Maryland

Maryland leaders say federal money, not National Guard needed in Baltimore

Published

6 months ago

September 7, 2025

Maryland leaders say federal money, not National Guard needed in Baltimore

September 7, 2025 / 8:52 PM EDT
/ CBS Baltimore

State and city leaders are continuing their push against President Trump, who has repeatedly threatened to deploy National Guard troops to Baltimore in what he says is a fight against crime.

Maryland Gov. Wes Moore and Mayor Brandon Scott said Baltimore does not require the National Guard to maintain peace. Instead, they reiterated that federal funding for anti-violence programs would be beneficial.

Baltimore police have reported homicide and non-fatal shootings are still dropping at historic rates for a third year in a row.

However, according to FBI data shared on CNN on Sunday, Baltimore had the third-highest rate of violent crime in the country last year, with a population of at least 250,000.

“We understand those numbers, but we also understand that last year was another consecutive year of historic reductions in gun violence in the city of Baltimore,” Mayor Scott said on CNN. “We know that the National Guard doesn’t work.”

The latest crime trend, according to the Baltimore Police Department, shows that homicides in Baltimore are down 29% from 2024, while non-fatal shootings (21%), carjackings (30%), and vehicle thefts (32%) have declined significantly.

“We know what works here in Baltimore. We don’t need that kind of help,” Mayor Scott said.

“When I first came on board, I was very clear that public safety was going to be our number one priority, and we have made historic investments in local law enforcement, historic investments in technology, and making sure that when someone commits a violent crime with a handgun, we want them in handcuffs within 24 hours,” Gov. Moore said on NBC’s “Meet The Press.”

Trump responds to Baltimore invitation

In response to a letter released by Gov. Wes Moore inviting Mr. Trump to come to Baltimore, the president declined the invitation, saying he would not go unless the governor and mayor “clean up this crime disaster.”

Last week, Mr. Trump threatened to deploy the National Guard to Baltimore, weeks after he sent troops into Washington, D.C.

“I’m not walking in Baltimore right now. Baltimore is a hellhole,” the president said [when and in what context?]. “I have an obligation to protect this country, and that includes Baltimore. Baltimore is a very unsafe place.”

Mr. Trump had previously stated that Baltimore was “so far gone,” as far as crime is concerned.

State and city leaders pushed back on Mr. Trump’s claims.

Gov. Moore described the president’s comments as “insults from the Oval Office.”

“You can actually say that Baltimore has had the same type of drop as Washington D.C. has had during this period, and we didn’t mobilize the National Guard,” Gov. Moore said on Sunday.

Mayor vows to try to block federal troops

Mayor Scott said on Sunday that the city and state will look at every option, including legal action, in an attempt to stop the National Guard from being present in Baltimore.

The president has not set a timetable for when the National Guard would be deployed.

“The one thing we know about this administration is there is uncertainty,” Mayor Scott said. “We have to make sure that we are prepared for anything that happens, but right now we are focused on continuing to drive down violence, and we will not be shaken from the focus by anyone, including the president.”

Last week, a judge ruled that Trump’s deployment of troops in Los Angeles violated federal law.

According to CBS News, as of last week, there were more than 2,200 National Guard members in Washington, D.C., with over half of those troops sent by Republican governors throughout the country.

Mayor calls for federal resources

While Mayor Scott is opposed to National Guard troops in Baltimore, he hopes the federal government will restore funding for violence prevention programs across the country.

He praised the city’s community violence prevention plan and the Comprehensive Violence Prevention Plan and credited those programs for reducing gun violence in Baltimore.

The mayor said he also wants the government to ban “ghost guns” and for the federal government to work with local law enforcement.

“We’ve laid out very clearly what the federal government can do to help us,” Mayor Scott said. “They can restore the cuts to the programs that have helped us reduce this gun violence already in this city. They can come out and ban ghost guns and Glock switches. They can help us in the ways that we know can work every day.”

National Guard sent to Washington, D.C.

Mr. Trump, in August, ordered the federalization of the District of Columbia’s Metropolitan Police Department and deployed the National Guard in the district to assist law enforcement, despite data showing crime has declined in the federal district in recent years.

The president said the crime issue “directly impacts the functioning of the federal government and is a threat to America.” Mr. Trump also questioned what he called “phony numbers” on crime in D.C.

According to local police data, violent crime in D.C. has been on the decline after spiking in 2023. As of mid-August, violent crime was down 26%.

Baltimore residents mixed about National Guard

Baltimore residents who spoke with WJZ had mixed responses on the possibility of the National Guard being sent to the city to combat crime.

Some residents said the city does not need federal law enforcement or troops. Others added that this federal intervention would target minority communities.

“I think this is another version of the War on Drugs. I think everyone really knows that. The darker the berry, the bigger the target. I think we’re seeing that right now,” Baltimore resident Khalil Bishop said. “I think this just puts a lot of people in danger, because just their presence here will incite violence, which is unnecessary.”

Other residents said the National Guard could bring a change of sense of security to the city, including a man who was a victim of a violent assault last year.

John Berardi was walking home from getting pizza in November 2024 when he says he was beaten with a metal pole by three juveniles. The incident was caught on a security camera.

Berardi was left with significant, permanent damage in his eye. He says he feels left behind by the city of Baltimore, the state, and the police department.

The National Guard could bring more manpower, which Berardi says could make people feel safer.

“You hear crime is down, crime is down. That’s the storyline, but people aren’t going outside after dark because they’re afraid,” Berardi said. “Homicides are down, but quality of life crimes are way up through the roof, and juvenile crime is terrible. It’s definitely a change and something that actually deters crime, which we have none of today.”

Adam Thompson

Adam Thompson is a digital content producer for CBS Baltimore.

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Maryland

Maryland, California men plead guilty in auto-repair shop drug trafficking case

Published

2 hours ago

March 4, 2026

Press Room

Maryland, California men plead guilty in auto-repair shop drug trafficking case

MARYLAND (WBFF) — A Maryland man and his California accomplice both pled guilty to drug trafficking charges involving the concealment of drugs within auto parts at a repair shop, the Maryland U.S. Attorney’s Office announced Wednesday.

Authorities reported that Norville Clarke, 56, of Clarksburg, Maryland, and Daniel Cruz, 39, of Los Angeles, California, were charged with conspiracy to distribute controlled substances.

In 2023, an investigation targeted a drug trafficking organization that was transporting and distributing large quantities of cocaine from California to Maryland.

The investigation began after police seized a parcel containing approximately two kilograms of cocaine that was mailed from Los Angeles with an intended delivery to Clarke’s auto-repair shop in District Heights, Maryland.

ALSO READ | Gwynn Oak man sentenced to 3 years in federal prison for passport fraud, ID theft

During the investigation, Cruz was linked to the narcotics in the parcel, as well as to its source, authorities reported.

In January 2024, postal inspectors, along with other investigators, identified a freight shipment from Los Angeles intended for delivery at Clarke’s auto-repair shop, and officials said surveillance footage showed Cruz dropping off that shipment at a shipping company in California.

After that, authorities observed Cruz traveling to Maryland to track the shipment’s delivery.

Cruz and Clarke were then seen by investigators meeting at the auto-repair shop several days after the shipment occurred.

Investigators tracked the fright shipment to Dulles, Virginia, where authorities executed a search warrant and recovered two automobile transmissions inside, as well as 20 one-kilogram bricks secreted in both transmissions.

Officials reported that laboratory forensic tests confirmed that the bricks were over 16 kilograms of cocaine.

A search warrant was then also executed for Clarke’s District Heights auto-repair shop, Clarke’s Clarksburg residence, and Cruz’s hotel room in Capitol Heights, Maryland.

ALSO READ | Baltimore man sentenced to over 10 years for gun, ammunition possession as felon

At the auto repair shop, officials recovered 502.4 grams of cocaine, and then at Clarke’s residence, officers found two-kilogram bricks of cocaine and $45,730 in cash.

Furthermore, investigators later found another nine historical freight shipments that resembled the original shipment containing cocaine, which Cruz sent to Clarke’s auto repair shop.

In plea agreements, officials said both defendants agreed to have been involved in possessing around 22 kilograms of cocaine in furtherance of the drug trafficking conspiracy.

Both also face a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years and a maximum life in prison, followed by up to a lifetime of supervised release

Cruz’s sentencing is scheduled for Thursday, June 18, at 1 p.m., and the sentencing for Clarke is scheduled for Friday, July 24, at 10 a.m.

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Maryland

‘Born to be resilient’; Maryland native living in Israel watches war unfold

Published

14 hours ago

March 4, 2026

Press Room

‘Born to be resilient’; Maryland native living in Israel watches war unfold

MONTGOMERY COUNTY, Md. (7News) — The State Department is securing military planes and charter flights for Americans to return home from the Middle East, officials announced Tuesday.

More than 9,000 people have left over the past few days, including 3,000 from Israel, according to a press release.

However, some Americans are staying put. That includes one young woman who is now living through her second war abroad.

ALSO READ | Middle East expert says uncertain future in Iran could be just as dangerous

“It’s a big decision to move across the world,” Rachel Cone said. She spoke with 7News’ Lianna Golden via Zoom from her home near Jerusalem.

The 28-year-old from Darnestown wasn’t afraid to leave the life she always knew.

“I grew up on a small farm in Montgomery County,” Cone said. “I spent my whole life there, the youngest of four kids, spent most of my life riding horses all around the DMV.”

Soon after college, she found her calling.

I decided to fulfill that dream, really live a Jewish life in the Jewish homeland.

Cone moved to Israel only six months before the Oct. 7, 2023, attack. So when she heard the sirens go off on Saturday morning after the joint attack on Iran, waking up to an emergency alert on her phone, she knew what was coming next.

“It was saying like, hey, this is your warning. The attack is starting. Go make sure you’re in your safe space.”

She says the sirens sound very often.

“A lot, a lot. I don’t know how many; there’s been a lot,” Cone explained.

The DMV native said she’s learned to stay calm in chaos, even when others are afraid.

Today I had to go to the grocery store. It wasn’t like I was doing anything crazy. There’s a siren – OK, all of a sudden you have a bunch of people all together, a bunch of strangers, and yeah, some people panic. Some people are calm. Some stranger you’ve never met is telling everyone hey it’s okay, calm down… Living in Israel teaches you a lot about resilience. The people here who have grown up their whole life here, they’re just born to be resilient.

It’s a resilience she sends back home.

“When you live in a war zone, every parent is concerned, even more so when they’re not here. I’m always sending my family pictures of like, hey, I’m still going outside, like I’m still seeing the sun. I’m not locked inside, like it’s OK. Everything is OK,” Cone said.

As the conflict continues, she prays for harmony while uncertainty grows.

“We want to see people of every faith, obviously living the life that they wanna live and not succumbing to any sort of terror,” Cone said. “Let’s work towards peace, and let’s try to see that happen. This is a start for sure.”

Dylan Johnson, Assistant Secretary of State for Global Public Affairs, said American citizens should call 1-202-501-4444 for assistance with departure options.

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Maryland

Top 25 Maryland Boys High School Basketball State Rankings – March 3, 2026

Published

1 day ago

March 3, 2026

Press Room

With a chance to make history, Our Lady of Mount Carmel is the new No. 1 team in the High School on SI Maryland boys basketball Top 25 rankings.

The Cougars (30-10) will try for a second straight Baltimore Catholic League (BCL) Tournament championship Wednesday evening against Saint Frances Academy at Loyola University of Maryland. No team has won the BCL tourney and the Maryland Interscholastic Athletic Association (MIAA) A Conference titles in back-to-back seasons.

The MIAA, whose membership includes most of the private and parochial schools in the Baltimore metro area, started in 1995 following the dissolution of the Maryland Scholastic Association (MSA). The MSA governed athletic competition for Baltimore public and private and parochial schools before the public schools left to join the Maryland state public athletic association (MPSSAA) in 1992.

Saint Frances, last week’s No. 1 which lost to Mount Carmel in the MIAA A final, is No. 2. DeMatha Catholic, Mount Saint Joseph and Springdale Prep round out the Top 5.

The second 5 includes Charles Herbert Flowers, Mount Zion Prep Academy, Bishop McNamara, Georgetown Prep and Archbishop Spalding. Lackey, which won the Southern Maryland Athletic Conference title last week, returns to poll at No. 21.

In addition to the BCL Tournament finale, the Maryland Private Schools State Tournament continues with the Division A semifinals Tuesday at DeMatha with Bishop McNamara taking on Springdale Prep, and DeMatha playing defending champ and No. 17 Clinton Grace Christian School.

No. 16 Takoma Academy plays Saint James School in a Division B semifinal. The state public playoffs continue with region semifinal and final competition.

Here’s this week’s High School on SI Maryland boys basketball Top 25:

Previous rank: No. 3

Record: 30-10

The Cougars defeated No. 4 Mount Saint Joseph, 59-40, in the Baltimore Catholic League Tournament semifinals and Saint Mary’s in the quarterfinals (53-46) after a 69-67 overtime victory over then-No. 1 Saint Frances Academy in the Maryland Interscholastic Athletic Association (MIAA) A Conference final at the University of Maryland-Baltimore County.

Previous rank: No. 1

Record: 35-7

The Panthers defeated then-No. 13 Archbishop Spalding, 61-58, in the Baltimore Catholic League Tournament semifinals and Loyola Blakefield in the quarterfinals (74-57), after a loss to then-No. 3 Our Lady of Mount Carmel in the MIAA A Conference title game.

Previous rank: No. 2

Record: 22-9

The Stags defeated then-No. 9 Glenelg Country School, 63-50, in the Maryland Private School State Tournament Division A quarterfinals.

Previous rank: No. 4

Record: 31-7

The Gaels lost then-No. 3 Our Lady of Mount Carmel in the Baltimore Catholic League Tournament semifinals after a 80-66 win over Calvert Hall College in the quarterfinals.

SEASON COMPLETE – BALTIMORE CATHOLIC LEAGUE TOURNAMENT & MARYLAND INTERSCHOLASTIC ATHLETIC ASSOCIATION A CONFERENCE SEMIFINALIST

Previous rank: No. 6

Record: 26-5

The Lions defeated No. 7 Mount Zion Prep Academy, 67-63, in the Maryland Private School State Division A semifinals.

Previous rank: No. 8

Record: 21-0

The Jaguars defeated Largo, 62-57, in the Prince George’s County championship game.

Previous rank: No. 7

Record: 19-6

The Warriors lost to then-No. 6 Springdale Prep in the Maryland Private School State Division A quarterfinals

SEASON COMPLETE – MARYLAND PRIVATE SCHOOL STATE TOURNAMENT DIVISION A QUARTERFINALIST

Previous rank: No. 12

Record: 14-19

The Mustangs defeated then-No. 5 Georgetown Prep, 59-53, in the Maryland Private Schools State Division A quarterfinals and Saint Andrew’s Episcopal School in the opening round.

Previous rank: No. 5

Record: 17-9

The Little Hoyas lost to then-No. 12 Bishop McNamara in the Maryland Private School State Tournament Division A quarterfinals.

SEASON COMPLETE – INTERSTATE ATHLETIC CONFERENCE CHAMPION & MARYLAND PRIVATE SCHOOL STATE TOURNAMENT DIVISION A QUARTERFINALIST

Previous rank: No. 13

Record: 20-14

The Cavaliers lost to then-No. 1 Saint Frances Academy in the Baltimore Catholic League Tournament semifinals after a 74-53 win over then-No. 10 John Carroll School in the quarterfinals.

SEASON COMPLETE – BALTIMORE CATHOLIC LEAGUE TOURNAMENT & MARYLAND INTERSCHOLASTIC ATHLETIC ASSOCIATION A CONFERENCE SEMIFINALIST

Previous rank: No. 9

Record: 17-10

The Dragons lost to then-No. 2 DeMatha Catholic in the quarterfinals of the Maryland Private School State Division A tournament after an 81-77 opening round win over then-No. 15 Our Lady of Good Counsel.

SEASON COMPLETE – MARYLAND INTERSCHOLASTIC ATHLETIC ASSOCIATION A CONFERENCE SEMIFINALIST & MARYLAND PRIVATE SCHOOL STATE TOURNAMENT DIVISION A QUARTERFINALIST

Previous rank: No. 14

Record: 23-1

The Mustangs defeated Severn Run, 72-49, in the Maryland Class 4A East Region I semifinals.

Previous rank: No. 16

Record: 20-3

The Bengals defeated Springbrook, 85-66, in the Maryland Class 4A North Region II semifinals after beating Walt Whitman, 67-55, in the Montgomery County championship game.

Previous rank: No. 17

Record: 20-2

The Colonels defeated Rockville, 74-61, in the Maryland Class 3A West Region II semifinals.

Previous rank: No. 19

Record: 21-3

The Knights defeated Northeast, 73-61, in the Maryland Class 3A East Region I semifinals and Edmondson-Westside, 66-58, in the Baltimore City final.

Previous rank: No. 18

Record: 26-7

The Tigers defeated Hebrew Academy, 88-33, in the Maryland Private School State Division B quarterfinals.

Previous rank: No. 24

Record: 27-18

The Eagles defeated then-No. 11 Bullis School, 56-48, in the Maryland Private School State Division A quarterfinals.

Previous rank: No. 10

Record: 22-10

The Patriots lost to then-No. 13 Archbishop Spalding in the quarterfinals of the Baltimore Catholic League Tournament.

Previous rank: No. 13

Record: 20-10

The Bulldogs lost to then-No. 24 Clinton Grace Christian School in the Maryland Private Schools State Division A quarterfinals after defeating then-No. 22 Riverdale Baptist School in the first round.

SEASON COMPLETE – INTERSTATE ATHLETIC CONFERENCE SEMIFINALIST & MARYLAND PRIVATE SCHOOL STATE TOURNAMENT QUARTERFINALIST

Previous rank: No. 15

Record: 15-14

The Falcons lost to No. 9 Glenelg Country School in the opening round of the Maryland Private School State Tournament.

WASHINGTON CATHOLIC ATHLETIC CONFERENCE TOURNAMENT PARTICIPANT & MARYLAND PRIVATE SCHOOL STATE TOURNAMENT DIVISION A PARTIPICANT

Previous rank: Not ranked

Record: 20-3

The Chargers defeated Maurice J. McDonough, 61-46, in the Maryland Class 2A South Region II semifinals and then-No. 20 Great Mills, 62-59, in the Southern Maryland Athletic Conference (SMAC) championship game.

Previous rank: No. 20

Record: 21-3

The Hornets defeated Saint Charles, 70-54, in the Maryland Class 3A South Region II semifinals, and lost to Lackey in the SMAC title game.

Previous rank: No. 21

Record: 16-14

SEASON COMPLETE – METRO PRIVATE SCHOOL CONFERENCE QUARTERFINALIST

Previous rank: No. 22

Record: 15-11

The Crusaders lost to then-No. 11 Bullis School in the opening round of the Maryland Private School State tournament.

SEASON COMPLETE – METRO PRIVATE SCHOOL CONFERENCE QUARTERFINALIST & MARYLAND PRIVATE SCHOOL STATE TOURNAMENT PARTICIPANT

Previous rank: No. 23

Record: 21-10

The Mustangs won the Maryland Christian School Tournament championship, defeating The Heritage Academy, 65-53, in the final, and King’s Christian Academy in the semifinals (65-59).

SEASON COMPLETE – MARYLAND CHRISTIAN SCHOOL TOURNAMENT CHAMPION

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