District Links: Trump tells prosecutors to seek death penalty in DC cases via federal charges;…
President Donald Trump yesterday signed a memorandum directing federal prosecutors to pursue the death penalty in all appropriate cases in DC, as well as to seek federal jurisdiction for death penalty-eligible crimes that occur in DC.
jonetta rose barras: Is a managed care contracting fight looming in DC?
That’s the question I asked myself, after learning from several sources that CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield Community Health had optimistically announced earlier this year during an internal meeting of its employees that the company would…
District Links: Ward 1’s Brianne Nadeau won’t seek fourth term on DC Council; new…
Ward 1 Councilmember Brianne Nadeau announced this morning that she won't seek a fourth term, likely setting the stage for a crowded field of candidates looking to become just the fifth person to hold the position since the creation of…
District Links: AG Schwalb files 12 more suits against dangerous drivers, wins first judgment; surge…
DC Attorney General Brian Schwalb today announced a first-of-its-kind judgment against a dangerous driver under recently implemented DC Council legislation, as well as a slate of 12 new lawsuits against Maryland and Virginia drivers who…
District Links: AG reaches settlement with Washington Gas to stop pollution of Anacostia River from…
DC Attorney General Brian Schwalb announced this morning that Washington Gas will take new steps to stop toxic chemicals from leaching into the Anacostia River from the site of a gas-manufacturing plant that operated for nearly a century…
District Links: Bowser says she’ll again seek council approval for ‘growth…
Mayor Muriel Bowser said today that she'll soon reintroduce aspects of her "growth agenda" as stand-alone bills in an effort to win DC Council approval for provisions that lawmakers pulled out of her FY 2026 budget legislation.
District Links: Councilmember Robert White enters race for House seat held by Norton since 1991;…
As questions swirl over whether DC Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton will indeed seek another term, at-large DC Councilmember Robert White — who previously served as legislative counsel in Norton's office — is entering the race.
jonetta rose barras: President Donald Trump and congressional Republicans engage in political…
Most Americans, even those who vehemently oppose President Donald Trump and congressional Republicans, will admit that the murder of Charlie Kirk is the most recent evidence of a frightening escalation of political violence in the country.…
District Links: Council OKs $3.7B deal with Commanders to remake RFK campus; Bowser, Mendelson and…
Today's congressional oversight hearing on DC with testimony from Mayor Muriel Bowser, DC Council Chair Phil Mendelson and Attorney General Brian Schwalb caps a hectic few days — with the House approving four bills to repeal or amend local…
District Links: House passes changes to DC juvenile justice with limited Democratic support; council…
With limited but notable Democratic support, the House yesterday approved two GOP bills that would alter the District's juvenile justice laws — with consideration of two other proposals to overturn local laws and amend the DC Home Rule Act…
District Links: House set to vote today on bills to overhaul DC’s juvenile justice, youth…
The House is expected to vote later this afternoon on two measures described by GOP backers as necessary to protect public safety in the District and decried by local leaders and congressional Democrats as intruding on home rule and…
District Links: Trump threatens to federalize MPD again unless DC cooperates on immigration…
President Donald Trump is threatening to declare a new national emergency and once again federalize DC's Metropolitan Police Department unless Mayor Muriel Bowser allows officers to fully cooperate with U.S. Immigration and Customs…
District Links: House may vote next week on four bills to remake DC criminal justice laws; how Trump…
Four of the DC-related bills advanced earlier this week by the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform are positioned for a vote on the House floor as soon as next week.
jonetta rose barras: The hot mess of democracy in DC
Truth be told, DC home rule has been a hot mess since Congress approved it in December 1973. Residents may have acquired the right to elect a mayor, city council and advisory neighborhood commissioners. However, the DC Home Rule Act as…
District Links: House panel advances bills to alter DC criminal justice laws, amend home rule…
At the conclusion of a daylong markup session, the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform voted last night almost exclusively along party lines to advance 13 bills that would amend or repeal several DC criminal justice laws and…
District Links: House panel voting today on GOP bills blasted by DC officials as infringing on home…
The House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform is in the midst of marking up a series of bills to repeal and alter multiple DC criminal justice laws — with sometimes heated debate falling along party lines, aside from consensus on…
District Links: Norton speaks out ahead of committee markup on DC-related GOP bills; Owolewa,…
Ahead of tomorrow morning's House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform meeting to mark up 14 DC-related bills, Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton says she intends to speak on all of them — the bulk of which would repeal or alter local…
District Links: Councilmembers warn of ‘unprecedented attack’ on DC autonomy ahead of…
In conjunction with President Donald Trump's focus on crime and public safety in DC, the GOP-controlled House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform has scheduled a meeting Wednesday to consider more than a dozen DC-related bills…
District Links: Congress expected to let Trump’s DC emergency lapse without voting on…
In the wake of Mayor Muriel Bowser's order laying out continued cooperation and coordination with federal law enforcement agencies, GOP leaders in Congress reportedly don't plan to schedule a vote on extending the federalization of DC's…
District Links: AG Schwalb files lawsuit to halt National Guard deployment in DC; House GOP bills…
DC Attorney General Brian Schwalb filed suit today in federal court in an effort to halt the ongoing National Guard deployment in the District, which he characterized as "not only unnecessary and unwanted" but also "dangerous and harmful."…