Jay Hancock

In 2014, when the federal health reform law fully kicks in, people who don’t have health insurance will need to find a way to get it.

The O'Malley administration, the Maryland Energy Administration, the Maryland People's Counsel, the staff of the Maryland Public Service Commission and now Constellation Energy's second-largest shareholder all have raised objections to the $7.9 billion sale of the Baltimore-based energy company to Chicago-based Exelon Corp. How will all that effect the deal and what does the deal mean for BGE customers in Maryland? The PSC, the state's energy regulator, will begin hearings Oct. 31 to examine the deal.

The weekly Midday news review sticks to one big subject -- the financial crisis and its economic and political ramifications, in Maryland, across the country and abroad. We're joined again by Baltimore Sun business columnist and blogger Jay Hancock, and by Herb Smith, longtime political observer, professor of political science at McDaniel College and co-author of the forthcoming "Maryland Politics and Government: Democratic Dominance".