politics and government

Barbara Mikulski's decision to retire from the U.S. Senate signals the end of a ground-breaking career for a one-of-a-kind Baltimorean

Political observers in Maryland will soon be treated to a rare phenomenon: a battle royal for an open United States Senate seat. A U.S. Senate seat is a highly coveted prize in American politics. Here in Maryland, those politicos fortunate enough to achieve that pinnacle like to stay atop it for a while. Sen. Paul Sarbanes served for 30 years. Sen. Barbara Mikulski, who announced retirement plans Monday, will have as well by the time she completes her current term.

With the Republicans now in control of both houses of Congress, President Obama has finally invoked his weapon of last resort against being run over by them, by vetoing the Keystone XL pipeline bill.

Maryland's part-time legislators juggle to find balance between family life and public service.

How to fix Md.'s aging infrastructure

Frank resorts to some unconventional methods to get America Works up and running, firing the head of the Department of Homeland Security, temporarily taking over that position himself

Sun columnist Dan Rodricks calls for the repeal and replacement of Maryland's much maligned "rain tax" stormwater fees.

Frank is meeting with the top Democrats in congress. He thinks that they're meeting to talk about his jobs program, America Works. In reality, they're confronting him, telling him that it's in the best interests of the party for him not to run for election in 2016.

It's long past time to seal the border and to cease allowing immigrants from nations where terrorism thrives, says Cal Thomas.

The fate of popular ride-sharing companies like Uber could be decided in coming weeks in Maryland, though the path forward remains murky.

Congress approved a one-week extension of funding for the Department of Homeland Security late Friday night, narrowly avoiding a midnight shutdown while setting up the possibility of another battle over immigration in coming days.

Miller apologizes after Hitler remark

The Hogan administration still isn't tipping its hand how it intends to trim spending by 2 percent in every agency next year, despite a request for details from heads of the General Assembly's budget committees.

Republicans who refused to disavow Rudy Guiliani's bizarre statement about Obama showed themselves nothing but haters,

Civil rights advocates and families of alleged victims of police brutality urged state lawmakers Thursday to improve law enforcement accountability, saying Maryland is not immune from widespread concerns about the use of excessive force by officers.

With only hours remaining before the Department of Homeland Security was set to run out of money, Republican leaders in Congress were struggling to find a way to avoid a shutdown while also appeasing conservative voters angry over President Barack Obama's sweeping moves on immigration.

Gov. Larry Hogan defended his funding of education Thursday while also declaring that "our children deserve better" than the school options available to them. His comments sparked another round of sparring between the Republican governor and Democratic House Speaker Michael E. Busch.

WASHINGTON -- In an exchange that underscored the partisan rancor surrounding the debate over Homeland Security funding, Rep. Steny Hoyer was heard calling a top GOP official a "coward" on the House floor on Thursday.

Miller raises concerns about higher education nominee

On Out There with Thomas Roberts, Kristin Beck said she thinks "we need a lot more voices just of the people" in Congress, saying professional politicians like Hoyer "lose touch" when they've been in office for decades.

GOP-controlled Congress has made the U.S. an international laughingstock

Republican senator's vow to make Obama a one-term president gets taken out of context — again

Attorney General Brian E. Frosh entered the fight over hydraulic fracturing in Maryland on Wednesday, urging state lawmakers to pass a bill with liability standards so tough that critics and some supporters consider it a de facto fracking ban.

The University of Maryland Baltimore County on Wednesday joined officials from a White House-sponsored education initiative to probe ways to better support students, particularly African-Americans, in the juvenile justice system

Senate President Thomas V. Mike Miller introduced a bill that would repeal the mandate that Baltimore city and Maryland's nine largest counties levy storm-water management fees on their property owners. Instead, he would require local governments to report on how they plan to pay for pollution cleanup projects they're still required to do to help clean up the Chesapeake Bay.

General Assembly re-elects Kopp as treasurer for 4th full term

Gov. Larry Hogan unveiled what he called a holistic strategy to deal with Maryland's growing heroin problems Tuesday, but stopped short of declaring the "state of emergency" he vowed to institute after last year's election.

Some of the nation's top university officials, including the chancellor of the University System of Maryland, are calling on Congress to roll back what they see as a byzantine and ever-expanding system of federal regulations that is costing schools millions of dollars each year.

WASHINGTON -- As the Department of Homeland Security braces for the possibility of a shutdown at the end of the week, Maryland Sen. Ben Cardin introduced legislation on Tuesday that would provide retroactive pay for any workers furloughed because of a lapse in funding.

As the Baltimore County Council considers cutting stormwater fees by one-third, members are being pressured to cut the fees even further.

Harford's Norman joins Senate judicial proceedings, court rules panels

A few Harford County names are scattered among the 331 people appointed to more than 90 state boards and commissions that were announced by Gov. Larry Hogan on Friday.

Measure would raise mandatory judicial retirement to 75

Do you blame Republicans or Democrats for Congress' failure thus far to pass a funding bill for the Department of Homeland Security?

For the sake of our children and grandchildren I implore us, the United States people, to ask our elected officials to ensure that we set an example and lead with political, economic and diplomatic policies that cut off weapons, funding and support for the Islamic State. Answering violence with violence cannot lead to peace.

Amid questions about plans for transportation in the state, Maryland senators scheduled a second confirmation hearing for Gov. Larry Hogan's pick for transportation secretary

President Obama on Monday proposed tougher regulations on investment brokers who handle retirement funds, saying it is time to curb hidden fees, "back-door" payments and conflicts of interest that eat into middle-class Americans' savings.

WASHINGTON -- Rep. John Delaney, who spent a career in financial services before running for Congress, joined President Barack Obama on Monday in calling for tougher regulations on brokers who help people plan for retirement -- offering his endorsement of a plan that is unlikely to sit well with some on Wall Street.

The White House is recruiting its fourth class of tech-savvy fellows to spend a year working on improving federal government services.

The Carroll County Republican Central Committee has released the answers to 26 questionnaires completed by the applicants for the vacant delegate seat in District 5 after Gov. Larry Hogan urged they keep the recommendation process open to the public.

Cheers given actress Patricia Arquette at the Oscars reveals an appetite for women's rights and closing the wage gap