Maryland

With humor and outrage, Raskin prosecutes the case against Trump and his MAGA allies – Maryland Matters

Published

2 years ago

August 23, 2024

With humor and outrage, Raskin prosecutes the case against Trump and his MAGA allies – Maryland Matters

CHICAGO — During his first campaign for public office in 2006, when he ousted a 32-year state senator in the Democratic primary, U.S. Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-8th) called his scores of youthful volunteers “the democracy corps.”

That loose amalgamation of youthful energy has morphed through the years into the Democracy Summer, a robust program sponsored by Raskin and the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee that dispatches young people across the country to work for progressive candidates and causes.

But “Democracy Summer” could also describe part of the campaign Democrats are waging against former President Donald Trump and his political allies.

And Raskin has been right in the thick of it.

Already he’s been on the road to two dozen states this election cycle, campaigning for — and sometimes against — various candidates. He’s been moving frenetically throughout Chicago during the Democratic National Convention this week, speaking to several groups. And on Monday evening, he became the first of three high-profile Maryland political leaders to speak on the convention floor in prime time (Gov. Wes Moore and Prince George’s County Executive Angela Alsobrooks were the others).

All the while he’s been delivering good-humored zingers at his political foes that also expose the severity of the challenges facing the U.S.

Raskin’s floor speech was keyed to his experience as a constitutional scholar — and his roles as the impeachment manager of Trump’s second trial and as a key member of the special House committee that investigated the Jan. 6, 2021 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol. Much of his speech focused on that terrifying day — though he began it by saying, “Hello, America! Welcome to democracy convention!”

He went on to prosecute the case against Trump and his running mate, U.S. Sen. JD Vance (R-Ohio).

“Make no mistake, a man who uses fraud, theft and violence to take power will commit any crime to keep it,” Raskin told the delegates. “We’re going to defeat Donald Trump, the career criminal and incorrigible recidivist con man and his pet chameleon, JD Vance.”

But the convention speech was just part of Raskin’s agenda this week.

According to a schedule provided by the congressman’s campaign office, Raskin has spoken to eight state delegations, including Maryland — almost as many as Moore. He spoke at a meeting of the Democratic National Committee’s Interfaith Council and at a meeting of the DNC’s Climate Crisis Council. And he hosted one of the Maryland delegation’s late-night after-parties, at Harry Caray’s Tavern on Chicago’s Navy Pier — a celebration that seemed very much in Raskin’s image.

There, he hosted a reunion of some members of the indie band The Dispatch, which thrilled some members of the Maryland convention delegation.

“My favorite band,” said the party chair, Ken Ulman.

“The soundtrack to my college years,” said Frederick County Executive Jessica Fitzwater (D).

There, the band played some songs from a rock opera that Dispatch leader Chad Stokes has written called “1972,” which follows a young woman who is attempting to obtain an illegal abortion and features some of the characters she meets along the way.

Raskin advised the schmoozing politicos to go outside if they didn’t want to listen to the music. But first, he introduced the crowd to Harry Dunn, the former U.S. Capitol Police officer whom Raskin credited with saving his life, and to Michael Cohen, Trump’s former attorney and fixer, whom Raskin called “a born-again patriot.”

‘Everyone has their own Sugar Daddy’

At midday Thursday, a large room in a makeshift space in downtown Chicago known as the Democracy House was like an MSNBC junkie’s dream. Assembled there to discuss the prospects for reforming the Supreme Court were Melissa Murray, a New York University law professor and MSNBC commentator; Elie Mystal, the justice reporter for The Nation magazine, who can summon outrage the way most people breathe; Michael Waldman, the director of the Brennan Center for Justice at the New York University Law School, who has written a book about the court; Adrianne Shropshire, the director of Black PAC, an organization that mobilizes Black voters; U.S. Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.), a senior member of the Senate Judiciary Committee; and Raskin.

For the congressman, shining a spotlight on the Supreme Court is part of his crusade to save democracy.

“There’s a fantastic ethics crisis taking place on the court,” Raskin told the crowd.

When Murray referred to the court as “a millionaire emotional support group,” Raskin chimed in, “Everyone [on the court] has their own Sugar Daddy … The nation’s highest court has the lowest ethics. Anyone in Congress would be in jail” if they accepted favors from rich benefactors the way Raskin said some justices do.

Whitehouse suggested something sinister has been afoot at the high court for years, but that it only began to come into focus after justices voted to repeal Roe v. Wade in 2022.

“You cannot explain this court with the term conservative,” he said. “That is the wrong term to use. You have to use the term covert operation. Or regulatory capture.”

Mystal called Leonard Leo, who as head of the Federalist Society promoted conservatives for federal judgeships, “a groomer.”

“People like [Justices] Neil Gorsuch and Amy Coney Barrett, they were not born, they were made in a lab by Leonard Leo,” he said.

Shropshire said that Black voters have become increasingly alarmed about the direction of the Supreme Court since justices began chipping away at voting rights laws. When Black voters are asked by pollsters what they fear most, the Supreme Court comes in second, behind Trump’s reelection.

“I think all of us have to fall out of love with the Supreme Court of the United States,” Raskin said. “That doesn’t mean fall out of love with the Constitution or the Bill of Rights.”

Raskin lamented that he was planning to speak more about the Supreme Court during his convention address, but joked that he was asked by convention organizers to cut his 5,000-word speech down by 4,550 words. Still, he said, he was proud to use the term “Kangaroo Supreme Court of the United States” on the convention floor.

“I just want to note, this [conversation] is unusually spicy,” Murray said at one point.

‘Mustard that agrees with your Constitution’

Also spicy are the jars of mustard that Raskin has been handing out during convention week, “Jamie’s Strong & Sweet Democracy Mustard,” which features the slogan “Mustard that agrees with your Constitution” on its label.

The mustard was produced by Raskin’s cousins, who operate the National Mustard Museum in Middleton, Wisconsin.

The jars went especially quickly when Raskin addressed the Maryland convention delegation Thursday morning, zinging insults at Trump and Republicans to the great joy of his audience. Noting Vance’s conversion from anti-Trumper in 2016 to Trump’s running mate in 2024, he said, “Everybody’s waiting for the big debate between our amazing nominee, Kamala Harris, and Donald Trump. I’m waiting for the debate between J,D. Vance and J.D. Vance.”

Raskin also said that in response to Republicans’ insistence on referring to Democrats as “The Democrat Party,” he has taken to calling Republicans “Banana Republicans.” When he informed his wife that he had “finally gotten back at them,” she observed, “That was an extremely immature response.”

But he’s still using the line, and there’s no rest for the weary: Raskin next takes his act on the road this weekend to Saranac Lake, N.Y., in the Adirondack Mountains — not exactly a hotbed of progressive politics — where he’ll be raising money for his own campaign and for Democracy Summer.

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Maryland

‘It’s a shame’: Families shocked by abrupt summer camp closure in Maryland

Published

1 hour ago

April 3, 2026

Press Room

‘It’s a shame’: Families shocked by abrupt summer camp closure in Maryland

For decades, the summer camp at the Patuxent River 4-H Center in Bowie, Maryland, served thousands of kids.

But now, the camp has announced it’s closing its doors, sending shockwaves to parents now looking for other options.

The camp has been a staple for families living in and around Prince George’s County.

Families and their kids said this was an important part of their childhood, especially coming out of the pandemic.

“After that long break during COVID of just not really being near anybody, it was really good for me to really get out there pushing myself out there and like meet new people,” Allison Holley said.

For the last four years, Holley and her brother have looked forward to a week at camp away from their parents. This year, she was looking forward to being a counselor.

“I was surprised at first,” Holley said after learning of the closure. “I was just like, ‘We’ve been going there for so long, like that’s crazy,’ and then I got really sad because I’m not going to see a lot of those people again.”

The center posted on its website that the summer camp would be closing for good this year, leaving parents stunned and questioning why the camp would shut down.

“It’s a shame,” parent Joanna Shane said. “It will be something that they don’t get to have.”

“Very disappointed, because this is what we do every summer. This is what we were planning,” parent Julie Holley said.

The abrupt announcement comes at a time when parents say many other camp slots are filling up.

“Now, I will have to look for other alternatives … The only thing is, there’s no other camps like 4-H in this area,” parent Christine Bennett said. “You have to travel, like almost to the Eastern Shore.”

In a statement, the 4-H center wrote, in part: “It has truly been an honor to be part of so many childhood memories over the years. For many of us, it has been a second home. It has been a place where children gained confidence.”

That was a key reason why parents like Julie Holley said she wanted to send her kids there.

“Learning about nature, appreciating the environment. And not only that, but they’re off their cellphones, they’re off their tablets and they don’t even think about them the whole time,” she said.

The center sent a statement to News4 listing the reasons for the closure, saying in part, “Unfortunately, due to budget constraints, finances and the funding to keep Patuxent River 4-H Center operating and many repairs to the buildings, we are forced to close.”

Campers hope Patuxent River 4-H leaders and the Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission reconsider the decision.

“4-H made a really big impact on my life,” Allison Holley said. “I was so excited to be a counselor, and I really, really, really hope it opens back up.”

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Maryland

Overdose deaths in Maryland, Wicomico County detailed in new dashboard

Published

13 hours ago

April 3, 2026

Press Room

Overdose deaths in Maryland, Wicomico County detailed in new dashboard

Lt. Gov. Aruna Miller and the Maryland Department of Health have announced a significant update to the Maryland Overdose Data Dashboard, which now includes data from the Rapid Analysis of Drugs (RAD) program.

Continue reading for the total of overdose deaths in Maryland from March 2025 to February 2026, plus those numbers specific to Wicomico County.

How Maryland tracks overdose deaths

The statewide drug-checking program analyzes the composition of residues from routinely returned equipment submitted by Opioid-Associated Disease Prevention and Outreach Program. The inclusion of RAD data in the dashboard gives treatment providers a clearer, more up-to-date picture of the substances circulating in communities across Maryland.

“Every life lost to overdose is a tragedy, and every life saved is a reminder of why this work matters,” said Lt. Gov. Miller, chair of the Maryland Overdose Response Advisory Council.“By expanding access to real-time data through tools like the RAD program, we are giving communities, treatment providers and public health leaders the information they need to act quickly, address emerging drug threats head-on, and save lives. Maryland is committed to meeting this crisis with urgency, innovation, and compassion.”

The RAD program was launched in 2021 to increase near-real-time data on emerging drug trends to inform overdose response and drug user health. To date, the program has tested more than 6,000 samples from 15 jurisdictions, delivering results directly to participants while helping inform statewide overdose prevention strategies. The program has also been critical in identifying emerging substances, including xylazine and medetomidine, in the drug supply.

Learn more about the RAD program at health.maryland.gov/RAD and explore the Maryland Overdose Data Dashboard at health.maryland.gov/overdosedata.

Tracking overdose deaths in Maryland overall, Wicomico County

According to the newly release data, in Maryland from March 2025 to February 2026 there were:

1,287 total overdose deaths
990 deaths related to any opioid
873 deaths related to fentanyl

During that time frame, there were 21 overdose deaths in Wicomico County, and none in other Lower Shore counties. The Maryland counties with the most overdose deaths were 146 in Baltimore County, 113 in Prince George’s County.

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Maryland

‘Paralyzing’ E-ZPass fines balloon into tens of thousands in debt as lawmakers push fix

Published

1 day ago

April 2, 2026

Press Room

‘Paralyzing’ E-ZPass fines balloon into tens of thousands in debt as lawmakers push fix

MARYLAND (WBFF) — Essex resident Breezy Ludwig says a daily $1.40 commute through the Fort McHenry Tunnel spiraled into a staggering $54,000 in tolls and fines — a debt she still can’t fully explain.

Ludwig’s case is not isolated. Across Maryland, drivers are reporting toll debt ballooning into the tens of thousands of dollars. Some dispute the accuracy of their E-ZPass charges or say they weren’t aware of them, while others say they simply can’t afford the high penalties.

Now, bipartisan lawmakers are stepping in with legislation aimed at giving the state more flexibility to reduce what some call “egregious” debt.

Ludwig said she first noticed duplicate toll charges in 2020, along with an unexpected switch to pay-by-plate and video toll rates of $4 and $6 per trip. As fines of $25 per unpaid toll piled up, she spent hours trying to resolve the issue through the E-ZPass call center.

Over time, the charges grew to what she described as a “paralyzing” $54,000. The Maryland Transportation Authority (MDTA) ultimately agreed to settle with her for $8,000.

“I kind of felt like I was losing it when this happened to me,” Ludwig said. “It balloons to this inflated number that’s terrifying and feels immobilizing.”

The MDTA confirmed that it settled with Ludwig and her husband to reduce their fines but said they can’t comment further on their case due to privacy concerns. Call center wait times have significantly decreased to about 30 seconds – much faster than they were during the COVID-19 pandemic and their transition to a new call center and system, according to MDTA.

Ludwig’s experience mirrors complaints from other drivers who say relatively small toll balances quickly snowball into overwhelming debt. Some have taken their concerns directly to lawmakers in Annapolis.

A bill sponsored by Republican Senator J.B. Jennings would allow MDTA to reduce debts even after they’ve been transferred to the Department of Budget and Management’s Central Collection Unit (CCU).

Jennings said constituents are often told that once debt is sent to CCU, it is out of MDTA’s control. His bill is intended to provide flexibility, not eliminate responsibility.

“You have to pay your toll. And you should pay some, you know, your interest, and somewhat of a fine,” Jennings said during a bill hearing. “But sometimes it just gets so egregious.”

Charges as high as $100,000

Jennings’ office regularly hears from constituents who owe $10,000 or more in E-ZPass debt, according to Rebecca Powell, Jennings’ communications director. And Ludwig’s case is not the most extreme story lawmakers have heard.

At recent hearings, Marylanders described debts that escalated dramatically:

Heather Gerry said she owes nearly $100,000.

Brett Wilson said $900 in tolls grew to $30,000 before he realized there was a problem.

Nursing student Shawniece Turner said she is “completely scared” to drive because she cannot renew her registration with $35,000 in outstanding fines and tolls.

“The tolls still must be paid, but the penalties should reflect the actual cost of collection, not trap people in a cycle of debt,” Powell said in a text message.

Democratic Del. Jen Terrasa, who cross-filed the bill, said errors and rapid notices can quickly compound.

“The notices come so fast and furious, and if your information is wrong in the first place, it can add up and move on, and you owe so much more than you ever would have owed in the first place.”

The legislation gained momentum this week after inquiries from Spotlight on Maryland, passing out of the Senate Judicial Proceedings Committee Tuesday and passing the full Senate on Thursday. Its future remains uncertain with just over a week left in the legislative session and no response from Gov. Wes Moore’s office on whether he would sign it.

Impact on state revenues

It’s unclear what impact the bill could have on the state’s revenues.

The MDTA told Spotlight it referred a little more than $43 million in video toll debt and approximately $158 million in civil penalty debt to CCU in the 2024 fiscal year.

“We’re not saying that much is going to be relieved, at all,” Jennings said. “It’s just giving them the ability, should a constituent go to them, or they work it out with a constituent.”

State analysts say the impact on revenue may be limited.

A Department of Legislative Services fiscal note found that while MDTA and CCU warned of potential revenue loss, the effect would likely be minimal because MDTA already has authority to recall delinquent accounts. The bill could instead streamline how debt is reduced.

CCU currently collects a 17% fee on outstanding debt, with a portion going to the state’s general fund.

In a statement, MDTA said any changes must balance relief with “maintaining fairness to the 95% of the population that pays their tolls.”

For drivers like Ludwig, that balance still feels out of reach.

“I mean any penalty – civil penalty – that is four times the original violation amount is meant to punish and to paralyze,” Ludwig said. “‘Predatory’ is the perfect word for it.”

Have a news tip? Contact Brooke Conrad at bjconrad@sbgtv.com or 443-578-2126, or contact the Spotlight team at SpotlightOnMaryland@sbgtv.com or 410-467-4670. Spotlight on Maryland is a joint venture by The Baltimore Sun, FOX45 News

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