Washington, D.C
NRCC takes aim at House and DC Democrats over rising crime rates
EXCLUSIVE — House Republicans’ campaign arm is calling attention to the rising crime levels in Washington, D.C., placing blame on years of failed Democratic policies and a progressive city council.
Washington, D.C., has faced an uphill battle over the last few years when it comes to crime, with the pandemic ushering in a wave of violence that continues to ravage the district’s once-flourishing downtown area. Recent sharp upticks in juvenile offenses and carjackings eventually forced Mayor Muriel Bowser and the D.C. Council to take another look at what the district can do to bring down criminal activity — but House Republicans say it is too little, too late.
A recent National Republican Congressional Committee memo obtained by the Washington Examiner claims that Washington, D.C., leaders are not only “ill-equipped” to handle the district’s increasing crime rates but also “directly contributed” to the problem.
“The failure of D.C. Democrats to keep crime under control has turned the city into a place hostile for residents, businesses, and tourists,” the memo stated. “House Democrats have directly contributed to the ruination of America’s capital city. If applied nationally, the policies supported by House Democrats would bring similar chaos to the whole country.”
In 2020, the D.C. Council approved a $15 million slash in police funding, following a growing trend across major cities in the nation after the Black Lives Matter movement that led to increased support for defunding the police. The council drew national attention a few years later when it overhauled its criminal code in 2022 to reduce offenses and penalties for homicide, robberies, and carjackings — the first time in 100 years that such changes had been made.
The criminal code, like all legislation coming out of the district, is subjected to federal oversight. In February and March, the House and Senate voted to overturn an overhaul of the criminal code, with 173 House Democrats voting in support of the Washington, D.C., law. It marked the first time in 30 years that Congress has repealed a local law passed by the D.C. Council. The council did pass a separate police reform bill that improved police accountability, banned chokeholds, and increased de-escalation training for law enforcement officers.
Though the criminal code overhaul was overruled by national lawmakers, Washington, D.C., is still seeing a rise in homicides, robberies, and carjackings. In 2023, motor vehicle theft increased 82%, robberies increased 67%, and homicides increased 35%. Within the first week of 2024, there have been more than 125 carjackings and 44 robberies.
A House Republican operative told the Washington Examiner that because the D.C. councilmembers trend “pretty far to the left” with virtually no institutional checks, the district serves as a “great example of what happens when you give Democrats completely unmitigated, total absolute control.”
“What’s happened in D.C. is ultimately what they would, if Democrats could, end up doing to most American cities in most American states,” the operative said.
Washington, D.C., is not receiving much support from its attorney general either. Juvenile crime has risen substantially in the district, and there is a lack of strong policies to detain or prosecute them. Washington, D.C., Attorney General Brian Schwalb has come under fire for declining to prosecute several juvenile cases, leading to many of them becoming repeat offenders and escalating to more violent crimes. He also pushed back against Bowser’s “tough on crime” act last summer.
Some of the D.C. councilmembers’ stances on crime are catching up to them. D.C. Councilman Charles Allen is now facing a recall effort led by Jennifer Squires, a former government worker, who said that the representative of Ward 6 should be more dedicated to curbing crime. The recall organizers need to collect signatures from at least 10% of registered voters in Ward 6 to move forward to a special election.
Ward 6 is the largest in the district, spanning the neighborhoods of Downtown, Penn Quarter, Gallery Place, and Chinatown — all areas with increased crime rates. Allen guided the crime laws that Congress blocked in March and also supported the controversial police reform bill in 2020 that was largely opposed by the D.C. Police Union.
In the wake of high-profile crimes, Bowser introduced new legislation in October to support “safe and effective policing” that has been criticized by conservatives for missing the mark. The new legislation would ban criminals from wearing masks, declare drug-free zones, and create new penalties for organized retail theft.
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The Democratic mayor has also faced recent criticism for her lack of appropriate crime responses after the Washington Wizards and Capitals announced that the organizations would move to Virginia due to the rising criminal activity in the Gallery Place neighborhood.
“Extreme Democrats’ radical policies turned our nation’s capital into a hot bed of soaring crime, causing residents to flee their neighborhoods for safer communities,” NRCC Rapid Response Director Ben Smith said in a statement to the Washington Examiner. “Now, extreme House Democrats want to export the same failed policies across the country. Only House Republicans are working to stop them.”
Washington, D.C
Police search for suspect caught on camera slashing tires in Georgetown
Washington D.C. police are searching for a vandal who was caught on surveillance video slashing the tires of multiple vehicles in a Georgetown alley on Tuesday afternoon. The suspect, who fled the scene on a red bicycle, targeted a Chevy Suburban and a Ford Escape on the 1700 block of 35th Street Northwest.
Washington, D.C
Reflecting Pool being drained – again – as Trump administration tries once more to fix DC landmark – WTOP News
Crews began draining the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool on Sunday, according to Interior Secretary Doug Burgum, for the second time in three months.
(CNN) — Crews began draining the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool on Sunday, according to Interior Secretary Doug Burgum, for the second time in three months.
In an interview released Tuesday with Katie Miller, a conservative podcaster and wife of President Trump’s deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller, Burgum said they started draining the pool as planned after the July Fourth fireworks show, noting some of the fireworks debris was still in the water.
Asked about the schedule for this round of renovations, he gave no specifics beyond a broad overview.
“Drain the water. Clean up the fireworks stuff. Repair the vandalism that was done. Fill it back up again,” Burgum said.
As of Tuesday evening, there was still water in the pool, and it was unclear if it will be drained further. Burgum indicated over the weekend that it may only need to be partially drained.
The move comes after weeks of problems – algae blooms, green-hued water, a chipping bottom and allegations of vandalism – have plagued the iconic landmark, making its woes the subject of a national fixation.
Members of the Trump administration, including President Donald Trump, have said vandals caused damage to the Reflecting Pool by gashing the lining, though they have not provided evidence to support that claim. In late June, the president said the pool would be drained after the July Fourth holiday to fix it.
The administration will use the same contractor, Virginia-based Atlantic Industrial Coatings, for this next round of repairs. Previously, the company landed a no-bid contract worth more than $14 million for their part of the work – sealing the pool and painting the bottom “American Flag- blue.”
Asked about the timeline for his part of the repairs, Eddie Gross, owner of Atlantic Industrial Coatings told CNN that “nothing has been set yet.” He declined to answer questions about his contract and the cost of additional repairs.
The Department of Interior did not respond to questions about the timeline for this round of repairs.
Burgum, in an interview on CNN’s “State of the Union” Sunday, suggested the repairs could happen with the pool only being partially drained. He sought to portray the costs as minor.
“It’s going to be a small number because the majority of the work was related to the labor and the materials for the liner,” Burgum said.
“We’ll use the same company, because they did a fantastic job,” he said.
Burgum also said the government could “absolutely” prove the damage was caused by vandals, and that there are photographs supporting the claim. But he dodged a question about whether those photographs show anyone damaging the pool.
The secretary also denied that Trump having his motorcade drive through the pool mid-renovation in May did any damage to the site.
“No, I was with him when we came that night … We were driving in a Cadillac Escalade. It is one of the presidential fleet of cars,” Burgum said, adding that the vehicle Trump took on the ride was “substantially lighter” than the armored presidential limousine known as “The Beast.”
“The whole base level of this industrial rubber layer was not yet completed, and so there was no damage that night whatsoever,” he said. “That was one of the questions we asked before we even brought the presidential motorcade there, but not a chance.”
The other contractor involved in the project, Greenwater Services, previously told CNN that when the pool is drained it will not affect their system, which is up and running.
Chas Antinone, the president of Greenwater Services, told CNN the company can shut down and then restart the so-called ozone nanobubbler, as necessary.
Companies involved in the renovation have found themselves at the center of national news as Reflecting Pool issues continued.
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Washington, D.C
DC is second riskiest city for driving, Allstate says
D.C. is the second riskiest city for driving, an insurance company report says.
Allstate said it looked at the number of crashes, how often they happen and certain types of behavior behind the wheel.
“On the phones, bike lanes, people on motor scooters having no regard for the law,” one driver told News4. “It is risky, yeah. I’ve seen a lot of close calls.”
The average driver around D.C. goes just about four years in between collisions. Drivers in the least risky city — Brownsville, Texas — go about 15 years in between collisions.
D.C. also got dinged for bad driving — like being on phones a lot — and plenty of nighttime driving, which increases risk.
Allstate analyzed property damage claims from January 2023 through December 2024 to rank cities. Here’s the Top 10:
- Boston
- D.C.
- Baltimore
- Worcester, Mass.
- Springfield, Mass.
- Glendale, Calif.
- Providence
- Sunrise Manor, Nev.
- Los Angeles
- Philadelphia
But local Allstate agent Rudy Alston says D.C. drivers themselves may not deserve the bad rap.
“I think a lot of it isn’t so much from D.C. natives,” he said. “I think it’s a lot of people coming from outside of D.C. — coming from Maryland and Virginia that commute to D.C. — that maybe aren’t as familiar with the traffic laws in D.C. and how congested D.C. is with the influx of pedestrians, Uber drivers, the Door Dash guys on the scooters, the Metrobuses. So, I just think when they get here, they’re just not familiar with it.”
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