Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV), cosponsor of the Manchin-Toomey bill on background checks for gun purchases. Gun control proposals were placed higher than ever on the national policy agenda after the December 14th shootings in Newtown, Conn. It wasn’t enough to get the bipartisan Manchin-Toomey bill requiring background checks passed by the Senate four months later, but President Obama pledged that this would not stop his administration from pursuing reforms. As time passes and other…

The Washington Post reports what some of you who’ve been out using Metro today may have already heard: six-car train on the Green Line derailed just before 4 p.m. this afternoon near the Mt. Vernon Square/Convention Center stop, injuring 20 people, one of those seriously. The Associated Press has more, describing the 45-minute wait approximately 60 people had before being reached by fire crews and helped out of the tunnel. This from AP:The accident happened…

>> Now fellas, we know circumcision is a serious issue, and everyone is pleased to learn that the procedure could protect millions from contracting HIV, but our inner ten-year-old also delighted in the Post’s coverage today. Speaking about the foreskin research on behalf of the World Health Organization was none other than Kevin De Cock. Seriously. We’re happy to see he has taken the problem firmly in hand and cut through social issues surrounding the…

We’ve been looking forward to the launch of Patrick Gavin and Jeff DuFour’s new daily Beltway column, “Yeas and Nays”, for a few weeks now, largely so we could finally be sure just what sorts of topics the two would be covering under the somewhat inscrutable decscription of “people, power and politics.” C’mon guys, that could be about anything from the current brouhaha at The New Republic to what kind of toilet paper Vice President…

This week we saw Verizon’s first foray into graffiti advertising fail miserably, as the District levied fines totaling over $20,000 on the telecommunications giant for the illegal use of public space. It was also quite the week for George Mason University, whose students, faculty and administrators rallied around the team and went easy on class attendance, only to see it lose to Florida in its Final Four matchup. We reported on some Hill heavies…

Franklin Foer, a longtime writer for The New Republic, was recently named editor of the venerable political magazine. A fourth generation Washingtonian, he’s authored a book called, “How Soccer Explains the World,” (which we heartily recommend), and his writing has appeared in a host of publications, from The New York Times to Spin. Mr. Foer was good enough to take a few of our questions, on blogging, city life, and those cursed Chelski footballers. What’s…

Living in a city where indictments and cronyism are crowding the headlines, there’s something really satisfying about spending the night at the theater and rooting for the nerdy, idealistic Washington journalist to keep his integrity, get the girl and take the system down a peg in the process. But that’s not the only reason to check out Arena Stage’s polished production of Born Yesterday, which opened last night. Another is the staging. The entire…

Venues aren’t exactly action-packed this week, but there are a number of opportunities to see some bands hovering just beneath the radar. And there’s Blowfly (more below). Monday: The Black Cat show looks promising. The keyboard-heavy pop band, Karmella’s Game, a DCist favorite from Charm City, takes the stage with interesting Chicago (Evanston?) act The Reputation. On the backstage. $6. Tuesday: Sadly, Ladybug Mecca, of Digable Planets, has cancelled on the Black Cat. There is,…

Washington’s Pacifica Radio station, WPFW 89.3 FM is sponsoring a “People’s Commission On 911” this Saturday, Sept. 11 from 3 to 6 p.m. at the First Congregational Church at 945 G St. NW. The event, which intends to “honor the victims of 9/11 by seeking the truth” features FBI whistle-blower Coleen Rowley, who was named one of TIME magazine’s People of the Year in 2002, Spencer Ackerman from the New Republic, a representative from…