Tag Archives: Washington DC

The Washington Post reports: Last summer, when gay nightclub Town Danceboutique shuttered its doors, its patrons packed in for one last sweaty, nostalgic dance party — mourning the closing as the loss of a mainstay for D.C.’s LGBTQ community. Now, the owners are planning a resurrection for the beloved club: “Town2.0.” Its potential new home? A former Baptist church. Speculation …

USA Today report: District of Columbia Mayor Muriel Bowser government says that the cost of President Donald Trump’s Fourth of July celebration and the cost of addressing recent protests has emptied out a municipal fund used to provide security for public events and defend against terrorist threats. In a letter to Trump dated July 9, Bowser says the city spent …

Raw Story reports: President Donald Trump tried to drum up interest in his flagging Fourth of July spectacle by hinting that Air Force One and military vehicles might engage in some stunts to entertain onlookers. The president sounded a bit like historic showman P. T. Barnum — to whom he’s often compared — in announcing some of the exhibitions the …

Mother Jones reports: Mother Jones obtained a photo of a card that is being distributed to participating service members with instructions from the Pentagon about what to say—and not to say—when speaking with members of the media. The Department of Defense would like service members to be clear that they are “proud” on several levels. Under the overall messages, the …

Talking Points Memo reports: A giant robot designed to look like President Trump tweeting while sitting on the toilet, which made its debut in London during the president’s recent visit, will follow the president to D.C. on July 4th to protest his “Salute to America” celebration. Activists with CODEPINK, which will be bringing the popular “Baby Trump” blimp to D.C. …

The Washington Post reports: The Independence Day weather forecast is threatening to put a damper on President Trump’s “Salute to America” event on the National Mall. A spokeswoman for the Department of the Interior said the agency expects Thursday’s events “to take place rain or shine.” But with a chance of storms in the Washington, D.C., area, it’s unclear whether …

Politico reports: President Donald Trump on Wednesday downplayed the mounting cost of his ambitious Fourth of July celebration, saying the price tag “will be very little compared to what it is worth.” The president on Wednesday did not specify the projected costs for Thursday’s event, but the $2.5 million Park Service figure to just partially cover costs would be larger …

DC’s CBS News affiliate reports: The military is telling Washington, D.C., residents not to panic this evening if they see an armored personnel carrier rolling through their neighborhood. According to an Army spokesperson, Bradley armored personnel carriers being stored at a Southeast rail yard will be moved to the National Mall in preparation for President Donald Trump’s “Salute to America” …

The Washington Post reports: The National Park Service is diverting nearly $2.5 million in entrance and recreation fees primarily intended to improve parks across the country to cover costs associated with President Trump’s Independence Day celebration Thursday on the Mall, according to two individuals familiar with the arrangement. Trump administration officials have consistently refused to say how much taxpayers will …

Politico reports: President Donald Trump’s controversial takeover of the Fourth of July celebration at the National Mall won’t completely take over the cable airwaves. MSNBC, for one, doesn’t plan to carry his “Salute to America” live, though the network will assess in real-time whether to air clips of the event, a spokesperson told POLITICO. Fox News is planning to cover …

McClatchy reports: The next generation “Marine One” presidential helicopter will make its first public flight at President Donald Trump’s July 4 event, two U.S. officials confirmed to McClatchy. The helicopter is not in official use yet. It is being produced by a team from Lockheed Martin and Sikorsky. In the last few months the helicopter has flown test flights around …

The Associated Press reports: At least two Army tanks have arrived in Washington ahead of a Fourth of July celebration that President Donald Trump says will include military hardware. An Associated Press photographer says the two M1A1 Abrams tanks are with four other military vehicles on a freight train in a railyard at the southeastern edge of Washington. The vehicles …

The Washington Post reports: National Park Service acting director P. Daniel Smith faces plenty of looming priorities this summer, from an $11 billion backlog in maintenance needs to natural disasters like the recent wildfire damage to Big Bend Park. But in recent days, another issue has competed for Smith’s attention: how to satisfy President Trump’s request to station tanks or …

The Washington Post reports: Plans by President Trump to reshape Washington’s Independence Day celebration now include an area in front of the Lincoln Memorial reserved for dignitaries, family and friends that will be accessible only through tickets distributed by the White House. The VIP section will stretch roughly from the steps of the memorial to the midpoint of the reflecting …

The Associated Press reports: President Donald Trump’s participation in the nation’s annual Fourth of July celebration will include a Trump speech honoring America’s armed forces, along with music, military demonstrations and flyovers, the administration announced Wednesday, about two weeks before the patriotic holiday. Federal lawmakers, local officials and others have voiced concerns that Trump could alter the tone of what …

The Washington Post reports: President Trump’s speech at the Lincoln Memorial on the Fourth of July is expected to drive up security costs for an annual event that draws hundreds of thousands of visitors to the nation’s capital. But the president has still not fully paid the bill for the last time he addressed a massive crowd on the Mall: …

The Washington Post reports: When President Trump ascends the steps of the Lincoln Memorial to address the nation on Independence Day, a group of activists want him to see the scowling, splotchy face of a giant orange baby floating above the crowd. The blimp known as “Baby Trump,” which has appeared at protests during the president’s visits to London, might …

The Washington Blade reports: A gun scare in Dupont Circle Saturday night that brought D.C.’s annual Capital Pride Parade to an abrupt end and sent hundreds of parade spectators fleeing in panic appears to have been caused by a man who told police he pointed a BB gun at another individual who was assaulting his female “significant other,” according to …

The Washington Post reports: Reports that shots had been fired near the site of the Capital Pride Parade in Washington on Saturday evening sent people running in panic through the streets, according to accounts from ­witnesses. But D.C. Mayor Muriel E. Bowser (D) said shortly afterward that despite the rumors, “there were no shots fired” at Dupont Circle. Officials later …

DCist reports: A historic year for the D.C. statehood movement continues, as the House Committee on Oversight and Reform schedules a hearing to discuss legislation to make the District the 51st state on July 24. It will be the first time in decades that the lower chamber has officially considered statehood for the District. Delegate Eleanor Holmes Norton, the District’s …