It's been a rough patch for WUSA reporter Andrea McCarren in the wake of a story she filed earlier this month about how easy it was for some area youths to buy alcohol. Yesterday she told CNN about the nasty reactions her story has produced. more ›

CNN originally reported that the U.S. Coast Guard had opened fire on a boat in the Potomac River this morning, but the incident was actually a training exercise. Given the exercise's timing and location, on the morning of September 11, near the Pentagon, at a time when President Obama was laying a wreath to honor the victims of 9/11, the incident initially caused panic across the area. more ›

Via City Desk, today Marion Barry took to CNN to defend himself against recent allegations involving former girlfriend Donna Watts-Brighthaupt and the brewing investigation into allegations that he funneled earmarks to organizations under his control. In a spirited seven-minute exchange with CNN anchor Carol Costello (only a short part is included in the video above, we'll update if we can get the entire interview later), Barry does what he has always done best -- blame other people for his own troubles. Whether the July 4 stalking arrest or the 1991 crack-cocaine bust, Barry never owns up to having done much wrong. Even in the one instance where Barry takes responsibility for his actions -- not paying his taxes -- he still manages to diminish his own culpability by claiming that lots of other Americans also don't pay their taxes. Bu then there's the interview closer, where Barry coats himself in political equivalent of Teflon: "...[F]or anything else that has happened to me, it was the result of other people, enemies, conservative Republicans or anyone else doing this to me." more ›

You may remember Jim Spellman from such local bands as the High Back Chairs (late-80s Dischord) or Velocity Girl (90s indie-pop cult faves). Or maybe you've seen him recently with the local band he currently fronts, Julie Ocean (who open for oddball punk legends Half Japanese at the Rock and Roll Hotel next month). What we'll bet you didn't know is that Spellman pays his bills in a day job as a producer for CNN. We sure didn't. more ›

UPDATE: Local new outlets have the story that Poke was captured just before 4 p.m. in Prince George's County and is in police custody, while CNN.com says he was shot dead during a shoot-out with police. more ›

Which stories did DCist readers think merited the most attention this year? more ›

CNN is reporting that the Eisenhower Executive Office Building is on fire. From the looks of it firefighters have already gotten the worst of the flames, which began as an electrical problem on the 3rd floor, under control, but a small amount of smoke is still coming out of the building. No injuries have been reported. more ›

>> The law firm that uncovered widespread fraud at Enron is now investigating the tax fraud case at the D.C. Office of Tax and Revenue. [WTOP] >> The swear word directed at Mayor Fenty by Council member Marion Barry, revealed. [City Desk] >> "So if giving CNN yet another chance to screw up major debates is the first mistake, then allowing Wolf Blitzer to moderate one of them (Anderson Cooper the other, meh) is... more ›

One of these guys might be the next president, so it's good to try and parse where they stand on District voting rights. At least that was the thinking over at D.C. Vote, who recently recorded and sent in a number of videos of District residents asking the presidential candidates from the Republican Party where they stood on D.C. voting rights. The videos, eleven in all, were submitted to CNN for the upcoming CNN/YouTube... more ›

In Los Angeles, LAist most definitely celebrated Thanksgiving like no other. After all, one has to keep up all the energy to keep on walking the line at the Writers Strike and fighting the unfortunate return of the wildfires in Malibu, which single handedly destroyed over fifty homes within the first 24 hours. National outlets may be covering the fires, but CNN also found it is easier to buy a gun than fruit and... more ›

>> D.C. United and Chivas Guadalajara renew their budding rivalry this evening. The match is part of the Copa Nissan Sudamericana, a 34-team invitational tournament featuring the best clubs of South America and several North American teams looking to crash the party. The match could be one of the most entertaining, competitive affairs this season. United aims to atone for their first round exit from the tournament two years ago; they also seek to... more ›

MONDAY: The Beauty Myth author Naomi Wolf will be at the Arlington County Public Library in Shirlington to read from her new book, The End of America: A Letter of Warning to a Young Patriot, in which Wolf outlines how events of the last six years parallel steps taken in the early years of the 20th century's worst dictatorships such as Germany, Russia, China, and Chile. 5 p.m., free. TUESDAY: Erudite actor Alan Alda will... more ›

Got a second? Good! Because we want to thank the advertisers on DCist this week: CNN.com, who has a surprising amount of video on their site (including one of a couple with sextuplets). Zipcar, because even non-car owners sometimes need a car. Bookfest 2007 at the Library of Congress, which starts in a little more than 14 days from now. How did we know? They have a nifty countdown on their site! ALO, coming to... more ›

Famed jazz flute player Tony Snow will step down as White House Press Secretary on Sept. 14, adding one more bleeding gash to the already hemorrhaging patient known as the Bush Administration. CNN is reporting that Snow, who makes $168,000 as the White House spokesman, says he is leaving for financial reasons, reiterating that he took a significant pay cut to take the position over a year ago in April 2006. It's an awfully weird... more ›

Good morning, Washington. An estimated 10,000 people attended the dedication Sunday of the official memorial for the 32 victims killed at Virginia Tech on April 16. Students at the university, about four hours outside D.C., begin classes for the fall semester today. On the same day as the dedication, about 23 Virginia Tech students living in an off-campus apartment building were taken to hospitals after showing signs of carbon monoxide poisoning. Several of the... more ›

But this photo, taken in Old Town on Friday night by zenisfrisbee just before the final Harry Potter book was released, is too funny not to post. I honestly honestly honestly have no idea if this is true, I'm still reading The Half-Blood Prince, and I'm choosing to believe this guy is just trying to rile people up. For now, PLEASE DO NOT POST SPOILERS in the comments. I will remove them. That said,... more ›

>> CNN White House Correspondent Ed Henry spotted Dave Chappelle hanging out outside the White House this morning. He's reportedly feeling good despite his recent hospital visit, and joked about going after Tony Snow's job. [CNN Political Ticker] >> The former mayor of the town of Dumfries, VA has been charged with running a brothel out of a sports therapy clinic he owns in a Prince William County strip mall. Melvin Bray lost his... more ›

>> Larry Flynt has 30 solid leads on potential congressional sex scandals, and was especially shocked to learn something juicy about a yet unnamed senator. [CNN] >> Via Matt Yglesias, the San Diego Union-Tribune reports the latest hilarity in the Duke Cunningham saga: First, he's snitching to the FBI, so look out, Brent Wilkes. Second, he apparently was miffed that Wilkes got the “younger and cuter” of the prostitutes Wilkes hired for them on... more ›

>> Experts warn of lightning-strike injuries with iPods [AP via CNN.com] >> "The District has awarded a contract for managing its troubled Medicaid transportation program to a St. Louis-area company that the Missouri governor's office called 'scurrilous' after the company paid millions of dollars to resolve a fraud investigation." [WashTimes] >> "In the lingo of anti-smoking zealots, smoke flow from dwelling to dwelling is called “seepage” and for now, it seems, there’s nothing a renter... more ›

>> A suspicious package at the National Postal Museum next to Union Station caused the area to be evacuated during the lunch rush today. Luckily -- or perhaps, unluckily, if you work for the bomb squad -- the offending package turned out to contain only a soiled diaper. The area was reopened by 1:30 p.m. On behalf of the city, DCist would like to thank you, fearless, put upon bomb squad members, for keeping us... more ›

>> In case you missed this story in the Washington Post this morning, it seems another one of D.C. Delegate Eleanor Holmes Norton's favorite long-term projects, expanding the District's Home Rule Charter to give the District budget and legislative autonomy, is actually getting some play up on the Hill. We can't even count how many times she's introduced bills like the two currently before the House, but it's been at least 15 years since Congress... more ›

Via Best Week Ever, CNN's Kyra Phillips Kiran Chetry learns that interviewing kids is the toughest job in news the hard way. It doesn't help that her interviewee, Evan O'Dorney, the winner of the Scripps National Spelling Bee held here in D.C. last week, seems to be a particularly tough nut to crack. If watching a truly uncomfortable situation makes you cringe more than smile, you might want to skip this one. more ›

A new survey conducted by AutoVantage, a Connecticut-based automobile membership club, and Prince Market Research reveals which U.S. cities have the worst cases of road rage -- and D.C. came in at number five, behind only Los Angeles (#4), Boston (#3), New York (#2) and Miami (#1). From CNN.com: The most frequent cause of road rage cited in the survey was impatient motorists. Drivers also said road rage can stem from poor driving in fast... more ›

Wednesday brought more developments in the Virginia Tech shootings that left 33 people dead, including the gunman, Cho Seung Hui -- a South Korean citizen who grew up in the Washington suburb of Centreville, Va. In addition to the teachers who have come forward saying they alerted the administration over a year ago about Cho's behavior, today more people described him as a loner who barely spoke to his class- and suite-mates. Several said he... more ›

Police have now confirmed that the man responsible for yesterday's horrific murder of 32 people at Virginia Tech is Cho Seung-Hui, 23, who grew up in Centreville, Va. Cho, a citizen of South Korea, graduated from Westfield High School in Fairfax County in 2003. As well, several of the students killed were from Northern Virginia suburbs, including Mary Read, 19, Reema Samaha, 18, Erin Peterson, 18, Leslie Sherman, 20, and Emily Hilscher,19. The Post has... more ›

>> University of Maryland students continue to protest on-campus housing cutbacks. Today the school's Board of Regents met, with residents of a growing tent city looking on. [The Diamondback] more ›

>> Congratulations are in order for the local D.C. blogs that won awards from the 2007 Bloggie Awards. Frank Warren's PostSecret won for Best Topical Weblog and Best Community Weblog, and Wonkette took home the honor of Best Political Weblog. You guys make it look easy, and we know better than anyone that it's not. Way to get that product out on them corners! more ›

A trial that has captivated Washington has come to an end. From CNN: Former White House aide I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby has been found guilty on four of five counts in his perjury and obstruction of justice trial. Libby, 56, faces a maximum sentence of 25 years in prison and a fine of $1 million. The five-count indictment against the former aide to Vice President Dick Cheney alleges perjury, obstruction of justice and making false... more ›

D.C. has one, Chris Rock joked about them and there are entire books about them: streets named for Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Yesterday CNN posted an article about streets named for the civil rights leader, saying there are at least 777 in the country. The article says that Rock's joke and the stereotype about King streets, that they're poor and dangerous, may not be true. It quotes Matthew Mitchelson, a University of Georgia... more ›

>> Breaking news from the DCist News Desk Sofa: Anna Nicole Smith has died in Florida. Smith was reportedly found in unconscious in her Hollywood, Fla. hotel room and pronounced dead at a nearby hospital. Looking back, it's hard to remember all that made Smith a tabloid celeb but we're sure we'll be seeing a Law & Order "ripped from the headlines" reminding us soon. [CNN.com] more ›