Officials announced that Rahmanullah Lakanwal, an Afghan national who entered the U.S. in 2021 and once worked with the U.S. government, including the CIA, is suspected of carrying out a “calculated attack” against two National Guard members in Washington, D.C., on Wednesday. CBS News’ Nicole Sganga, Nancy Cordes and Sam Vinograd have more.
President Trump weighed in on the shooting in Washington, D.C., where two members of the National Guard were injured. The suspect, Rahmanullah Lakanwal, an Afghan national who entered the U.S. in 2021, previously worked with the U.S. government, including the CIA, CBS News has learned. Nancy Cordes and Sam Vinograd have more.
Officials provided an update on the investigation into a shooting in Washington, D.C., where two National Guard members were allegedly targeted by 29-year-old Afghan national Rahmanullah Lakanwal. The suspect faces several charges of assault with intent to kill while armed. CBS News’ Nicole Sganga reports.
The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced late Wednesday that it has stopped processing all immigration requests from Afghan nationals following the shooting of two National Guard members in Washington, D.C.
PresidentDonald Trump backed those reports in a video statement released by the White House on X Wednesday night, saying, “The suspect in custody is a foreigner who entered our country from Afghanistan, a hellhole on earth. He was floated by the Biden administration in September 2021 for those infamous flights that everybody was talking about.”
In a post on X late Wednesday, USCIS said, “Effective immediately, processing of all immigration requests relating to Afghan nationals is stopped indefinitely pending further review of security and vetting protocols.
“The protection and safety of our homeland and of the American people remains our singular focus and mission.”
In June, the Trump administration placed Afghanistan on a travel ban list, with the exception of people with Afghan Special Immigrant Visas, given to Afghans who helped the U.S. government during the war there.
Why It Matters
The shooting of two West Virginia National Guard members deployed to Washington, D.C., has reignited concerns about security and the vetting of Afghan refugees, especially after the withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2021 led to rapid resettlement of tens of thousands of Afghans in the United States.
Trump linked the incident to his wider immigration policy and criticized the prior administration, calling for a “reexamining” of all Afghan nationals brought in under the program during the Biden administration.
The decision is expected to impact Afghan nationals seeking asylum, resettlement or other immigration benefits, while raising questions on U.S. commitments to wartime allies and national security priorities.
What To Know
USCIS announced in a post to X that all processing of immigration requests from Afghan nationals are “stopped indefinitely.” The statement came hours after a suspect in the shooting of the Guard members near the White House was identified as an Afghan national. The duration of the suspension is undefined, and the review process is ongoing.
Authorities identified the suspect as Lakanwal, who arrived in the U.S. in 2021 under the Operation Allies Welcome program after the Taliban recaptured Kabul.
The victims, two members of the West Virginia National Guard deployed to Washington, D.C., for the Trump administration’s crackdown on crime in the nation’s capital, were critically injured.
The suspect was shot, injured and arrested. Officials have not determined a motive, but Trump described the shootings as “an act of terror.”
Lakanwal reportedly served with U.S. forces in Afghanistan for 10 years and arrived in the United States as part of an effort to protect Afghan allies, according to family members who spoke to NBC News.
The U.S. government allowed around 76,000 Afghans entry under Operation Allies Welcome, designed to assist those at risk after the American withdrawal from Afghanistan.
Following the attack, Trump announced the deployment of an additional 500 federal troops to Washington, D.C., supplementing the over 2,000 National Guard soldiers already stationed there for what the administration calls a public safety initiative.
The shooting and the administration’s response have drawn renewed scrutiny to the legal status and operational role of the National Guard in the nation’s capital.
Advocacy groups and some lawmakers have also raised concerns about the vetting process for Afghan refugees.
While human rights advocates argue that arrivals face significant scrutiny, government audits have found flaws and data inaccuracies in records. The Biden-era program granted temporary parole, not permanent status, to most evacuees. The Trump administration recently moved to end Afghanistan’s temporary protected status designation.
What People Are Saying
President Trump: “We must now reexamine every single alien who has entered our country from Afghanistan under Biden, and we must take all necessary measures to ensure the removal of any alien from any country who does not belong here, or add benefit to our country. If they can’t love our country, we don’t want them.”
Shawn VanDiver, president of AfghanEvac, to NBC News Wednesday night: “This individual’s isolated and violent act should not be used as an excuse to define or diminish an entire community.”
Republican West Virginia Governor Patrick Morrisey, on Wednesday: “Our prayers are with these brave service members, their families, and the entire Guard community.”
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, on X Wednesday night: “The suspect who shot our brave National Guardsmen is an Afghan national who was one of the many unvetted, mass paroled into the United States under Operation Allies Welcome on September 8, 2021, under the Biden Administration. I will not utter this depraved individual’s name. He should be starved of the glory he so desperately wants. These men and women of the National Guard are mothers, fathers, sisters, daughters, children of God, carrying out the same basic public safety and immigration laws enshrined in law for decades. The politicians and media who continue to vilify our men and women in uniform need to take a long hard look in the mirror. Bryon and I will be praying hard for these two National Guardsmen, their families, and every American who puts on uniform to defend our freedom.”
The Trump administration plans to deploy another 500 members of the National Guard to the streets of Washington, D.C., Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announced Wednesday, hours after two service members were shot a few blocks away from the White House.
President Trump ordered the additional deployment, Hegseth told reporters in the Dominican Republic, where he was traveling Wednesday. In remarks Wednesday night addressing the shooting, Mr. Trump confirmed that he directed the department to mobilize an additional 500 troops to D.C. A U.S. official had told CBS News that the Army has received the request and will work to fulfill it quickly.
The 500 additional service members will join roughly 2,200 troops who were deployed in D.C. as of Sunday morning. That includes around 900 members of the D.C. National Guard and more than 1,200 members of several states’ Guard forces, according to a press release from the military’s Joint Task Force – District of Columbia.
It’s not clear when the 500 additional troops will arrive in the nation’s capital, or whether they will come from the D.C. National Guard or from a state’s National Guard force.
Hegseth made the announcement after two members of the West Virginia National Guard were shot in an attack in the capital. At a briefing, FBI Director Kash Patel said the two Guard members are in critical condition. Local police say a suspect is in custody and is being treated at a hospital.
“This will only stiffen our resolve to ensure that we make Washington, D.C., safe and beautiful,” Hegseth told reporters on Wednesday.
National Guard forces were initially deployed to the streets of D.C. in August, part of an anti-crime mission by the Trump administration that has also included federal law enforcement officers and local police.
D.C. Attorney General Brian Schwalb has sued over the deployment, calling it illegal. A federal judge ruled last week that the deployment likely violates federal law, but delayed the ruling for 21 days as the Trump administration appeals.
The suspect in Wednesday’s Washington, D.C., shooting of two National Guardsmen is 29-year-old Afghan national Rahmanullah Lakanwal, multiple law enforcement officials tell CBS News. CBS News’ Nicole Sganga reports and Jeff Harp, retired assistant special agent in charge for the FBI, joins with his analysis.
(CNN) — The Department of Homeland Security has identified the suspect involved in the Wednesday shooting of two National Guard members, who remain in critical condition.
The suspect is Rahmanullah Lakamal, who came to the US from Afghanistan in 2021, DHS said in a statement late Wednesday. Officials said earlier the suspect is in custody.
Multiple law enforcement officials briefed on the matter told CNN the shooter’s initial identification matches a man from Washington state who applied for asylum in 2024, which was granted by the Trump administration earlier this year.
The two guard members had been performing “high visibility patrols” near the White House before the suspect appeared, “raised his arm with a firearm and discharged at the National Guard,” said Jeffery Carroll, the executive assistant chief of the Metropolitan Police Department, during a news conference earlier Wednesday.
Bowser and FBI Director Kash Patel said during the news conference the two guard members are in critical condition.
DC Mayor Muriel Bowser described the attack as a “targeted shooting” in a post on X and said the two guard members shot were part of the West Virginia National Guard.
“To the American public and the world, please send your prayers to those brave warriors who are in critical condition and their families,” Patel said during the news conference.
Carroll added during the presser “there is no indication” that there is another suspect, adding that the suspect in custody was taken to an area hospital.
The shooting took place near Farragut Square — a tourist-heavy area located near a busy transit center and the White House.
A source familiar with the investigation told CNN earlier Wednesday that law enforcement officials are not tracking any other victims of the shooting beyond the two National Guard officers and the suspect.
Three law enforcement sources told CNN that the suspect approached the guardsmen and appeared to target them, firing first at one of the guardsmen who was mere feet away.
One source said the suspect then fired at the other guardsman, who tried to get behind a bus stop shelter. The source added that the suspect is not cooperating with investigators and had no identification on him at the time of his arrest.
What we know about the shooting
Video from the nearby Metro station showed the shooting as it happened, law enforcement officials told CNN.
The gunman approached three National Guard members who appeared to not see him until he began shooting, striking one guard member and then another, the officials said.
The gunman then stood over the first victim and appeared to try to fire another round. That’s when the third guard member returned fire at the alleged shooter, the sources said.
A woman who was near the scene of the shooting told CNN she heard gunshots and then saw a “bunch of people” administering CPR to people who were on the ground.
Two law enforcement sources said earlier Wednesday the suspect was detained and transported away from the scene on a stretcher.
Authorities ran the fingerprints of the man in custody and that’s how they got the initial name, one law enforcement official told CNN.
Investigators recovered a handgun believed to have been used in the attack on the National Guard members and are working to determine when and how the suspect obtained it, law enforcement officials told CNN.
US law restricts firearms sales to people who aren’t citizens or legal permanent residents and it’s unclear whether the alleged gunman could have legally bought the handgun, the officials said.
Prior to the Wednesday news conference, there were conflicting reports about the condition of the guardsman after West Virginia Gov. Patrick Morrisey posted on social media — and later corrected — that the guardsmen were believed to be dead.
Earlier in the day, DC Metropolitan Police said on X that the scene is secure and one suspect is in custody. They advised people to avoid the area.
Joint Task Force — DC, the National Guard office responsible for organizing the Guard mission to Washington, DC, confirmed in a statement Wednesday afternoon that “several” of its members “were involved in a shooting near the Farragut West Metro Station,” adding that it is working with DC police and other “law enforcement agencies.”
A police car blocks a street in Washington, DC, following a shooting on November 26. Credit: Joe Merkel / CNN via CNN Newsource
Trump addresses nation and calls for re-examining Afghan immigrants
President Donald Trump identified the suspect as an Afghan national in a video from Mar-a-Lago posted late Wednesday and blamed the Biden administration for allowing him into the country.
“I can report tonight that based on the best available information, the Department of Homeland Security is confident that the suspect in custody is a foreigner who entered our country from Afghanistan — a hell hole on earth,” Trump said in the video, adding that the suspect “was flown in by the Biden administration in September 2021.”
“We’re not going to put up with these kind of assaults on law and order by people who shouldn’t even be in our country,” Trump added. “We must now reexamine every single alien who’s entered our country from Afghanistan under Biden and we must take all necessary measures to ensure the removal of any alien from any country who does not belong here or add benefit to our country.”
Following Trump’s remarks, the US Citizenship and Immigration Services said in a post on X that the processing of all immigration cases related to Afghan immigrants “is stopped indefinitely pending further review of security and vetting protocols.”
The Trump administration was already in the process of re-interviewing Afghan migrants admitted to the US during the previous administration, CNN reported earlier this week. Trump officials have repeatedly argued that the previous administration didn’t sufficiently vet the people who entered the US.
In his video, Trump also reiterated his request to deploy 500 more National Guardsmen to Washington, DC, in response to the shooting, which was shared by Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth earlier in the day.
Shortly after the shooting, Trump weighed in on Truth Social, saying, “The animal that shot the two National Guardsmen … is also severely wounded, but regardless, will pay a very steep price.”
Vice President JD Vance, during remarks at an event in Fort Campbell, Kentucky, called for prayers for the national guardsmen, who he said were in critical condition at the time.
The shooting is “a somber reminder that soldiers whether they’re active duty, reserve or National Guard are soldiers are the sword and the shield of the United States of America,” Vance added.
National Guard troops in nation’s capital since August
National Guard troops from multiple states have been in Washington, DC, for months as part of President Donald Trump’s anti-crime crackdown in the nation’s capital, which has since expanded to other cities across the country.
Trump mobilized the National Guard in August and the troops were authorized to conduct law enforcement activities.
CNN reported last month that National Guard troops will remain mobilized in the city at least through February.
However, last week a federal judge halted the mobilization of the National Guard in Washington, DC, ruling that Trump and the Defense Department illegally deployed the troops.
In her ruling, the judge said there were “more than 2,000 National Guard troops” every day in the city.
The judge did not immediately order the National Guard to leave the city, allowing the Trump administration some time to file an appeal, which it did Tuesday.
The administration earlier Wednesday asked a federal appeals court for an emergency stay of the judge’s order to remove the National Guard from Washington, DC.
This story and headline have been updated with additional details.
CNN’s John Miller contributed to this report.
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Zachary Cohen, Kaanita Iyer, Holmes Lybrand, Gabe Cohen, Evan Perez and CNN
Two National Guard troops were shot blocks away from the White House on Wednesday. FBI Director Kash Patel said the two are in critical condition and police say the scene is secure with a suspect in custody. Law enforcement officials described it as an ambush-style attack. CBS News’ Anna Schecter and Nancy Cordes report. Kirk Burkhalter, a former NYPD detective, joins “The Daily Report” with analysis.
2 National Guard members were killed in shooting, West Virginia governor says
West Virginia Gov. Patrick Morrisey says both troops have died from their injuries. He said they had been part of the West Virginia National Guard.
“These brave West Virginians lost their lives in the service of their country. We are in ongoing contact with federal officials as the investigation continues,” Morrisey said on social media.
“Our entire state grieves with their families, their loved ones, and the Guard community,” he added. “West Virginia will never forget their service or their sacrifice, and we will demand full accountability for this horrific act.”
Troops shot in ambush-style attack, officials say
The National Guard members were shot in an ambush-style attack, two federal law enforcement officials told CBS News.
The attack became a shoot-out, the officials said, and the suspect was also shot.
Shooting appears to have begun near metro station, officials say
The shooting appears to have begun near the Farragut Metro station, senior law enforcement officials told CBS News.
There is no known connection to the White House at this time, the officials said, though the incident occurred just blocks from the North Lawn.
10 to 15 shots fired, law enforcement official says
A senior law enforcement official told CBS News that roughly 10 to 15 shots were fired.
One victim was transported to the hospital by helicopter, while the suspect was transported by ambulance, the senior law enforcement official said.
Trump says both troops were “critically wounded”
President Trump said on Truth Social that both National Guard members were “critically wounded” in the shooting. They are in separate hospitals, he said.
Mr. Trump also said the suspect was “severely wounded.”
“God bless our Great National Guard, and all of our Military and Law Enforcement,” Mr. Trump wrote. “These are truly Great People. I, as President of the United States, and everyone associated with the Office of the Presidency, am with you!”
D.C. National Guard says health and safety of troops is “top priority”
The D.C. National Guard told CBS News it is working closely with the MPD and other law enforcement agencies following the incident.
“The health and safety of our service members is our top priority as we continue to support the citizens and visitors of Washington, D.C.,” the Guard said in a statement.
National Guard troops have been in D.C. since summer
Thousands of National Guard troops were first ordered to Washington, D.C., in August. President Trump deployed forces to the city as part of a broader crackdown on crime. The deployment, which has been subject to legal challenges, has been extended multiple times and is currently set to run through February 2026.
National Guard forces have been dispatched to multiple U.S. cities, including Chicago, Los Angeles and Portland, Oregon, during Mr. Trump’s second term.
Suspect transported to area hospital
A suspect who allegedly opened fire on the National Guardsmen has been injured and transported to an area hospital, senior law enforcement officials told CBS News. The suspect’s condition is unknown at this time.
The Metropolitan Police Department said the crime scene was secured and that a suspect was in custody.
President Trump briefed on the shooting
President Trump has been briefed on the shooting, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said. The president is at Mar-a-Lago in Palm Beach, Florida, for the Thanksgiving holiday.
“The White House is aware and actively monitoring this tragic situation,” Leavitt said in a statement.
2 National Guard members shot, Noem says
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said two members of the National Guard were shot. She did not share any details on their conditions.
“Please join me in praying for the two National Guardsmen who were just shot moments ago in Washington D.C.,” Noem said in a statement.
“DHS is working with local law enforcement to gather more information.”
The National Archives has officially opened its flagship exhibition, “The American Story,” giving visitors an opportunity to get an up-close look at millions of historical items.
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National Archives show off historical gems in new exhibition
The National Archives has opened its flagship exhibition, “The American Story,” giving visitors an opportunity to get an up-close look at millions of historical items.
From the U.S. Constitution to the Declaration of Independence, the Archives houses some 13.5 billion paper records. But, “that doesn’t count the maps, the photographs, the artifacts,” according to Franck Cordes, campaign project director for the National Archives Foundation.
“We have about 700,000 artifacts in our collections,” he said.
And while not all those will be on display, dozens of important documents and artifacts from the Louisiana Purchase to the Great Seal of the United States appear at the new exhibit, which is located just steps from the rotunda.
The $40 million project is the first major renovation of the National Archives Museum in more than two decades.
How it works
When visitors first arrive, they receive a barcoded ticket to scan at an artificial intelligence portal and proceed to create a profile. They’ll be able to pick things of interest, from the Founding Fathers to national parks to the Civil War.
“Then, throughout the exhibit at our interactives, they can rescan that barcode,” Cordes told WTOP. “The barcode pulls from about 2 million records, and it starts making the connection between the content that’s in the display and your personal interest, and it feeds up documents there that you can then save and retrieve at home later through the microsite.”
Visitors will also see plenty of artifacts, including a display of presidential gifts.
For Cordes, one of his favorite pieces in the collection is a peanut given to former President Jimmy Carter during a foreign dignitary visit.
Other items include a red necktie gifted to President Donald Trump and a crystal drinking boot given to President Ronald Reagan.
Historical gems, plus declassified files
UFO enthusiasts may have a reason to visit, too.
“Some record groups we consciously chose to put in there because of the public interest in that,” Cordes said.
“UFOs are highly popular and a big request for our records to be issued, and a lot of those records were recently declassified. So, it’s an example of our role, doing declassification for the American people.”
On display are also plans for a “flying saucer” aircraft concept that was designed by the U.S. military.
On the declassified front, visitors will also be able to dig into files tied to the Cuban missile crisis.
The gallery also has plenty of film and photographs to round out the collection, including raw footage from the Apollo mission to the moon, and old public service announcements visitors may recognize from their childhood.
From Thomas Edison’s light bulb to the Wright Brother’s “Flying Machine,” a portion of the exhibit is also dedicated to patents that have changed American life.
“I think every visitor who comes is going to find something that’s of personal interest to them, something that they can relate to, something that they’ll want to discover more or look at more,” Cordes said.
Visitors are encouraged to reserve a free general admission ticket, or a $1 timed-entry ticket to visit the museum.
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A federal judge ruled Thursday that President Trump’s months-long deployment of thousands of National Guard forces to the streets of Washington, D.C., violates federal law.
U.S. District Judge Jia Cobb sided with D.C. Attorney General Brian Schwalb, who sued the federal government over the Guard deployment, arguing it exceeded the president’s legal authority. But the judge stayed her ruling for 21 days to give the Trump administration a chance to appeal it.
White House spokeswoman Abigail Jackson blasted the ruling, arguing that Mr. Trump has the authority to deploy Guard troops in the nation’s capital. Jackson called Schwalb’s lawsuit “nothing more than another attempt — at the detriment of DC residents — to undermine the President’s highly successful operations to stop violent crime in DC.”
In his own statement following the ruling, Schwalb said, “Normalizing the use of military troops for domestic law enforcement sets a dangerous precedent, where the President can disregard states’ independence and deploy troops wherever and whenever he wants – with no check on his military power. This unprecedented federal overreach is not normal, or legal. It is long past time to let the National Guard go home – to their everyday lives, their regular jobs, their families, and their children.”
D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser announced Tuesday that $9.2 million would be awarded to four community-based organizations for the Safe Passage, Safe Blocks program for fiscal 2026.
D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser announced Tuesday that $9.2 million would be awarded to four community-based organizations for the Safe Passage, Safe Blocks program for fiscal 2026.
The organizations include the Center for Nonprofit Advancement, Collaborative Solutions for Communities, Mute the Violence D.C. and the National Association for the Advancement of Returning Citizens.
The three-year-old program, which falls under the Office of the Deputy Mayor for Public Safety and Justice, places 200 Safe Passage ambassadors in more than 129 predetermined routes to ensure students can safely travel to and from school.
A total of 12 priority areas, including L’Enfant Plaza, Eastern/Stadium Armory, Congress Heights, Columbia Heights, Fort Totten and Anacostia, have been highlighted by the District.
The D.C. government website describes the recognizable green vest clad ambassadors as “trained and trusted adults from community-based organizations.”
Assigned to work in partnership with schools, ambassadors work to build relationships with school staff, students, families and community members such as the D.C. police. The ambassadors can be found in the morning as kids make their way to school, and three hours after school lets out.
Their patrols continue all year long, during summer school.
Shortly after the award announcement, Lindsey Appiah, the deputy mayor for public safety and justice, told WTOP, “The mayor wants to continue to invest in solutions that work across the government, whether in education or in public safety.”
Appiah said ambassadors also make up part of the city’s Safety Go Teams, which specifically support communities during holiday weekends when large crowds are anticipated in order to provide a positive and safe environment.
“Some kids move across the city, as we know, and sometimes what we know is there might be some disputes between different schools, like we’ve seen at some of the sporting events,” Appiah said.
The group was out in force this past Halloween, a night that Appiah described as both partly positive and negative.
“They were actually activated on Halloween, from 6 p.m. to 1 a.m. in neighborhoods across the District, working with MPD to identify areas where additional presence may be helpful,” Appiah said.
See the box below for a detailed breakdown of priority areas assigned to each organization.
Center for Nonprofit Advancement
Brookland, NoMa, L’Enfant and Eastern Avenue
Collaborative Solutions for Communities
Congress Heights, Columbia Heights, Fort Totten, Tenleytown and Petworth / Brightwood
Mute the Violence DC
Minnesota Avenue / Deanwood
National Association for the Advancement of Returning Citizens
Potomac Avenue and Anacostia
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The three-year-old program places 200 Safe Passage ambassadors in more than 129 predetermined routes to ensure students can safely travel to and from school.
D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser announced Tuesday that $9.2 million would be awarded to four community-based organizations for the Safe Passage, Safe Blocks program for fiscal 2026.
The organizations include the Center for Nonprofit Advancement, Collaborative Solutions for Communities, Mute the Violence D.C. and the National Association for the Advancement of Returning Citizens.
The three-year-old program, which falls under the Office of the Deputy Mayor for Public Safety and Justice, places 200 Safe Passage ambassadors in more than 129 predetermined routes to ensure students can safely travel to and from school.
A total of 12 priority areas, including L’Enfant Plaza, Eastern/Stadium Armory, Congress Heights, Columbia Heights, Fort Totten and Anacostia, have been highlighted by the District.
The D.C. government website describes the recognizable green vest clad ambassadors as “trained and trusted adults from community-based organizations.”
Assigned to work in partnership with schools, ambassadors work to build relationships with school staff, students, families and community members such as the D.C. police. The ambassadors can be found in the morning as kids make their way to school, and three hours after school lets out.
Their patrols continue all year long, during summer school.
Shortly after the award announcement, Lindsey Appiah, the deputy mayor for public safety and justice, told WTOP, “The mayor wants to continue to invest in solutions that work across the government, whether in education or in public safety.”
Appiah said ambassadors also make up part of the city’s Safety Go Teams, which specifically support communities during holiday weekends when large crowds are anticipated in order to provide a positive and safe environment.
“Some kids move across the city, as we know, and sometimes what we know is there might be some disputes between different schools, like we’ve seen at some of the sporting events,” Appiah said.
The group was out in force this past Halloween, a night that Appiah described as both partly positive and negative.
“They were actually activated on Halloween, from 6 p.m. to 1 a.m. in neighborhoods across the District, working with MPD to identify areas where additional presence may be helpful,” Appiah said.
See the box below for a detailed breakdown of priority areas assigned to each organization.
Center for Nonprofit Advancement
Brookland, NoMa, L’Enfant and Eastern Avenue
Collaborative Solutions for Communities
Congress Heights, Columbia Heights, Fort Totten, Tenleytown and Petworth / Brightwood
Mute the Violence DC
Minnesota Avenue / Deanwood
National Association for the Advancement of Returning Citizens
Potomac Avenue and Anacostia
Get breaking news and daily headlines delivered to your email inbox by signing up here.
As the government shutdown drags on, some federal employees have taken on second jobs to make ends meet. Issac Stein, a furloughed IRS employee, joins CBS News to discuss how he came to own and operate a hot dog stand in downtown Washington, D.C.
The White House may be the most well-known home in Washington D.C., but just blocks away from the presidential mansion sits a lesser known home with its own piece of U.S. history.
The Octagon is an approximately 10,000 square foot home designed by William Thornton, who served as the first architect of the U.S. Capitol. The building sits at the corner of New York Avenue NW and 18th Street NW in Washington, D.C., and was completed in 1801.
Built as a second residence for Virginia’s prominent Tayloe family who were friends of George Washington, the more than 200-year old building gets its name from the shape of the main room at the main entrance. Amanda Ferrario is the manager of the house, which now doubles as a museum and event space. It’s owned and maintained by the Architects Foundation, the philanthropic partner of the American Institute of Architects (AIA), which purchased the property in 1902.
“The Octagon name comes from this room that we’re standing in,” Ferrario told CBS News during a tour of the home. “In order to build a circular room, you make the structure out of an octagonal shape and then builds it in with various building materials to give this nice smooth circle,” she added.
Ferrario says the epicenter of the house was in the basement, where several enslaved people lived and worked mostly out of sight of the wealthy occupants.
“(The basement) is the absolute epicenter of all of the activity,” Ferrario said. “Not only for the enslaved who would live and work here, they were sleeping here. They were working here around the clock, but also in order to operate a house of this caliber,” she added.
The Octagon also served as a home for one of America’s early first families. President James Madison and his wife, Dolley Madison, temporarily relocated to the home after the British burned down the White House in 1814. Ferrario says the rent for the temporary stay was about $6,000 for their 6-month stay. She also noted the specific reason why the British did not destroy the prominent home.
“But during this time, Mr. Tayloe was quite savvy, and invited a French ambassador to stay here. He knew that if there was a French flag flying, no one’s going to touch this house,” Ferrario said. “And it was spared, and rightfully so, because in preparation for the British coming. And Dolley Madison did send over a few of her items that meant a lot to her, so that they would be extra protected.”
President Madison used the residence to conduct official business including signing the Treaty of Ghent which ended the War of 1812. He signed the document in the home’s circular office, Ferrario told CBS News.
Dolley Madison brought cherished items from the White House including curtains, silverware and her pet bird. The former first lady would go on to host what became known as “squeezes” in the first floor sitting room. The events were gatherings of Washington’s elite at the time.
Over the years, The Octagon was transformed for different uses including a Catholic school for girls, a federal office building and later as tenement housing.
Its storied past includes spooky and unexplained events reported by guests throughout the building’s lifetime. Doors opening, lights flickering and security alarms going off without any explanation have been common occurrences in the building.
“We have an ongoing, I guess it’s kind of an ongoing joke with our security monitoring company, that if the security monitors go off on the second or third floor, everything is okay. It’s just our friends playing.”
Ferrario also says Jackie Kennedy Onassis — then known as Jackie Bouvier — may have had her own chilling experience in the home when she was working for a local newspaper.
“She wrote about a time when she came through to the Octagon and she was standing right where you’re standing,” Ferrario explained to CBS News. “And she felt the overwhelming presence and a smell of lilac, which is equated to Dolley (Madison). And what she said was, it was like a former first lady looking over the shoulder of a future first lady.”
The building is currently undergoing renovations to become a prominent and cohesive part of the new headquarters for the AIA later this year. The house will also play a part in America’s 250th Independence celebration after receiving a National Park Service grant for restoration efforts.
Jennifer Calvert Hall serves as the Executive Director of the Architects Foundation. She hopes future visitors gain a sense of reverence for the architecture of America’s early history.
“I want them to have this sense of that moment in time where our founding, sort of the people who founded the United States of America, were interested in very progressive ideas, and that those progressive ideas were reflected in its architecture. I want them to feel that,” Calvert Hall said.
President Donald Trump is facing legal action over the demolition of the White House’s East Wing, part of a $300 million plan to build a new ballroom on the executive grounds.
A Virginia couple, Charles and Judith Voorhees, filed an emergency motion in federal court on October 23 seeking to halt the project, alleging that it violates multiple federal preservation and planning laws.
Newsweek contacted the White House and attorneys for the couple for comment via email outside of normal office hours on Friday.
Why It Matters
The fight over Trump’s demolition project goes beyond a construction dispute—it’s a test of presidential power, public ownership, and historic preservation.
The Voorhees lawsuit seeking to halt the project argues that Trump bypassed laws meant to protect national landmarks and public transparency.
At stake is whether a sitting president can unilaterally alter one of the country’s most symbolically important buildings, or whether the “People’s House” must remain subject to the same review and accountability standards that govern other federal projects.
What To Know
The Lawsuit And What It Alleges
The filing, lodged in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, requests a temporary restraining order “to halt defendants’ destruction of the East Wing of the White House… without legally required approvals or reviews,” according to the plaintiffs’ application for injunctive relief.
The defendants are listed as Trump, in his official capacity, and Jessica Brown, director of the National Park Service.
Attorney Mark R. Denicore, who represents the Voorheeses, said he acted quickly to file the case. “I threw that together as fast as I could to try to get it filed as fast as I could,” Denicore told Politico on Thursday.
He added that his clients “are just people, U.S. citizens, that don’t like their house being torn down without going through proper procedures.”
The complaint argues that the administration began demolishing the East Wing without first submitting final plans to the National Capital Planning Commission (NCPC) or consulting with the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation and the D.C. State Historic Preservation Office.
It also cites an alleged failure to seek guidance from the Commission of Fine Arts, which traditionally reviews exterior changes to federal landmarks.
Addressing questions about the president’s earlier remarks that his planned ballroom project would not affect the existing structure of the White House, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said the administration had made clear from the start that the East Wing would need to be “modernized.” She added that “plans changed” after Trump consulted with architects and construction firms working on the project.
“We respectfully urge the Administration and the National Park Service to pause demolition until plans for the proposed ballroom go through the legally required public review processes,” wrote Carol Quillen, the organization’s president and chief executive.
Quillen said the planned 90,000-square-foot ballroom “will overwhelm the White House itself,” which spans about 55,000 square feet.
The Project And Its Wider Implications
The White House has framed Trump’s new ballroom as the latest in a long tradition of presidential renovations, comparing it to historic presidential expansions from Theodore Roosevelt’s West Wing to John F Kennedy’s Rose Garden and Harry Truman’s full reconstruction.
Officials have likened it to past expansions such as the creation of the West Wing and reconstruction of the Executive Mansion. The East Wing, first built in 1902 and expanded during World War II, historically housed the first lady’s offices and the White House Social Office.
The structure sits above the Presidential Emergency Operations Center, a Cold War-era bunker constructed in 1942.
The White House has defended the project as both lawful and consistent with presidential authority. Trump has argued the White House needs a large entertaining space, criticizing the past practice of presidents hosting state dinners and other large events in tents on the South Lawn.
“President Trump has full legal authority to modernize, renovate, and beautify the White House—just like all of his predecessors did,” White House spokesperson Davis Ingle told Politico.
Leavitt also described public criticism as “fake outrage,” telling Fox News that “nearly every single president who has lived in this beautiful White House… has made modernizations and renovations of their own.”
According to a July 31 White House press release, the ballroom will replace the “small, heavily changed, and reconstructed East Wing” with a larger facility capable of hosting 650 guests.
The design, by Washington-based McCrery Architects, aims to match “the theme and architectural heritage” of the existing building, it added.
The statement said the project would be privately funded through donations from “patriot donors” and completed before the end of Trump’s term. But the White House has not released a full list of the donors who have contributed to the project, raising ethical concerns and questions about conflicts of interest.
Preservation experts note that the White House grounds are governed by multiple overlapping statutes, though the Executive Residence has historically been treated as exempt from some federal planning reviews.
Sara C. Bronin, Freda H. Alverson Professor of Law at the George Washington University Law School, and former chair of the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation, said: “There are other federal statutes requiring the administration to take certain steps before they act to do anything on White House grounds, if they had, they would have no doubt refrained from bulldozing our shared history.”
What Happens Next
It remains unclear whether the Voorhees lawsuit will gain traction. A federal judge in Washington, D.C., will decide whether to grant the temporary restraining order sought by the couple to halt the project, but no hearing date has been set in the case.
The court ruling will determine whether the renovation continues and could set precedent on how much control a president has over altering the nation’s most historic residence.
Federal courts generally require plaintiffs to show a specific, personal injury to establish standing—a high bar for citizens objecting to government property decisions since courts often dismiss cases brought by citizens without a direct stake.
Even if the case proceeds, most of the East Wing has already been torn down, making a work stoppage largely symbolic.
Oversight bodies such as the National Capital Planning Commission may still review the ballroom plans, but their authority over the Executive Residence is limited.
Seventy Minnesota veterans took part in an Honor Flight to Washington D.C. on Monday.
Korean War and Vietnam War vets, and an individual who served in World War II made the trip. For many, it was the first time seeing the war memorials that honor their fallen brothers and sisters.
When the flight landed in Washington, D.C., the veterans were met with cheers and applause from friends and strangers.
Among those taking it all in was veteran Ron Kmett, who was accompanied by his son Mike. Both men got a surprise when they learned the pilot for their Honor Flight was Mick Kmett, Mike’s son and Ron Kmett’s grandson.
“Oh, I couldn’t believe it! I couldn’t believe it, it was awesome,” said Ron Kmett.
“Probably one of the cooler days at work I’ve had,” said Mick Kmett. “It’s an awesome job to be able to do it with these guys, and I’ve never flown them before, so to be able to fly him and all the veterans, it was awesome.”
The tour made early stops at the Iwo Jima U.S. Marine Corps Memorial and the Military Women’s Memorial.
That’s where Minnesota native Jackie Whitner was honored.
“I was the first African American recruiter in the Metropolitan area and the five states,” said Whitner.
She served during the Vietnam War and helped enlist more than 200 women into the military. She’s seeing many of these monuments for the first time.
“I’ve never been here before. I haven’t been to Washington, D.C. since the Martin Luther King march on Washington,” said Whitner.
There was a visit to Arlington National Cemetery, where 400,000 people are buried. It surrounds the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, where veterans witnessed the ceremonial changing of the guard.
Of all the men and women who made this trip from Minnesota, 95-year-old Arnie Sharstrom from Morris, Minnesota, was the only World War II veteran. He lied about his age so he could join the army.
“Everybody else was going, so I thought I should go too,” said Sharstrom.
It was also Sharstrom’s first time seeing the World War II memorial, which turned out to be an emotional experience.
“I’ll never forget it. As a matter of fact, I’ve got a bunch of letters that are going to take me a couple hours to read them when I get home. It’s unreal. I’ll never forget it,” said Sharstrom.
One of the last memorials the group visited was the Vietnam War Wall, a place that’s personal for veterans Harold “Shorty” Benson and Rich Peltier.
“I lost my wife three years ago, and my son is with me, and he was looking forward to it as much as I was,” said Benson.
“Lost a lot of men over there. And, why them and not me? I was 19,” said Peltier.
Peltier has spent much of his post-war life searching for answers. He believes being at the memorial and being on the flight can help him heal.
“Proud to be a veteran, and I love helping my fellow veterans out. Just love it,” said Peltier.
The Twin Cities Honor Flight has one trip to Washington, D.C. each year. The organization teams with Sun Country Airlines to give veterans a free trip.
John Lauritsen is an Emmy award-winning reporter from Montevideo, Minn. He joined WCCO-TV in late-July of 2007. Two days after he started, the Interstate 35W bridge collapsed.
A man was arrested and charged with having a Molotov cocktail outside a Washington, D.C., Catholic church on Sunday ahead of a high-profile Mass meant to mark the start of the Supreme Court term.
Metropolitan police said 41-year-old Louis Geri, of Vineland, New Jersey, was arrested at the steps of the Cathedral of St. Matthew the Apostle on Rhode Island Avenue, Northwest, after setting up a tent and refusing to leave. Officers determined that Geri had previously been barred from the Cathedral, although they didn’t elaborate on the reason.
Police said officers observed multiple suspicious items, including vials of liquid and possible fireworks, inside Geri’s tent. Members of the Metropolitan Police Department’s Explosive Ordnance Disposal team and the Arson Task Force responded to the church.
The FBI said it responded to the church after reports of an individual with explosives.
Geri was arrested and charged with unlawful entry, threats to kidnap or injure a person and possession of a Molotov cocktail. His motive for being at the church steps was not immediately clear.
St. Matthew’s Cathedral was celebrating the Red Mass, an annual Mass to mark the start of the U.S. Supreme Court term. There were no justices spotted at Sunday’s Mass.
Supreme Court justices have been grappling with a rise in violence and threats towards them as political discourse heats up — particularly after 2022, when news leaked that the Court was poised to overturn the landmark decision Roe v. Wade.
Justice Amy Barrett, who is a conservative and a devout Catholic, recently told CBS News that despite the threats and protests, she is not afraid.
“You can’t live your life in fear,” she continued. “And I think people who threaten — the goal is to cause fear. And I’m not afraid. I’m not going to reward threats with their intended reaction.”
Lucia Suarez Sang is an associate managing editor at CBSNews.com. Previously, Lucia was the director of digital content at FOX61 News in Connecticut and has previously written for outlets including FoxNews.com, Fox News Latino and the Rutland Herald.
When President Donald Trump signed an executive order last month threatening to withhold federal funding from states and localities that have adopted “cashless bail” policies, he escalated a national fight over how courts decide who should remain behind bars before trial.
The move has already rippled into state capitols. In North Carolina, Republican lawmakers are considering legislation this week that would tighten pretrial release rules after a high-profile fatal stabbing on a commuter train last month.
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The bill, which was first introduced in March and altered earlier this week with the title “Iryna’s Law,” would require people to post money bail for certain offenses and would restrict judicial discretion for violent and repeat offenders. The bill also would add a new category of violent offenses that require specific pretrial conditions, such as electronic monitoring. It passed the state Senate on Monday.
“When we were looking at drafting this bill, a lot of it was looking at the situation that happened in Charlotte,” said North Carolina state Sen. Danny Britt, a Republican and criminal defense attorney, to WRAL-TV.
In New York, Republican lawmakers are pushing to advance legislation that would further limit pretrial release and allow judges to weigh a defendant’s “dangerousness” in setting conditions. New York ended bail for most misdemeanors and nonviolent felonies in 2019, but has since scaled back the law at least three times to allow judges more discretion.
And in Texas — where legislators passed new bail restrictions earlier this summer — voters in November will consider a constitutional amendment banning bail altogether in certain cases for violent offenses such as murder, aggravated assault and indecency with a child.
Trump signed the cashless bail order three days after Iryna Zarutska, a 23-year-old Ukrainian refugee, was killed in a seemingly random stabbing in Charlotte, North Carolina. The suspect, who has a lengthy criminal record, had been released without bond last winter after being charged with misusing the 911 system.
Trump’s order directs U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi to identify which jurisdictions have “substantially eliminated cash bail,” though it does not define what that means — leaving its scope and enforcement unclear. Some legal experts say they expect challenges in court, as has happened with previous efforts to tie federal funding to state or local policies.
Trump issued the directive alongside another order aimed at Washington, D.C., where he declared a “crime emergency” and sought to roll back the city’s decades-old bail law. The district did not fully eliminate cash bail when it passed its Bail Reform Act in 1992, but judges are required to consider nonfinancial conditions — such as electronic monitoring, curfews or check-ins — before setting a monetary bond.
Trump’s orders are part of his broader crackdown on crime and public safety, which has also included deploying the National Guard to Memphis, Tennessee; Washington, D.C., and Los Angeles.
Same charge, different outcomes
Cash bail is a guarantee to show up to court: A defendant pays money and is allowed to go home. At the end of their case, they may get the money back. A judge or magistrate may set the amount based on the severity of the charge and whether the defendant is considered a flight or safety risk.
But someone unable to pay the bail, even after being charged with a low-level misdemeanor, may remain in jail for days, weeks or months. Defendants by law are presumed innocent, but stuck behind bars, they can lose jobs or housing and be unable to care for their family.
Dozens of jurisdictions, including some states, have taken steps to change their bail systems, but there is no single definition of what constitutes “bail reform” or how such changes are applied.
Some states, counties and cities have moved toward fully or nearly eliminating, cash bail. Under these “cashless bail” systems, people may be released before trial without paying money unless a judge determines they pose a public safety risk or are unlikely to return to court. These decisions, experts say, are made intentionally, based on the facts of the case — including the charges involved — rather than on a defendant’s ability to pay.
The policies can affect a large share of the people in the justice system. About 5 million felony cases and 13 million misdemeanor cases are resolved in state courts each year, according to the National Center for State Courts. Since misdemeanors make up the bulk of cases, state and local bail policies can shape outcomes for millions of people charged with lower-level offenses.
Some opponents of cashless bail policies argue that lenient policies may result in the release of defendants who could reoffend or fail to appear. Supporters counter that keeping people in jail simply because they cannot afford bail is unfair and disproportionately affects Black, Latino and low-income defendants.
The ongoing debate has fueled misconceptions, partly because some news coverage repeats unproven claims that cashless bail policies cause upticks in crime.
Trump has frequently drawn that connection himself. In a July post on Truth Social, he wrote: “Crime in American Cities started to significantly rise when they went to CASHLESS BAIL. The WORST criminals are flooding our streets and endangering even our great law enforcement officers. It is a complete disaster, and must be ended, IMMEDIATELY!”
Supporters of cash bail often raise concerns that released suspects might commit new, potentially more serious crimes. While that is possible in individual cases, some research suggests that eliminating cash bail does not lead to a widespread increase in crime. Some research also suggests that setting money bail isn’t effective in ensuring court appearances or improving public safety.
How the bail system works
Washington, D.C., the immediate target of Trump’s executive orders, largely eliminated the use of cash bail in 1992. Judges are required to first consider nonfinancial conditions, such as check-ins or curfews, though cash bail may still be used in serious cases.
Several states also have adopted major changes. Alaska, California, Illinois, New Jersey and New York have passed laws scaling back or fully eliminating cash bail, though some of those laws have since been revised.
In 2016, New Mexico voters overwhelmingly approved a constitutional amendment that limited the use of cash bail. Judges may impose a cash bond if they determine it is necessary either to ensure a defendant returns to court or because the person poses a public safety risk.
In 2023, Illinois became the first state to fully abolish cash bail through the Pretrial Fairness Act, which also guarantees defendants legal representation at pretrial hearings.
“Those early decisions about someone’s liberty are much more deliberative,” said Don Steman, a professor and co-director of the Center for Criminal Justice at Loyola University Chicago. The center’s team has been evaluating the implementation and impact of the Pretrial Fairness Act. “It’s about, ‘Is this person a threat to public safety or a threat to willful flight?’”
In Houston, a 2019 settlement and consent decree resolved a lawsuit challenging Harris County’s misdemeanor bail practices as unconstitutional, requiring the county to release most people charged with misdemeanors on a personal promise to return to court.
In the latest independent monitoring report, from 2024, observers wrote that the changes “have saved Harris County and residents many millions of dollars, improved the lives of tens of thousands of persons,” and resulted in “no increase in new offenses by persons arrested for misdemeanors.”
In August, just a day after Trump issued his executive order, Texas Republican Attorney General Ken Paxton asked a federal court to vacate the consent decree.
He argued that the order conflicts with a Texas law passed in 2021 and another state bail law that took effect this month. Those laws require people charged with violent crimes in Texas to post cash bail in order to be released from jail, and expand the list of offenses for which defendants must post a cash bond, respectively.
This story was originally produced by Stateline, which is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network which includes Pennsylvania Capital-Star, and is supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity.
