Washington, D.C
D.C. server fired for saying she would refuse to serve some Trump officials
A server in Washington, D.C. has been fired after she said she would refuse to serve certain officials in Donald Trump’s incoming administration who have been accused of sexual misconduct.
The server was working at Beuchert’s Saloon on Capitol Hill when she made the comments to Washingtonian magazine for a story about D.C. preparing for the influx of Trump officials to the city’s dining spots.
After the story ran, Fox News ran its own story following up on her comments and learned she had been fired for what her employer called her “base prejudice.”
“I personally would refuse to serve any person in office who I know of as being a sex trafficker or trying to deport millions of people,” Suzannah Van Rooy told the magazine. “It’s not, ‘Oh, we hate Republicans.’ It’s that this person has moral convictions that are strongly opposed to mine, and I don’t feel comfortable serving them.”
She said that while she expects most servers will just grin and bear having to serve people they are morally and ideologically opposed to, she hopes that some will make their opposition clear.
“People were a lot more motivated the first time around to do those kinds of shows of passion. This time around, there is kind of a sense of defeat and acceptance,” she told the magazine. “But I hope that people still do stand up to this administration and tell them their thoughts on their misbehavior.”
Beuchert’s called Van Rooy’s comments to the magazine “unacceptable.”
“Recent comments made by a member of staff who had no authority to speak on behalf of our entire restaurant have been, quite rightly, flagged as inappropriate, hostile, intolerant, and unacceptable. This staff member does NOT speak for us as a restaurant,” the restaurant said in a statement.
As previously reported, a number of incoming Trump officials — and Trump himself — have been accused of sexual misconduct. Elle magazine writer E Jean Carroll was awarded more than $80 million following a defamation trial in which he was found liable for sexual abuse.
Former congressman Matt Gaetz was being investigated by both the Department of Justice and the House Ethics Committee for allegations of sexual relations with a minor before he dropped out of consideration for Trump’s Attorney General.
He withdrew his nomination hours before CNN published a report about a second alleged sexual encounter with a 17-year-old girl.
Elon Musk —who has been been tapped by Trump to co-lead the “Department of Government Efficiency” pseudo-agency alongside failed Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy — has been sued by eight former SpaceX employees over sexual harassment-related allegations.
In the lawsuit, former employees allege Musk “treated women as sexual objects to be evaluated on their bra size, bombarding the workplace with lewd sexual banter.”
Trump’s proposed defense secretary, former Fox News host Pete Hegseth, was accused of sexually assaulting a staff member from the California Federation of Republican Women in 2017, and Robert F Kennedy Jr — Trump’s nominee for the Department of Health and Human Services — has been accused of sexually assaulting a former babysitter in the 1990s.
Linda McMahon, Trump’s proposed pick for Secretary of Education, has been named in a lawsuit alleging that her and her husband, former WWE head-honcho Vince McMahon, failed to stop an employee form sexually abusing children in the 1980s and 1990s.
Vince McMahon is also being sued for allegedly sex trafficking a woman in his employ.
This isn’t the first time drama involving the Trump administration and D.C.-area restaurants has made headlines.
Former Trump press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders was kicked out of the Red Hen restaurant in Lexington, Virginia in 2018 by its co-owner, saying that she “publicly defended the president’s cruelest policies.”
Democratic Congresswoman Maxine Waters made headlines shortly after she called for supporters to confront Trump officials in public spaces like restaurants to let them know the public opposed their policies. Republicans argued at the time that Waters was encouraging public harm to administration officials.
Around the same time, protesters confronted Trump’s then-Homeland Security Secretary Kristjen Nielsen while she was dining at a local Mexican restaurant and voiced their opposition to the administration’s mass deportation policies.
The protesters, including members of the Metro DC Democratic Socialists of America, entered the MXDC Cocina Mexicana near the White House with signs and jeered at the official.
Van Rooy has removed her LinkedIn profile, likely to avoid harassment by angry Trump supporters.
Washington, D.C
97-year-old World War II veteran honored virtually at home
At 97, Veteran Harley Wero wasn’t up for a trip to the nation’s capital, so volunteers from the Western North Dakota honor flight brought the trip to him. Wero, his wife Muriel and their daughter Jennifer got to experience Washington, DC, without ever leaving their home.
Web Editor : Sydney Ross
Posted
Washington, D.C
DC Public Health to begin daily testing of Potomac, Anacostia rivers for E. coli
WASHINGTON – Beginning on Monday, the D.C. Department of Health will be conducting daily tests for E. coli in the Potomac and Anacostia rivers.
It comes more than five weeks after the Potomac interceptor collapse sent millions of gallons of sewage into the river.
The testing will also coincide with an important safety advisory being lifted.
Why it matters:
Director of the D.C. Department of Health, Dr. Ayanna Bennett, says they will begin daily testing for E. coli in the Potomac and Anacostia rivers on Monday, along with help from the Environmental Protection Agency.
Currently, D.C. is only testing weekly.
“We feel really secure that the initial sewage is not a threat to people, it’s passed through some time ago, but we do want to get more information about what the long term condition of the river is gonna be and how we should look at it going forward.”
Big picture view:
Monday is also an important day because it’s when the District is expected to lift its advisory that recommends against recreational activities on the Potomac — we’re talking boating, fishing, walking pets by the water.
It’s important to note, however, that D.C.’s advisory pertains to its portion of the Potomac, and it has no bearing on advisories issued by officials in Maryland or Virginia.
Still, this is being treated by many as a hopeful sign.
What they’re saying:
But significant concerns absolutely remain for residents.
“I’ve had tons of messages from people saying they’re not going to let their kids row crew, they’re not going to go to sailing schools. We catch three million tons of blue cats out of the Potomac River. That season starts next week, and they’re not gonna be able to bring those blue cats to market,” said Dean Naujoks with the Potomac Riverkeepers.
“You knew years ago that parts of this Potomac Interceptor were corroded and vulnerable, especially where it broke, in Cabin John, our neighborhood,” one resident said, speaking at a public meeting in Bethesda on Thursday.
“I know there are small business owners here. Who’s accounting for all of our losses that we’re getting due to your sewer blowing up?” another resident asked.
Officials with D.C. Water, which is a public utility, have been running daily tests and will continue to do so as well.
Washington, D.C
Pleasant, spring-like weekend for Virginia, Maryland, DC ahead of active start to March
After one of the coldest winters in years, the DMV is ending the month of February, and meteorological winter, with a nice spring preview.
Temperatures will reach the low 60s area-wide Saturday afternoon under mostly sunny skies. A real treat for the final day of February, enjoy!
Sunday will bring a few changes as an active weather pattern begins to bring in March.
A cold front will slowly move through the area and be mostly starved of moisture. There is a chance at a spotty shower or two, but most stay dry under mostly cloudy skies.
Temperatures will drop throughout the day as the front moves through with most afternoon temperatures in the 50s falling to the 30s by nightfall.
European model forecast rainfall totals
This front will stall just to the south and be a focal point for several days of active weather next week around the DMV.
A wintry mix looks likely Monday with temperatures near freezing with little to no wintry precipitation accumulation, but a different story as that will then switch to all rain chances Tuesday through about Friday.
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Stay tuned to the First Alert Weather team as they continue to monitor forecast trends heading into next week.
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