At least that's the attitude of Rep. Jerrold Nadler (D-NY). Even better? He ditched the cab driver after he called police! There's nothing better than a congressman running from the law. So how did this mayhem go down?

Cab driver Abraham Habteab tells Fox 5 he picked up Nadler at Union Station. Habteab didn't know it was Nadler until his buddies informed him later. Nadler asked for a lift to a Southwest D.C. hotel.

Nadler then asked Habteab to dump his luggage in the hotel and then take him back to Capitol Hill. Nadler insisted the meter stay on, which is illegal according to the D.C. Taxicab Commission. Cab riders must pay the entire fare at each destination, including waiting time. Nadler's request for another ride would require a new trip on the meter.

When Habteab refused to keep the meter running, Nadler refused to pay the $8 owed. Habteab called police. "He said I'm not going to wait for the police and he caught another cab and left," Habteab told Fox 5.

What did Nadler's office have to say? They called it a "misunderstanding." We just call it "being an asshole."

UPDATE: Nadler's office sent along a statement from the congressman. He insists he told Habteab that the Rayburn building was his final destination with a stop at his hotel. Here's his side of the story:

“Regarding a misunderstanding yesterday, I must correct the record. Arriving at Washington’s Union Station yesterday, I entered a taxi and asked the driver to take me to the Rayburn office building with one stop at my hotel to very briefly drop off my luggage, which is my routine each time I arrive in Washington. When we arrived at the first stop, I advised the driver, Mr. Habteab, that I would be out of the cab for 30 seconds or so, and requested that he leave the meter running in accordance with DC taxi regulations. Mr. Habteab then ignored DC taxi regulations and refused to take me to my final destination without restarting the meter. This is against the law, and Taxi Commission Chairman Leon Swain has clarified that point to me personally in a letter, which I shared with Mr. Habteab, but which he refused to read. Today, I spoke personally with Chairman Swain, who has confirmed that I was correct in relying on his interpretation of the law as stated in the letter. Therefore, as Mr. Habteab would not obey the law and take me to my final destination, I was obligated to find another driver who would. Of course taxi drivers have rights, but so do passengers. I am working with the Taxicab Commission and Mr. Habteab to ensure that he receives the correct payment, despite his misinterpretation of the law.”

Nadler even provided the letter he received from the Taxi Commission(PDF) to further prove his actions were justified.

Our updated assessment: Nadler is still an asshole for storming off without paying. Period. Stiff him on the tip if you insist, but give the guy the fare you owe him and be on your way.

Check out the Fox 5 video to fully grasp the scandal at hand:

WJLA-TV is reporting an "escalated response" to today's suspicious package at 19th and F Streets NW, which had authorities tied up for five hours, sealing off several square blocks surrounding the World Bank and parts of the George Washington University campus.

Some witnesses may have even heard a "small explosion," according the local ABC affiliate's Jennifer Donelan, who describes the overall level of police response as "much greater than normal, especially since the city sees as many as four suspicious-object calls a day."

Police Chief Cathy Lanier is reportedly on the scene, along with U.S. Secret Service. 

The television news report somewhat differs from a more down-played account in the college press. The GW Hatchet quotes MPD spokesperson Gwendolyn Crump describing the package as "not hazardous," adding, however, "They are still in the process of examining it."

UPDATE, 1:20 p.m.-D.C. Fire and EMS confirms via Twitter "no hazard" and "no injuries." MPD is investigating.

UPDATE, 1:40p.m.-Bomb squad units have "'disrupted' the object," WJLA reports, which authorities now describe as harmless:

George Washington University students, who had a clear view of the object, described it as a pipe wrapped in black tape, apparently to simulate the appearance of a pipe bomb.

The FBI has taken over the investigation of the incident, setting up a tent on 19th Street.

UPDATE, 2:14 p.m.-CNN reports that a "terrorism task force" will now study today's incident as a sort of object lesson in suspicious objects: "The focus of police attention appeared to be a hoax device that looked like a long microphone with tape on it, a law enforcement source said. It also could have looked like a pipe, the source said."

UPDATE, 2:18 p.m.-"19th Street mostly reopen," WaPo's Dr. Gridlock reports, "Authorities report the item was in a suitcase and a portion of the street will remain closed for about another 30 minutes."

UPDATE, 2:20 p.m.-The FBI tells WaPo the suspicious package at 19th and F streets NW contained "what looked like a pipe bomb, but it was not a bomb."

UPDATE, 3 p.m.-Not to be outdone, WTOP now reports on another suspicious package across town in Columbia Heights, where the local Metro station is closed on account of the curious object: "D.C. Police say the package is a silver and black briefcase at the corner of 14th and Irving streets in Northwest. Part of 14th Street is also closed in the area."

UPDATE, 3:31 p.m.- WaPo's Rick Rojas reports from the scene that the suspicious package turns out to be "a suitcase full of tools," screwdrivers and such. It looked like "old-school luggage," Rojas notes. The Columbia Heights Metro station is now back open.

UPDATE, 3:58 p.m.-"Fans gather around 'suspicious package' outside Nationals Park," according to a Mediabistro report. Turns out to be the name of a rock band performing at the 49th annual Roll Call Congressional Baseball Game.

The rider says a solitary woman was trying to hoist the guy up from almost certain doom. The rider pitched in and together, they were able to get the man out of harm's way. Crisis averted, the rider wondered why the accident victim hadn't gotten more assistance:

"What amazed me was the number of perfectly healthy men and women who walked right by. It was 9:30 a.m., and the platform was full of people. Most just looked at this poor man struggling to get back up on the platform and kept on walking.

I have no idea who the woman was that was helping him, but she did not know the man any more than I did. Yet she immediately got down and tried to help him knowing full well that this man was at least twice her size. She stepped up when no one else would. She is the hero here.

Kudos to the people on phones trying to get help, but what was needed was someone to help grab the man's other arm and pull.

We all complain about Metro not doing a poor job (and believe me, it is justified most of the time) but here is an example of where we the riders needs to think about how we react to a situation.

The station manager reacted immediately when he was informed but with the crowds of people in the station there was no way he could get there in time to help.

I hope that maybe some of the people that walked by read this and stop for a minute to think about their reaction or lack thereof."

Contacted by City Desk, Metro says it is checking into the incident.

June 22, 2009-Two trains collide near the Fort Totten station, killing train operator Jeanice McMillian and eight passengers. Another 76 are injured. Deadliest accident in Metro history.

June 29, 2009-A man is struck and killed by an eight-car train at the Forest Glen station just after 4:15 p.m., causing delays on the red line. Preliminary reports indicate that the individual intentionally put himself on the track. (WMATA)

July 24, 2009-A man is struck by a six-car train at the Van Ness station, causing delays on the red line. Witnesses report that he intentionally placed himself on the tracks. (WMATA)

August 10, 2009-Metro repairman Michael Nash, 63, of Silver Spring is fatally struck by the ballast regulator while conducting track maintenance along the orange line. (WMATA)

August 12, 2009-A six-car train headed in the direction of New Carrollton strikes a person who was on the tracks as the train pulled into the station around 11:18 a.m., causing delays of up to 30 minutes on the orange line. (WMATA)

September 8, 2009-WaPo reports on Metro's major budget shortfall, signaling that the transit authority may have to raise fares.

September 10, 2009-12-year veteran Metro employee John Moore, 44, of Arlington "walked down a staircase in a vent shaft, opened a door to the track bed area known as the 'right of way' and was struck" by a six-car train, causing major delays on the blue and yellow lines. He dies four days later. Moore is the third Metro employee killed in 2009. (WMATA)

September 13, 2009-A man is struck and killed by a six-car train headed in the direction of Shady Grove at 7:58 a.m. According to WMATA: "The preliminary investigation indicates that the man, a customer, placed himself in the path of the train. Customers can expect major delays on the Red Line throughout the remainder of the morning while police conduct an investigation."

September 15, 2009-WTOP reports on the rash of suicides on Metro tracks: "So far in 2009, Metro says there have been eight incidents, six of them fatal."

September 17, 2009-Another reported suicide. A 15-year-old D.C. resident is fatally struck by a six-car train as it pulled into the Columbia Heights station. According to WMATA: "The 1:55 p.m. incident disrupted service for a little more than two hours. Service returned to normal at 4:15 p.m....The preliminary investigation indicates that the young man intentionally placed himself in the path of the train."

September 22, 2009- The NTSB issues nine safety recommendations—six deemed urgent— to address concerns about train control systems stemming from the investigation into the deadly Metro crash that killed nine in June. (WTTG-TV)

November 29, 2009-Three Metro employees are injured after two out-of-service trains collide at the Falls Church rail yard in Fairfax County. According to WMATA: "Service to customers was not affected...."

November 30, 2009-An individual is struck by a train at the Gallery Place-Chinatown station at about 3:35 p.m., causing "major delays of an hour or more on the Red Line throughout the remainder of the afternoon rush period," according to WMATA, which later updates the situation: "The preliminary investigation indicates that two young men were involved in an altercation and one individual pushed the other into the side of the last car of a six-car train.  The young man fell to the platform and was aided by local emergency medical first responders. The individual, a minor, was transported to a nearby hospital."

January 4, 2010- A 50-year-old woman from Kensington, MD, is struck by a six-car Red Line train at the Woodley Park-Zoo/Adams Morgan station at 11:36 p.m. According to WMATA: "The Metro Transit Police continue to investigate, but preliminary information shows that the woman intentionally placed herself in the path of the train."

January 27, 2010- Two Metro employees working on the tracks are killed when struck by a Metro utility vehicle (WaPo). Jeffrey Garrard, 49 of Clarksburg and Sung Oh, 68, of Montgomery Village had been installing new train control equipment around 1:45 a.m. (WTOP).

February 3, 2010-The Examiner reports that a 22-year-old Germantown man had killed himself by jumping off the seventh floor of a parking garage at the Shady Grove station. Metro did not notify the media about the death, as it "had no effect on service." It was "the second major incident in three days that the agency did not share with the public," the paper reported. Two days earlier, a maintenance vehicle carrying 20 workers slid on an icy rail into a truck on the red line between the Medical Center and Grosvenor-Strathmore stations, causing a chain reaction that damaged four trucks.

February 12, 2010-A Metro train derails near the Farragut North station. According to WMATA, "the preliminary report is that the front wheels of lead car is the one that came off the tracks."

February 17, 2010-Fares on Metrorail, Metrobus and MetroAccess increase 10 cents. WMATA further warns that "[a]dditional fare changes and other actions related to Metro’s fiscal year 2011 budget are likely later this spring as Metro grapples with a projected $189 million budget deficit."

March 12, 2010-A train operator with nearly 11 years experience is fired for her involvement in the February derailment at Farragut North. According to WMTA: "She was dismissed for failing to follow standard operating procedures."

April 20, 2010-A piece of track equipment that "developed a mechanical problem" at 4:30 a.m. near the West Hyattsville station is blamed for causing major delays on the green line. According to WMATA: "Customers can anticipate delays of up to 30 minutes throughout the morning rush hour."

April 22, 2010-Metro's Board of Directors tensely debate proposed fare hikes and service cuts to help close the transit authority's $200 million budget gap. (WTOP) The proposed budget includes some $6 million to implement federal safety recommendations following the deadly June train crash and another $100,000 for a proposed suicide prevention program.

April 23, 2010-A six-car train derails just after pulling into the New Carrollton Metrorail Yard at about 7:45 p.m. No injuries (in fact, no customers were riding) and rail service is not affected. (WMATA)

May 10, 2010- The Examiner reports that Metro's program to combat the unusual spate of rail-track suicides is running months behind.

May 12, 2010-Fox 5 reports on the "ongoing problem" of rowdy Metro riders engaged in fisticuffs and other horseplay.

May 17, 2010-A Metrorail operator noticed 52-year-old rider Rickey Van Houter slumped over in a seat around 3 p.m. It was later determined the dead man may have been sitting there for nearly five hours before anyone noticed him. He died of natural causes. But the incident prompted Metro to implement a new policy, requiring train operators to walk through the rail cars before the train comes to rest in the rail yard to look for passengers in distress. (WTTG-TV)

May 27, 2010-Metro's Board of Directors approves a record 15-percent fare hike.

June 4, 2010-Metro temporarily halts service at Union Station while police investigate what WMATA inititally describes as "an altercation on the platform." Later reports indicate a group of youths severely beat-up a teenager while attempting to rob him of his Air Jordans; witnesses reported seeing guns (Examiner).

June 16, 2010-The Dunn Loring station is closed after a person is struck by an inbound six-car train at about 1:15 p.m. WMATA warns riders: "Orange Line customers should expect delays throughout the remainder of the afternoon as emergency personnel respond to the scene."

June 18, 2010-Three employees are disciplined for letting a 10-car train run on the green line. Station platforms can only accommodate eight-car trains. Longer locomotives may put passengers at risk of falling onto open tracks (WJLA-TV).

June 22, 2010-Metro officials memorialize the victims on the anniversary of its deadliest crash in history. NTSB notes that none of its resulting safety recommendations have been implemented. (WaPo)

Photo by AgnosticPreachersKid/Creative Commons Attribution License

"My position would be, if we need to pay a little more, that's fine, but is this really paying for Metro to be upgraded? The cars are a sweatbox. They're crowded, especially when crowds come back from a game on weekend nights. Are higher fares going to improve anything? I don't see it."

Wasson may have to wait up to six years to see much improvement sweatbox-wise.

Metro's board also approved an $886 million contract to buy 428 new rail cars, including 300 replacements for the subway system's oldest models, which federal investigators have long described as "uncrashworthy," the Examiner reports:

Metro staffers in the board room clapped when it was approved, in an unusual step from the usually staid crowd.

The new cars won't arrive until 2013, however, and won't be in service until 2016.

Video courtesy of WJLA-TV

Metro's Board of Directors today is expected to approve a record 15-percent fare hike – "the largest increase in the transit agency’s history," WJLA-TV reports:

For riders, the plan would mean a jump in rail fares to a $1.90 minimum during peak times, and a 20-percent hike for Metrobus trips, to $1.50. The peak-of-the-peak fare hike would be on top of the other increase, and apply to any trip taken between 7:30 and 9 a.m., and 4:30 to 6 p.m.

Meanwhile, D.C. Council has voted to extend the city's six percent sales tax to sugary beverages including Gatorade, Red Bull and soft drinks – even not-so-sugary diet drinks. WRC-TV calls it "A New Tax That's Hard to Swallow."

But the price of everything isn't going up. Like the cost of being rich. Washington Business Journal notes that Council yesterday rejected a proposal to boost the income tax on top earners.

Metro Deputy Police Chief Mark Olson says reports of violence and disorderly conduct on the transit system are actually down this year. But trouble spots remain. Olson lists the District's most unruly transit hubs as Tenleytown/AU, Minnesota Avenue, Anacostia, Brookland-CUA and Fort Totten.

In related news: The Examiner reports that Metro's recent fare hike isn't doing enough to cover the rail system's budget shortfall:

The reason why Metro is in such straits is because it fell short of its ridership estimates in each of the first nine months in the current fiscal year, for a 9 percent ridership drop below expectations...

Perhaps they should start charging riders extra to watch all these "Metro Gladiators" in action.

I unfortunately had the awful experience of being hit by a car on my commute home this evening. The details are as follows: Around 5:50 PM I was riding along First St. NW with other commuters. We crossed over Florida Ave and a car came in behind me, horn continuously on, and accelerated into my rear wheel knocking me to the ground. The driver then got out of the car and yelled some obscenity at me. He got back into his car and left the scene.

I ended up with a few bruises and bumps but luckily no serious injury, but my rear wheel was destroyed along with my saddle, still not sure about the frame. Although there were seven plus witnesses, we were only able to get a partial license plate. We did get a great description of the car. The police arrived on the scene and took all the witness statements, etc and the incident will be filed as a hit and run.

From the news release:

New Year’s Eve, Thursday, December 31

On New Year’s Eve, Metrorail will operate on a weekday schedule, opening at 5 a.m., and staying open two hours late, closing at 2 a.m. All Metrorail trains will operate with six-cars. Metrobus will operate on a weekday schedule and will also operate until 2 a.m. to make sure rail and bus passengers catch their necessary connections. MetroAccess will operate normally.

New Year’s Day, Friday, January 1

On New Year’s Day, Metrorail will open at 7 a.m. and close at 2 a.m. On New Year’s Day, all Metrorail trains will operate with six cars. New Year’s Day ridership is traditionally light. Last year only about 152,000 people rode the Metrorail system. Metrobus will operate on a Sunday schedule. MetroAccess will operate normally.

There are so many reasons this is a good idea – too many to list here. Mostly, it will make everyone who rides the train feel much safer. And despite what some may say, it's not really a problem that the firearm a District-bound Virginia resident boards with in, say, Quantico or Manassas cannot be carried legally in D.C. In fact – and I'm sure you've already thought of this – it's a potential revenue-maker for the state: Set up some kind of gun-checking station at the border, charge a few bucks for eight hours' worth of storage, and tack on a handling fee! Commuters will feel it's worth it to have their guns for a few stops, and they can conveniently pick them back up after a hard day's work.

NBC Washington reported that some members of your board were "less than thrilled with having to make the change" – as required by state law – "partially because many riders will run afoul of the differing rules across jurisdictions, but also because guns plus big crowds equals disaster."

For instance, Chris Zimmerman, an Arlington County supervisor, said, "I think encouraging people to bring guns onto loaded trains is a stupid idea."

That's short-sighted and silly. Bringing guns onto loaded trains is a good idea. Here's to hoping most commuters take advantage of the opportunity. We will all be better for it.

Comments? Ideas? I'm at eniedowski@washingtoncitypaper.com, and on Twitter.

"If this is an issue dealing with the safety of the system, I'm not going to restrict the repairs to nighttime. I'm going to get it as soon as I can get it done. And we will look at ways to do that, but that will impact the service on the Red Line," he said.

"Now that we're getting into heavy revamp of the system, it will be impacting services for the next several years," Mr. Catoe said. To lessen disruptions to the system, Metro will rethink how it schedules maintenance. Suggestions include doing large repairs on holidays or specific days of the week like Tuesdays and Thursdays.

In a wide-ranging interview with the paper, Catoe also suggested that problems with a 30-year-old computer system that is being investigated as the possible cause of the crash could impact other transit systems across the country.

"With this, depending again what they ultimately find, could be much larger. It's an issue, depending upon what they find, not just for [the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority]. We're not the only one with this type of system. Most rail operations around the country have a similar system to this," said Mr. Catoe, who insisted he was speculating and distanced himself from the NTSB investigation.

"If they find, let's say, that there's a defect in the part, then you have to look at all the parts around the country because there's only two manufacturers of those parts," he said.

The train control system designed to prevent Metro crashes is malfunctioning across the railroad, suggesting that a technological failure at the heart of last month's fatal crash may be widespread, according to officials and documents.

At least one-half dozen track circuits on four of the five lines of the transit system have failed to properly detect the presence of trains.

Six circuits have been shut down in addition to the one thought to have caused last month's Red Line crash. Some of them—including 'circuits at Greenbelt on the Green Line, Grosvenor on the Red Line and Foggy Bottom on the Orange/Blue line'—have been shut off, meaning trains can only pass through them one at a time, at 15 mph.

And double whoa:

[D]ocuments show that Metro technicians have detected malfunctions since at least July 11. Metro General Manager John B. Catoe Jr. said publicly as recently as July 16 that the agency has inspected all 3,000 circuits and not noted any problems.

The renovations to the system will cost $177 million (only $80 million more than anticipated last summer!) and will take upwards of 4 years to complete, beginning in early 2010.  Among the important tasks of the renovation are:

• New escalators at the south entrance of Dupont Circle – Please, slow down this exit even more.  And give me an opportunity to walk up and down that ridiculously long escalator when it's not running.
• Upgrades to the air conditioning and ventilation – Does the Metro really need to be colder?  Maybe when the trains are filled to capacity, which will only worsen when the Red Line starts single-tracking to solve this issue.
• Rehabilitation of the Rockville and Shady Grove platforms – What does that even mean?  Re-grouting the tiles?  Adding a few benches?
• New staircases, escalators, and a canopy at Foggy Bottom – A canopy?  Really?  Get an umbrella.

The other planned maintenance seems more on track, if you'll forgive the pun.  Like an upgrade to the automatic train controls and track maintenance and fixing the tunnel ventilation and fire equipment.  Maybe those should be the primary focus.  Because it's always better to prevent train collisions than to prevent getting wet while entering the station.

The District Department of Transportation (DDOT) is advising motorists that the 2600 block of Pennsylvania Avenue, NW is closed to eastbound traffic because of a sinkhole. A square hole, approximately 4 feet by 4 feet, and 5 feet deep, has developed in the roadway near the bridge over Rock Creek (see attached photo).

DDOT crews are on the scene to make repairs. They are also working with the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) to try and reopen a lane for eastbound traffic, but delays are likely and motorists are advised to take alternate routes if possible

Any readers got pics?

UPDATE, 5:35 P.M.: WUSA-TV has a photo.

Fenty is expected to make remarks on the red line crash this morning at 8:00 a.m. We'll be live-blogging the press conference here.

8:01 a.m. Mayor Adrian Fenty, Fire Chief Dennis Rubin, Councilmember Jim Graham step up.

8:02 a.m. Fenty says he wants the country to know that his first efforts are with the families and friends of the victims. 76 people were taken off of the train to the hospital. Yesterday, six were confirmed dead. This morning, the number of confirmed dead is seven. Not nine as previously reported.

8:03 a.m. Fenty says it's the deadliest crash in the history of WMATA. Two critically injured held stable in the hospital last night. One injured person was updated out of critical last night. Fenty says he'll begin making next-of-kin notifications today.

8:04 a.m. Heavy equipment came in today to begin cutting through the train. Fenty says that after the machinery comes in they'll have an updated number of confirmed dead. He hopes it doesn't rise from the current number, 7.

8:05 a.m. Fenty brings forward Fire Chief Rubin.

8:06 a.m. Rubin says at 5:30 a.m. a crane was able to come in to lift up some of the debris to help "thoroughly check every single space." Firefighters worked through the night. Brought in dogs to look for survivors underneath the train and in the wooded area near the tracks.

8:07 a.m. Rescue is on hold for now while the trains are moved off the train. There have been two minor firefighter injuries, Rubin says.

8:08 a.m. Police Chief Cathy Lanier gives an update on next-of-kin updates. She says that they will likely be able to be made later today.

8:09 a.m. WMATA chief John Catoe gives his condolences to the families of the driver and the passengers. "We will find out what happened here, what caused this, and put all the resources necessary to make sure this doesn't happen again." Says his heart goes out to the families of the dead and injured. Says he's heard comments from around the world about the crash.

8:10 a.m. Data recovery: NTSB (National Transportation Safety Board) rep Debbie Hersman says they are making sure they document each step of that so they know the exact condition of the accident scene going forward. Investigators say there were nine data recorders on the train that was struck. The striking train, which hit the standing train, does not have the same level of recorders on it, so they are not expecting to get any data off of that. There are 9 NTSB investigators working on the scene.

8:12 a.m. WMATA operates in "ATO" or "automatic" mode during rush hour—the time of the crash. Hersman says one team will be looking at the drivers' records as well as cell phone and texting records to get more info about what they were doing at the time of the scene. There will also be an equipment investigation to see if there was any breakage. There's also a team looking at the condition of the track for any broken circuits or defects after the trains are moved. Another team will be working to interview survivors about what happened during the crash and how effective WMATA worked post-crash.

8:13 a.m. Hersman begins taking questions.

First question: Expound on the crashworthiness of the train cars. [Mike Debonis is on the crashworthiness question here].

Hersman says that the entire last car on the train was compromised in the crash. She says only that there have been recommendations made about survivability on the trains made to the feds and to WMATA.

Catoe adds in that any crash would compromise part of the car.

Second question: Even if the train was on automatic, shouldn't there have been some way for the driver to see the train ahead and manually stop it?

Hersman says that they'll do an investigation of the speeds of the trains and perform a sight-distance test to see whether it would have even been possible for the train's driver to see the train in front in time to step.

Third question: What is the best-case scenario of getting any recorded information off the 1000-series cars (the older car that hit the train ahead)?

Hersman says they don't expect to get any information from off that car.

Fourth question: [I missed this one, anyone catch it?]

Fifth question: Basically, if these 1000 series cars have poor crashworthiness and no recording devices, why are they in use?

Hersman says there have been recommendations made that the 1000-series cars are phased out. She says that there have also been recommendations for adding recording devices to those cars before they're phased out. But she cautions against assuming the cause of this crash.

Fenty says that they will reconvene at 5 p.m. for what he expects to be the final city-led press conference on the crash.

Photo by Darrow Montgomery