Black Maryland politicians respond to racist comments following Key Bridge collapse

BALTIMORE — With less than two weeks left before they adjourn for the year, the Maryland General Assembly has continued its work in the face of the collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge. But, for some lawmakers, it tinges the remainder of the legislating to be done and their role as elected officials.

Sen. Charles Sydnor, a Black Democrat from Baltimore County, stood on the Senate floor at the end of Thursday’s session, addressing his dismay at the racism and politicization of the bridge’s destruction that has flooded social media since Tuesday.

From behind their keyboards, some people have blamed the accident that left one individual unscathed, one severely injured, two confirmed dead and four presumed dead on diversity, equity and inclusion, or DEI.

Among the innumerable posts, Sydnor pointed to Utah Republican state representative and gubernatorial hopeful Phil Lyman, who wrote on X that the bridge’s collapse is “the result of governors who prioritize diversity over the well-being and security of citizens,” and at an unnamed Republican congressional candidate in Florida who stated that “DEI did this.”

—The Baltimore Sun

Judge rules that Gaetz, Greene can sue Anaheim, Riverside for canceled rallies

A lawsuit from Reps. Matt Gaetz and Marjorie Taylor Greene against Anaheim and Riverside, accusing the cities of wrongfully canceling their rallies in 2021, can move forward, a federal judge has ruled.

The ruling rejects the cities’ attempts to be dismissed from the case. It does allow political advocacy groups that were also sued to be dismissed.

Judge Hernan D. Vera, in his ruling released March 22, rejected the lawsuit’s claim that the nonprofits conspired with the cities to cancel the rallies and wrote that “the effect of Plaintiffs’ unprecedented and stunningly deficient pleading — hauling nine civil rights groups into federal court for speaking out against an event — should shock in equal measure civic members from across the political spectrum.”

Those groups included California LULAC, a Hispanic civil rights group, AntiRacist Riverside, the NAACP, League of Women Voters Riverside, Occupy Democrats, Riverside County Democratic Party and Riverside Hispanic Chamber of Commerce.

—The Orange County Register

Kansas launches challenge to federal student loan forgiveness. Missouri could be next

Kansas Attorney General Kris Kobach filed a lawsuit Thursday aimed at blocking President Joe Biden’s latest attempt at forgiving billions in student loan debt for Americans.

Kobach is leading a coalition of 11 Republican attorneys general to challenge the plan, which the Biden administration has introduced through a series of programs over the last few months following a U.S. Supreme Court decision that struck down an earlier loan forgiveness plan that offered relief to a broader swath of borrowers.

“President (Joe) Biden’s new student loan forgiveness plan is slightly smaller than the old one, at least for now. But it’s just as illegal,” Kobach said in a press conference announcing the lawsuit.

The lawsuit filed in U.S. District Court alleges the Biden administration is overstepping its authority in proposing rules to wipe out debt for some Americans without express permission from Congress. If Biden is able to cancel this much debt through executive action, the lawsuit argues, he would be able to cancel all debt this way.

—The Kansas City Star

Lula-Milei clash embodies the world’s competing economic views

There are few presidents in the world today with more radically different economic models than Argentina’s Javier Milei and Brazil’s Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva.

Milei is desperate to gut public spending, sell off state-run companies and slash regulations. Lula, meanwhile, hounds his aides to ramp up spending, revitalize state companies to drive industrial policy and strengthen regulations to protect workers and the environment.

That the two men lead neighboring countries — rival commodity powerhouses, long-time trade partners, allies and, of course, mortal enemies on the soccer field — makes the ideological clash all the more stark. Tensions have flared again and again. Milei has a habit of calling Lula a “communist.” Lula in turn sticks Milei in his bucket of “primitive” nationalists. Their top diplomats are then sent to patch things up.

But the huge divide remains clear in the pretty distinct crowd each leader attracts. Brazil’s former President Jair Bolsonaro, Hungary’s Viktor Orban and Elon Musk have all supported Milei, while Lula this week is hosting Emmanuel Macron in the Amazon and Brasilia, after holding more than one meeting with both U.S. President Joe Biden and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz since his 2022 reelection. He also has China’s Xi Jinping in his corner.

—Bloomberg News