Top news From WTOP -- 8 am Update -- Aug. 1, 2026

Good morning. I'm Ian Crawford. Top local story we're following this, how you heard some of it on ABC just a moment ago. The Justice Department is dropping the charge against a Bethesda man accused of vandalizing the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool. WTOP Sarah Jacobs with more in the government's sudden change of hearts. When D.C. U.S. Attorney Janine Piro first announced charges against former U.S. Olympian David Hearn. She claimed he violently ripped the pool liner with his hands. But in her motion to dismiss the felony indictment against Hearn, Piro right. The Interior Department has since provided documents showing the damage was the result of a flawed installation by the contractor. Piro also blamed the rush to complete the project ahead of the nation's 250th anniversary celebration. In a statement, Hearns lawyers say this case never should have been brought and that the administration owes their client an apology. Sarah Jacobs, WTOP News. Hundreds of Howard University students who were disenrolled, reportedly over missed deadlines and payments, are being invited by Governor Wes Moore to consider Maryland universities. And one student at one Maryland HBCU says they may find themselves pleasantly surprised, as we hear from WTOP's Kate Ryan. Jalen Bull knows what it's like to have to let go of a dream school. As a freshman, she was admitted to Drexel University. But even with scholarships, it remained out. of reach. So she looked at Bowie State University and now a rising junior at that Maryland HBCU, Bull says, I just went in full steam ahead here at Bowie and I'm happy where I am. And she says that as the daughter of a Howard University alum. Howard is often referred to as the Mecca. So I grew up learning about the mecca and hearing about the mecca. Bull says she's been given research opportunities and found great community. So to the displaced Howard University students, she says, I just hope that the those students realize that it's not over for them and that other schools are reaching out, especially Bowie. Kate Ryan, WTOP News. It's 804. The candidate expected to be D.C.'s next mayor, Janice Lewis George, is building relationships with some of the groups that opposed her before she won the Democratic primary. The self-described Democratic Socialists recently met with business leaders and the D.C. Police Union ahead of November's general election with her campaign describing the conversations as generally pleasant and positive. Louis George's candidacy comes at a time when Democratic Socialists, including New York mayors or on Zohran Mamdani, have been succeeding in local Democratic strongholds. But how well does Louis George fit the Democratic Socialist label? We asked notice reporter. Martin Ostermuled for more. I don't think Janice Louis George has ever shied away from being a Democratic Socialist, and she definitely leaned into it during the campaign, and it certainly helped develop her identity and sell herself as a certain type of candidate. That being said, I don't think she was ever as big a Democratic Socialists as a lot of people say. She has promised a lot of the things that Democratic Socialists are promising, lower costs for just about everything, higher taxes. She's also coming into a situation in D.C. where the economy's not great. A lot of federal workers have been laid off. There's kind of a crisis of identity in the city. So she has to think beyond just what Democratic Socialists are saying. She has to think broadly about how to revive the city's economy. And that means, to a certain degree, she's going to have to work with business partners that were skeptical of her and she was skeptical of them. And as notice reporter, Martin Ostermule, it has been two years.

since a Manassas Park woman now presumed dead went missing. WTOP's Kyle Cooper reports on a vigil held for her last night. The grieving continue going on for all of us until the justice is done. Supporter of Momta Kaflay Bhatt, Prabhavatari. She and others gathered to remember Momta and continue to call for justice, friend and coworker Holly Worth. We want to remember Momta. We want to honor her strength. Her body has never been found, but police and prosecutors believe her husband, Naresh Bad, killed his wife and dismembered her body. He's charged with murder and goes on trial in October. Today we stand with Monta's family and loved ones as they remember her life. Not how it ended, but the kindness, love, strength she brought to those around her. Manassas Park Police Chief Mario Lugo, prosecutors recently revealed in court records that blood was found on a reciprocating saw in the bot home. In Manassas Park, Kyle Cooper, WTOPP News. 810 and money news on WTOP comes from John Wardock. The luxury real estate market in the D.C. area has been strong so far this year. But will that trend continue? You know, I really anticipate that the luxury market is going to continue to be pretty resilient in the Washington area. Lisa Sturdivant. She's chief economist at Bright MLS, the listing service. Over the last year, the luxury end of the market has really driven the housing market here in the Washington, D.C. area. Driven the market because. high-end home buyers aren't dependent on mortgage rates as much. She says they're more dependent on something like the stock market. Well, overall homebuyers are thinking maybe about inflation and they're thinking about interest rates. People at the luxury end of the market are probably watching their other investments. And so if the stock market is continuing to do well, that makes them feel confident to go out and invest in real estate or make a move-up purchase or buy that new home. So if the stock market does well, the luxury market. It will continue to outperform the overall market in the second half of them. John Werdock, WTLP News. Just ahead, the Mubadala D.C. Open Tennis Tourney reaches its climax this weekend in northwest D.C. We get a look at the weekend's final action with WTOP's Ben Raby next. If it's happening in the DMV, it's on WTOP. Area commuters should brace for more pain at the pump as our summer continues. The national average for a gallon of regular gasoline is now back to $4, but DC drivers are paying much more. WTOP news happens here. It's 814. Thanks for spending some of your Saturday morning with us. I'm Ian Crawford. It is the next to the last day of the Movedollah D.C. Open Tennis Tournament at the Rock Creek Park Tennis Center in northwest D.C. Some of the game's brightest stars have been dazzling the crowds over the past week with semifinal action set for later today. WTOP's Ben Raby has been covering the tournament. He joins us live with a lot more about this. Ben, good morning. Thanks for joining us.

Good morning, Ian, a late night at the tennis center, but it's been great. It's been really, really impressive this week. Now, this tournament has become famous for drawing not only some of the best and the brightest of the game overall, but a great spotlight for the tenants' talent that we have in our area. Yeah, this tournament has kind of been Francis Tiafo's personal playground. He made his 10th appearance here this year. It was actually a real rarity, though, this year. He actually bowed out in the first round. It was his earliest exit in six years. That said, it's been a very, very good field. And I would say this, Ian. Maybe in past years the tournament would be a little bit reliant, you could say, on a name like Tiafo, making a deep run. But there are a lot of good players, particularly on the women's side, who are drawing a lot of interest heading into semi-final weekend now. And I want to focus on that right now, Ben, because one of the names that's been standing out is Alexandra Ayala, the Filipino phenom. She burst out of the scene at Wimbledon, made it all the way to the final there. She's got a big semifinal match today, and you say she has been a phenom in Rock Creek Park. Last night, she played her quarterfinal match on stadium court. Now, Friday night, stadium court, that's typically where Francis Tiafo would have been over the years, playing in prime time with an electricity and a real palpable buzz you could say at the stadium. What we saw last night from Alexandria Yala, who may be right now, Ian, isn't a household name to casual fans. She's going to be, though. She will become one. She is really the next big thing, 21 years old from the Philippines, the following that she has already built. It's pretty remarkable. She has the game to back it up. She had a big win. We were talking about a weeks ago, you and I, Ian, when she was at Wimbledon and Bidiga Shviatic on a Saturday morning on center court. She's approaching the top 20. in the world. She has grand slam potential one thing at a time. She's still seeking a first career WTA title. That could come as soon as tomorrow here in Rock Creek Park. But the atmosphere, the Filipino community that rallies behind her, the number of flagsy and the number of signs, the raucous atmosphere that they all brought to her match last night was really something. And I would think it will carry into today when she has a marquee match up against someone else who was once a young rising phenom. former world number one, Naomi Osaka. Saka Iala, that's going to be pretty impressive late this afternoon. What does a match of that magnitude mean for this tournament, which has been around for a number of years and has been a great platform, but a meeting like this with Osaka and Iala later today, what does that mean for kind of the stature of the Mubedala D.C. Open now. Yeah, it's certainly good for, I would say, not only the tournament, but the city is a holy, and it's almost like a big advertisement you could say for it all. The tournament's being televised, being broadcast in 176 countries across the world. And when you look at a matchup like this, between Naomi Osaka, who wears the Japanese flag,

Annie Yala, who again has that strong Filipino community behind her. These aren't just great tennis players. When you look at Osaka, you know, a case could be made. She transcends sports. She's almost like a global icon. It's really not a stretch to suggest that. And you have Osaka and you have the personable Yala, who again, only 21 years old, she has the potential. to be very like Osaka. Again, she has work to do in her career still, still just getting started her first full year on tour. But this is the next big thing. And Osaka has already experienced that for the two of them to be using Rock Creek Park today as their stage. This is a big, this is a big match not only locally is what I'm getting at. This is a big match, you know, across the tennis world today. Now, I want to hit also right before, because we're running out of time here, but I do want to talk about some of the other matches, big men semifinal today as well. Yeah, All-American matchup, Taylor Fritz taking on Brandon Nakashima, Nakashima, who played collegiate tennis at University of Virginia, has some ties to the area. And then tonight, another rising star, 19 years old on the men's side, Rafael Hodar. Again, maybe not a household name, his first full year on tour, another one of these players, global stars with real... Grand slam potential down the line. He, too, knocking on the top 20. He's going to play a Chilean in Alejandro to below tonight. Okay, so leather on that sunscreen and have a good time. We'll talk to you soon. Thanks, Ben. Appreciate it, Ian. That is WTOP sports reporter Ben Rabi. Quick look at the top stories we're working on for you this morning. The Justice Department has moved to dismiss criminal charges against a former U.S. Olympian accused of vandalizing the Lincoln Memorial reflecting pool. President Trump's call for more money to fund the Iran more maybe hitting a roadblock in the U.S.N. My name is Shannon Maldonado. I'm the founder of Yawi, a gift shop from the lens of artists and handmade objects. I chose Shopify because when I was testing other platforms, it was definitely one of the most user-friendly. It was important to me to think about where we would be in the future. All of the tools for reading your sales, like planning inventory, they're just right there on your dashboard. For anyone starting a small business, the biggest thing I can tell you is it doesn't have to be perfect. Shopify can help you build upon it. Start your free trial on Shopify.com. You're listening to WTOP. WTOP News. News happens here. It's 823.

And now it's time for the WTOP mystery newsmaker contest. We will play the voice as someone you've heard in the news this week on WTOP. Be the first caller at 855-885-1035 to correct the identify the mystery newsmaker and win a pair of tickets to see Diana Ross at Wolftrap on August 19th. Visit WTOP.com. Search contests for more information. Here is your mystery newsmaker of the week. On the advice of counsel, I respectfully declined to answer. based upon my rights under the Fifth Amendment of the Constitution. There is a proposal to transform a decades-owned data center. near Tyson's into a new one. WTOP Scott Gilman tells us that while a public hearing on the project is still months away, some groups are already speaking out on the idea. The plan would take a parking garage and two old buildings that already have a data center and turned it all into two new data center buildings. So the scope of what's being proposed is that it's going to be 316,000 square feet. It's being called Vienna Cloud. It's right off the Capitol Beltway, not far from Tyson's corner center. County documents say the developer wants exceptions to county rules, including one that requires data centers to be at least a mile away from metro stations. We have some guardrails at the county level, which is great, but this proposal is asking to bend those guardrails. Renee Greby is Northern Virginia Conservation Advocate for the group Nature Forward. A community meeting will be scheduled in the coming months, and a planning commission public hearing is set for November. If this gets passed... then I think it demonstrates that our zoning ordinance amendment is not as strong as it was touted to be by our board of supervisors. Scott Galman, WTOP News. The SEC and the Big Ten Conference agreed to back a Senate bill that seeks to regulate college sports. It was only fitting that negotiations over the historic Protect the College Sports Act came down to the final days before senators could bring it up for a vote. Late night talks involving senators. President Trump and conferences helped get the deal over the finish line. Among other things, the bill seeks to regulate college sports and would grant the conferences and NCAA limited to antitrust exemption. If the bill is okayed in the Senate, it would still need House approval. Chris DeMayo, Fox News. Sports on WTOB, brought to you by Amentum, delivering advanced solutions for space and defense. And here's Rob Woodfork. The Foster Griffin train came off the tracks at a really bad time for the nationals. Their 6-2 loss to the Braves, extending their losing skid to three in a row. The All-Star rookie gave up a pair of home runs and all of the brave scoring among nine hits in five and a third innings to raise his ERA to three for the first. time in a month for his first loss in two and a half months. And perhaps his final start as a national, Blake Butera. Third time he's seen him this year. And the big one was the three-run shot to Harris. That one really hurt us. But before that, he kept us in the game. He was efficient with his pitches. Pretty low pitch count there going into the sixth. Also, a completely understanding that Foster has been going through a lot, right? I mean, all the talks that he's been involved in with his name out there on social media and what's real and what's not real.

dealing with a lot, you know, mentally. So we'll see if Griffin stays or gets traded by Monday's deadline with the Nats still two and a half games out of a wild card spots. Currently held by the Phillies after the Orioles twice erased two-run deficits for a six-four win that pulls Baltimore within one and a half games of the last American League wild card. The Mystics are on their first four-game win streak since 2020. Outlasting the Dallas Wings, 8175 to stay undefeated through the first half of their six-game home stay. And Sidney Johnson. There's a consistency of the toughness and togetherness. No matter what comes our way, we're just battle tested, different things thrown our way, whether it's game adversity and injury, cross-country trip, you know, all these types of things are toughness and togetherness is just caring the day. Shakira Austin had a season high 28 points as part of her 11th double double of the season. And the mystics, league leaders and turnovers had a season low seven. Rob Woodfork, WTOPP Sports.