By Steve Crane | Editor-in-chief
“Things are not as they should be. We really need to make sure that we stand up now and take control back of our elections and everything we care about … this is not a time to sit idle” - Lisa Nau, a Calverton resident at Saturday’s No Kings rally in Beltsville, one of dozens around the state and thousands around the country to urge people to vote.
Maryland protesters braved chilly and overcast weather to make their voices heard, and a new report shows data centers are probably bigger than you thought. Welcome back to the working week.
At dozens of rallies across Maryland, and thousands across the country, protesters turned out for the fourth No Kings rally over the weekend, this one focused on getting people registered and getting them out to vote. Pera Onal has that story.
Data centers are grabbing more than headlines and political attention: A new report shows they could consume $10 trillion in investment and account for up to 4% of the gross domestic product, the biggest such surge in the economy since the railroad boom of the late 19th century. That’s led to concerns that other job-creating industries could be crowded out, as Tim Henderson rrports.
Those stories, plus the last part of the six-part series on the impact of prop betting on college sports, are below, with other news and the top headlines of the past week to get you ready for this Monday. Enjoy!
Dark skies and a chilly day didn't deter residents of Beltsville who came out on Saturday for the community's third No Kings event, one of many around the state and country. (Photo by Pera Onal/Maryland Matters)
By Pera Onal
The sound of car horns filled the air Saturday morning on Powder Mill Road in Beltsville as drivers voiced support for the protesters who lined the road under rain-threatening skies to participate in the nation’s fourth No Kings protest.
More than 100 community members filtered through the protest organized by Beltsville United, braving the cold weather and holding signs with phrases like “Leaders Lead, Tyrants Fall,” and “Defend Democracy.” This event, the community’s third No Kings protest, according to organizers, was one of dozens held across Maryland and thousands scheduled across the country.
Saturday’s nationwide protests were also aimed at highlighting early voting and voter registration ahead of this fall’s midterm elections. Early voting in Maryland runs from Oct. 22 through Oct. 29.
Retiree Sandy Richards, attending her second No Kings rally, said Saturday the current political climate and outlash from communities across the nation is reminiscent of the 1970s, when women still had little autonomy and people were continuing to protest the Vietnam war. She said the nationwide protests have been a good way to build community and send a message to the administration that the country isn’t tolerating its actions.
Work continues on the new QTS data center in Eagle Mountain, Utah, on April 17, 2026. Today’s data center buildout has become the largest industrial boom since the railroad era of the 19th century, with $10 trillion in investment and almost twice the economic impact. (Photo by Spenser Heaps for Utah News Dispatch)
By Tim Henderson
The sheer size of investment in data centers is drawing concern as it surpasses all other historical booms and crowds out other more job-creating ventures.
Until now, no industry had driven the U.S. economy with such force since the railroad expansion of the late 1800s, when titans battled one another to lay the transcontinental tracks that would connect America from coast to coast. Railroads in the 19th century consumed about $173 billion in today’s dollars and created more than 2% of the nation’s annual economic output (GDP) over 20 years.
Today’s data center buildout will dwarf that amount, with $10 trillion in investment, and now have almost twice the economic impact — nearly 4% of GDP. That’s according to a report created by a Columbia Business School professor, Stijn Van Nieuwerburgh. States that granted large tax exemptions before the boom are starting to feel left out of the windfall.
While both men and women college athletes face online harassment related to sports betting, abuse of women athletes on social media also often targets appearance and gender, affecting their play and reducing their enjoyment of the sport, the women report. (Photo by Anne-Marie Caruso/New Jersey Monitor)
By Deja Jones and Franklin Zessis
The final buzzer sounded on the University of Connecticut women’s basketball team’s Final Four loss to the University of South Carolina in the 2026 NCAA tournament. But while the game had ended, the social media comments were just getting started.
While athletes experience online harassment related to sports betting, abuse of women athletes on social media also often targets gender and appearance, as evidenced by comments on team and player Instagram accounts during the 2026 NCAA women’s basketball tournament.
Timothy Fong, a professor of psychiatry and co-director of UCLA’s Gambling Studies Program, recalled looking at chats on betting sites during the UCLA women’s basketball team 2026 NCAA championship win over South Carolina in April, and seeing messages that “were really horrible messages, misogynistic, chauvinistic. Even players that were playing well, ultimately, they were losing money for somebody, right? And so there was a lot of name-calling and just terrible, like, abusive language.”
IN OTHER NEWS
No Kings in D. C.: A couple hundred people carrying decorated umbrellas walked from the former Black Lives Matter Plaza near the White House to the Capitol lawn Saturday for a No Kings get-out-the-vote event in Washington, one of thousands across the U.S.
Hate incidents dip slightly: Hate bias incidents fell slightly in Maryland in 2025, a new state report shows, with racial bias against Black remaining the number one incident, followed by antisemitic bias, as anti-Latino incidents rose to become the third-highest.
Inflation inches up in September: In the last report before Election Day, inflation grew to a 3.7% annual rate in September, up from 3.4% in August, driven by energy costs: Gas is now up 34% for the year, and fuel oil, which includes diesel, is up 72%.
MATTERS YOU MAY HAVE MISSED
Feds officially move on offshore wind farm permit: Months after first threatening to do so, the Trump administration officially filed a request to reconsider the construction permit it issued to an offshore wind project proposed off the coast of Ocean City.
Ukrainians, Sudanese protections at risk: More than 100,000 Ukrainians and 2,000 Sudanese immigrants are bracing for the possibility they’ll lose their humanitarian protections by Monday, but sources say the administration may issue an extension.
NCAA basketball players main targets of bettors: An NCAA survey of sports betting-related abuse of college athletes showed that the most-harassed athletes play men’s basketball, with 46% of those players who responded saying they were targeted.
Political notes: David Schuhlein is leaving his job as communications director and Matt Jackson is getting a promotion in Senate President Bill Ferguson’s office, UMS lobbyist Susan Lawrence is retiring, and more support for David Lapp, in political notes.
MOST-READ STORIES OF THE WEEK
Thanks for reading Maryland Matters Memo. Did you know our weekend digest is also free? Sign up here. And if you enjoyed today’s edition, please forward to a friend. Increasing our readership helps us cover more news.