The first thing Syed Ashraf did when he awoke at 5:45 a.m. last Tuesday in his Ashburn, Va. home was look up the Indian election results.
Washington
Modi’s election setback surprises Indian Americans in the DMV
“People have really spoken up, and it’s a good thing,” Ashraf, a Muslim Indian who was raised in the northern state of Uttar Pradesh and moved to Virginia in 2000, told The Washington Post. “I was worried about the future of my community there, and other communities as well. I was losing my confidence in the democracy of India.”
Modi was sworn in for a rare third term Sunday, but the new parliamentary makeup could put more checks on his power. “And that’s what I feel good about,” Ashraf, 51, said.
Indian Americans across the D.C., Maryland and Virginia region tuned in to the Indian elections last week, checking WhatsApp group chats and waiting for the latest news reports. The stakes are high: widening wealth inequality; India’s position in the global economy; and threatened multiculturalism and secularism, as the BJP has attempted to push the country’s minorities to the margins.
As Modi and the BJP’s setback became clear, reaction from Indian Americans in the DMV ran the gamut: shock, delight, hope, worry, resignation. For some, the shift in Indian politics suggests a positive step to support the country’s diversity. Others said it could put India’s economic growth at risk — or won’t change much at all.
Raj Prasannappa, 60, is among those concerned the results will slow India’s economic growth.
A BJP supporter, Prasannappa followed the election on NDTV, an Indian news outlet, anticipating that the party would secure more seats than it did.
He noted how Indian stocks plunged as election results rolled out. (The country’s stocks have since recovered.)
“India was going on the right path economically,” Prasannappa said from outside a Sterling, Va., Hindu temple as the sun dipped and a Hanuman pooja, or prayer, rang out. Now, he said, a parliament without a clear majority “leaves India in uncertainty.” (Under the BJP, India’s share of the global GDP has grown, though high unemployment and low rural wages persist.)
Kumar Tirumala, another member of Prasannappa’s temple, carried bananas as offering into the pooja. He was up late Monday night for results, which he expected to be another BJP landslide. To him, Modi and the BJP represent a preservation of Hindu culture. Nearly 80 percent of the country’s population is Hindu.
By Tuesday evening, he said, he was satisfied with the results: Modi secured a third term, and that is enough. In the years to come, Tirumala said he hopes the BJP rebounds.
Many who hail from the country’s minorities, such as Ashraf, disagree. The party built a temple on the site of a razed mosque, revoked the predominantly Muslim Kashmir region’s autonomous special status and excluded Muslims from a fast track to citizenship. Emboldened by the party’s lead, lynch mobs have targeted the country’s Muslims, and local officials have used bulldozers to demolish the properties of Muslims accused of crimes. On the campaign trail, Modi referred to the country’s Muslims as “infiltrators.”
Tensions have touched Western soil, too. Indian officials orchestrated an assassination attempt against a Sikh separatist leader, a vocal critic of Modi, in the United States this year, The Post reported, and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said his country was investigating allegations that the Indian government was behind the killing of a Sikh Canadian separatist leader.
“Modi didn’t do anything for us,” Balwinder Singh said from the quiet foyer of a Northwest Washington gurdwara, or Sikh place of worship. “How he’s treated Muslims, it’s not good. The Sikh community has not been happy either.”
For Singh, 54, the election results represent a pushback against Modi’s Hindu nationalist agenda. “It’s a good sign for India,” he said.
Laby George, who leads an Indian church in Silver Spring, said that breaking up the BJP’s political monopoly was crucial for the health of the nation’s democracy. He stayed up until about 3 a.m. tracking the election and went to sleep relieved.
“India is a democratic country. For any democracy to flourish there should be a good opposition party,” he said. “This will help the country go in the right direction. I’m not saying everything is going to be fixed, but there can be resistance.”
Last year, mobs fueled by Hindu nationalism attacked hundreds of Christian converts in dozens of villages in eastern India. Hopefully, now, aggressions against minorities will be less frequent, said Selvin Selvaraj, 49, of Gaithersburg.
He waited until 4:15 a.m., hoping the opposition would secure more seats, Selvaraj said.
Rupinder Singh, a Rockville resident, said the parliamentary shake-up is not enough. He said many Sikhs don’t have much faith in any political parties — that the parties have “been different sides to the same coin.”
This month is a stark reminder of that for many Sikhs. June marks 40 years since the Indian army raided Sikhism’s holy site, the Golden Temple in Amritsar, to kill a Sikh militant leader. Hundreds died during the attack. The bloody raid took place under Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, of the Indian National Congress Party.
Now — regardless of who holds the prime minister title or who sits in parliament — India contends with issues that grow more urgent by the day, such as a worsening climate crisis, Rupinder Singh, 40, said. Last week, a heat wave killed 14 people in India, including 10 elections officials.
“When it’s 140 degrees and there’s no water, what’s going to happen?” he said. “It will be the haves versus the have nots, and that’s scary. No political party is seriously addressing this.”
Many Indian Americans across the DMV said they’ll continue watching their home country’s political situation closely — some hopeful, some dubious.
“It’s neither positive nor negative. I’m still skeptical of what’s going on, and what is coming next,” said Imran Kukdawala, 40. “The BJP did not get the type of majority they were hoping for. But they’re still in power.”
Former BYU star, AJ Dybantsa, was selected by the Washington Wizards with the no. 1 overall pick in the 2026 NBA Draft.
WASHINGTON (AP) — Before basketball became such a big part of AJ Dybantsa’s life, he was like any other kid — growing up as a fan of a fictional superhero.
When he was about five, his father bought him a Spider-Man basketball hoop that went on the back of his door.
“I loved Spider-Man growing up. So I just started shooting from my bed with this miniature ball. Then I started playing in the YMCA leagues … ended up falling in love with the game,” Dybantsa said. “So Spider-Man is the reason why I love basketball.”
The Washington Wizards are certainly glad Dybantsa took up the sport and committed himself to it. Two days after taking the 6-foot-9 star out of BYU with the top pick in the NBA draft, the team introduced him Thursday at a hotel overlooking the Potomac River, about 1 1/2 miles south from where the Wizards play their home games.
“Nothing comes easy, but I want to be a piece of the puzzle that is part of the rebuild,” he said. “Obviously, Wizards fans have been waiting for a long time.”
This was the first time the Wizards have picked first in the draft since 2010 when they took John Wall. Dybantsa joins a team that hasn’t won 50 games in a season since 1979 — and more recently managed only 50 victories over the past three seasons combined.
One issue of uncertainty was resolved at the news conference. Dybantsa wore No. 3 in college, but in Washington that belongs to Trae Young. Dybantsa will change to No. 4.
“Previously wore No. 3, but I was the No. 1 pick,” he said. “Wanted to add those up, and we got four.”
Dybantsa averaged 25.5 points per game in college, becoming the first freshman to lead the nation in scoring since his new teammate, Young, did it at Oklahoma in 2017-18.
Washington fans will have a chance soon enough to see what Dybantsa brings on the court, but Thursday’s event was an opportunity to see the type of person they’ll be investing so much hope in. Dybantsa was personable and confident, and he seemed eager to get down to business. That much was clear back at the combine before the draft.
“It was like a job. My dad was like, ‘This is your first job interview,’” he said. “So we decided to dress up. I went to a suit and tie in every single interview. Media availability, that was in a suit and tie. So I just wanted to treat it like a real job.”
That made quite an impression on Wizards general manager Will Dawkins.
“It was a pretty fun first introduction, just to learn the maturity that he brings,” Dawkins said. “We allow opportunities to ask questions. Sometimes you get the standard questions from guys. We didn’t get that from AJ. He’s just curious and mature and asked some really deep questions.”
Dybantsa said he intends to graduate college, finishing his studies online, and he has big plans for how he can make a difference away from basketball. The 19-year-old has already started a foundation aimed at empowering young people.
“My mom’s from Jamaica, my dad’s from Congo. We’re going to start off just sending 20 kids from there to different universities,” he said. “If that’s universities in the continent of Africa, if that’s different universities in Jamaica, if that’s universities in the States, we’re going to try that. But after those, we’re just going to expand all around the world. We just want to help kids all around the world.”
The 2027 NFL Draft in Washington, D.C., will be held April 29-May 1, the league announced Thursday, setting the nation’s capital as the backdrop for what could be one of the deepest classes in recent history.
NFL commissioner Roger Goodell announced in May 2025 during an Oval Office news conference with President Donald Trump, Commanders owner Josh Harris and D.C. mayor Muriel E. Bowser (D), that D.C. was selected as the host site for ’27 and is expected to draw more than a million visitors.
“It will be something that will show the world how far the nation’s capital has come and where it’s going,” Goodell said at the time.
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Although plenty could change over the next 10 months, the 2027 draft has a chance to be the most anticipated in recent memory because of the star power of the class.
Like most drafts, the 2027 group will be largely judged by the quarterbacks. Texas’ Arch Manning is at the top of the list, and if he picks up where he left off last season, he has a great chance to follow in the footsteps of his uncles, Peyton and Eli, and be drafted No. 1. Dante Moore would punch his ticket for the first round with another productive year at Oregon, and scouts are optimistic for the developmental paths of South Carolina’s LaNorris Sellers, LSU’s Sam Leavitt, Oklahoma State’s Drew Mestemaker, Miami’s Darian Mensah and several others.
The class will also likely include former Cincinnati and Texas Tech quarterback Brendan Sorsby, barring any successful legal action after the NFL declined his application and chose not to hold a supplemental draft in 2026.
But the depth of the 2027 class goes far beyond the quarterbacks. Notre Dame’s Leonard Moore could be one of the highest-graded cornerbacks of the last decade. South Carolina’s Dylan Stewart is a twitched-up pass rusher with top-10 traits. And Ohio State receiver Jeremiah Smith is on track to be one of the best overall prospects in recent years.
The three-day event will be spread across multiple sites in the District, with the main stage held on the National Mall in front of the Capitol and the NFL Draft Experience spanning Pennsylvania Avenue NW between 3rd and 7th Streets, in front of the National Gallery of Art.
For nearly four decades, the NFL Draft was held at multiple locations in New York. But in 2015 and ’16, because of a scheduling conflict at Radio City Music Hall, the league moved it to Chicago and has since held it in various NFL cities across the country. The change has turned the draft into one of the league’s most popular, and accessible, events of the year.
The 2024 draft, which D.C. bid to host, was ultimately held in Detroit and brought a then-record 600,000 attendees, a figure topped by this year’s draft in Pittsburgh, which drew 805,000 visitors.
Prior to the 2026 draft, the Steelers and Visit Pittsburgh estimated the event would bring in roughly 500,000 visitors that would generate anywhere from $120 million to $213 million in regional economic impact.
“We’re confident that the return, with the number of people who attended over the course of the three days and really the course of the week, that we’ll be in good shape there,” Steelers VP of business development and strategy Dan Rooney III told The Athletic after the event.
A delegation from D.C. attended the Pittsburgh draft and took the official handoff from the Steelers at the conclusion, setting in motion a busy year in D.C.
Planning for the 2027 draft began four years ago, when Harris and his group of investors purchased the team for $6.05 billion from former owner Daniel Snyder. The group essentially revived details of the team’s earlier bid, which some believe failed because Snyder still owned the team.
NFL Draft host cities are typically announced two years in advance because of the extensive planning required. But having it in D.C. adds even more layers of complexity, much like the Commanders’ new stadium, which will be built on the site of the former RFK Stadium along the Anacostia River.
For one, the National Mall is federally owned and managed by the National Park Service, which typically does not approve permitting for events more than a year in advance.
The last time D.C. hosted the NFL Draft was Dec. 10, 1940, at the Willard Hotel. The draft was 22 rounds back then.
“This is a historic moment for our organization, our fans, and the entire region,” Commanders president Mark Clouse said in a release Thursday. “The Draft has become one of the premier events in sports and entertainment, and with the momentum around football in this area, from the rapid growth of youth flag football to our return to the RFK site, there is no better time to bring it to the nation’s capital.”
The iron gate to Woodlawn Cemetery is almost always locked shut, but Toni White-Richardson was more than happy to let News4 inside.
As president of the Woodlawn Cemetery Perpetual Care Association, she was excited to talk about what makes this resting place so special.
“It is major D.C. history, first. Then it’s also major Black history, second,” White-Richardson said.
More than 30,000 people, mostly African Americans, are buried among the 22 acres of Woodlawn Cemetery, which opened in Southeast D.C. in 1895. And like so many cemeteries that date back to the 1800s, particularly African American cemeteries, this one has fallen into disrepair, is overgrown and has headstones tumbled over, like those of Wilhelmina and her husband James, and Eliza Spencer, a mother who died in 1887.
“Let me do a very upfront disclaimer,” White-Richardson said. “We have no idea where these stones go. And when we looked at the grid, it became even clear as mud, it became less clear as to where these stones should really go. Unfortunately, when we look back, we can tell there was a plan, but we could see we never got totally completed. Even back then, there are no markers saying this is Section H or this is Section G or this is 102 and this is, none of that.”
One of the most notable Washingtonians laid to rest here is John Mercer Langston, Virginia’s first Black congressman.
“Langston University came one year because they had a grand reunion in D.C., and we arranged for them to come to see […] John Mercer Langston, the university that was named after this man,” White-Richardson said.
And Blance Bruce, the first Black U.S. senator to serve a full term and register of the treasury, is also buried in the cemetery.
“He’s the signature on our dollar bill, you know, back in the late 1800s,” White-Richardson said. “So, oh, it’s history. It’s capital letters. No getting around it.”
Woodlawn is also the resting place of several of the original founders of two of the country’s most prominent Black sororities, Alpha Kappa Alpha and Delta Sigma Theta. Both organizations volunteer to help with clean ups.
The Perpetual Care Association recently received a grant from the D.C. Office of Planning to help with upkeep of the grounds and preserving the history here.
“These are important individuals who’ve made contributions to the District a century ago, but today still their history and their stories reverberate and really influence the trajectory of our city,” said Anita Cozart, director of the D.C. Office of Planning.
The cemetery tucked away off Benning Road is only open to the public five days a year, but groups can request tours anytime. The next chance to visit Woodlawn when it will be open to the public is Labor Day.
They’re always looking for volunteers and donors to help with the upkeep of this sacred ground.
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