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Surprised by Tony P’s NATO video? He was too.

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Surprised by Tony P’s NATO video? He was too.


A singular question loomed over Washington this week as some of the globe’s most powerful leaders gathered for NATO’s 75th anniversary summit.

Why in the world was Tony P the face of the security organization’s official welcome video?

The mild-mannered 25-year-old D.C. influencer, whose Instagram account promises “cooking, fashion, and adulting tips,” was probably not on anyone’s shortlist — or long, long list — to drop a one-minute video explaining how Washington was the birthplace of NATO and that its 32 member states are working “on the most important security challenges facing our world today, continuing to boost NATO’s ability to keep our 1 billion people safe.”

A Reddit user was not impressed. “Like what was the point of this?” they wrote. “Is this the only spokesperson DC could find? With all the unemployed international policy folks, this is who we use to do this work?”

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A poster on X was puzzled as well, saying, “career diplomats being ousted for a media job by a 25 year old bachelor in dc. what in the world.”

To be fair, even Tony P, a.k.a. Anthony Polcari, was surprised.

“They want to work with me? Like, an influencer guy? I couldn’t believe it,” Polcari said in a phone interview Wednesday. “Really, just — I’m blown away by it. And, you know, any way I can help was just really cool for me.”

Polcari, who said he wasn’t paid for the video, is one of several dozen social media influencers invited by NATO, the Defense Department and the State Department to be a part of the high-level summit. As the alliance faces growing questions about its future, it wants to better explain its mission and bolster its image with young people who may have only a vague understanding of why it was formed.

Polcari said NATO reached out to his agent a few weeks ago. After he got over the shock of the request, he read the short script and jumped on board. The video was filmed on a blazing hot June day in front of various Washington landmarks as Polcari, boiling in a dark blue suit, delivered his lines without letting anyone see him sweat.

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He thinks he may have been asked because he has become a more visible face in the District as his Instagram following — where he chronicles his bachelor life in aggressively inoffensive videos — has swelled from about 2,000 people a year or so ago to more than 200,000.

“They wanted someone who could showcase D.C., who was an influencer, you know, in the D.C. space,” Polcari said. As if on cue, a woman in the background could be heard yelling out, “Tony P!”

But not all of his Instagram followers were pleased with his new tie to NATO.

“I hate this so much,” one wrote. Another posted a vomit emoji.

On X there were more jabs:

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“God, this is embarrassing. You got to be kidding me …”

“Congratulations! This is the worst thing I’ve ever seen!”

“D.C. really needs better local celebrities.”

Polcari shrugs off the naysayers.

“There’s some people saying that I’m one of those hated influencers in D.C. That’s just not true,” Polcari said. “It’s funny, the fact that people will take time out of their day to crap on me for doing a NATO video made me kind of laugh. Because I use the old line from the show ‘Mad Men’: ‘I’m not thinking about you, but you’re thinking about me.’”

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Negativity has no place in Tony P’s world.

“I want to create a space for fun and positivity where people can come together,” he texted after the interview.





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Thousands turn out – again – as third 'No Kings' rallies take over Maryland streets

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Thousands turn out – again – as third 'No Kings' rallies take over Maryland streets


Thousands turned out at the dozens of No Kings rallies scattered across Maryland, part of the millions expected across the country for the third such event. In Maryland, turnout was particularly heavy in Hagerstown, near a proposed ICE detention facility.



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WATCH LIVE: No Kings march and rally in DC

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WATCH LIVE: No Kings march and rally in DC


Thousands are expected gather in Washington, D.C. for a “No Kings” march and rally. 

Here’s everything you need to know:

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What is the No Kings protest?

What we know:

Organized locally by area chapters of Indivisible and allied grassroots groups, the event aims to draw protesters to downtown Washington and surrounding counties to oppose policies of the Trump administration and to voice broader concerns about civil rights and democratic norms.

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No Kings protest details

Timeline:

The march will kick off at 10 a.m., with participants gathering at Memorial Circle near Arlington Cemetery, with additional access from the Blue Line or nearby parking at the Fashion Centre at Pentagon City, according to the event organizers. There is no public parking in the immediate area, but participants can be dropped off at the circle.

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From there, the procession will head across the Memorial Bridge into Washington, D.C., passing the Lincoln Memorial and continuing on to the Washington Monument.

At the conclusion of the march, participants can walk to a downtown rally, from 1:30 p.m. to 4 p.m.

Other ‘No Kings’ rallies in the DMV

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Dig deeper:

In addition to the main rally in downtown D.C., several other demonstrations tied to “No Kings 3” are scheduled around the DMV this Saturday.

In Arlington, Virginia, activists are organizing a march across the Memorial Bridge beginning at 10 a.m., with protesters expected to continue into West Potomac Park before joining larger crowds in the District proper, for example. 

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There are hundreds of “No Kings” events scheduled to take place this Saturday throughout the DMV. You can click here to find a list of all of them. 

How to watch No Kings march and rally in DC

What you can do:

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FOX 5 DC will be covering No Kings in D.C. all day on FOX LOCAL and in the liveplayer at the top of this story. 

FOX 5 DC is available to watch for free on Roku, Amazon FireTV, Apple TV, Google Android TV and Vizio with the FOX LOCAL app. Here’s how to download FOX LOCAL on your mobile phone. 

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‘Strong smell’ shuts down flights at major DC-area airports for the second time this month

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‘Strong smell’ shuts down flights at major DC-area airports for the second time this month


A reported “strong smell” at a key air traffic control center disrupted flights Friday evening at major airports across the Washington, D.C., region for the second time in two weeks.

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) temporarily halted flights at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA), Washington Dulles International Airport (IAD), Baltimore/Washington International Airport (BWI), Charlottesville–Albemarle Airport (CHO) and Richmond International Airport (RIC), the agency told FOX Business in an email.

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The FAA said the disruptions were due to a “strong smell” at the Potomac Terminal Radar Approach Control (TRACON) center, which manages airspace in the region.

GROUND STOP LIFTED AT MAJOR DC-AREA AIRPORTS AFTER CHEMICAL ODOR DISRUPTS AIR TRAFFIC CONTROL

An FAA air traffic control tower at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport in Arlington, Va. (Samuel Corum/Bloomberg via Getty Images / Getty Images)

It was not immediately clear what caused the smell.

Ground stops at Dulles, Reagan National and BWI remained in effect until around 8 p.m. ET before being lifted, according to the FAA’s website.

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NEWARK AIR TRAFFIC CONTROLLERS LOST RADAR, RADIO COMMUNICATIONS WITH PLANES FOR OVER A MINUTE, SPARKING CHAOS

The FAA said the disruption was due to a “strong smell” at the Potomac Terminal Radar Approach Control (TRACON) center. (Flightradar24)

As of 8:30 p.m., Reagan National was experiencing ground delays, while BWI continued to see departure delays.

Earlier this month, a ground stop was similarly issued at several airports in the Washington, D.C., region after a chemical odor was detected at the TRACON center.

FATAL LAGUARDIA COLLISION RENEWS FOCUS ON RUNWAY INCURSION RISKS ACROSS US

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Transportation Secretary Sean P. Duffy speaks at a news conference at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport. (Heather Diehl/Getty Images / Getty Images)

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The temporary ground stop March 13 similarly affected DCA, IAD, BWI and RIC, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said at the time.

Duffy said the smell came from an overheated circuit board, which has since been replaced.



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