English Bulldog Puppies for Sale in Washington, DC

The Washington Commanders meant business in their recent search for a team president. Managing partner Josh Harris' search landed on Mark Clouse in December. While that name may be unfamiliar to football fans, Clouse is a giant in the business world and was considered a slam-dunk hire for Harris and the Commanders.

Before coming to Washington, Clouse most recently served as the President and Chief Executive Officer of The Campbell's Company, overseeing iconic brands such as Campbell's, Goldfish, Rao's, Pepperidge Farm, and others.

Once he began, Clouse immediately jumped into the Commanders' search for a new stadium. The Commanders have agreed to a deal with Washington, D.C., to build the new stadium at the RFK Stadium site in the District. While it seems like a formality, it's still not a done deal as the D.C. Council must approve the agreement.

On Monday, we finally heard from Clouse publicly for the first time since arriving in Washington at the Economic Club luncheon. Clouse conveyed that the Commanders have big plans for the new stadium that go beyond football.

“Much more than just simply building a stadium,” Clouse said via Mark Segraves of NBC 4 in Washington, D.C. “This is an opportunity to take 180 acres that should be the crown jewel of the District and turn it into both an economic and community engine that is going to be absolutely part of the roadmap for the future, and living into that, but in a contemporary, relevant way that feels like you are at the absolutely premiere facility in all of sports."

Both sides want more than a football stadium. D.C. understands that building a new stadium would only be the start, as they could host events year-round, including concerts, other sporting events, and so much more. This would help create jobs in the District, and the new stadium would also bring shopping and housing options. For their part, the Commanders are willing to pay for over half of what the project will cost, leaving less burden for D.C. taxpayers.

And yes, the new stadium will have a roof.

“There is a roof on the stadium, and I think that's gonna enable us to bring, you know, 30-to-40 world-class events,” Clouse said. “I mean, we will be the only roofed facility of this size in the Mid-Atlantic, and so, you know, whether that's Taylor Swift or the Final Four or — any WWE wrestling fans out there? — WrestleMania could come, but we are going to be able to host everything that's in the city on a national stage. And because of that roof, it gives us a chance to actually create a pipeline of jobs and development.”

This is a deal everyone involved wants. Multiple members of the D.C. Council have gone on record saying they will vote in favor of the stadium. However, other members have said they are against the new stadium.

Clouse, unlike Washington's previous team presidents, appears to be able to get things done.

@Presidency on 'X'

Securing South Africa's trade ties with the United States will be a key aim of President Cyril Ramaphosa, who began a Washington visit on Monday that will include a meeting with Donald Trump, Ramaphosa's office said.

Ramaphosa arrived late Monday, accompanied by four cabinet ministers on the high-stakes visit. He is expected to meet Trump at the White House on Wednesday.

"The purpose of the visit is to reset and revitalise bilateral relations between South Africa and the United States (US)," read a statement issued by the Pretoria presidency.

"In this regard, the visit will focus specifically on reframing bilateral, economic and commercial relations," the statement added.

Ties between Pretoria and Washington have plummeted since Trump, whose administration notably features South Africa-born Elon Musk as the head of the "Department of Government Efficiency", took office in January.

Ramaphosa's visit is seen as an attempt to reset the relationship.

Agriculture Minister John Steenhuisen said before Ramaphosa arrived that securing trade relations is a priority to "protect jobs, grow the economy and expand employment opportunities."

Ramaphosa was accompanied by his ministers for international relations, trade, and agriculture, as well as his special envoy to the United States, Mcebisi Jonas.

The United States is South Africa's second-largest trading partner, behind China.

Trump's sweeping trade tariffs, announced in April and paused for 90 days, included a 31 per cent levy on South African imports, which some industries say could result in massive layoffs.

Steenhuisen said that the future of the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA), which provides duty-free access to the US market for some African products, was of particular concern.

There are fears that the Trump administration will end the agreement, which is up for renewal in September.

"Preferential trade agreements such as AGOA contribute significantly to our economy," Steenhuisen said in a statement.

"Losing these benefits would be disastrous for farmers, farm workers and the economy at large," he said.

With South African unemployment at around 32 per cent, economic growth and job creation are also priorities for Ramaphosa's government.

The president will also attempt to affirm that conspiracies of a "white genocide" are "patently false", his spokesman Vincent Magwenya said.

Trump's administration welcomed around 50 people from the Afrikaner community last week after claiming the white minority was under threat in the black-majority country.

Ramaphosa is also expected to encourage Trump to attend the G20 summit of leading economies that South Africa hosts in Johannesburg in November, and which the US president has threatened to skip.

© Agence France-Presse

Welcome to cwg.live, updated around-the-clock by Capital Weather Gang meteorologists.

Happening now: It’s a pleasant evening with clear skies overhead. Winds diminish as temperatures settle toward lows mainly in the 50s.

What’s next? Clouds build Tuesday, and it’s unsettled, cool and wet Wednesday into Thursday. We should dry out for most of the long weekend, but it’s not particularly warm, with highs around 70.

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HAND CURATED

The Washington Commanders president gave a group of local business leaders a glimpse of what to expect from a new stadium in D.C. if the deal is approved — potentially including hosting big events beyond football.

Commanders President Mark Clouse spoke at the D.C. Economic Club luncheon Monday. Mostly, he spoke mostly about his career that brought him to Washington, but he did make a few comments about the team’s vision for a new stadium, including owner Josh Harris’ desire to recreate the feel of RFK Stadium’s heyday when the bleachers would bounce.

“I'm like, well, I'll stand behind your chair and shake it if you want,” Clouse joked.

The Commanders' D.C. stadium deal isn’t a lock. On 4 More Context, we break down the politics, leaked details, and what’s really at stake.

“Much more than just simply building a stadium,” he said. “This is an opportunity to take 180 acres that should be the crown jewel of the District and turn it into both an economic and community engine that is going to be absolutely part of the roadmap for the future, and living into that, but in a contemporary, relevant way that feels like you are at the absolutely premiere facility in all of sports.

"And that's the goal with a view that looks up the Mall and that is iconic, but yet, you know, fierce," Clouse continued. "And that's what we're building.”

He also reaffirmed the plan that the new stadium would have a dome.

“There is a roof on the stadium, and I think that's gonna enable us to bring, you know, 30-to-40 world-class events,” Clouse said. “I mean, we will be the only roofed facility of this size in the Mid-Atlantic, and so, you know, whether that's Taylor Swift or the Final Four or — any WWE wrestling fans out there? — WrestleMania could come, but we are going to be able to host everything that's in the city on a national stage. And because of that roof, it gives us a chance to actually create a pipeline of jobs and development.”

Clouse also mentioned one of the amenities neighbors of the RFK Stadium campus have been asking for: a new grocery store.

“There's a pipeline here of real jobs that can be created and thus then start to create this economic engine, which would be housing, grocery store, services, transportation, all the things that are great," he said. "And the good news is we're starting from a site that actually had a stadium, so a lot of the infrastructure thinking was contemplated in the original RFK.”

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WASHINGTON (WVLT) - Every year since 2007, veterans in East Tennessee have traveled to Washington D.C. for free, visiting the monuments built in their honor that they might not have ever been able to see. It’s something that would be impossible without Eddie Mannis and his group of volunteers.

Mannis oversees HonorAir, a program that takes East Tennessee veterans to the nation’s capital free of charge.

“Sometimes it seems like yesterday, and then it seems like a lifetime ago,” Mannis said. “And to think that we’ve just celebrated our 36th flight is just mind-boggling to me.”

The idea actually came to Mannis from across the state line, from a friend in North Carolina who was taking part in HonorAir flights there.

“Jeff Miller, a friend of mine, in Hendersonville,” Mannis said. “It was a tribute to his father, who was a World War II veteran. So I went over and helped with that and came back across the mountain that night and thought, ‘Wow, this is something that is really moving. If we could do this for our veterans in Knoxville or East Tennessee, would be great.’”

So, he got to work. Assembling a group of volunteers, many of them veterans, to help.

“I come from a veteran family. My dad served. My uncle was in World War II,” Mannis said. “I came from a family of veterans, but I didn’t serve, so I needed someone that could kind of speak the veteran language. And I say all the time, I didn’t serve our country, but I should be able to serve those who did serve our country. And so we started the program, and it just, it just snowballed into what it is today.”

Mannis is also the owner of Prestige Cleaners. He used his business, along with help from Covenant Health and local fundraising, to support the HonorAir project’s first flights.

“After that, once it got started, you heard stories and stories and stories how it changed people’s lives, not the program itself, but just being able to travel to D.C. and sit side-by-side with men and women who know what you’ve gone through, and you can share stories with openly,” Mannis said. “And a big part of the process that I didn’t really plan for is the healing process that comes with that.”

The program lifts off twice a year. Mannis began with World War II veterans, then Korean War, Vietnam War and more recently, two all-women flights.

“Every story is unique. Every flight is unique,” Mannis said. “People say, ‘Do you go on every flight?’ And I’m like, ‘Yeah. I mean, it’s my responsibility.’”

Mannis said he hopes the project continues to grow and more members of the community get involved.

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