This week’s Backchannel column: It's easy to focus on red vs. blue, the omnipresent buzz from the Capitol of partisan putdowns and political gamesmanship. The Trump-federal courts war is less visible, but it feels at least as significant as the partisan warfare www.baltimoresun.com/2026/05/26/a...

Exclusive: Maryland seeks ownership of Preakness brand for $85M, a move that would further bind the historic race to the state where it has been run for more than 150 years, according to five sources www.baltimoresun.com/2026/05/13/p...

This week’s column: There is something Americana — and a little showy — about the blue backyard pool. This is the pool Clark wanted in “National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation.” A natural-looking pool favors discretion over display. That’s not Trump (gift link) www.baltimoresun.com/2026/05/10/t...

This week’s Backchannel: I understand the lawmaker’s selection of Aristotle as a protest symbol only in the way you leave an arts film nodding as if you got the premise, but really, you’re not quite sure. (free column preview). — www.baltimoresun.com/2026/03/30/b...

New from me: As RFK Jr. has ascended from the health contrarian fringe to the center of American health care, he's been bolstered behind the scenes by a lesser-known figure. Meet the man building a MAHA political empire behind Kennedy: www.bostonglobe.com/2026/03/25/n...

This week’s Backchannel column. ———————- “I don’t want to only see the best teams, which are inevitably the schools with the most money. Give me a low-budget newbie with a weird mascot whose players and supporters are delighted to be in the tournament.” www.baltimoresun.com/2026/03/16/q...

I’ve heard fans say the foul poles were transported from Memorial Stadium, the #Orioles former home, to Camden Yards when the new venue opened in 1992.
That’s not exactly true. www.baltimoresun.com/2026/03/09/c...

The governor’s video was an invitation for the women’s hockey team to come to Annapolis. But Wes Moore’s invitation was also something else — an opportunity to tweak Trump , and do it with a smile rather than a scowl. All that was missing was a wink. www.baltimoresun.com/2026/03/02/m...

Gov. Wes Moore — entering territory more often reserved for presidents— invites US Women's Hockey gold medalists to Maryland. www.baltimoresun.com/2026/02/26/g...

Rep. Sarah Elfreth, Democrat, with a Game of Thrones reference on SOTU: “That was all about demonizing our immigrant neighbors and then throwing that challenge to us and encouraging my Republican colleagues to yell the word ‘shame’ at us like this is a Game of Thrones episode,” she said.

Oops. By Jeff Barker. nam13.safelinks.protection.outlook.com?url=https%3A...

You don’t realize how pervasive our phone culture is — and how guarded we can be — until you see people who are behaving so differently. My column on the monks’ Walk for Peace — www.baltimoresun.com/2026/02/16/m...

My Backchannel column this week is on a new front in the very personal struggle between federal workers and President Donald Trump. (gift link). — www.baltimoresun.com/2026/02/08/f...

My Backchannel column for this week: Democrats love the new Springsteen protest song. — But I couldn’t help but wonder: What if you are a Springsteen fan … and a Republican? Can you love the music but disregard the message? www.baltimoresun.com/2026/02/02/m...

Exclusive: Moore campaign accepted, then returned, donations from executive tied to firm seeking state contract. By Jeff Barker. — www.baltimoresun.com/2026/01/29/m...

My latest Backchannel column: What did Earl Weaver write on the photo he signed for Sandy Rosenberg, the longest-serving member of Maryland’s General Assembly?

There's a bill in Montgomery County that will do the same thing. The problem really will be enforcement: will state troopers or MCPD get in between ICE and their victims? So far, they haven't.

Redrawing a congressional district map is like pulling a thread from an old sweater. One small change can have cascading consequences. www.baltimoresun.com/2026/01/21/m...

Maryland's congressional redistricting map encounters divisions, angst and a ticking clock. www.baltimoresun.com/2026/01/21/m...

Maryland enters national debate with ICE mask ban bill testing state’s authority — www.baltimoresun.com/2026/01/18/m...

Good morning. My Backchannel column for this week (gift link). Have you ever attended an event and left with a particular image stuck in your mind? It’s as if your brain has singled out one moment and archived it. These images imprinted on me in 2025. www.baltimoresun.com/2026/01/05/m...

Nancy Pelosi grew up in a rowhome in Baltimore’s Little Italy, the daughter and sister of mayors. I asked her in an interview about her hometown, her very political upbringing, her legacy, and Donald Trump. — www.baltimoresun.com/2025/12/26/n...

My weekly Backchannel column: It’s a piece of an interview I did last week with former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.

It was hours after President Trump signed an order to protect the American flag from “desecration,” and Jan Carey, an Army combat veteran, decided he wanted to immediately make a point about First Amendment protections. By Jeff Barker. www.baltimoresun.com/2025/12/02/u...

Here’s a teasing, free preview of my weekly political notebook column called Backchannel containing the first item, which is about a congressional district with two souls.

Does it seem risky to allow bettors to wager on whether a pitch will be a ball or strike? It's not just me asking, it was MLB raising the issue to Maryland regulators in 2021. States continued to offer the bet, which can be rigged more easily than others and is now at the center of Guardians case.

Exclusive: MLB cautioned Maryland about ’risky’ bet now at center of Cleveland Guardians scandal. By Jeff Barker www.baltimoresun.com/2025/11/19/m...

Turkey pardon is just weird; Wes Moore’s 'IDGAF' initialism; is Washington joyless? — Good morning. Here’s a teasing, free preview of my political notebook column called Backchannel containing the first item.

Of all the names Baltimore-born and raised Nancy Pelosi has been called —many of them unprintable here —my favorite is “The Prodigal Hon.” — Welcome to Backchannel, my weekly political notes column where we deftly sidestep political spin. — www.baltimoresun.com/2025/11/09/w...

Senators demand answers about Social Security chief’s former role and question ‘his ability to serve’ — www.baltimoresun.com/2025/11/07/s...

Welcome to the latest Backchannel, my political notebook column. What happened to all the stuff during the East Wing demolition? This week we take the mystery apart – like the departed wing itself – bit by bit. —- www.baltimoresun.com/2025/11/03/b...

Maryland-based White House demolition company grapples with PR nightmare — www.baltimoresun.com/2025/10/24/a...

Congressional Democrats investigating Social Security commissioner over debit card contract. By Jeff Barker — www.baltimoresun.com/2025/10/22/c...

Welcome to Backchannel, a weekly feature where we’ll steer completely clear of political talking points and offer exclusive notes from inside Maryland politics. * Today:Shutdown playlist, why Michael Steele is still a Republican, Raskin’s ‘24 Senate flirtation www.baltimoresun.com/2025/10/20/s...

If you or someone you know needs help, the national suicide and crisis lifeline in the U.S. is available by calling or texting 988. www.baltimoresun.com/2025/10/17/c...

Juliana Peralta, 13, kept slipping further from reality —from her parents, her friends, and anything she could actually touch —and into a virtual world where an artificial intelligence chatbot enveloped her with what she mistook for empathy. —- www.baltimoresun.com/2025/10/17/c...

The world of a federal shutdown is a bleak place characterized by hellish hold times, dead-end calls and emails, and partisan messaging. Here’s what some people are encountering: bit.ly/48mTlde

Rebecca Ferguson lost her job as a federal worker. She’s trying to get her termination papers to confirm her status & benefits, but her emails bounce back during the shutdown. She says the government can’t even fire her correctly. bit.ly/48mTlde

'We are alive:' federal workers get hugs, validation in fraught period of shutdown and layoffs www.baltimoresun.com/2025/10/03/w...

Trump's political enemies post could put Maryland’s US attorney on the spot www.baltimoresun.com/2025/09/24/t...

Advocates for retaining a paper Social Security checks option are worried about vulnerable people living on the less-populated side of the digital divide — those lacking smartphones or bank accounts, and using paper currency largely shunned by others. www.baltimoresun.com/2025/09/19/p...

The young male gamblers spoke of sleepless nights, guilt about the shame of keeping it all secret, and yet still clinging to the hope they could outsmart sports-betting apps built to ensure they never do. Their moms believed they could fix it. By Jeff Barker www.baltimoresun.com/2025/09/04/h...

U.S. Rep. David Scott -- an 80-year-old, 12-term congressman -- is battling concerns among Democrats that his age and health are obstacles to reelection. www.ajc.com/politics/202...

Gov. Wes Moore: The president is 'losing sleep over me,' but here's what he should lose sleep over www.baltimoresun.com/2025/08/28/g...

Trump says Gov. Wes Moore told him he’s the “the greatest president of my lifetime.” Moore says it didn’t happen. This sounded familiar. In 2017, Trump said the late Rep. Elijah Cummings proclaimed Trump “would be one of the greatest presidents.” Cummimgs said that’s not what he said.

Hey the current Tesla Model Y service manual, updated Jan. 30, has instructions for removing the T logo service.tesla.com/docs/ModelY/...

Rep. Jamie Raskin: “People say, ‘Why don’t you guys have bipartisan friendships? I tell people who my bipartisan friends are and then they express horror. I mean, who do you want me to be friends with? Abraham Lincoln is no longer in the House.” www.baltimoresun.com/2025/08/05/j...