WASHINGTON (AP) — The Army is pausing helicopter flights near a Washington airport after two commercial planes had to abort landings last week because of an Army Black Hawk helicopter that was flying to the Pentagon The commander of the 12th Aviation Battalion directed the unit to pause helicopter flight operations around Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport following Thursday’s close calls two Army officials confirmed to The Associated Press on Monday One official said the flights have been paused since Friday The pause comes after 67 people died in January when a passenger jet collided in midair with a Black Hawk helicopter at Reagan airport The officials spoke on the condition of anonymity to provide details that were not publicly announced The unit is continuing to fly in the greater Washington The unit had begun a return to flight within the last week with plans to gradually increase the number of flights over the next four weeks according to an Army document viewed by the AP Thursday’s close call involved a Delta Air Lines Airbus A319 and a Republic Airways Embraer E170 according to the National Transportation Safety Board They were instructed by air traffic control to “perform go-arounds” because of a “priority air transport” helicopter according to an emailed statement from the Federal Aviation Administration The priority air transport helicopters of the 12th battalion provide transport service to top Pentagon officials It was a Black Hawk priority air transport known as PAT25 that collided with the passenger jet in midair in January That crash was the worst U.S. midair disaster in more than two decades. In March, the FAA announced that helicopters would be prohibited from flying in the same airspace as planes near Reagan airport The NTSB and FAA are both investigating the latest close call with an Army helicopter The Army said after the latest incident that the UH-60 Blackhawk was following published FAA flight routes and air traffic control from Reagan airport when it was “directed by Pentagon Air Traffic Control to conduct a ‘go-around,’ overflying the Pentagon helipad in accordance with approved flight procedures.” But helicopter traffic remains a concern around that busy airport. The FAA said that three flights that had been cleared for landing Sunday at Reagan were ordered to go around because a police helicopter was on an urgent mission in the area All three flights landed safely on their second approaches The NTSB said after the January crash that there had been an alarming number of close calls near Reagan in recent years Investigators have highlighted 85 close calls around Reagan airport in the three years before the crash that should have signaled a growing safety problem FAA officials said they did analyze every close call but missed the alarming trend Since then, the FAA launched a review of data at airports nationwide with heavy helicopter traffic that identified safety concerns at the Las Vegas airport related to all the helicopter tours there Reuters first reported the pause in Army helicopter flights In New Jersey on Monday, flight delays and cancellations persisted at Newark Liberty International Airport The FAA attributed arriving flight delays of nearly four hours to a combination of an air traffic controller shortage thick cloud cover and antiquated air traffic control equipment that needs to be upgraded Associated Press writer Josh Funk contributed to this report from Omaha This website is not intended for users located within the European Economic Area With Washington Commanders owner Josh Harris NFL commissioner Roger Goodell and Washington President Donald Trump announced Monday that the nation’s capital will host the 2027 NFL Draft Trump said the draft will happen on the National Mall it’s going to be something that nobody else will ever be able to duplicate,” Trump said in a news conference in the Oval Office The NFL Draft is coming to the nation's capital See you in 2027! pic.twitter.com/C9A17b9OOd — Washington Commanders (@Commanders) May 5, 2025 The draft news comes a week after Bowser announced the Commanders’ plan to build a new stadium in the city at the site of the former RFK Stadium That deal still needs approval from the D.C The 65,000-seat facility is expected to cost $260 million Goodell said having Trump announce the draft location was a “special treat.” “We believe we will have well over a million (attendees) when we come to D.C.,” Goodell said The NFL Draft has become big business for host cities. An estimated 600,000 fans attended this year’s three-day event in Green Bay for the second-highest turnout since the draft began rotating locations in 2015 had expected about 250,000 people to attend “We believe in investing in sports because they have helped us transform neighborhoods and the NFL bringing this event to the nation’s capital will help us fill hotel rooms (and) our restaurants,” Bowser said The announcement Monday was the latest sign that Trump’s relationship with the NFL has evolved Harris presented Trump with a football and a Commanders jersey with the number 47 Trump became the first sitting U.S. president to attend the Super Bowl in February, and last week, he hosted the Philadelphia Eagles at the White House to celebrate their win in that game played golf with Trump in late April at the president’s Bedminster It was a sharp contrast with eight years ago when Trump canceled the traditional White House trip after the Eagles won the Super Bowl in 2017 Many Philadelphia players had said before the cancellation that they would not attend the White House gathering regardless of whether it happened Trump drew divided responses from figures across pro football and other sports earlier that year when he denounced athletes for kneeling during the national anthem as a civil rights protest “Wouldn’t you love to see one of these NFL owners, when somebody disrespects our flag, to say, ‘Get that son of a b— off the field right now. Out! He’s fired. He’s fired!’” Trump said during a 2017 rally in Alabama he made several attempts to buy his way into the NFL He looked into purchasing teams such as the Baltimore Colts the New England Patriots and the Buffalo Bills Trump eventually joined the upstart United States Football League by purchasing the New Jersey Generals in 1984 the USFL initially avoided a head-on conflict with the NFL by playing during its offseason But the USFL moved its 1986 schedule into the fall after its first two seasons soon launched an antitrust lawsuit against the NFL arguing it was trying to block competition The USFL received a $3.76 settlement and shut down before the 1986 season Trump has regularly used sports to raise his public profile His casinos hosted numerous boxing and professional wrestling events throughout the 1980s and 90s Trump promoted a UFC fight when the company was struggling to find large venues Trump has made multiple appearances at UFC events developing a public friendship with CEO Dana White who campaigned for him during both of his presidential runs UFC commentator Joe Rogan interviewed Trump on his podcast ahead of the 2024 election a move analysts said may have bolstered his support among young men Trump also made multiple appearances at collegiate sporting events before and after the 2024 election including a Georgia-Alabama football game in September and the NCAA wrestling championships in March On Monday, he also said he worked “very hard” to bring the 2026 World Cup and 2028 Olympics to the U.S During Monday’s news conference, Goodell thanked Trump for his efforts during his first term to allow Canada to air Canadian ads during Super Bowl broadcasts Super Bowl broadcasts in that country had to include the same ads that ran in the U.S That policy prevented the sale of additional The NFL contended the rule made its programming seem less lucrative for Canadian broadcasters Canada’s Supreme Court approved the change in 2019 “Canada does not like me too much,” Trump said with a chuckle “They gave a great American company a lot of money that you deserved The president also complimented early renderings of the Commanders’ proposed stadium and they only know top of the line,” Trump said “I would say more will be put into this stadium than would be put into an identical stadium of a similar size … because of the importance of the location I have no doubt they will do a special job.” — The Athletic’s David Aldridge contributed to this report (OSV News) -- Legislation that would require clergy to report child abuse or neglect in Washington state was signed into law by Democratic Gov While some have argued the bill closes an important omission from the state’s list of mandatory reporters others have expressed concern that without exceptions for clergy-penitent privilege the law could place Catholic priests at odds with civil law in order to uphold church law regarding the seal of the confessional Noel Frame of Seattle will make members of the clergy mandatory reporters or people required by law to report suspected or known instances of child abuse or neglect without an exception to the requirement for sacramental confessions Other mandatory reporters in Washington state include school personnel social service counselors and psychologists are committed to keeping the seal of confession -- even to the point of going to jail The Sacrament of Penance is sacred and will remain that way in the Diocese of Spokane.” “For those legislators who question our commitment to the safety of your children simply speak with any mom who volunteers with a parish youth group any dad who coaches a parochial school basketball team or any priest and you will learn first-hand about our solid protocols and procedures,” he said “The Diocese of Spokane maintains an entire department at the Chancery staffed by professional laypeople,” he continued “We have a zero-tolerance policy regarding child sexual abuse Our goal is do everything within our power to keep your children safe while we attempt to lead them to know and love Jesus Christ who commanded ‘let the children come to me and do not hinder them.’” “An important element to the greatness of America is our Constitutional commitment to religious freedom.” In a February statement about her bill to make clergy mandatory reporters “It’s long past time that the Legislature steps up “I know this is a tough subject for many of my colleagues especially those with deep religious views,” she said but this bill is about the separation of church and state This bill is about the state’s secular responsibility to the public interest of protecting children That’s the most important thing we do here.” Similar bills failed in the Legislature in the two previous years after lawmakers could not reach consensus on whether to make the exception The Washington State Catholic Conference opposed the particular version of the legislation that was approved by the Legislature urging its supporters to tell their lawmakers to reject it “unless it is amended to provide a narrow exception for confidential communications between a member of the clergy and a penitent person of faith.” “The majority of states that include clergy as mandatory reporters include an exemption for confidential communications demonstrating that the states’ interests in child protection can be achieved without violating the right to free exercise of religion,” the conference said in an April advocacy bulletin which is the public policy arm of the state’s Catholic bishops has stated it would support such legislation with an exemption for the sacrament of confession A spokesperson for the conference did not immediately respond to a request for comment from OSV News Most states that specifically include clergy in their mandatory reporting laws provide some clergy-penitent privileges to varying degrees according to data from the Child Welfare Information Gateway which operates under the Children’s Bureau at the U.S Ferguson told reporters that he is Catholic and sees the legislation as “pretty straightforward.” “My uncle was a Jesuit priest for many years (I’ve) been to confession myself -- and so I’m very familiar with that,” he said “I felt this was important legislation and protecting kids is first priority.” The Catechism of the Catholic Church states that priests are strictly forbidden from divulging what penitents tell them during confession which is part of the sacrament of reconciliation and states that information a penitent divulges is under “seal.” “Given the delicacy and greatness of this ministry and the respect due to persons the Church declares that every priest who hears confessions is bound under very severe penalties to keep absolute secrecy regarding the sins that his penitents have confessed to him,” the catechism states Password reset instructions will be sent to your registered email address As a frequent reader of our website, you know how important America’s voice is in 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Please contact us at members@americamedia.org with any questions 2025 — The NFL today announced that the 2027 NFL Draft presented by Bud Light will take place in Washington uniting fans from around the world to celebrate one of the most- anticipated events in sports Hosted in partnership with Washington Commanders and the local organizing committee the 2027 NFL Draft will take place across the District's most iconic landmarks including the National Mall and Pennsylvania Avenue placing the capital at the center of America's most celebrated sport The announcement was made today in the Oval Office with President Donald J uniting fans across the country and around the world," said NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell "We are excited to bring the 2027 Draft to Washington and Mayor Bowser we're looking forward to delivering an unforgettable experience as we celebrate the next generation of NFL stars." the Draft Concert Series and the NFL Draft Experience – the ultimate free fan festival that invites fans to participate in immersive exhibits challenge their skills in interactive games take photos with the Vince Lombardi Trophy; enjoy the youth-focused Play 60 Zone; shop exclusive NFL merchandise; and score autographs from current players and Legends "The NFL Draft is one of the biggest moments in sports—and we're incredibly proud to help bring it to Washington "It will bring hundreds of thousands of visitors and meaningful economic impact across the city The Draft is a powerful reminder of how sports bring people together – and we're honored to play a role in that Since we started this journey less than two years ago Thank you to President Trump for your leadership and to Commissioner Roger Goodell for your support in bringing the Draft back to the nation's capital We look forward to welcoming the football world to Washington in 2027 and I can't wait to see what the future brings." "This is a historic occasion for Washington and we are absolutely honored to host the 2027 NFL Draft," said Events DC President and CEO Angie M "The NFL Draft will provide football fans with an unforgettable experience while showcasing all that makes Washington DC a world-class destination and the Sports Capital We look forward to working with our partners and community to deliver a world-class event that reflects the dynamic spirit of our city." the NFL Draft has continued to grow as one of the most-watched events in sports with over 3.5 million fans attending festivities in person The 2024 NFL Draft in Detroit attracted a record-breaking 775,000 fans more than 600,000 fans attended the 2025 NFL Draft in Green Bay matching Nashville's record in 2019 for the second-highest attendance in Draft history Robinson's rushing earned him spots in the Alabama record books A morning roundup of content from the Washington Commanders on Monday The Washington Commanders' roster is full of new faces for the upcoming 2025 season which means it's time to assign new jersey numbers The Commanders rounded out their draft class by taking Jacory Croskey-Merritt Here are five things to know about the newest member of the backfield President Donald Trump announced Monday the NFL draft is coming to Washington in 2027 The plan is to hold the event on the National Mall with the Washington Monument Capitol and other landmarks part of the backdrop speaks NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell and Washington Commanders owner Josh Harris listen during an event to announce that the 2027 NFL Draft will be held on the National Mall and NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell watch as a football is presented to President Donald Trump during an event to announce that the 2027 NFL Draft will be held on the National Mall A football presented to President Donald Trump is pictured as Trump speaks during an event to announce that the 2027 NFL Draft will be held on the National Mall NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell listens as President Donald Trump speaks during an event to announce that the 2027 NFL Draft will be held on the National Mall District of Columbia Mayor Muriel Bowser speaks during an event where President Donald Trump announces that the 2027 NFL Draft will be held on the National Mall Secretary of Housing and Urban Development Scott Turner Washington Commanders owner Josh Harris and NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell listen as President Donald Trump speaks during an event to announce that the 2027 NFL Draft will be held on the National Mall speaks as District of Columbia Mayor Muriel Bowser and President Donald Trump listen during an event to announce that the 2027 NFL Draft will be held on the National Mall speaks as Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick Washington Commanders owner Josh Harris and NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell listen during an event to announce that the 2027 NFL Draft will be held on the National Mall WASHINGTON (AP) — The 2027 NFL draft is heading to the nation’s capital on the National Mall bringing the widely popular event back to Washington for the first time in more than eight decades After word of Washington getting the draft two years from now surfaced Sunday night Trump made the formal announcement in the Oval Office flanked by Commissioner Roger Goodell Commanders controlling owner Josh Harris and D.C “I don’t think there’s ever been anything like that,” Trump said It’s going to be something that nobody else will ever be able to duplicate that “What a great day for Washington,” Harris said “I believe we’ll get over a million people and it’s going to be an amazing day and it’ll showcase what Washington’s all about.” Washington last hosted the draft in 1941 at the Willard Hotel and the NFL bringing this event to the nation’s capital will help us fill hotel rooms “Americans from all 50 states will come to their nation’s capital and enjoy our beautiful city and museums.” “The draft has really become one of the great entertainment and sports events,” Goodell said trumpeting the popularity of the draft in recent years It will be something that will show the world how far the nation’s capital has come and where it’s going.” The NFL draft used to be a fixture at Radio City Music Hall in New York and has become an even bigger hit since it hit the road in 2015 Goodell announced the picks from his house in 2020 during the pandemic It went to Cleveland in 2021 followed by Las Vegas A record crowd of 750,000 attended Detroit’s draft in 2024 “I have to say that Josh had a very good draft a short while ago,” Trump said “You have a very good quarterback — a great quarterback Success on the field under Harris-hired general manager Adam Peters and coach Dan Quinn has made Washington a premier market again decades after the organization’s glory days that included three Super Bowl championships After the news conference last week unveiling plans to build a 65,000-seat stadium Goodell said the turnaround from losing to winning is “immeasurable in so many ways.” “This market is obviously critical,” Goodell said “To be able to have a franchise here that everybody here is proud of that’s gotten back on the football field in a positive way and now to have a stadium that brings their team back into D.C. I think that’s a really big step and something that’s going to be great for the NFL AP Pro Football Writer Rob Maaddi contributed from Tampa WASHINGTON ― The 2027 NFL Draft will be held in Washington D.C. on the National Mall, President Donald Trump announced Monday from the Oval Office predicting it will be a draft like no other Trump revealed the news alongside NFL commissioner Roger Goodell, Washington Commanders owner Josh Harris and Washington D.C It's going to be something that nobody else will ever be able to duplicate," Trump said The 2027 draft announcement comes one week after the Commanders revealed intentions to build a new stadium on the old RFK stadium site Plans for the 65,000-seat venue still requires the approval of the District of Columbia city council it will be something that will show the world how far the nation's capital has come and where it's going," Goodell said Since returning to the White House for a second term, Trump has made reducing crime and homelessness in Washington a focus of his administration to showcase the nation's capital is flanked by the the Washington Monument and U.S creating opportunities for dramatic visuals behind the draft stage "Everyone in the world is going to be watching," Trump said "We look forward to welcoming people from across the nation which was held over the course of three days on April 24-26 "Bringing this event to the nation's capital will help us fill hotel rooms and Americans from all 50 states will come to their nation's capital and enjoy our beautiful city and museums," Bowser said Hosting the NFL Draft continues the Commanders' momentum after Harris bought the team in 2023 from longtime owner Daniel Snyder Washington made the NFC Championship game last year appears to have found its franchise quarterback in Jayden Daniels and secured a long-coveted stadium deal to return the team from Maryland to the District of Columbia who commended the owner for completing a "good draft" last week and praised the team's "great quarterback." "What a great day for Washington to host the NFL draft in 2027 on the mall," Harris said "I believe we'll get over a million people And it'll showcase what Washington's all about But it will also showcase what our country's all about." All the NFL news on and off the field. Sign up for USA TODAY's 4th and Monday newsletter Credit: vasa / Alamy.Subscribe“While we remain committed to protecting minors and all vulnerable people from abuse priests cannot comply with this law if the knowledge of abuse is obtained during the Sacrament of Reconciliation,” said Archbishop Paul Etienne of Seattle in a May 4 statement “Catholic clergy may not violate the seal of confession – or they will be excommunicated from the Church,” he stressed “All Catholics must know and be assured that their confessions remain sacred confidential and protected by the law of the Church.” Robert Ferguson signed a law making clergy members mandated reporters who are required to report suspected child abuse The law does not allow for an exemption if knowledge of the suspected abuse arises through the sacrament of confession priests may not divulge anything revealed in the sacrament of confession “The sacramental seal is inviolable; therefore it is a crime for a confessor in any way to betray a penitent by word or in any other manner or for any reason … A confessor who directly violates the seal of confession incurs an automatic (latae sententiae) excommunication reserved to the Apostolic See.” Etienne argued that the new law violates both canon law and First Amendment protections of religious freedom “This new law singles out religion and is clearly both government overreach and a double standard The line between Church and state has been crossed and needs to be walked back,” he said Share The new legislation was approved by a vote of 64-31 in the House and 28-20 in the Senate Several earlier attempts to pass similar legislation had failed in the state of Washington due to concerns over religious freedom regarding the failure to exempt information learned in the confessional noted that he has been to confession himself and that he has an uncle who was a Jesuit priest he said he believes the legislation is important to protect children Etienne stressed that “[t]he Catholic Church agrees with the goal of protecting children and preventing child abuse.” “The Archdiocese of Seattle remains committed to reporting child sexual abuse working with victim survivors toward healing and protecting all minors and vulnerable people Our policies already require priests to be mandatory reporters but not if this information is obtained during confession,” he said The archbishop said the new law should alarm all people “What else may the state now demand the right to know?” he said suggesting the precedent could threaten other forms of privileged communication – such as that between doctors and their patients He also noted that the bishops of Washington had requested a meeting with Ferguson to discuss their concerns but said the governor did not respond to their request Leave a comment Bishop Thomas Daly of Spokane also spoke up in a statement on the new legislation, in which he stressed that Catholic bishops and priests are prepared to face jail rather than violate the sacramental seal. Daly said the diocese has “solid protocols and procedures” on the safety of minors. “The Diocese of Spokane maintains an entire department at the Chancery, the Office of Child and Youth protection, staffed by professional laypeople. We have a zero-tolerance policy regarding child sexual abuse.” At the same time, he said, “The Sacrament of Penance is sacred and will remain that way.” Many U.S. states include clergy members among mandatory reporters, but nearly all other states exempt information revealed in confession. In 2016, the Louisiana Supreme Court ruled that priests could not be forced by law to violate the seal of confession in order to report alleged abuse. ReplyShare1 reply15 more comments...LatestNo posts Catholic priests cannot follow a new Washington state law that requires them to violate the seal of confession if abuse of minors is suspected, two bishops in the state reiterated this week. Credit: vasa / Alamy.Subscribe now \u201CWhile we remain committed to protecting minors and all vulnerable people from abuse priests cannot comply with this law if the knowledge of abuse is obtained during the Sacrament of Reconciliation,\u201D said Archbishop Paul Etienne of Seattle in a May 4 statement \u201CCatholic clergy may not violate the seal of confession \u2013 or they will be excommunicated from the Church,\u201D he stressed \u201CAll Catholics must know and be assured that their confessions remain sacred confidential and protected by the law of the Church.\u201D \u201CThe sacramental seal is inviolable; therefore it is a crime for a confessor in any way to betray a penitent by word or in any other manner or for any reason \u2026 A confessor who directly violates the seal of confession incurs an automatic (latae sententiae) excommunication reserved to the Apostolic See.\u201D \u201CThis new law singles out religion and is clearly both government overreach and a double standard The line between Church and state has been crossed and needs to be walked back,\u201D he said Share Etienne stressed that \u201C[t]he Catholic Church agrees with the goal of protecting children and preventing child abuse.\u201D \u201CThe Archdiocese of Seattle remains committed to reporting child sexual abuse but not if this information is obtained during confession,\u201D he said \u201CWhat else may the state now demand the right to know?\u201D he said suggesting the precedent could threaten other forms of privileged communication \u2013 such as that between doctors and their patients Leave a comment Bishop Thomas Daly of Spokane also spoke up in a statement on the new legislation in which he stressed that Catholic bishops and priests are prepared to face jail rather than violate the sacramental seal Daly said the diocese has \u201Csolid protocols and procedures\u201D on the safety of minors \u201CThe Diocese of Spokane maintains an entire department at the Chancery We have a zero-tolerance policy regarding child sexual abuse.\u201D \u201CThe Sacrament of Penance is sacred and will remain that way.\u201D states include clergy members among mandatory reporters but nearly all other states exempt information revealed in confession the Louisiana Supreme Court ruled that priests could not be forced by law to violate the seal of confession in order to report alleged abuse Subscribe now The US appeared ready to expand its support for Ukraine amid signs of growing frustration with Moscow in Washington Signs of a possible pivot came after Washington agreed a minerals deal with Kyiv that a Reuters columnist noted was “heavy on symbolism.” Though the Trump administration has pushed a rapprochement with Moscow since coming into office the president has voiced anger in recent weeks with his Russian counterpart with Ukraine arguing the Kremlin is slow-walking US-mediated peace negotiations Sign up for Semafor .css-w8sqnb{text-transform:capitalize;}flagship Dmitri Alperovitch, World on the Brink: How America Can Beat China in the Race for the Twenty-First Century (PublicAffairs Visit the home of any D.C. foreign policy watcher and you will be sure to find bookshelves groaning under the weight of new China tomes. Every issue of Foreign Affairs, the in-house journal of Washington’s foreign policy establishment, is packed with articles about China. We are routinely told that in a city more deeply divided by ideology and party affiliation than at any time since the Civil War China is the one issue that brings the warring tribes together Yet from the outside (the writer is based in Australia) and the apparent political unity on the China question looks like it is built on weak foundations This is not a reference to policy differences among the tribes it is a comment on the gulf separating Washington from the rest of the United States the lack of it — suggests Americans are far less preoccupied with China than those who govern them America’s China debate is largely confined to its policy elites, among them Dmitri Alperovitch, who has written World on the Brink: How America Can Beat China in the Race for the Twenty-First Century. Alperovitch, a Russian émigré, is co-founder of the tech security firm CrowdStrike and now a Washington policy entrepreneur who in 2020 launched the Silverado Policy Accelerator “The only foreign policy goal in the twenty- first century that really should matter,” he writes is avoiding “hot conflict with China while ensuring our country remains dominant on the global stage.” Except as in much of the China commentary emerging from Washington the tension between them is never resolved because confronting this tension would require choices that Washington’s elites prefer not to make since they know they have yet to recruit the American people to their cause Politics is another big point of difference between the two cold wars: U.S. President Harry Truman attempted to recruit his people to the cause of anti-communism from the start, in a nationally broadcast speech to Congress in 1947 in which he declared that containing Soviet-led communism would henceforth be the nation’s defining mission President Joe Biden made an early attempt to frame America’s China relationship as part of a larger ideological contest between democracies and autocracies Neither Biden nor any of his contemporaries have spoken to Americans about China as Truman did about Soviet containment even though the economic challenge this time is already much larger this is because China poses no ideological threat since it has no evident ambition to spread Marxism globally Only by pushing outward can China secure its frontiers and break the bonds a punishing environment imposes.” While World on the Brink is commendably focused on avoiding a calamitous war between the United States and China it gives equal weight to maintaining American dominance over China and doesn’t allow that those objectives might be incompatible it’s not enough for the United States to maintain peace with China — it also has to win That’s a familiar framing for those of us who lived through the Global War on Terror. It even has echoes of a quote attributed to Ronald Reagan: “Here’s my strategy on the Cold War: we win they lose.” It doesn’t escape Alperovitch that China is not al-Qaeda or even that the Cold War with the Soviet Union is the wrong comparison the massive scale of the China challenge doesn’t deter Alperovitch and that can only be secured through dominance That doesn’t mean seeking regime change in Beijing, but it does mean that China needs to be convinced to work “within the existing global order, respecting territorial sovereignty, engaging fairly in global trade, and putting an end to the practice of economic and military coercion of other nations.” Needless to say, the United States routinely exempts itself from such standards and not one afforded to subordinates in the system One suspects Alperovitch would prefer China as a supersized post-World War II Japan or West Germany: an economic giant and a strategic minnow No nation of China’s size will be content to remain indefinitely subordinate to another great power in its own region what America has: a regional sphere of influence The question Americans must ask is whether it is vitally important for their country to deny China this ambition. Must China remain subordinate in a system led by an unrivaled United States? Or can Americans live in a world that sees China and the United States as equals, as envisaged by Singaporean statesman Lee Kuan Yew American leaders will need to be much more open with their citizens about what is required to achieve dominance over China — a truly national effort over generations involving most arms of government and broader society That’s what was needed to win the Cold War what marked American commitment to fighting the Soviet Union was a willingness to make sacrifices and risk a potentially massive human cost to prevent Soviet world domination That resolve is what convinced Moscow that a military assault on Western Europe would ultimately be met by an American nuclear response even if that meant the United States would face retaliation against its own cities Taiwan is the epicenter of the U.S.-Chinese contest — the Berlin of the new cold war Alperovitch lists various reasons why Taiwan’s security is vital for the United States But another long section of the book is devoted to the many reasons why America underestimates its own strength It’s the kind of argument (entirely persuasive to my mind) that is always best made by an immigrant who more clearly sees the greatness in his adopted homeland But it leaves the reader wondering how a country so young and so innovative could be threatened by the loss of a distant island with a population of 23 million people Such a loss would be a tragedy for the Taiwanese people not a big enough loss to consider fighting World War III to prevent it It leaves one wondering if Americans are once again prepared to make the kinds of sacrifices asked of them in the Cold War The gulf between the American public and its elites on the China question and the unwillingness of those elites to try to bridge it suggests that the national resolve needed to fight another cold war is absent this time around Sam Roggeveen is director of the International Security Program at the Lowy Institute, Sydney. He is the author of The Echidna Strategy: Australia’s Search for Power and Peace Image: U.S. Department of State via Wikimedia Commons Signing up for this newsletter means you agree to our data policy Trump also endorsed that plan in his remarks “I don’t think there is a better site anywhere in the world.” Under former owner Dan Snyder, the team previously tried multiple times to land the draft and was unsuccessful. Now, it’ll happen behind the team’s new Harris-led ownership group, which bought the Commanders from Snyder in 2023 Green Bay, the NFL’s smallest market hosted the most recent draft in late April outside historic Lambeau Field The NFL announced a crowd of 600,000 fans attended over the three days A record crowd of 750,000 attended Detroit’s draft in 2024 The draft in Washington in ‘27 will mark the third anniversary of the franchise-altering selection of quarterback Jayden Daniels with the second pick. The Commanders made the playoffs and reached the NFC championship game in Daniels’ rookie year and look to be a Super Bowl contender for years to come “I have to say that Josh had a very good draft a short while ago,” Trump said decades after the organization’s glory days that included three Super Bowl championships AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/NFL The ultimate reality show is heading to a city that Axios.com reports that the 2027 will be hosted by Washington, D.C. The current plan is to conduct the event on the National Mall The official announcement will be made on Monday by President Trump and Commanders owner Josh Harris The development comes on the heels of the announcement of an agreement between the team mayor Muriel Bowser to build a new facility at the site of RFK Stadium the people) will have to decide whether to approve the deal A Division of NBCUniversal DISCLAIMER: This site and the products offered are for entertainment purposes only and there is no gambling offered on this site This service is intended for adult audiences No guarantees are made for any specific outcome If you or someone you know has a gambling problem President Trump ousts his national security adviser making Mike Waltz the first casualty of Signalgate And federal judges across the country call the biggest parts of Trump’s deportation agenda unlawful Ali Vitali of MSNBC and Alexander Ward of The Wall Street Journal to discuss this and more Notice: Transcripts are machine and human generated and lightly edited for accuracy Laura Barrón-López: President Trump ousts his national Security adviser making Mike Waltz the first casualty of the Signal gate fiasco federal judges across the country called the biggest parts of Trump's deportation agenda unlawful Trump's motivation for the White House shakeup and what's ahead on his collision course with the courts Good evening and welcome to Washington Week President Trump is looking for a new national security adviser tonight after pushing out Mike Waltz It's the first ax to fall after the moderator of this show reported he was mistakenly added by Waltz to a signal chat about military attack plans Trump is now nominating Waltz to be the next United Nations ambassador Joining me tonight to discuss this and much more are Leigh Ann Caldwell the chief Washington correspondent at Puck Michael Scherer is a staff writer at The Atlantic Ali Vitali is the host of Way Too Early on MSNBC and Alexander Ward is a national security reporter at The Wall Street Journal And we have some news tonight from President Trump's interview with Meet the Press with Kristen Welker She asked him if he was okay with some -- a short-term recession to achieve his long-term goals NBC News: Is it okay in the short-term to have a recession I think we're going to do fantastically you interviewed the president just last week Is there any amount of financial chaos that would convince him to reverse course I think that answer though is consistent with what he told us last week could the markets move you to pull back further from your tariff policy if they crashed or if there was a real signal in the bond markets that people were moving away from the dollar he introduced this very dramatic tariff policy The bond market started to go a little haywire and the stock market collapsed about 20 percent I think that he's in the middle of a negotiating process right now with the world and I think he's trying to project a very strong negotiating position But whether he would withstand that and whether his party could withstand it with the midterms just a couple years away is a different question he got a lot of questions about the effects of his tariff policies and people were looking to see if he would provide some reassurance to Americans maybe the children will have 2 dolls instead of 30 dolls And maybe the two dolls will cost a couple of bucks more than they would normally Laura Barrón-López: There appears to be little effort despite the fact that his polling numbers are taking a bit of a hit MSNBC's Way Too Early: Tough year for Barbie this is an administration that above all does not want to look weak They do not want to look like external factors impact them for as long as all of us have been covering him since 2015 And so it makes sense that they are not trying to be moved by the markets or by others in the party And I think that it's actually fascinating to see the way that the Hill has gone along with him on almost everything pardoning everyone involved with January 6th all of the actions that he's taken both in legal institutions that's where they start to draw the line And it tells the larger story that this is the thing that they cannot defend to their voters in the midterms even if it's just a year-and-a-half away because pocketbook issues were the thing that Trump really ran and won on and they haven't seen the kind of price decreases that the president they tried to have a vote on keeping the president in check on tariffs There's just a few of them who are willing to speak up about this I was talking to a lot of members on the Hill whose full-time job is to elect Republicans to Congress And one of them told me that they're not going to break with the president They are -- the president -- part of the president's party they're relying on him to -- they're the reason -- he's the reason they are elected We might see little pockets here and there of Republicans who know their districts being able to speak out Republicans are going to go in a different direction It's only a little pockets of Republicans that are speaking out I want to move on to the Mike Waltz Signal gate Some Republicans after the initial Signal gate scandal broke called for Mike Waltz and others to resign It was a month -- little more than a month after Signal gate Trump was really mad with Mike Waltz at that moment but he didn't want us succumb to the media pressure And so he waited and waited and waited until a moment where he could claim some sort of strength and it comes notably shortly after the 100 days We also know that Mike Waltz was really grading on Trump and a lot of people within the White House Part of it was Waltz was really feeling himself as the national security adviser at getting a little too big for his britches fighting with White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles and others bringing on war staff than he probably should have on Air Force One That was actually considered a strength of his during the campaign that he could sell the president's agenda he made some pretty glaring mistakes about Iran policy or didn't fully give the strength and the oomph that Trump likes to see we get to a moment where Trump's kind of also feeling himself he feels like he's doing well and he feels good enough to remove a national security adviser that a lot of Republicans on the Hill really like that actually a lot of Republicans feel was helping Trump in his national security decision-making and on all these issues it's this moment of weakness for Waltz and a moment of strength for Trump Laura Barrón-López: It's interesting that you mentioned that Mike Waltz wasn't doing so well in his media appearances Trump likes it when people do well in media appearances But let's get into who could potentially replace Mike Waltz but there are a number of other names that have come up what are you hearing about all of these replacements We've heard that Witkoff is not interested in the job that he likes the role he has now as sort of emissary to the world and personal consultant to the president this job in the first term was one of two jobs in the White House that no one could really hold and Trump has -- until Susie Wildes became chief of staff He was never happy with his chief of staff He was never happy with his national security adviser and he would kind of roll through them one after another I think there is a possibility that for the short-term he's perfectly happy to keep Marco Rubio in that place and that they're going to have to bring in a deputy to actually run the operations of it But the challenge that presents is that the national security adviser is an honest broker who's meant to run a process that brings input from all parts of the government If the head of the State Department is running that process People won't feel like he's being an honest broker The counterpoint to that is there's only really one person that matters in that process when Donald Trump's president and that's the president himself The thing that I think if you're looking for patterns but then also from what we're seeing now that role of national security adviser is probably likely to be the one that has the most revolving door fashion to it notwithstanding how long Rubio actually ends up holding this role and that's because you don't have to be Senate-confirmed for it And so now Michael Waltz has the next phase of perhaps punishment of having to actually go before the Senate and testify under oath about imagine they're going to have some questions about Signal gate imagine they're going to have some questions about the way that classified information is used and talked about in this administration It's a real opportunity for Democrats to get a key member of the administration before them and ask them questions And that's why I think there is more reluctance when it comes to the political pressure of pushing out someone like a Hegseth or another Senate-confirmed position because there's just more action and political capital being spent on the Hill to do that Laura Barrón-López: After the news broke of Waltz's ouster and move over to United Nations ambassador there was a photo that everyone seized on from when Waltz was in the cabinet meeting this week Reuters snapped this photo that shows him using Signal There were key foreign policy differences when it came to Mike Waltz and Donald Trump and other parts of the administration Leigh Ann Caldwell: And that's why some Republicans on the Hill liked Mike Waltz because they thought that he represented a more mainstream Republican view of foreign policy and that did not mesh well apparently with the Trump administration And so that is what's causing some of these Republicans a little bit of heartburn about who the replacement is going to be even though some are frustrated with some of the positions that he has taken under a Trump White House But that's -- when I talk to these Republicans about potential replacements for some of these cabinet positions but should Pete Hegseth eventually be removed as well that fear of who is going to replace them is very real on Capitol Hill especially from the more like neo-conservative Republicans there that the confirmation process might be more difficult Alexander Ward: Just the marriage of convenience was always doomed Waltz was Trump's fifth national security adviser although O'Brien was not allowed back into this administration despite all the nice things he said on the campaign trail and all the defense of Trump he did on T.V. the fact that Waltz and Trump had diametrically opposed foreign policies one of restraint in Trump and one of hawkishness in Waltz And it's kind of a shock to the system to believe that Waltz thought it would end any other way Michael Scherer: Can I just go back to that photo of Mike Waltz's phone and Jeffrey was the one who actually asked the president And it's sort of funny that it still is It's approved for use in the White House I'm not sure the president knows that It's not okay to include journalists when you don't want to or to share was obviously classified information But I do think it's a little window into the disconnect between a White House that is sort of built around pleasing and facilitating the president's presidency but then has a separate operation amongst itself the president's just not really aware of Alex you were getting at the fact that Mike Waltz -- maybe it was never going to work and maybe it was remarkable that it lasted as long as it did Is it going to work with Marco Rubio even in the interim he's changed a lot of his foreign policy stances since he entered the administration what does Rub want to do with this opportunity There's a lot been said that he's got the same position of being Secretary of State and National Security Adviser Henry Kissinger does Ruby decide to use this moment and sort of take the reins of the foreign policy establishment and sort of try to direct it to his will and therefore provide Trump with options instead of just dictating and then direct the foreign policy apparatus to do what it needs to do This is actually a kind of a big moment for Rubio one of him trying to guide foreign policy is going to put probably put him in the same Bolton and McMaster in Waltz camp and just going with what Trump wants will probably help him in Trump's good graces he could make -- at least make the case that he wasn't using Signal It's this weird workaround that's less secure but it at least allows for the text to be kept and records kept Leigh Ann Caldwell: I was just going to say the interesting thing about Rubio is that people speculated when he entered the administration that he was not going to make it very long just because of how different philosophically and ideologically he is from the administration But he is actually a lesson in how he has navigated the administration and morphed into this new being maybe eventually nine roles in the administration Leigh Ann Caldwell: And so he's navigated this in a way that has benefited him Michael Scherer: The one thing Rubio has that Waltz didn't have is he went through the vice presidential vetting process didn't have that relationship with Susie Susie has enormous power overseeing that whole operation in there and being able to work well with her is sort of a crucial part of the job Laura Barrón-López: I want to ask very quickly She's been taking credit for the ouster of Mike Waltz for the ouster of his deputy within the National Security Council she took credit for ousting the director of the National Security Agency does she have this direct line of influence to the president I think she is part of a sort of exoskeleton around the White House of MAGA ideologues Tucker Carlson's also been saying negative things about Mike Waltz There's sort of an ongoing Twitter conversation -- we don't call it Twitter anymore -- X conversation among these groups in which Loomer and others are trying to dig down into the personnel records and the histories of some of these people to find people to pull out it is true that after the Signal thing happened Loomer was in the Oval Office and she did have a role in getting a bunch of Waltz's deputy underlings dismissed over his objections He kind of lost control of personnel at that point I've heard that she has been asked by the president to keep looking at other agencies I think she's going to keep coming back Trump wants people to keep an eye out for him and he's very suspicious of the people he works for after the first term this was always the case in the first term as well and then you had the people who were unofficially in because they were always on the phone with the president you've always got these various spheres of influence around Trump but he also likes for people to be able to make their cases sort of duke it out behind the scenes or potentially on television and then see the policy of the day win out It kind of reminds me of when Musk and Peter Navarro were going at it over tariffs very publicly The White House was asked about this and they were like we're a transparent administration and There was something to that effect in the explanation They're not shying away from the fact that the conflict behind the scenes that spills into the public is kind of by design It gives that reality show feel that we know Trump is a fan of and I come back to how we started the show of strength is the thing that wins the day No one ever wants to appear weak in that orbit And I just want to add a bit of context on Laura Loomer She is -- the reason we call her a far right activist is because she has said things like 9/11 is an inside job But I also want to get to the other big story this week which is the judiciary pushback against the president's agenda a Trump appointed federal judge in Texas I want to run through some of what they said in their ruling said that Trump's use of the Alien Enemies Act exceeds the scope of the statute and is unlawful And when ordering the release of a green card holder another federal judge said legal residents are being arrested and threatened for their political views Our nation has seen times like this before Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson said administration threats and harassments are attacks on our democracy that are undermining our Constitution and the rule of law what's the significance of this pushback from judges it shouldn't matter who appointed the judge You're a judge and the courts exist as a check on the executive and other branches in this country for a reason who walked around with the Constitution in their pocket know that very well And yet it brings us to this point with the administration why people are toying with the idea of is this country in a constitutional crisis or not Because what happens when the courts issue orders the appeals court process exists for a reason That is how the administration is working through it they are sort of openly flaunting and toying with the idea that they don't have to listen to the judiciary I thought it was so telling when the president this week in an interview with ABC talked about I could get Kilmar Abrego Garcia back from El Salvador despite the fact that the court said he had to facilitate the return of this person so that they could just go through due process And I think that's the thing that Americans who are watching have to remember that is what you're afforded in this country whether you're a citizen of it or not Laura Barrón-López: On that note of Kilmar Abrego Garcia despite judges repeatedly warning the White House it seems like you're defying our orders Secretary of State Marco Rubio had this to say when he was asked about Garcia Reporter: Have you been in touch with El Salvador about returning Abrego Garcia Has a formal request from this administration been made And you know who else I'll never tell the defining fact of the first three months of this second term of Trump is that so many of the institutions that so successfully opposed him in the first term have been absent or in retreat And the one exception to that is the legal process and that's because there've been so many lawsuits filed against what DOGE has been doing against some of the budget stuff they've been doing And judges operate at a different tempo than politicians or executive orders But you have seen in the last few weeks a really dramatic move by the judiciary to step in and say you can't be doing this to these law firms We're going to find out soon what they can do to Harvard University and really upsetting the whole o overview of their immigration deportation strategy here on a number of fronts if you listen to what the administration says every day they come out and they're angry that this is the place where they're meeting resistance and they haven't yet been able to overcome it you said that some Republicans are getting heartburn over tariffs but are they getting heartburn over the near daily rulings from the judiciary saying things like the president's actions are unlawful or they're on the pathway to lawlessness the way Congress works is they can think of about one thing at a time and they are busy with their own legislation of trying to extend Trump's tax cuts But there has also been legislation and some that has -- one that has passed in the House which was an attempt to actually punish the judiciary for some of these decisions trying to take away national injunctions so that they're much more narrow in scope of what judges can do And so there is an effort among Republicans on the Hill to defend the administration and the president on this They think that this is a very easy place to do so And it kind of -- they don't have any direct confrontation with it but it's an easy way to stand with the president even though polling recently showed that on the question of due process it seems like Americans are not on the administration's side Rubio has become -- the secretary of state has become the face of many of these aggressive immigration actions I too can only think about one thing at one time but I've been thinking a lot about Rubio lately he gets unanimously approved into this job in part when you had lawmakers basically saying they thought but he would mostly try to keep this administration in a somewhat within the bounds despite its codification in federal statute visa holders over op-eds that they've written He has defied courts and openly mocked justices or not done much when the president has been making deals or pushing diplomacy forward that could help Rubio's just not been who people thought he would be Leigh Ann Caldwell: -- A former gang of eight member Alexander Ward: On immigration in particular or at least he's playing this role in a different way And he's appearing to be much more loyal to Trump than someone like Mike Waltz that might be the lesson for Mike Waltz here I know there's a lot more to talk about But thank you to all of our guests for joining me and thank you at home for watching us For more on Mike Waltz's White House exit PBS is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization kconnolly@weta.org or 703-998-2064 Your tax-deductible donation ensures our vital reporting continues to thrive Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy speaks during a news conference at the Department of Transportation in Washington Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said Friday that it is “unacceptable” that two commercial aircraft had to abort landings at a Washington airport this week because of an Army Black Hawk helicopter that was flying to the Pentagon In addition to the National Transportation Safety Board and Federal Aviation Administration investigating what happened Thursday afternoon at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport Duffy said he plans to talk to the Department of Defense to determine why rules were “disregarded.” “Safety must ALWAYS come first,” Duffy said on the social platform X No more helicopter rides for VIPs or unnecessary training in a congested DCA airspace full of civilians Take a taxi or Uber — besides most VIPs have black car service.” Thursday’s incident involved a Delta Air Lines Airbus A319 and a Republic Airways Embraer E170 by air traffic control to “perform go-arounds” because of a “priority air transport” helicopter according to an emailed statement from the FAA The aircraft were not within the restricted mixed traffic area of Reagan National the FAA told members of Congress in a separate memo seen by The Associated Press The agency also said it appeared the helicopter “took a scenic route around the Pentagon” and didn’t fly directly to the heliport Victoria Goldfedib said in a statement that the UH-60 Blackhawk was following published FAA flight routes and air traffic control from Reagan National when it was “directed by Pentagon Air Traffic Control to conduct a ‘go-around,’ overflying the Pentagon helipad in accordance with approved flight procedures.” As a result the other aircraft were given go-around instructions by air traffic control “to ensure the appropriate deconfliction of airspace,” Goldfedib said “The United States Army remains committed to aviation safety and conducting flight operations within all approved guidelines and procedures,” she added said that the safety of their customers and all people is most important and that they’ll “cooperate with authorities as they investigate.” Republic Airways said in a statement that it is also cooperating with the investigations The closure of the helicopter route near the airport makes permanent the restrictions put in place after the Jan The FAA order includes a few exceptions for helicopter use including presidential flights along with law enforcement and lifesaving missions said on X that Thursday’s incident showcased the danger that can come with Army helicopters flying close to the airport “Thank God there was a decisive response from air traffic controllers and pilots or else these two close calls could have resulted in the loss of hundreds of lives,” he said said the helicopter came from the same Army brigade involved in the January crash and took place less than a week after the brigade resumed flights in the area around the capital “It is far past time” for Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and the FAA to “give our airspace the security and safety attention it deserves,” she said looks to bring back the tipped minimum wageWashington looks to bring back the tipped minimum wageD.C Mayor Muriel Bowser is looking to bring back the tip credit after it was banned less than three years ago Washington, D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser is pushing to restore the tipped minimum wage in Washington, D.C., just two and a half years after voters approved Initiative 82 to eliminate it The move could make the district the first municipality to abolish and then reinstate the controversial tip credit system which allows restaurants to pay servers below the standard minimum wage if gratuities are factored in The proposal to reverse this decision comes less than two years after the tip credit ban was scheduled to go into full effect. It is all part of Mayor Bowser’s growth agenda for 2026 which includes business district and sports and entertainment investments restaurants are facing a perfect storm – from increased operating and supply costs to higher rents and unique labor challenges,” the announcement reads must rebalance our system to ensure local restaurants can survive The Restaurant Association of Metropolitan Washington worked with Mayor Bowser to explain the state of the local restaurant industry and how the tip credit elimination would be a detriment to operators This proposed about-face is also supported by other restaurant groups including the National Restaurant Association Related:Restaurants added nearly 17K jobs in April “Much has changed for the District’s dining scene since Initiative 82 passed in 2022 and D.C became the first jurisdiction in over 20 years to begin eliminating the tip wage,” Mike Whatley vice president of state affairs and grassroots advocacy for the National Restaurant Association “In the last three years we’ve seen beloved restaurants close We applaud Mayor Bowser for including a repeal of tip wage elimination in her budget This action takes into account the real-life implications of phasing out the tip wage and will provide relief for restaurants across the city.” The return of the tip credit is not the only proposed change directed at restaurants Mayor Bowser also wants to establish tax holidays for restaurants on August 29 Contact Joanna at [email protected] Joanna Fantozzi is a Senior Editor for Nation’s Restaurant News and Restaurant Hospitality She has more than seven years of experience writing about the restaurant and hospitality industry Her editorial coverage ranges from profiles of independent restaurants around the country to breaking news and insights into some of the biggest brands in food and beverage Joanna holds a bachelor’s degree in English literature and creative writing from The College of New Jersey and a master’s degree in arts and culture journalism from the Craig Newmark Graduate School of Journalism at CUNY Prior to joining Informa’s Restaurants and Food Group in 2018 and has previously held editorial positions at Insider (formerly known as Business Insider) and The Daily Meal Joanna’s work can also be found in The New York Times Her areas of expertise include restaurant industry news restaurant operator solutions and innovations Joanna Fantozzi has been a moderator and event facilitator at both Informa’s MUFSO and Restaurants Rise industry events Informa Restaurant & Food Group (August 2021-present) Informa Restaurant & Food Group (July 2019-August 2021) Freelance Food & Lifestyle Reporter (Feb As the restaurant industry struggles toward gender parity in leadership ranks these 52 women have become the standard-bearers for change Registered in England & Wales with number 01835199 'Highest 2 Lowest,' Spike Lee and Denzel Washington's fifth movie together There are lots of reasons to be excited about Spike Lee’s upcoming movie. Lee’s new film Highest 2 Lowest reunites Lee with his old collaborator Denzel Washington, and it’s a remake of the Akira Kurosawa classic High & Low. Also, Highest 2 Lowest promises to be a fascinating test for the acting careers of two New York rappers who will evidently share scenes with Hollywood heavyweights like Washington and Jeffrey Wright The new Highest 2 Lowest teaser trailer doesn’t say too much about the movie It mostly seeks to remind you of how good it feels to see Spike Lee filming Denzel Washington and it’s set to James Brown’s “The Big Payback.” I’m sold Highest 2 Lowest is in theaters 8/22 and on Apple TV+ 9/5 Rocky is one of the chairs of tonight’s Met Gala alongside Pharrell Williams The theme is Superfine: Tailoring Black Style The most important stories and least important memes Show Breaking News BarClosePoliticsTara Copp WASHINGTON – The Army is pausing helicopter flights near a Washington airport after two commercial planes had to abort landings last week because of an Army Black Hawk helicopter that was flying to the Pentagon rewritten or redistributed without permission TV Listings Email Newsletters RSS Feeds Closed Captioning / Audio Description Contact Us Careers at WPLG Terms of Use Privacy Policy Public File FCC Applications EEO Report Do Not Sell My Info 1.0 Host Exhibit Copyright © 2025 Local10.com is published by WPLG INC. The National Hockey League today announced the complete schedule for the 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs Second Round which begins for Washington with Game 1 on Tuesday ET against Carolina from Capital One Arena (ESPN) Information listed as TBD will be announced when available All times listed are ET and subject to change The following is the complete Capitals schedule for the 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs Round 2 against the Hurricanes: Any person with disabilities who needs help accessing the content of the FCC Public file should contact Vicki Kaping at vkaping@wdio.com or (218) 727-6864 The NFL has fully embraced the fact that despite a season lasting just four months The NFL draft is the tantamount event of the so-called offseason with months of leadup starting as soon as the final whistle is blown on that year's Super Bowl With all-star games leading to the NFL combine it's a three-month sprint to the crown jewel the draft has been part of a traveling circus of sorts for the league over the years it's hit nine different cities It started with back-to-back years in Chicago then has moved around to a new location every draft save for 2020 which was scheduled for Las Vegas but cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic After the successful completion of this year's event in Green Bay the league announced on Monday the location for 2027: Washington For decades the draft was held in New York City, but after the long strength of the Giants and Jets playing host the final NFC East team will be able to call themselves hosts The event will be held at the Washington Mall as there's currently no football stadium capable of hosting the event The event is scheduled to hit Pittsburgh in 2026 as the league looks to award cities that have little chance of hosting a Super Bowl during the heart of winter Washington has recently announced that they will be building a new stadium, on the site of historic RFK Stadium, that will have the team move back into the city from it's current suburban home in Landover, MD. The closed-dome stadium will cost around $3.7 billion to build which will use around $1 billion of public funding to happen That won't be constructed anywhere in time for this event If the 600,000 count for Green Bay is any indication attendance across the three-day event could eclipse the last few presidential inauguration Mall numbers which have been low due to various reasons such as weather conditions and health concerns this might be one of the least surprising second-round tilts in recent memory it’s no shock that the only two teams that looked like actual contenders from the Metropolitan will square off On the line: A trip to the conference final where Washington and Carolina will have a chance to exorcize some demons it’s a chance to actually win a Round 3 game for the first time since 2006 it’s a chance to actually play a conference final series for just the second time in Alex Ovechkin’s 20-year career Anyone who is even fleetingly aware of hockey analytics as a concept knows that the above probability was predictable from both sides Extreme disrespect for the Capitals coupled with unbridled adulation for the Hurricanes While that may not make sense given how the two teams played this season Carolina has a strong track record of elite play with the team’s incredible ability to control the puck That was on full display against the Devils in the first round and should continue in this series against the Capitals While there’s no doubt the Capitals were an elite team this season the prior track records of every player that broke through (and why they broke through) make them a little tougher to bet on Sustainability doesn’t matter in a seven-game series — the Capitals just have to keep it up long enough That could prove difficult to do against a stifling Hurricanes team That edge grew with the team’s first round where the Hurricanes had more impressive numbers against a stronger opponent than the Capitals The Model has literally never been right about them A 33 percent chance has the Capitals right where fans want them The Capitals and Hurricanes were two of the best offensive generators at five-on-five during the regular season The Canes swarm opponents with their relentless forecheck and have added a stronger rush element than years past but what they lack in shot volume compared to Carolina The Capitals’ power play wasn’t as effective in the playoffs but their five-on-five scoring made up for it with 2.66 GF/60 in Round 1 The Hurricanes only mustered 1.91 per 60 against Jacob Markstrom and the Devils The power play helped make up for that in Round 1 They generated a lot of quality offense and converted on their chances at a high clip Washington will have a tough time getting their power play — which only netted three goals in five games against Montreal — going against Carolina The Canes’ penalty kill is both stingy and disruptive; they did not allow a single power-play goal against in Round 1 The Capitals didn’t allow a high rate of chances in short-handed situations So that’s another special-teams area that needs some improvement in Round 2 The Capitals didn’t allow the Canadiens to generate much at five-on-five but the Hurricanes are a different animal with offense that comes in waves Carolina was the better defensive team — the Caps had better results thanks to goaltending For all the advancements in ACL surgery recovery — and Svechnikov himself is an example of that — for a lot of athletes Getting back to 100 percent is something else given that Svechnikov originally was injured in March 2023 the timeframe shouldn’t be much of a surprise he once again looked like Carolina’s most dangerous forward leading them with five goals and an average Game Score of 1.54 Those numbers were inflated a bit by his Game 4 when he had a hat trick and helped Carolina take a 3-1 stranglehold on the series putting up solid numbers and generally looking the part of a game-breaking winger Whether Svechnikov still fit that billing had started to become a fair question that suggested a player entering his prime explosiveness and five-on-five play-driving in a way he hadn’t yet managed he was on pace to set a new career high and finish as a point-per-game player for the first time he added an element of dynamism to a roster that deep and well-coached as any in the league His road back has had its bumps; he attacked his rehab but wasn’t quite ready for the start of the 2023-24 season then dealt with a series of nagging oblique issues that stole some more of his time His rate stats were fine (his 3.12 points per 60 were second on the team only to Sebastian Aho) but he was less dangerous as a scoring-chance producer going from 11.1 chance contributions per 60 in 2022-23 to 8.6 As a winger whose calling card is offensive ability — and a player who doesn’t bring the two-way impact of someone like Aho — those numbers were good The 2024-25 regular season was a similarly mixed bag Svechnikov’s chance contributions swung back up but he might’ve had the least productive season of his career; 2.34 overall points per 60 was the second-worst mark in his seven NHL seasons and 1.29 per 60 at five-on-five was at the absolute bottom Another series of upper-body injuries almost certainly played a part The Hurricanes weren’t necessarily worse for it; they’re better equipped than ever thanks in part to the emergence of Seth Jarvis as a legit cornerstone Capitals winger Tom Wilson had his own two-year post-ACL production lull before bouncing back in a big way in 2024-25 If he continues to play at the level he hit against the Devils Can Aliaksei Protas keep up his regular-season breakthrough We’re going out on a limb and predicting that Protas won’t shoot better than 21 percent for the rest of his career; there were only five regular NHL players with a higher success rate That’s not meant to slag his breakout 30-goal season who’d shot 5.7 percent in 169 career games before 2024-25 He’s also a substantive contributor in ways that go beyond his goal total Protas’ job with Dylan Strome and Alex Ovechkin was to add some degree of defensive conscientiousness He exited the defensive zone with possession more frequently than any other Capitals forward and led Washington’s forwards in puck retrievals Protas is also one of Washington’s best penalty killers He was top 10 in the league in short-handed shots per 60 and seventh in individual short-handed scoring chances per 60 among players with at least 100 minutes on the kill whether it’s substance on a first line or pop on the bottom six In Protas’ first game back from a skate cut he played on the fourth line with Nic Dowd and Brandon Duhaime; they led Washington in expected goals The Canes’ and Caps’ star talent may not compete with the Connor McDavids and Nathan MacKinnons of the world but it doesn’t take away from how much skill there is up and down the lineup It starts at the top with Ovechkin and Strome Anthony Beauvillier jumped up to the top line in his place The process wasn’t perfect with this trio deployed — they generated a lot of offense in their minutes but gave up even more back — but the results made up for it The question is whether Beauvillier sticks on that top line or if he moves to a utility role in place of Protas and Wilson give the Caps a strong one-two punch in the top-six That trio’s Round 1 play was pretty consistent with their regular season play — Washington tilted the ice in their minutes with a 55 percent expected goal rate and outscored their opponents despite having to see a lot of Montreal’s best Ryan Leonard adds a spark to a defensive duo of Lars Eller and Andrew Mangiapane on the third line The Caps are stingy with 4C Nic Dowd deployed One of the Capitals’ biggest strengths is that there were no weak links on defense The Hurricanes are one of the few teams that could match that But the Martin Fehervary injury changed some mainstay pairings and deployments for Round 1 Washington managed despite that against Montreal but the Canes are a much more challenging test the Capitals bet on reclamation project Jakob Chychrun The coaches figured out the best way to use him to maximize his offensive strengths generally in a sheltered role with Trevor van Riemsdyk that meant matching up to top offensive competition The Caps created a lot of offense with Chychrun and Carlson on the ice but that may not fly against the Hurricanes will likely see heavier usage in Round 2 to contain Carolina’s depth Both had solid regular seasons — Sandin’s growth in particular was a real plus for the Caps — but in Round 1 they earned a sub-44 percent expected goal rate Alex Alexeyev and van Riemsdyk were solid in sheltered minutes but Alexeyev’s track record suggests he can be exploited If the Caps’ defensive depth isn’t up to their regular-season levels the pressure is on Logan Thompson to raise his game After an almost equal regular season share of playing time he’s been the de facto starter for the playoffs Thompson gave his team a chance with a quality start in four of five outings Goaltending is a bigger question mark for the Hurricanes He was in the starter’s crease in practice on Friday he’s not exactly the safest bet to stay in between the pipes Andersen is a shockingly big part of Carolina’s edge having saved 27.3 goals above expected in just 38 games over the last two seasons That per-game work is top five in the league and there’s a substantial drop-off to Pyotr Kochetkov should Andersen miss any games in this series Carolina’s series probability would drop to 62 percent The Hurricanes don’t need perfect goaltending as long as they can keep up the two-way support in front of the blue paint Slavin is the picture of consistency in a shutdown role That pair earned a 57 percent expected goal rate while playing matchup minutes in the regular season but their defense wasn’t as stout against the Devils in Round 1 Jalen Chatfield and Dmitry Orlov’s numbers also took a hit last round to a 37 percent expected goal rate Defense wasn’t as glaring an issue for this duo; it was how little the team created with them deployed allowed a third pair of Shayne Gostisbehere and Sean Walker to excel in sheltered minutes the Canes poured on the offense and didn’t allow much If Carolina can do a better job of turning that into tangible results against the Caps The Hurricanes’ forward group brings a lot of two-way strengths Aho leads the way as a cornerstone up front and helped push the team to Round 2 with his clutch scoring Jarvis moved to the third line and Svechnikov jumped to the first the Hurricanes would be at a star-power disadvantage where Aho and Jarvis are arguably the two best players in the series Spreading that wealth could cause problems for Washington especially with Carolina having so few weak links That third line is a real weapon for the Canes Jordan Staal and Jordan Martinook wear down opponents with their disruptive forechecking and sound defense Whether it’s Jarvis or Logan Stankoven completing the line they can shut down the opponents’ best and create some pesky offense While Staal and Aho solidify this team on both ends of the ice Taylor Hall brings an offensive spark to the second line His star power may have faded over the years who fits well on the fourth line with William Carrier to round out a deep forward group the Hurricanes are a very hard team to match up against Wilson tends to generate conversation in the postseason He showed what a difference-maker he can still be on both ends of the ice this season Wilson plays with an edge that frustrates opponents and can bring offense when it matters Wilson isn’t the only winger in this series who is a pain to play against — the Canes boast a rising star in Jarvis which likely earned him some Selke love this year Jarvis brings puck-moving ability to the Canes’ attack which adds more rush offense to a team that thrives off the forecheck likely to be tasked with shutting down Wilson’s line Carolina’s depth and overall edge at five-on-five How these projections work Understanding projection uncertainty  Evolving Hockey Natural Stat Trick Hockey Reference NHL All Three Zones Tracking by Corey Sznajder (Top photo of Tom Wilson and Frederik Andersen: Patrick Smith / Getty Images)