WASHINGTON D.C. (FOX 2) – A rally was held Tuesday night outside the US Capitol lawn in Washington D.C. Members of congress along with the families of those who lost someone at the hands of a drunk driver, gathered with Mothers Against Drunk Driving, calling for congress to act to pass laws that stop a driver who is drunk from ever starting a car. 

Rana Abbas’s life forever changed almost 6 years ago. Five members of her family were driving home to Dearborn when they were struck and killed by a drunk driver on I-75 in Lexington, Kentucky.

“My family was killed on Jan 6, 2019, not even a week after the new year,” she said. “It’s been six years and it doesn’t get any easier.”

Congresswoman Debbie Dingell says at the Abbas funeral it became clear what she needed to do.

“There were five, five of them that were active in the community,” she said. “Rema was in access, her husband was a doctor. We knew everybody. And overnight, I mean everyone had a good holiday and a drunk driver wiped out this family and devastated this community. Children that went to school with the kids looked at me and said technology exists to keep this from happening. Why haven’t you stopped it?”

Both Congresswomen Dingell and Rashida Talib worked with Abbas to get a law passed in congress. It was called ‘Halt,’ which requires all new cars to come equipped with tech that detects and stops impaired drivers from starting the vehicle. It was supposed to come into effect in 2026, giving time for regulations to be put in place. The candlelight rally in DC on Tuesday was designed to speed the process up.

“Every 78 secs someone is injured or killed by a drunk driver,” Abbas said. “When we hear that we needed three years, and we might need another three more, what we hear is we need 30,000 more people to be killed, and we might need another 30,000 more people to be killed before were ready to put this technology that’s available in vehicles and that is not okay.”

The National Transportation Safety Board has called on automakers and the US Department of Transportation to make this a priority.

Denzel Washington revealed to Esquire magazine as part of a new cover story that he got bitter after losing the best actor Oscar to Kevin Spacey in 2000. Washington was already a three-time Oscar nominee and one-time winner when his performance as Rubin Carter in “The Hurriance” landed him in the Oscar for best actor opposite Spacey (“American Beauty”), Russell Crowe (“The Insider”), Richard Farnsworth (“The Straight Story”) and Sean Penn (“Sweet and Lowdown”). Washington won a Golden Globe for his performance, but the Oscar went to Spacey.

“At the Oscars, they called Kevin Spacey’s name for ‘American Beauty,’” Washington said. “I have a memory of turning around and looking at him, and nobody was standing but the people around him. And everyone else was looking at me. Not that it was this way. Maybe that’s the way I perceived it. Maybe I felt like everybody was looking at me. Because why would everybody be looking at me? Thinking about it now, I don’t think they were.”

“I’m sure I went home and drank that night. I had to,” Washington said about his reaction to losing. “I don’t want to sound like, ‘Oh, he won my Oscar,’ or anything like that. It wasn’t like that. And you know, there was talk in the town about what was going on over there on that side of the street, and that’s between him and God. I ain’t got nothing to do with that. I pray for him. That’s between him and his maker.”

“The Hurricane” marked the second time Washington had found himself in the best actor race. He was previously nominated in the category for playing the title role in Spike Lee’s “Malcom X,” but the Oscar went to Al Pacino for “Scent of a Woman” instead. After losing best actor for a second time, Washington grew bitter and had his wife, Paulette, start voting in his place for the Academy Awards.

“I went through a time then when [my wife] Pauletta would watch all the Oscar movies—I told her, I don’t care about that. Hey: They don’t care about me? I don’t care,” Washington said. “You vote. You watch them. I ain’t watching that. I gave up. I got bitter. My pity party.”

Two years after losing best actor, Washington would finally win his first Academy Award for best actor thanks to “Training Day.” His victory made him only the was the second African-American performer to win the category, following Sidney Poitier for 1963’s “Lilies of the Field.” Washington has since gone on to earn four more Oscar nominations, most recently in 2022 for “The Tragedy of Macbeth.” He’s now back in the Oscar race in the supporting category field for “Gladiator 2.”

Head over to Esquire’s website to read Washington’s cover story in its entirety.

The Washington Nationals might not be as far away from contention as it seems, even as they are coming off back-to-back 71-win seasons and four last-place finishes since they won the World Series in 2019.

Despite the struggles the five years since that championship triumph, the Nationals boast one of the best farm systems in baseball and have several players ready to become full-time big leaguers and start making a serious impact.

With that the case, some believe it’s time for Washington to take a big swing in free agency and spend some money in order to bring in veteran leadership for a young ball club.

Few fit the bill more than Houston Astros superstar third baseman Alex Bregman.

The two-time All-Star, represented by the game’s top agent, Scott Boras, is expected to receive a lucrative long-term deal. But as a player who was a key cog in an absolutely dominant run of success in Houston, he would also bring a championship mentality to the Nationals.

There may be positional fit concerns at third base due to prospects already in the organization. But, Mark Feinsand of MLB.com writes that Bregman’s willingness to switch positions could lead him to become a fit in Washington.

The Nats’ production at the position right now is a big reason to make a play for Bregman. But it’s the future that Washington must consider, too, according to Feinsand.

“Washington’s .589 OPS at third base ranked 29th in the Majors last season, ahead of only the White Sox (.533). Four different players started at least 30 games at the hot corner for the Nationals last season, though none were able to produce at the plate. Brady House, ranked by MLB Pipeline as the Nats’ No. 3 prospect, plays third base, but Bregman’s willingness to change positions could keep him in play for Washington.”

Whether House is Major League-ready remains a question. But Bregman could hold it down until House is ready. that point and then migrate to a different position. Notably, the Astros had him work at first base last season due to an injury, and the Nationals need power at that corner, too.

The Nationals have the pieces to become a force in the National League, but they were also one of the youngest teams in baseball in 2024 and this team will take some time to come into their own.

That’s where a player like Bregman comes in. He’s a steady veteran who has produced at a high level on the biggest stages the sport has to offer for nearly a decade.

He wouldn’t come cheap, but Bregman is absolutely a player Washington should at.