Van Hollen leads push for difficult task: a Democratic Senate

WASHINGTON – Maryland Sen. Chris Van Hollen is chairman of the Democrats’ 2018 campaign to win back the majority in the Senate, and he has been under no illusions. “This cycle in the Senate is a very difficult political map…

Maryland governor and senators unite over FBI probe of Kavanaugh

WASHINGTON — Even before a sudden move by Senate Republicans to request an FBI probe of Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh, Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan and the state’s two senators were calling for just such an investigation. Sens. Ben Cardin…

Outside the Kavanaugh hearing, tears and anger

By SAMANTHA ROSEN, MORGAN CAPLAN and ALBANE GUICHARD Capital News Service   WASHINGTON – The drama and emotion inside Thursday’s Senate hearing on Brett Kavanaugh’s nomination to the Supreme Court was matched by scenes in the surrounding crowded hallways, where…

Family not satisfied with verdicts in Paraguay murder of Maryland native

WASHINGTON — Nearly three years after 16-year-old Maryland native Luis Alejandro “Alex” Villamayor was killed in Paraguay, a defendant on Tuesday was found guilty of his murder and a second defendant was found guilty of obstructing the investigation. René Hofstetter,…

Van Hollen, Rubio seek ballot protections against foreign meddling

WASHINGTON – Sens. Chris Van Hollen of Maryland and Marco Rubio of Florida are teaming up on a bill aimed at bolstering protections for U.S. elections against foreign interference. Van Hollen, a Democrat, and Rubio, a Republican, introduced the “Defending…

Critics hit Trump’s food program plan as ‘devastating’ to Maryland

WASHINGTON – President Donald Trump’s budget proposal for fiscal 2019 includes an overhaul of a supplemental food assistance program for low-income people that could affect nearly 750,000 Marylanders. Many in the state’s predominantly Democratic congressional delegation are attacking the White…

Trump’s proposed Chesapeake Bay cleanup cuts face Hill battle

WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump’s plan to slash 90 percent of Chesapeake Bay cleanup funding, which could dismantle several decades of environmental restoration, met resistance from Maryland’s Democratic congressional delegation. The cuts, which would drop the budget for Chesapeake Bay…

Revised plan underway for new FBI site, raising hopes in Maryland – again

WASHINGTON — After planning that began in the George W. Bush administration, officials from Maryland at the national and state level are cautiously optimistic the latest push for a new FBI complex located outside the District of Columbia will come…

Maryland senators introduce bill to aid “temporary status” immigrants

WASHINGTON – Maryland Democratic Sens. Ben Cardin and Chris Van Hollen joined immigrants rights activists on Thursday to unveil new legislation to protect undocumented immigrants living under Temporary Protected Status. “Congress needs to pass legislation,” Cardin said at a Capitol…

Van Hollen fights to preserve state and local tax deductions

WASHINGTON – As Congress tries to overhaul the nation’s tax laws, some Republicans want to reduce or eliminate state and local tax deductions. But Sen. Chris Van Hollen, D-Maryland, said doing so would only hurt the middle class, including in…