democratic governors have been disinvited from the meeting. Moore said the president is also excluding him from a separate dinner for governors and their spouses, along with Colorado Gov. Jared Polis.
The long-standing tradition is an opportunity for state and federal governments to engage in person on pressing issues across the nation.
Moore is the vice chair of the National Governors Association (NGA).
“My peers, both Democrats and Republicans, selected me to serve as the Vice Chair of the NGA, another reason why it’s hard not to see this decision as another example of blatant disrespect and a snub to the spirit of bipartisan federal-state partnership,” Moore stated. “As the nation’s only Black governor, I can’t ignore that being singled out for exclusion from this bipartisan tradition carries an added weight, whether that was the intent or not.”
Moore asked why he was excluded
Moore was asked on CNN’s State of the Union on Sunday if he knew why he was being excluded from the events.
Moore said he led a group of Democratic and Republican governors in a productive meeting last week at the White House over efforts to bring down energy costs, which is why his exclusion from the NGA events is puzzling.
“I’ve long-learned that I am trying not to get inside of the president’s psyche,” Moore said. “It’s not a good use of my time. it is not lost on my that I am the only Black governor, and I find that to be particularly painful considering the fact that the president is trying to exclude me from an organization that, not only have my peers asked me to lead. but also a place I know I belong in.”
According to Politico, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said in a statement: “These are White House events and the president can invite whomever he wants.”
Not an official NGA event?
According to Moore, there is a commitment from the NGA that the events at the White House will not be official NGA gatherings.
“If the president wants to have a black-tie dinner with his friends on that night, that is fine, it will not be an NGA event,” Moore said. “This is a bipartisan organization where Democratic and Republican governors come together to work on addressing the needs of our people.
Moore added, “We know that in this time, the president cannot use this time to divide our organization.”
Politico obtained an email from the NGA confirming that the White House meeting will no longer be an association event.
“No NGA resources will be used to support transportation for this activity,” the email read.
Moore, Trump at odds
Gov. Moore and President Trump have had public spats, including over Baltimore’s crime and funding to rebuild the Francis Scott Key Bridge, which collapsed in 2024.
“I promised the people of my state I will work with anybody but will bow down to nobody,” Moore said. “And I guess the President doesn’t like that.”
In August 2025, Mr. Trump threatened to deploy the National Guard to Baltimore to combat crime, which garnered pushback from city and state leaders.
At the time, Mr. Trump called Baltimore a “hellhole.”
“Chicago is a hellhole right now, Baltimore is a hellhole right now,” Mr. Trump said. “We have a right to do it because I have an obligation to do it to protect this country, and that includes Baltimore.”
The president also said that Baltimore was “so far gone.”
The White House at the time also shared an article by U.S. News and World Report that ranked Baltimore as the fourth most dangerous city in the country, behind St. Louis, Oakland, and Memphis.
Moore invited the president to Baltimore for a public safety walk on a day and time of his choosing.
The president responded by telling Moore to “clean up this crime disaster” before he considers coming to Baltimore.
“As he stated in his letter, the Governor welcomes a conversation about public safety that builds upon the progress of our current strategy, which has reduced violence and brought homicides in Baltimore to levels not seen in 50 years,” the governor’s office stated. “We know there is more work to be done, and are committed to doing it.”
The president posted on the social media platform Truth Social that Baltimore is “out of control” and “crime-ridden.”
“Stop talking and get to work, Wes,” Mr. Trump wrote. “I’ll then see you on the streets!!!”
Last August, during the back-and-forth, Mr. Trump posted on Truth Social, “I gave Wes Moore a lot of money to fix his demolished bridge. I will now have to rethink that decision???”
The next day, when a Forbes reporter asked Mr. Trump if his reconsideration of Key Bridge funding was contingent on Moore “cleaning up the streets,” the president said, “No, we were very generous to him on a bridge, you know, a boat ran into a bridge and the bridge came down like I’ve never seen.”
The state said the five recently traveled together to “a location in the U.S. experiencing an active measles outbreak.”
Maryland health officials confirmed five more measles cases, all in Carroll County.
“These individuals recently traveled together to a location in the U.S. experiencing an active measles outbreak,” the state Department of Health said in a release.
The agency said others may have been exposed on the afternoon of July 13 in the emergency department waiting room at Carroll Hospital Center in Westminster.
Another measles case recently prompted warnings from health officials in Maryland, Virginia and the District. On June 17, a Maryland resident traveled through Dulles International Airport and visited a D.C. urgent care clinic.
Measles is highly contagious. It can spread through the air through coughs, breathing, and sneezes. Early symptoms can include fevers of over 101 degrees, coughs, runny noses, watery eyes and face or body rashes.
It can take up to 21 days after exposure for the first symptoms to appear, and those who are not fully vaccinated or otherwise immune to measles are especially vulnerable.
The five new measles cases in Maryland bring the state’s year-to-date total to nine. The state health department confirmed three cases in 2025, and one in each of the previous two years.
“All Marylanders should review potential exposure times, watch for symptoms, and confirm they are up to date on their measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccinations,” the health department said.
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Baltimore may be under an extreme heat alert, but residents can dream about autumn, as tickets are now on sale for the Maryland Fall Home & Garden + Craft Show returning to the Maryland State Fairgrounds in October.
This three-day celebration of home and garden takes place from Friday, Oct. 16 through Sunday, Oct. 18 from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. each day. Expect hundreds of exhibitors, local makers, home improvement experts, family-friendly experiences and celebrity guests. The show offers everyone the chance to explore the very latest in home improvement, landscaping, outdoor living and decor, the chance to take part in hands-on experiences, and do some holiday shopping all under one roof.
This year’s show will have more than 300 exhibitors, including more than 100 crafters from around Maryland in the Makers Market. There will be unique exhibits, stage presentations and a special appearance by Chase Morrill, Ashley Morrill-Eldridge and Ryan Eldridge from Magnolia Network’s hit series “Maine Cabin Masters.” The three will have two Main Stage appearances, one on Friday, Oct. 16 at 4 p.m. and the second on Saturday, Oct. 17 at 12 p.m.
“As temperatures start to drop and the holiday season comes into view, the Maryland Fall Home & Garden + Craft Show is a place to gather ideas, meet local experts and get inspired before the busy season begins,” said Dave Paul, show manager, in a statement. “Whether attendees are planning a home project, looking for outdoor living ideas or getting a head start on holiday shopping, the show brings together resources and experiences for every kind of homeowner, maker and DIY enthusiast.”
In addition to the Makers Market and stars of “Maine Cabin Masters”, the Maryland Fall Home & Garden + Craft Show will have a petting zoo, a Kids Market where attendees can shop from local children, and much more.
Tickets are available online and at the door. Prices are as follows:
Online:
- Adults: $8
- Senior Citizens (60+): $6
- Children (ages 6-12): $4
- 4-Pack Online: $30 for four tickets, valid for one admission each and one day only
At the door:
- Adults: $10
- Senior Citizens (60+): $8
- Children (ages 6-12): $4
- Friday & Saturday: $4 after 4 p.m. at the door only
Special Offers:
- Active and retired military personnel, veterans, firefighters and police officers receive free admission all weekend, along with one guest, with valid ID at the box office.
- Attendees who show a CharmPass app, Light RailLink ticket or eligible transit pass at the box office receive free admission any day of the show. One admission is available per pass.
The Maryland State Fairgrounds is located at 2200 York Road in Lutherville-Timonium.
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Maryland
Maryland police arrest alleged bank robber wielding stolen cat: ‘Tried to use her as an accessory’
Law enforcement agencies are accustomed to dealing with cat burglars – but now a Maryland police department is saying it grappled with a cat-wielding bank robber.
The Prince George’s county police department said its officers arrested a man suspected of stealing a cat and then taking the animal with him to a PNC bank branch in the local community of Beltsville to rob the establishment on Monday morning.
“The cat was returned” after the suspect was arrested, the police department said in a statement to the Guardian on Tuesday. The agency said no injuries were reported, and it declined to name the suspect or release additional details, saying the case – bound for a spot in the annals of bizarre reported US crimes – remained under investigation.
Nonetheless, a social media post from rescue shelter Beltsville Community Cats provided more information.
A Beltsville Community Cats Facebook page post on Monday identified the cat at the center of the alleged botched caper as Magnolia, a three-and-a-half-month-old tuxedo kitten. The shelter recounted how the suspect first snatched Magnolia from her “adoption habitat” at Beltsville’s Pet Supplies Plus store, took her across the parking lot to a PNC branch, and “tried to use her as an accessory in [an] attempted robbery”.
“He asked the bank manager to hold the kitten while he wrote a note, then handed the note to a teller demanding all the cash,” the post continued. “Thankfully, the robbery was unsuccessful, the suspect was arrested, and Magnolia was found safe and sound in the bank manager’s office, where the two had bonded over their shared ordeal.”
Pet Supplies Plus store employees told the NBC affiliate in nearby Washington DC that Magnolia’s cat napper had come in daily for about two weeks and focused on the kitten each time.
Finally, on Monday, he managed to use a key to open a cat adoption area and whisked Magnolia away, store employees said to the outlet, WRC.
Store manager Aaron Kurkowski told WRC that Magnolia’s thief “came in and saw none of my team was nearby the front – and he just went right to her and ran right on out”.
According to WRC, Stephanie Stullich of Beltsville Community Cats then received a call from a pet store employee who alerted her to Magnolia’s plight.
That prompted Stullich to run over to the store, where she said to WRC that she “immediately saw all of these police cars and … thought, ‘Wow, that’s a heck of a response for a stolen cat’.”
“But then I realized they all were going down to the bank,” Stullich recalled to WRC. “They came back out a few minutes later and said, ‘Yes, there is a cat inside the bank.’”
Two days before her catnapping, Magnolia was the subject of a Beltsville Community Cats Facebook post inviting people to see her at Pet Supplies Plus and consider adopting her.
Magnolia as of Monday was still waiting to be adopted, Beltsville Community Cats said in its post detailing the bank robbery.
The non-profit organization offered members of the public the opportunity to apply to adopt Magnolia by emailing rescue@beltsvillecats.net.
Beltsville Community Cats’ post also joked that Magnolia’s “brief ‘life of crime’ is behind her” – except for undoubtedly “stealing” hearts, treats, toys and cuddles wherever her forever home may be.
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