Brazen DC shooting is latest in capital as rising crime threatens US cities

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Brazen DC shooting is latest in capital as rising crime threatens US cities
Police in Washington, D.C., late Thursday appealed for the public’s help in identifying the suspects seen fleeing in a getaway car after allegedly opening fire on a bustling street about one mile away from the White House.

It was the latest is a series of shootings in the nation's capital as Washington and other cities continue to grapple with spikes in violent crime. Last Saturday night, an MLB game in Washington was interrupted by gunfire outside the stadium, just one night after a 6-year-old girl was killed in another area of the city.

On Thursday night, the Metropolitan Police Department said it obtained video footage that showed the latest suspects jumping into an "older black sedan" and speeding off. The shooting occurred around 8:20 p.m. in the area of 14th and Riggs streets Northwest. Witnesses said they heard about 20 gunshots.

The scene was chaotic and the sound of gunfire sent a crowd running. Police arrived at the scene and found two men with gunshot wounds. They were both breathing and conscious. They were treated for non-life-threatening injuries. 

A source told Fox 5 DC that one victim was hit in an arm and the other in the chest. The report said one victim appeared to be targeted and the other may have been a bystander.

Police announced a $10,000 reward for anyone providing information that leads to a conviction. CLICK HERE FOR MORE ON OUR TOP STORY.

In other developments:
- AUDIO: Harrowing 911 calls from night SC family members were brutally killed
- Portland mayor mocked over plans for 'Welcome Back' fest after year of riots: 'Let's all just roller skate'
- NYC woman, 61, bludgeoned with a kitchen pot on city street, cops say
- DC crime wave: At least 2 injured on busy street, sending pedestrians running for their lives
- Former DC resident speaks up about crime spike in city since COVID-19: ‘Why I left as a single woman’

Betsy DeVos slams Biden's Ed Dept. over ‘anti-Whiteness’ guide: 'As far left as they come'
Under the Biden administration, the U.S. Department of Education is "as far left as they come," former Education Secretary Betsy DeVos said Thursday.

The former member of the Trump administration was responding to the department's promotion of a radical activist group's handbook that calls for educators to "disrupt Whiteness" and accuses the U.S. educational system of the "spirit murder" of "Black, Brown and Indigenous children."

Within the Abolitionist Teaching Network's "Guide for Racial Justice & Abolitionist Social and Emotional Learning" handbook, the group calls "Whiteness" a form of oppression. In addition, its cornerstone program, called Activists in Residence, pays professional agitators $30,000 per year to work 20 hours per week in leading "abolitionist educational organizing in their respective cities," according to its website.

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After the citation was brought up during a briefing, White House press secretary Jen Psaki claimed its inclusion was erroneous.

DeVos told Fox News' "The Story" that Psaki wasn't being forthright, adding that someone high-up in the Department of Education, led by former Connecticut State Education Commissioner Miguel Cardona, had to sign off on the citation of the handbook.

"This notion that it was a mistake is an absolute falsehood," DeVos said. "Having been there at the department for four years and working through the approval processes for anything that is put out from the department, I know full well that there were eyes on and full knowledge of this going on."

"We saw earlier this year, the grant process the department put out that basically was trying to bribe schools into using the 1619 Project in their materials," she added. "So this is just another reflection of the true nature of the Biden Department of Education." CLICK HERE FOR MORE. 

In other developments:
- Tucker Carlson: Joe Biden showed us what disinformation looks like
- Former Education Sec. DeVos blasts Biden admin's 'many ties' to 'twisted and warped' critical race theory
- Illinois teacher fired over anti-riot comments says colleagues 'terrified' for free speech
- Chris Christie calls out Biden for being ‘wrong’ on coronavirus management, economy
- Sean Hannity picks apart Biden’s performance at CNN town hall; calls it a ‘unmitigated disaster’
- New York teachers union caucus might seek legal action over fall return to in-person learning

TOKYO OLYMPICS: CLICK HERE FOR COMPLETE COVERAGE OF THE SUMMER GAMES

Beto O’Rourke group raises $600,000 for Texas Democrats in DC: report
A group of Texas Democrats staying in Washington, D.C., after leaving the Lone Star State earlier this month will receive about $600,000 to help finance the trip, former U.S. Rep. Beto O’Rourke said Thursday.

The money will go toward a $1.5 million fundraising goal that the Democrats have set, the Texas Tribune reported.

O’Rourke, who founded the political group Powered by People, disclosed the $600,000 amount Thursday during a virtual news conference, the Tribune reported. The figure represented an update of a previous tally of more than $500,000 raised for the state lawmakers, the report said.

"We’re gonna make sure that we get the full amount, 100 percent of what’s raised, to y’all," O’Rourke told the lawmakers in an online call, the Tribune reported. "It is the least that we could do for everything that you are all doing for us. We want to do more."

Dozens of Texas Democrats fled the state to avoid a special session of the state Legislature, denying state Republicans of a quorum as they try to pass new election integrity bills. Many Democrats have described the Republican-backed bills as voter suppression efforts.

But the Democrats have faced some public relations setbacks since arriving in Washington. CLICK HERE FOR MORE.

In other developments:
- Democrats rally for Biden public lands pick despite scrutiny from Republicans
- Texas Democrat leaves DC, returns to Austin for 'good faith dialogue' on voting bill
- Democrats calling for filibuster elimination ‘hypocrites,’ GOP chair says
- Runaway Texas Democrat slammed for call to let schools impose mask mandates

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SOME PARTING WORDS

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Sean Hannity on Thursday criticized President Biden's performance during the second CNN town hall of his presidency Wednesday, which the host dubbed an "unmitigated disaster."

"Many of Joe’s answers were completely incomprehensible," the "Hannity" host said. "At times no one seemed to know what the hell Joe was even talking about. Not even Don Lemon, not the audience, not even Joe himself."

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