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Stay or go? Fence, Guard pose Capitol security questions
National Guard open a gate in the razor wire topped perimeter fence around the Capitol allow another member in at sunrise in Washington, Monday, March 8, 2021. The U.S. Capitol Police has asked for the fencing and the National Guard to remain, for now. As of Friday there were about 4,300 Guard troops in the city. "Our National Guard troops, who serve with great honor and distinction, are not law enforcement officers, and we will not abide the continued militarization of Capitol complex security,” wrote Sens. Coupled with the hiring of 350 additional officers, the report also recommends establishing a permanent “quick response force” within the Capitol Police but also at the National Guard in D.C. for emergencies.
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Stay or go? Fence, Guard pose Capitol security questions
National Guard open a gate in the razor wire topped perimeter fence around the Capitol allow another member in at sunrise in Washington, Monday, March 8, 2021. The U.S. Capitol Police has asked for the fencing and the National Guard to remain, for now. As of Friday there were about 4,300 Guard troops in the city. "Our National Guard troops, who serve with great honor and distinction, are not law enforcement officers, and we will not abide the continued militarization of Capitol complex security,” wrote Sens. Coupled with the hiring of 350 additional officers, the report also recommends establishing a permanent “quick response force” within the Capitol Police but also at the National Guard in D.C. for emergencies.
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Activists seek to decriminalize 'magic' mushrooms in DC
If the signatures hold up through the verification process, voters in the nation's capital will face a November ballot initiative that would decriminalize psilocybin magic" mushrooms and other natural psychedelics like mescaline. Activists are deemphasizing the recreational aspects of the drugs, focusing almost exclusively on the therapeutic and medical benefits as treatment for depression, trauma and addiction. A growing body of work is looking at the effects of natural psychedelics to treat depression, trauma and addiction. Maryland Republican Rep. Andy Harris, who sponsored the budget rider that blocked the 2014 marijuana initiative, has already indicated in press interviews that he plans to do the same if this new initiative passes. The Democratic-controlled House approved a landmark D.C. statehood bill in June, but it faces insurmountable opposition in the Republican-held Senate.
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House moves to approve DC statehood; Senate GOP opposes
Delegate Eleanor Holmes Norton, D-D.C., speaks at a news conference on District of Columbia statehood on Capitol Hill, Tuesday, June 16, 2020, in Washington. House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer of Md. will hold a vote on D.C. statehood on July 26. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik)
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House moves to approve DC statehood; Senate GOP opposes
will hold a vote on D.C. statehood on July 26. Or Congress can live up to this nations promise and ideals, end taxation without representation and pass the statehood bill. The House vote would mark the first time a chamber of Congress has passed a D.C. statehood bill, but the legislation faces insurmountable opposition in the GOP-controlled Senate. In a Senate speech, he dismissed Washington, D.C., as a city with little more to offer than lobbyists and federal workers. In other words, Wyoming is a well-rounded working-class state.Cotton also criticized Democrats for prioritizing the D.C. statehood vote while there is mob violence in the streets.
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Trump's disconnect with DC widens during viral pandemic
As a candidate for the White House, President Donald Trump once said he wanted whatever is best for the residents of the nations capital. But over the course of his more than three years in office a disconnect between the president and District of Columbia has emerged. Aides to the mayor said Trump told Bowser her concerns were on his radar, but he made no commitments. Similarly, Trump told her the issue would be addressed when she initially complained about the matter during a White House conference call with governors in late March. The White House declined to comment.
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Nation's capital aims to start reopening May 29
The District of Columbia is under a stay-home order for all residents in an effort to slow the spread of the new coronavirus. Bowser on Thursday penciled in Friday, May 29 as a potential start date for phase 1 of the District of Columbias proposed three-phase reopening plan. This is not an on-off switch.Bowser had previously set the nations capital on a timeline that would have it beginning to reopen on June 8 at the earliest. Although the rest of the state of Virginia, began reopening in mid-May, the northern counties balked and requested a delay. Im of the mindset that we need to open as soon as possible.Shallal serves on the Reopen DC committee as part of the restaurant subcommittee.