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John Carlson, ‘sick and tired’ of losing teammates, keeps answering the bell

Commanders add defensive help, pass-catchers and an O-lineman on Day 2

Nationals, still struggling at the plate, do just enough to end skid

Humans might need to re-engineer the climate

The Fed’s fight against inflation needs to lose the dot plot

The Trump immunity case is easy. The Supreme Court shouldn’t make it hard.

U.N. suspends investigations of several UNRWA workers accused of Hamas links

In war-battered Gaza, residents grow angry with Hamas 

King Charles to ease back into public role, three months after cancer diagnosis

Carolyn Hax: Mom wants to be close, but her constant criticisms say otherwise

Ask Amy: My brother won’t speak to me because of a money dispute

Miss Manners: Are uncovered tattoos okay in the workplace these days?

Eighty percent of Ukraine-Israel bill will be spent in U.S. or by U.S. military

Facts in the Trump courtroom v. ‘facts’ in the court of public opinion

The murky facts about Trump’s failure to visit American war dead near Paris

The sad, stale state of in-flight vegetarian meals

Is Southwest about to end its free-for-all seating?

What fliers need to know about new refund rules for airlines

They found safe spaces on TikTok. A ban could devastate their communities.

Who might buy TikTok? ¯_(ツ)_/¯

Federal regulators accuse Amazon executives of deleting messages

Former lawmakers have ideas on fixing Congress. Will anyone listen?

How would you narrow Trump’s VP shortlist? Take this quiz.

Competing agendas and cover songs: Inside Trump’s talks with foreign leaders

He threatened Marjorie Taylor Greene amid a mental health crisis. Then came the consequences.

Netanyahu says he will fight sanctions on army battalions

Chiropractor works on giraffe, is nuzzled: ‘Giraffes are just giant dogs?’

An SUV was in flames on the highway. Strangers saved the driver.  

He got a college degree while he was in prison. Next up is law school.

Samuel Corum

Good morning — it’s Wednesday. Grab your coffee or tea. On Tuesday, the District, Maryland and Virginia combined set a record for <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/coronavirus-virginia-maryland-dc/2021/01/26/6ff05a5c-5fd3-11eb-afbe-9a11a127d146_story.html" target=_blank>the most coronavirus-related deaths</a> reported in one day since the start of the pandemic.

<a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/weather/2021/01/27/dc-area-forecast-little-nicer-today-cold-blustery-tomorrow-sunday-winter-storm/" target=_blank>Today’s weather</a>: When partly sunny and low-to-mid-40s conditions could make today the most comfortable day of the forecast period, you know you’ve got a solid winter air mass settling in. Highs: Low to mid-40s.

D.C. Mayor Muriel E. Bowser (D) has requested that members of the D.C. National Guard remain active in the city through March 12 for <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/public-safety/dc-requests-national-guard-extended/2021/01/26/7d8c3eec-601e-11eb-9430-e7c77b5b0297_story.html?itid=lk_inline_manual_6" target=_blank>the upcoming impeachment trial of Donald Trump.</a>

<a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/virginia-politics/fairfax-county-immigration/2021/01/26/987b5ca2-6013-11eb-afbe-9a11a127d146_story.html?itid=lk_inline_manual_7" target=_blank>Fairfax County has adopted a policy barring county employees</a> from cooperating with federal immigration agents unless that action is mandated by a state or federal law, a court order or a judicial warrant.

<a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/dc-guard-capitol-riots-william-walker-pentagon/2021/01/26/98879f44-5f69-11eb-ac8f-4ae05557196e_story.html?itid=lk_inline_manual_8" target=_blank>The commander of the D.C. National Guard</a> said the Pentagon restricted his authority ahead of the riot at the U.S. Capitol, costing time during the short-lived insurrection on Jan. 6.

Get local news delivered to your inbox: <a href="https://subscribe.washingtonpost.com/newsletters/#/bundle/localheads?method=SURL&location=ART&itid=lk_inline_manual_9">Morning (8 a.m.)</a> | <a href="https://subscribe.washingtonpost.com/newsletters/#/bundle/buzz?itid=lk_inline_manual_9">Afternoon (4 p.m.)</a>

Coronavirus figures released by the District, Maryland and Virginia on Wednesday showed 7,331 additional cases in the region and 94 deaths.

The confirmed cases reported Wednesday are roughly three times the number of daily cases reported around the region in May and June, according to <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/graphics/local/dc-maryland-virginia-coronavirus-cases/?itid=lk_inline_manual_33&itid=lk_inline_manual_22&itid=lk_inline_manual_20&itid=lk_inline_manual_14&itid=lk_inline_manual_23&itid=lk_inline_manual_13">The Washington Post’s tracker</a>.

More than 14,000 people from the District, Maryland and Virginia have died of covid-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus. Those who have died include activists, writers, firefighters and pastors. They worked in grocery stores, drove public buses and taught children. Read about their lives <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/dc-md-va/2020/04/06/dc-maryland-virginia-victims-coronavirus/?itid=lk_inline_manual_42&itid=lk_inline_manual_20&itid=lk_inline_manual_17&itid=lk_inline_manual_30&itid=lk_inline_manual_26&itid=lk_inline_manual_15&itid=lk_inline_manual_15&itid=lk_inline_manual_14&itid=lk_inline_manual_22&itid=lk_inline_manual_58&itid=lk_inline_manual_42&itid=lk_inline_manual_31&itid=lk_inline_manual_15&itid=lk_inline_manual_15&itid=lk_inline_manual_15&itid=lk_inline_manual_45&itid=lk_inline_manual_28&itid=lk_inline_manual_34&itid=lk_inline_manual_23&itid=lk_inline_manual_21&itid=lk_inline_manual_15&itid=lk_inline_manual_24&itid=lk_inline_manual_14">here.</a>

In the past seven days, the District has reported 1,462 new cases.

In the past seven days, Maryland has reported 14,206 new cases.

In the past seven days, Virginia has reported 32,962 new cases.

The Washington Post is tracking <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/graphics/local/dc-maryland-virginia-coronavirus-cases/?itid=lk_inline_manual_55&itid=lk_inline_manual_33&itid=lk_inline_manual_30&itid=lk_inline_manual_43&itid=lk_inline_manual_39&itid=lk_inline_manual_28&itid=lk_inline_manual_28&itid=lk_inline_manual_27&itid=lk_inline_manual_35&itid=lk_inline_manual_71&itid=lk_inline_manual_55&itid=lk_inline_manual_44&itid=lk_inline_manual_28&itid=lk_inline_manual_28&itid=lk_inline_manual_28&itid=lk_inline_manual_58&itid=lk_inline_manual_41&itid=lk_inline_manual_47&itid=lk_inline_manual_36&itid=lk_inline_manual_34&itid=lk_inline_manual_28&itid=lk_inline_manual_37&itid=lk_inline_manual_27">the number of reported coronavirus cases</a> in the Washington region. Follow the trends <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/graphics/local/dc-maryland-virginia-coronavirus-cases/?itid=lk_inline_manual_55&itid=lk_inline_manual_33&itid=lk_inline_manual_30&itid=lk_inline_manual_43&itid=lk_inline_manual_39&itid=lk_inline_manual_28&itid=lk_inline_manual_28&itid=lk_inline_manual_27&itid=lk_inline_manual_35&itid=lk_inline_manual_71&itid=lk_inline_manual_55&itid=lk_inline_manual_44&itid=lk_inline_manual_28&itid=lk_inline_manual_28&itid=lk_inline_manual_28&itid=lk_inline_manual_58&itid=lk_inline_manual_41&itid=lk_inline_manual_47&itid=lk_inline_manual_36&itid=lk_inline_manual_34&itid=lk_inline_manual_28&itid=lk_inline_manual_37&itid=lk_inline_manual_27">here.</a>

Read more about coronavirus cases in the DMV:

<a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/dc-md-va/2021/01/05/covid-vaccine-dc-virginia-maryland-faq/" target=_blank>What to know about the coronavirus vaccine rollout in D.C., Maryland and Virginia</a>

<a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/nursing-homes-vaccine-decline/2021/01/27/22a602f6-5fe2-11eb-afbe-9a11a127d146_story.html" target=_blank>Large majorities of the region’s nursing home workers have declined the coronavirus vaccine</a>

Teddy Amenabar

Food story 1/2021

It was a post-church lunch stop, just one of thousands that take place every Sunday, even during a pandemic. But this one included a parade of black SUVs, an unknown number of Secret Service agents and the president of the United States tucked into the back of one of those well-protected vehicles.

President Biden’s Sunday afternoon order from Call Your Mother, <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/going-out-guide/wp/2018/01/02/the-team-behind-timber-pizza-is-opening-a-jewish-inspired-deli-in-park-view/?itid=lk_inline_manual_5&itid=lk_inline_manual_33">a self-described “Jew-ish” deli</a>, was more than a stop for <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/goingoutguide/dc-finally-has-great-bagels-so-which-is-better-call-your-mother-or-bullfrog/2018/10/10/d291e1ac-c7ec-11e8-b1ed-1d2d65b86d0c_story.html?itid=lk_inline_manual_5&itid=lk_inline_manual_33">takeout bagels</a>. It was a signal to restaurateurs across Washington that, after four years of President Donald Trump keeping his distance from the majority-Democratic city, the new chief executive will engage with the food and restaurant community, to the potential benefit of an industry in desperate need of a morale boost, not to mention revenue.

<a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/food/when-a-girl-meets-a-guy-and-they-make-pizza-pie-thats-amore/2020/02/10/668c965a-4784-11ea-bc78-8a18f7afcee7_story.html?itid=lk_inline_manual_7&itid=lk_inline_manual_34">Andrew Dana</a>, co-founder and owner of the small Call Your Mother chain, left 30 minutes before the presidential motorcade pulled up at the Georgetown location, which is just around the corner from Holy Trinity Catholic Church, where Biden had attended Mass. Dana joked that the presidential visit was a “total sneak attack,” not one secretly arranged by Jeff Zients, a former partner in Call Your Mother, who joined the Biden administration to coordinate the <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/coronavirus/?itid=lk_inline_manual_7&itid=lk_inline_manual_34">coronavirus</a> response.

<a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/food/2021/01/26/biden-visits-deli-call-your-mother/?itid=lk_inline_manual_35" target=_blank>Read the full story</a>

Tim Carman

Lost Summer in DC - Washington, DC

Washington tourist attractions have engaged in a seesaw battle with the <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/coronavirus/?itid_coronavirus_1&itid=lk_inline_manual_2&itid=lk_inline_manual_38">coronavirus</a> over the past year. After closing en masse in the space of a few days in March, they began to cautiously reopen over the summer — first the sculpture gardens and private museums, then the National Gallery of Art, which never reopened all of its galleries, and then the Smithsonian, with smaller museums in their wake.

But after a rise in positive cases in November, the Smithsonian and National Gallery <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/entertainment/museums/smithsonian-national-gallery-to-close-as-covid-19-cases-spike/2020/11/19/69a8ec1e-2a76-11eb-9b14-ad872157ebc9_story.html?itid=lk_inline_manual_4&itid=lk_inline_manual_39">announced they would close again</a>. “We both expressed growing concern about the increased number of cases in the region and across the country and came to the conclusion that caution needed to prevail to protect our visitors and staff,” said National Gallery of Art Director Kaywin Feldman. Two private museums, <a href="https://www.glenstone.org/?p=14024">Glenstone</a> (in Potomac) and <a href="https://www.kreegermuseum.org/">the Kreeger</a> (on Foxhall Road), and the <a href="https://www.ushmm.org/information/visit-the-museum/visitor-guidelines-and-safety-measures">U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum</a> followed, and have not announced reopening plans.

In December, D.C. Mayor Muriel E. Bowser (D) announced that all museums in the city would be closed from Dec. 24 to at least Jan. 22. After Bowser’s order, the <a href="https://nmwa.org/">National Museum of Women in the Arts</a> announced it would be closed through March 2, “out of an abundance of caution for the well-being of our visitors, volunteers and staff.” Of Washington’s larger museums, only the International Spy Museum and the Museum of the Bible planned to reopen in January.

<a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/dc-md-va/2020/06/26/dc-museum-reopenings-coronavirus/?itid=lk_inline_manual_41" target=_blank>Read the full story</a>

Fritz Hahn

Wizards Rockets Basketball

John Wall’s vengeance came in front of a scattered, reduced-capacity crowd in Houston as he wore a cornflower blue uniform — one of the Rockets’ alternate jerseys — instead of classic red, white or black. But for the former Wizards point guard, it mattered not how Houston’s 107-88 win over Washington looked. What mattered was that it felt good.

“I just felt like the [Wizards] thought I was done, no matter how much hard work I put in over the summer; they came and watched me,” Wall said on the court after the game, in contrast to General Manager Tommy Sheppard’s and Coach Scott Brooks’s preseason statements about how fit Wall looked. “I thought they thought I was done. That’s why I came out here and did what I did.”

The Wizards’ first meeting with their former star was the story line that shrouded all else Tuesday night in Washington’s second game after resuming its season following a <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/coronavirus/?itid=lk_inline_manual_4&itid=lk_inline_manual_46">coronavirus</a> pause. There were few positive takeaways for the Wizards (3-10), who are still discombobulated and have just 11 players available. Point guard Russell Westbrook, for whom Wall was traded in December, had his highest-scoring game since Jan. 6 with 19 points on 7-for-17 shooting, but he is still slowed by a left quadriceps injury.

<a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/wizards/wizards-rockets-john-wall/2021/01/26/67bd9e0c-6010-11eb-afbe-9a11a127d146_story.html?itid=lk_inline_manual_47" target=_blank>Read the full story</a>

Ava Wallace

More mopeds may be coming to the streets of the nation’s capital this spring.

Lime, one of the first operators of electric ride-sharing scooters in the United States, is adding mopeds to its fleet and says it has selected D.C. and Paris to test them.

The San Francisco-based company said it will be seeking a city permit to deploy as many as 600 motor-driven cycles in D.C. starting March 1, increasing options for riders using its growing platform of e-scooters and e-bikes.

“Mopeds are the natural next step for us as the company grows,” said Sean Arroyo, who is leading the moped launch at Lime. “This allows riders to choose the mode that works for them … and it gives the city access to more transportation options.”

The mopeds would not be the first in <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/trafficandcommuting/first-bikes-then-scooters-now-mopeds-next-up-trikes-and-e-cargo-bikes/2019/08/10/cec24878-b7ab-11e9-bad6-609f75bfd97f_story.html?itid=lk_inline_manual_8&itid=lk_inline_manual_54">the District’s growing app-based transportation market</a>. New York-based start-up <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/transportation/2019/08/20/first-revel-moped-crash-was-reported-sunday-rider-hit-pothole-fell-off/?itid=lk_inline_manual_8&itid=lk_inline_manual_54">Revel brought electric mopeds to the city</a> in August 2019, becoming the first and only operator of the two-wheel devices for ride-sharing in the city.

<a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/transportation/2021/01/27/lime-mopeds-dc/?itid=lk_inline_manual_55" target=_blank>Read the full story</a>

Luz Lazo

A train passes through the Federal Triangle Metro station in December.

Metro’s safety culture came under scrutiny Tuesday as investigators disclosed that track workers were left vulnerable to train traffic or electric shock and other employees feared reprisal for raising concerns about safety.

The Washington Metrorail Safety Commission, an independent panel that Congress created three years ago to monitor safety at the transit agency, issued findings at its meeting from three investigations conducted last fall. The probes emphasized Metro’s need to create, update and reinforce safety standards — something the agency has pledged after the release of a September audit that described 21 safety failures or concerns within its Rail Operations Control Center (ROCC).

The commission’s audit listed several safety concerns that have gone unresolved for years, but it also noted cultural issues that investigators say created an atmosphere of racial and sexual harassment, willful ignorance of safety protocols, and low morale that has contributed to an understaffed control center.

Metro has restructured supervision of its ROCC and hired a new director for the center to combat problems. Safety Commission Chief Operating Officer Sharmila Samarasinghe said Tuesday the commission has approved 20 of 21 corrective action plans that Metro was required to submit after the audit.

But she said implementing many of the fixes could take years.

<a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/trafficandcommuting/metro-safety/2021/01/26/3e0ffd2c-5fff-11eb-afbe-9a11a127d146_story.html?itid=lk_inline_manual_63" target=_blank>Read the full story</a>

Justin George

Ob-gyn Dr. Lynn Lightfoote has a positive attitude about delivering babies, even during a pandemic and amid concerns--expressed by VP Kamala Harris--about high infant and maternal mortality. She is pictured in her office at Sibley Memorial Hospital on M..

In a cellphone video taken by her husband, Folasada Butler lies in a hospital bed after giving birth to twins. The doctor who delivered them, Lynne Lightfoote, holds a newborn in each arm. Butler and Lightfoote are wearing protective masks, but you can hear their muffled expressions of awe.

“Oh my God,” they say, again and again.

That’s how childbirth is supposed to be. A blessed event.

For too many women, though, it’s a death sentence. Maternal and infant mortality rates in the United States are the highest among developed nations. And the racial disparities are stunning, with Black women<a href="https://www.cdc.gov/media/releases/2019/p0905-racial-ethnic-disparities-pregnancy-deaths.html"> three times as likely to die </a>of pregnancy-related causes than White women, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

“As I prayed for myself during my pregnancy, I prayed for Dr. Lightfoote and her team,” Butler wrote on Instagram after the Sept. 29 birth. “In this time where <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/blackmaternalhealth?lang=en">#BlackMaternalHealth</a> is experiencing major losses and tragedies, my level of gratitude for Dr. Lightfoote is at an all time high!”

<a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/black-doctors-maternal-health/2021/01/26/54569b6c-5ff1-11eb-9061-07abcc1f9229_story.html?%20va._5&itid=lk_inline_manual_71" target=_blank>Read the full story</a>

Courtland Milloy 

Herndon Police Chief Maggie DeBoard speaks at a news conference on Jan. 12, announcing a Critical Incident Response Team for police shootings in Northern Virginia.

Eleven Northern Virginia police departments said Tuesday they have launched a Critical Incident Response Team to handle investigations of police shootings, in-custody deaths and officer suicides in one another’s departments, allowing a group of detectives unrelated to the involved department to take an independent look at each case.

But three of the largest law enforcement departments in Northern Virginia — the Fairfax County police, Loudoun County Sheriff’s Office and Alexandria police — have not joined the response team. Fairfax said it has confidence in its detectives’ ability to be fair and transparent. Loudoun and Alexandria said they work with the Virginia State Police when a deputy or officer is involved in a serious use-of-force incident.

When a police officer shoots someone, resulting in injury or death, that officer’s own department typically handles both the criminal investigation, to see whether the officer should be arrested, and the internal investigation, to see whether the officer broke any department rules. But many experts and activists feel that a police department investigating its own officer is potentially unfair: The investigator may know the officer involved and be biased for or against the officer, or may want to keep the department’s reputation clean.

<a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/dc-md-va/2021/01/13/va-police-shootings/?itid=lk_inline_manual_77" target=_blank>Read the full story</a>

Tom Jackman

Capitol Police officers switch shifts on Jan. 25.

The new acting chief of the U.S. Capitol Police offered House lawmakers a wide-ranging apology Tuesday for the “failings” that allowed rioters to storm the Capitol on Jan. 6, saying the department should have been better prepared for the attack and did not do enough to protect those inside.

Acting chief Yogananda D. Pittman cited a lack of manpower, an insufficient supply of “less-lethal” weapons, confused and garbled communications, and a possible failure in lockdown procedures for leaving the Capitol and its occupants exposed to the marauding crowds that swarmed into the building.

“We fully expect to answer to you and the American people for our failings on January 6th,” she told lawmakers in a closed-door meeting of the House Appropriations Committee, according to a prepared statement of her remarks obtained by The Washington Post.

But she also warned lawmakers that to prevent a similar incursion in the future, lawmakers will have to sacrifice public access to the building to bolster security measures.

“In my experience, I do not believe there was any preparations that would have allowed for an open campus in which lawful protesters could exercise their First Amendment right to free speech and at the same time prevented the attack on Capital grounds that day,” Pittman said.

<a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/capitol-police-apology/2021/01/26/9d8ca5da-5ffe-11eb-9061-07abcc1f9229_story.html?itid=lk_inline_manual_85" target=_blank>Read the full story</a>

Karoun Demirjian

Aaron Davis

Peter Hermann

RICHMOND — Glenn Youngkin, a Great Falls business executive and political newcomer, will formally enter this year’s race for Virginia governor on Wednesday, bringing the number of Republican contenders to five.

Youngkin, 54, who retired in September as co-chief executive of the Washington private equity giant Carlyle Group, has never held elective office. He touts his outsider status as a selling point in a campaign video.

“I’m not a politician,” he says in the video. “I’ve spent the last 30 years building business and creating jobs … It’s going to take an outsider, a new kind of leader, to bring a new day to Virginia.”

Younkin, who is worth an estimated <a href="https://wallmine.com/people/22956/glenn-a-youngkin">$254 million</a>, has the personal wealth to self-finance his campaign. In the video, he plays up his modest roots, recalling his move as a boy from the Richmond area to Virginia Beach after his father lost his job. As a teen, Youngkin said, he helped support the family by washing dishes at a diner. A basketball scholarship was his ticket to college. After Rice University, he attended Harvard Business School.

As a newcomer, Youngkin has no voting record to defend, which some Republicans promote as a fresh start for a party that has not won a statewide Virginia race since 2009. Youngkin describes himself as a conservative in the video and refers to his faith but does not touch on policy.

<a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/virginia-politics/former-carlyle-executive-glenn-youngkin-joins-race-for-virginia-governor/2021/01/26/27793d92-6006-11eb-9430-e7c77b5b0297_story.html?itid=lk_inline_manual_92" target=_blank>Read the full story</a>

Laura Vozzella

Five doses of Pfizer’s coronavirus vaccine to be distributed to doctors and nurses at George Washington University Hospital on Dec. 14.

A large percentage of nursing home workers in D.C., Maryland and Virginia have declined to take the coronavirus vaccine, officials say, presenting a major challenge in the region’s plans to protect its most vulnerable residents.

Nursing home workers were first offered the vaccine in late December and early January, along with residents of long-term care facilities and other health-care workers. Their wariness, providers and union representatives say, is fueled by online misinformation about the vaccine and historical mistrust of the medical system of which they are a part.

In the meantime, other members of the public are scrambling for the limited supply of vaccine doses available to them, with many elderly adults and some essential workers <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/coronavirus-maryland-health-secretary/2021/01/19/fd75633e-5a62-11eb-b8bd-ee36b1cd18bf_story.html?itid=lk_inline_manual_5&itid=lk_inline_manual_97">unable to find appointments</a> or having their time slots <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/coronavirus-virginia-maryland-dc/2021/01/25/a33931d0-5f11-11eb-afbe-9a11a127d146_story.html?itid=lk_inline_manual_5&itid=lk_inline_manual_97">canceled in recent days.</a>

In an internal document obtained by The Washington Post, Maryland health officials said that as of Tuesday, only about 58 percent of the doses allocated to nursing home staff and residents had been administered — even though vaccination clinics have been conducted at every facility. Tredonna Kum, an administrative organizer for 1199 SEIU, which represents nursing home workers in Maryland and D.C., estimated that up to 80 percent of members chose not to be vaccinated during the first wave of clinics.

“One of the surprises in the first three weeks was that in health care and in the nursing homes, there was about a 35 to 50 percent uptake. … We had expected closer to 80 or 90 percent uptake,” Maryland’s acting health secretary, Dennis R. Schrader, told state lawmakers this week.

<a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/nursing-homes-vaccine-decline/2021/01/27/22a602f6-5fe2-11eb-afbe-9a11a127d146_story.html?itid=lk_inline_manual_100" target="_blank">Read the full story</a>

An investment firm snapped up nursing homes during the pandemic. Employees say care suffered.

Rachel Chason

Rebecca Tan

Jenna Portnoy

Erin Cox

Xiao Qi Ji cautiously climbs the rockwork in his habitat Jan. 14, 2021.

The National Zoo’s giant panda cub will make its debut Wednesday from the zoo. But unlike in normal times, the cute baby panda will do it online due to the coronavirus pandemic.

The zoo is closed because of the pandemic and has not said when it will reopen.

Officials at the zoo said Xiao Qi Ji can be seen on the facility’s live stream at 1 p.m. Viewers will also get a “virtual tour of the panda house,” and experts will answer some questions about the panda.

The viewing is free and does not require registration.

Viewers can see the live broadcast of the baby panda’s debut on the <a href="https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCM9o4LFMuM_y0COTi0VO2DA">zoo’s YouTube channel</a> or <a href="https://www.facebook.com/nationalzoo/">Facebook page</a>.

The live-stream viewing is expected to last only about five minutes, and the behind-the-scenes look at the panda house will last roughly 10 minutes. Officials said recordings of the event will be available on the zoo’s social media channels.

<a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/dc-md-va/2021/01/27/baby-panda-make-debut-online-national-zoo/?itid=lk_inline_manual_110" target=_blank>Read the full story</a>

Dana Hedgpeth

Virus Outbreak-Maryland

Maryland announced plans Tuesday for six new mass vaccination centers staffed by the National Guard on a day marked by the most coronavirus-related deaths reported in the region since the start of the pandemic.

Virginia, Maryland and D.C. reported 165 fatalities, breaking a record set two weeks earlier. Each jurisdiction had a death toll Tuesday that was well above its rolling seven-day average — a number that also reached a new high in the region Tuesday of 103 deaths. Virginia’s 93 new deaths set a daily record when excluding state reporting anomalies.

Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan (R), acknowledging that residents have struggled to find open appointment slots to get vaccinated, said the state will open its first mass vaccination sites next week and will distribute vaccine doses to more pharmacies, including some Safeway and Rite Aid stores.

As of Tuesday, the number of Maryland residents eligible for vaccination was roughly three times as large as the number of doses available. The governor also announced he would again broaden the pool of eligible residents starting Monday to include severely immunocompromised people, such as those undergoing chemotherapy.

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Julie Weil

Meagan Flynn

Four Candidates up for Fairfax Board Chairman Participate in Local Forum

Fairfax County on Tuesday formally adopted a long-standing practice of prohibiting county employees from cooperating with federal immigration agents — a step aimed at addressing reports that some undocumented immigrants in the county have avoided seeking help during the <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/coronavirus/?itid=lk_inline_manual_2&itid=lk_inline_manual_120">coronavirus</a> pandemic, out of fear of being deported.

The “Trust Policy,” approved by the county’s Board of Supervisors on a 9-to-1 vote, prohibits county employees from sharing or seeking information about the immigration status of a county resident unless that action is mandated by a state or federal law, a court order or a judicial warrant.

“We need to be very clear about what our expectations are,” said board Chairman Jeff C. McKay (D-At Large), who co-sponsored the policy with Supervisors Dalia A. Palchik (D-Providence) and John W. Foust (D-Dranesville). “Immigration enforcement is done by others.”

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Antonio Olivo

Inauguration - Washington, DC

D.C. Mayor Muriel E. Bowser (D) has requested that a total of 500 ­members of the D.C. National Guard remain activated through March 12 for the upcoming ­impeachment trial of Donald Trump, President Biden’s February speech to Congress and potential extremist activity in the city on March 4.

The Monday letter came days after D.C. National Guard Maj. Gen. William J. Walker granted Bowser’s earlier request for 500 troops to stay in the District through Jan. 30.

Christopher Rodriguez, director of the D.C. Homeland Security and Emergency Management Agency, said in the letter that the primary function of the troops’ extended stay would be to assist D.C. police “in the event our civil disturbance (mobile field force) capabilities are extended.”

<a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/public-safety/dc-requests-national-guard-extended/2021/01/26/7d8c3eec-601e-11eb-9430-e7c77b5b0297_story.html?itid=lk_inline_manual_129" target=_blank>Read the full story</a>

Emily Davies

Talbot County Vaccinating Educators

Vaccinating teachers has been widely hailed as a vital step toward reopening the nation’s still-closed schools and, in many places, educators have been moved toward the front of the line for shots.

But it has not gone hand-in-hand with efforts to return students to classrooms. And adding to the confusion, some officials are explicitly refusing to link vaccination and reopening.

Part of the problem is the chaotic logistics of vaccine distribution as the pandemic rages on. Not all teachers can get the shots right away, and even for those who do, the process takes time: Vaccines must be delivered in twin doses almost a month apart. Even in the best case, most educators will not be fully vaccinated until late February at earliest.

Those who get the shots say it makes them hopeful. “It gives me a reassurance I haven’t had until now,” said Maryland educator Susie Shafer, after being immunized Friday.

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Hannah Natanson

Donna St. George

Perry Stein

Nation's Capital-Lockdown

D.C. police sent about 850 officers, nearly one-quarter of its force, to help rescue the U.S. Capitol from the mob that broke in Jan. 6, and the department estimates it cost the District $8.8 million to secure the downtown during the week the insurrection occurred.

Acting police chief Robert J. Contee III, in his opening statement Tuesday before a closed session of the House Appropriations Committee, also said for the first time that a D.C. police officer who had been at the riot committed suicide in the days that followed.

Contee identified the officer as Jeffery Smith. A department spokesman said Smith was a 12-year veteran assigned to patrol in the 2nd District, which includes the neighborhoods of Chevy Chase, Cleveland Park and Georgetown. The Post could not locate Smith’s family Tuesday evening.

<a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/public-safety/contee-dcpolice-capitol-riot-/2021/01/26/8f386d12-6020-11eb-9061-07abcc1f9229_story.html?itid=lk_inline_manual_142" target=_blank>Read the full story</a>

Bay Bridge construction making crossing the Chesapeake a slow moving nightmare

Maryland officials have delayed the release of a draft study exploring where to build a third span for the Chesapeake Bay Bridge, saying they had to postpone federally required public hearings due to the worsening pandemic.

The study, which analyzed the community and environmental impacts of three potential corridors for an additional span, was scheduled to be released last fall, said John Sales, spokesman for the Maryland Transportation Authority. Public hearings on the findings were scheduled for this winter.

The state was on track to meet that schedule, Sales said, until coronavirus infection rates and “associated restrictions” increased. A plan to release the findings in December also was pushed back due to climbing coronavirus cases, he said.

“Proceeding with publishing the [draft study] and scheduling public hearing would not have been a safe choice while health officials were telling Marylanders they would be safer at home,” Sales said.

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Katherine Shaver

A smattering of snow on the ground in D.C. yesterday.

The Capital Weather Gang rates today’s weather a 5/10: an average score for a late-January day, with temperatures near normal (low to mid-40s), partial sun and a steady breeze. A somewhat subjective rating of the day’s weather, on a scale of 0 to 10.

Today: After some early-morning fog, partly sunny skies help temperatures rebound somewhat, rising through the 30s this morning with afternoon highs in the low to mid-40s. But a steady breeze around 10 to 15 mph from the northwest adds an extra chill. Confidence: Medium-High.

Tonight: A breeze from the north around 10 to 15 mph continues to lock the cold air in place. That means lows dipping to the 20s under mostly cloudy skies, with perhaps a flurry or brief period of light snow south of the Beltway. Confidence: High.

Tomorrow (Thursday): We’re between strong high pressure to the west and a strong low-pressure system off the coast. That puts us smack in the middle of strong winds between the systems, from the northwest at 15 to 25 mph, with gusts 30 to 40 mph. Early-morning clouds should give way to a mostly sunny day but with highs only in the mid- to upper 30s and wind chills only in the upper teens and 20s. Confidence: Medium-High.

For other forecasts and more on weather in the Washington region, <a href="https://subscribe.washingtonpost.com/newsletters/#/bundle/weather?method=SURL&location=ART&itid=lk_inline_manual_219&itid=lk_inline_manual_194&itid=lk_inline_manual_212&itid=lk_inline_manual_218&itid=lk_inline_manual_181&itid=lk_inline_manual_199&itid=lk_inline_manual_229&itid=lk_inline_manual_236&itid=lk_inline_manual_114&itid=lk_inline_manual_204&itid=lk_inline_manual_194&itid=lk_inline_manual_159&itid=lk_inline_manual_219&itid=lk_inline_manual_140&itid=lk_inline_manual_132&itid=lk_inline_manual_136&itid=lk_inline_manual_129&itid=lk_inline_manual_168&itid=lk_inline_manual_164&itid=lk_inline_manual_164&itid=lk_inline_manual_171&itid=lk_inline_manual_139&itid=lk_inline_manual_156">sign up</a> to receive the Capital Weather Gang in your inbox. (Or, on your <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/podcasts/capital-weather-gang/?itid=lk_inline_manual_219&itid=lk_inline_manual_194&itid=lk_inline_manual_212&itid=lk_inline_manual_218&itid=lk_inline_manual_181&itid=lk_inline_manual_199&itid=lk_inline_manual_229&itid=lk_inline_manual_236&itid=lk_inline_manual_114&itid=lk_inline_manual_204&itid=lk_inline_manual_194&itid=lk_inline_manual_159&itid=lk_inline_manual_219&itid=lk_inline_manual_140&itid=lk_inline_manual_132&itid=lk_inline_manual_136&itid=lk_inline_manual_129&itid=lk_inline_manual_168&itid=lk_inline_manual_164&itid=lk_inline_manual_164&itid=lk_inline_manual_171&itid=lk_inline_manual_139&itid=lk_inline_manual_156">smart speaker</a>.)

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Dan Stillman

The Washington Post created Today in D.C. as a way to summarize the news in the Washington area for readers in the District, Maryland and Virginia. We’d like to hear how we can improve. Because at the end of the day, we want to deliver headlines that are relevant and useful to you.

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Gerald Loeb Award, Best Writing Category for "The Cost of Contracting" with Post colleague Robert O'Harrow Jr.

University of Maryland at College Park

Dana Hedgpeth is a Washington Post reporter, working in the early morning to report on traffic, crime and other local issues. She joined The Post in 1999. She's American Indian and an enrolled member of the Haliwa-Saponi tribe of N.C.

University of Maryland, BA in journalism

Teddy Amenabar is a general assignment reporter for the Well+Being team covering internet trends.

Three-time nominee for a James Beard Award

Tim Carman is a food reporter at The Washington Post, where he has worked since 2010. Previously, he served for five years as food editor and columnist at Washington City Paper.

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