One year after President Donald Trump and Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency team upended foreign aid, 小萝莉影视’s Kay Perkins breaks down the impact on public health and disease management across the world and here at home.

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Flames broke out at a single-family house in the 10300 block of Fleming Avenue at around 4:45 p.m. on Thursday, causing more than $400,000 in damages, according to Montgomery County Fire and Rescue spokesperson Pete Piringer.

“They indicate that they had not wanted a tree in a while,” Piringer said Friday morning. “They had some old lights from the 80s on the tree and we believe there was some kind of malfunction according to what they saw.”

Fire officials believe there was an electrical issue with the power strip that ignited the tree.

As of Friday morning, the family remained hospitalized with serious injuries from the fire, including burns and smoke inhalation, Piringer said in a . All of the people who were hurt are adults and at least one is in critical condition.

A dog was also found unconscious and rescued by firefighters. The Great Dane was resuscitated by a veterinarian.

“Residents indicate that they heard a pop,” Piringer said.

Piringer said in a that it all started in the living room when a power strip near the Christmas tree made a loud noise.

“The fire was actually discovered by the residents even before the smoke alarm activated,” Piringer said Friday morning. “They reacted quickly but they attempted to find a fire extinguisher. In the few moments of that, the room erupted into flames, catching a nearby couch and some other combustibles on fire.”

By the time firefighters arrived, the flames had spread throughout the first floor, leaving significant structural damage.

“The fire extended very rapidly,” Piringer said. “Everybody got out.”

About 65 firefighters responded to the scene and quickly extinguished the fire.

The family who lives in the home is now displaced.

Fire officials initially said five people had been injured. But Piringer later clarified that four people were injured in a Friday update.

Below is a map of where the fire took place:

小萝莉影视’s Jessica Kronzer contributed to this report.

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“Quarries have been used since Roman times to supply water,” said Michael Nardolilli, executive director of the Interstate Commission on the Potomac River Basin. “Filling them up during times of high flow, and then using it during times of drought or contamination events.”

Loudoun County in Virginia is in the process of converting Luck Stone quarry into a billion-gallon reservoir. That project is slated to finish in 2028.

“Now, you have Vulcan Quarry in Fairfax County,” said Nardolilli. “Which will be called the Edgemon Reservoir.”

The name is a reference to a former general manager of the water company, who died in 2022.

Fairfax and Prince William counties have a backup supply in Occoquan Reservoir, and Montgomery and Prince George鈥檚 counties draw a large portion of their water from the Patuxent River. These reservoirs can 鈥� and do 鈥� release their water into the Potomac River during drought conditions.

However, if the Potomac River were to become contaminated, there is no backup water supply for D.C., Arlington County and the City of Falls Church.

小萝莉影视 initially reported in 2016 that water officials were finally making public a long-standing water system shortcoming 鈥� the Washington Aqueduct, which processes water from the Potomac River, only has 24 to 48 hours of water supply available.

“We are very mindful of that dependency for D.C. and Arlington,” said Nardolilli. “They are the most vulnerable cities in the United States to a cutoff of their drinking water supply.”

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is in the midst of a feasibility study of ways to bolster the resilience of the area’s water supply.

“The study began in September of last year, it’s supposed to take three years and cost about $3 million,” said Nardolilli. “At which time (the Army Corps) will come up with a recommended solution to this vulnerability.”

As 小萝莉影视聽first reported in 2016, local water officials have been studying the possibility of utilizing the Travilah Quarry 鈥� which is on Piney Meetinghouse Road in Rockville, Maryland 鈥� to provide water storage.

Turning a quarry into a water supply is a multiyear, multi-jurisdictional challenge, said Nardolilli.

“You need to acquire the land, and you need the right of way to connect the pipes,” Nardolilli said.

The Washington Aqueduct serves over 1 million customers.

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He spent eight years with Prince George’s County Fire and EMS before retiring in 2019. He was chief of the department for the last two years before he retired.

Be advised. Multi-jurisdictional honors motorcade transporting former PGFD Fire Chief Benjamin Barksdale to start approximately 0900. Motorcade will travel Route 1 from Virginia to OL of 495 and then to Branch Ave in Clinton.

鈥� Prince George鈥檚 County Fire/EMS Department (@PGFD小萝莉影视)

Before that, he served 25 years with Arlington County’s Fire Department.

Barksdale was said to have been battling cancer. He was 60.

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In the Maryland Transportation Authority detailed these early plans as it responded to recommendations from the National Transportation Safety Board.

In late March, the NTSB criticized MDTA’s failure to contact safety inspections that the board said could have flagged vulnerabilities with the Francis Scott Key Bridge before its collapse last year.

The Bay Bridge was one of 68 bridges the NTSB labeled at-risk of collapse from a vessel collision in its .

The MDTA said it began the $160 million study last spring, months before NTSB’s criticisms were made public.

In a statement Monday, the MDTA said it found that the Bay Bridge does “not meet the AASHTO risk threshold for new bridges” and emphasized that the Bay Bridge has been inspected every year for the last 30 years and was 鈥渇ound to be in safe and satisfactory condition.”

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In a pair of posts on X Saturday, ICE said it arrested Francisco Reyes-Ramirez on felony drug charges.

ARLINGTON, Va. 鈥� ICE officers and law enforcement partners arrested Francisco Reyes-Ramirez, an illegally present Salvadoran national, April 17.
He was arrested Nov. 1, 2022, for possession of a controlled substance with intent to distribute.
He was found鈥�

鈥� U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (@ICEgov)

ICE said Reyes-Ramirez is a Salvadoran national who entered the U.S. illegally.

Officers also arrested Enrique Montes Flores-Espana on charges of having sex with a minor.

ICE DC arrested Enrique Montes Flores-Espana, an illegal Guatemalan alien charged with consensual sex with a minor and proposing sex with a minor by computer. Flores re-entered the U.S. twice after being deported. ICE arrested Flores in Arlington, Virginia.

鈥� ERO Washington D.C. (@EROWashington)

ICE identified Flores-Espana as a Guatemalan national, who it said has re-entered the U.S. twice after being deported.

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The 2025 class includes two-time Super Bowl champion Leonard Marshall, two-time Super Bowl champion Marc Collins, former Chicago Bears center Olin Kreutz, and 10-time Canadian Football League all-star Garney Henley.

They will be formally inducted on May 30 at the annual聽, hosted by the 鈥� a nonprofit that provides financial and medical help to former NFL players.

鈥淕ridiron Greats is an incredible organization that continues to help so many former NFL players who are paying the price physically, mentally and emotionally as a result of their time on the field,鈥� Davis said in a news release.

“It聽is a privilege to lend my hand to these men who helped build, shape and mold the NFL into what it is today, and an absolute honor to be recognized for those efforts.”

鈥淲e are absolutely thrilled to honor this incredible Class of 2025,鈥� Gridiron Greats Executive Director Karen Wright said.

鈥淭hese individuals have not only demonstrated exceptional talent and determination on the field, but they聽have聽also shown unwavering commitment to making a difference off the field through their charitable efforts. Their legacy is one of greatness, both as athletes and as compassionate leaders in their communities.鈥�

A D.C. native, Davis had a successful college football career at the University of Maryland, followed by a 14-year NFL career. After playing for the San Francisco 49ers and Denver Broncos, Davis returned to D.C. in 2016 to play for Washington’s NFL team.

Since retiring from football in 2020, Davis 鈥� along with his brother 鈥� formed the , which helps provide meals, clothing, books and scholarships to members of underserved communities.

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DOGE has claimed to have saved taxpayers .

But only about $6 billion in cuts have been verified so far 鈥� an almost infinitesimal fraction of the federal budget, which was .

It has been targeting what it calls “wasteful” spending. Some of these cuts have totaled nearly $1 billion, but most are under $20 million.

Many of the programs in its crosshairs are related to foreign aid or “diversity, equity, and inclusion” initiatives.

Elaine Kamarck, who led a Clinton-era initiative that trimmed $136 billion, is not opposed to eliminating fraud and waste. But she is skeptical of DOGE’s strategy.

Her research at the Brookings Institution’s Center for Effective Public Management showed that isn鈥檛 the government itself 鈥� it鈥檚 the American people.

鈥淟ots and lots of people don’t pay the amount of taxes that they owe,鈥� Kamarck said.

The IRS reported that Americans failed to pay an estimated in taxes in 2023 alone.

That amount of money could 聽the federal government鈥檚 biggest expenditure 鈥� the Department of Defense 鈥� with $100 billion still left over.

鈥淭hat’s a lot of money. But you have to increase the size of the Internal Revenue Service,鈥� Kamarck said.

鈥淚ronically, the Republicans in the last several congresses have refused to increase the number of investigators at the IRS.鈥�

Trump paused the hiring of new IRS agents on his first day in office. The Associated Press has reported that the IRS has plans to lay off 7,000 probationary workers this week.

鈥淪imilarly, we know that there’s a lot of fraud in Medicare and Medicaid,鈥� Kamarck said.

The Department of Health and Human Services estimates every year to Medicare and Medicaid fraud.

‘Cut government with a scalpel, not an ax’

As for rooting out wasteful spending within the agencies themselves, Kamarck said, “You have to cut government with a scalpel, not an ax.”

Kamarck said that when she cut federal spending under the Clinton administration, she worked with experts at these agencies to determine where cuts could be made.

“It would be a good step if they were聽paired with someone who understood the missions of the agencies,” Kamarck said.

the White House Office of Communications shared a laundry list of what it called “ridiculous 鈥� and, in many cases, malicious 鈥� pet projects.”

One of these was described as funding for “‘personalized’ contraceptives birth control devices in developing countries.”

The PharmaE3D team that received the grant aimed to find a solution for the severe pain that often is a barrier to intrauterine devices, which are one of the safest and most effective forms of birth control for women around the world, including in the U.S.

Kamarck said shutting down USAID for even one day created a significant amount of waste 鈥� the exact thing DOGE is trying to eliminate.

鈥淭here [were] half a million metric tons of food sitting on docks,鈥� Kamarck said. 鈥淭hey told everybody at USAID, 鈥楧on’t go to work.鈥� So, if there鈥檚 nobody to move it, that disintegrates. The food gets bad.鈥�

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These apps 鈥� like Character.ai and Replika 鈥� can be tweaked to give humanlike responses, like advice and comfort. They can even role play romantic scenarios.

小萝莉影视’s Kay Perkins takes a closer look at the dark side of these chatbots.

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鈥淭hey’re really hard to tell apart,鈥� Stephanie Brinley, the zoo鈥檚 deputy director, said. 鈥淏ao Li is a little bit bigger than Qing Bao; but unless they’re right next to each other, it’s hard to tell.鈥�

The pandas, who made their public debut Friday morning, will remain separated until their (very short) breeding window opens 鈥� which likely won鈥檛 be for another few years.

So how can visitors and Panda Cam watchers tell them apart?

Bryan Amaral, a senior curator at the zoo, said Qing Bao, the female, is easier to spot 鈥� thanks to some spots.

鈥淚 don’t know if it’s a permanent birthmark or not,鈥� Amaral said. 鈥淏ut if you look at Qing Bao, on her rear left leg, she has a little birthmark above where the black stops and the white begins.鈥�

Qing Bao also has wider, puffier cheeks and a thinner 鈥渟addle鈥� on her back.

Zoo officials say the main thing that sets the pandas apart is actually their behavior.

鈥淥ur male is a little bit more gregarious and outgoing,鈥� said Michael Brown-Palsgrove, Asia Trail curator. 鈥淗e is really in tune with what the keepers are doing, sort of waiting for that next meal. He loves his bamboo.鈥�

Qing Bao is less likely to be sprinting around the exhibit.

鈥淪he’s a little bit more cautious, but incredibly curious,鈥� Brinley said. 鈥淪he loves to play with toys, and she loves to climb trees, so you’ll often see her up in a tree.鈥�

鈥淪he’s very confident, though,鈥� Brown-Palsgrove added.

Tickets to the National Zoo are free. From now through Feb. 9, the zoo is celebrating the pandas鈥� return with events, including a screening of 鈥淜ung Fu Panda鈥� in the Visitor Center Theater.

For those who can鈥檛 visit in person, relaunched on Friday.

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鈥淲e’re excited to be able to share that again,鈥� said senior curator Bryan Amaral. 鈥淏ecause that actually allows people around the globe to watch the pandas, which is pretty cool.鈥�

The cameras are monitored by volunteers, who switch between the dozens of live camera feeds to provide the best angles for viewers.

Beyond entertainment, the Panda Cam system helps zookeepers track the pandas鈥� behavior.

鈥淔or us, we always are looking for ways to improve the care we provide,鈥� said giant panda curator Michael Brown-Palsgrove. 鈥淲e like to see where they’re spending time. Do they have favorite spots? What we can do to provide the best care we can?鈥�

Once the pandas near sexual maturity, which likely will not happen for a few more years, zoo staff will monitor the camera feeds for signs that the pandas are ready to breed.

The Panda Cam is live from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. After hours, the feed will loop footage from the previous day.

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