Ashraf Khalil, The Associated Press

  • Trump supporters try to break through a police barrier, Wednesday, Jan. 6, 2021, at the Capitol in Washington. As Congress prepares to affirm President-elect Joe Biden's victory, thousands of people have gathered to show their support for President Donald Trump and his claims of election fraud. (Julio Cortez/AP)
    ‘Protesters are in the building’: US Capitol under siege

    Hundreds of President Donald Trump’s supporters paraded and hollered through some of the most hallowed spaces in the Capitol.

  • In this July 4, 2019, file photo, fireworks go off over the Lincoln Memorial in Washington on July 4, 2019. (Susan Walsh/AP)
    Trump plans huge July 4 fireworks show despite DC’s concerns

    President Donald Trump’s July Fourth celebration on the National Mall will feature one of the largest fireworks displays ever and as many as 300,000 face masks will be given away to those who want them — but despite health concerns from D.C.‘s mayor, no one apparently will be required to wear them.

  • World War II veteran Clarence Smoyer, 96, receives the Bronze Star from U.S. Army Maj. Peter Semanoff at the World War II Memorial, Wednesday, Sept. 18, 2019, in Washington. (Alex Brandon/AP)
    The ‘Hero of Cologne’ receives his Bronze Star 75 years late

    When 96-year-old Clarence Smoyer came to Washington Wednesday, he thought he was heading to the Pentagon to sign copies of “Spearhead,” a recent book detailing his exploits as a World War II tank gunner.

  • A former member of Blackwater joins family members, friends, and supporters of four former Blackwater security guards outside the federal court in Washington on April 13, 2015, following sentencing for four former Blackwater security guards in connection with a 2007 shooting of civilians in Iraq. (Andrew Harnik/AP)
    Sentences reduced for 3 Blackwater guards from 2007 Iraq massacre

    A federal judge on Thursday greatly reduced the sentences of three former Blackwater security contractors, in the latest development from a complex case dating back to the 2007 shootings of unarmed civilians in Baghdad.

  • Former President George W. Bush and former first lady Laura Bush, top left, watch as the casket of former President George H.W. Bush is carried out after a State Funeral at the National Cathedral in Washington, Wednesday, Dec. 5, 2018. (Susan Walsh/AP)
    Nation bids goodbye to Bush with high praise, cannons, humor

    The nation bid goodbye to George H.W. Bush with high praise, cannon salutes and gentle humor Wednesday, celebrating the life of the Texan who embraced a lifetime of service in Washington and was the last president to fight for the U.S. in wartime. Three former presidents looked on at Washington National Cathedral as a fourth — George W. Bush — eulogized his dad as “the brightest of a thousand points of light.”

  • Former Sen. Bob Dole salutes the flag-draped casket containing the remains of former President George H.W. Bush as he lies in state at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, Tuesday, Dec. 4, 2018. (Manuel Balce Ceneta/AP)
    Crowds honor Bush for long service, from war to White House

    Soldiers, citizens in wheelchairs and long lines of others on foot wound through the hushed Capitol Rotunda on Tuesday to view George H.W. Bush’s casket and remember a president whose legacy included World War military service and a landmark law affirming the rights of the disabled. Bob Dole, a compatriot in war, peace and political struggle, steadied himself out of his wheelchair and saluted his old friend and one-time rival.

  • The flag-draped casket of former President George H.W. Bush lies in state in the Capitol Rotunda in Washington, Monday, Dec. 3, 2018. (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais/Pool)
    At Capitol, Bush saluted as ‘gentle soul,’ ‘great man’

    The nation’s capital embraced George H.W. Bush in death Monday with solemn ceremony and high tributes to his service and decency, as the remains of the 41st president took their place in the Capitol rotunda for three days of mourning and praise by the political elite and everyday citizens alike.