Tag: District of Columbia

US Trial Begins for Member of ISIS ‘Beatles’ Cell

WASHINGTON—An alleged member of a group of ISIS terrorists that beheaded American hostages in Iraq and Syria, nicknamed “The Beatles” for their British accents, faces a U.S. criminal trial beginning on Tuesday. El Shafee Elsheikh, 33, will stand trial in federal court in Alexandria, Virginia, just outside Washington, on charges including lethal hostage-taking and conspiracy…


US Boost Fines for Automakers Not Meeting Fuel Economy Rules in Tesla Win

WASHINGTON—The U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) on Sunday reinstated a sharp increase in penalties for automakers whose vehicles do not meet fuel efficiency requirements for model years 2019 and beyond. The decision was a win for Tesla that could cost other automakers hundreds of millions of dollars or more. Confirming an earlier report…


US Republicans Want Higher Defense Spending, Citing Ukraine and China

WASHINGTON—A group of 40 U.S. Republican members of the Senate and House of Representatives Armed Services Committees urged President Joe Biden to include a 5 percent increase above inflation for defense spending in his proposal for the fiscal 2023 U.S. budget. Biden is expected to announce his budget next week. “As you prepare your fiscal…


Former Rep. Vic Fazio Dies at 79

By Kate Ackley From CQ-Roll Call WASHINGTON—Former Rep. Vic Fazio, a California Democrat who served 10 terms in the House and then went on to a high-profile lobbying career, died this week at the age of 79. He had been suffering from cancer and died at home surrounded by family, his office said in a…


Arizona Man Charged with Assault of Metropolitan Police Officers at US Capitol on Jan. 6

Federal prosecutors have charged a 50-year-old Arizona man with assaulting several police officers on the U.S. Capitol lawn on Jan. 6, 2021. Jacob L. Zerkle of Bowie, Ariz., was arrested Tuesday in Tucson on seven federal counts, including charges of assaulting, resisting, or impeding officers; civil disorder; engaging in physical violence in a restricted building…


Arizona Man Arrested for Jan. 6 Assault on DC Police Officers at US Capitol

Federal prosecutors have charged a 50-year-old Arizona man with assaulting several police officers on the U.S. Capitol lawn during the breach of the building on Jan. 6, 2021. Jacob L. Zerkle of Bowie was arrested March 15 in Tucson, Arizona, on seven federal counts, including charges of assaulting, resisting, or impeding officers; civil disorder; engaging…


Vehicles in Truck-Led Convoy Ride Through Washington, DC

Part of a convoy led by trucks rode through Washington, D.C. on Monday after more than a week of circling the nation’s capital to call for an end to the federal government’s COVID-19 emergency declaration, restrictions, and mandates. It was the first time protesters of The People’s Convoy sought to enter the city since arriving…


5 Shot, 1 Killed at Columbia Apartments That Are Home to College Students, Police Say

By Noah Feit From The State (Columbia, S.C.) COLUMBIA, S.C.—A 20-year-old woman is dead and four other people were injured in an overnight shooting, the Columbia Police Department said Sunday. Police said the shooting was at 810 Pulaski St., the Greene Crossing Apartments, which is marketed as an apartment complex primarily for college students. At…


DC Provides Dubious Vaccination Mandate Exemption to Nun-Physician 2 Days After Lawsuit Filed

Two days after being sued by a Roman Catholic nun who provides free medical services to the poor, the District of Columbia seemed to capitulate March 11 by granting the nun a religious exemption to its COVID-19 vaccination mandate for health care workers. But Sister Deirdre Byrne’s attorney said March 12 the lawsuit isn’t going…


DC Cherry Blossom Officials Eye Weekend Cold Weather

The National Cherry Blossom Festival is returning with all its pageantry, hailed by organizers as the unofficial start of Washington’s reemergence from the two years of pandemic lockdown. This year’s cherry blossom trees will reach peak bloom between March 22 and March 25, according to National Park Service (NPS) estimates. The festival kicks off with…