Washington, D.C

It was 90 in D.C. on Saturday, but it was also a great day.

Published

1 year ago

July 27, 2024

It was 90 in D.C. on Saturday, but it was also a great day.

It was 90 degrees in the District on Saturday once again, but it demonstrated how delightful even a 90-degree day can be when the sweet summer air is totally lacking in humidity.

Saturday was also notable for the coolness of the morning, when the mercury in D.C. descended to a pleasant and comfortable level that had not been encountered here in weeks.

A few minutes before sunrise, the thermometer proclaimed that the temperature in Washington was only 68 degrees. It was a July milestone of minimalism.

Even in the strictly numerical sense, that 68 proclaimed a definite victory over the steamy forces of summer.

Although it may have occurred too suddenly to organize a celebration, that 68-degree reading marked the first time in a substantial period of punishing heat that Washington had been cooler than 70 degrees.

On July 2 the low was 66 degrees. Since then the low temperature each day had been in the 70s. That is, when it was not in the 80s.

One of the best techniques for summertime survival in an often-steamy city like Washington is to enjoy the consolations of cool shelter at night. But high nighttime temperatures frustrate that effort.

Thus, Saturday’s morning low of 68 degrees seemed enough in itself to make the day worth welcoming. That reading is the average low temperature in D.C. in the middle of June, a month with a far better meteorological reputation than July.

Among the other delights, large and small, offered by Saturday was the sight of the moon during morning daylight. Waning, but still more than half full, it rode high in the west, an almost ghostly apparition in a blue sky.

Around 9:30 a.m., it seemed to be an isolated presence, unaccompanied by any cloud in an expanse of sky that showed the barest hint of summertime haze.

The temperature was in the low 80s. A dew point on the border between the 50s and 60s confirmed a suspicion that humidity had temporarily abandoned the Washington area.

It suggested the start of long sunny hours of summertime pleasure, of a kind of day that seemed to represent late July at its atmospheric pinnacle.

It seemed benevolent and beguiling, filled with luxuriant but benign warmth. Clouds eventually gathered, but they drifted in a lazy, almost dreamlike way.

Saturday seemed to be close to the peak of July enjoyment, and almost everything about it combined to dismiss even the possibility that summer could ever be fearsome or disagreeable.

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Washington, D.C

DC leaders considering transit options for new RFK Stadium

Published

10 hours ago

December 17, 2025

Press Room

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.

Posted December 17, 2025 2:05am EST

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Washington, D.C

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

Published

1 day ago

December 16, 2025

Press Room

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

TNND — 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.

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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Washington, D.C

National Menorah Lighting in DC dedicated to Bondi Beach victims

Published

2 days ago

December 15, 2025

Press Room

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.

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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