Today in D.C.: Headlines to start your Tuesday in D.C., Maryland and Virginia
Good Tuesday #GoodTuesday
Good morning — it’s Tuesday. Grab your coffee or tea. The Defense Department is facing scrutiny over its response to the riot at the Capitol last week. The D.C. government and Capitol Police have accused Pentagon officials of slow-walking reinforcements.
Today’s weather: Some morning clouds give way to partly to mostly sunny skies by midday and this afternoon as highs move into the mid- to upper 40s. Light winds from the northwest at only 5 mph or so.
8:30 AM: Hogan pitches $750 stimulus checks for Maryland’s poorest families
Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan (R) on Monday proposed a stimulus package exceeding $1 billion, suggesting the state’s poorest families should get $750 payments as soon as possible to help buffer the economic calamity of the coronavirus pandemic.
His proposal, which requires General Assembly approval, would also effectively send more cash to the state’s 709,000 unemployed people by waiving state and local taxes on unemployment benefits and entitling them to a big tax refund.
Another piece of his coronavirus relief plan would let small businesses keep up to $12,000 worth of sales tax levied on their customers, and implement other changes to reduce tax bills.
The Maryland General Assembly convenes Wednesday for its annual legislative session, and Hogan urged lawmakers to approve the aid quickly.
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By: Erin Cox
8:08 AM: Political newcomer to enter race for Virginia governor
RICHMOND — Glenn Youngkin, who made a fortune in the world of private equity, plans to run for Virginia governor, his campaign manager confirmed Monday, after the former Carlyle Group executive filed paperwork laying the groundwork for his Republican campaign.
Youngkin, 54 has never held elective office — and plans to use that as a selling point to voters sick of the current political climate, said campaign manager Garrison Coward.
“Virginians are tired of the political games they’ve seen on the right and the left over the last few years,” Coward said. “The political insiders have been smothering Virginians’ best interests with their special interests. Glenn is a breath of fresh air that will bring conservative solutions to everyday problems.”
As a political newcomer, Youngkin has no voting record to defend — a potential asset in a onetime swing state where Republicans have not won statewide office since 2009. With a net worth estimated at $254 million, Youngkin has the ability to self-fund.
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By: Laura Vozzella
7:49 AM: Body-cam video in Maryland police raid confirms officers did not record fatal shooting
Montgomery County officials released police body-camera video Monday from a fatal no-knock raid in suburban Maryland last year — footage that confirmed SWAT officers did not record the actual shooting of 21-year-old Duncan Lemp.
The seven minutes worth of video, recorded in three segments by a SWAT officer, starts about seven minutes after tactical officers stormed Lemp’s house in Potomac on March 12.
The video is essentially a walk-through of the house in the aftermath of the shooting. The video captures other occupants of the home and — inside Lemp’s bedroom — shows a white sheet placed over his body. None of the front-line SWAT officers, per county policy, wore body cameras during the raid.
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By: Dan Morse
7:33 AM: D.C., Northern Virginia move to second phase of coronavirus vaccinations
Biden gets second dose of coronavirus vaccine
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The District and much of Virginia moved into their next phases of coronavirus vaccinations Monday, targeting older residents and other vulnerable populations as a post-holiday surge of new infections in the Washington region continued to reach record highs.
D.C. Mayor Muriel E. Bowser said the city will begin vaccinating residents 65 and older, while some jurisdictions in Virginia on Monday began making appointments to inoculate residents 75 and older. Health officials previously had worked to inoculate residents of nursing homes and assisted-living communities before moving to the next phase.
“The coronavirus vaccine is free,” Bowser (D) said during a Monday news conference. “Those with insurance will not be charged a co-pay. Those without insurance will not be charged or turned away.”
The District has administered 26,672 vaccine doses through its first round of inoculations, which included health-care workers and front-line emergency workers. An additional 18,753 doses set aside for that group have yet to be administered.
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By: Antonio Olivo, Lola Fadulu and Ovetta Wiggins
7:18 AM: Maryland police officer suspended as investigators look into possible involvement at U.S. Capitol
The Anne Arundel County, Md., police department has suspended an officer with pay as the agency works with federal authorities to determine what involvement the officer may have had in the breach of the U.S. Capitol on Wednesday.
The department said its Office of Professional Standards is reviewing whether the officer, whose name was not released, violated any agency policies or broke any laws. A statement issued by the department did not specify how the officer was involved, or whether he was among the mob of people who entered the building in hopes of overturning the results of the presidential election.
A number of police departments across the country have launched investigations into alleged involvement of their officers in storming past Capitol Police officers and unlawfully entering the building.
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By: Ovetta Wiggins
7:04 AM: Police describe injuries to officers during assault on U.S. Capitol
An officer was hit with a bat. Another was struck with a flagpole. A third was pinned against a statue. A fourth was clobbered with a wrench. One became stuck between two doors amid a frenzied mob. Many were hit with bear spray.
The number of injuries suffered by police as they attempted to fend off supporters of President Trump who seized the U.S. Capitol last week runs long. They include swollen ankles and wrists, bruised arms and legs, concussions and irritated lungs.
How those injuries occurred is equally varied: pushed down stairs, trampled by rioters, run over in a stampede, punched with fists.
More than 58 D.C. police officers and an unknown number of U.S. Capitol Police officers were injured in the hours-long riot and assault on Wednesday as lawmakers were formalizing the election victory for Joe Biden as president. It was a battle in which police were outnumbered. One Capitol Police officer died in circumstances that remain unclear.
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By: Peter Hermann and Julie Zauzmer
6:52 AM: D.C. pleads for low attendance on Inauguration Day
Battered by months of protests and a violent insurrection at the Capitol last week, the District is making urgent pleas to the federal government and American people to try to prevent calamity from unfolding when Joe Biden is sworn in as president next week.
On Monday, leaders in the Washington region urged all Americans to stay away from the nation’s capital come Jan. 20, citing the coronavirus pandemic and the recent attack on the Capitol.
“If I’m scared of anything it’s for our democracy,” D.C. Mayor Muriel E. Bowser (D) said at a Monday news conference, responding to a reporter who asked if she feared what might happen on Inauguration Day. “Because we have factions in our country . . . that are armed and dangerous.”
Bowser, Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan (R) and Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam (D) held a joint call on Monday to discuss planning for the 59th presidential inauguration and agreed to discourage all in-person attendance in the interest of public safety.
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By: Emily Davies
6:40 AM: At least 2 Capitol police officers suspended over actions related to riot
At least two U.S. Capitol Police officers have been suspended and more than a dozen others are under investigation for suspected involvement with or inappropriate support for the demonstration last week that turned into a deadly riot at the Capitol, according to members of Congress and staff members briefed on the developments.
Eight separate investigations have been launched into the actions of Capitol officers, according to one congressional aide who spoke on the condition of anonymity to describe the status of the internal review.
In one of the cases, officers had posted what Capitol police investigators found to be messages showing support for the rally on Wednesday that preceded the attack on the complex, including touting President Trump’s baseless contention that the election had been stolen through voter fraud, the aide said.
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By: Aaron C. Davis, Rebecca Tan and Beth Reinhard
6:35 AM: D.C.-area forecast: Sunny skies return with a warming trend through the week
The Capital Weather Gang rates today’s weather a 7/10: Warily wondering if the sun really shows today.
Today: Some morning clouds give way to partly to mostly sunny skies by midday and this afternoon as highs move into the mid- to upper 40s. Light winds from the northwest at only 5 mph or so. Confidence: Medium-High.
Tonight: Mostly clear and a bit colder, with lows in the mid-20s to low 30s. Light winds from the west and southwest at about 5 mph. Confidence: High.
Tomorrow (Wednesday): Sunny skies and warmer temperatures as highs break toward the upper 40s to low 50s and winds remain light from the southwest. Confidence: High.
For other forecasts and more on weather in the Washington region, sign up to receive the Capital Weather Gang in your inbox. (Or, on your smart speaker.)
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By: Matt Rogers
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By: Teddy Amenabar