Skip to content
Washington, D.C
Place · 6 stories Place · World Affairs

Washington, D.C

Capital city and federal district of the United States
6stories 6new this week 2active storylines

Profile

Washington, D.C., officially the District of Columbia, is the capital city and federal district of the United States. It is not part of any state.

The city is the seat of the U.S. federal government and is home to the White House, the U.S. Capitol and the Supreme Court Building. It is governed under a mayor-council system. Muriel Bowser is the mayor, and the official District government website, dc.gov, lists her in that role.

Congress passed the Residence Act on 9 July 1790 and President George Washington signed it on 16 July 1790, the date the city treats as its founding. The District of Columbia Organic Act of 1801, dated 27 February 1801, formally organized the district under federal control, and an 1871 act merged it into a single municipality. The Home Rule Act of 1973 provided for an elected mayor and a 13-member council. The 2020 census counted 689,545 residents across a total area of 68.35 square miles (177.0 square km).

Nation in Shorts covers Washington, D.C. mainly as the place where US federal politics happens, from White House and Congress developments to decisions by the federal government.

Sources: Wikipedia, DC.gov

Timeline

6 of 6 stories shown
11 November 2026 Treasury Secretary Bessent moved to military base after Iranian threats, New York Times reports The Treasury said Bessent will not be deterred, while Reuters said the severity of the threats was not immediately clear. 7
11 November 2026 House votes 211 to 204 to refer Hegseth impeachment resolution to committee, effectively killing it Massie, who is retiring in early January, said he would not bring up another resolution to impeach Hegseth. 7
10 November 2026 Trump questions midterm election integrity days after saying he accepted the results Less than a week after congratulating Democrats, the president asked whether the election was honest and offered no evidence of fraud. 6
10 November 2026 Congress returns after midterm wipeout with Hegseth impeachment, funding deadline and leadership fights ahead About six weeks of lame-duck business lie ahead, with a funding deadline in mid-December, a Hegseth impeachment resolution and leadership elections in both parties. 6
10 November 2026 Senate GOP leadership election: five senators ask to delay Tuesday vote after midterm losses Five Republican senators want a conference meeting before Tuesday's leadership vote, saying the party should first discuss why it lost the Senate majority. 5
9 November 2026 US midterm results: Democrats win Congress, Mississippi and Alaska Senate races still open Democrats took both chambers on 3 November, but two Senate races and about two dozen House contests were still undecided in the latest counts. 7

Active storylines

Iran war and global inflation 3 updates · latest 1d ago US midterms 2026 aftermath 4 updates · latest 1d ago

Connections

World 6 United States 6 US Congress 4 Pete Hegseth 2 Donald Trump 2 Scott Bessent 1