Trump to issue opioid 'emergency' declaration. Maryland leaders hope it prompts real change.
5:00 AMWASHINGTON -- Public health experts in Maryland are applauding President Donald Trump’s plan to declare an emergency to confront the nation’s opioid crisis, but warn the impact of the move will depend heavily on the steps his administration takes after the paperwork is signed. Trump, who vowed to address the...
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Hogan calls Peace Cross ruling 'outrageous,' vows to fight
Oct. 20, 2017WASHINGTON -- Gov. Larry Hogan called a federal appeals court ruling that a cross-shaped war memorial in Prince George’s County unconstitutional "outrageous" and an "overreach," and vowed that his administration would fight it. In a social media post, the Republican governor wrote Friday that he has passed by...
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Elijah Cummings presses GOP to continue questioning private email use in White House
Oct. 20, 2017WASHINGTON -- Rep. Elijah E. Cummings, the top Democrat on the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, said Friday that White House lawyers acknowledged that "several" Trump administration officials "confessed" to using private email accounts for government business. But the Baltimore Democrat said...
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Van Hollen leads unsuccessful first effort to preserve tax deduction popular in Maryland
Oct. 19, 2017WASHINGTON -- Senate Democrats, led by Sen. Chris Van Hollen, failed Thursday to preserve a state and local tax deduction in the Republican plan to overhaul the tax code — the first effort to maintain a deduction that is heavily used by Marylanders. The Republican-controlled Senate voted 52-47 to reject an amendment...
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Appeals court rules that Peace Cross in Bladensburg violates the Constitution
Oct. 18, 2017WASHINGTON -- A federal appeals court ruled Wednesday that a 40-foot, cross-shaped war memorial that has stood on public land in Maryland for nearly a century is unconstitutional because it “excessively entangles” the government with religion. A divided U.S. Court of Appeals for the 4th Circuit in Richmond,...
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Federal authorities made dozens of requests to hold immigrants in Baltimore
Oct. 18, 2017WASHINGTON -- Federal immigration agents have asked the state-run Baltimore Central Booking and Intake Center to hold dozens of immigrants in custody, despite assertions by local officials that they received no such requests, documents reviewed by The Baltimore Sun show. Since 2015, U.S. Immigration and Customs...
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Trump to end ACA subsidies, signs order to expand insurance plans outside of Obamacare
Oct. 12, 2017WASHINGTON -- President Donald Trump plans to halt payments to insurers under the Obama-era health care law that he has been trying to unravel for months. That's according to two people familiar with the decision who sought anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly. The White House said...
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Maryland among worst in nation in investigating nursing home complaints on time, feds say
Oct. 12, 2017WASHINGTON -- Maryland lags most of the nation in inspecting high-priority nursing home complaints — a problem past administrations have promised to fix, but that continues to vex state health officials — a federal inspector general has found. The state failed to investigate nearly 650 allegations of harm at...
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Speaker Paul Ryan to visit Eastern Shore as part of tax plan pitch
Oct. 4, 2017WASHINGTON -- House Speaker Paul Ryan will visit an Eastern Shore factory Thursday as part of a tour to sell the Republican tax proposal. Ryan will visit Dixon Valve & Coupling Co. in Chestertown, located in Rep. Andy Harris’s district. The hose coupling manufacturer sells its products globally, and the company…
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Study: 31 percent of Marylanders would pay more under Trump tax plan
Oct. 4, 2017WASHINGTON -- About 31 percent of Maryland households would pay a higher tax bill and roughly two-thirds would receive a tax cut under a proposal announced by President Donald Trump and Republican leaders in Congress, according to an analysis released Wednesday. The study, by the left-leaning Institute on Taxation...
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Speaker Mike Busch backs Del. Aruna Miller in state's 6th Congressional District
Oct. 4, 2017WASHINGTON -- Maryland House Speaker Michael E. Busch endorsed Del. Aruna Miller on Wednesday in her campaign for the state’s 6th Congressional District, weighing into a nascent race that will become one of the most closely watched in the state next year. The endorsement, which marks the first time a Maryland...
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Trump responds to Maryland lawsuit questioning foreign 'gifts'
Sept. 29, 2017WASHINGTON -- President Donald Trump moved Friday to dismiss a lawsuit filed by Maryland and the District of Columbia alleging that his real estate empire has received unconstitutional gifts from foreign governments since he took office. In a filing in U.S. District Court in Greenbelt, Justice Department attorneys...
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Facebook ad purchased by Russian entity targeted Baltimore, likely aiming to deepen racial tension
Sept. 28, 2017WASHINGTON -- A social media advertisement that targeted Baltimore users in the months following the 2015 riots was likely part of a broader effort by Russia to sow discontent and deepen racial tension, cyber security analysts said Thursday. The Facebook ad, which referenced the Black Lives Matter movement...
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Emails show mixed reaction among state politicos to Delaney's presidential campaign
Sept. 28, 2017WASHINGTON -- When Democratic Rep. John Delaney announced his unexpected presidential campaign in July, a conservative research group blasted out a records request to Maryland institutions seeking email chatter about the news. What they got back suggests the state’s political class took notice, and was then...
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Black Lives Matter Facebook ad targeting Baltimore, Ferguson linked to Russia
Sept. 27, 2017WASHINGTON -- At least one of the Facebook advertisements bought by the Russians during last year’s presidential campaign was targeted at voters in Baltimore and made reference to the Black Lives Matter movement, a source familiar with the ad said Wednesday. The ad — also aimed at users in Ferguson, Mo. — followed...
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Trump, GOP outline proposal to lower, simplify taxes
Sept. 27, 2017WASHINGTON -- President Donald Trump outlined a sweeping plan Wednesday to lower corporate taxes and simplify the rules for individual filers, the first step in what will be a contentious debate over a top White House priority. With GOP hopes of repealing Obamacare once again dashed, the Trump administration...
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Jamie McCourt, Trump's nominee to serve as envoy to France, has deep ties to Baltimore
Sept. 27, 2017WASHINGTON -- Baltimore native and daughter of a once prominent retailer in the city will appear Wednesday before a Senate committee considering her nomination to one of the most plum assignments in the U.S. diplomatic corps: Ambassador to France. Jamie McCourt — a former co-owner of the Los Angeles Dodgers...
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Baltimore psychologist heads effort to 'warn' about Trump's mental health
Sept. 24, 2017WASHINGTON -- Put psychologist John Gartner on a couch and ask him about his childhood and one of the first stories he will recall is about his mom, Diana, and a touchstone moment in the fight for women’s rights. In 1969, Diana Gartner and other leaders of the relatively new National Organization for Women made...
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Trump rolls back Obama-era guidance on campus sexual assault
Sept. 22, 2017WASHINGTON -- The Trump administration on Friday rolled back federal efforts to influence university investigations into sexual assaults, rescinding Obama-era guidelines that some felt provided too little protection to those accused of rape and other sex crimes on campus. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos announced...
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Maryland residents see race relations in decline, poll says
Sept. 21, 2017WASHINGTON -- Maryland residents are pessimistic about race relations, with a strong majority saying in a new poll that the situation has recently “gotten worse" in the state. Sixty-one percent of people surveyed in a Goucher Poll released Thursday agreed there was a decline in race relations here. Though people...
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Frick opts out of House contest, launches campaign for Montgomery County executive
Sept. 20, 2017WASHINGTON -- Maryland House Majority Leader C. William "Bill" Frick abruptly abandoned plans Wednesday to run in the state’s 6th Congressional District, opting to launch a campaign for Montgomery County executive instead. Frick, a 42-year-old attorney from Bethesda, was among several potential candidates raising...
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Senators question whether Dragonfly hacks hit Maryland power companies
Sept. 19, 2017WASHINGTON -- Responding to reports of an effort to hack into U.S. power companies, Sens. Ben Cardin and Chris Van Hollen are asking the Department of Homeland Security whether any firms in Maryland were hit. In a letter to acting Homeland Security Secretary Elaine Duke, the two Democrats said they are concerned...
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Lierman signs on to Delaney's presidential campaign
Sept. 13, 2017Terry L. Lierman, a longtime Maryland political operative and close ally to former Gov. Martin O’Malley, will serve as a chairman of Rep. John Delaney’s presidential campaign, the congressman announced Wednesday. Lierman, the former chair of the Maryland Democratic Party, had served as treasurer...
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From Baltimore County, Rep. Harris takes an active role in District of Columbia
Sept. 13, 2017David Trumble has never heard of Rep. Andy Harris. But his community has nevertheless felt the influence of the Maryland congressman. That's because Trumble lives in the District of Columbia, a familiar target for congressional intervention. While the nation's capital is — at its closest — an hour's...
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Amendment to EPA funding bill would strip agency of power to enforce Chesapeake cleanup plan
Sept. 11, 2017WASHINGTON -- A bill to fund the Environmental Protection Agency and other federal programs from December through September 2018 would strip the agency of its power to enforce a Chesapeake Bay cleanup plan, under a provision approved in the House of Representatives. Rep. Bob Goodlatte, a Republican who represents...
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Cummings crafts measure to require Harriet Tubman's image on the $20 bill
Sept. 8, 2017WASHINGTON -- With the future design of the $20 bill uncertain, a bipartisan pair of lawmakers introduced legislation Friday to require the Treasury Department to replace President Andrew Jackson’s portrait with an image of abolitionist Harriet Tubman. The Obama administration announced a redesign last year...
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Maryland 'dreamers,' officials react to Trump's DACA move
Sep. 5, 2017WASHINGTON -- Jesus Perez doesn’t remember much about his journey to the United States two decades ago, beyond his parents using a simple phrase that would change the course of his life: “We’re leaving.” Perez was 5 when he left Mexico. He’s never been back. President Donald J. Trump’s decision Tuesday to rescind...
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Cummings set to return to Washington next week
Sep. 4, 2017WASHINGTON -- Rep. Elijah E. Cummings, who has been recovering from a heart procedure for months, told The Baltimore Sun on Monday he expects to return to Capitol Hill next week. The Baltimore Democrat, the ranking member of the Oversight and Government Reform Committee, underwent what his office described as...
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Congress returns to work, with crushing deadlines on debt ceiling, Harvey funding
Sep. 2, 2017WASHINGTON -- For all the talk of change in Washington, lawmakers return to Capitol Hill this week in a familiar position: up against a series of difficult deadlines to keep the government open and raise the nation's debt ceiling. But, for once, that effort may be taking on an unusual air of bipartisanship. ...
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Dems urge Trump administration to stick with Harriet Tubman $20 bill
Aug. 31, 2017WASHINGTON -- Two Maryland Democrats urged Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin to follow through on a plan to feature abolitionist Harriet Tubman on the $20 bill after the administration appeared to cast doubt on that idea Thursday. "We will be looking at this issue. It's not something that I'm focused on at the...
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ACLU of Maryland sues Trump administration over transgender military service ban
Aug. 28, 2017WASHINGTON -- The American Civil Liberties Union of Maryland filed a federal lawsuit against President Donald J. Trump on Monday in an effort to halt his administration's ban on transgender individuals serving in the military. The lawsuit, filed on behalf of six transgender service members -- including one from...
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Maryland's Eastern Shore, a GOP stronghold, home to thousands who now have insurance thanks to Obamacare
Aug. 27, 2017WASHINGTON -- Christine Sabas had just left her job and was preparing to attend seminary when the symptoms began: Dizziness, burning nerve pain, numbness in her arms and legs. With the private health insurance she had through work set to expire, the 43-year-old Salisbury woman turned to the Affordable Care Act,...
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Federal court knocks down Maryland redistricting case as plaintiffs vow to appeal to Supreme Court
Aug. 24, 2017WASHINGTON -- A federal district court rejected a claim Thursday by seven Maryland Republicans that the state's 2011 redistricting violated their First Amendment rights, setting up another Supreme Court fight over the heavily litigated maps. In a case closely watched by state political leaders, the court found...
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Trone to take new fundraising approach in latest bid for Congress
Aug. 7, 2017WASHINGTON -- David Trone, the Democratic businessman running in Maryland's 6th Congressional District, has learned at least one thing from his unsuccessful congressional bid last year: Self-funding a political campaign is a turnoff for some voters. Trone, co-owner of national liquor retailer Total Wine & More,...
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Amid immigration battles, College Park considers giving noncitizens voting rights
Aug. 6, 2017WASHINGTON -- Officials in College Park are weighing a plan that would make their city the largest in Maryland to give undocumented immigrants a right to vote in local elections, a long-standing practice elsewhere in the state that has drawn new scrutiny amid the simmering national debate over immigration. The...
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Congressional delegation calls Justice Department decision on crime fighting 'unconscionable'
Aug. 4, 2017WASHINGTON -- Six members of Baltimore's delegation to Congress on Friday questioned the Justice Department's decision to withhold federal crime fighting assistance unless the city cooperates with the Trump administration's immigration enforcement efforts. Calling the Justice Department's announcement "unconscionable"...
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Van Hollen measure to speed pediatric cancer drugs clears Congress
Aug. 3, 2017WASHINGTON -- The Senate gave final approval Thursday to a measure backed by Sen. Chris Van Hollen that would speed approval of cancer drugs for children. The bipartisan measure, approved by the House in July, was attached to legislation that will allow the Silver Spring-based Food and Drug Administration to...
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Roger Manno announces bid for Rep. John Delaney's seat in Congress
Aug 2, 2017WASHINGTON -- State Sen. Roger Manno, an attorney and former aide to several offices on Capitol Hill, announced Wednesday he will run for the Democratic nomination in Maryland's 6th Congressional District. The 51-year-old cancer survivor, who had previously said he would enter the race if incumbent Rep. John...
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Senators press Trump administration on FBI headquarters project
Aug. 2, 2017WASHINGTON -- A month after the Trump administration abruptly canceled a proposed new headquarters for the FBI, federal officials told a Senate panel Wednesday that they remain committed to the project and could restart the development process by the end of the year. In a rare display of bipartisanship, Republicans...
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David Trone announces run for Congress
Aug. 2, 2017WASHINGTON -- David Trone, the multimillionaire businessman who blasted airwaves with political advertising in his campaign for Congress last year, announced Wednesday he will seek the Democratic nomination for the House seat to be left open by Rep. John Delaney. Trone, a Potomac man who ran an unsuccessful...
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Health care debate a source of anxiety for state's Obamacare enrollees
July 28, 2017WASHINGTON -- The first health insurance policy Lisa Eimer purchased under Obamacare in 2014 was canceled. The price of the next plan shot up about 20 percent in a year. When the 35-year-old Nottingham woman describes her coverage during the early days of the Affordable Care Act, she uses words such as "fantastic."...
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Delaney announces campaign for president, becomes first to challenge Trump
July 28, 2017WASHINGTON -- Rep. John Delaney, a former Potomac businessman who has cultivated a reputation for bipartisanship during three terms in Congress, announced Friday that he will run for the Democratic nomination for president -- making him the first candidate to challenge President Donald J. Trump. The centrist...
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Rep. John Delaney said to be mulling a run for president
July 27, 2017WASHINGTON -- Rep. John Delaney, the Potomac businessman who challenged his party's establishment to unexpectedly capture a seat in Congress five years ago, is considering a run for the Democratic nomination for president, according to multiple Democratic sources. In what could only be described as a long-shot...
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Hogan opposes 'skinny repeal' of Obamacare
July 26, 2017WASHINGTON -- Gov. Larry Hogan weighed into the health care fray again Wednesday, signing a bipartisan letter to Senate leaders that opposes the so-called "skinny repeal" plan emerging as a potentially viable option to dismantle Obamacare. "Congress should be working to make health insurance more affordable...
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