U.S. News
3 officers killed in Baton Rouge
Three Baton Rouge police officers were killed Sunday after being ambushed and shot by a lone shooter in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. The officers, Montrell Jackson, Matthew Gerald, and Brad Garafola, were killed in the same city where the death of Alton Sterling at the hands of police sparked a tumultuous national response for two weeks. On Sunday, Baton Rouge police were responding to a phone call about “suspicious person walking down Airline Highway with an assault rifle,” a source with knowledge of the investigation told CNN. Once police arrived, the shooting began. The shooter, Gavin Long, was shot and killed by police responding to the scene. Law enforcement officials said his weapon of choice was an AR-15 style semi-automatic rifle. “We as a nation have to be loud and clear that nothing justifies violence against law enforcement,” President Barack Obama said after Sunday’s attack. “Attacks on police are an attack on all of us, and the rule of law that makes society possible.” This being the second ambush on police officers in the past week, police across the nation are taking safety precautions.
Entertainment
Kim Kardashian releases video of phone call with Taylor Swift
Kim Kardashian West posted a video of a telephone conversation between rapper Kanye West and singer Taylor Swift to her Snapchat on Sunday. West posted the video in response to Swift claiming she had never heard his song “Famous”, which explicitly references her, and that she had an issue with the lyrics “To all my southside n****s that know me best/I feel like me and Taylor might still have sex/Why? I made that b**** famous.” West says Swift was aware of the song and had given her approval. In the video, West reads the first portion of the lyrics to Swift, but not the line about making her famous. “Umm, yeah I mean go with whatever line you think is better,” Swift responds. “It’s obviously very tongue in cheek either way. And I really appreciate you telling me about it, that’s really nice.” After West released the video on Snapchat, Swift took to Instagram to post her response: “Where is the video of Kanye telling me he was going to call me ‘that b**ch’ in his song?” Swift wrote. “It doesn’t exist because it never happened. You don’t get to control someone’s emotional response to being called ‘that b**ch’ in front of the entire world.”
Washington, DC
Metro emergency response lacks in communication with riders
Metro Transit Police Chief Ron Pavlik told Metro Board members that Metro and first responders are still “challenged with communicating effectively to the individuals on the train.” Metro’s most recent quarterly safety drill simulated the response to an electrical arcing incident in the Silver Line tunnel along Route 7 and Route 123. “One of the early items is the lack of communication to the people on board the incident train … they said they saw the first responders’ initial calls but [they were]not updating them frequently enough,” Pavlik said. He said this was a complaint that they have heard before. Metro is planning another, larger drill on Aug. 28, which will test the regional response to an emergency rather than only the local one. “This one will be challenging for us, as a region, to see how we respond,” Pavlik said. “We’re working now to do more of a coordinated effort … to see how first responders are able to handle multiple incidents.”
Virginia
Openly gay veteran to temporarily serve on Va. city council
At its regularly scheduled meeting on Tuesday, the Norfolk city council will have its first openly gay council member. Nicole Carry, 46, will temporarily serve on the board and is also believed to be the council’s first Navy veteran in recent history. Carry is replacing a council member who had to resign after unsuccessfully running for mayor earlier this year. She will serve on the council for two months, after which voters will be able to choose a permanent member in a special vote. Carry says she does not plan to run for the seat. Carry was chosen by the council from a pool of seven candidates. She has lived in Norfolk for over 20 years and served in the Navy during the 1990’s.
Maryland
Verdict awaited in Baltimore officer trial
A Baltimore Circuit Court Judge is expected to announce the verdict in the case of the highest ranking officer involved in the death of Freddie Gray. The verdict in Lt. Brian Rice’s case will be announced 10 a.m. Monday. Gray died from a severe spinal injury sustained while being transported in the back of a police van without wearing a seatbelt in April 2015. His death sparked outrage and protests across the city of Baltimore. Forty-two-year-old Rice faces charges of involuntary manslaughter, reckless endangerment and misconduct in office. Since Rice opted for a bench trial rather than a jury trial, Judge Barry Williams alone will decide his fate.
UPDATE: Judge Barry Williams acquitted Lt. Brian Rice and Rice has been found not guilty of all charges. Rice was the fourth officer tried in the death of Freddie Gray, and prosecutors have yet to obtain a conviction.
Washington Wizards: End of Season
Washington Capitals: End of Season
Washington Redskins: End of Season
Washington Nationals: Pittsburgh Pirates 2 – 1 Washington Nationals
Washington Mystics: Seattle Storm 80 – 51 Washington Mystics
July 21 8 PM K. Michelle, The Fillmore, Silver Spring, MD
July 22 8 PM Magic Men LIVE!, Warner Theatre, Washington, DC
July 23 6:30 PM Brandi Carlile & Old Crow Medicine Show, Merriweather Post Pavilion, Columbia, MD
July 23 8:15 PM The Firebird, Wolf Trap, Vienna,VA
July 23 8:15 PM 311, The Fillmore, Silver Spring, MD
July 24 7 PM Sensational Singing Heartthrobs 2016, Eagle Bank Arena, Fairfax, VA
July 24 8:15 Pink Martini, Wolf Trap, Vienna, VA
July 24 8:30 PM WWE: Battleground, Verizon Center, Washington, DC
