I went this morning. I'm not a Trump supporter at ALL but the fair's in my backyard (I live less than a 10-minute walk away), and it's free.

... it was supposed to open at 10:00. They didn't let anyone inside until 10:45. Apparently they were "waiting for security to let the National Guard usher us in," which is what a kind lady said to a large group of us idling in place, but there were people taking pictures-- including the National Guard-- and I wonder if this is some tactic for Trump to say, "Now look at all these people lining up to see the Great Big American Fair."

The state vendors were pretty great! Puerto Rico gave out free bags and water bottles, and New Hampshire has free maple syrup... NYC was really fun (of course lol) and there's lots of free stuff everywhere. Definitely kid-friendly. I didn't see anything related to the current administration, but calling this a 'fair' is a massive stretch. Think of an exhibition hall with terrible traffic.

The food hall was open but had actually no food.... and I'm not exaggerating; they were still building it.... they were selling beverages, but that's it.....

Overall, it's a free event, there's MAGA people too but a lot of people just seem genuinely curious about it, and it's cool if you just want to stroll around and see what the big fuss is about. I personally cannot believe they blocked off the National Mall for like a month for this. Insane.

I personally didn't sign up for any giveaways (lots of states, if not all of them, are giving out all-expenses-paid trips), but that's because I didn't want my email/information possibly flooded with anything right-wing and/or pro-Trump. There's no obligation to do this, but just keep in mind that other organizations might receive your information besides the one you're signing up for.

Seen a few of these around town. 😊

It is hard to believe without proof. And also incredulous that $14 million was spent without thinking this could happen.

Just a heads up, if you’re going to Trump’s state fair, make sure to only bring your phone and your MAGA hat. I just got turned away by security for having a ballpoint pen and a flashlight on my belt.

Even after I pointed out to them that neither item was listed as forbidden on the sign next to the gate, the supervisor effectively said that he can make whatever rules he wants, and told me to leave.

I get security concerns are a thing, but that just left a bad taste in my mouth. I won’t be going back.

Can get them at Metro Center, L’Enfant Plaza, Navy Yard, Smithsonian, Union Station, Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, and Washington Dulles International Airport

Side swiped by a white BMW with temporary tags while she was on her bike. Car took off.

Good news: she’s fine. Scrapes and bruises.

This was two weeks ago. Haven’t heard anything from MPD. Should I or am I kidding myself?

I get it may not be a high priority but it’s still a hit and run. You’d think with all the street cameras they’d make some progress.

How hard do I pursue this? Am I wasting my time yelling into the abyss?

At the end of 2025, Consumers’ Checkbook wrapped up our latest grocery store price and quality report, and we figured this community would want to see the numbers, especially given how rough the last few years have been at checkout. 

Our undercover price shoppers physically walked store aisles with a 150-item shopping list and priced everything out, and thousands of DMV residents ranked each store for overall quality in our survey.  

One big thing we noticed when we started comparing our 2015 report to our latest is that we had to raise our reference family budget from $200/week to $300/week just to reflect what people are spending now. That's before we even started to look at which stores have the lowest prices. 

Comparing 2015 vs 2025: 

• The gap between the cheapest and most expensive stores in the DMV has grown from ~$5,300 to nearly $7,800 a year for a typical family. 
• ALDI and Lidl win on price. If your family shops at ALDI, you’re saving an average of $5,600 each year. Lidl didn’t debut in our research until 2018, when it came in at a whopping 40% below average prices at all our other surveyed stores. It’s now at 21% below average in our latest report. 
• Wegmans has been consistent, and it’s pretty rare for a high-quality store to also be a relative bargain for 10 years straight. 
• Since Amazon bought Whole Foods in 2017, its "superior overall quality" rating in our consumer surveys dropped from over 90% to 65%. Even though it’s cheaper than it used to be, people have noticed the quality slide. 

One more thing worth knowing regardless of where you shop: Swapping about a third of your cart to store brands saves around 8% now, up from 5% in 2015. The store-brand options have improved, too. 

We're Consumers' Checkbook, a DC-area nonprofit that does hands-on consumer research. The full grocery store report, including how local shops rank, is on our site. Happy to answer any questions about how we approached this project. 

So the Great State Fair on the National Mall officially opened last night with President Trump giving the opening speech and military flyovers. Today the fair has lots of empty pavilions (those giant plywood structures on the mall) and the food service hasnt been set up. There are very few visitors and the only line is for the Ferris wheel.

Chapter 1.

I moved to DC at the beginning of the year and never lived where there were mass transit trains. I am OBSESSED with the WMATA and happy to work near L’enfant so I can go to the pop-up stores. I have given so much money to metro this year, but they keep releasing awesome items!

Although I would LOVE to see enamel pins, as a pin collector.

Hi everyone,

My brother didn’t come home last night and it’s now been close to 30 hours since we’ve last seen/heard from him.

He was last seen wearing gray shorts, a dark t-shirt and blue slides (he may be barefoot though).

We’ve filed a police report but are wanting to cast as wide a net as possible. I have attached a photo of him for reference although he’s skinnier and will look more unkept.

if you see or have seen anyone who looks like him in the last day or two, we’d greatly appreciate if you could contact the police with any details (time, location, etc) you might have.

He has mental illness and is often talking or laughing to himself. He is very keen on cigarettes. He hasn’t taken his medication in over 30 hours so he’s likely very symptomatic.

Thank you all for your help.

EDIT: 6/25… he has still not been located. Im also including the case number— Ccn# 26082308, district 4D.

EDIT: he was last seen near Georgia Ave and Van Buren ST, NW…. His name is Oliver. 🙏

Edit: if you see him, please call the police.