Maryland
Senator Van Hollen Denied Visit With Mistakenly Deported Maryland Man, an RFK Stadium Deal Inches Closer, and We Found Great Vietnamese Food – Washingtonian
Photo illustration by Emma Spainhoward with photograph by Getty Images.
Good morning. More sun today with highs around 65. The Nationals are, once again, in Pittsburgh. So are the Capitals! I like to think they’re all sharing a very large Primanti sandwich right now.
Washingtonian Today editor Andrew Beaujon will be back for tomorrow’s newsletter. I have so enjoyed our time together! You can still find me on Bluesky, I’m @kmcorliss.19 on Signal, and there’s a link to my email address below.
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A great book on my nightstand:
“Love, Loss, and What I Wore” by Ilene Beckerman. If you are too overwhelmed by the assorted daily horrors to manage a heavy read, let this short book—which is half-composed of the author’s extraordinarily darling fashion illustrations—onto your shelf. Beckerman uses vignette-style reflections on her most memorable outfits as markers to map her own life in Manhattan, from her 1940s childhood to the book’s publication in 1995. As such, the story serves as part-fashion history, part-memoir, and full-throttled warm-fuzzy-feeling generator. It somehow felt for me like a window into the life of my grandmother, who grew up in New York around the same time and had a similarly iconic wardrobe (much of it handmade, like Beckerman’s)—I wish she had kept an outfit diary, but I do have her charm bracelet, which features a disproportionately large mother of pearl-handled gun and several heart-shaped charms that she once told me she “hopes she didn’t buy for herself.” Ever since my first read of this, I look at my own closet with a sort of pre-nostalgic scrutiny; I fear my cheetah print pajama pants will make an uncouth number of appearances in the clothing-centered chronicle of my life.
Here’s some administration news you might have blocked out:
No visitors allowed: Maryland Senator Chris Van Hollen, who flew to El Salvador yesterday, says he was denied a visit with mistakenly deported Beltsville man Kilmar Abrego Garcia because he did not notify the country of his intentions soon enough in advance. Van Hollen says he then offered to come back next week for the meeting, and Vice President Félix Ulloa told him no; he reportedly pressed Ulloa about why Abrego Garcia remains detained, despite the fact that he was residing in the US legally and neither government has produced evidence that he’s committed a crime, and was told “that the Trump administration is paying the government of El Salvador” to keep him locked up in the notorious Terrorism Confinement Center. (Baltimore Banner) Also, Abrego Garcia’s wife Jennifer Vasquez Sura responded to ICE’s release of a restraining order she filed against her husband in 2021: “After surviving domestic violence in a previous relationship, I acted out of caution after a disagreement with Kilmar by seeking a civil protective order in case things escalated,” she said. “Things did not escalate.” (Newsweek)
All health breaks loose: A preliminary Health and Human Services budget document reveals that the Trump administration plans to slash the agency’s budget by more than $40 billion. It would shrink the National Institutes of Health budget by $20 billion. Specifically, it would consolidate the NIH’s 27 institutes and centers into eight, and eliminate some entirely—such as the National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities and the National Institute of Nursing Research. Meanwhile, $20 billion would go toward the establishment of a new Administration for a Healthy America, which would soak up some components of the consolidated agencies, including those devoted to primary care, HIV, and environmental health. (Washington Post)
I’m sorry, but there’s more and it gets worse: HHS secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. would have $500 million to allocate toward various “Make America Healthy Again” initiatives, but numerous existing programs would be cut completely—childhood lead poisoning prevention, rural health initiatives, and the ALS patient registry among them. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention would lose about 44 percent of its budget, along with all of its domestic HIV funding and chronic disease programs. The Head Start program would be eliminated entirely. “In a lot of communities, Head Start is the only early childhood provider in the community —especially rural America,” says Tommy Sheridan, the National Head Start Association’s deputy director. (Washington Post) These proposed changes come to light as leading nutrition scientist Kevin Hall exits the NIH after 20 years, citing censorship. (NYT) About a third of NIH board members were fired without cause last month, and the vast majority were women, Black, or Hispanic. (Washington Post)
You just got Boasberged: Chief US District Judge James Boasberg is launching contempt proceedings against the Trump administration, due to its noncompliance with his order prohibiting officials from deporting Venezuelan immigrants based on the wartime Alien Enemies Act. In a 46-page opinion, Boasberg wrote that the government has “demonstrate[d] a willful disregard” for providing requested information on these deportation flights.” According to Yale Law School professor Nicholas Parrillo, officials generally cooperate once they’re slapped with a contempt motion, but if, say, the officials in question were “shameless enough to be undeterred by a contempt finding in itself,” then the court could impose sanctions to push compliance. (Washington Post)
When Tax Day is over but you still want attention: The fourth acting IRS director in less than four months has been appointed—and his name is Gary Shapely. You might remember him as the criminal investigator who accused the Justice Department of dragging its feet on the Hunter Biden tax case back in 2023. Shapely’s predecessor, Melanie Krause, stepped down last week after the Treasury Department and the Department of Homeland Security agreed to share data in an effort to track down immigrants. (Wall Street Journal) The leadership switch-up comes as the administration is gearing up to axe the agency’s Direct File program, a Biden-era initiative that allows users (including me two days ago) to file their tax returns online for free. (AP) The IRS is also reportedly fixing to yank Harvard University’s tax-exempt status, days after the school refused to comply with a list of culture-war demands from the administration. (CNN)
Administration perambulation: DOGE wants to pry into a sensitive Medicare database to collect information on immigrants. (Washington Post) Secretary of State Marco Rubio shuttered the Global Engagement Center, a unit in the State Department tasked with flagging foreign propaganda, and he’s teasing a Twitter Files-esque reveal of the agency’s internal communications. (Wired) Trump will meet with Italy’s prime minister Giorgia Meloni today to negotiate European trade. (Politico) DC’s acting US Attorney Ed Martin has appeared on Russian state-run media as a guest commentator more than 150 times in the past eight years. (Washington Post) RFK Jr. called autism “preventable.” (NYT) The administration is setting up to eliminate habitat protections for endangered and threatened species. (AP) An internal government document shows that Trump and Vice President JD Vance put in special requests for Oval Office portraits with sparkly gold borders—which hang among several other Midas touches that have cropped up around Mar-a-Lago the White House lately, thanks in no small part to the scrupulous guidance of Trump’s “Gold Guy.” Just my two cents: Vance’s skin obviously has cool undertones so a silver border on his portrait would have been a more flattering choice. (Wall Street Journal) Just two percent of Republican voters say they’d change their vote if Trump and Kamala Harris were to face off again tomorrow, according to a CNN analysis—an additional 1 percent say they wouldn’t have voted at all. (Daily Beast)
Hidden Eats, by Ike Allen:
The high-tech, fake-flower-bedecked Mia & More (6765 Wilson Blvd., Falls Church) isn’t hidden at all— it occupies a front-and-center spot in the Eden Center. But with the mall’s huge array of Vietnamese sit-down options, you might understandably pass over the food here, at what is primarily a juice bar serving nước mía (fresh-squeezed sugarcane). Next time you’re here, give it a chance. There’s an elaborate menu of snail dishes and other street food, but I especially like the bánh tráng trộn, a salad of still-crunchy shards of rice paper, beef jerky, dried shrimp, fried shallots, peanuts, green mango, lime, and Vietnamese coriander. After you shake it all up with a tamarind dressing, the strips of rice paper slowly melt down from a firm, almost plastic-y texture to a chewy consistency. Make sure to wash it down with a sugarcane juice, flavored with kumquat or passionfruit. (Two enormous bins of spent fresh-pressed sugarcane shells greet you at the counter.)
Recently on Washingtonian dot com:
Local news links:
- DC is closing in on a $3 billion deal for a Commanders stadium at the RFK site. (Axios DC)
- The Trump administration has revoked 15 student visas at George Mason University. (Northern Virginia Magazine)
- The Fairfax County Board of Supervisors is proposing a cut to all middle school after-school activities. (WTOP)
- The City of Alexandria wants to close Waterfront Park and Point Lumley Park for at least two years in order to implement flooding protections. (ALXnow)
- DOGE is taking its chainsaw to the local dating scene. (Axios DC) I noticed!
- Robotics researchers at the University of Maryland are working on a self-driving scooter that comes to you. (WUSA9) Great, another thing to chase me in my dreams.
- A honeybee farmer in Stafford County says someone intentionally poisoned his bees, and now he’s looking at $20,000 in losses. (NBC Washington) Hold your bees close in these frightening times.
- Palate cleanser: A mother duck laid eggs on the roof of the Planet Word museum. (Washington Post) You can watch a live feed of the duckies here.
Friday’s event picks:
- Take your kids to the first day of Tudor Place’s annual egg hunt and roll.
- Catch a Black culture-themed trivia night and comedy show at the Anacostia Busboys & Poets.
- Vocalist Yukimi plays the Atlantis.
See more picks from Briana Thomas, who writes our Things to Do newsletter.
Did you miss our 100 Very Best Restaurants List? It’s here.
MARYLAND (WBFF) — Maryland Gov. Wes Moore said he plans to call a special session in Annapolis to redraw the state’s congressional district maps, reviving a contentious redistricting fight that stalled earlier this year.
“The status in Maryland is we are going to have a special session,” Moore said in an interview on CNN. Asked, “You are going to do it?” Moore replied, “We are going to do it.”
Moore told CNN the goal is for lawmakers to return to Annapolis and produce a new map. “Our House and our Senate will get together. They will come up with a resolution and bring it to my desk,” Moore said. “But the core criteria I’ve laid out is…doing nothing is not an option.”
It would be Moore’s second attempt at redistricting. Earlier this year, an advisory commission appointed by the governor proposed a map that would stretch the mostly Republican 1st Congressional District into largely Democratic Howard and Anne Arundel counties. The change would put Maryland’s only Republican member of Congress into a district with more Democratic voters.
The proposal drew sharp criticism during a hearing. “Governor Moore and Democrats in Annapolis, you are stealing our voice and our vote,” one speaker said. Moore responded, “It’s an important question of what’s the value of one vote and I think the answer to that is ‘what’s the value of democracy.’” Del. Kathy Szeliga said, “How can you ask us to trust democracy when you are taking it so lightly.”
ALSO READ | Gov. Wes Moore selected as Democratic nominee for Maryland’s next governor: AP
The measure passed in the House but never came to a vote in the Senate. In Annapolis today, Senate Democrats gathered to discuss what to do next.
“I think they’re meeting to figure out what can we do to make sure the judges don’t get involved and overturn what they’re trying to do,” said political analyst John Dedie.
A UMBC poll last year found only a fourth of Maryland voters considered redistricting a priority, with crime, education and health care viewed as more important.
Szeliga criticized Moore’s push, saying, “It’s unfortunate Wes Moore is doing the bidding of Democrats in Washington and not paying attention to the residents in the great state of Maryland.” Dedie said, “In many ways what he’s pursuing is future aspirations.”
Maryland’s last attempt to redraw congressional lines four years ago ended up in court, where a judge threw out the proposed maps, finding they were the product of “extreme partisan gerrymandering.” Szeliga, who successfully fought that court battle, said she is prepared to challenge another effort. “If they try to illegally change the constitution to make it unconstitutional we will challenge that,” she said.
Dediesaid a special session now appears likely. “The train has left the station. It’s just a matter of when it will arrive in Annapolis for special session,” he said.
One of the most unique ships featured in Sail250 Maryland and Airshow Baltimore can be found docked at the Baltimore Peninsula.
USS Marinette LCS25 is one of the most functional ships in the Navy fleet. At 370 feet long with 80 crew members, the ship has a helicopter landing pad and hangar, two rib boats in the belly of the vessel, and heavy artillery, including a cannon.
The ship has four engines, two of which are like jet engines, meaning it can sprint ahead of other vessels to intercept watercraft. It can also truck side to side and spin 360 degrees with controllable reversing and steering deflector buckets attached to the stern of the jet propulsion system. It can also traverse the littoral zones, water close to shore, and navigate waters as low as 15 feet deep.
“Where we shine is our ability to operate where other ships can’t,” said Cdr. Brian Sims, the ship’s executive officer. “For a 370-foot ship, one of the smallest in the fleet, it packs a punch. We can go 40 plus knots.”
The ship is used in counternarcotics missions primarily on the East Coast and in the Caribbean.
It is based in Jacksonville, Florida, but was built in Marinette, Wisconsin, which is where the ship gets its name. It began operating in 2023 and has yet to deploy. The ship can be out on the water for weeks or even months.
“We go out and find drug trafficking individuals and intercept, and the Coast Guard then takes over and arrests,” Sims said.
The pilot house is where the ship truly shines. An officer and junior officer monitor the radar and navigation, while another sailor sits at the helm and oversees steering the vessel and monitoring the engines.
“This is a very unique design for Navy ships,” Sims added.
The ship also hosts several heavy artillery pieces, including a cannon on the bow with different types of rounds to combat different threats. It can fire 220 rounds in a minute.
With its rich Naval history, Baltimore is playing host to some of the Navy’s finest, and the crews are equally as excited to be here in Maryland, the backbone of the Navy, celebrating 250 years of American history.
“Baltimore is a fantastic city, steeped in maritime tradition. Of course, we have Fort McHenry that we sailed past and rendered honors to when we arrived,” Sims said. “Having the ability to be in this role in this position on board this ship to celebrate the nation’s 250th, it’s an absolute honor, and one that, one that gives us all pause, and lets us reflect on where we’ve come as a nation.”
As Maryland families head into another hot summer, many are about to receive an unpleasant reminder of just how badly some state leaders failed to address Maryland’s growing energy problems this year.
Higher energy bills are not coming by accident. They are the predictable result of years of poor planning and a continued refusal by Democratic leadership in Annapolis to confront the real issue facing our state: Maryland does not produce enough electricity to meet its own growing energy needs.
Instead of seriously addressing that challenge during this year’s legislative session, Democratic leaders celebrated passage of the so-called Utility Relief Act (House Bill 1532), which offers Marylanders roughly $12 in savings per month. At a time when families are facing soaring energy costs driven by a massive shortage of reliable in-state power generation, that is not meaningful relief. It is a political talking point designed to avoid the larger conversation Maryland desperately needs to have.
Our state imports nearly half of the electricity it uses. Nearly half of the power keeping homes cool, businesses operating and communities functioning every day comes from outside our borders. Yet even as demand for electricity continues to rise, Maryland continues falling behind on building the reliable generation capacity needed to support our future.
That is not a serious long-term strategy.
Families across Maryland are already struggling with inflation, rising housing costs and economic uncertainty. Energy bills are becoming another major financial burden for working families, seniors and small businesses. But instead of focusing on increasing reliable power supply, meaning fully lowering consumer costs, and strengthening Maryland’s long-term energy security, Annapolis continues offering temporary fixes that fail to address the underlying problem.
The reality is simple: Maryland needs more power generation, and every responsible energy source should be part of the conversation. Natural gas, nuclear, renewables, battery storage, clean coal and emerging technologies all have a role to play in creating a more reliable and affordable energy future for our state.
Maryland also needs a broader conversation about the role experienced infrastructure providers and utilities can play in strengthening reliability and supporting future generation needs. These are organizations that already manage the systems Marylanders depend on every day and understand the long-term planning required to maintain dependable service.
Reliable and affordable energy is not a partisan issue. It is a basic requirement for economic growth, business investment and everyday quality of life.
As summer begins and air conditioners start running around the clock, Maryland families will once again be reminded that energy policy decisions made in Annapolis have real world consequences.
Unfortunately, they are paying for those consequences every month.
Del. Jason Buckel is the Minority Leader of the Maryland House of Delegates and represents Allegany County in the Maryland General Assembly.
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