Category Archives: Washington, DC

Democratic and Republican senators unite to condemn US Capitol violence – video

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Senators from both sides of US politics have condemned the violence unleashed on the Capitol building on Wednesday.  The vice-president, Mike Pence, described it as 'a dark day in the history of the United States Capitol'. The Democratic Senate minority leader, Chuck Schumer, labelled the Trump supporters as 'goons', 'thugs' and 'domestic terrorists', while Republican Mitt Romney labelled the events 'an insurrection, incited by the president of the United States'

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Biden calls on Trump to ‘demand an end to this siege’ – video

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President-elect Joe Biden denounces the violence at the Capitol, after a mob of Trump supporters storm the building. 'This is not dissent, it's disorder, it's chaos, it borders on sedition, and it must end now,' Biden said. He then called on outgoing US president Trump to publicly 'demand an end to this siege'

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Million Maga March: Trump supporters protest in Washington – video

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At least a thousand protesters travelled across the US to show their support for Donald Trump in what was called the 'Million Maga March' in Washington on Saturday.

People chanted 'stop the steal' and sang the national anthem, some demonstrators running after Trump's motorcade when it made an appearance at the beginning of the significantly advertised event.

Counter-protesters also rallied in Washington and clashed with Trump supporters in the evening, when at least 20 people were arrested on a variety of charges, including assault and weapons possession, according to officials

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Driving Mr Donald – White House excursion reveals a presidency pushing up daisies

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From the motorcade, leaving Washington, it was clear how Trump thrives on a noisy minority’s support – and why he lost

It was a jarring few minutes of seeing the world through Donald Trump’s eyes and indulging his fantasies.

Related: Trump supporters gather in Washington as president refuses to concede to Biden

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Two sides of DC: those threatened by Covid are unimpressed by Trump’s bravado

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The president’s words fell on deaf ears to those just down the street from the White House who wouldn’t get the same treatment

Washington’s mayor, Muriel Bowser, has struggled to bring the US capital’s coronavirus infection rate down.

In July, she ordered the wearing of masks in crowded places outside, and the order has largely been obeyed: on Tuesday afternoon, more than nine in ten people walking around the city were wearing masks, and almost everyone in shops and cafes.

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America is having a code red moment. Which of its enemies is likely to strike first? | Simon Tisdall

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With Trump in hospital and the election campaign in chaos, the US has never been more vulnerable to foreign threats

US presidential elections and the uncertain transition periods that follow have traditionally been viewed by military, intelligence and security officials as moments of maximum national vulnerability. They will be especially worried now.

The fact that Donald Trump is ill in hospital, presidential advisers and Republican senators are also unwell, or self-isolating, and the election campaign is in chaos will intensify a sense of dangerous exposure at the Pentagon, CIA and state department.

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A photo essay: the capital mourns a week after Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s death

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Admirers gather in Washington DC as the justice becomes the first woman to lie in state at the US capitol. Photos by Lexey Swall

On Friday, Ruth Bader Ginsburg became the first woman in American history to lie in state in the US Capitol, 168 years after the first man to do so.

The mood in the capital was somber and reverential. In the late supreme court justice, the city had not only lost an icon but “a 40-year resident, a meticulous, familiar, and revered part of the daily landscape”, according to DCist.

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Woman suspected of sending ricin to White House is arrested at Canada border

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Woman is also suspected of sending five similar poisoned envelopes to law enforcement agencies in Texas

A woman suspected of sending an envelope containing the poison ricin to the White House, has been arrested at the New York-Canada border and is also suspected of sending five similar poisoned envelopes to law enforcement agencies in Texas.

The letter was intercepted earlier this week before it reached the White House.

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‘He never yielded’: mourners pay respects to John Lewis outside Capitol

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Kept outdoors by coronavirus threat, hundreds view casket of congressman and civil rights icon

Born in Citronelle, Alabama, in the early 1950s, Frankie Blevins grew up with the cruelties imposed by the Jim Crow south: racially segregated drinking fountains, restrooms and restaurants.

On her family’s first road trip, her mother packed food to sustain them for the entire trip, knowing they would not be allowed to stop for provisions along the way.

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DoJ to investigate federal forces’ tactics in US cities as mayors condemn Trump

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Watchdog to look at use-of-force allegations in Portland and Washington as other mayors say: we don’t need your deployments

The justice department inspector general said on Thursday it would conduct a review of the conduct of federal agents who responded to unrest in Portland and Washington DC, following concerns from members of Congress and the public.

Related: DoJ watchdog opens investigation into federal agents' actions in Portland – live

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Donald Trump publicly wears face mask for first time during hospital visit – video

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Donald Trump wore a face mask in public for the first time during a visit to a military hospital on Saturday evening. 

'When you’re in a hospital, especially … I think it’s expected to wear a mask,' the US president said as he left the White House in a helicopter to visit the Walter Reed national military medical centre in suburban Washington DC to meet wounded service members and healthcare providers caring for Covid-19 patients.

Coronavirus cases have surged to record levels in the US, with guidelines recommending the wearing of face masks in certain circumstances to stop the spread of the virus

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US restricts visas for Chinese officials over Hong Kong freedoms

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Secretary of state Mike Pompeo says visa restrictions apply to ‘current and former’ communist party officials, but does not name them

The US secretary of state Mike Pompeo has said Washington will impose visa restrictions on Chinese officials responsible for restricting freedoms in Hong Kong, but he did not name any of those targeted.

The move on Friday comes ahead of a three-day meeting of China’s parliament from Sunday, which is expected to enact new national security legislation for Hong Kong that has alarmed foreign governments and democracy activists.

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Protesters topple statue of Confederate general in Washington DC – video

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Protesters in Washington DC climbed up a bronze statue of Brig Gen Albert Pike and brought it down with ropes before setting it alight on Friday.  A US holiday known as Juneteenth that commemorates the end of slavery takes place every year on 19 June. Demonstrators took about an hour to fell the three-metre statue, as Juneteenth celebrations and anti-racist protests took place across the US. The police surrounded the area but did not appear to intervene

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‘We will not be silent’: protests head into second weekend after George Floyd’s killing – live

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After a day of protests across Australia, Guardian staff have compiled some of the most striking images.

Tens of thousands rallied in state capital cities and towns to march against Indigenous deaths in custody and the killing of George Floyd.

The nationwide anti-police brutality protests sparked by the killing of George Floyd in the US have been marked by widespread incidents of police violence, including punching, kicking, gassing, pepper-spraying and driving vehicles at often peaceful protesters in states across the country.

The actions have left thousands of protesters in jail and injured many others, leaving some with life-threatening injuries.

Related: Protests about police brutality are met with wave of police brutality across US

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US activist sues former Egyptian prime minister over arrest and torture

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  • Hazem Abdel Aziz El Beblawi sued in Washington
  • Mohamed Soltan alleges he was targeted for assassination

A US activist arrested as part of a brutal crackdown in Cairo has filed a lawsuit against a former Egyptian prime minister who now lives in Washington DC, arguing he was targeted for assassination, arrest and torture. 

Mohamed Soltan was arrested following the violent dispersal of protesters in Cairo in 2013. Court documents chronicle the extensive physical torture Soltan suffered in multiple detention facilities during his 643-day detention, including beatings, denial of medical treatment and cigarette burns to the back of his neck.

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Protests spread across US in response to George Floyd killing – video

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Protests against police brutality ignited across the US overnight and into Saturday morning following the killing of an unarmed black man, George Floyd, who died after a white police officer kneeled on his neck.

Demonstrators chanted 'hands up, don't shoot' and 'I can't breathe' as they clashed with police

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US’s global reputation hits rock-bottom over Trump’s coronavirus response

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International relations expert warns policy failure could do lasting damage as president insults allies and undermines alliances

Donald Trump’s response to the coronavirus pandemic, which he once dismissed as a hoax, has been fiercely criticised at home as woefully inadequate to the point of irresponsibility.

Yet also thanks largely to Trump, a parallel disaster is unfolding across the world: the ruination of America’s reputation as a safe, trustworthy, competent international leader and partner.

Call it the Trump double-whammy. Diplomatically speaking, the US is on life support.

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