Washington, D.C
Monumental Sports & Entertainment Announces “District Dribble”; Campaign Will Deliver 29,000 Basketballs to Elementary Students across 80 DC Public Schools – Monumental Sports
This signature element of Monumental Sports’ “District of Play” Initiative to empower D.C. youth through sports begins this week
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Washington, D.C. – March 18, 2025 – Monumental Sports & Entertainment (MSE) Founder & CEO Ted Leonsis today announced the launch of the signature initiative, “District Dribble,” as part of the company’s larger, ongoing “District of Play” effort. District Dribble will deliver 29,000 basketballs to 80 public schools throughout the District, providing every student in pre-kindergarten through 5th grade a basketball and t-shirt. This event is part of Monumental Sports’ larger “District of Play” initiative, a transformative multi-year, multi-million-dollar investment in expanding access to youth sports and building healthy, vibrant communities in Washington, D.C.
Ted Leonsis, whose vision for Monumental Sports & Entertainment includes a double bottom line strategy to make a positive social impact said, “Growing up in Brooklyn, I vividly remember the joy of receiving my first basketball and spending time at the courts in Sunset Park. It wasn’t just about the game—it was about the sense of community, friendships, and the life lessons learned through sports. Now our organization wants to ensure every child in D.C. has the same opportunity to experience the same benefits, no matter their background or where they live.” And Ted has long held the belief that a ball can change a life, which is why he co-produced the sports documentary, “Kicking It,” narrated by Colin Farrell.
“When kids play sports, they gain confidence, build friendships, and develop lifelong skills like teamwork and perseverance,” said Mayor Muriel Bowser. “We know that being the Sports Capital isn’t just about our professional teams – it’s also about investing in our youth and making sports and recreation more accessible in our city. We’re grateful that through District Dribble, Ted Leonsis and Monumental Sports are helping put sport and play in reach for more children.”
On Thursday, March 20, 2025, Ted Leonsis will join Mayor Muriel Bowser, DC Public Schools (DCPS) Chancellor Dr. Lewis D. Ferebee, and Ward 5 Councilmember Zachary Parker at Browne Education Campus in Northeast D.C. to deliver the first 300 of 29,000 NBA regulation-sized basketballs slated for every DC Public Schools (DCPS) elementary school student. The campaign is utilizing a “District Dribble”-branded double decker bus which will arrive at Browne Education Campus carrying Ted Leonsis, Washington Wizards guard Jaylen Martin and forward JT Thor, Washington Mystics forward Aaliyah Edwards and guard Brittney Sykes, and Capital City Go-Go forwards Leaky Black and Mouhamadou “Mo” Gueye, talent from Monumental Sports Network, front office representatives from the Wizards and Mystics, and several other dignitaries.
The bus will arrive and deliver the t-shirts and basketballs, which were designed for both indoor and outdoor play. They feature the official Washington Wizards logo and team colors. This marks a pivotal moment in the exciting, community-wide effort to empower youth, promote physical activity, and provide safe play opportunities.
Delivery Schedule
The basketballs will begin delivery to the 80 schools across the District on Thursday, March 20, at a rate of approximately five schools per day (excluding weekends). Monumental Sports is coordinating with DCPS to arrange the delivery date and time schedule. DCPS is in contact with each of the schools on the plan for distribution to each student and additional information on the deliveries will be communicated to students and their parents directly from their school. The first basketballs will be delivered beginning on March 20th with additional deliveries set to take place over the next several school days, ensuring all students receive their basketballs in time for Spring Break.
The District Dribble bus will make deliveries during school days before returning to public circulation over Cherry Blossom Festival weekend. Wizards and Mystics branded vehicles will then continue the delivery schedule and utilize moving trucks where needed.
About District of Play
The District of Play initiative was launched by Monumental Sports in September 2024. The public-private partnership between Monumental Sports and the District to create a brand-new Capital One Arena included a robust Community Benefits component which Leonsis labeled “District of Play.” This program aims to create positive and accessible spaces for youth to play, grow, and develop lifelong skills in sports, all while engaging parents, coaches, and local communities.
Monumental Sports, under Ted’s leadership, has been a consistent partner in the community supporting the great works of nonprofits like DC Central Kitchen, Martha’s Table, and dozens of others. Coming in the form of direct grants, in-kind donations, and volunteering from athletes and employees – that work of needed assistance will continue across multiple facets of the business.
On top of that, this is a very special moment in the organization’s charitable work to make a significant effort to transform access and opportunity in youth sports as Capital One Arena undergoes its own transformation. This event is meant to spark the experience of fun, building healthy habits and providing students with the accessibility to play and grow their own relationship with sports to pay lifelong dividends.
This investment in D.C.’s youth extends far beyond basketballs. In addition to the basketballs, Monumental’s District of Play initiative includes dozens of commitments. A few highlights below and a full list can be found at www.monumentalsports.com/DistrictOfPlay.
Refurbishing 1 indoor and 2 outdoor basketball courts per year for the next four years
Building a new street hockey rink
Developing playgrounds in each of D.C.’s 8 wards over the next 8 years
Supporting youth sports programming and scholarships, including DPR Youth Basketball, Flag Star Football, and Fort Dupont Ice Arena’s Kids On Ice
Providing transportation to ice rinks for children to learn to skate and try hockey
Investing in local coaching infrastructure through clinics and partnerships with organizations like the Positive Coaches Alliance
Hosting community events such as Back-To-School and Thanksgiving meal-packing initiatives
Thus far, District of Play has had an impact on over 5,700 kids since its September 2024 launch:
Capitals Youth Hockey have introduced 1,200 D.C. children to ice skating and ball hockey through the Rink Pass program and through a partnership with Friends of Fort Dupont Ice Arena. Free field trips to local ice rinks for skating lessons and ball hockey rinks for hands-on instruction gives kids the opportunity to deepen their engagement with the sport.
Wizards and Mystics Youth Basketball have subsidized Jr. NBA League affiliations for D.C. Department of Parks and Recreation youth basketball leagues, providing jerseys and offering free clinics at the start of the season, reaching over 1,500 kids.
The Wizards hosted a free Coaches Workshop at Entertainment & Sports Arena in Ward 8 where 150 coaches were trained, strengthening the foundation of basketball in D.C.
The Wizards hosted a 3v3 tournament at historic Barry Farm in Ward 8 in partnership with Hoop-it-up, impacting 100 players.
The Wizards have held free or subsidized gameday clinics serving over 250 kids.
The Wizards held an open practice at Thurgood Marshall Academy in Southeast, D.C. attended by 360 students.
Monumental hosted a Hispanic Heritage Clinic for 30+ participants on top of basketball donations benefiting an entire school of nearly 300 students.
The Wizards have partnered with Building Bridges Across the River to support Midnight Basketball, a late-night program offering Ward 8 youth and young adults a safe and engaging recreational space on weekend evenings. It has drawn 60+ players and 200 community members and the season will conclude with the finals and a closing ceremony hosted by the Wizards at the Entertainment & Sports Arena on Saturday, Dec. 21.
Monumental Sports built a new playground at Huntwood Courts Ward 7 in partnership with KABOOM! and Washington Housing Conservancy. Designed by the kids and families who will use it, the play area will serve over 560 children.
Monumental is sponsoring Flag Star Football to fund three key initiatives:
Scholarship Expansion: 38% of kids who play at RFK are on scholarship, and our support helps increase those opportunities.
Preparing Future Business Leaders: Since December, up to 120 young leaders (high school and college athletes) have been meeting for professional development sessions at the arena, hearing from various sports business leaders around the DMV, before attending a Capitals or Wizards game for free.
Girls’ Flag Football Growth: We’re expanding offerings for girls, which also serves as the core project for our interns between training sessions.
The Wizards have sponsored complimentary USA Basketball Licensing for basketball coaches throughout the District. The complimentary USA Basketball Licensing was sent to 83 DCPS schools, permitting 415 coaches to access the licensing, along with aiding approximately 1,200 children in those schools.
The Mystics and the Women’s Sports Foundation hosted a youth sports clinic at American University for D.C.-area girls between the ages of 8-14 years old, who participates in a variety of skills led by the Washington Mystics and AU student-athletes. During the clinic, WSF and MSE offered a parent workshop helped educate guardians about the vital role they play in empowering their children to thrive in sport.
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Washington, D.C
What’s that noise? What you need to know about D.C. flyovers Friday and Saturday – WTOP News
Reagan National Airport will close for America 250 flyover rehearsals Friday and celebrations Saturday featuring the Thunderbirds, Blue Angels and more.
Reagan National Airport will close from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Friday for rehearsals ahead of this weekend’s America 250 celebrations, meaning people around D.C., Arlington and Alexandria may hear and see low-flying military aircraft.
According to Freedom 250 event organizers, Friday’s “Wings of Freedom” demonstrations over the National Mall will feature parachute teams, helicopters and military aircraft, including the U.S. Marine Corps’ MV-22 Osprey and F-35B, the Navy’s F-18F and F-35C, the Air Force’s F-22 Raptor, the Thunderbirds and a tri-bomber formation.
On Saturday, the FAA will close the airport from noon to midnight for the full celebration. All arrivals and departures at Reagan National are scheduled to end before noon.
Flyovers and demonstrations are scheduled throughout the afternoon and evening along the National Mall and Washington Monument grounds, including appearances by Air Force One, the Thunderbirds, Blue Angels, military aircraft fleet reviews, parachute demonstrations and B-2 stealth bombers.
Highlights include an Air Force One flyover scheduled for 7:03 p.m., a Thunderbirds demonstration beginning at 6:25 p.m., a tri-bomber formation at 6:02 p.m. and a stealth aircraft flyover at 7:38 p.m.
Friday’s schedule of flyovers and demonstration rehearsals along the National Mall and Washington Monument
- 10 a.m.: Golden Knights, Leap Frogs
- 10:15 a.m.: Army Helo Flyover
- 10:20 a.m.: USMC V-22 Osprey Demo
- 10:35 a.m.: USMC F-35B STOVL Demo
- 10:50 a.m.: USN F-18F Demo
- 11:10 a.m.: USN F-35C Demo Team
- 11:30 a.m.: USAF F-22 Raptor Demo
- 11:50 a.m.: NASA F-5s
- 12 p.m.: HUGE (1) Formation
- 12:05 p.m.: USAF Thunderbirds
- 12:55 p.m.: USAF Tri-Bomber
Saturday’s schedule of flyovers and demonstration along the National Mall and Washington Monument
- 1:14 p.m.: – NASA F-5 Flyover
- 1:24 p.m.: -NASA Fleet Review
- 1:44 p.m.: USCG Helo Flyover
- 1:54 p.m.: USCG Fixed Wing Flyover
- 2:09 p.m.: Golden Knights, Leap Frogs
- 2:29 p.m.: Army Helo Flyover
- 2:44 p.m.: USAF Fleet Review – Wave 1 – Heavies
- 2:54 p.m.: USAF Fleet Review – Wave 2 – AFSOC
- 3:04 p.m.: USAF Fleet Review – Wave 3 – Fighters
- 3:29 p.m.: Executive Rotary Wing Airlift
- 3:39 p.m.: USMC Fleet Review – Wave 1 – Rotary
- 3:49 p.m.: USMC Fleet Review – Wave 2 – Fixed Wing
- 3:59 p.m.: USN Fleet Review – Wave 1 – Rotary
- 4:09 p.m.: USN Fleet Review – Wave 2 – Fixed Wing
- 4:19 p.m.: USN Fleet Review – Wave 3 – Fighters
- 4:21 p.m.: USN F-18F Demonstration
- 4:59 p.m.: USN Blue Angels
- 5:26 p.m.: USMC MV-22 Osprey Demonstration
- 5:44 p.m.: USAF Fleet Review – Fighters
- 6:02 p.m.: USAF Tri-Bomber Formation
- 6:05 p.m.: USN F-35C Demonstration
- 6:25 p.m.: USAF Thunderbirds Demonstration
- 7:03 p.m.: Air Force One Flyover
- 7:07 p.m.: USAF Thunderbirds Delta Break
- 7:17 p.m.: HUGE 1 Flyover Led by the Newly Renovated Air Force One
- 7:38 p.m.: U.S. Stealth Airpower Flyover
- 7:39 p.m.: F-22 Raptor Demo
- 7:53 p.m.: F-22 Raptor in Afterburner
- 7:59 p.m.: B-1 Flyover
- 8:07 p.m.: B-1’s in Afterburner
- 8:11 p.m.: HUGE ONE Fly Over Review
- 8:22 p.m.: Golden Knights Twilight Jump
- 10:36 p.m.: B-1 Afterburner Night Pass
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An Air Force major was arrested in uniform on the steps of the Capitol after he called for the impeachment of President Donald Trump.
U.S. Capitol Police arrested Jason Watson, an active-duty service member, on Wednesday afternoon following remarks at a news conference where he said Trump and Vice President JD Vance should be removed from office.
The event was organized by the Removal Coalition, a group that lobbies members of Congress to impeach Trump, and attended by Rep. Al Green, D-Texas, who has repeatedly introduced articles of impeachment against Trump.
“I’m here with him because Rep. Green is the only member of Congress that has demonstrated the courage and conviction to … force a vote on articles of impeachment,” Watson said at the event. “If Congress followed his example, we could remove the entire Trump administration, but Congress remains unconvinced of the urgency and necessity for them to honor their oaths, so we must persuade them with our unrelenting, uncompromising civil resistance.”
Watson said he is not a Democrat and does not share policy positions with Green, who lost his re-election bid this year. Green’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Watson’s arrest.
Capitol Police said in a statement that it “is generally against the law for the public to demonstrate on the House Steps unless they are with a Member of Congress.”
“Yesterday afternoon, a man was escorted to the House Steps by a Member of Congress,” the statement said. “When the Member of Congress left the area, our officers gave the man lawful orders to stop the illegal demonstration or he would be arrested. The man refused our lawful orders.”
Capitol Police identified the man as Watson, adding that he was arrested on charges of “Crowding, Obstructing, and Incommoding” and that it is legal to protest in other spots on the Capitol grounds.
Service members are subject to stricter laws than the average citizen when it comes to protesting. The Uniform Code of Military Justice prohibits officers from “using contemptuous language towards the President, Vice president, the Secretaries of War and of a military department, Congress, and certain other officials,” according to an Air Force memo last year.
An Air Force spokesperson said in a statement Thursday: “Service members must comply with all laws, regulations and policies governing conduct and the wear of the uniform. All Department of the Air Force personnel are expected to uphold the highest standards of discipline and professionalism, both on and off duty.”
All service members, not just members of the Air Force, are prohibited from participating in “political activities” in uniform.
Watson’s criticism of Trump and Vance focused on the administration’s actions in Venezuela and Iran, calling them “an unconstitutional usurpation of Congress’ authority and a violation of the War Powers Clause.”
“These violations resulted in the deaths of 13 service members and injuries of hundreds more,” he said, referring to the number of U.S. military deaths tied to the Iran war. “For this, the president and vice president must be impeached, convicted and removed.”
Watson also called the administration’s immigration policies and tactics unconstitutional.
The Removal Coalition did not immediately respond to a request for comment, and Watson could not be reached.
President Donald Trump responded to criticism of a financial disclosure that listed $1.4 billion in crypto earnings largely driven by meme coins.
Berk Kutay Gökmen
02 July 2026•Update: 02 July 2026
US Defense Secretary Hegseth on Thursday faced protesters while hosting the Trump administration’s DC Safe and Beautiful Task Force ceremony in Washington DC.
During the ceremony at Meridian Hill Park, which saw the gathering of National Guardsmen, dozens of demonstrators gathered near the park to protest Hegseth.
Footage shows the demonstrators chanting a short distance away from where Hegseth and roughly 200 members of the National Guard had gathered in the park
In social media posts, one protester was seen holding a Palestinian flag, while another person was holding a sign that reads “arrest Hegseth.” The protesters want a “Free DC,” according to social media posts.
In his address to the National Guard, Hegseth said that “this background noise is perfect,” referring to the protests.
“It’s the sound of ingrates, of ingratitude—of people who are so blinded by ideology they can’t see law and order and common sense in front of them,” he said.
Meridian Hill Park was repaired by the National Park Service and the Interior Department as part of a larger initiative to restore and enhance federal parks and public spaces throughout the nation’s capital in preparation for America’s 250th anniversary, which falls on this Saturday, July 4.
Though such beautification projects are typically popular with the public, the current initiative has been controversial both for its choice of projects and the use of no-bid contracts to hire firms to do the work, sometimes with disappointing results.
The work aligns with President Donald Trump’s DC Safe and Beautiful Task Force, established by a March 2025 executive order that directs federal agencies to coordinate public safety and beautification efforts across Washington.
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