The fact that Baltimore's chronic problem with violent crime is finally being abated by smart law enforcement strategies and social science gets the big year-end headline: Homicides at historic lows. Here's my take on that very positive development, published on Substack, and, for more background, here's my recent interview and data dive with Ivan Bates, … Continue reading A crime statistic worthy of its own headline
Love America Rallies: No Kings Day, October 2025
The MAGA Republican response to the second No Kings protest has been a combination of laughably extreme invective and childish hissy fit. Republican after Republican issued over-the-top criticism of the organized demonstrations against the Trump regime, calling them Soros-sponsored antifa gatherings. House Speaker Mike Johnson called them “hate America” rallies. White House press secretary Karoline … Continue reading Love America Rallies: No Kings Day, October 2025
On days like this, the reality of Trump seems especially stark
“It goes without saying.” . . . People use that phrase when they’re about to state something everyone within earshot knows. Or they might start a sentence with, “Needless to say,” which bears the same meaning. Usually, one word will do: “Clearly,” for instance, is a common starter. “Obviously” is the most direct way of … Continue reading On days like this, the reality of Trump seems especially stark
“You know better, Marco Rubio”
In preparing today’s Substack column on Secretary of State Marco Rubio, I got to thinking about a phrase all of use at one time or another, in one form or another: “You know better. . . . He knows better. . . . She knows better. . . . You should know better.” It might … Continue reading “You know better, Marco Rubio”
A constituent appeals to Republicans: Do you really agree with everything Trump has done?
Arnold "Skip" Isaacs, veteran journalist formerly of The Baltimore Sun, watched the Trump-Musk sabotage of government unfold in Washington, then decided to write to Republicans to ask if they agreed with Trump's draconian executive orders and Musk's unprecedented access to government data. I post this here today because I admired Skip's approach -- indeed, his … Continue reading A constituent appeals to Republicans: Do you really agree with everything Trump has done?
Who’s the most dangerous man in Washington?
Update from The New York Times: Employees of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau were instructed to cease “all supervision and examination activity” and “all stakeholder engagement,” effectively stopping the agency’s operations, in an email from the director of the Office of Management and Budget, Russell Vought, on Saturday evening. Who's the most dangerous man in … Continue reading Who’s the most dangerous man in Washington?
Our winter of discontent: Damnable acts in Washington, disturbing and disappointing news about a Baltimore hero
A friend in South Carolina says she can't bear to read or follow the news from Washington and the Trump regime. Another told me he thinks he's been suffering from PTSD since the election; he can't wrap his head around 77 million Americans voting to make a criminal the president again. And now, with Trump … Continue reading Our winter of discontent: Damnable acts in Washington, disturbing and disappointing news about a Baltimore hero
Banners v Crush: Ice hockey for a good cause under the Mimi Dome in Baltimore’s Patterson Park
Starting in the late 1990s, the Baltimore Youth Hockey Club sponsored a weekend hockey experience for less fortunate children and high-risk teens in Baltimore. They were known as the Patterson Park Stars, and they skated for free in donated equipment at the “Mimi Dome,” the rink in Patterson Park named after the late City Councilman, Dominic … Continue reading Banners v Crush: Ice hockey for a good cause under the Mimi Dome in Baltimore’s Patterson Park
Trump gang wants to erase the spirit of John McCain, destroy public service
A purge at the FBI, the firing of 30 Jan. 6 prosecutors by the U.S. Attorney in D.C., the sleazy effort by Elon Musk to reduce the federal workforce — all of this comes from the authoritarian handbook: Get rid of honest public servants and replace them with loyalists who will let you get away … Continue reading Trump gang wants to erase the spirit of John McCain, destroy public service
Baltimore history: The Mayor of the 1960s meets the Mayor of the 1990s
Special thanks go to Richard Milner of Baltimore for a photograph for the ages: Mayor Theodore Roosevelt McKeldin meeting in City Hall nearly 60 years ago with a future mayor of Baltimore, Kurt L. Schmoke. Mr. Milner, a City College graduate, took this photo for the high school yearbook. "It was Thanksgiving 1966," he says, … Continue reading Baltimore history: The Mayor of the 1960s meets the Mayor of the 1990s
Dan Rodricks 