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Friday, the week’s hottest day in D.C., was humid, too

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Friday, the week’s hottest day in D.C., was humid, too


Friday could not be blamed for its searing heat and steamy humidity. After all, it is summertime, it is the District, and this is the hottest month of our hottest season.

Perhaps 100 degrees proved the key figure in any serious discussion of the day’s conditions. In D.C., perhaps one of the more generous ways of responding to Friday’s high temperature of 98 was to note that was not 100.

Even at only 98 degrees, however, Friday was the hottest day here since June 26, when it was 99. It was also 9 degrees hotter than the average high — 89 degrees — for July 5 in the capital.

It is true that the actual temperature did fall a bit short of three digits, a level that generally wins instant acceptance as thermally severe. But the feels-like temperature, also an important characteristic of conditions, cleared that hurdle with ease.

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For a couple of hours Friday afternoon, the heat index reached 108 degrees. It stood at 108 degrees just before 3 p.m. and just before 5 p.m. And when it was not 108 at two other afternoon hours, it fell only a degree below that at 107.

Memories of attending the fireworks in Washington on the Fourth of July, often include recollections of the weather. The Fourth on the Washington Monument grounds has often been a day that is celebrated amid substantial swelter.

But the Fifth, which was Friday, surpassed it in discomfort to become the sultriest day of the week and month thus far.

The high temperature on the Fourth was only 94, warm, certainly, but perhaps not the sort of heat that residents or tourists will incorporate in their tales of enduring the severity of Washington weather.

And the heat index apparently did not reach the three-digit mark Thursday, according to available National Weather Service data.

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So if the Fourth was the day to inspire, perhaps Friday was the time to perspire.

But, it is difficult to conceive of conditions that differ greatly from those of Friday.

It is summer and this is Washington, and we are surrounded, immersed and enveloped in the time and the place — for hotter, or for perhaps slightly less hot.



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Washington, D.C

DC leaders considering transit options for new RFK Stadium

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DC leaders considering transit options for new RFK Stadium


The Commanders are set to build a new stadium in D.C., and the debate over how fans will get to and from games is happening right now. On Wednesday, city leaders will join Metro and the Washington Commanders to talk stadium transit.



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D.C. Police Chief manipulated crime data; new House Oversight report

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D.C. Police Chief manipulated crime data; new House Oversight report


A new report from the House Oversight Committee alleges former D.C. Police Chief Pamela Smith pressured officers to manipulate crime data. The committee released the report on Sunday, less than a week after Smith announced she was stepping down.

You’re lulling people into this false sense of security. They might go places they wouldn’t ordinarily go. They might do things they wouldn’t ordinarily do,” said Betsy Brantner Smith, spokesperson for the National Police Association.

Included in the report were transcribed interviews with the commanders of all seven D.C. patrol districts and the former commander currently on suspended leave. One was asked, “Over the last few years, has there been any internal pressure to simply bring down crime statistics?” Their response, “Yes, I mean extremethere’s always been pressure to keep crime down, but the focus on statistics… has come in with this current administration.”

Every single person who lives, works, or visits the District of Columbia deserves a safe city, yet it’s now clear the American people were deliberately kept in the dark about the true crime rates in our nation’s capital,” House Oversight Committee Chairman Rep. James Comer (R-KY) said in a statement.

“They are going to have to regain the public trust. Again, this is a huge integrity issue,” Brantner Smith said.

Among the reports findings, Smith’s alleged pressured campaign against staff led to inaccurate crime data. Smith punished or removed officers for reporting accurate crime numbers. Smith fostered a toxic culture and President Trump’s federal law enforcement surge in D.C. is working.

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While Smith has not yet publicly responded to the report, she’s previously denied allegations of manipulating crime data, saying the investigation did not play a factor into her decision to step down at the end of the year.

My decision was not factored into anything with respect to, other than the fact that it’s time. I’ve had 28 years in law enforcement. I’ve had some time to think with my family,” Smith said earlier this month.

D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser also released a statement Monday, writing in part that “the interim report betrays its bias from the outset, admitting that it was rushed to release.”

According to crime stats from the Metropolitan Police Department, since the federal law enforcement surge started in August, total violent crime is down 26%. Homicides are down 12% and carjackings 37%.



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National Menorah Lighting in DC dedicated to Bondi Beach victims

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National Menorah Lighting in DC dedicated to Bondi Beach victims


The first candle lit on the National Menorah near the White House in Washington, D.C., marked the first night of Hanukkah — and solemnly honored victims of the Bondi Beach shooting.

The National Menorah Lighting was held Sunday night, hours after gunmen opened fire on a crowd celebrating the beginning of Hanukkah at Australia’s iconic Bondi Beach. Fifteen people were killed, including a 10-year-old girl, a rabbi and a Holocaust survivor, and over three dozen others were being treated at hospitals.

Authorities in Australia said it was a terrorist attack targeting Jewish people.

Organizers behind the National Menorah Lighting said the news from Australia, along with the bitter cold, forced them to consider whether or not to hold the annual event.

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After consulting with local law enforcement, National Menorah Lighting organizers decided to hold the event and honor the victims.

Several D.C.-area police departments issued statements confirming there are no known threats to local communities, but are monitoring just in case.

Montgomery County Executive Mark Elrich condemned the attack and said community safety is a priority.

“Acts of antisemitism, especially those meant to intimidate families and communities during moments of gathering and celebration, must be called out clearly and condemned without hesitation,” Elrich said. “I have heard directly from members of Montgomery County’s Jewish community who are shaken and concerned, and I want them to know that their safety is a priority.”

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