Good morning, Washington. On Friday night, three people were struck by a car while taking part in an Occupy D.C. rally downtown. Hundreds of protesters blocked streets around the Convention Center during the Americans for Prosperity “dream summit,” which is affiliated with the conservative billionaire Koch brothers. The driver will not be charged, because he allegedly had a green light. We'll have more on this soon. more ›

Chris Richards, about as close as civilization is ever going to get to a bona fide scholar on the Parliament-Funkadelic Mothership, reports today that the Unidentified Funky Object has a new owner: the Smithsonian. more ›

In a major vote of confidence for the planned Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation announced that it is donating $10 million to the museum. The Gates money will go toward the museum's capital campaign for design and construction of its building along the National Mall. The total cost of the museum is said to be about $500 million, with half that amount coming from Congress and the rest to be raised by the museum. Groundbreaking for the 300,000-square-foot building is slated for 2012. more ›

>> The NYT takes a closer look at the selected National Museum of African American History and Culture design. The piece features more views of the museum, including a Kara Walker installation. [New York Times] more ›

Wednesday afternoon, the Smithsonian announced a call for architects to design the upcoming National Museum of African American History and Culture, to be erected in the five-acre space on Constitution Avenue between the Washington Monument and the Museum of American History. The building, which will occupy approximately 350,000 square feet, is expected to take three years to complete and cost $500 million. The full announcement is posted on FedBizOpps.gov. more ›