WASHINGTON – Each holiday season since 2007, after the animals go to sleep, the rest of the Smithsonian National Zoo comes to life as a colorful winter wonderland. More than half a million LED lights are transforming the zoo’s grounds…
Washington
Smithsonian’s chief says more museums must wait, maintenance is top priority
WASHINGTON – As the public demand for new museums increases, the Smithsonian Institution’s chief says his top priority is getting on top of a huge maintenance backlog at the world’s largest museum and research complex before he considers expanding. Smithsonian…
This year’s White House ornament marks first presidential helicopter ride
WASHINGTON – This year’s White House Historical Association’s 39th official White House Christmas ornament honors a precedent that, to later generations of Americans, became routine. That precedent was a president of the United States riding in a helicopter. The first…
House Judiciary Committee opens next impeachment phase with rancor, legal debate
WASHINGTON – Three constitutional lawyers characterized President Donald Trump’s actions toward Ukraine as a serious abuse of power that constitutes high crimes and misdemeanors during impeachment hearings Wednesday before the House Judiciary Committee. “When President Trump invited – indeed, demanded…
What we learned from 5 days of impeachment hearings
WASHINGTON — After five full days of public hearings with 12 witnesses testifying in front of the House Intelligence Committee, Democrats are advancing to the next stage of the the impeachment inquiry into Republican President Donald Trump. The inquiry was…
Former adviser tells impeachment inquiry Trump envoy was on ‘domestic political errand’
WASHINGTON – Former National Security Council Russia expert Fiona Hill and diplomat David Holmes testified in what may be the final public impeachment hearing Thursday, reinforcing previous witnesses’ assertions that President Donald Trump directly linked a White House meeting and…
Congress awaits inspector general’s report on cancellation of FBI headquarters move
WASHINGTON – With parts of the FBI headquarters building crumbling on Pennsylvania Avenue, there had been plans to relocate the agency to a more secluded and spacious campus in either suburban northern Virginia or suburban Maryland. But six months after…
After Trump hotel subpoena, House panel OKs bill seeking audits of federal property
WASHINGTON – Following a House subpoena last month for documents regarding President Donald Trump’s lease for his Washington hotel, the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee on Wednesday approved a bill that would require the General Services Administration to audit all federal…
Officials warn Pentagon cuts could force closing of Bethesda military medical university
WASHINGTON- The military’s medical school in Bethesda, Maryland, has been targeted by the Defense Department for significant budget cuts that could force the closure of the university, officials say. As a part of a Pentagon-wide review of “time, money, and…
Sondland confirms quid pro quo in “seminal” fourth impeachment hearing
WASHINGTON – Gordon Sondland, the United States ambassador to the European Union, told House investigators Wednesday that President Donald Trump and other top administration officials sought a quid pro quo with Ukraine, tying military aid to an announcement of an…