Three of the legal experts testifying before the House Judiciary committee were in 鈥渢otal agreement鈥� that Trump鈥檚 conduct, and that uncovered by former special counsel Robert Mueller last year, justified swift action on the part of lawmakers.

The professors included Noah Feldman, of Harvard Law School, Michael Gerhardt, of the University of North Carolina School of Law in Chapel Hill, and Pamela Karlan, from Stanford Law School.

A fourth professor, Jonathan Turley of the George Washington University School of Law, testified that the House was moving too swiftly toward impeachment and that more facts still needed to be uncovered.

The witnesses鈥� testimony marked a crucial next step in the ongoing impeachment inquiry, less than a day after the House Intelligence Committee released a sweeping that could form the backbone for articles of impeachment.

Those articles, should they be drafted, would be born in the judiciary committee, which formally assumed the lead role in the inquiry on Wednesday.

鈥淭he storm in which we find ourselves today was set in motion by President Trump,鈥� said Democratic Chairman Jerry Nadler, of New York. 鈥淚 do not wish this moment on the country. It is not a pleasant task we undertake today. But we have each taken an oath to protect the Constitution, and the facts before us are clear.鈥�

Nadler鈥檚 line of questioning and that of the Democrats鈥� lead counsel Norm Eisen offered an early glimpse at what charges the committee may ultimately deliver.

Nadler repeatedly referenced the published earlier this year. By soliciting a Ukranian investigation into former Vice President Joe Biden, Trump鈥檚 presumed 2020 rival, the president threatened an upcoming election, Nadler said. But Mueller report revealed that he had done that before, by willingly inviting Russian interference in 2016, he added.

鈥淧resident Trump welcomed foreign interference in the 2016 election,鈥� Nadler said. 鈥淗e demanded it for the 2020 election.鈥�

The charges Democrats hinted at included abuse of power and bribery for Trump鈥檚 pressure against Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, obstruction of Congress for his refusal to turn over documents and witnesses, and obstruction of justice for his attempts to fire Mueller before the 2018 report had been completed.

The framers鈥� intent

According to Feldman, a celebrated constitutional scholar, each of those charges represent Trump using his office for personal gains.

鈥淭hat matters fundamentally to the American people,鈥� he said. 鈥淏ecause if we cannot impeach a president who abuses his office for personal advantage, we no longer live in a democracy; we live in a monarchy or we live under a dictatorship. That’s why the framers created the possibility of impeachment.鈥�

But the president had staunch allies at Wednesday鈥檚 hearing. On at least three different occasions, Republican lawmakers interrupted witness testimony to introduce motions for the hearing to end or to call on Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff and the whistleblower whose complaint triggered the impeachment process to testify.

Although Nadler tabled their motions, Republicans forced time-consuming voting procedures that each fell along party lines, 24-17.

A professor鈥檚 caution

For his part, Turley, the Republicans鈥� witness, cautioned Democrats to slow down the impeachment process.

The impeachment clauses that are forming lack any significant case law and the facts that Democrats are alleging have not been adequately proven, he said. Instead, he added, Democrats are approaching the impeachment process from a place of anger.

“I get it,鈥� he said. 鈥淵ou’re mad. The president’s mad. My Republican friends are mad. My Democratic friends are mad. My wife is mad. My kids are mad. Even my dog seems mad 鈥� and Luna is a goldendoodle and they don’t get mad.鈥�

But a 鈥渟lipshod鈥� impeachment process will only result in more 鈥渕adness,鈥� Turley added.

鈥淭his is not how you impeach an American president.鈥�

Update:聽After this story was filed, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi announced that the against the president. His “abuse of power,” she said, warrants removal from office.

The post Trump鈥檚 conduct 鈥榠mpeachable,鈥� legal experts say first appeared on 最新蜜桃影像.

Nine months after WMATA announced its intent to the massive Northern Bus Garage at 14th Street and Iowa Avenue NW, neighbors who say they want the facility gone have joined together to oppose its redevelopment plan.

Now the man in charge of the entire District bus fleet says he鈥檚 willing to make concessions, but many of those residents say it鈥檚 too little too late.

鈥淣obody wants the bus barn here,鈥� said Esther Yarborough, who lives behind it Arkansas Avenue NW. 鈥淲e鈥檙e tired of this back-and-forth, because we just want it gone.鈥�

The 333,000-square-foot bus barn was built in 1907 as a home to what was then the city鈥檚 burgeoning streetcar fleet, according to records maintained by the National Capital Trolley Museum in Silver Spring.

Today, the garage houses and maintains nearly , particularly buses that serve the critical northern routes along Georgia Avenue, 16th Street and Military Road. But conditions inside have deteriorated in recent years, with reports of inside not uncommon.

Apart from a bus ramp widening project in the 鈥�80s, more than 110 years of deferred maintenance have not been kind to the old brick edifice, and officials have been promising to rebuild or replace the structure for years.

Earlier this year, WMATA 鈥� a multi-million-dollar preservation and demolition project that would maintain the building鈥檚 iconic brick exterior but replace the bus depot, paint shop and fueling stations within. The plan also called for up to 55,000 square feet of retail space along the 14th Street corridor.

But residents who attended the March project unveiling, told Metro and city officials they wanted a new construction project to be considered elsewhere in the city where the diesel buses wouldn鈥檛 clog busy city streets and disrupt residential living.

At the very least, residents demanded a full environmental impact study and a purposeful look at residential living spaces in the old bus garage, plus a promise from Metro to reopen the facility to electric buses only once the project is complete.

Out here at ‘s Northern Division bus garage. For months, neighbors have been engaged in intense deliberation and advocacy to ensure the facility’s redevelopment doesn’t have any adverse impact on the community. I’ve been paying close attention. 1/4

鈥� Todd Brogan (@ward4brogan)

Metro is using a bus garage that is 106 years old. Northern garage is on upper 14th street NW

鈥� Adam Tuss (@AdamTuss)

This week, WMATA Vice President of Bus Maintenance David Michaels told 最新蜜桃影像 his office would be 鈥渟eriously considering鈥� a plan to make the Northern Bus Garage diesel-free 鈥渟ometime in the future.鈥�

鈥淲e want to get to electric buses,鈥� he said. 鈥淲e are committed to moving toward electric technology for buses.鈥�

The transit authority, he said, has hired a contractor that is beginning the first phase of a nearly four-year-long process to study bus alternatives and, if feasible, procure a pilot fleet to test the waters.

D.C. presently has no public all-electric bus fleet in service.

John Thomas, WMATA鈥檚 acting chief engineer, said early designs with Bethesda-based Clark Construction Group will increase electricity at the site to one day meet the demand of an all-electric fleet.

鈥淕etting the buses are the easiest part of it,鈥� he said. 鈥淭he infrastructure is the hard part.鈥�

But residents say they鈥檙e not entirely pleased with the concessions WMATA has made. A community meeting last month just a few blocks north of the site devolved into a shouting match at times, as neighbors hurled questions and complaints at officials and promised to fight the reconstruction project with 鈥渨hatever it takes.鈥�

Turner Williams lives south of the garage, and he said he can remember noxious diesel fumes emanating from the site for a long time. He won鈥檛 be happy with any solution, he said, unless it moves the bus barn site to a less resident-dense part of the city.

鈥淭hey鈥檙e asking us to wait another four years and deal with diesel emissions for however long,鈥� he said. 鈥淭hey say they care, because this is where they live, but it鈥檚 literally where I live, and I don鈥檛 think they鈥檝e been breathing these fumes as long as I have.鈥�

D.C. Councilmember Brandon Todd鈥檚 office has been fielding complaints from residents like Turner since before the project plans were announced earlier this year.

The office appointed several small-area-development committees to serve in advisory roles during both the planning and construction phases of the project.

One committee conducted a poll last month that found more than 90% of residents near the garage oppose any plan that would maintain the site as a bus maintenance facility. Most preferred retrofitting the land into a grocery store, park or outdoor market venue.

Roughly half of the poll respondents said they would only support a bus garage there as long as it reopened as an electric-only maintenance barn, which doesn鈥檛 appear likely under WMATA鈥檚 stated plan.

Despite having formed the committees, Chair Taalib-Din Uqdah, who helped conduct that community poll, said Todd鈥檚 office now only appears interested in making sure the bus barn project 鈥渁s is鈥� moves forward, no matter what remaining issues neighbors in the area still have.

The office, he claimed, is intent on 鈥渨orking against鈥� the residents in that area.

鈥淲e tried for months to schedule a meeting with him, but they kept telling us over and over again 鈥榟e isn鈥檛 available,鈥欌�� Uqdah said. 鈥淭hen we have another public meeting last month and he doesn鈥檛 even bother to show up.鈥�

Todd鈥檚 Chief of Staff Dolly Turner, however, said the councilmember鈥檚 absence at the community meeting was a 鈥渟cheduling error鈥� The office, she said, remains in full support of the committees鈥� work.

She called on WMATA and Clark Construction to include residents in further bus barn development talks and to consider many of their other demands, like resident housing and a more robust electric bus deployment.

Residents say they remain doubtful, however, that their concerns will be realized when the bus barn reopens in 2022.

The post Why residents living near a century-old bus barn say they won鈥檛 be happy until it鈥檚 gone first appeared on 最新蜜桃影像.

Sondland, the country鈥檚 top diplomat to the European Union, said Trump鈥檚 personal attorney Rudy Giuliani facilitated a pressure campaign against Ukraine at the 鈥渆xpress direction of the president.鈥�

鈥淲as there a 鈥榪uid pro quo?鈥欌�� he asked, rhetorically. 鈥淲ith regard to the requested White House call and White House meeting, the answer is yes.鈥�

The told the House intelligence committee that Trump appeared most interested in the Ukrainians publicly announcing investigations into the 2016 U.S. presidential election and an oil company for whom former Vice President Joe Biden鈥檚 son worked. The president would leverage the promise of White House meetings and phone calls to get those investigations, he added.

He said he grew to believe that the $400 million in held-up military aid to the former Soviet Bloc country was tied to those investigations as well. The connection was a simple calculation, he said 鈥� 鈥渢wo plus two equals four.鈥�

Some Trump campaign officials, WH aides, and GOP lawmakers were “blindsided” by Sondland testimony and “freaking out” earlier today, sources tell and me. One source said Sondland’s testimony was “really bizarre,” adding he was throwing top officials under the bus.

鈥� Jim Acosta (@Acosta)

Sondland, who earned his diplomatic title after , provided investigators with text messages and emails that cast the impeachment cloud over Vice President Mike Pence and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo.

They and others were well aware of the administration鈥檚 wishes in Ukraine, he said.

鈥淭hey knew what we were doing and why,鈥� he said. 鈥淓veryone was in the loop. It was no secret.鈥�

Wednesday鈥檚 testimony promised to intensify an already contentious political climate on Capitol Hill, as Democrats marked the first full week of public impeachment hearings examining the president’s dealings with Ukraine.

Moments after the hearing, Democratic Chair Adam Schiff told reporters Sondland鈥檚 testimony was 鈥渁 very important moment in the history of this inquiry.鈥�

鈥淚t goes right to the heart of the issue of bribery as well as other potential high crimes or misdemeanors,鈥� he said.

But Republicans chided Sondland on Wednesday for amending his testimony once already and failing to highlight key defenses.

In particular, Sondland said later he recalled a conversation with Trump during which the president pointedly said there was 鈥渘o quid pro quo.鈥�

鈥淚 want nothing, I want nothing,鈥� Sondland recalled the president saying. 鈥淚 want no quid pro quo. Tell Zelensky to do the right thing.鈥�

According to Sondland鈥檚 testimony, Trump made those comments in early September, just as Congress had become aware of a whistleblower complaint accusing the president of wrongdoing and after the pressure campaign had been launched.

The two world leaders did eventually speak on the phone together, said Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio. The two met in New York and the $400 million in military assistance was eventually delivered.

All of that occurred, Jordan laid out 鈥� yet the investigations never did.

鈥淵ou got all three of them wrong,鈥� Jordan said. 鈥淭hey get the call, they get the meeting, they get the money. It鈥檚 not two plus two; it鈥檚 (zero) for three. I鈥檝e never seen anything like this.鈥�

Sondland鈥檚 testimony was followed by Laura Cooper, special assistant secretary of defense for Russia and Ukraine and David Hale, undersecretary of state for political affairs.

Early in their Wednesday evening, the two shed more light on how long the Ukranian government suspected that delayed military aid was hinged on the announcement of investigations into Trump鈥檚 political opponents.

The post Sondland confirms Trump 鈥榪uid pro quo鈥� first appeared on 最新蜜桃影像.

Advisory Neighborhood Commissions, or ANCs, will now have the power to nominate certain blocks for resident-only parking, something that used to required DDot approval alone.

鈥淭he city is changing,鈥� said Petworth ANC聽Commissioner Kim Varzi. 鈥淚t鈥檚 becoming more dense. but, at the same time, the city鈥檚 hoping people veer away from using cars and rather use the car-sharing program, or scooters or the bike share. But people still want cars.鈥�

Enhanced residential parking is different from DDoT鈥檚 traditional, or basic, residential parking program. Instead of two-hour only signs on both sides of a street, enhanced parking closes off an entire block to residents only at all times.

The program is designed to deter out-of-town drivers from using residential blocks to park their cars and hop on the city鈥檚 mass transit system.

Varzi said her block near Allison Street and Kansas Avenue NW regularly fills up with Maryland drivers parking their cars to hop a bus to work downtown.

鈥淚t鈥檚 ridiculous,鈥� she said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 got to stop.鈥�

At a meeting last week, ANC-4C nominated the 5800 block of Colorado Avenue; 1200 block of Longfellow Street; 4500 block of Seventh Street; 1500 block of Webster Street; and the 1300 block of聽 Quincy Street for enhanced residential parking.

Still, there are certain criteria DDoT must verify before the stricter, resident-only signs will go up. According to the rule, at least 85% of all available spaces have to be occupied between 7 a.m. and 8:30 p.m. on weekdays. Of those, half of the cars must be registered somewhere other than the place they鈥檙e parked.

Alana Askew lives along one of those Petworth blocks scheduled for enhanced parking measures. It鈥檚 a good thing, she said 鈥� as long as it鈥檚 enforced.

鈥�(Basic parking) is not really enforced,鈥� she said. 鈥淎nd anyone with D.C. tags can park there without it being an issue for any amount of time.鈥�

Commissioners say parking enforcement officers are already stretched too thin, and DDoT officials agree. Enhanced parking options aren鈥檛 just about solving for a lack of enforcement, though; they鈥檙e about cutting down on legal over-crowded blocks that result from two-hour grace periods the basic parking program permits.

Priscilla Robertson is one of those out-of-town drivers. She lives in Takoma Park but visits her grandchildren in Petworth almost every week.

Often, though, making the short drive isn鈥檛 worth the hassle, she said, because available parking is far and few between.

鈥淚 don鈥檛 want to look for parking,鈥� she said. 鈥淚 don鈥檛 want to pay for parking. I usually take Metro or walk; I actually walk from Takoma Park sometimes.鈥�

The post DDot gives local government parking power first appeared on 最新蜜桃影像.

The celebrated owner and editor of the blog has his thumb on the pulse of the neighborhood, and he鈥檚 a recognizable figure in some of its more well-known establishments.

It鈥檚 not unusual to see him walking his two dogs Teddy and Frankie past the Old Soldiers鈥� Home or taking his daughter to Timber Pizza Co. and Lulabelle鈥檚 Sweet Shop for dinner and dessert.

Schneider is a fixture; he鈥檚 a little slice of Petworth celebrity who says he loves his neighborhood and all it has to offer.

So it was little surprise that Schneider took offense when another local publication turned its attention to a along one of Petworth鈥檚 prime commercial districts about a year ago now,

鈥淏usinesses come and go,鈥� he told 最新蜜桃影像 this week. 鈥淲hat really matters is the long-term economic viability of your neighborhood.鈥�

Indeed, Petworth鈥檚 Upshur Street has faced its fair share of challenges over the last year. After in 2014, a sounding review by Bon App茅tit and more recently earning the title of 鈥溾�� by 最新蜜桃影像ington Post, high-profile closures have rocked area retail. The closures of popular eateries like Ruta del Vino and Hank鈥檚 Cocktail Bar have cast the area鈥檚 future in doubt.

Hank鈥檚 Cocktail Bar is boxing up shop on December 14th & moving to the 2nd floor of our flagship location, Hank鈥檚 Oyster Bar in Dupont Circle. Same great cocktails, same Hank鈥檚 hospitality, awesome new space. Stay up to date on social media for our January 2019 reopening date.

鈥� Hank’s Cocktail Bar (@HanksCocktailBr)

Growth seems to have picked up since the retail corridor was pegged for stagnation in 2018. with the District鈥檚 Department of Consumer and Regulatory Affairs show no closings along the vital artery between Georgia and New Hampshire avenues this summer.

Even still, Schneider said, many of the businesses that did close on or near Upshur Street were quickly replaced, a conspicuous signal of property growth potential.

Take the once swanky French-Japanese restaurant called Crane & Turtle near the corner of Ninth and Upshur streets in Petworth. After it closed in 2016, it reopened months later as Himitsu, closed again this year and .

鈥淏usinesses don鈥檛 always close because they run out of money,鈥� Schneider said. 鈥淪ometimes you just don鈥檛 have a good business plan, and other times you have businesses that have been here for 25 years but they don鈥檛 own their building and suddenly their owner up and decides it鈥檚 condo time.鈥�

That鈥檚 why Scheider has become something of a spokesman of late for small-business development and microfinancing.

He has to call on the D.C. government to reward property owners who keep their small businesses afloat when faced with high-dollar appeal from residential developers.

And, just this month, Schneider has opened the doors to a rather unusual microfinancing initiative out of Georgetown University.

Last year鈥檚 flurry of closures caught the attention of Hilltop Microfinance Initiative, a nonprofit, student-led investment group whose leaders say they are now looking for new clients in the Petworth area.

HMFI has doled out some $58,000 in business mini-grants in the DMV region over the last 11 years, and Petworth is a logical next-step for the group鈥檚 future growth, says Director of Marketing Isabelle Wisco, a Georgetown sophomore.

鈥淩ecent commercialization has brought significant economic hardships to local Petworth businesses,鈥� she said. 鈥淪eeing that, our mission is to assist those that have been overlooked and underserved, we believe our loans can help prevent the further displacement of smaller storefronts.鈥�

Few understand the power of microfinancing more than Sharod Wade, whose $2,000 loan from HMFI helped turn his Semper Sanitize cleaning service in Deanwood from a small, residential venture he ran out of car he borrowed from his sister into a commercial servicer with four employees and a van of his own.

Wade, who lives in D.C.鈥檚 East Corner, said he had a tough transition out of the U.S. Marine Corps five years ago. It left him hopeless and homeless, looking for a purpose.

He grew up in the District and worked with his grandfather who ran a sort of unofficial cleaning businesses in the neighborhood for years 鈥� cleaning churches and businesses for cash.

The elder Wade would regularly approach business owners and ask them who they had cleaning their floors, he recalled. When they would often say they didn鈥檛 have anyone, the entrepreneur always had the same response.

鈥淗e would say, 鈥業 can tell; we鈥檒l handle it for you,鈥欌�� Wade said. 鈥淎nd that meant us 鈥� the family.鈥�

So when Wade was accepted into a veteran-centered entrepreneurial program in 2016, starting up a cleaning business of his own seemed like a logical choice.

He was able to get by for a while on nothing but a few household cleaning supplies, but Wade said he knew to land commercial contracts, he鈥檚 have to step up his game.

That鈥檚 when he came across HMFI. It seemed a little surreal at first, he said, that a group of students would take a risk on his business, but once he understood how his own mission fit into theirs, he was all on board.

鈥淭his was something that, before it happened, I would have said it would never happen,鈥� he said. 鈥淚 was so new. I didn鈥檛 have what I would consider past performance worthy to blindly invest in me. They had the ability to say, 鈥榃e believe in you. We invest in you. Go make your dreams a reality.鈥欌��

HMFI CEO Moonlan Zhang said she envisions the same kind of success stories for small businesses in Petworth. If so, she says, the neighborhood鈥檚 future could look even brighter.

According to Schneider, small-business development opportunities like those offered by HMFI could help ensure that Petworth keeps what Petworth has.

The neighborhood鈥檚 future is bright, he said. Vacancy rates are at historic lows and more people are moving in than moving out. All Petworth needs, he said, is a little more time, attention and investment.

鈥淭here鈥檚 nothing wrong with more condos,鈥� he said. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 a natural part of a growing city; we need more people to help sustain growth. But we have a lot of people in Petworth, too, and we need to be finding ways to hold on to what we鈥檝e got and invest in ourselves.鈥�

The post How microfinancing could reshape Petworth first appeared on 最新蜜桃影像.

The mayor’s office has been promising renovations at the Eighth and Taylor streets center for more than three years now, but budget appropriation maneuvers and delays for cost have pushed back the $2 million project ever since.

Now the Departments of Parks and Recreation and General Services say they want public input on their latest iteration of designs, but after so much back-and-forth at City Hall, many say they are doubtful they鈥檒l see anything come of it.

St. Anthony Wallace Sr. has been making the short drive from his home in Silver Spring to the recreation center at 801 Taylor St. NW for more than 30 years now. He鈥檚 watched the city grow and change around the 1-acre park, but not much has changed inside it, he said.

Wallace is the recreation specialist, and it鈥檚 his job to make sure the center鈥檚 meager annual budget gets spent on programming, resources and activities that gives the deluge of daily children a little slice of fun.

鈥淚t鈥檚 a park area that attracts people from all walks of life,鈥� he said. 鈥淵ou鈥檝e got your nannies who bring their kids here and the private schools and Montessori schools who walk children over. It鈥檚 green space for people who don鈥檛 have any green space.鈥�

Yards for children to play in have been swallowed up over time by high-rise developments, apartment and condo complexes in Petworth, Wallace said, leaving places like his more relied upon than ever.

But more use in a public park leads to wear and tear.

The city has invested money in the park before 鈥� most recently constructing a spay park over an old playground area two years ago and a futsal, or street soccer, court nearby.

But the the warped play pad and old rusted fencing and decades-old center itself still need work, Wallace said.

When the mayor鈥檚 office presented a budget with $2 million in it for renovations at the park in 2017, renovations seemed all but certain, but delays in hiring a designer and a budget reappropriation held the funding back more.

鈥淚 wish I knew what鈥檚 taken so long,鈥� Wallace said. 鈥淭his place is worth the investment, and I think people should know that. It comes alive at all hours of the day or night, but it鈥檚 still peaceful, you know?鈥�

But now both the money and people are in place for the renovation project to begin, and City Hall wants as much public input as possible before contractors are hired to break ground.

Peter Nohrden, is the department鈥檚 lead architect on the project, and he said the District is trying to be creative about stretching that $2 million as far as it will go.

Preliminary designs for the park are leaning toward major fixes to the splash pad, new playground surfaces, better seating and more shade.

Use the gray slider above to explore differences betweent the existing and proposed Petowrth Recreation Center park designs.

Natasha Greenberg, 46, of Petworth, said she鈥檚 eager to see those kind of changes made at the park, if they really happen.

鈥淔or people around here, most people have very little backyards 鈥� if any,鈥� she said. 鈥淎nd there are a lot of young families in Petworth, but there鈥檚 nothing in the park for really young kids.鈥�

Greenberg said she wants more accessibility for young children, even infants, and more shady areas for parents or guardians to watch their children.

District officials will host a meeting to engage residents like her on the topic of recreation center changes on Tuesday. She said she plans to attend, but she isn鈥檛 sure how much good it will do.

鈥淭hey鈥檝e been talking about these kinds of changes for a while,鈥� she laughed. 鈥淟ook around; nothing鈥檚 different.鈥�

Jahkeed King, 27, of Petworth brings her 3-year-old daughter Milan King to the Petworth Recreation Center every chance they get. It鈥檚 within convenient walking distance of their Varnum Street home, she said, and it is small enough to give her daughter a wide space in which to play.

As for the renovations, she said, she would love to see more age-segregated areas and shade.

鈥淲e鈥檒l see,鈥� she said. 鈥淏ut probably not.鈥�

District officials who spoke with 最新蜜桃影像 this week said they are disappointed by residents鈥� lack of enthusiasm, but they are eager to put action behind their words.

Tuesday鈥檚 meeting may be the last, according to Nohrden, before the designs for the park are finalized. A survey for the park last year elicited more than 670 responses from nearby residents, which is encouraging, he said.

The Petworth Recreation Center community meeting is scheduled to begin at 6:30 p.m. at the Raymond Recreation Center, 3725 10th St. NW.

The post City prepping designs for recreation renovations, but residents are doubtful first appeared on 最新蜜桃影像.

Allan Lichtman, a distinguished professor of history at AU鈥檚 College of Arts & Sciences, is widely known for accurately predicting the outcome of eight of the last nine U.S. presidential elections. He and a colleague developed a model that uses 13 simple 鈥渒eys,鈥� or predictors, to determine how likely an incumbent party will fare with the electorate.聽

In May, Lichtman used that model to , but with a caveat 鈥� that a realistic impeachment inquiry against the president could unleash scandal and give Trump鈥檚 Democratic challenger an edge in the 2020 campaign.

Now that an , a successful impeachment 鈥� which only acts as an indictment by the House 鈥� would most likely serve to calm political tensions, even if it did not result in a conviction by the Senate, Lichtman told 最新蜜桃影像 on Tuesday.

鈥淎n impeachment of Donald Trump, if successful, [could] remove this incredibly polarizing figure 鈥� perhaps the most polarizing figure in all of U.S. history,鈥� he said. 鈥淎nd even if he was acquitted, he would still be very much of a weakened figure.鈥�

The same happened with America鈥檚 first impeached president, Andrew Johnson, Lichtman noted.聽

Johnson faced the impeachment gauntlet in 1868, largely at the hands of a political caucus dubbed the 鈥淩adical Republicans,鈥� according to Kendra Hinkle, a museum specialist at the in Greenville, Tennessee.

Hinkle said the country was in perhaps its most politically divisive state then, reeling from civil conflict and a presidential assasination. As the Johnson administration tried to implement its own agenda, it clashed with the Republican-controlled Congress, intensifying partisan discord. At the heart of that conflict, she said, was a power struggle between the executive and legislative branches of government.

鈥淔ear was rampant, and each branch lived with uncertainty as to whether the other was trying to usurp the power of the other,鈥� she said. 鈥淭here needed to be a way to prove the balance of powers was still intact. In an odd way, the constitutional caveat of impeachment was a way for that to happen.鈥�

Impeachment, even though it resulted in an acquittal by the Senate, had a dampening effect on Johnson鈥檚 political clout, she said. It rebalanced the powers and settled an ongoing debate.

The same could be said of the ongoing House investigation into Trump鈥檚 dealings with foreign heads of state, but only if the inquiry returns articles of impeachment, Lichtman said.

It is an essential step in triggering a scandal, which could unlock other keys to Democratic control of the White House, he added. Without it, his original prediction that Trump will remain in power likely stands.

鈥淚f Donald Trump is only the third president in U.S. history to be formally impeached by the U.S. House 鈥� remember, Nixon resigned before he got impeached 鈥� then that would nail down the scandal key,鈥� Licthman said. 鈥淲ithout the scandal key, it鈥檚 very difficult to see enough keys turning against the Republicans to predict their defeat.鈥�

But the professor had other suggestions for the four Democratic committees investigating Trump: Don鈥檛 narrow the focus and don鈥檛 move too fast.

Reports that lawmakers are between Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky are troubling, he said

Similarly, he said, American history should be a guiding factor.

鈥淭he Watergate scandal blossomed into what, to that point in our history, was the worst scandal in American history,鈥� he said. 鈥淲e don鈥檛 know where the evidence may lead us this time. There may be much worse stuff, if Congress can get our hands on those conversations.鈥�

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That鈥檚 what Charles Coleman said he remembers about the night he awoke to gunfire echoing against terraced homes two weeks ago near his home on Shepherd Street NW.

They startled him and his wife from their bed and stirred a frenzy of barking dogs, bedroom lights and sleepy eyes peering past curtains into the early morning darkness.

鈥淭hey just kept going, 鈥榩op, pop, pop,鈥� and it seemed like they wasn鈥檛 going to stop, 鈥� Coleman, 70, said. 鈥淏oy, was it loud.鈥�

It was shortly after 1 a.m. on Monday, Sept. 16, according to a Metropolitan Police Department report on the incident. Twenty-two hours later, at 11 p.m. that same Monday night, it happened again 鈥� gunfire tore through the still evening air, a stranger, neighbors say, to the quiet, leafy Petworth neighborhood near a retirement home for veterans.

鈥淭hey just kept going, 鈥榩op, pop, pop,鈥� and it seemed like they wasn鈥檛 going to stop. Boy, was it loud.鈥�

All told, 40 shell casings were recovered at the scene of both shootings near Fourth and Taylor streets. There were no reports of injuries, but a home in the 4000 block of Fourth sustained significant property damage, police say.

The two, back-to-back incidents have erupted a simmering controversy among residents in that area about what they see as a growing trend of crime and violence and what police and city officials can and will do about it.

Coleman and others say they鈥檝e grown accustomed to a lifestyle far removed from the seemingly constant clash of gang-related violence to the south and east. Petworth, Coleman said, had its fair share of crime years ago, but not anymore.

鈥淏ack in the mid-鈥�90s, sure, D.C. was the murder capital of this country, but, things changed and it got real quiet,鈥� he said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 been peaceful, until now.鈥�

Two shootings, 24 hours, one house

Fourth District MPD Cmdr. Randy Griffin says the Sept. 16 shootings were likely tied to a single Fourth Street townhouse 鈥� the same residence that sustained most of the damage that night.

Witnesses of the second incident say a small, white SUV pulled up in front of the home at about 1:06 a.m. and its occupants began firing at a group of people in front of it with a semi-automatic handgun before peeling away.

Hours after the second round of gunfire had been heard, police installed a lightower near the intersection at Fourth and Taylor, and police cruisers could be seen parked at least a block away from every street entrance to that part of the neighborhood.

There was numerous rounds of gun shots over night near 4th and Shepherd. I didn’t get any updates from the District so I am piecing together information from neighbors. Will have more soon including new/different responses from MPD and the District.

鈥� Jonah Goodman (@ANCJonah)

Griffin said he intends to keep that level of police presence up for a while, if, at the very least, to put residents鈥� minds at ease. But the lightower and extra surveillance is, admittedly, a temporary fix, the commander said, as resources already stretched thin can only support four or five officers on a single city block for so long.

鈥淲e鈥檙e going to have to rely on residents to call in and keep us informed,鈥� he said. 鈥淭oo often we hear complaints about drugs or violence after something like this has happened. We need to hear about it beforehand to put a stop to it.鈥�

The shootings appeared to be 鈥渢argeted attacks鈥� upon a resident or residents who live in that house, Griffin added.

More gun fire just now. This is absolutely unacceptable. District leadership has known of this issue for years, there are increased MPD patrols because of last night’s shootings, and this happens again.

鈥� Jonah Goodman (@ANCJonah)

MPD executed a search warrant on the property a day after the two shootings, but all that was uncovered were several rounds of unspent ammunition.

Neighbors claim the house is part of an active drug market, though, and that’s precisely what has many of them so upset.

Residents want more

Advisory Neighborhood Commissioner Jonah Goodman hosted a nearly two-hour-long community meeting a week after the shootings where some residents called on the MPD to do more about places they know can harbor criminal activity.

Several residents reported witnessing what appeared to be drug sales in broad daylight near the Fourth Street home and groups of young people carrying weapons in and out of it.

But without direct evidence of guns or drugs inside the residence, Griffin said, there鈥檚 little his officers can do with that information. He urged neighbors to remain vigilant and to call in whatever they witness.

According to Goodman, though, residents don鈥檛 feel like their voices are being heard by the police, whether they call in information or not.

A December 2017 shooting behind a daycare in Petworth wrought a similar neighborhood response, he said. Residents met with the police and cleared the air with some of their concerns.

Since then, the MPD commander, captain and police service area lieutenant who spoke to residents have all since left Ward 4, according to Goodman.

Griffin and the other replacements are fine officers, he said, but they don鈥檛 yet understand the problem areas in the neighborhood.

鈥淭he new team is highly responsive, but admitted they didn鈥檛 think this area was a 鈥榟ot zone鈥� nor did they have any information on past shootings or MPD responses to address this area,鈥� Goodman said.

In yet another shooting in Petworth last year, Goodman said residents were informed that an MPD camera near the scene did not have the ability to move and did not witness the crime.

The same camera once again came into focus last week. It鈥檚 located less than a block away from the scene of both shootings, but, this time, Griffin said the camera can reposition; it simply wasn鈥檛 pointing in the right direction to see the white SUV, its occupants or any of the individuals who were targeted.

鈥淲e need to create an environment where the expectation after these events is better dialogue and transparency,鈥� Goodman said. 鈥淲e currently are at the far extreme where nothing can be shared publicly and different people and agencies have different pieces of information.鈥�

Attorney general steps in

When neighbors have called in to MPD, sometimes their complaints haven鈥檛 turned into formal crime or incident reports.

That鈥檚 a problem, says Monique Cobb, an assistant attorney general in the Office of the Attorney General of the District of Columbia.

Cobb is trying to help the residents near Taylor and Fourth streets bring an end to the crime affiliated with the 4000 block house.

She needs whatever evidence she could bring in front of a judge under Washington鈥檚 little-known Drug-, Firearm-, or Prostitution-Related Nuisance Abatement Law.

The statute allows her office and community members to file lawsuits against property owners who are using their space to sell, store or manufacture illegal drugs; unlawfully store or sell guns; or facilitate prostitution.

In this case, Cobb said, residents near the home believe that there is, at times, firearms being stored inside. The ammunition police uncovered last month could be useful in court, she said, but it鈥檚 not enough; the law clearly states that 鈥渙ne or more guns鈥� must be uncovered.

鈥淚 hate that, because I know of a lot of properties where there are a lot of shootings, and I鈥檓, like, well, we need to go in and do something,鈥� she said. 鈥淏ut we may not have jurisdiction, because the statute clearly defines what we can and can鈥檛 do.鈥�

Goodman has encouraged neighbors to be mindful of when and what information they bring to the police, not only in order to aid them in making arrests but to bolster the neighborhood鈥檚 case in evicting problem residents.

What鈥檚 next?

Linsay Videnieks, 42, and her husband have lived in their home in the 4000 block of Illinois Avenue NW for nearly two years now.

They moved there partly because of the safe, quiet neighborhood that it was, she said. The two September shootings have thrown a whole new wrench into that equation.

Over the summer, the couple had a new infant child, so it wasn鈥檛 all that unusual for them to be up and caring for the baby at 1 a.m.

鈥淲e just suddenly heard close to nine or 10 shots and my husband called 911,鈥� Videnieks said. 鈥淭he next night, we heard shots again, and we also called it in. I don鈥檛 know what to say 鈥� it鈥檚 usually a very safe neighborhood, at least, we thought.鈥�

Charles Coleman said he and his wife have spent evening meals out on their Shepherd Street porch for years now, ever since they both retired.

The recent spate of shootings has the couple rethinking that, though, Coleman said.

鈥淚t just doesn鈥檛 feel safe anymore,鈥� he said.

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