Democrat Wes Moore is leading Republican opponent Dan Cox by 22 points in the race to be Maryland’s next governor, according to a new poll released Monday.

About 53 percent of Marylanders would currently back Moore and 31 percent would vote for Cox, according to the survey from Goucher College, The Baltimore Banner and WYPR. Moore enjoys a similar lead among voters who list how favorably they view the candidates.

Underscoring the lead further, 69 percent of voters said they are “set on this candidate,” and only 28 percent said they could change their mind.

Mileah Kromer, the director of the Sarah T. Hughes Center for Politics at Goucher College, said Democrats are in “a strong position to sweep the statewide contests this cycle” in Maryland.

“Moore is viewed favorably by a majority of state voters, and perceptions of his mix of progressive and moderate politics aligns with how many Maryland voters view themselves,” Kromer said in a statement.

Moore is an author and former CEO of an anti-poverty nonprofit, and Cox is a representative in Maryland’s House of Delegates. The gubernatorial candidates are seeking to replace retiring Gov. Larry Hogan (R).

PECOS, Texas (AP) — A U.S. law banning those under felony indictments from buying guns is unconstitutional, a federal judge in West Texas ruled Monday.

U.S. District Judge David Counts, whom then-President Donald Trump appointed to the federal bench, dismissed a federal indictment against Jose Gomez Quiroz that had charged him under the federal ban.

According to Counts’ ruling, Quiroz was under a state burglary indictment when he tried to buy a .22-caliber semiautomatic handgun and challenged the ensuing federal charge.

In a 25-page opinion filed in Pecos, Texas, Counts acknowledged “this case’s real-world consequences — certainly valid public policy and safety concerns exist.” However, he said a Supreme Court ruling this summer in a challenge brought by the New York Rifle & Pistol Association “framed those concerns solely as a historical analysis.”

Hence, he ruled the ban unconstitutional as the “Second Amendment is not a 'second class right,” as noted in a 2008 Supreme Court ruling. ”No longer can courts balance away a constitutional right," Counts wrote. After the New York case, "the Government must prove that laws regulating conduct covered by the Second Amendment’s plain text align with this Nation’s historical tradition. The Government does not meet that burden."

The Family Research Council’s multimillion-dollar headquarters sit on G Street in Washington, D.C., just steps from the U.S. Capitol and the White House, a spot ideally situated for its work as a right-wing policy think tank and political pressure group.

From its perch at the heart of the nation’s capital, the FRC has pushed for legislation banning gender-affirming surgery; filed amicus briefs supporting the overturning of Roe v. Wade; and advocated for religious exemptions to civil rights laws. Its longtime head, a former state lawmaker and ordained minister named Tony Perkins, claims credit for pushing the Republican platform rightward over the past two decades.

What is the FRC? Its website sums up the answer to this question in 63 words: “A nonprofit research and educational organization dedicated to articulating and advancing a family-centered philosophy of public life. In addition to providing policy research and analysis for the legislative, executive, and judicial branches of the federal government, FRC seeks to inform the news media, the academic community, business leaders, and the general public about family issues that affect the nation from a biblical worldview.”

In the eyes of the Internal Revenue Service, though, it is also a church, with Perkins as its religious leader.

Does the organization hold regular chapel services? According to the FRC’s letter to the IRS, the answer is yes. It wrote that it holds services at its office building averaging more than 65 people. But when a ProPublica reporter called to inquire about service times, a staffer who answered the phone responded, “We don’t have church service.” Elsewhere in the form, it says that the employees make up those who attend its services.

A contractor hired by Texas to bus migrants signed an agreement that bans them from talking to New York officials, the Associated Press reported.

Manuel Castro, commissioner of the New York City Mayor's Office of Immigrant Affairs, told the AP that complicates efforts to meet and provide resources for migrants being sent from Texas.

"It's a problem because we don't know when the buses are coming, how many buses are coming, if anyone on these buses has medical conditions that they will need help with, if they need a wheelchair,"Castro told the outlet. "We at least want to know that so that we can best help people as they arrive."

Volunteer groups rely in tips for help as they wait for hours in New York's Port Authority for buses from Texas to arrive.

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott has been sending buses of migrants to democratic cities like Washington D.C. and New York to President Joe Biden's immigration policies.

What is Gov. Ron DeSantis waiting for?

He removed Tampa’s twice-elected state attorney from office for making statements on abortion that he didn’t like. But he leaves Broward Sheriff Gregory Tony in charge of one of the largest law enforcement agencies in Florida, despite his history of lying about his past on official documents.

Tony should never have been appointed sheriff in the first place. But he was — in sloppy, hurried fashion by DeSantis himself, without a full background check that should have raised enough red flags to derail his appointment. This irresponsible lack of vetting has brought needless embarrassment to Broward County and to the dedicated professionals who proudly wear the BSO uniform, many of whom risk their lives to protect the public.

The sheriff should have resigned long ago, as we urged in 2020, but he refused. The voters of Broward, who reflexively vote for Democrats and who had no credible alternatives on the ballot, elected him to a four-year term two years ago. We refused to endorse Tony or either of his opponents in that election, warning voters that Tony’s problems would only get worse — and they have.

The Florida Commission on Ethics has found probable cause that Tony misused his official position by lying on a police job application, driver’s license renewal and state law enforcement certification form.

What is Gov. Ron DeSantis waiting for?

He removed Tampa’s twice-elected state attorney from office for making statements on abortion that he didn’t like. But he leaves Broward Sheriff Gregory Tony in charge of one of the largest law enforcement agencies in Florida, despite his history of lying about his past on official documents.

Tony should never have been appointed sheriff in the first place. But he was — in sloppy, hurried fashion by DeSantis himself, without a full background check that should have raised enough red flags to derail his appointment. This irresponsible lack of vetting has brought needless embarrassment to Broward County and to the dedicated professionals who proudly wear the BSO uniform, many of whom risk their lives to protect the public.

The sheriff should have resigned long ago, as we urged in 2020, but he refused. The voters of Broward, who reflexively vote for Democrats and who had no credible alternatives on the ballot, elected him to a four-year term two years ago. We refused to endorse Tony or either of his opponents in that election, warning voters that Tony’s problems would only get worse — and they have.

The Florida Commission on Ethics has found probable cause that Tony misused his official position by lying on a police job application, driver’s license renewal and state law enforcement certification form.