That鈥檚 why the Capital Area Food Bank鈥檚 summer meal program is already underway, said Alexis Lahr, the organization鈥檚 director of Family Government Nutrition Programs.

鈥淲e know summer is a particularly difficult time for kids because they lose access to those school meals,鈥� she said.

The food bank has already opened 17 sites in D.C., Virginia and Maryland where families with children 18 and under can show up and eat without pre-approval.

鈥淥ne of the great things of these open sites is there鈥檚 absolutely no eligibility requirements, no ID check,鈥� Lahr told 草莓传媒. 鈥淣othing is needed.鈥�

The menus are backed by kids with healthy options that parents want kids to eat.

鈥淪ome examples that kids really enjoy are healthy versions of chicken nuggets and little Lunchables-style pizzas for them,鈥� Lahr said. 鈥淏ut always with a whole-grain component and a fruit and vegetable alongside it.鈥�

Last summer, the food bank served more than 62,000 meals and snacks. It may be on track to surpass that, said Lahr.

鈥淪ummer is a really difficult time for families and we鈥檝e been seeing the need for food assistance not easing up,鈥� she said. 鈥淚 hope that this can be supportive for them.鈥�

The Capital Area Food Bank has a list of open lunch locations on .

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While open water swimming has gained in popularity in recent years, experts said many safety measures need to be in place first.

鈥淭here’s a certain magic to it,鈥� said Katie Pumphrey, an ultramarathon open water swimmer, who has stroked the waters of the Chesapeake Bay, Baltimore鈥檚 Inner Harbor and the English Channel. 鈥淵ou鈥檙e out in nature. It鈥檚 the same reason why we like going to parks or on hikes.鈥�

She said swimming in rivers, lakes and oceans can turn deadly fast. Parts of the Potomac River are known for strong and rapid currents.

鈥淟akes have a very different challenge than rivers,鈥� Pumphrey told 草莓传媒. 鈥淏ut also, does that body of water have currents and tidal changes? And that鈥檚 a lot to learn about open water.鈥�

Also watch out for boats and keep to designated swim areas, she said. The weather can also pose threats for swimmers, bringing out red flags.

鈥淲hen swimming in any body of open water, avoid swimming 48 hours after a heavy rain event, as that can impact water quality and bring debris into the waterway,鈥� Pumphrey said. 鈥淟ook to the flags or signage in your swimming area for more details on things to look out for.鈥�

Two years ago, Pumphrey swam 24 miles from the Chesapeake Bay Bridge to Baltimore’s Inner Harbor to bring awareness to the sport and swimmable waterways.

Then, earlier this year, she founded the Baltimore Open Waters Swimmers (BOWS) association to create a common space for open water swimmers and advocate for clean waterways. Last week, more than 100 swimmers dove into Baltimore鈥檚 Inner Harbor for the first open water organized swim in decades.

For swimmers who want to hit the open waters, Pumphrey said trying out an organized event like the group鈥檚 one-mile swim is a good way to stay safe. Some groups offer pop-up swims for beginners and advanced swimmers who are looking to take a dip.

鈥淢aybe you鈥檙e not a distance swimmer ready to do a mile,鈥� she said. 鈥淏ut you want to go splash around, events like that give you an opportunity to get into the water.鈥�

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“Unintentional injuries听are the third leading cause of death in the United States, accounting for almost 200,000 deaths a year,” Fischer said.

The top three culprits are poisoning, falls and fire incidents, and roughly 80% are avoidable, she said.

Fischer also told 草莓传媒 that June, which is National Safety Month, is a good time to put precautions in place.

鈥淪imple steps at home can make a real difference,鈥� she said. 鈥淭ake a walk around your house and identify simple risks. You can make it safe with just a little thought and a little bit of work.鈥�

First, focus on removing opportunities for trips and tumbles, she said. Falls make up more than 50,000 emergency room visits each year.

鈥淩emove tripping hazards like loose rugs and clutter,鈥� Fischer said. 鈥淢ake sure you don鈥檛 have spills on the floor.鈥�

Then, make sure poisoning is not possible. Unmarked containers and medicines pose the biggest threats.

“Make sure everything is labeled. Make sure they’re out of reach. Don’t be mixing things, don’t be putting things in unlabeled containers,”听Fischer said.

Finally, turn your attention to fire hazards and prevention.

鈥�These can be prevented by testing your smoke and carbon monoxide alarms regularly, having a fire extinguisher accessible, and having a safety plan,” Fischer said. “Know how to get out of your house and practice it once or twice with those kids, and you will be safe in a fire.”

Emergency room doctors track more than 26 million visits each year for unintentional injuries. The people most at risk of home deaths are young children and elderly residents.

Another tip that can help with home safety: Slow down.

鈥淎ll of us get busy, and we get tired and that鈥檚 when we鈥檙e at highest risk,鈥� she told 草莓传媒. 鈥淲e can all make mistakes. But if we use this month to look around our house and think about how we do some things, we can all make a difference.鈥�

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For the 1976 Bicentennial, then-President Gerald Ford attended a tall ships celebration and a massive July 4th fireworks display in New York, and welcomed Great Britain鈥檚 Queen Elizabeth II.

“Ford, of course, was locked in a tight race with former California Governor Ronald Reagan for the Republican (presidential) nomination, so he effectively used the bicentennial trappings to drape himself in patriotism,” presidential historian Craig Shirley said.

It was a big bash. But just 50 years earlier, at the nation鈥檚 150th anniversary, President Calvin Coolidge wanted fewer parades and less pomp.

鈥淚t really wasn鈥檛 his style,鈥� Shirley said. 鈥淎 coin was cast in Coolidge鈥檚 image on it, but it didn’t have the expansive nature that the 200 or 250th anniversary had. By comparison 鈥� it was pretty tame.鈥�

Shirley, who has written several books about the presidents, said today’s Americans appreciate a more festive celebration.

鈥淲e like it as a big event because it鈥檚 grown on us,鈥� he said.

The United States’ 100th Independence Day, in 1876, arrived as the nation was recovering from the Civil War. But Ulysses S. Grant鈥檚 presidency managed to mark the occasion with a day of Thanksgiving.

鈥�There was a Civil War cast to it 鈥� with听a lot of Civil War veterans marching and parades in Washington, and of course, fireworks听and things like that, and barbecues, and banquets,鈥� he said. “The White House was opened up to听people to come and greet the president, and it was significant, but it didn’t again have the momentous events that we associate today听with the 250th anniversary.”

Presidential parties were not always about celebrating the nation’s independence. Shirley said one of the most memorable White House events happened during the Andrew Jackson administration.

Jackson was gifted with a 1,400-pound cheddar cheese wheel by New York farmers. In 1837, he opened the people鈥檚 house on George Washington’s birthday and served it to everyone.

鈥淥f course, it spilled all over the floor, and the White House actually reeked for months thereafter,鈥� Shirley said.

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But members of the in southeast D.C. say churches can provide an alternative to the large social media driven teen gatherings.

And the church has a plan to launch its own teen takeover of sorts. It鈥檚 a once-monthly event called Summer Takeover: Pop-Up Worship Encounter.

Will Grandberry is the church鈥檚 pastor. He said the goal is to take the church鈥檚 message of encouragement and peace to teens.

鈥淪ome of this may just be an unheard generation that is speaking,鈥� said Pastor Will Grandberry. 鈥淚鈥檓 not trying to combat the takeovers. I鈥檓 just trying to be as strategic as them.鈥�

The takeovers are a nationwide trend that have quickly gotten out of control leading to fights and several arrests.

Last month, a teen gathering in the District ended with a brawl inside a Chipotle restaurant in Navy Yard, where a group of teens were caught on camera throwing chairs as customers tried to run to safety.

The incident has sparked an FBI investigation 鈥� and U.S. Attorney for the District Jeanine Pirro vowed to punish parents who can鈥檛 control their children.

The meetups have also caused D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser to impose a juvenile curfew in popular neighborhoods, including NoMa, RFK, Takoma and Navy Yard. Some residents are calling for the city to offer internships and jobs; and open recreation centers to quell the gatherings.

Grandberry said local churches that partner with nonprofit groups can help redirect high-strung youthful energy.

His idea of a takeover includes other teens and young adults singing live music, praying and delivering a message of hope. The free events will take place every second Monday of the summer months:

• June 8 鈥� National Harbor
• July 13 鈥� Lincoln Memorial
• Aug. 10 鈥� Navy Yard

Grandberry said the need to reach teens is urgent because the summer months will only bring more unruly teen takeovers.

鈥淭his is our way of quickly popping up and popping out,鈥� Grandberry told 草莓传媒. 鈥淲e know that if it happens while they鈥檙e in school, it will only increase while they鈥檙e out of school.鈥�

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The nonprofit association that works with local governments in the District, suburban Maryland and Northern Virginia said the watch applies to roughly six million residents.

鈥淭hat鈥檚 a lot of showers every day and a lot of cars being washed,鈥� said Clark Mercer, the association鈥檚 executive director. 鈥淚ndividual behavior can really help our water resources.鈥�

Though officials said the water supply in the Potomac River is adequate for the time being, the council is on water usage indoors and outdoors:

• Reduce showers to less than five minutes
• Turn off the water while brushing teeth
• Only wash full loads of dishes and clothes
• Fix plumbing leaks, especially toilets and faucets
• Monitor watering lawns, plants and shrubs
• Sweep sidewalks and driveways instead of spraying them with water
• Avoid washing vehicles or go to a commercial car wash that recycles water

The most recent drought watch ended last June and lasted for nearly a year.

This year, weather watchers tracked record-breaking high temperatures between March and April. During that time, the Potomac River reached a historic low based on 130 years of data, according to the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments.

鈥淎s a region, we鈥檙e overly reliant on the Potomac River. Almost 80% of the region鈥檚 supply comes from that one source,鈥� Mercer told 草莓传媒. 鈥淲e鈥檙e OK in terms of what鈥檚 being stored. But if this drought continues, then we鈥檙e not OK.鈥�

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Respiratory syncytial virus, better known as RSV, tends to peak when the flu season starts to trend down.

That鈥檚 not the case this year 鈥� the viruses are peaking simultaneously.

Jon Gonella, a physician assistant at MedStar Health, said no one was caught off guard.

鈥淲e鈥檙e not surprised to see them,鈥� said Gonella. 鈥淲e fully expect to see them.鈥�

To avoid that flu fever or RSV cough, Gonella said it’s best to go back to the basics.

鈥淕ood hand hygiene,鈥� he said. 鈥淚 know we talk about it a lot. But it really does make a difference.鈥�

The CDC also getting vaccinated and staying home when you feel sick.

While the flu and RSV see an upward tick in cases, there’s one respiratory illness that hasn’t shown up as much this year.

鈥淣ot a lot of COVID,鈥� Gonella said.

The Centers for Disease Control COVID-19 as 鈥渧ery low鈥� nationwide and 鈥済rowing鈥� in the D.C. area.

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Flora鈥檚 owners had recently passed away, and she needed a new home.

鈥淲e went ahead and scanned her for a microchip,鈥� said Frankie Kachur, the agency鈥檚 communications assistant. 鈥淎nd to our surprise, a name came back.鈥�

Workers immediately reached out to the family, who returned the call just as fast.

“They said 鈥� ‘she went missing as a kitten and we’ve been missing her for 15 years,’鈥� Kachur told 草莓传媒.

Soon after, the family arrived at the shelter to take her home. Flora rejoined another four-legged family member, a litter mate still with the family.

鈥淗er dad was overjoyed,鈥� Kachur said. 鈥淗e just couldn’t believe that he was looking at this little cat that he adopted as a kitten and how she had grown. Flora, she was a little confused at first, I’ll admit, but she very, very quickly melted into his arms.”

The family said Flora slipped away during a move. They searched for her, reported her missing and posted flyers.

Kachur said without the microchip installed years ago and the family registering it, Flora may still be missing.

“Every single day, we have stray animals who walk through our door who we don’t know their history, and they can’t tell it to us,” she said. 鈥淪o, one of the best ways we can get ahold of their family 鈥� is through a microchip.鈥�

Fairfax County Animal Services offers for pets twice a month at $20. The clinic is Nov. 5 at Fire Station 40 in Fairfax, Kachur said.

草莓传媒’s Scott Gelman contributed to this report.

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The neighbors told D.C. Council member Brianne Nadeau, who hosted the discussion, that what they鈥檙e seeing on city streets are human rights violations.

鈥淚 walk with my passport in hand,鈥� said Nadia Salazar Sandi, a core organizer with , a human rights nonprofit in D.C. 鈥淚鈥檓 a parent and I can鈥檛 fathom being separated from my 3-year old. 鈥� My parents walk with a fear that I鈥檝e never seen before, with passport copies in hand and a prayer that nothing will happen to anyone in our family.”

Last month marked the end of a 30-day cooperation between D.C. police and ICE agents. Mayor Muriel Bowser said then that officers would no longer be involved in immigration arrests.

But residents said it’s still happening.

鈥淓very single day within one mile of the house where I was born and raised, 15 to 20 immigrants are snatched up by masked federal agents with no warrants and no due process,鈥� said Tanya Golash-Boza, a professor of sociology at the University of California who studies immigration law enforcement.

鈥淥ur neighbors are being attacked. Families are living in terror. Children are losing their parents. And people are scared to leave their houses,” she said. “If we allow it to continue here, in the nation’s capital, what happens next?鈥�

草莓传媒 has reached out to Bowser’s office about the residents鈥� concerns. Her office did not comment on the issue.

Residents said D.C. police are arresting undocumented immigrants for minor infractions. Then, minutes later, ICE agents will arrive on the scene to arrest them.

鈥淥n the way to grab my morning coffee, about a dozen masked ICE agents were staging in the firehouse parking lot on the corner of 14th and Newton Street,鈥� said D.C. resident Dante O鈥橦ara. 鈥淭he workers 鈥� on the same corner of the firehouse are absolutely terrified. One of their workers told me that she was afraid to walk her daughter to school in fear of being kidnapped in front of her daughter.鈥�

O鈥橦ara called for the city to follow the lead of Chicago, which recently set up 鈥淚CE-free zones.鈥� It bans federal immigration agents from using city property and private businesses as staging areas to scope out suspected undocumented immigrants.

Residents are also asking the city for more legal services for immigrants and more data collected during arrests to track which agencies are on the scene.

Nadeau鈥檚 committee invited the D.C. Office of Human Rights, which handles cases involving human rights violations, to attend the meeting. She said the office turned down her request to join.

鈥淚f actions by our own agencies do not comply with D.C. law and human rights, we need to know and we need to make demands of the executive to put an end to those actions,鈥� Nadeau said.

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鈥淲e are proud to help shape a summer that鈥檚 alive and a vibe,鈥� said LaToya Foster, director of the city鈥檚 Office of Cable Television, Film, Music and Entertainment. 鈥淲e are thrilled.鈥�

The WorldPride welcome concert, headlined by Shakira, has been canceled due to complications from a previous show in Boston that caused issues with the transportation of her tour production equipment.

WorldPride 2025 officially kicked off on May 17th. It boasts three weeks of rallies, parades and parties. Organizers received a $5 million commitment from the city, which is expected to return upward of $600 million in tourism dollars.

The international festival is spurring spillover events, said Clint Osborn, director of D.C. Homeland Security Emergency Management Agency.

鈥�(There are) 200 sanctioned events, but we know there are almost 350 affiliated and attached events going on during this festival,鈥� he said.

Also on the summer fun list:

• (now through Sept. 1)
• (June 4-7)
• (June 12-15)
• The Army 250 Parade, commemorating 250 years of the U.S. Army (June 14)
• , bringing international soccer to Audi Field (June 14-July 13)
• (June 21-22)
• CNN 4th of July Concert on the National Mall (July 4)
• Downtown DC Summer Concert Series (mid-July)
• , a concert series at Sycamore & Oak (June 11-Aug. 13)
• at The Wharf (Aug. 27-31)
• at Nats Park (Aug. 8-10)

Rapper Kendrick Lamar takes to the stage next month and the city hosts Beyonc茅 just as Independence Day celebrations kick off.

More than 27 million people visited the District last year, bringing in $11.4 billion. The city is expecting just as many visitors this year.

To quickly move the masses between events, WMATA is introducing a new way to pay for bus and metro rides.

鈥淐redit or debit cards, tap, ride and go,鈥� said WMATA General Manager Randy Clarke. 鈥淒on鈥檛 worry about the big, fridge vending machine to pay. We鈥檙e trying to make it easy to get around.鈥�

D.C. Police Chief Pamela Smith said visitors and residents can also expect to see heightened security at all summer events.

鈥淲e are experts when it comes to crowd management and we will use every resource we have,鈥� Smith said. 鈥淲e also bring in our federal, state and local partners to assist us.鈥�

Mayor Muriel Bowser is also calling on visitors and residents to help.

鈥淏e vigilant if you see something,鈥� Bowser said. 鈥淎nd let鈥檚 define what 鈥榮omething鈥� is: it鈥檚 something that doesn’t feel right 鈥� doesn鈥檛 look right 鈥� to you. And don鈥檛 be afraid to let a police officer know.鈥�

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The Leapfrog Group, a safety watchdog organization, released its this week and discovered that for the first time, some D.C. medical centers are scoring high.

鈥淲hen you put D.C. among the states, it鈥檚 11th in terms of the percentage of hospitals that earn an 鈥楢,鈥欌�� said Leah Binder, the group鈥檚 president and CEO. 鈥淭hat is outstanding, considering that over the past decade D.C. has always ranked in the bottom.鈥�

Leapfrog surveyors grade hospitals on 30 measure points, including the numbers of errors and accidents among staffers, and injuries and infections among patients. They gather the public information from an agency that runs Medicare.

Binder said when a hospital improves in these categories and moves up in its ranking, it usually means that more resources and effort are being spent on staff training.

鈥淪ome systems like MedStar have put in an enormous amount of focus on really keeping their patients safe from errors and infections,鈥� she told 草莓传媒. 鈥淭hose are the kinds of things that can kill patients.鈥�

Better safety measures created to stamp out common accidents and injuries are so effective they even work during public health emergencies, Binder said.

鈥淗ospitals that can prevent the kinds of errors and accidents that are a problem for patients, we find that they can prevent them even when there’s a respiratory virus going around and they have a lot of extra patients,鈥� she said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 harder to do it when you have a lot of patients waiting for care or when a contagion is going around. But the hospitals that know how to do it, do it.鈥�

Around the region, many Maryland medical centers are locked in the A/B grade group. And several Northern Virginia hospitals, like Inova and Sentara, are still making straight As two years in a row.

It鈥檚 a distinction that鈥檚 tough to maintain, Binder said.

鈥淭hat鈥檚 an extraordinary achievement,鈥� she said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 a tribute to a hospital’s leadership that has said, 鈥榃e are going to put a stake in the ground. Our patients come first, and we will not give up on that mission.鈥欌��

草莓传媒’s Andrew Alsobrooks contributed to this report.

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Dzung Tran was 17 years old when communist Vietnamese soldiers forced his family to flee his homeland.

The journey for him, his mother and five siblings included monthslong stops in Guam, Arkansas and Texas.

The family ended up in a growing Vietnamese community in Clarendon, Virginia, in 1976. His father, who couldn’t get out of Vietnam quickly, arrived later.

鈥淚t was a very hard journey. We never forgot how lucky we were,鈥� Tran told 草莓传媒. 鈥淲e always look back at escaping Vietnam, and we were able to find friends and family and engage in community.鈥�

This week marks the 50th anniversary of the Fall of Saigon, the moment that ended the Vietnam War. The event caused more than 2 million Vietnamese refugees to flee to safety in the U.S.

Many of them landed in what was then called “Little Saigon” in Arlington.

Since then, Tran has worked in fast-food restaurants, graduated from college, gotten married and raised his own family. He said optimism about the future of Vietnam keeps their community strong.

鈥淥ne of the things we all strive for is … a better Vietnam,” Tran said. “We all look back to help steer Vietnam to a more democratic society and move away from a dictatorship.鈥�

Vietnamese culture and food have also aided former refugees鈥� survival in the U.S., he added.

鈥淓very year, we get together for New Year鈥檚 festivals and other events for children and families,鈥� Tran said. 鈥淎nd food definitely brings us together.鈥�

Quang Le agreed. He was about 9 years old when his family posed as people of Chinese descent who lived in Vietnam, known as the Hoa people. The communist government implemented policies forcing Chinese Vietnamese to leave the country.

It was the only way out, Le said.

鈥淲e are as pure Vietnamese as can be,鈥� he said. 鈥淲e assumed Chinese identity because there was no guarantee that we were going to make it.鈥�

His family made a stop in Utah before arriving in the growing Vietnamese neighborhood in Arlington in the spring of 1980.

鈥淣ever underestimate the power of community,鈥� he said.

After years of struggling financially, his mother got an idea. She began baking and selling bahn mi sandwiches filled with meat and pickled vegetables. It paid the bills, helping her and Le鈥檚 father, who arrived a few years later, raise eight children.

鈥淚 remember being hungry all the time. There was a lot of uncertainty,鈥� Le told 草莓传媒. 鈥淪he made sandwiches, and her boys went out and sold them and that鈥檚 what we did. It鈥檚 a proven formula.鈥�

Since then, the venture has morphed to a successful eatery — the Huong Binh Bakery and Deli. Le’s mother passed away in 2021, but his 94-year-old father still helps with the business.

Le said he still remembers escaping Vietnam but has lived in the U.S. longer than in his birth country.

鈥淔ifty years goes by fast when you鈥檙e busy,鈥� he said. 鈥淭his is my reality now and we鈥檝e done well for us. I don鈥檛 know how my life would have been (in Vietnam).鈥�

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“We will lose engineers and others to China,” said Maryland Sen. Chris Van Hollen. “In fact, they鈥檙e launching a major space exploration initiative. This is no time for the U.S. to retreat.”

The plan from the White House is to reduce NASA鈥檚 bottom line from a little more than $7 billion to just under $4 billion this fiscal year.

Van Hollen teamed up with Congressmen Steny Hoyer and Glenn Ivey on Monday to tour the Goddard Flight Space Center in Prince George鈥檚 County.

Some of the biggest cutbacks are aimed at the Goddard Space Flight Center, where the $3 billion Nancy Grace Roman telescope, set to launch in the fall of next year, is almost complete.

Van Hollen said pulling the plug on the Roman telescope is a waste of money. The project is on budget and set to launch on time.

鈥淲e saw it. This is almost finished,鈥� he said. 鈥淎nd yet they鈥檙e talking about flushing all of those tax dollars down the drain.鈥�

Congressman Glenn Ivey says engineers aren鈥檛 the only ones who will feel the pain. He fears many of the businesses near the center will shutter.

鈥淭here鈥檚 a lot of businesses that do work directly connected to NASA,鈥� he told a group of reporters gathered outside Goddard. 鈥淚n fact, the only reason they鈥檙e here is because of the Goddard installation. We need to make sure we support those.鈥�

Ivey said the steep budget slash at NASA would drive top talent away.

鈥淎n article I saw over the week was written by a young scientist coming out of the PhD program, and he鈥檚 starting to look overseas,鈥� said Ivey. 鈥淗e and his classmates are looking at Europe and India because there鈥檚 more stability and funding there.鈥�

As the lawmakers unveiled their concerns, Rep. Steny Hoyer of Maryland said he plans to urge fellow lawmakers and the White House to roll back the proposal.

鈥淲e鈥檙e going to fight this with every fiber of our being,鈥� he said. 鈥淎nd I project that Congress is not going to do this because it makes no economic sense, no competitive sense or national security sense.鈥�

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Business owners and community groups unveiled their challenges to members of the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments (MWCOG) Wednesday.

The widespread layoffs come as restauranteurs are seeing higher food costs, labor shortages and increase wages for workers, said Shawn Townsend, who leads the Restaurant Association of Metropolitan Washington (RAMW).

鈥淚 call it the whiplash that鈥檚 happening with the job cuts right now,鈥� Townsend told the council.

鈥淎bout 50% of our workers are receiving less tips due to other policies and nearly half of D.C. diners are eating out less. It鈥檚 just a mounting pressure that鈥檚 on our industry right now.鈥�

A recent survey by RAMW also discovered that about 40% of restaurants in the District said that if nothing changes, they will be forced to shutter their businesses this year. An average of 27 jobs are loss every time an eatery closes in the District, he said.

鈥淲e put these surveys out a few times a year,鈥� Townsend said. 鈥淲e like to lean on the data. But in my time in this role, I haven鈥檛 seen so much doom and gloom.鈥�

Hotels are feeling the pain, too, as 70% of hospitality dollars are linked to federal spending. Northern Virginia Chamber of Commerce Chairman Mark Carrier told the council it鈥檚 a time for innovation.

He said unforeseen partnerships may be the answer.

鈥淲e are going to have big change,鈥� he said. 鈥淲e should lean into all of these advantages and work together collaboratively.鈥�

Carrier also said the region still has an advantage in being an attractive tourist destination.

鈥淲e should never forget that we are the nation鈥檚 capital,鈥� he said. 鈥淭hat is a tremendous strength that we must build on.鈥�

Alexander Austin, who leads the Prince George鈥檚 Chamber of Commerce, is calling for optimism among business owners.

鈥淚 like to say the rainbow follows he storm,鈥� he said. 鈥淏ut we have to get through this storm.鈥�

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World Pride runs between May 17 and June 8. Organizers say it’s poised to attract more than two million overnight guests and bring in more than $780 million to the District.

Ryan Bos, executive director of the Capital Pride Alliance, told members of the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments on Wednesday that in light of new anti-trans federal policies, it may be dangerous for trans people traveling from abroad to visit the nation’s capital this summer.

Bos said the group may soon send those participants a clear warning.

“It’s possible that we may actually issue a statement telling trans folks internationally not to come, or if they come, they come at their own risk. So those are the things that we will be discussing with the D.C. government and our partners to determine how best to communicate that to ensure that we’re getting the resources to the folks that need it,” Bos said.

Some members of the MWCOG Board of Directors 鈥� which represent counties in Maryland and Virginia and D.C. 鈥� said they were disheartened by the potential move.

鈥淚t鈥檚 really shameful that you all are having to consider making statements like that,鈥� Frederick County Executive Jessica Fitzwater said. 鈥淚t’s really heartbreaking.鈥�

“Those warnings 鈥� rest and fall squarely with the incredibly shameful tactics we’ve seen in language from the federal administration. I’m disheartened to hear that, but I hope you also recognize you’ve got partners in this room that want to be right there with you to make sure this is a wonderful, successful event, a safe event, that’s going to take place across the whole region,” Ward 6 D.C. Council member Charles Allen added.

Egale Canada, Canada’s largest LGBTQ+ advocacy group, has already decided in World Pride this year. InterPride, one of the event’s organizers, has also issued a to queer and transgender individuals who might want to attend. Both organizations cite the anti-trans policies of President Donald Trump’s administration, explaining that they create a dangerous environment.

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