The curfew debate that never ends

First Up

My colleague Emma Uber sat through U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro’s blistering press conference on Friday. As predicted, the Trump appointee ripped the D.C. Council, where five holdouts have blocked action on an emergency curfew law.

More surprisingly, Pirro claimed D.C. law already gives her a tool for cracking down on the headline-grabbing “teen takeovers” in places like Navy Yard: She said she would prosecute the parents of misbehaved teens under existing laws against contributing to the delinquency of a minor.

This is all a bit weird. “How does putting a parent in jail for letting their kid go out keep them from going out?,” asked Councilmember Brianne Nadeau. Nadeau also noted that mass teen gatherings are not by themselves illegal, which might make it tough for Pirro’s office to win convictions.

What’s worth noticing here is that everyone seems to be performing. Pirro does something that looks like legal action. The administration — which announced a new summer surge of federal forces to fortify the bored-looking guardsmen already patrolling our city — does something that looks like police action.

And Nadeau — who successfully introduced two amendments in what looked like an effort to get the curfew over the finish line, then voted no anyway — does something that looks like taking public concerns about the takeovers seriously.

It’s going to be a long summer.

What D.C.'s Talking About

Statue Site Selected. President Donald Trump announced a site for his planned Garden of American Heroes: West Potomac Park, which he described as “totally BARREN.” Hometown angle: That land is ground zero for D.C.'s softball leagues, which use its six public fields. The garden is set to feature national heroes ranging from Babe Ruth to Martin Luther King Jr. to, oddly, Alex Trebek.

Capital Crime Charged. The Justice Department will seek the death penalty against Elias Rodriguez, accused of killing two Israeli embassy staffers outside the Jewish Museum last year. D.C., of course, does not have the death penalty. But the case is being prosecuted under federal law because it involves foreign embassy personnel and is an alleged hate crime.

Endorsement Embellishment Eviscerated. A pro-Kenyan McDuffie campaign door-hanger claimed the mayoral candidate had been endorsed by the AFL-CIO and the nurses union. In fact, they’ve endorsed Janeese Lewis George. The Greater Capital Area Association of Realtors — which endorsed McDuffie, and distributed the campaign materials — apologized. It didn’t explain how the booboo happened.

Mayor Muriel’s Memories. In a valedictory interview with David Rubenstein at D.C.’s elite Economic Club, outgoing Mayor Muriel Bowser didn’t rule out making an endorsement in the race to succeed her. It’s widely assumed that she would prefer McDuffie. More interestingly, Bowser copped to why she took down Black Lives Matter Plaza: To placate the GOP. As she made calls in defense of D.C. Home Rule and budget autonomy, she said, “every conversation included Black Lives Matter Plaza.”

POTUS Portraits Pondered. The National Portrait Gallery’s “American Presidents” exhibit reopened on Friday — after being retooled amid political pressure. The verdict, from the Post’s Philip Kennicott, is that “curators have found an elegant way to defuse political controversy.” Trump fans had hated the placards noting his impeachments; new display copy format limits the amount of descriptive language on recent presidents to bullet points (which once again include those impeachments). Still, Kennicott notices troubling tweaks to older presidents’ display texts.

Fare Fracas Feared. The transit union thinks General Manager Randy Clarke is putting bus drivers in danger by making them quote fares at passengers who don’t pay. Clarke discussed the change on City Cast last week, noting that WMATA had invested in protective barriers for drivers — and saying they wouldn’t be asked to kick fare-beaters off the bus. The union says the change will nonetheless mean more assaults on drivers. Shocking stat: Some 70% of bus riders don’t pay, costing Metro $50 million a year, according to WMATA.

Finally: Organizers of the July 4 fireworks say they’ll launch at least 810,905 projectiles this year, Axios reported, which would enable the America 250 event to break a world record. A typical D.C. July 4 show involves between 10,000 and 20,000.

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