On their trade mission to Japan, Gov. Wes Moore and Maryland Secretary of State Susan C. Lee visited Yokota U.S. Air Force Base to greet servicemembers. They also lunched with enlisted personnel that included those among the 56 Marylanders stationed there. The base plays a critical strategic role in military operations, airlift logistics, and disaster relief in the Indo-Pacific region. Photo and information from the Governor’s Office.
TRUMP TARIFFS CAST SHADOW OVER GOV. MOORE’s TRADE MISSION: Gov. Wes Moore spent his last four days promoting Maryland’s burgeoning quantum computing industry to Japanese investors only to have President Trump’s ever-changing tariff policies cast a shadow over an otherwise upbeat trip. Lee O. Sanderlin/The Baltimore Banner.
- On his fourth day in Tokyo and with his bags packed for Seoul, the governor sat down reporters at his hotel on Tuesday to talk about how everything — from the deal-making to the cuisine — is going. Tariffs were the one topic that were top of mind and most out of his control. Sam Janesch/The Baltimore Sun.
WYPR CREATES LEGISLATIVE TRACKER: The Maryland General Assembly adjourned for the year on April 7 after passing 878 pieces of legislation. WYPR-FM created a selected list of the bills that lawmakers passed during their 90-day session. Gov. Wes Moore has until May 27 to sign, veto or let bills become law without his signature. The list will be updated as changes are made. Matt Bush/WYPR-FM.
STUDY: ELECTRICITY CUSTOMERS COULD SAVE A BUNDLE WITH GRID REFORM: Maryland ratepayers could save hundreds of dollars a year on their electric bills if the regional power grid operator could speed up approval of energy projects, some of which have languished for five years in the current system. That is main finding of a new report on PJM Interconnection, the grid operator that distributes power in Maryland, the District of Columbia and 12 other states, stretching from the mid-Atlantic to parts of Illinois. Christine Condon/Maryland Matters.
DEVELOPER SEEKS ACCESS TO PRIVATE LAND ALONG RELIABILITY PROJECT ROUTE: The Public Service Enterprise Group is filing court orders Tuesday to access the property of landowners along the route of the Maryland Piedmont Reliability Project. In March, the Maryland Department of Natural Resources Power Plant Research Program deemed PSEG’s application for a Certificate of Public Convenience and Necessity for the 70-mile-long power line as “administratively incomplete.” Nathanael Miller/WYPR-FM.
JUDGE IN ABREGO GARCIA CASE SCOLDS TRUMP ADMIN FOR FOOT DRAGGING: A hearing for a Maryland man mistakenly deported to an El Salvador prison turned into a noisy protest late Monday afternoon as his supporters chanted and sang outside the courthouse, and his wife accused the Trump administration of “playing political games.” “God hasn’t forgotten about you,” Jennifer Vasquez Sura said of her husband, Kilmar Abrego Garcia, as she spoke outside the U.S. District Court to a few hundred sign-waving demonstrators. Jeff Barker/The Baltimore Sun.
- A federal judge scolded the Trump administration on Tuesday for dragging its feet in complying with a Supreme Court order that directed the White House to “facilitate” the release of a Maryland man who was wrongly deported to a prison in El Salvador last month. “To date nothing has been done,” the judge, Paula Xinis, told a lawyer for the Justice Department. “Nothing.” Alan Feuer/The New York Times.
- Xinis laid out a two-week timeline for the government to produce sworn statements on whether and how immigration officials are complying with her previous court order to return Kilmar Abrego Garcia. Ashley Murray/Maryland Matters.
- The Trump administration has repeatedly bucked Xinis’s orders to provide information about what it is doing to facilitate the return of Abrego García, 29. Steve Thompson and Katie Mettler/The Washington Post.
WHO IS KILMAR ABREGO GARCIA? Who is Kilmar Abrego Garcia and how did he end up back in El Salvador after escaping its gang violence and threats years ago? Staff/The Associated Press.
VAN HOLLEN HEADS TO EL SALVADOR TODAY: U.S. Sen. Chris Van Hollen announced his plans to travel to El Salvador on Wednesday as the Trump administration continues to delay the return of a Maryland father who was wrongly deported and is being held in prison. Van Hollen said Tuesday he hopes to meet with 29-year-old Kilmar Armando Abrego Garcia to check on his well-being and plans to meet with government officials to discuss his release. Sapna Bansil and Brenda Wintrode/The Baltimore Banner.
N.Y. CONGRESSMAN TO INTRODUCE BILL INSPIRED BY MARYLAND DEPORTATION: A New York City congressman will introduce legislation inspired by a Maryland father who was mistakenly deported to El Salvador last month. Under the bill, the United States would be required to take action if a U.S. court orders the return of someone wrongfully deported. The bill, however, will face the Republican-dominated House, which could crimp its chances for success. John-John Williams/The Baltimore Banner.
POLL: B’MORE AREA RESIDENTS SAY JURISDICTIONS HEADING IN WRONG DIRECTION: Residents who believe Baltimore City and Baltimore County are heading in the wrong direction outnumber those who believe they are on the right track, according to a new poll from the University of Maryland, Baltimore County. Carson Swick/The Baltimore Sun.
STATE COMMITS $1.7M FOR BACK RIVER, PATAPSCO WATERSHEDS: The state of Maryland is allocating $1.7 million for a series of community-led environmental projects for the Back River and Patapsco River watersheds, which encompass Baltimore City and portions of Anne Arundel, Baltimore, Carroll, and Howard counties. Todd Karpovich/The Baltimore Sun.
STATE QUESTIONS GAS PIPE SAFETY AFTER BGE INSPECTOR CAUGHT ON BOAT: William Hamrick was supposed to be inspecting gas pipes for Baltimore Gas and Electric. Instead, he was on his boat. Hamrick’s job was to check the work of contractors installing gas infrastructure and ensuring they met safety standards. But a 2023 investigation by BGE found that he was falsifying inspection reports. Now Maryland’s utility regulator wants to know: How much of the Baltimore region’s gas infrastructure could be unsafe? And should ratepayers get a refund for Hamrick’s salary and other associated costs? Giacomo Bologna/The Baltimore Banner.
JHU SAYS 37 STUDENTS HAD THEIR VISAS REVOKED: The Johns Hopkins University revealed on Tuesday that 37 graduate students and recent graduates have been affected by the federal government’s nationwide barrage of visa revocations. Fifteen percent of Hopkins’ first-year class is made up of international students, according to the university, representing 83 countries. Ellie Wolfe/The Baltimore Banner.
3 CANDIDATES TO FILL HARFORD COUNCIL SEAT INTRODUCED: The three candidates nominated to fill Harford County’s vacated District B seat following the removal of Aaron Penman in February were introduced to the public during a council meeting Tuesday. Allison Imhoff, Russell English Jr. and Joseph Xavier delivered introductory speeches offering their views on the issues and challenges faced by the District B community. Shaela Foster/The Aegis.
BLACK LEGAL PIONEER GEORGE RUSSELL JR. DIES AT 96: George L. Russell Jr., a pioneer in the Black legal community who became the first Black to sit on an appellate court in Maryland, first Black city solicitor and first Black president of the Baltimore City Bar Association, died Saturday at the age of 96. William Ford/Maryland Matters.
