MENTAL HEALTH ADVOCATES RELIEVED AS NO STATE FUNDS ARE CUT: Maryland mental health advocates and providers are relieved coming out of this year’s legislative session, where state lawmakers decided against a drastic cut in funding to the state’s year-old, big-money program aimed at improving the mental health of its young people. Sasha Allen of Capital News Service/Maryland Reporter.
MOORE’s SALES PITCH TO JAPANESE ATTRACTS ATTENTION: Taku Nonaka and Gov. Wes Moore shared a symbiotic moment Monday. Nonaka needs to expand his Tokyo-based technology company, ViXion, to the United States. Moore is on a mission to bring business back to Maryland. Both men are navigating economic and bureaucratic storms as the Trump administration remakes the U.S. federal government and sets to rebalance global trade in America’s favor with tariffs. Nonaka and Moore see each other as a helping hand in challenging times. Sam Janesch/The Baltimore Sun.
EL SALVADOR PRES SAYS HE WON’T RETURN ABREGO GARCIA: The fate of a 29-year-old Maryland father and sheet metal worker was in the hands of two presidents on Monday afternoon. President Donald Trump and El Salvador President Nayib Bukele sat side by side in the Oval Office, both resolute that Kilmar Abrego Garcia wouldn’t be returned to the United States. Candy Woodall/The Baltimore Sun.
- U.S. Rep. Glenn Ivey, a former Prince George’s County prosecutor who is Abrego Garcia’s congressional representative, said it appeared the Trump administration is “trying to force a constitutional crisis” by defying a Supreme Court ruling to work for the return of Abrego Garcia, 29, a father and sheet metal worker, home. Dan Belson and Jeff Barker/The Baltimore Sun.
- “I’m not going to do it. I mean, the question is preposterous,” said Bukele, after reporters pressured him on whether Abrego-Garcia, a Beltsville man, would be returned. Abrego-Garcia’s case has sparked a closely watched court battle that lawyers worry has major implications for the separation of powers and the rule of law. Emily Hofstaedter/WYPR-FM.
VAN HOLLEN SAYS HE’LL GO TO EL SALVADOR IF ABREGO GARCIA NOT RETURNED: U.S. Sen. Chris Van Hollen said he plans to travel to El Salvador this week if a Maryland father improperly deported by the Trump administration is not returned immediately. John John Williams/The Baltimore Banner.
REMOVAL HEARING FOR WESTMINSTER MOTHER SET FOR END OF APRIL: The removal hearing for a Westminster mother native to El Salvador scheduled for Monday has been postponed to the end of the month. Elsy Berrios, 52, was arrested on March 31 by Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers while driving herself, her daughter and another woman to work at a Carroll County clothing manufacturer. In video of the incident, officers refused to show her a warrant for her arrest despite her requests, video of the arrest shows. Racquel Bazos/The Baltimore Sun.
- On Friday, the federal Department of Homeland Security in court papers outlined the reasons why they believe the Maryland woman, Elsy Noemi Berrios, should be deported. Attorneys for Berrios said they need time to review and prepare documents, and consult with their client, before the hearing. John John Williams/The Baltimore Banner.
EDITORIAL: RETURN ABREGO GARCIA TO MARYLAND: President Donald Trump is thumbing his nose at the spirit of last week’s Supreme Court ruling that his administration must “facilitate” the return of Maryland father Kilmar Abrego García after he was mistakenly deported to a maximum-security prison in El Salvador. The Trump team frames this as a fight over a president’s constitutional authority. “No court in the United States has a right to conduct the foreign policy of the United States,” said Secretary of State Marco Rubio. But this is not what the court is trying to do. The principle in play here is the rule of law. Editorial Board/The Washington Post.
COMMENTARY: IT CAN HAPPEN TO YOU: Where it stands right now is that Kilmar Abrego García appears to be out of options. The United States government says it is not legally obligated to save him; the Salvadoran president says his country couldn’t help even if it wanted to. … If your argument is that something like this could never happen to you because you’re an American citizen? Try again. On Monday, President Trump said that he had no problems with the idea of sending American citizens to be imprisoned in El Salvador. “I’m all for it,” he said. Monica Hesse/The Washington Post.
ASSAULT VICTIMS ADVOCATE URGE MOORE TO VETO BILL: Childhood sexual assault victims, advocates and lawyers are urging Gov. Wes Moore to veto a bill that would limit the amount of money survivors can receive in civil cases against the institutions that employed abusers. A spokesman for the governor indicated Moore will sign the bill. Scott Maucione/WYPR-FM.
- The call for a veto came as those same attorneys announced nearly two dozen new lawsuits Monday against one Catholic high school in Baltimore County. Robert K. Jenner, managing partner at Baltimore-based Jenner Law, called on Moore to reject the bill that was rushed through the final days of the 2025 Maryland General Assembly session. Bryan Sears/Maryland Matters.
TEACHER TRAINING AMONG NON-PROFIT’s IDEAS TO IMPROVE READING: Alice Tickler tries to stay positive when it comes to educating young children, but the longtime teacher admits there are some things that can make it hard — and it’s not anything the students do. Things like the legislature’s failure to fund a training program, specifically for reading and math teachers. As a teacher for 28 years, she’s seen the benefits of what educators call a “coaching program” can have. William Ford/Maryland Matters.
COMMENTARY: EDUCATION BLUEPRINT AN EXPENSIVE BOONDOGGLE: The Blueprint for Maryland’s Future is a $10 billion boondoggle that places a very expensive band-aid on a dying public school system. The state will spend an unbelievable amount of money over the next decade and will achieve little more than raising taxes on the people and businesses of Maryland. Its promise to “transform public education in the state into a world-class education system” is laughable. Chris Roemer/The Carroll County Times.
B’MORE TO INVEST $44M IN SIDEWALKS IN SETTLEMENT: Baltimore City settled with a group of pedestrians with mobility issues in an agreement that entails increasing access to sidewalks and curb ramps, according to an announcement by disability rights organizations this month. Under a partial consent decree, the city agreed to allocate a minimum of $44 million over four years to the construction and remediation of curb ramps and sidewalks throughout the city, Shaela Foster/The Baltimore Sun.
