PhotoBlog - washington-d-c

30
Jan
2013
1:44pm, EST
Gabby Giffords’ voice rings loud in Senate, urging 'bold' action on gun control
Slideshow: Former Ariz. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords
J. Scott Applewhite / AP
A look at the Arizona lawmaker's rise to prominence — from high school to Capitol Hill.
Launch slideshow
By Kasie Hunt, NBC News
Former Rep. Gabrielle Giffords' words during a brief opening statement at a Senate hearing on gun violence were careful, slow and deliberate.
But they were firm: "Too many children are dying," she said Wednesday, breaking up the syllables during her testimony to open a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on gun laws.
"It will be hard, but the time is NOW," said Giffords, who has embarked on an arduous recovery after being critically wounded at Tucson Safeway while meeting with constituents in early 2011. "You. Must. Act. Be bold. Be cour-ag-eous. Amer-i-cans are count-ing on you." Continue reading the full story.
Chip Somodevilla / Getty Images
Senate Judiciary Committee members, from left, Sen. John Jeff Sessions (R-AL), Sen. John Orrin Hatch (R-UT), ranking member Sen. John Chuck Grassley (R-IA), Chairman Patrick Leahy (D-VT), Sen. John Dianne Feinstein (D-CA), Sen. John Charles Schumer (D-NY) and Sen. John Richard Durbin (D-IL) listen to testimony during a hearing about gun control on Capitol Hill on Jan. 30 in Washington, D.C.
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25
Jan
2013
5:03pm, EST
Anti-abortion activists march on Washington 40 years after Roe v. Wade
Jonathan Ernst / Reuters
People participate in the annual March for Life rally on the National Mall in Washington, Jan. 25, 2013. The anti-abortion marchers on Friday marked the 40th anniversary of the Roe v. Wade U.S. Supreme Court ruling legalizing abortion, and Pope Benedict expressed support for the demonstrators.
By Eric Tucker, The Associated Press
Thousands of anti-abortion demonstrators are marching through Washington to the steps of the U.S. Supreme Court to protest the landmark decision that legalized abortion.
Crowds held signs and chanted Friday on the National Mall and surrounding streets for the March for Life.
The demonstration this year coincides with the 40th anniversary of Roe v. Wade, the Supreme Court decision that created a constitutional right to abortion. Earlier this week, opponents marked the anniversary with workshops, prayers and calls for more limits on abortion rights.
Among the speakers was former Republican presidential candidate Rick Santorum. He says the country responded with love to the struggles of his daughter, Bella, who was born with a serious genetic condition. He said the family is better off for having Bella in their lives.
Michael Reynolds / EPA
A pro-choice woman and pro-life man shout at one another outside the Supreme Court Jan. 25.
Mandel Ngan / AFP - Getty Images
An anti-abortion activist is seen during the annual "March for Life" infront of the US Supreme Court on Jan. 25.

35 comments
I just have a really hard time understanding why I should care if someone else gets an abortion.
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7
Jul
2012
5:02pm, EDT
Finding relief from the heat in Washington, DC
Jacquelyn Martin / AP
De-Ashia Buchanan, 7, of Washington D.C., enjoys an inflated pool during the seventh annual block party on Newton Street, during record heat with temperatures in the triple digits, July 7.
Jim Lo Scalzo / EPA
Patrick Kirwin holds his daughter Nandini beneath a water mister at the National Zoo as temperatures surpass the 95 degree Fahrenheit (35 degrees Celcius) mark for the tenth straight day in Washington D.C., July 7. The massive heat wave, which has broken thousands of temperature records in the mid-Atlantic states, is expected to crest today with temperatures in DC reaching 105 degrees Fahrenheit.

Miguel Llanos, msnbc.com reports: The heat wave shifting east comes after last weekend's storms that left millions without power. Hundreds of thousands still don't have electricity back.

Moreover, since the first round of extreme heat two weeks ago, at least 46 deaths have been tied to the high temperatures, according to a list compiled by the Weather Channel.

On Saturday, Washington, D.C., could break it's all-time record of 106 degrees, the Weather Channel reported. So could Pittsburgh (103) and Louisville, Ky., (107), it added. Full story.

How are you coping with the heat?
1 comment
Aaaaahhhhhh , refreshing cool water ....
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19
Jun
2012
2:37pm, EDT
Jim Lo Scalzo / EPA
Protestors with a nurses union, dressed as Robin Hood, gather outside the room where Jamie Dimon, chairman of the board, president and CEO of JPMorgan Chase & Co., will testify before a House Financial Services Committee hearing about JP Morgan's massive trading losses in the Rayburn House Office Building in Washington, DC, on June 19 2012.
Protesters wait on Capitol Hill
.
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24
Aug
2011
11:45am, EDT
Engineers inspect Washington monument for damage following earthquake
Chip Somodevilla / Getty Images
Security guards and a U.S. Park ranger stand on the temporary fence circling the base of the Washington Monument on the National Mall on August 24 in Washington, DC. The Washington Monument will remain indefinitely closed after Tuesday's 5.8 magnitude East Coast earthquake left cracks near the top of the 555-foot-tall obelisk.
Chip Somodevilla / Getty Images
Engineers take measurements at the base of the Washington Monument on the National Mall on August 24 in Washington, DC. The Washington Monument will remain indefinitely closed after Tuesday's 5.8 magnitude East Coast earthquake left cracks near the top of the 555-foot-tall obelisk.
For more on the aftermath of the earthquake that shook parts of the east coast click here.
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24
May
2011
12:46pm, EDT
Jason Reed / Reuters
Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu arrives at the podium to address a joint meeting of Congress in Washington, May 24.
Netanyahu addresses Congress, outlines peace vision
AP reports:

WASHINGTON — In an address to a joint meeting of Congress, Israel's prime minister pledged to make "painful compromises" for peace with the Palestinians, but said he would not agree to any deal that threatens Israel's security or its identity as a Jewish state

Netanyahu, who received a rapturous reception from lawmakers on both sides of the political divide, said Israel wants and needs peace but repeated his flat rejection of a return to what he called the "indefensible" borders that existed before the 1967 Mideast war. He also restated Israel's refusal to entertain the return of millions of Palestinian refugees and their families to land in Israel. And, he maintained that Jerusalem, claimed by both sides as their capital, could not be divided.

"Israel will never give up its quest for peace," Netanyahu said, adding that he is "willing to make painful compromises to achieve this historic peace." Continue reading.

2 comments
Why is our congress bending over backwards for this guy? Was the "rapturous reception" due to these politiicans being greased by the lobbyists at AIPAC??? LOL
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26
Mar
2011
5:57pm, EDT
Jose Luis Magana / AP
A visitor takes a picture of a cherry tree during the Cherry Blossom festival at the Tidal Basin in Washington on Saturday, March 26. Peak blooming period for 2011 is predicted to be from March 29 through April 1 according to the National Park Service.
National Cherry Blossom Festival kicks off in D.C.
Click here for more information about the two-week National Cherry Blossom Festival.
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26
Jan
2011
7:23pm, EST
Obama arrives in D.C. from Wisconsin in the midst of a winter storm
By Carissa Ray
This might qualify as an "out of the frying pan and into the fire" scenario.
Carolyn Kaster / AP
As seen from a motorcade vehicle, a portion of the motorcade carrying President Barack Obama makes its way through snarled traffic and spun out cars on Suitland Parkway on Jan. 26, near Morningside, Md., en route to the White House in Washington.
Jewel Samad / AFP - Getty Images
US President Barack Obama's motorcade prepares to leave under a snowfall at Andrews Air Force Base in Maryland on January 26, 2011 upon his returning from Wisconsin.
2 comments
I thought it was a secret???
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20
Jan
2011
3:51pm, EST
Caroline Kennedy pays tribute to JFK
Michael Reynolds / EPA
Daughter of President John F. Kennedy, Caroline Kennedy, delivers remarks, Jan. 20, 2011, in front of Vice President Joe Biden, left to right, US Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, and Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman John Kerry during a ceremony in honor of the 50th anniversary of the Inaugural address of President Kennedy, in the Capitol Rotunda on Capitol Hill in Washington D.C.
By Robert Hood
President John F. Kennedy thrilled and challenged his countrymen 50 years ago with his Inaugural address. Not quite three years later he was assassinated in Dallas. His legacy has been, and probably will be, debated for years. One thing is clear. America is still fascinated with him and his family.
Jan. 20, 1961: John F. Kennedy takes the oath of office then delivers an historic inaugural address.

12 comments
Edward and Griffin, thank you for your comments – they reflect both reality and compassion on a very proud day, the 50th anniversary of the inauguration of John F. Kennedy, a man of innumerable accomplishments and a peacemonger, ultimately.
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20
Dec
2010
10:18am, EST
A litter of lion cubs at the Smithsonian National Zoo in Washington, D.C.
Jacquelyn Martin / AP
Lioness Shera herds three of her seven lion cubs, while they play, at the Smithsonian's National Zoological Park in Washington, D.C. on Saturday, Dec. 18, 2010, during the cubs' public debut.
By Phaedra Singelis, NBC News
Seven lion cubs were born at the zoo this year in two litters and were the first in more than 20 years. The mothers, Nababiep and Shera are sisters. You can see the lions on the zoo's lion cam.
What does it take to care for a pride of lions? Go behind the scenes with Great Cats Curator Craig Saffoe as he works with animal keepers and veterinarians to prepare the National Zoo's frisky lion cubs for their public debut. For more about the Zoo's growing pride and to watch them on live webcams: http://nationalzoo.si.edu/Animals/GreatCats/default.cfm?cam=LC4
Watch on YouTube
4 comments
If you knew what lions were facing in the wild - poaching, poisoning, shrinking habitat - you'd think twice about the relevancy of conserving the species in captivity. Extinction is forever and humans are responsible for the majority of endangered species on the planet.
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11
Nov
2010
10:17am, EST
Michael Reynolds / EPA
A picture of U.S. Army Corporal Jeffrey Dennis Straface who died serving in Vietnam in 1968, left at the base of Memorial Wall, at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington D.C, on November 10. The Washington Monument can be seen the background.
Remembering those who served
By Phaedra Singelis, NBC News
Thousands of items have been left at the Vietnam Memorial in D.C since it was built in 1982. The items are collected and then transferred to the NPS Museum and Resource Center, which catalogs and stores all items except perishable organic matter, like flowers. They have been exhibited at the Smithsonian Institute in past years.

Names are still being added - six were added last year. You can find names, or browse on the wall's website. You can donate to the Vietnam Veterans Memorial fund here, and find out more about the ceremony they will be holding today.

Have you been to this memorial in D.C.? Do you have a Vietnam memorial in your city?
4 comments
A special place to visit is http://www.virtualwall.org/ -- The Virtual Wall has memorial pages honoring the 58,261 women and men who are named on "The Wall", the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, DC, USA; those military persons who gave the "ultimate sacrifice" for their country.
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30
Sep
2010
2:01pm, EDT
Jacquelyn Martin / AP
Joshua Pattel, 6, of Brisbane, Australia, plays in water flowing down the steps of the Lincoln Memorial during a heavy rain storm in Washington D.C., Sept. 30, 2010. (Below) A woman's umbrella turns inside out because of a wind gust in Philadelphia, Sept. 30. A series of storms moving through Pennsylvania brought flooding that closed some roadways and prompted many schools to dismiss classes early.
Matt Rourke / AP
Epic rain along the East Coast
Robert Hood Says: Click to see a full report on the storm.
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