This article was published more than 1 year agoCommentGift ShareThe plywood boards that have for months covered glass windows and doors in downtown Washington have . Window displays and happy hour specials outnumber the wooden shields and painted placards for the first time since racial justice protests began nearly a year ago, following the police killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis.Tall, no-scale fencing that for the better part of a year has been replaced by waist-high aluminum barriers.But behind this easing exterior, the District has amped up its police presence, placing...…This article was published more than 1 year agoCommentGift ShareThe plywood boards that have for months covered glass windows and doors in downtown Washington have . Window displays and happy hour specials outnumber the wooden shields and painted placards for the first time since racial justice protests began nearly a year ago, following the police killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis.Tall, no-scale fencing that for the better part of a year has been replaced by waist-high aluminum barriers.But behind this easing exterior, the District has amped up its police presence, placing...WW…

This article was published more than 2 years agoCommentGift ShareOn the day when former president Donald Trump’s most delusional supporters swore he would return to power — and the House suspended its business because of supposed threats to the U.S. Capitol — Washington looked on Thursday morning much the way it has for the past two months.National Guard members armed with M4 rifles braced for rebellion that never came. Razor wire lined miles of steel fencing that went unbreached. Trump remained in Florida, where it was 70 degrees and sunny.The angst stemmed from another misguided...…This article was published more than 2 years agoCommentGift ShareOn the day when former president Donald Trump’s most delusional supporters swore he would return to power — and the House suspended its business because of supposed threats to the U.S. Capitol — Washington looked on Thursday morning much the way it has for the past two months.National Guard members armed with M4 rifles braced for rebellion that never came. Razor wire lined miles of steel fencing that went unbreached. Trump remained in Florida, where it was 70 degrees and sunny.The angst stemmed from another misguided...WW…

This article was published more than 2 years agoCommentGift ShareAirbnb said it will cancel and block all reservations in the Washington metro area in the coming days as efforts to secure the capital were ratcheted higher ahead of right-wing protests this weekend and the presidential swearing-in on Jan. 20.The mass cancellation came as regional leaders announced that a number of Metro stations would be closed for a week to discourage visitors from going into downtown Washington. Airbnb also discovered and banned accounts for many people involved in hate groups and last week’s Capitol...…This article was published more than 2 years agoCommentGift ShareAirbnb said it will cancel and block all reservations in the Washington metro area in the coming days as efforts to secure the capital were ratcheted higher ahead of right-wing protests this weekend and the presidential swearing-in on Jan. 20.The mass cancellation came as regional leaders announced that a number of Metro stations would be closed for a week to discourage visitors from going into downtown Washington. Airbnb also discovered and banned accounts for many people involved in hate groups and last week’s Capitol...WW…

This article was published more than 2 years agoCommentGift ShareMEXICO CITY — It's the moment for which advocates of legal marijuana here have been waiting: Mexican lawmakers, working under a court order, have until mid-December to finalize rules that will make the country the world's largest market for legal pot.Advocates have long argued that legalization would put a dent in the black market; allow for safe, regulated consumption; create jobs; and cut down on crime.But rather than counting down the days with glee, they’re waging an 11th-hour campaign to change legislation that they...…This article was published more than 2 years agoCommentGift ShareMEXICO CITY — It's the moment for which advocates of legal marijuana here have been waiting: Mexican lawmakers, working under a court order, have until mid-December to finalize rules that will make the country the world's largest market for legal pot.Advocates have long argued that legalization would put a dent in the black market; allow for safe, regulated consumption; create jobs; and cut down on crime.But rather than counting down the days with glee, they’re waging an 11th-hour campaign to change legislation that they...WW…

This article was published more than 2 years agoCommentGift ShareHours before law enforcement forcibly cleared protesters from Lafayette Square in early June amid protests over the police killing of George Floyd, federal officials began to stockpile ammunition and seek devices that could emit deafening sounds and make anyone within range feel as if their skin was on fire, according to an Army National Guard major who was there.D.C. National Guard Maj. Adam D. DeMarco told lawmakers that defense officials were searching for crowd-control technology deemed too unpredictable to use in war...…This article was published more than 2 years agoCommentGift ShareHours before law enforcement forcibly cleared protesters from Lafayette Square in early June amid protests over the police killing of George Floyd, federal officials began to stockpile ammunition and seek devices that could emit deafening sounds and make anyone within range feel as if their skin was on fire, according to an Army National Guard major who was there.D.C. National Guard Maj. Adam D. DeMarco told lawmakers that defense officials were searching for crowd-control technology deemed too unpredictable to use in war...WW…