Displaying items by tag: Washington

The US Secret Service is investigating how cocaine was found at the White House, with visitor logs and footage combed for clues. The discovery in the West Wing, which contains the Oval Office and other working areas for presidential aides and staff, led to a brief evacuation. Secret Service agents found the powder in a storage facility routinely used by White House staff and guests to store mobile phones. White House staff are permitted to give tours of some parts of the West Wing to friends and family. Visitors who are not accredited staff must store mobile phones and other personal belongings in cubicles.

A violent attack on Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi's husband fractured his skull. He is recovering from surgery just a week before the midterm elections. A few hours later the government issued a bulletin warning of a ‘heightened threat’ of domestic violent extremism against candidates and election workers driven by individuals with ‘ideological grievances. Also, the US Department of Justice reported a man had pleaded guilty to making multiple phoned death threats against a Democratic congressman, stating he would come to Washington with a firearm. The political system is in a crucial moment. Republican and Democrat votes will determine who controls Congress next year. Republicans warn this is the last chance to put a check on Joe Biden's presidency. Democrats say American democracy is at stake because numerous Republican candidates refuse to accept 2020’s election results. A violent wave is building. In the first three months of 2022, more than 1,800 incidents were documented.

A nursing home in Washington had an outbreak of Covid-19. 34 residents died and a further 101 had the virus. 90-year-old Geneva Wood was recovering from a stroke. A few days before she was to return home, the disease struck and the centre went on lockdown. Then Geneva caught Covid-19. While she was alone in isolation one night she thought she was dying. ‘I could feel God’s presence. His hands were on my body and I could feel His presence and I would wake up and I could feel these hands and I would go back to sleep. Through the night, I would wake up, I couldn’t see His face, but I could feel His hands and I knew He was with me and I made it through the night. My faith in God, my family, and the church’s prayers pulled me through.’