Articles written by Ashraf Khalil
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Technology built the cashless society. Advances are helping the unhoused so they're not left behind
WASHINGTON (AP) — John Littlejohn remembers the days when lots of people had a couple of dollars to spare to buy a copy of Street Sense, the local paper that covers issues related to the homeless and employs unhoused individuals as its vendors. T...
Violent crime is rising in the nation's capital. DC seeks solutions as Congress keeps close watch
WASHINGTON (AP) — Pamela Smith's voice soared and quivered like a preacher in midsermon as she recalled her troubled childhood and how it helped prepare her for the challenges she faces as the new police chief in the nation's capital. "I stand before...
As public health emergency ends, pandemic-era support programs have already been fading away
WASHINGTON (AP) — The formal end of the national Public Health Emergency on Thursday is largely a symbolic and psychological step, representing the country's formal emergence from the COVID-19 pandemic. But behind the scenes, several core aspects o...
As suicides rise, US military seeks to address mental health
WASHINGTON (AP) — After finishing a tour in Afghanistan in 2013, Dionne Williamson felt emotionally numb. More warning signs appeared during several years of subsequent overseas postings. "It's like I lost me somewhere," said Williamson, a Navy l...
DC requests National Guard help with busloads of migrants
WASHINGTON (AP) — The District of Columbia has requested National Guard assistance to help stem a "growing humanitarian crisis" prompted by thousands of migrants that have been sent to Washington by a pair of southern states. Mayor Muriel Bowser f...
Steve Bannon's contempt conviction hailed by 1/6 committee
WASHINGTON (AP) — Steve Bannon, a longtime ally of former President Donald Trump, was convicted Friday of contempt charges for defying a congressional subpoena from the House committee investigating the Jan. 6 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol. C...
Jury selection underway for ex-Trump adviser Steve Bannon
WASHINGTON (AP) — Jury selection began Monday in the trial of Steve Bannon, a one-time top adviser to former President Donald Trump. He is facing criminal contempt of Congress charges after refusing for months to cooperate with the House committee i...
Man suspected of stalking, killing homeless people arrested
WASHINGTON (AP) — A man suspected of stalking and shooting homeless people asleep on the streets of New York City and Washington was arrested early Tuesday. Police said at least two people were killed and three others wounded in the attacks. The s...
Study: Child poverty rising after tax credit expires
WASHINGTON (AP) — The number of children in America living in poverty jumped dramatically after just one month without the expanded child tax credit payments, according to a new study. Advocates fear the lapse in payments could unravel what they s...
Fewer in US turn to food banks, but millions still in need
WASHINGTON (AP) — Hunger and food insecurity across the United States have dropped measurably over the past six months, but the need remains far above pre-pandemic levels. And specialists in hunger issues warn that the situation for millions of f...
Federal probe: Protest not broken up due to Trump photo op
WASHINGTON (AP) — An internal government investigation has determined that the decision to forcibly clear racial justice protesters from an area in front of the White House last summer was not influenced by then-President Donald Trump's plan to s...
Expecting trouble, DC locks down a week before inauguration
WASHINGTON (AP) — All through downtown Washington, the primary sound for several blocks was the beeping of forklifts unloading more fencing. There were no cars or scooters and seemingly no tourists Wednesday, just the occasional jogger and multiple c...
DC mayor calls in National Guard ahead of pro-Trump protests
WASHINGTON (AP) — Bracing for possible violence, the nation's capital has mobilized the National Guard ahead of planned protests by President Donald Trump's supporters in connection with the congressional vote expected Wednesday to affirm Joe B...
Trump plans huge July 4 fireworks show despite DC's concerns
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump's July Fourth celebration on the National Mall will feature one of the largest fireworks displays ever and as many as 300,000 face masks will be given away to those who want them — but despite health con...
Trump signs 'strong' executive order to protect monuments
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump signed an executive order Friday to protect monuments, memorials and statues facing new scrutiny amid fresh debate over the nation's racist beginnings. Trump had promised to take action earlier this week a...
Trump's disconnect with DC widens during viral pandemic
WASHINGTON (AP) — District of Columbia Mayor Muriel Bowser's cellphone rang earlier this week from an unfamiliar number: It was the White House calling to say President Donald Trump wanted to talk. The president congratulated Washington's mayor on $...
Cruz staying at home after exposure to man with coronavirus
WASHINGTON (AP) — GOP Sen. Ted Cruz said Sunday he will remain at his home in Texas after learning that he shook hands and briefly chatted with a man in suburban Washington who has tested positive for coronavirus. In a statement, Cruz said he met t...
Trump ally Roger Stone to be sentenced as case roils DOJ
WASHINGTON (AP) — Roger Stone, a staunch ally of President Donald Trump, faces sentencing Thursday on his convictions for witness tampering and lying to Congress. The action in federal court comes amid Trump's unrelenting defense of his longtime c...
Ronstadt, `Sesame Street' to receive Kennedy Center Honors
WASHINGTON (AP) — Actress Sally Field, singer Linda Ronstadt and the disco-funk band Earth Wind and Fire awaited their turn in the spotlight Sunday night as part of the latest group of recipients of the Kennedy Center Honors for lifetime a...
Big Bird, Ronstadt, Sally Field celebrated at Kennedy Center
WASHINGTON (AP) — Actress Sally Field, singer Linda Ronstadt and the disco-funk band Earth Wind and Fire shared the spotlight Sunday night as part of the latest group of recipients of the Kennedy Center Honors for lifetime achievement in the arts. A...
Party like a spy: Spookstock is intel world's hush-hush bash
WASHINGTON (AP) — Sometime earlier this year, one of the most elite social events in Washington took place, but without any fanfare or news coverage. It drew about 1,800 attendees and Grammy-winning rocker Lenny Kravitz performed. Yet there were n...
American students' performance lags on Nation's Report Card
WASHINGTON (AP) — The latest Nation's Report Card is painting a dismal picture of math and reading achievement among American fourth and eighth graders despite a few bright spots. Students in the nation's capital, which faced multiple scandals in i...
Ex-Blackwater contractor sentenced to life in Iraq shootings
WASHINGTON (AP) — A former Blackwater security contractor was sentenced Wednesday to life in prison for his role in the 2007 shooting of unarmed civilians in Iraq that left 14 people dead. Federal judge Royce Lamberth issued the sentence after a s...
Russian Maria Butina gets 18 months for being Kremlin agent
WASHINGTON (AP) — In a quivering voice, Maria Butina begged for leniency Friday as she awaited sentencing on charges of being a secret agent for Russia. She cast herself as an innocent caught up in a massive geopolitical power game. But a federal j...
Art exhibit shows Ivanka Trump lookalike vacuuming up crumbs
WASHINGTON (AP) — A new art exhibit at a Washington museum shows an Ivanka Trump lookalike pushing a vacuum cleaner and invites spectators to toss crumbs for her to clean up. The art piece by Jennifer Rubell, titled "Ivanka Vacuuming," opened Feb. 1...
