U.S. Rep. Andy Harris, R-Md., the only Republican in Maryland’s congressional delegation, is accusing Gov. Wes Moore of backing an amendment to the state constitution that could eliminate his district through redistricting, arguing that the push is driven by the governor’s alleged presidential ambitions.

The amendment, if approved by voters in November, would give the Democratic-controlled General Assembly far greater latitude to redraw the state’s congressional districts ahead of the 2028 election.

«The governor certainly led the charge in trying to eliminate the only Republican in the Maryland delegation in furtherance of his presidential aspirations,» Harris told Fox News Digital in an interview. «It’s obvious that this is not being done for Maryland, it is being done for a national agenda.»

Moore has repeatedly said he is not running for president in 2028, but speculation around his potential White House bid remains.

EXCLUSIVE: OVERSIGHT PROJECT SUES TO BLOCK MARYLAND DEMOCRATS’ REDISTRICTING MEASURE BACKED BY GOV MOORE

Harris also called out Moore for engaging in a «photo-op» on Wednesday by publicly signing the bill that will put the amendment on the ballot this fall.

The bill passed Tuesday with three-fifths majorities in both chambers, which is the only requirement for an amendment to become a ballot question, according to Article XIV of the Maryland Constitution.

«Gov. Moore, never missing a photo op for his presidential aspirations, convened a signing ceremony, which is a little unusual considering there’s really nothing to sign for the governor,» Harris said. «But again, this is all for show. This is to make sure that he can look Gavin Newsom in the eye and say, ‘Yeah, I did something too, for mid-cycle redistricting.’»

Fox News Digital reached out to Moore’s office for comment.

Harris, who worked as an anesthesiologist before getting into politics, has represented Maryland’s first congressional district since 2011. The district includes the entire Eastern Shore, a relatively rural part of the state, as well as parts of Baltimore County.

TRUMP-BACKED INCUMBENT OUSTED IN HOUSE PRIMARY AS GOP REDISTRICTING PUSH SET TO RESHAPE TENNESSEE

Maryland Gov. Wes Moore, center, sits between state Senate President Bill Ferguson and House Speaker Joseline Peña-Melnyk during a signing ceremony for HB2100 on Wednesday. The bill Moore signed puts a question on the November ballot to amend the state’s redistricting practices. (Maryland Governor’s Office)

The proposed amendment Harris is fighting against could allow state lawmakers to carve up his district and make it untenable for a Republican to win.

As it stands, the Maryland Constitution requires General Assembly districts and U.S. House districts to respect natural boundaries and existing county and municipal lines.

The amendment would remove those requirements for congressional districts while leaving them in place for state legislative districts.

«It absolutely sets up a double standard for redistricting in the state of Maryland. And again, the blatant attempt is to eliminate the Republican representation,» Harris said.

MARYLAND BALLOT BLUNDER SPARKS HOUSE GOP PROBE AHEAD OF PRIMARY

The Maryland State House, which houses the General Assembly, in Annapolis. If the amendment Gov. Moore supports is approved by voters, state legislators would be granted far greater leeway to redraw congressional maps. (Jonathan Newton/For The Washington Post via Getty Images, File)

As first reported by Fox News Digital, the amendment is already facing a court challenge from the Oversight Project, a conservative watchdog group that filed a complaint Thursday night in Anne Arundel County Circuit Court seeking to keep it off the November ballot.

The Oversight Project accused state legislators of bypassing the established July 1 deadline to introduce statewide ballot questions.

The ballot question for the amendment was introduced by Maryland House Speaker Joseline Peña-Melnyk and Senate President Bill Ferguson on Aug. 3, more than a month after the deadline.

Fox News Digital reached out to Peña-Melnyk and Ferguson for comment.

The move by Peña-Melnyk and Ferguson at the tail end of the legislative session is a response to a 2022 court ruling that struck down Democratic lawmakers’ proposed congressional map at the time.

Judge Lynne Battaglia found that the map — which added more Democratic voters to Harris’ district — failed to give sufficient regard to the natural boundaries and political subdivisions throughout the state.

VIRGINIA VOTERS CEMENT SWING DISTRICT REMATCH AFTER DEMS’ REDISTRICTING FAIL

An aerial view of Chesapeake City, a city in Maryland’s mostly-rural Eastern Shore that has been represented by Rep. Harris since 2011. (Visions of America/Joseph Sohm/Universal Images Group via Getty Images, File)

Amending the state constitution could be a way to get around this, but Harris said that even if voters approve the amendment, it would not guarantee that the courts would approve subsequently drawn maps that have «hyper-partisan gerrymandering.»

If the state legislature tried to eliminate or substantially dilute Republican voting power his district, Harris said he would sue based on the precedent set by Battaglia’s 2022 ruling.

Meanwhile, Moore has framed his support of the amendment as a necessary response to GOP redistricting around the country, which he called «political redlining.»

«For over a year, I have warned that Donald Trump and Republicans across the country are working to rig the system, weaken voting rights, and make this pain permanent. I am proud that today we united and took action,» Moore said. «I continue to believe that our country needs national redistricting reform. But until that happens, inaction is not an option.»

DEMOCRATS TARGETING 12 ADDITIONAL RED DISTRICTS IN MIDTERMS PUSH TO RETAKE HOUSE

Maryland Gov. Wes Moore speaks during a news conference at the Maryland State House on Wednesday in Annapolis. (Jamie Sabau/Getty Images)

Harris pushed back on Moore’s assertion that Republicans are responsible for the current redistricting battle playing out in dozens of states.

He pointed out that the redistricting organization founded by Eric Holder, who served as attorney general under President Obama from 2009 to 2015, aggressively pursued litigation to change legislative and congressional maps in North Carolina and Alabama.

However, a mid-decade congressional redraw was successfully enacted by Texas Republicans in 2003. The Supreme Court largely upheld the redraw in 2006 but said one district violated the Voting Rights Act because it diluted Latino voting strength.

Eric Holder, who served as attorney general under President Obama, has also pursued redistricting, Rep. Harris says. (Arturo Holmes/Getty Images, File)

Although courts have upheld the legality of redrawing congressional maps between the decennial censuses, Harris said he would like to move away from the practice in the future.

«I don’t think it is good for anyone,» Harris said. «It’s not good for democracy. You get to know your constituents, your constituents get to know their representative. That’s important in a representative government like we have.»

Fox News Digital’s Jasmine Baehr contributed to this report.

Mientras resuenan los ecos del pedazo de cohete de SpaceX que esta semana impactó en la Luna tras deambular en su órbita por un año tras una misión en 2025, la preocupación por la basura espacial crece a medida que miles de satélites, cohetes y fragmentos orbitan la Tierra a velocidades que superan los 27.000 kilómetros por hora.

En este escenario, científicos e ingenieros buscan formas innovadoras para detectar, rastrear y anticipar riesgos tanto en órbita como durante el reingreso de estos restos a la atmósfera. En los últimos meses, dos avances tecnológicos rompieron paradigmas: el uso exitoso de radiotelescopios para seguir desechos en la órbita geoestacionaria y la implementación de sensores sísmicos terrestres para localizar objetos que caen casi en tiempo real.

Un equipo internacional, compuesto por ingenieros del Laboratorio Lincoln del Instituto Tecnológico de Massachusetts (MIT), la Universidad de Birmingham y el radiotelescopio de Jodrell Bank en el Reino Unido, presentó resultados inéditos en la observación de basura espacial a gran altitud.

El proyecto, denominado Radar Multiestático de Línea de Base Larga (LBMR), demostró que es posible aprovechar radiotelescopios para captar y analizar los ecos de radar reflejados por fragmentos de escombros en órbitas tan altas como la geoestacionaria, a 36.000 kilómetros de la superficie. “Es la primera vez que se hace algo así”, destacó Simon Garrington, director asociado de Jodrell Bank.

La basura espacial incluye satélites inactivos, etapas de cohetes abandonadas, fragmentos dispersos por colisiones y millones de pequeñas partículas como escamas de pintura. Si bien la mayor parte se concentra en la órbita baja terrestre (LEO), donde los radares convencionales funcionan de manera eficiente, los objetos en órbitas más altas, como la geoestacionaria (GEO), han resultado mucho más difíciles de rastrear.

En la GEO se encuentran satélites meteorológicos y de comunicaciones críticos, y un solo impacto puede dejar inutilizado un aparato esencial para la vida moderna.

La novedad de la estrategia LBMR radica en la combinación de un potente radar emisor en el MIT y radiotelescopios receptores en el Reino Unido. Las ondas de radio emitidas rebotan en los desechos espaciales y regresan a antenas como la del Telescopio Lovell, donde son procesadas en tiempo real.

Este método, desarrollado durante siete años y con apoyo de la OTAN y la Agencia Espacial del Reino Unido, permite medir la distancia y velocidad de los fragmentos con una sola antena. La meta siguiente es captar ecos de un mismo objeto con múltiples radiotelescopios, lo que posibilitaría reconstruir trayectorias en tres dimensiones y optimizar la vigilancia.

“Esta idea surgió hace unos siete años. En aquel entonces parecía una locura, porque no teníamos sincronización. Teníamos recursos en un extremo del océano y otros recursos en el otro extremo. Pero estábamos lo suficientemente locos como para seguir adelante”, contó Marco Martorella, ingeniero electrónico de Birmingham y miembro de LBMR.

El equipo ya demostró la viabilidad del sistema y espera ampliar la cobertura para seguir rastreando en tiempo real fragmentos cada vez más pequeños y peligrosos.

La basura espacial representa un riesgo real para las misiones activas, las estaciones orbitales y hasta para la aviación. Un objeto de apenas unos centímetros puede atravesar paneles, destruir instrumentos y generar nuevos fragmentos, alimentando el temido “síndrome de Kessler”, una reacción en cadena donde cada colisión produce más escombros y satura las órbitas terrestres.

Si bien la mayoría de los fragmentos se desintegran en la atmósfera durante su reentrada, los de mayor tamaño pueden llegar intactos a la superficie, con potencial de causar daños a infraestructuras, el medioambiente o la salud pública. Algunos restos transportan materiales tóxicos, inflamables o radiactivos, y existe además el riesgo de impacto con aeronaves en vuelo.

Para abordar el desafío de la reentrada, científicos encabezados por Benjamin Fernando (Universidad Johns Hopkins) y Constantinos Charalambous (Imperial College de Londres) dieron un paso adelante utilizando sensores sísmicos terrestres.

Su estudio, publicado en la revista Science, muestra cómo las redes sísmicas públicas permiten registrar los estampidos sónicos que generan los fragmentos al entrar en la atmósfera a velocidades supersónicas.

Analizando los datos de 127 sismómetros en el sur de California y Nevada, los investigadores rastrearon la caída de un módulo orbital chino, la Shenzhou-15, identificando la trayectoria real a 30 kilómetros al sur de la prevista por sistemas de radar orbital.

“Podemos rastrear cosas muy bien en el espacio. Pero una vez que llega al punto en que realmente se está desintegrando en la atmósfera, se vuelve muy difícil de rastrear”, explicó Fernando.

El método no solo permite ubicar la zona de caída casi en tiempo real, sino que también ofrece información sobre la velocidad, dirección y fragmentación del objeto. Esto resulta vital para la rápida recuperación de restos, especialmente si contienen sustancias peligrosas, y para reducir el tiempo entre la reentrada y la determinación de la trayectoria.

Los autores del estudio ya emplearon esta técnica para rastrear decenas de reentradas, y su objetivo es lograr estimaciones precisas en minutos o segundos tras el evento. Chris Carr, del Laboratorio Nacional de Los Álamos, destacó en un análisis que “el método permite identificar rápidamente las zonas de caída de desechos”, una capacidad cada vez más relevante ante el aumento de satélites y basura en órbita.

La comunidad científica subraya que, con el ritmo actual de lanzamientos y la proliferación de objetos en el espacio, el seguimiento detallado y constante de la basura espacial será clave para evitar incidentes graves.

Los avances en radiotelescopía y sismología aplicada abren nuevas puertas para una vigilancia más eficaz, combinando observación a gran altitud y monitoreo de reentradas.

En este escenario, la cooperación internacional y la innovación tecnológica se convierten en herramientas imprescindibles para enfrentar los desafíos de la próxima era espacial.

Republican Senate nominee Mike Rogers opened the door to Michigan Democrats on Friday after far-left progressive Abdul El-Sayed’s primary victory, assuring them «there is still hope,» adding they have a «home» with his campaign.

«If you’re among the majority of Democratic voters that woke up on Wednesday feeling, well, hopeless, because the person who won does not represent your values, well, just know, there is still hope,» Rogers said in a video posted on X Friday.

«Michigan deserves a senator who is ready to sit with you, hear from you and represent you.»

El-Sayed narrowly defeated Rep. Haley Stevens, D-Mich., in one of the nation’s most closely watched Democratic primaries, setting up a November showdown with Rogers, who ran uncontested.

2026 MIDTERMS STATE OF PLAY: KEY RACES UNFOLD AS STEVENS, EL-SAYED BATTLE IN MICHIGAN

Rogers addressed Democratic voters directly, casting his campaign as a home for those who feel their values are not reflected in El-Sayed’s candidacy as he tries to court the hundreds of thousands of Democrats who voted for Stevens but may not feel comfortable voting for El-Sayed.

«The parents across Michigan who want an education system that sets up their kids for success, you have a home with us,» he said. «To grandparents across Michigan who are heartbroken from watching their kids and grandkids leave the state, you have a home with us.

«To young people who are looking for real solutions to solve our housing affordability crisis, you have a home with us. To working families who don’t want higher taxes and lower paychecks, well, you have a home with us.»

Rogers also accused El-Sayed’s campaign of promoting «anger, divisiveness, calls for violence» and views he said are out of step with Michigan voters.

«And to the vast majority of people across Michigan who do not want to throw their support behind a campaign filled with anger, divisiveness, calls for violence and the views that are out of touch with your values, well, you have a home with us,» he said.

EL-SAYED’S THREAT AGAINST GOP RIVAL BACKFIRES AS CONSERVATIVES BRING RECEIPTS: ‘IS DUBAI IN FLORIDA?’

Democratic candidate for U.S. Senate Abdul El-Sayed speaks to supporters at an election night rally at the Majestic Theatre Aug. 4, 2026, in Detroit. (Scott Olson/Getty Images)

If Rogers wins in November, Republicans would flip the seat held by retiring Democratic Sen. Gary Peters and help protect their control of the Senate.

«Over the next 90 days, I’m going to work hard to earn your trust, to earn your support and earn your vote,» Rogers said. «We have a state to save, Michigan. Let’s get to work.»

Rogers’ outreach to Democrats was praised by some conservatives and pundits on social media.

In a post on X, former DSA member Jake Altman wrote, «I voted for Biden. I voted for Harris. I will vote for Mike Rogers. I just donated to the campaign. This is not a time to sit on your hands. Stand up for the man who fights terrorists, not the one who sympathizes with them.»

«Mike Rogers directly asks for Democrats to support him in Michigan. The majority of Michigan Democrats voted against Abdul El-Sayed. This is well done,» OutKick founder Clay Travis posted on X.

In another post on X, Democrats for Mike Rogers wrote, «Mike Rogers is meeting the moment. We’re putting country over party and voting for Mike Rogers in November. It’s never been more important. We must unite and defeat the extremism of Abdul El-Sayed and his allies.»

El-Sayed, an epidemiologist and former Wayne County health director who unsuccessfully ran for governor in 2018, has campaigned on Medicare-for-all and abolishing Immigration and customs enforcement. He has also been a vocal critic of Israel during its war with Hamas and has called Israel’s actions in Gaza «genocide.»

REPORTER’S NOTEBOOK: THE REPUBLICAN-LED VOTE THAT REVEALED DEMOCRATS’ NEW DIVIDE ON ISRAEL

Republican U.S. Senate candidate Mike Rogers waits to go onstage at his election watch party with the Michigan GOP Nov. 5, 2024, in Novi, Michigan. Rogers and Democrat Elissa Slotkin are competing for the seat vacated by the retiring Debbie Stabenow. (Sarah Rice/Getty Images)

He would become the nation’s first Muslim senator if elected.

As some Democrats grapple with the direction of their party following El-Sayed’s nomination, Rogers said the «fight is far greater than just left versus right.»

«The fight is for the very soul of our nation,» he said.

Fox News Digital reached out to El Sayed’s campaign for comment.