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DC Council Member Vincent Gray won't seek reelection in 2024
Dec 20, 2023
D.C. Council Member and former mayor Vincent Gray won’t seek reelection in 2024, he announced Wednesday, just over two years after he suffered a stroke.
Gray, 81, said serving in the District government has been one of the greatest honors of his life in a statement, but the mission to make the District a better place will never be complete.
"I will continue to be an advocate for our city and the people who call it home, but the time has come for me to pursue that as a private citizen,” Gray said.
Gray plans to serve out the rest of his term as Ward 7 Council Member until it ends in January 2025.
Gray said his final year in office won’t be different than any others.
“The council member has occupied a big space in Ward 7 politics for a long time,” said Mayor Muriel Bowser, who defeated Gray when he ran for reelection as mayor in 2014.
“I think he can look back on lots of years in elective office where he's contributed a lot to the District … I know those decisions aren't easy to make, and I wish him well,” she added.
Gray served as D.C.’s mayor from 2011 to 2015 after running on a "One City" platform aiming to unite the diverse District. He lost his 2014 reelection campaign amid a long-running federal probe into a shadow campaign scandal that helped elect Gray mayor in 2010. Prosecutors ended that probe without charging Gray.
Two years later, he returned to elected office as the Ward 7 Council Member. According to his website biography, he pushed for school reform and government transparency.
In 2020, Gray won the Democratic primary with about 48% of the vote in his 2020 primary, ensuring an easy path to reelection to the council.
Gray had a “mild stroke” in 2021. According to The Washington Post, other council members became concerned about his health in the following months.
Ward 7 voters will choose a new representative at the June 4 primary and Nov. 5 general election next year. Longtime political analyst and former News4 reporter Tom Sherwood said he expects at least a dozen people to run for Gray’s seat. Even before his announcement, six candidates had filed run for the seat. Bowser said Wednesday that she will consider whether or not to endorse a candidate.
https://www.nbcwashington.com/news/politics/dc-council-member-vincent-gray-wont-seek-reelection-in-2024/3498569/
U.S., Venezuela Reach Deal On Prisoner Swap
12:22 PM – Wednesday, December 20, 2023
Venezuela has agreed to release 36-prisoners, including 10 Americans, in exchange for one ally of embattled President Nicolas Maduro.
On Wednesday, details of the prisoner swap announced that the U.S. government will be releasing Colombian businessman Alex Saab in exchange for 36 people. Saab is accused of helping Maduro defraud the oil-rich nation by serving as his top money-launderer.
The White House released a statement regarding securing the release of the Americans detained in Venezuela. Of the 10 Americans being released, six were wrongfully detained.
President Biden ignored shouted questions from reporters about the exchange on Wednesday morning.
However, Secretary of State Antony Blinken addressed it during his end of the year press conference.
“We want to make sure that our fellow Americans are released,” Blinken reiterated. “We are also focused on political prisoners in Venezuela and trying to ensure their release. So, what I can say in this moment is this: we have a lot of work going on both of those fronts right now, and we hope to have some good news to share probably later today.”
As has been the case with previous prisoner exchanges, the swap is likely to take place in a third country.
https://www.oann.com/newsroom/u-s-venezuela-reach-deal-on-prisoner-swap/