In the final major debate of the Democratic primary for mayor of Washington, D.C., the candidates spent as much time accusing each other of corruption and Republican sympathies as they did defending their own visions for the city — a revealing display in a race where the Democratic nominee is all but certain to win in November.
The <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nH6ngPu8G9A">hour-long forum</a>, hosted by Fox 5 D.C., quickly became a combative showdown between Kenyan McDuffie and Janeese Lewis George, who repeatedly traded barbs over crime, campaign donations, and ties to President Donald Trump. Businessman Gary Goodweather was on stage as well, but drew less attention, often struggling to break into the sharper exchanges between the two council veterans.
The clash over public safety was among the night’s most pointed moments. After moderators raised a recent <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/late-night-troublemakers-tear-up-d-c-chipotle-as-trump-admin-vows-to-crack-down-on-teen-takeovers">violent brawl involving teenagers at a Chipotle</a> in Navy Yard, Lewis George defended her opposition to the city’s youth curfew by arguing that enforcement could put minors in danger because of the federal law-enforcement presence in the district.
“Using the curfew as a tool for our young people is dangerous,” Lewis George said. “It is dangerous because we have federal troops who are in our city, mass ICE agents who are in our city, and these are the people enforcing this law on our young people.”
McDuffie seized on the opening to portray her as soft on crime. 
“What they need to do is treat these teen takeovers like the public safety emergency that they are,” he said. &#8220;Doing nothing is not an option.” He went further, directly blaming Lewis George for delaying action on the curfew. &#8220;The council had an opportunity to act just a few weeks ago, before the curfew expired, but they didn’t act, because Janeese Lewis George shut it down.&#8221; 
Lewis George responded by accusing McDuffie of opportunism and trying to appeal to conservatives in a city that remains overwhelmingly Democratic. 
“Now that he is taking big Trump donor dollars and Republican dollars, he’s now using cheap political points from Republicans to score in this moment,” she said. “It’s disingenuous and disheartening.”
That charge became a recurring theme throughout the night, with Lewis George repeatedly invoking what she described as McDuffie’s acceptance of donations from “Trump donor dollars,” while McDuffie countered by accusing her of facing <a href="https://campaignforaccountability.org/watchdog-files-ethics-complaint-against-d-c-mayoral-candidate-janeese-lewis-george-over-financial-disclosure-failures/">campaign finance scrutiny</a>.
“There’s only one person on this stage who’s actively under investigation for violations of the campaign finance laws, and it’s Ms. Janice Lewis George,” McDuffie said.
The debate also underscored just how far Left the race has moved in a city where Republicans are effectively noncompetitive. All three candidates said they would end cooperation between D.C. police and ICE. Asked whether they would direct the Metropolitan Police Department to work with U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro on enforcing the youth curfew, both Lewis George and Goodweather answered flatly: “No.” McDuffie likewise pledged to cut off cooperation with federal immigration enforcement, saying he would “sign an executive order to rescind ICE” from the city.
Goodweather had perhaps the most unusual proposal of the evening, suggesting that Washington eventually construct “a fourth-generation air-cooled nuclear reactor on federal land in D.C.” as part of his energy plan, a remark that stood out in a debate otherwise dominated by housing, public safety, and mutual accusations.
In a city where the Democratic primary will almost certainly decide the next mayor, Tuesday’s debate showed candidates not racing to the center, but competing to prove who is more liberal — and who can paint their Democratic rival as secretly aligned with the Right. The Washington, D.C., primary is on June 16.

Washington, DC skyline

D.C. Democrats Face Questions Over Teen Takeovers As Mayoral Race Heats Up

Debate

Democrats

Donald Trump

Police

Teenagers

Washington D.C.

A group of rowdy young people flung chairs and threw punches in a Washington, D.C., Chipotle on Saturday night, just one day after U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro vowed to crack down on parents who allow their kids to run wild through the streets.
The chaos in D.C.&#8217;s Navy Yard was captured on camera by a news crew and posted to social media on Sunday. Footage shows at least eight people engaged in a full-blown brawl in the restaurant, with some of the culprits picking up chairs and slamming them into other fighters. Girls were heard screaming in the background, and Chipotle workers watched the fight from behind the counter.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-media-max-width="560">
Massive brawl broke out Friday night at a Chipotle in the Navy Yard area. <a href="https://t.co/xqZTliXWvK">pic.twitter.com/xqZTliXWvK</a>
— Breaking911 (@Breaking911) <a href="https://twitter.com/Breaking911/status/2056153477567438871?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 17, 2026</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
The brawl took place just across the street from a large gathering of juveniles in a grassy area. Officers with the Metropolitan Police Department eventually arrived on the scene and arrested at least one person who was part of the teen gathering, ABC 7 News <a href="https://wjla.com/news/local/navy-yard-chipotle-fight-washington-dc-brawl-crime-teen-takeover-caught-on-camera-mpd-investigation-jeanine-pirro-juvenile-curfew-violence-breaking-news-se-violent-restaurant-public-safety-chairs-thrown-in-incident-metropolitan-police-department-zones">reported</a>.
A man who lives in Navy Yard told ABC 7 News that the violent teen gatherings have become &#8220;routine on Saturdays and Friday nights.&#8221;
“It’s not shocking anymore, since this has become routine on Saturdays and Friday nights, but it’s disappointing to know this is still happening,&#8221; Ken Ledet said on Sunday. “I actually come to this Chipotle at least three or four times a week, so thankfully I didn’t come here last night.&#8221;
<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/teen-takeovers-turn-blue-cities-into-scenes-from-the-purge">Teen takeovers</a> are plaguing Democrat-run cities across the country, including the nation&#8217;s capital. On Friday, Pirro held a press conference to address the growing issue in Washington, D.C., and issued a warning to parents.
&#8220;Starting today, my office will prosecute parents under D.C.&#8217;s curfew law,&#8221; Pirro said.
“If the evidence shows the parent knew or should have known or permitted or failed to prevent participation, we are going to charge them,” she continued, adding, “If you drop your kid off and you fail to supervise them, or you let them skip school to join the chaos, you are going to face fines, court ordered classes, and possible jail time.”
The D.C. city council recently voted to extend the police chief&#8217;s power to impose an 8:00 p.m. curfew for kids under 18 in certain areas. Navy Yard has become a top spot for teens to meet on the weekends in gatherings that often turn violent. D.C. also has an 11:00 p.m. citywide curfew for juveniles on week nights and a midnight curfew on weekends.

U.S.-WASHINGTON, D.C.-TRUMP-SHOOTING-SUSPECT

Violent Teen Takeover Erupts Inside Chipotle As Officials Promise Parents Won’t Escape Blame

Crime

Trump Administration

A growing wave of juvenile crime and “teen takeovers” in major Democrat-run cities is prompting renewed scrutiny of leftist policing policies, with critics warning that years of anti-law enforcement rhetoric have created an atmosphere of escalating disorder.
The phenomenon has erupted in cities including Chicago, New York, Los Angeles, Washington, D.C., and elsewhere in recent months, with incidents often coordinated through TikTok, Instagram, Snapchat, and other social media platforms.
Col. Frank Carpenter, chief of police in Chesterfield County, Virginia, told <a href="https://nypost.com/2026/03/30/us-news/teen-takeovers-turn-city-centers-into-scenes-from-the-purge-cops/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The New York Post</a> these scenes resemble “The Purge,” a dystopian horror film franchise depicting cities descending into lawlessness. Police sources say that massive groups of teenagers have increasingly overwhelmed officers, shut down public spaces, and engaged in assaults, robberies, vandalism, and shootings.
As with Virginia, these incidents are especially concentrated in Democrat-led cities. Chicago, in particular, has emerged as one of the most visible examples.
Last week, a silver sedan <a href="https://x.com/ChicagoContrar1/status/2053107479580479701?s=20" target="_blank" rel="noopener">rammed</a> a Chicago Police Department squad car during a downtown street takeover near Grant Park while crowds of teens surrounded the vehicle, cheering, filming officers on their phones, and pounding on the patrol car’s hood. Just two days later, on Friday, a <a href="https://www.instagram.com/reel/DWl_IufDx1X/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link" target="_blank" rel="noopener">second takeover erupted</a> on the city’s South Side. In another incident earlier this spring, teens allegedly set vehicles ablaze by igniting fireworks inside them.
Similar incidents have recently unfolded in Los Angeles beach communities and <a href="https://x.com/WellsJorda89710/status/2043154989682511888?s=20" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Washington, D.C</a>., where viral videos show large crowds overwhelming police presence and turning public areas into chaotic scenes. Though no one was killed, in one Los Angeles-area takeover, gunfire broke out and struck four victims ranging from 17 to 22 years old.
In New York City, police arrested a 17-year-old suspect in the fatal stabbing of 39-year-old Leonides Baez near Times Square. According to investigators, the teen allegedly said he was inspired by a TikTok trend known as “<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2026/05/08/nyregion/teenager-stabbing-times-square-nyc-tiktok.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">messing with crackheads</a>,” in which vulnerable or homeless individuals are harassed for entertainment and online attention.
Authorities say several teens approached Baez before he was stabbed to death outside of a restaurant.
Critics say the social media component is central to understanding this crime trend. The Wall Street Journal recently characterized many of the incidents as “performative crime,” that is, criminal acts committed for viral attention and social status online.
But some analysts argue the deeper causes run far beyond TikTok.
Heather Mac Donald, a fellow at the Manhattan Institute and author of &#8220;The War on Cops,&#8221; said authorities are failing to confront the fact that these crimes are overwhelmingly being carried out by young African Americans and reflect long-term breakdowns in the black family structure.
“This is a long-standing problem, and nobody wants to talk about what the causes are,” Mac Donald said during an interview with <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/hosts/morning-wire?elementPosition=7&amp;row=1&amp;rowHeadline=Browse+by+Hosts&amp;rowType=Hosts+Carousel">Morning Wire</a>. “The criminal justice system is terrified, really, to do anything about it.”
The extreme nature of the takeovers is prompting Republican leaders to act though. On Friday, U.S. Attorney <a href="https://x.com/foxnews/status/2055326776549605474?s=43" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Jeanine Pirro announced</a> a significant offensive against the parents of minors participating in these crimes. Pirro pledged to pursue criminal charges against parents who neglect their supervisory duties, warning that such failures could result in substantial financial penalties or incarceration.
“If the evidence shows the parent knew or should have known or permitted or failed to prevent participation, we are going to charge them,” Pirro stated, adding, “If you drop your kid off and you fail to supervise them, or you let them skip school to join the chaos, you are going to face fines, court ordered classes, and possible jail time.&#8221;
Another contributing factor Mac Donald pointed to is schools, which she said have historically been reluctant to discipline black students after years of pressure from leftist activists and federal officials who claimed disciplinary disparities were evidence of systemic racism.
“Teachers now have been told they can’t do that,” she said, referring to enforcing discipline and behavioral standards in classrooms. She also blamed the lingering effects of the anti-police movement that exploded after the 2014 Ferguson, Missouri, riots and intensified following the death of George Floyd in 2020.
“Policing obviously has been under one prolonged assault since the Ferguson riots,” Mac Donald said. “The pressure is on them not to intervene at all because they don’t want another George Floyd riot or Ferguson riot in their city.”
The debate has intensified as some blue-city leaders continue pushing policies that restrict law enforcement.
Last week, the Los Angeles City Council voted unanimously to curtail “pretextual” traffic stops by the LAPD. The stops are initiated for low-level violations such as broken taillights or expired tags that sometimes lead officers to uncover illegal weapons or narcotics. The city council&#8217;s vote is now set to be debated by the Los Angeles Board of Police Commissioners, which has the final say.
Meanwhile, Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson has previously described aggressive law enforcement approaches as a “sickness” in Chicago that he wanted to “eradicate.”
Mac Donald argued that years of political hostility toward proactive policing have worsened violent crime. “There’s nothing more important that the police can do to lower gun crime than these types of investigative stops,” she said.
Although officials in cities such as New York and Chicago often point to declining overall crime statistics, Mac Donald said those numbers can obscure broader public disorder. “Murders don’t lie. You can’t hide the bodies,” she said, noting homicide rates remain elevated compared to pre-2020 levels despite recent declines from their peak.
Police recruitment has also become increasingly difficult in major urban departments. Mac Donald said cities including Los Angeles, New York, and Chicago remain severely understaffed as officers retire early, leave for red states, or avoid entering the profession altogether.
“If current policies continue,” she warned, “people who can leave are going to leave.”

US-NEWS-CHICAGO-SHOOTINGS-TB

Teen Takeovers Turn Blue Cities Into ‘Scenes From The Purge’

Chicago

New York City

In 1802, Napoleon Bonaparte established the French Legion of Honor. In 1994, Chef Bernard Loiseau was inducted into this order for his transcendent contributions to French cuisine. It is France’s highest honor, military or civilian. In 2003, he stuck a shotgun into his mouth and blew his brains out the back of his skull.
After a food magazine downgraded his restaurant, rumors began circulating that Michelin would do the same. Rather than see it become true, Chef Bernard took a bow and exited stage left.
This is, to any normal person, an extreme reaction to the opinion of a tire company about your cooking. And I am aware that the normal people are correct. But Chef Bernard was no normal person; Chef Bernard is my hero. He embodied a world in which people aren’t flippant about beauty and craft — the world I want to live in.
My restaurant in Washington, D.C., Butterworth&#8217;s, is in no danger of losing a Michelin star because we have none. But we sweep behind the refrigerators, pressure wash the sidewalk, and prepare food the hard way. Our french fries take three days to make. The sauce for our bone marrow escargot, two. When lamb is on the menu, it is usually a whole lamb, butchered in its entirety down to each cut. We do these things because we cannot help ourselves. Because we aren&#8217;t sure who we would be without it.
Next door is one of many cannabis dispensaries in D.C. Down the block, two more. One block further down Pennsylvania Avenue, three more. They have names like &#8220;BluntSlut&#8221; and &#8220;Highway420” in purple neon and QR codes taped crookedly to the glass. At eleven o’clock in the morning, men stand outside watching videos on their phones at full volume while smoke drifts through the front doors whenever a guest opens it. There have been plenty of nights when I am getting crushed by orders for tartare and steak au poivre while a man in pajama pants leans against a lime scooter and screams into the street.
Washington, D.C.&#8217;s marijuana laws exist in a state of deliberate confusion, which I know because I spent an unpleasant afternoon trying to understand them. In 2014, D.C. voters legalized personal possession. But Congress, which controls the city&#8217;s budget, blocked D.C. from licensing or regulating commercial sales. The result is a market that cannot legally exist and cannot be stopped from existing. For years, the city&#8217;s solution was the “gift economy,”  where if you bought a sticker, marijuana appeared in your hand. It had the logic of children. Then the city cracked down, raided sixty-odd shops, and arrived at its replacement: declare yourself a medical patient by phone in four minutes, walk into a licensed dispensary, and buy whatever you like. The transaction is legal now. The logic is still childish.
It is so glaringly obvious that weed, as it is currently quasi-regulated in D.C., is not working. But no one seems interested in resolving the underlying issues. Congress lacks the attention span, and the city has only barely managed to replace one absurdity with a slightly less absurd one. One week, the city raided dispensaries only to have those same dispensaries reopen under different names with the same employees beneath the same neon the very next week. &#8220;Cloud9&#8221; became &#8220;ZaMuseum.&#8221; Somebody printed new menus, and the whole performance resumed. This week, we have “marijuana lounges” coming, so you can gather with fellow gentlemen and scholars to smoke your weed in person.
I do not especially care if people smoke weed. Civilization has always contained vice. Restaurants are vice. Alcohol certainly is. Butter and cigarettes and beautiful women in black dresses and staying out too late on a Tuesday are, too. Some of the best parts of life are. But D.C.’s haphazard weed culture is not a vice; it’s a cash grab by the dumbest people you’ve ever met, overseen by its laziest.
This malaise seems to be the entire working policy of D.C. Most days feel like the Do Lung Bridge scene in Apocalypse Now. The bridge keeps getting shelled. Music blares in the background. Martin Sheen’s character asks a soldier, &#8220;Who&#8217;s your commanding officer?&#8221; The kid with a machine gun in his hand asks: “Ain&#8217;t you?” 
If you squint, there are times when Pennsylvania Avenue feels vaguely ceremonial. It feels like “The Capital,” “The White House,” “America,” and its great empire. But more soberly, it mostly looks like empty storefronts and a Reddit homepage come to life — a place where you can hand-cut potatoes while down the street somebody sells pre-rolled joints named after cartoon characters.
I do not have Bernard&#8217;s courage. I am still here — still sweeping the sidewalk and butchering the lamb. I have yet to put a shotgun in my mouth. While I take responsibility for every bad meal my customers have or every drink not served perfectly cold, this particular problem is not my fault. In fact, no one can agree on whose fault it is.
Congress says it&#8217;s a local matter. The city says Congress tied its hands. We are led by morons who do not care that the day-to-day exhaustion of this lack of leadership is absorbed by idiots like me, who still show up every day, still caring.
Shortly after Chef Bernard died, Michelin announced that his restaurant would retain all three stars. He never knew. I think about that on the mornings when cooking well is enough and on the mornings when it isn’t.
***
Bart Hutchins is the chef and owner of Butterworth’s. He’s on X @whiteguyfieri.

Soring Dining Guide 2025

For DC’s Hottest Restaurant Weed Dispensaries Are Like A Hole In The Head

Butterworth's

DW Opinion

Marijuana

restaurants

LIV Golf, the pro golf league backed by Saudi Arabia that was meant to rival the PGA Tour, is in limbo because the Saudi Arabia Public Investment Fund pulled financial backing after the 2026 season.
LIV was billed as the cool, modern, team-based, 54-hole golf league with a lot of cash from Saudi Arabia. At the time of its creation in 2021, it seemed too good to be true. Five years later, it&#8217;s on life support as tournaments have been postponed — and a scale-back effort is in place as the CEO tries to keep the business going for another year by looking for new investors.
LIV Golf CEO Scott O&#8217;Neil spoke publicly Tuesday at Trump National D.C. for the first time since the news broke that funding was going away. O&#8217;Neil kept his tone positive, saying he feels ready for the moment and is prepared to tackle the financial uncertainty behind his league.
&#8220;This moment for me &#8230; I understand uncertainty is difficult for some people, and I understand that not knowing what tomorrow brings can be a challenge,&#8221; O’Neil said. “This is 100 percent what I love to do, this moment. Everybody is meant for a certain thing in their life. I believe this is what I am meant for. I love this moment.&#8221;
The moment is intense, suddenly navigating without what seemed like an endless cash flow. O&#8217;Neil will have to restructure the business model for LIV, and that&#8217;s how the businessman is framing this next chapter — as a refresh, not a threat.
&#8220;First and foremost, we need to get the players settled, on board, and focusing on golf,&#8221; O’Neil said. &#8220;Secondly, we have to create a plan that&#8217;s a business plan, a business that works from a business standpoint, from a profit and loss standpoint, like every other business in the world, and we are well on our way to that.&#8221;
The league started with a lot of buzz after promising big checks and signing big names — including Dustin Johnson, Phil Mickelson, Bryson DeChambeau, and Brooks Koepka, among other PGA stars.
But viewership didn&#8217;t match the energy. Per Awful Announcing, for the 17 telecasts on Fox last year, LIV Golf averaged just 338,000 viewers, compared to its PGA Tour competition that averaged 2.66 million.
Koepka is back with the PGA Tour, but DeChambeau remains with LIV through his contract that ends after the 2026 season. The golf and online personality said on Tuesday that he would focus on YouTube if LIV failed. The golf star was once involved in a lawsuit with the PGA and hinted that golf&#8217;s premier league might not welcome him back with open arms.
Other LIV stars, including Jon Rahm, don&#8217;t have expiring contracts. Rahm said the LIV CEO has a &#8220;lot of hard work to do&#8221; to find funding for the league&#8217;s future, per Golf.com.
The current season isn&#8217;t in complete shambles, although a tournament set for June in New Orleans has been postponed. The tour continues in the nation&#8217;s capital this weekend before heading internationally to Korea at the end of May.
The first round of LIV Golf Virginia tees off Thursday at Trump National Golf Club.

Credit: Hector Vivas/Getty Images

Will A Saudi-Funded Golf League Survive Despite Low Ratings And Low Cash?

Golf

News

Sports

Trump

President Donald Trump shared an AI-generated photo of himself lounging in the Reflecting Pool on Washington, D.C.&#8217;s National Mall.
The photo showed Trump floating in a gold-colored pool inflatable alongside a smiling Vice President JD Vance, who gave a thumbs-up. Secretary of State Marco Rubio also appeared in the photo, along with Interior Secretary Doug Burgum.  <iframe style="aspect-ratio: 9/16; max-width: 220px; display: flex; justify-content: center; width: 100%; margin: 20px auto 5px; border: 0;" src="https://player.mux.com/6KXDHPJQWahYQOR00v7k5eb200PXeg00012l?metadata-video-content-type=short&amp;metadata-video-id=39c7625e-3c29-470d-b682-83f523dfb33e&amp;metadata-video-stream-type=on-demand&amp;metadata-video-title=Trump%20shares%20AI%20pic%20lounging%20in%20Lincoln%20Memorial%20Reflecting%20Pool%20with%20Marco%20and%20JD&amp;poster=https%3A%2F%2Fdailywireplus-v2.imgix.net%2Fimages%2Fshorts%2F20784120-58cc-48de-9585-e1b125441bcd.jpg&amp;autoplay=false&amp;accent-color=%23DB3D3B&amp;primary-color=%23ffffff&amp;secondary-color=%23000000" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe>
The Reflecting Pool has been drained in recent days to allow for construction workers to come in and repaint the bottom with a protective coating — in &#8220;American Flag Blue&#8221; — ahead of this summer&#8217;s events celebrating the United States&#8217; 250th birthday. The coating is supposed to stop a number of leaks and help to avoid more costly repairs to the monument in the future.
The updates, according to the White House, are expected to take about one week to complete and have a price tag of $2 million — and add to the series of major renovations and updates being made by the Trump administration all around the White House and the nation&#8217;s capital.
Not everyone is happy with the updates, however. Charles Birnbaum, former coordinator of the National Park Service’s Historic Landscape Initiative, complained that the blue color made the reflecting pool look more like a swimming pool than a historical monument.
&#8220;The reflecting pool is hallowed ground,&#8221; he told <a href="https://www.politico.com/news/2026/04/28/trumps-reflecting-pool-spruce-up-fails-charm-preservationists-00895457">POLITICO</a>. &#8220;It shouldn&#8217;t resemble a swimming pool.&#8221;
&#8220;It will look far more beautiful than it did in 1922,&#8221; Trump argued, adding, &#8220;It was filthy dirty, and it leaked like a sieve.&#8221;
The Department of the Interior, headed by Burgum, also championed the effort to &#8220;restore and preserve America’s most iconic landmarks.&#8221;
The Reflecting Pool, according to the National Park Service, is classified as a memorial and is designed solely for viewing. Wading or swimming in the pool are illegal, as is walking in the shadow water.

IMG_2914

SEE IT: Trump Trolls Libs With AI Pic Of Him Lounging In Lincoln Memorial Reflection Pool

Politics

Nearly two dozen people were injured, including War Department employees, when two commuter buses crashed head-on at the Pentagon Metro Station Friday morning.
Authorities said that 18 people were transported to the hospital to get evaluated after the crash, and five people were treated on the scene, according to ABC&#8217;s <a href="https://wjla.com/news/local/buses-collide-head-on-pentagon-arlington-washington-dc-bus-crash-injuries-fairfax-county-connector-omni-ride-south-parking-lot-bus-terminal">7News DC</a>. Ten of those injured in the crash were War Department employees, authorities said. The crash occurred at around 7:20 a.m. ET at the south parking lot of the Pentagon Metro Station.
The buses were traveling at low speed, and most of the injuries were minor, but at least one passenger was taken to a trauma center with more serious injuries, 7News reported.
Video footage showed one of the buses driving on the left side of the road as the other bus approaches.
<iframe loading="lazy" title="WATCH: Video shows bus crash that hurt 23 people near the Pentagon" width="500" height="281" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/f1uj9Af8EV4?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen></iframe>
Officials asked commuters to take alternate routes to the Pentagon as first responders and investigators remain on the scene.
The buses involved in the crash were an OmniRide bus and a Fairfax Connector transit bus.
This is a developing story and will be updated.

Pentagon Bus Crash

WATCH: Buses Crash Head-On Near Pentagon, Department Of War Personnel Injured

Car Crash

Department of War

Pentagon

U.S.

Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas on Wednesday decried &#8220;progressivism,&#8221; saying the political ideology threatens the foundational principles and values of the United States.
During a lecture at the University of Texas School of Law, Thomas participated in an event <a href="https://www.fox7austin.com/news/supreme-court-justice-clarence-thomas-speaks-ut-austin">marking the 250th anniversary</a> of the signing of the United States Declaration of Independence.
He warned that a political ideology of &#8220;cynicism, rejection, hostility, and animus&#8221; is consuming Americans and taking over the country&#8217;s way of life.
&#8220;Progressivism seeks to replace the basic premises of the Declaration of Independence, and hence, our form of government. It holds that our rights and our dignities come not from God, but from government,&#8221; Thomas said. &#8220;It requires of the people a subservience and weakness incompatible with a Constitution premised on the transcendent origin of our rights.&#8221;
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🚨 JUST IN: Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas is being praised nationwide for dropping this TRUTH on leftism and &#8220;progressivism&#8221;
&#8220;Progressivism seeks to replace the basic premises of the Declaration of Independence, and hence our form of government. It holds that our rights… <a href="https://t.co/pVRS8AuwwL">pic.twitter.com/pVRS8AuwwL</a>
— Eric Daugherty (@EricLDaugh) <a href="https://twitter.com/EricLDaugh/status/2044821167328878610?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 16, 2026</a></blockquote>
Thomas, one of the most influential conservatives on the Supreme Court, argued progressive ideals are on a collision course with the nation’s founding values.
&#8220;Since Woodrow Wilson&#8217;s presidency, progressivism has made many inroads into our system of government,&#8221; Thomas said. &#8220;It has coexisted uneasily with the principles of the Declaration. Because it is opposed to those principles, it is not possible for the two to coexist forever.&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-media-max-width="560">
Justice Thomas: &#8220;Since Woodrow Wilson&#8217;s presidency, progressivism has made many inroads into our system of government. It has coexisted uneasily with the principles of the Declaration. Because it is opposed to those principles, it is not possible for the two to coexist forever.&#8221; <a href="https://t.co/7Z08ZnNR0H">pic.twitter.com/7Z08ZnNR0H</a>
— TheBlaze (@theblaze) <a href="https://twitter.com/theblaze/status/2044793679009689802?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 16, 2026</a></blockquote>
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Thomas slammed elitism in Washington and accused policymakers of being &#8220;so swept up in the euphoria of acclamation and acceptance that they put aside their convictions.&#8221;
&#8220;They fall prey to the enchanting siren songs of flattery and become so bewitched by praise that they will desperately seek to conform accordingly,&#8221; he said.
&#8220;They water down their message, negotiate against themselves, vote against their principles, and hide in the tall grass,&#8221; Thomas asserted. &#8220;They recast themselves as institutionalists, pragmatists, or thoughtful moderates, all as a way of justifying their failures to themselves, their consciences and their country.&#8221;
The broadside against progressivism comes amid rising tensions at the Supreme Court.
On Wednesday, Justice Sonia Sotomayor issued a rare public apology for personal criticism directed at Justice Brett Kavanaugh.
The controversy began in Kansas, where she criticized Kavanaugh for his <a href="https://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/24pdf/25a169_5h25.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">concurring opinion</a> in an immigration case involving ICE raids.
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“I had a colleague in that case who wrote, you know, these are only temporary stops,” Sotomayor said, according to a <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2026-04-08/sotomayor-faults-kavanaugh-over-immigration-stops-concurrence" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Bloomberg report</a>. “This is from a man whose parents were professionals. And probably doesn’t really know any person who works by the hour.”
“At a recent appearance at the University of Kansas School of Law, I referred to a disagreement with one of my colleagues in a prior case, but I made remarks that were inappropriate,” Sotomayor said in a statement. “I regret my hurtful comments. I have apologized to my colleague.”
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
NEW: Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor publicly apologizes for comments suggesting Justice Brett Kavanaugh was privileged and out of touch for his concurrence in an immigration case greenlighting warrantless ICE stops in LA. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/SCOTUS?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#SCOTUS</a> <a href="https://t.co/6kLLuHol5d">pic.twitter.com/6kLLuHol5d</a>
— Katie Buehler (@bykatiebuehler) <a href="https://twitter.com/bykatiebuehler/status/2044528919785750761?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 15, 2026</a></blockquote>
During a speech on Monday at Yale Law School, Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson stepped up her criticism of the court&#8217;s conservative majority, calling their handling of the emergency docket &#8220;corrosive,&#8221; <a href="https://www.reuters.com/legal/government/justice-jackson-says-us-supreme-courts-use-emergency-docket-is-corrosive-2026-04-15/">according to Reuters</a>.
In Texas, Justice Thomas urged Americans frustrated with the country&#8217;s direction to get off the sidelines.
&#8220;I think if we don’t stand up and take ownership of our country, and take responsibility for it, we are slowly letting others control how we think and what we think,&#8221; Thomas said. &#8220;It&#8217;s our country.&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-media-max-width="560">
Justice Clarence Thomas on rebuilding public trust in government: &#8220;I think if we don&#8217;t stand up and take ownership of our country, and take responsibility for it, we are slowly letting others control how we think and what we think.&#8221; <a href="https://t.co/4bho06ftMX">pic.twitter.com/4bho06ftMX</a>
— CSPAN (@cspan) <a href="https://twitter.com/cspan/status/2044604183077061074?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 16, 2026</a></blockquote>

The U.S. Supreme Court Poses For Official Group Photo

Clarence Thomas Issues Stark Warning About America’s Survival Under The Left

Clarence Thomas

Courts

Supreme Court

Washingtonians just notched a landmark Second Amendment victory as the <a href="https://www.dccourts.gov/sites/default/files/2026-03/Benson%2520v%2520US%2520et%2520al%252023-CV-0541%2520FINAL.pdf">D.C. Court of Appeals</a> held the District’s 10-round limit on magazine sizes unconstitutional. Why is U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro — who <a href="https://www.mediaite.com/politics/jeanine-pirro-attempts-damage-control-after-being-shredded-by-the-right-over-her-gun-comments/">insists</a> that she is “a proud supporter of the Second Amendment” and who may be <a href="https://www.politico.com/news/2026/04/09/trump-attorney-general-blanche-dhillion-pirro-00864988">in the running</a> to be the next Attorney General — asking the court to second-guess itself?
After decades of struggling under one of the strictest gun-control schemes in the country, residents of the nation’s capital might have expected to breathe a sigh of relief when President Donald Trump was reelected. After all, he <a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/fact-sheets/2025/02/fact-sheet-president-donald-j-trump-is-protecting-americans-second-amendment-rights/">boasts</a> of “standing up for” the right to keep and bear arms, and his Department of Justice is taking some <a href="https://www.cato.org/commentary/getting-gun-permit-la-county-shouldnt-be-rarer-nolan-ryan-no-hitter">bold steps</a> in that direction — including filing <a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-administration-lawsuit-washington-dc-guns-661b8f71c9ee6c28883fe726f17230dc">a lawsuit</a> against D.C.’s ban on many semiautomatic weapons.
The Department should also be joining locals in celebrating the recent court decision in <a href="https://www.dccourts.gov/sites/default/files/2026-03/Benson%2520v%2520US%2520et%2520al%252023-CV-0541%2520FINAL.pdf">Benson v. District of Columbia</a>. The case began when Tyree Benson was arrested for possessing a gun with a detachable, 30-round magazine. That was illegal because Benson had not registered the gun or obtained a carry license. But Benson had a compelling defense: the District would not have let him register the gun because it bans magazines that can hold more than 10 rounds — and that restriction is itself unconstitutional under the Second Amendment.
D.C.’s highest court agreed and, on March 5, a three-judge panel struck down the ban. A two-judge majority observed that “about half of the magazines in the hands of our citizenry” hold more than 10 rounds and “come standard with the most popular firearms sold in America today.” The Constitution does not let a locale ban such “arms in common and ubiquitous use by law-abiding citizens across this country.” The Benson decision now stands as a monument to common sense, protecting magazines that many Americans rely on.
Surprisingly, the court reached this decision with the encouragement of Pirro’s office. Though she had initially prosecuted Benson, she ultimately agreed that the District’s law violated his rights.
Then something even less expected happened: Pirro <a href="https://efile.dcappeals.gov/document/view.do?documentID=410696&amp;csIID=67629">asked the court</a> to press rewind. It backed the District’s request for the court to rehear the case en banc, meaning <a href="https://www.dccourts.gov/court-of-appeals/court-of-appeals-judges">all seven of its judges</a> would participate in the decision.
It is anyone’s guess whether Washington gunowners will manage to run the court’s gauntlet a second time. One of the three judges who heard the case the first time <a href="https://www.dccourts.gov/sites/default/files/2026-03/Benson%2520v%2520US%2520et%2520al%252023-CV-0541%2520FINAL.pdf">dissented</a> from the decision. <a href="https://www.dccourts.gov/court-of-appeals/court-of-appeals-judges/shanker-vijay">All</a> <a href="https://www.dccourts.gov/court-of-appeals/court-of-appeals-judges/beckwith-corinne">four</a> <a href="https://www.dccourts.gov/court-of-appeals/court-of-appeals-judges/howard-iii-john-p">of</a> <a href="https://www.dccourts.gov/court-of-appeals/court-of-appeals-judges/mcleese-iii-roy-w">the</a> judges who would join the case, if reheard, were appointed by Democratic presidents. Letting the decision stand would vindicate the Second Amendment — rehearing would roll the dice with virtually no chance of achieving a better constitutional ruling.
Pirro <a href="https://efile.dcappeals.gov/document/view.do?documentID=410696&amp;csIID=67629">attempted to explain</a> her stance. While noting that she continued to believe the District law is unconstitutional, she fretted that the court’s decision went too far, saying it should have merely limited the law’s application to extremely high-capacity magazines. (Never mind that the law the court invalidated is far broader than that.) Further, she argued that the law wasn’t what kept Benson from registering his gun. Had he gone down to the station, the police could have “confiscate[d] the prohibited large-capacity magazine while registering the firearm itself.” Judge Deahl, the author of the majority opinion, deemed this poppycock, <a href="https://efile.dcappeals.gov/document/view.do?documentID=409666&amp;csIID=67629">writing</a> that the District could “with a snap of its fingers” comply with the Constitution by “no longer conditioning the registration and licensure of firearms upon their firing capacity.”
Setting aside the technicalities of D.C.’s gun-registration laws, Second Amendment advocates are <a href="https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2026/apr/9/second-amendment-groups-rip-dc-us-attorney-pirro-hurting-gun-rights/">wondering</a> why Pirro is working overtime to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory. The National Association for Gun Rights said her support for rehearing “risks undermining” the Benson decision. Gun Owners of America warned: “Stop adopting anti-gun positions, DOJ!” <a href="https://thereload.com/analysis-jeanine-pirro-may-have-just-fumbled-a-long-sought-hardware-ban-circuit-split-for-gun-rights-activists/">The Reload</a> noted that Pirro’s brief “did not even need to exist.”
This is not the first time Pirro has shown hostility toward the Second Amendment. Back in 2004, <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2025/09/01/us/politics/dc-crime-trump-guns.html">she said</a>, “There is no legitimate purpose in possessing an assault weapon other than to kill as many people as quickly as possible.” Two months ago, she <a href="https://www.cato.org/blog/us-attorney-jeanine-pirro-threatens-jail-anyone-who-brings-gun-dc">threatened</a>: “I don’t care if you have a license in another district, and I don’t care if you’re a law-abiding gun owner somewhere else. You bring a gun into this District, count on going to jail, and hope you get the gun back.” Following backlash, Pirro put out a <a href="https://www.yahoo.com/news/articles/jeanine-pirro-attempts-damage-control-164555079.html?guccounter=1&amp;guce_referrer=aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuY2F0by5vcmcv&amp;guce_referrer_sig=AQAAAA3ENxYwnYqPOo0a93nk_CqihxFuUJ10_yU3jpWSW7vNBU-XniEKTZVyHxIAtFLqBREbSUodAqEqdTklh7Vr9b8llOAbnogh68VN4iBm0dT0PZsF1TzOsqCg_d4aTEs3USGIr63_pX99cw3kGbsEYoW5qF2nxcZ6eaRzrGI0FGcd">social media video</a> casting herself as “a proud high-heeled gun owner.”
Those heels are doing quite the dance on the Second Amendment. Should President Trump nominate her to lead the DOJ, every American gun owner will get to know the dangers of Pirro’s pirouettes, facing an attorney general who voices support for their rights while undermining them at every turn.
***
Matthew Cavedon is the director of the Cato Institute’s Project on Criminal Justice.

U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro Announces Take Down of D.C. Fentanyl And PCP Drug Trafficking Crew

Jeanine Pirro’s Second Amendment Two-Step 

Gun Control

Second Amendment

Officials in the nation’s capital will deploy birth control to try to get the city’s rodent population under control after years of failure.
D.C. Health said on Wednesday they will start placing &#8220;fertility control bait” in targeted neighborhoods as part of a “blitz” targeting the rat population. At the same time, officials pleaded for Washington, D.C., residents to stop throwing food trash on the ground.
“You have said that we need a more effective strategy, and so we have come up with a new strategy,” D.C. Health Director Ayanna Bennett said.
The rat control program is <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/dc-md-va/2026/04/03/dc-rat-control-birth-control-pilot/">predicted</a> to cost around $130,000 and will focus on the Adams Morgan neighborhood first before expanding to the wider city. That part of town is known for its bars and international restaurants.
&#8220;We’re gonna get the rat population down and then we’re gonna come back in three weeks to see if any of those babies survived and get them, too. But, they cannot stay down if they find anything to eat,” Bennett said. “So that means everybody cannot be throwing food on the ground. The mayor doesn’t like it and it’s helping the rats. We don’t want your trash to be outside of the bin, if at all possible.”
D.C Health <a href="https://dchealth.dc.gov/service/rodent-and-vector-control-division">revealed</a> more about the “targeted rodent control pilot” program, saying that it would improve public health in “areas experiencing high rodent impact.”
The “three-pronged blitz” will include placing rat poison at rat burrows and “non-lethal rodent fertility control bait designed to reduce rodent reproduction over time.”
“The blitz activities will occur in three-week cycles, where a team of inspectors will apply all three control methods and conduct frequent monitoring,” D.C. Health said.
The rat blitz was welcomed by residents, who have long complained about the city’s inability to keep the rat population down.
&#8220;They be in the dumpsters. They be running in groups, like, two, three — a few too many,&#8221; one local man <a href="https://www.nbcwashington.com/news/local/dc-is-putting-rats-on-birth-control/4085151/">told</a> NBC News4.
&#8220;Anything that they can do to help limit the rats I would probably be in favor of,&#8221; another man said. &#8220;I’ve never heard of it. I trust that the science is real. But if it is, the less rats in D.C. is a good thing.&#8221;
Other cities like New York have tried similar strategies to control the rat population.
&#8220;Two rats in a given year can reproduce 15,000 descendants,&#8221; New York City Councilmember Shaun Abreu <a href="https://www.cbsnews.com/newyork/news/rat-birth-control-nyc/">said</a> last year. &#8220;We have to go at the source.&#8221;

Dirty disgusting rats on area that was filled with sewage, smelly, damp, and garbage bags. Referring to the problem of rats in the city, disease outbreaks from animals, filth of city. Selective focus.

The Nation’s Capital Deploys An Unlikely Weapon In Its Failing War On Rats

Animals

Birth Control

General

The selection of Bill Maher as this year’s Mark Twain Award recipient at the Trump Kennedy Center signals that art transcends partisan politics.
The Center confirmed on Thursday that Maher, a well-known actor, comedian, TV host, and political commentator, would be honored with the 27th Mark Twain Prize for American Humor. A ceremony is scheduled for June 28 and will stream exclusively on Netflix at a later date.
The Mark Twain Award recognizes the &#8220;world’s greatest humorists&#8221; who have had an impact on American society, just like Twain did. 
“For nearly three decades, the Mark Twain Prize has celebrated some of the greatest minds in comedy,” Roma Daravi, Vice President of Public Relations for the Trump Kennedy Center, said in a statement. “For even longer, Bill has been influencing American discourse – one politically incorrect joke at a time.”
Maher is best known for hosting “Politically Incorrect” from 1993 until 2002, followed by “Real Time” on HBO for more than two decades. The comedian received 41 Emmy nominations, winning once for “VICE” in 2014. He also received nominations for two Grammy Awards and a Tony Award.
The podcast host is considered to be classically liberal, meaning he calls out his party for drifting too far into radical territory. Maher made waves last year for having dinner with Trump, saying at the time that he kept an open mind and was pleasantly surprised.
Maher has been critical of trans ideology, open borders, and leftists generally living in a “<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/bill-maher-bursts-patton-oswalts-bluesky-bubble-with-a-dose-of-reality">Bluesky bubble</a>.” He’s not fully red-pilled, however, and still fervently supports the legalization of marijuana. Maher also professes to be an atheist and had a <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/bill-maher-says-his-morality-isnt-bible-based-ben-shapiro-sets-him-straight">lengthy debate</a> with Daily Wire Editor Emeritus Ben Shapiro on religion and morality last year.  
The comedian said the Mark Twain award was an honor.
“Thank you to the Mark Twain people: I just had the award explained to me, and apparently it’s like an Emmy, except I win,” Maher said in response to the news, per the <a href="https://www.kennedy-center.org/news-room/press-release-landing-page/bill-maher-27-mark-twain-prize/">press release</a>. “I’d just like to say that it is indeed humbling to get anything named for a man who’s been thrown out of as many school libraries as Mark Twain.”
Previous recipients of the Mark Twain Prize are: Richard Pryor (1998), Jonathan Winters (1999), Carl Reiner (2000), Whoopi Goldberg (2001), Bob Newhart (2002), Lily Tomlin (2003), Lorne Michaels (2004), Steve Martin (2005), Neil Simon (2006), Billy Crystal (2007), George Carlin (2008), Bill Cosby (2009; rescinded in 2018), Tina Fey (2010), Will Ferrell (2011), Ellen DeGeneres (2012), Carol Burnett (2013), Jay Leno (2014), Eddie Murphy (2015), Bill Murray (2016), David Letterman (2017), Julia Louis-Dreyfus (2018), Dave Chappelle (2019), Jon Stewart (2022), Adam Sandler (2023), Kevin Hart (2024), and Conan O’Brien (2025).

Bill Maher

Decades Of Offending Everyone Just Earned Bill Maher Comedy’s Highest Honor

Comedian Who Offends Everyone Earns High Honor at Trump Kennedy Center

Celebrities

Entertainment

Kennedy Center

A manhunt continues for the gunmen who “ambushed” a pair of U.S. Park Police officers on Monday night, sending one to the hospital with a gunshot wound. 
The officers were traveling in an unmarked Tesla in southeast Washington, D.C., when someone opened fire into their vehicle, law enforcement said during a press briefing. The officers were conducting an ongoing investigation in the area, and officials believe the shooting was targeted. 
The injured officer was airlifted to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries and released early Tuesday morning. 
“We can confirm that our officer who was shot last night was released from the hospital earlier this morning,” Park Police <a href="https://x.com/usparkpolicepio/status/2036415630190997755">said</a>. “Thank you for the thoughts and prayers!”
Park Police Chief Scott Brecht said that the officers “were ambushed by at least two gunmen” at 7:30 p.m. on Monday. The officer driving the vehicle was struck but managed to drive up the road, where he pulled over and was administered first aid. 
“We are seeking two suspects, two black males, one was wearing a white hoodie with blue jeans, the other was wearing all black, with [a] white stripe down the sleeve and down the pant leg,” Brecht <a href="https://x.com/usparkpolicepio">said</a>. 
Brecht did not specify what kind of law enforcement operation the officers were conducting. 
“This is an example of unnecessary gun violence in our city. There’s no reason that anybody, a police officer, not a police officer, should be shot just for being out here driving through the neighborhood,”  said interim D.C. Police Chief Jeffery Carroll.
Attorney General Pam Bondi was briefed on the shooting, and the FBI is assisting in the search for the suspects. 
“Praying for the Park Police officer shot in Washington, D.C. The FBI is actively supporting the investigation alongside our law enforcement partners and will bring those responsible to justice,” FBI Director Kash Patel <a href="https://x.com/FBIDirectorKash/status/2036244929668591826">said</a> Monday. “We will provide updates as we are able &#8211; please keep the officer and their family in your prayers.”
Park Police comes under the jurisdiction of the National Park Service and has field offices in D.C., San Francisco, and New York City.

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Trump Admin Responds After Cops Ambushed In D.C.

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D.C. Democrats Face Questions Over Teen Takeovers As Mayoral Race Heats Up

Violent Teen Takeover Erupts Inside Chipotle As Officials Promise Parents Won’t Escape Blame

Teen Takeovers Turn Blue Cities Into ‘Scenes From The Purge’

For DC’s Hottest Restaurant Weed Dispensaries Are Like A Hole In The Head

Will A Saudi-Funded Golf League Survive Despite Low Ratings And Low Cash?

SEE IT: Trump Trolls Libs With AI Pic Of Him Lounging In Lincoln Memorial Reflection Pool

WATCH: Buses Crash Head-On Near Pentagon, Department Of War Personnel Injured

Clarence Thomas Issues Stark Warning About America’s Survival Under The Left

Jeanine Pirro’s Second Amendment Two-Step

The Nation’s Capital Deploys An Unlikely Weapon In Its Failing War On Rats

Decades Of Offending Everyone Just Earned Bill Maher Comedy’s Highest Honor

Trump Admin Responds After Cops Ambushed In D.C.

Jeanine Pirro’s Second Amendment Two-Step 