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From ‘Les Mis’ to ‘The Wiz,’ DC-area theater highlights of 2023

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:45:33 GMT

It was an exciting year for live theater productions in the nation’s capital and the surrounding areas.While national tours brought famous Broadway revivals to town, local theaters staged their own daringly creative work.Here are 10 memorable interviews of visiting productions and 10 conversations from local productions that joined WTOP in 2023.Visiting Productions(Chronological)January: “Cats” at National TheatreMarch: “Jagged Little Pill” at National TheatreApril: “My Fair Lady” at National TheatreApril: “Les Misérables” at Kennedy CenterMay: “Spamalot” at Kennedy CenterJune: “Hadestown” at National TheatreJune: “The Lion King” at Kennedy CenterAugust: “Moulin Rouge!” at Kennedy CenterAugust: “To Kill a Mockingbird” at Kennedy CenterOctober: “The Wiz” at National TheatreLocal Productions(Chronological)January: “Ride the Cyclone” at Arena StageFe...

Turkish Super Cup football final in Riyadh scrubbed in Ataturk row: Reports

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:45:33 GMT

The Turkish Super Cup football final to be played in Saudi Arabia on Friday was canceled after a dispute with Saudi authorities over the players’ shirts, according to media reports.The match between Galatasaray and Fenerbahce was scheduled for Friday evening in the Saudi capital, Riyadh, but it had to be postponed over what the clubs described as “some problems” in the event’s organization, according to the reports.HaberTurk television and other media said the Fenerbahce and Galatasaray players wanted to wear T-shirts featuring the image of the founder of modern Turkey, Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, during the prematch warm-up, but were not authorized to do so by Saudi organizers, according to the Associated Press.The players insisted on the T-shirts because the Super Cup coincides with the centennial anniversary of the proclamation of the Turkish Republic by Ataturk, according to the reports. Galatasaray and Fenerbahce earlier pressed for the game to ...

The numbers that will shape a crucial year in US politics

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:45:33 GMT

The presidential election year is finally upon us — and with it, many important questions.Will a challenger emerge who can pose a significant threat to Donald Trump’s renomination? What are the signs that a rematch of the 2020 election might end differently? And which party will have the upper hand in the pitched battle to control Congress?There are key data points that will answer all of these questions, if one knows where to look.Here are 24 of those numbers to watch in the new year:1. Donald Trump’s share of white evangelical Christian votes in IowaEight years ago, Trump lagged with white evangelicals in Iowa (21 percent, tied with Marco Rubio for second place), who made up roughly six-in-10 caucusgoers, according to the entrance poll. But he’s now dominating this bloc — leading Ron DeSantis 56 percent to 22 percent, according to a recent Fox Business poll — foreclosing any path for DeSantis or Nikki Haley to usurp him.2. Nikki Haley’s vote share among women in New...

Israel bombs refugee camps in central Gaza: Report

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:45:33 GMT

Israeli warplanes bombed two refugee camps in the central Gaza Strip amid an expanding ground offensive, the Associated Press reported. Residents in Nuseirat and Bureij — two of eight urban camps set up by the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) to house Palestinians who fled their homes following Israel’s creation in 1948 — told the AP that airstrikes had hit the areas Friday night and into Saturday. At the same time, Israeli tanks are moving deeper into central and southern Gaza, part of a military offensive in response to the October 7 Hamas attacks in which more than 1,000 Israelis were killed and more than 200 taken hostage. The Hamas-run health ministry in Gaza said Saturday that 165 Palestinians were killed in the past 24 hours, pushing the death toll since October 7 past 21,600. The vast majority of Gaza’s 2.3 million inhabitants have been displaced by the fighting, according to UNRWA, with many fleeing south from the advancing Israeli troops. The U.S...

Shopping on New Year’s Day 2024? From Costco to Walmart, see what stores are open and closed

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:45:33 GMT

The New Year is almost upon us. And as the world prepares to ring in 2024, many are winding down from the holidays and getting back into their regular routines — give or take some fresh resolutions.If you’re planning on grabbing groceries or doing some other shopping to kick off the new year, it’s wise to double check stores’ hours. While more businesses typically stay open on New Year’s Day compared to Christmas Day, a handful of chains still cut back on hours or shut their doors to commemorate the holiday. Some also close up shop early for New Year’s Eve.Operations can vary on location. When in doubt, call ahead or check hours of stores in your neighborhood online.Here’s a rundown of major store hours and which businesses are open and closed in the U.S. this New Year’s Day.IS WALMART OPEN ON NEW YEAR’S DAY?Walmart is open with normal hours on New Year’s Day.IS TARGET OPEN ON NEW YEAR’S DAY?Ta...

Russia wants evidence before giving explanations about an object that entered Poland’s airspace

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:45:33 GMT

WARSAW, Poland (AP) — Russia will not provide any explanations about an unidentified object that briefly entered Poland’s airspace until it receives evidence that shows the object was a Russian missile, Russia’s top diplomat in Poland said Saturday. Poland’s defense forces said an unknown object traveled 40 kilometers (24 miles) into the country’s airspace Friday from the direction of Ukraine before leaving minutes later and vanishing off radars. The head of the Polish armed forces, Gen. Wiesław Kukuła, said “everything indicates” it was a Russian missile. Poland’s Foreign Ministry demanded explanations from Moscow. Russia’s charge d’affaires in Warsaw, Andrei Ordash, told Russian state news agency RIA Novosti on Saturday that Poland’s claims were “unsubstantiated.”“We will not give any explanations until we are presented with concrete evidence, because these accusations are unsubstantiated,” Ordash told RIA Novosti. Some 500 Polish Territorial Defense troops were combing an a...

Austrian government supports Vienna Boys Choir to help it out of financial difficulties

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:45:33 GMT

BERLIN (AP) — The Austrian government said Saturday that it is giving the country’s centuries-old Vienna Boys Choir 800,000 euros ($884,000) to help it out of severe financial difficulties. “It goes without saying that we will rescue them from their financial plight,” Austrian Chancellor Karl Nehammer said.“We are proud of this world-famous choir, which has existed for more than 500 years and is part of the Austrian identity, and we will do everything we can to secure its future,” he added in a written statement.The choirboys should be able to “go into the coming year without existential worries,” the chancellor added.The choir had been struggling with rising costs due to inflation and a lack of income after many of its concerts were canceled during the coronavirus pandemic. The Vienna Boys Choir’s history dates back to 1498. At that time, the future Emperor Maximilian I moved his court and court music from various residences to Vienna and laid the foundation...

Israel bombs refugee camps in central Gaza as Biden administration approves weapon sales

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:45:33 GMT

DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip (AP) — Israel bombed two urban refugee camps in central Gaza on Saturday, as the Biden administration approved an additional weapons sale to Israel despite persistent international cease-fire calls over mounting civilian deaths, hunger and mass displacement in the enclave.Israel has said it will continue its attacks until it has dismantled Hamas, a goal viewed by some as unattainable because of the militant group's deep roots in Palestinian society. The United States has shielded Israel diplomatically and has continued to supply weapons.The war, triggered by the Oct. 7 Hamas attack on southern Israel, has displaced some 85% of the Gaza Strip’s 2.3 million residents, sending swells of people seeking shelter in Israeli-designated safe areas that the military has nevertheless also bombed. That has left Palestinians with a harrowing sense that nowhere is safe in the tiny enclave.The Health Ministry in Gaza said Saturday that the Palestinian death toll since the...

Other voices: Trump likes despots for the example they set

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:45:33 GMT

It’s said you should judge someone by the company they keep. Donald Trump doesn’t seem to keep many people in his close circle of confidants — one consequence of constantly, publicly and unabashedly tossing putative allies under a bus — nor does he reserve much praise for people other than himself. He appears to believe that the vast majority of other people, if they have any integrity at all, are suckers and losers, a sentiment many of his supporters don’t appear to realize he would surely extend to them.That makes it particularly notable when the former president does decide to pump someone up, especially off the cuff. At a New Hampshire campaign rally he managed to shout out not one, but four of what he seems to view as his contemporaries — despotic and nationalistic leaders who have weaponized their countries’ political systems to push their own power.Trump had kind words for “Viktor Orbán, the highly respected prime minister of Hu...

Rain arrives in Southern California before New Year's celebrations

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:45:33 GMT

Showers have arrived in Southern California as residents prepare for New Year’s weekend.Beginning Friday night, light to moderate precipitation is expected to last through late Saturday night, according to the National Weather Service.“For the cold front, you can see the storm hitting San Francisco before moving into Los Angeles County overnight,” explained KTLA meteorologist Kaj Goldberg. “By about 6 a.m. Saturday, we’ll see the mid-morning hours picking up some rainfall for Orange, Riverside, and San Bernardino counties.”Chances of thunderstorms will be active from late Friday through Saturday evening. The highest chances for showers will be across coastal regions and over ocean waters.“Rain at the coasts may enhance any coastal flooding, especially near higher terrain,” said NWS. “Heavier rain is possible near any storm that forms.”Los Angeles and Ventura counties can expect anywhere from 0.33 to 1 inch of rainfall. The highest amount of precipitation will cover mountain and foot...