This afternoon, Legal Times' Mike Scarcella notes that an odd dispute between D.C.'s federal and local prosecutors has been settled by the D.C. Court of Appeals.

The District lost.

The implications of the ruling are narrow but sharp: It pretty much puts the kibosh on any attempts, short of congressional action, to expand the Office of the Attorney General's prosecutorial bailiwick beyond the smattering of low-rent misdemeanors it already handles.

Read More "Court Hands D.C. an Obscure Home Rule Defeat" »

For the last few weeks, we've published stories on Councilmember Marion Barry's zany relationship with ex-girlfriend Donna Watts-Brighthaupt and his pressuring her to sign another problematic contract. We've also written two stories on the issues surrounding the nonprofits run out of his offices and staffed with ex-campaign workers. These stories did not seem to impact one Barry worker---Jackie Ward.

Ward stuck to a simple script: standing by her work and refusing to comment any further.

Ward is one of the lucky ones. She's pulling in $40,000 to head up an entity called Clean and Green Inc. She is also listed as an incorporator for the Ward 8 Education Council, and as a board member and incorporator for the Ward 8 Health Council. Ward's previously known experience: working on Barry's 2008 campaign.

This is what Ward said to us last week when we called seeking answers about her work. "I have no comment," she said. "My work is there. Everything I do is a matter of public record." She added that she stands by the work she refuses to comment on.

Read More "Another Barry Associate Has a Lawyer" »

Last week, the House of Representatives at long last voted to kill the Barr Amendment---a rider banning D.C.'s implementation of a medical marijuana initiative passed in 1998. It was originally sponsored by Georgia congressman Bob Barr and has been attached to the annual District budget for a decade.

LL covered the possible arrival of medical marijuana here in his column a couple of weeks back (a column that was widely read for other reasons). LL had tried to get in touch with Barr, now a libertarian political activist and presidential candidate, for the story, but didn't connect with him in time.

But now, via a Libertarian Party press release, we have his feelings on the matter.

Read More "Bob Barr Lauds Demise of Barr Amendment" »

At 3 p.m. today, the House rules committee will take up the District of Columbia appropriations bill, and will decide which amendments will later be taken up on the House floor.

Amendments proposed so far include a number of social-policy riders that have been removed in subcommittee and committee actions. They also include attempts to prevent gay marriage in the District.

Here's a rundown:

Read More "Members of Congress Line Up to Tell D.C. How to Spend Its Money" »

A measure to once again ban D.C. from implementing a 1998 medical marijuana initiative failed in a House appropriations committee vote this evening.

The D.C. budget made it out of its appropriations subcommittee without the so-called Barr amendment---a rider, first introduced by Georgia Republican Bob Barr, which has graced the District budget since 1998. But this evening Missouri Republican Jo Ann Emerson attempted to put it back on.

After a short debate, with Jim Moran (D-Va.) standing up to defend District home rule, the Emerson measure failed by a voice vote. The bill still has to survive the House floor, Senate consideration, and conference committee.

Presently, the committee is debating an amendment that would preserve the rider banning the District from funding abortions. It's unclear whether an amendment regarding the District's gun laws will come up this evening.

UPDATE, 10:05 P.M.: The abortion amendment has failed, 26-33. If the bill as passed out of committee is made law, the District will be free to spend local funds on abortion.

LL just got this news alert concerning the District's favorite gun-lovin', home-rule-disrespectin', voting-rights obstructionist:

Nevada Republican Sen. John Ensign has told colleagues that he plans to admit an extramarital affair, a senior Republican source tells POLITICO.

WaPo's Chris Cillizza has more: 'The affair, which was with a woman who worked for both Ensign's re-election campaign and his Battle Born leadership political action committee, began in December 2007 and ended in August 2008. Ensign's wife, Darlene, said that the couple's "marriage has become stronger" and added: "I love my husband."'

Gee---couldn't be happening to a nicer guy bigger dick!

UPDATE, 7:15 P.M.: Politico has their big story up: Ensign forced to reveal because he was being blackmailed by the jealous cuckolded husband!

So the D.C. Council has voted to (kinda-sorta) allow same-sex marriage. What now?

Assuming the bill becomes law, plenty of observers see two fronts of possible conflict. First is that the law will set off a frenzy of congressional intervention. To wit, American Prospect's Ezra Klein.

Nope, Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton says to LL this afternoon: "I anticipate being able to be able to protect it....In order to do something someone is going to have to introduce a bill or otherwise get something through the Congress. Well, you gotta pass by me on that....I believe I can prevent any bill from moving to the House floor to overturn the bill that was passed yesterday."

What Klein doesn't quite get right is that Congress need not actively "approve" D.C.'s decision. If lawmakers do nothing about the bill for 30 days, it's law.

Read More "Norton: I Can Protect Same-Sex Marriage Bill" »

Per WTOP's Mark Segraves and his Twitter feed, FBI agents are searching the Office of the Chief Technology Officer's executive suite located at One Judiciary Square. It's unclear at this point which particular office or which particular OCTO employee the feds might be targeting.

All of the OCTO employees on the premises have been sent home. "Administrative leave," is what LL is told.

CTO Vivek Kundra, you might remember, was recently tapped by Barack Obama for a high federal post. There is no indication that he or anyone particular person is under investigation.

UPDATE, 10:50 A.M.: Says a spokesperson for the FBI's Washington field office: "It's an ongoing investigation...I can't confirm anything at this time."

UPDATE, 11:15 A.M.: Segraves is reporting an arrest: "Yusuf Acar, 40, was taken into custody this morning by FBI agents at his home in Northwest Washington" in connection with a "federal bribery sting."

UPDATE, 11:30 A.M.: WaPo has a brief item up: "Acar serves as an information systems security officer in the D.C. government." No comment from U.S. Attorney, mayor.

Agency source tells LL, "Somebody like him has access to a whole bunch of shit."

This morning, OCTO personnel were told by acting CTO Tommy Jones not to access office computer systems, lest they engage in obstruction of justice.

UPDATE, 11:45 A.M.: Segraves is reporting a second arrest: Sushil Bansal.

Acar had been listed on numerous city contract proposals as "contracting officer's technical representative," indicating a central role in the OCTO contracting process.

UPDATE, 11:50 A.M.: D.C. Wire found a video of Acar:

Read More "Breaking: FBI Raids OCTO Offices" »

As LL mentioned in this morning's Daily, the Washington Times' Timothy Warren reported this morning that Sen. Jim DeMint (R-S.C.) had said at a voucher press conference, "If you send a kid to [public] school in D.C., chances are that they will end up in a gang rather than graduating."

Moments ago, LL received an e-mail from a DeMint aide, who says, "The Washington Times completely misreported Senator DeMint's comments, leaving out the opening of his statement that he was told this by a DC parent. As the New York Post points out here, Senator DeMint was simply quoting from a mother who said those words to him this week, that she was concerned her child was likely to end up in a gang instead of graduating if forced out of the scholarship program."

Read More "Conservative Catfight Over DeMint Quote" »

The District's had plenty of congressional bogeymen over the years. Recent names like Sam Brownback and Richard Shelby come to mind, sure, and if you reach back a little farther, there's folks like Joel Broyhill, John McMillan, and Theodore Bilbo.

These days, Nevada Sen. John Ensign's playing the role pretty well.

Ensign's the guy who introduced the amendment to D.C. House Voting Rights Act last week that gutted that gun laws passed by the D.C. Council and signed by the mayor. It looks like his legislative maneuver has the potential to derail the larger bill, which would leave Ensign pleased as punch.

The senator strolled up to the Senate daily press gallery this afternoon to talk guns, voting rights and vouchers with a gaggle of reporters. LL was not present, but frequent City Desk commenter Ryan Grim was, and he passes on audio of the discussion.

Read More "John Ensign: D.C. Vote “Has Nothing to Do…With Civil Rights”" »