Club exercises Tamara Bolt’s 2027 option, extends Madison Haugen through end of season

Washington, D.C. (06/30/2026) – The Washington Spirit has made two midseason roster moves ahead of the resumption of the regular season early next month, the club announced today. The club has exercised its 2027 option on forward Tamara Bolt’s contract and extended short-term injury replacement (STR) player Madison Haugen through the end of the 2026 season.

“As we look ahead to kicking off the second half of the season, we’re confident in the group of players we have together and our midseason roster moves reflect that,” said Sporting Director James Hocken. “Our roster is constantly evolving to best serve the club’s aim of bringing trophies home to DC.”

Bolt signed with the Spirit in January 2025 before spending the calendar year on loan with Dallas Trinity FC of the USL Super League. Since returning to DC prior to this season, the Salvador, Brazil native has appeared in five matches for the Spirit. Bolt played three seasons with top-flight Brazilian side SC Internacional before joining the Spirit, appearing in 36 matches and tallying six goals in the process.

Haugen joined the Spirit as a short-term injury replacement player this past preseason, adding depth to the team’s roster in the absence of its players out on maternity leave. The defender has yet to appear in a match for the Spirit this season. Haugen most recently competed for Portugal’s Sporting CP, scoring five goals across 21 appearances.

The Spirit maintains ongoing conversations with all players that will be free agents following the 2026 season. Updates will be provided as they occur.

The Spirit will next take the pitch at Audi Field on Friday, July 3 when the side returns from the NWSL-wide June break to host the Houston Dash. Kicking off the holiday weekend at 8 p.m. EDT, tickets are available at WashingtonSpirit.com/tickets.

About The Washington Spirit

The Washington Spirit is the premier professional women’s soccer team based in Washington, D.C. and plays at Audi Field in Buzzard Point. The Spirit was founded on November 21, 2012 and is an inaugural member of the National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL), the fastest growing sports league in the US. The club is home to some of the best players in the world who have won championships for both club and country. For more information about the Spirit, visit WashingtonSpirit.com and follow the club on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.

This year’s Fourth of July celebrations in Washington, D.C. — marking the nation’s 250th birthday — will include hours of military flyovers and a massive fireworks display that could stretch late into the night, with some of the tightest security in decades, officials said Monday.

This Fourth will include “the largest display of fireworks our city has ever seen,” D.C. Metropolitan Police Department Interim Chief Jeff Carroll said at a news conference. Usually the fireworks begin at around 9 p.m., but this year, they are expected to begin at 11 p.m. and are “going to be longer than in previous years, we are told,” Mayor Muriel Bowser told reporters.

President Trump has said he plans to speak at 9 p.m., ahead of the fireworks. Starting at 1:15 p.m., hundreds of planes will participate in a “Fourth of July Airshow,” the president said. The National Mall also is hosting a daily event called the Great American State Fair that will run until July 10, and some local neighborhoods are hosting parades and other events on the Fourth.

The main festivities have been deemed a National Special Security Event, a designation used for massive events like Super Bowls and presidential inaugurations. Security measures will be more extensive than for any Fourth of July event in D.C. since shortly after the 9/11 attacks, Carroll said, with more blocking vehicles, more fencing, concrete barriers and other security measures that aren’t employed for a typical Fourth of July celebration.

The FBI isn’t tracking any credible threats to the Fourth of July, but “we always remain vigilant,” said Darren Cox, assistant director in charge of the FBI’s Washington field office.

Those planning to view the fireworks show from the Washington Monument grounds should expect “TSA-style” security, with magnetometers screening guests, according to Tara McLeese, special agent in charge of the Secret Service’s Washington field office.

Guests can arrive as early as 1 p.m., and should enter on the east side of the Washington Monument at Constitution Avenue and 14th St. NW, or at Independence Avenue and 14th Street SW, McLeese said.

McLeese said each guest in the restricted area is allowed only one clear bag no larger than a gallon, or a small clutch purse. There will be no storage for prohibited items.

The capacity of the primary viewing area at the Washington Monument is set at about 150,000, according to Secret Service Special Agent in Charge David Yamen, who runs the agency’s dignitary protective division. It is expected to hit capacity.

Attendees of the Great American State Fair at the National Mall are encouraged to remain there to watch the fireworks show, rather than attempting to enter the primary viewing zone on the Washington Monument grounds, said Scott Brecht, chief of the U.S. Park Police. Leaving one zone and moving to another will require additional security screenings, and reentry may not be possible.

To get to the National Mall on the Fourth, public transit use is encouraged. The D.C. Metro will be free after 5 p.m., Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority General Manager Randy Clarke said, “to really make sure people can not only enjoy the festivities all over the region as a community, but also make sure from a safety point of view we can get people going through.”

“If you’re going downtown for the fireworks, plan ahead, be ready for an increased security presence, crowds, and road closures,” D.C. Homeland Security and Emergency Management Agency Director Clint Osborn said. “I would say that if you’re going downtown and you’ve done this before, don’t assume you know what it’s going to look like.”

Join CBS for “The Great American Block Party 250,” a primetime special on Saturday, July 4, hosted by CBS Evening News anchor Tony Dokoupil and Entertainment Tonight’s Nischelle Turner, featuring live musical performances, celebrations around the country, and the largest fireworks show in history in the skies over the nation’s capital. Tune in July 4 at 8 p.m. ET on CBS and stream it on Paramount+ and CBS News 24/7.

WASHINGTON (AP) — The District of Columbia has agreed to pay $50,000 to settle a lawsuit filed by a resident who accused police officers of illegally detaining him for following an Ohio National Guard patrol while playing Darth Vader’s theme song from “Star Wars” on his cellphone, according to a document released Monday.

The plaintiff, Sam O’Hara, sued the district, four Metropolitan Police Department officers and a guard member from Ohio over what he says was his act of protest against President Donald Trump’s federal law enforcement surge in Washington, D.C.

A court filing on Thursday disclosed the settlement but didn’t specify any monetary terms. The amount is included in a copy of the settlement agreement that D.C. Attorney General Brian L. Schwalb’s office provided to The Associated Press.

The $50,000 settlement includes attorney’s fees and costs. O’Hara is represented by the American Civil Liberties Union of the District of Columbia. In an email on Friday, an ACLU spokesperson referred to the settlement’s financial terms as “a significant amount” that O’Hara “is pleased with” but said they weren’t disclosing the dollar figure to protect his privacy.

O’Hara, an artist who works in the hospitality industry, agreed to drop his claims against the district and the MPD officers within three business days of receiving the settlement payment. The settlement isn’t an admission of wrongdoing by the district, the agreement says.

O’Hara’s settlement with the district doesn’t resolve his related claims against an Ohio National Guard member, Sgt. Devon Beck, who has asked a judge to dismiss O’Hara’s claims against him.

O’Hara sued the district in October, claiming police officers violated his First Amendment rights to free speech and his Fourth Amendment rights against unreasonable seizures and excessive force.

O’Hara played “The Imperial March” theme from “Star Wars” on his phone as he followed several National Guard troops down a public street on Sept. 11, 2025. One of the troops summoned police officers, who stopped O’Hara and kept him handcuffed for 15 to 20 minutes before releasing him without charges, according to the lawsuit.

Trump’s ongoing deployment of guard members in Washington began last August after the Republican president issued an executive order declaring a crime emergency in the nation’s capital. The surge inflamed tensions with residents of the heavily Democratic district. Hundreds of guard members remain deployed in the district nearly a year later, with no clear end in sight.