In the midst of another tough fight for same-sex marriage in Maryland, proponents of marriage equality have recruited some powerful allies. But few may make the case as well as Michael K. Williams, the actor known best for playing Omar Little in the HBO Baltimore crime drama "The Wire," and former Vice President Dick Cheney. more ›

ABC7 reports that anti-war activist Cindy Sheehan and U.S. Rep. Cynthia McKinney rallied yesterday with demonstrators outside the White House to protest the War in Iraq outside the CIA to protest the use of Predator drones in Pakistan. Around 70 protesters joined Sheehan outside CIA HQ in Virginia, and half of them then marched out to McLean for a throwback protest near former Vice President Dick Cheney's house. It should be noted that Cheney no longer has any authority over the deployment of drones anywhere (I think). Nor is the deployment of drones strictly within the purview of the spooks, according to Wired. And further, their use has been endorsed and expanded by the Obama administration -- the current resident of the White House. I'm just saying. The permanent protest culture in Washington could use to update their intel. Possibly their look as well. more ›

Breaking right now from the Washington Times: Former Vice President Dick Cheney is at The George Washington University Hospital this morning to undergo elective surgery on his spine. Cheney visited GWU Hospital something like 643 times over the course of the Bush administration, typically taking his massive motorcade along for the ride, the Secret Service keen on shutting down nearby streets. But now that he's no longer in office, we're curious to hear from Foggy Bottom denizens about whether any security presence is even noticeable around the hospital today. Can you tell Cheney is in the house? more ›

Yesterday evening, White House press secretary Dana Perino had to make a final announcement regarding outgoing Vice President Dick Cheney: He hurt himself while helping with his move to McLean, Virginia and pulled a back muscle. Yes, Cheney, with his history of heart trouble, was apparently helping with the move. His doctor said he should use a wheelchair for the next few days—which means he'll be attending the Inauguration in a wheelchair. "The vice president is looking forward to being there for tomorrow's historic inaugural activities," Perino said. more ›

Vice President Dick Cheney puts his troubled heart in the care of George Washington University Medical Center (check out The Colonialist's photos of Cheney waving to the crowd as he left yesterday afternoon), but the Liaison Committee on Medical Education has since put the medical school for which the hospital serves as a training ground on probation. The Post characterizes the probationary status of the George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences as no laughing matter: it is the only medical school currently on probation, and only the fifth put on probation since 1994. The problems cited by the committee include areas ranging from curriculum, to administration, to facilities management. The school remains fully accredited while it works to improve to the point where its probationary status is removed. more ›

For those of you who live or work near The George Washington University Medical Center, heads up that Vice President Dick Cheney is heading back there today to see his regular heart doctor. The Associated Press is reporting that Cheney experienced an irregular heart beat this morning, and has since canceled a campaign event on behalf of John McCain and "scheduled a hospital visit to 'restore his normal rhythm.'" Cheney is well known to Foggy Bottom residents for clogging traffic around Washington Circle with his enormous motorcade whenever he goes in to GWU for his many heart-related procedures. The Vice President has had four heart attacks. Folks around GWU should expect the Vice Presidential motorcade sometime this afternoon. more ›

>> Both the White House Christmas Tree and the Capitol Christmas Tree arrived in Washington today. >> D.C. fire officials are warning people not to overload electrical circuits in their homes this holiday season in the wake of a fatal garage fire over the weekend. [WTOP] >> Vice President Dick Cheney experienced an irregular heartbeat Monday and will be heading to George Washington University Hospital to have it checked out -- in case you... more ›

Good morning, Washington. Recent increases in gun-related crime in the city seems to be today's main topic of news, just as the Supreme Court may announce today whether it intends to take another look at D.C.'s handgun ban. D.C. Mayor Adrian Fenty has scheduled a press conference this morning to address the District's position on its gun safety law, but in the meantime the Washington Post is questioning the law's effectiveness and just last... more ›

Yesterday we threw together a list of the people in the District we considered influential, taking after a similar annual list put together by GQ that compiles the movers and shakers on the federal side of the city. One of our nominees was Dorothy Brizill, a well-known civic activist and political gadfly who runs DC Watch, the closest thing we have to a citizens' inspector general. And as we expected, last night she offered us... more ›

>> D.C. is the fifth most overpriced real estate market in the country. [Examiner] >> Four teenage girls were arrested today after Frederick police said they found 33 pounds of marijuana in their car. [NBC4] >> A police chase led a fleeing driver in a white Cadillac to drive on the wrong side of I-295. [WTOP] >> The Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers, the union representing 10,000 Amtrak workers, has reached a tentative agreement on... more ›

>> Vice President Dick Cheney is claiming that, for the purposes of securing classified information, his office is not part of the executive branch. Exactly which branch are you in then, Mr. Vice President? [Raw Story] >> Are you ready for another severe thunderstorm alert? The National Weather Service just issued one from now until 10 p.m. >> There's a book launch party tonight for Murray Waas' The United States vs. I. Lewis Libby. Somehow... more ›

I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby was sentenced to 30 months in prison today and fined $250,000 for lying to investigators about his role in leaking the identity of undercover CIA officer Valerie Plame. The former chief of staff to Vice President Dick Cheney was convicted of two counts of perjury, one count of making false statements to FBI agents, and one count of obstructing justice three months ago. more ›

Dear Hillary Clinton and Dick Cheney: feel free to do embarrassing things in public today. D.C.'s celebrity (and we use that term loosely) photogs are probably following around real celebs -- well, at least Angelina Jolie. Yesterday the Examiner gave us the heads-up on a litany of famous-outside-the-Beltway folks traipsing around town this week. So if you're a little tired of running into Nicolas Cage filming National Treasure 2, keep your eyes peeled for these... more ›

>> Students at George Washington Middle School in Alexandria have been locked inside the school since around 2:30 p.m. today, after some students said they may have seen another student with a BB gun, school officials said. [WaPo] 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 ›

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 ›

Oh, hey there, D.C. Yeah, we're a little grumpy this morning, now that the brilliance of Friday and Saturday's summer-like weather has turned into a drizzly, chilly late fall Monday morning that makes us just want to stay in bed all day. But please, don't take our failure to greet you in our usual friendly manner as any kind of slight or disrespect. Especially since, according to the Times, petty disputes are exactly the kinds... more ›

, a group of short plays being workshopped for the Capital Fringe Festival, the debate is less over whether the topic is valid and more on whether these works have anything new to say. more ›

Saturday at the Fringe brings audience goers political polemics, aerial artistry, deconstruction chic and a tour of some D.C. neighborhoods. When you have to navigate, don't forget to use our special Fringetastic new Google Map. The best way to get to the show on time! Theatrical Performances: Frozty the Abominable Snowman, Landless Theatre There must have been some magic in that old silk hat they found! For when they placed it on his head, he... more ›

We're not big fans of Dick Cheney. It's not the whole obsession with secrecy, or the way he's encouraged his aides to out CIA officers. It's not the refusal to accept that Saddam Hussein and Al Qaeda are not the same thing, or his long-standing ties to government contracting juggernaut Halliburton. It's that damn motorcade and security detail. A few months back WTOP discovered that Cheney's motorcade -- yes, the one that regularly snarls traffic... more ›

Every now and then the finely tuned machines that are seasoned politicians sputter and choke. Be it Vice President Dick Cheney's warning to Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) to "fuck off" or Rep. Cynthia McKinney's recent dressing down of an aide while still wearing a clip-on microphone, even those trained in the art of diplomacy and tact occasionally allow their true feelings to be heard. Today was D.C. Mayor Anthony Williams' turn. more ›

While he may spend much of his time clogging up traffic with his expensive motorcades to and from work, Vice President Dick Cheney really does seem to have a soft spot for the District. more ›

It was another busy week in DCist. We kicked off a new feature exploring what Metro needs, starting with a good PA and proposing that it take a cue or two from the London Underground. We checked out The Sounds and Morningwood at 9:30, discussed CVS's condom-locking policy, mocked Dick Cheney's ceremonial first pitch and reviewed the West End's recent development. We reported on an update to the rock-throwing kids in Columbia Heights, cooked... more ›

Yesterday was the perfect day for playing a little hooky -- beautiful springtime weather and the Nationals' home opener would tempt anyone, including us. Some of those who gave in to those temptations weren't too good about hiding them, especially to the media or their employers. As written in a Post article on the Nats' 7-1 loss to the New York Mets: "This is our team," declared Lynette Jackson, 50, of D.C., who called... more ›

With estimates in the tens of thousands, immigrants and their supporters took to the Mall yesterday in a massive show of force in favor of progressive immigration reform. As the Post notes, quite a few of the marchers were taking their first steps into political activism, a step that is having a noticeable impact on Capitol Hill. Area bloggers have started sending us their experiences from the march, so if you have any to share, post them in the comments section. We also have plenty of pictures popping up in our Flickr photostream. Of course, that many people made for quite the commute home for areas workers. Pedestrian Scott Travis was quoted in the Post as saying, "I looked up and saw the protest going on...I then looked up the route and decided, 'Uh-oh, time to bail.'" Good move, Scott. more ›

WJLA brings us positive news today in the fight for District voting rights -- D.C. Mayor Anthony Williams has announced that three groups will receive grants to launch outreach campaigns for voting representation for the city in Congress. D.C. Vote is set to receive $500,000, Our Nation's Capital some $300,000, and the League of Women Voters $200,000. The city is forbidden by law from using taxpayer funds to directly lobby Congress for voting rights, so this is the next best thing. As we reported recently, statehood for D.C. may not be a popular proposition nationwide, but the more the American people hear of our second class status, the more they support full voting representation and budget autonomy. more ›

So yesterday we found out that the 1,300 motorcades needed to ferry the government's most senior officials around the District cost the city's taxpayers some $1.5 million in 2005, bringing the total since 2000 to over $10 million. more ›

For a region that often runs in terror at the mere sight of snow, Washington and its environs managed the weekend's snow-dump with a relatively calm and mature demeanor. This DCist was shocked to awake yesterday to cleared roadways and open businesses, though power outages were reported in some areas and local airports struggled to get air traffic in and out. Today should proceed regularly -- an unfortunate truth for those of us whose employers... more ›

Halloween falling on a Monday night, DCist took the night off, opting to hand candy to passing children and fend off egg attacks from neighborhood hooligans. We did explore area houses, though, taking in decorations both simple and elaborate. And proving that some people will use any opportunity to make a statement about the state of affairs in the country, we spied one gravestone marked "Scooter Libby, R.I.P." and one proclaiming the death of world peace, the latter standing in front of three lifesize and devilish-looking effigies of Dick Cheney, Donald Rumsfeld, and George W. Bush. Did DCist readers see any particularly memorable costumes or decorations? more ›

This photo was uploaded to DCist photos by mgdistrict. Today will be partly cloudy with a chance of showers and thunderstorms until mid afternoon and highs in the mid 80s. more ›