George Washington

On February 11, Donald Trump Jr. was deposed as part of a lawsuit alleging the misuse of inaugural funds for former President Donald Trump, two months after former White House advisor Ivanka Trump was deposed in the same case. Washington, D.C., Attorney General Karl Racine sued the Trump Inaugural Committee and the Trump Organization in January 2020 for abusing over $1 million nonprofit funds to enrich the Trump family.

Court filings show that AG Racine's office, that Trump Jr.'s testimony "raised further questions about the nature of" an invoice related to the inauguration and "revealed evidence that Defendants had not yet produced to the District."

The U.S. will not withdraw troops from Germany for now. In a keynote speech to diplomats Thursday, new U.S. President Joe Biden said he had halted his predecessor Donald Trump's plans for such a withdrawal. First, he said, the Pentagon should review the deployment of American troops worldwide. This must be consistent with Washington's foreign policy and strategic priorities, Biden said.

According to Stephanie Winston Wolkoff, friend and former advisor of Melania Trump, the First lady used a private email account for communication.

"Melania and I both didn’t use White House emails," Wolkoff alleges in an interview with the Washington Post and states that the both corresponded multiple times a day to discuss government issues, schedules and finances for the presidential inauguration.

Wolkoff's book "Melania and Me: The Rise and Fall of My Friendship with the First Lady" was released on September 1, 2020.

The orca whale known as Tahlequah, who carried her dead calf for 17 days and over 1,000 miles two years ago, is pregnant again. The pregnancy was discovered by John Durban, senior scientist of Southall Environmental Associates, and marine mammal research director Holly Fearnbach of the non-profit organisation SR3, who captured drone images of a community of 72 Southern Resident killer whales. The whale community, which is made up of three pods of whales, is frequently seen in the southern end of Vancouver Island and the marine waters of Washington state. Further pregnancies were spotted in all three pods.

Though pregnancies among orca whales are not unusual, Tahlequah's first pregnancy was believed to be the first in about three years among this whale community. Two of the Southern Resident whales have given birth since.

Mariann Edgar Budde, Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Washington, heavily criticized Trump's photo-op in front of St. John's Church while talking to CNN. Budde said she was outraged by his actions and that "the President did not pray when he came to St. John's, nor as you just articulated, did he acknowledge the agony of our country right now."

She furthermore stated that: "And in particular, that of the people of colour in our nation, who wonder if anyone ever -- anyone in public power will ever acknowledge their sacred words. And who are rightfully demanding an end to 400 years of systemic racism and white supremacy in our country. And I just want the world to know, that we in the diocese of Washington, following Jesus and his way of love, we distance ourselves from the incendiary language of this President. We follow someone who lived a life of nonviolence and sacrificial love."

As the protests in Washington, D.C. entered into the third night, multiple fires were set near the White House. A fire was started in the lobby of the AFL-CIO, American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations, and on two locations at Lafayette Square. Police have also responded to further fires across the city. Earlier D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser has announced a citywide curfew. Protestors have also damaged buildings and cars. 

In response to the ongoing nearby protests, the White House turned off its external lights.