Md. Transportation Secretary Wiedefeld looks back on career as he steps down

By Nick Iannelli
July 10, 2025 | 3:44 PM

Maryland Transportation Secretary Paul Wiedefeld said he is stepping down at the end of July following a career that spanned four decades, including leading the Metro system.

He spoke with WTOP’s Nick Iannelli on some of the biggest challenges and successes in his transportation career.

Listen to the interview below or read the transcript, which has been lightly edited.

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National Museum of the American Latino to be housed in historic Smithsonian building

By Neal Augenstein
September 1, 2026 | 10:36 AM

The Smithsonian Institution has decided to put the National Museum of the American Latino into an existing, historic building, rather than constructing a new one. The Smithsonian Board of Regents on Monday designated the Arts and Industries Building, a 145-year-old redbrick Victorian structure located between the Smithsonian Castle and the Hirshhorn Museum, as the permanent site of the National Museum of the American Latino, which Congress authorized in 2020. In 2022, the Smithsonian narrowed its survey for permanent locations for the National Museum of the American Latino and the American Women's History Museum to four locations near the National Mall on land owned by the National Park Service. The Arts and Industries Building, located at 900 Jefferson St. SW, was one of the four sites. New construction on National Park Service land would require congressional approval. However, since the Smithsonian already owns the Arts and Industries Building, the institution can place the National Museum of the American Latino in the existing building without additional legislation.

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