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Americans4Hindus (A4H), a national organization committed to political empowerment and representation of Hindu Americans, successfully hosted Americans4Hindus Week in Washington, D.C. from November 5–9, 2025. The week included a National Summit, Leadership Retreat, and Multi-Community Engagement Roundtables designed to elevate the voice of Hindu Americans in the American political landscape.

Delegates, presidents, trustees, and Karmayogis from 18 State Chapters traveled from across the United States to participate.

Capitol Shutdown Becomes a Symbolic Statement of Resilience

Due to an unexpected shutdown at the U.S. Capitol, Americans4Hindus lost its pre-booked meeting room inside the Capitol. Rather than canceling or postponing, delegates gathered directly in front of the Capitol at the official Press Podium, delivering a united message to the nation:

“American Hindus are ready to participate and contribute to the political arena and governance—just as we have contributed to IT, medicine, business, education, and other leading sectors. We are prepared to participate from school boards to the Presidency, empowering democracy with our Hindu values. At present, our democracy seems to be in doldrums.”

— Dr. Romesh Japra, Founder & Chairman, Americans4Hindus

The press event highlighted that Hindu Americans are the highest per-capita income-earning community in the U.S., with decades of contributions to science, technology, health care, entrepreneurship, and education—yet remain significantly underrepresented in government and public policy.

Congressional Engagement and Policy Advocacy

In the afternoon session, Congressman Suhas Subramanyam addressed the delegates. He reinforced the importance of political engagement and encouraged Hindu Americans to take ownership of civic participation.

“If we want representation that respects our community, we must show up, organize, and lead.”

National Unity of Indian American Organizations

A special strategic meeting was held to unite a broad coalition of Indian American associations across the nation—cultural, religious, social, professional, business, economic, political, and educational groups.

This initiative was coordinated by Dr. Suvas Desai of Kentucky, with the goal of consolidating and amplifying the collective influence of the Indian diaspora in public policy and civic life.

Tribute to a Pioneer of Hindu Political Mobilization

Delegates paid tribute to the late Krishna Srinivasa, a visionary who spent four decades inspiring Hindu and Indian Americans to engage politically.

His life’s work planted seeds that are now growing through Americans4Hindus.

Leadership Retreat & Strategic Roadmap

A transformative Leadership Retreat was held at the Art of Living Center in Washington, D.C. Participants brainstormed bold ideas and committed to scaling major national initiatives, including:

Delegates pledged to invest their time, talent, treasure, and technology to advance these initiatives nationwide.

Launch of the National Hindu-Jewish Coalition of America (HJCA)

Another milestone during A4H Week was the creation of the

National Hindu-Jewish Coalition of America (HJCA) — a united platform for interfaith cooperation and shared democratic values.

The coalition is being coordinated by Nissim Reuben, who will serve as the organization’s inaugural Executive Director.

Leaders from both communities will participate in policy, advocacy, and cultural initiatives promoting pluralism, civil liberties, and mutual support.

About Americans4Hindus (A4H)

Americans4Hindus is an independent, non-partisan, national grassroots organization dedicated to political education, empowerment, and representation of Hindu Americans. A4H is registered as a Super PAC, Hybrid PAC, and Multi-Candidate PAC with the Federal Election Commission. For more information, visit the website americans4hindus.org.

“We are not just participating—we are shaping the future. From school boards to the U.S. Congress, American Hindus are ready to lead.”

— Americans4Hindus.

A people carrier used to take passengers to and from planes has crashed at an airport near Washington DC, injuring at least 18 people, authorities said.

The vehicle, which is also known as a mobile lounge, hit a dock at Washington Dulles International Airport around 16:30EST (21:30GMT) on Monday.

According to the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority (MWAA), the vehicle struck a dock, also causing damage to the terminal. The injured passengers used stairs to exit the carrier, and have been taken to hospital with non-life threatening injuries.

The use of mobile lounges at Dulles airport dates back to 1959, and have been long-criticised as out-of-date and insufficiently modern.

The lounge had been transporting passengers from Concourse D, and struck a dock at an angle as it was pulling up to the terminal, according to airport spokeswoman Crystal Nosal.

She added in a statement that the airport remains open and operating normally.

It is unknown how many passengers were onboard at the time of the crash.

Dulles, which is located in Virginia but serves as one of the primary airports for people traveling to and from Washington DC, maintains of fleet of 19 mobile lounges, with each able to transport 102 people.

"Government, just do your job" - Frustration at airports as shutdown delays continue

Earlier this week, a former Trump official who has been nominated to the board of the MWAA criticised the vehicles, telling senators during a confirmation hearing that "the people mover is a relic of the past".

"It's an embarrassment that international travelers, visiting the capital of the most powerful nation in the world, are transported back to the sixties," said Trent Morse.

According to NBC Washington, mobile lounges were involved in 16 accidents during a 10-year period between 2007-2017, including one fatal crash.

The latest incident took place amid the ongoing government shutdown, which has caused flight delays and long queues at US airports.

The Trump administration has ordered 40 airports, including Dulles, to reduce air traffic by 10% due to staffing shortages.

The Louisiana Board of Ethics confirmed Friday that elected officials and political candidates can use their campaign money for expenses related to Washington Mardi Gras following a law change earlier this year. The ethics board issued an advisory opinion last week to Mandeville Mayor Clay Madden, stating he can legally use campaign funds to cover his Washington Mardi Gras expenses. Madden intends to go to the event, which take place in 2026 during the last week of January, in his official capacity as a city representative.

“The Mayor intends to travel to the 2026 ‘Washington Mardi Gras’ event to engage in meetings with various stakeholders, including constituents, other municipal leaders, parish presidents, state legislators, and U.S. senators and representatives,” Elizabeth Sconzert, Mandeville’s city attorney, wrote in an email to the ethics board in August.

Washington Mardi Gras is an annual, four-day festival held in the nation’s capital featuring a formal Mardi Gras ball, parade, black-tie gala, business luncheons, political fundraisers and several parties thrown by and for the politically connected. Some of Louisiana’s large companies and lobbyists are among the most visible sponsors of the event.

Including airfare, hotel stays, krewe membership dues, event tickets and formal attire, it easily costs thousands of dollars for an individual to take part in the festivities.

Elected officials have, for years, used their campaign funds to go to Washington Mardi Gras, held at the Washington Hilton Hotel. Nearly $600,000 from Louisiana campaigns and political action committees accounts went to cover Washington Mardi Gras expenses in 2024 alone. But whether all this spending was allowed under state ethics laws has been unclear. The ethics board’s guidance on whether political campaign money could be used for Mardi Gras-related expenses has been muddled.

State law generally bans the use of campaign funds and political action committee money for “personal use,” but the Louisiana Legislature carved out a explicit exception for Washington Mardi Gras spending earlier this year. Under the new law, political candidates can use their campaign accounts to cover costs related to their attendance, as well as that of their spouses and children, at “events related to the Mardi Gras celebration in Washington D.C.” Prior to the law change, legislators had complained the ethics board was scrutinizing campaign account spending on Washington Mardi Gras.

It’s difficult to know what specific questions the ethics board was asking because its investigations are almost always confidential.

After nearly a decade working as a volunteer, Vietnam veteran Charlie Paul sees the capitol as an Honor Flight guest.

NORWAY, Maine — It is not the plaques on the wall at his house in Norway or the flag in the yard that Charlie Paul considers his "pride and joy." That title belongs to a photo of him from his 25 months fighting in Vietnam.

Paul served seven years in the Marines and another 20 in the Army Reserve, retiring as a command sergeant major. He applied that experience to his next mission with Honor Flight Maine.

“The planning and preparation to put a veteran in the air,” said Paul. “It’s what I live for.”

For the past nine years, Paul has been passionately serving his fellow veterans. He started as a volunteer and then became a Honor Flight Maine board member.

Eight times Paul flew with veterans from Maine to Washington. For Vietnam veterans like himself, the trip can bring tears.

“As they say, ‘Portland mist,’” Paul said, recalling a tender moment he shared with a fellow serviceman.

“You've started the healing process for me,” the veteran told Paul.

“It meant a lot to him, but it meant just as much to me,” Paul responded, choking on his words.

For eight years, Paul put off taking the trip as a veteran. That is until October when he and his daughter went with strict instructions not to work.

“I was even threatened to be put in a wheelchair with bubble wrap,” Paul chuckled. But it was at the Vietnam Memorial Wall where the healing started too.

“I took off my Vietnam cap and I took a challenge coin from my pocket,” Paul said with tears in his eye. “I left them at the wall as a tribute to my brothers I had lost.”

This Honor Flight trip was his last. He is retiring from his duties, but not from spreading the word. Paul will continue to share the mission of Honor Flight as an ambassador.

“I feel privileged to be a veteran,” Paul said.

If you're a fan of snow, Storm Team4 says this could be your year.

If you're not a fan of snow ... you may want to start bracing yourself now ahead of this winter in the D.C. area.

What factors does Storm Team4 examine to predict snowfall?

This year, the El Niño Southern Oscillation (ENSO) is in a weak La Niña phase.

Most of the time, weak La Niñas tend to give us less snow. But they tend to give the D.C. area fairly cool, if not cold, winters.

Last winter was also a weak La Niña year, and we got some very cold air, especially in January. We also got nearly 15" of snow over the course of the winter. That's above D.C.'s average annual snowfall of 13.7".

What will happen this time? Storm Team4's prediction depends on a few factors.

One factor is the amount of snow cover in Siberia in October, which actually affects how cold the D.C. area gets in the winter. This year, the snowfall there picked up, which could lead to colder winter weather here.

Another factor is what previous years with similar weather looked like. (Use the past to predict the future, right?)

We looked at three winters with similar La Niña numbers:

The average snowfall over those three winters was 22.8" — way above average.

So how much snow will D.C. get in the winter of 2025-26?

Storm Team4 is predicting somewhere in the range of 13" to 20" of snow for the D.C. metro area, and much more for our neighbors to the west.

Here's our breakdown by region:

There likely will be multiple snow events, including a couple of really big storms.

Some of the snow events are likely to start out as rain, then turn to snow as the temperature drops. Others will be all snow, all the time.

The storms that are 100% snow could become Nor'easters for our friends further up the East Coast — so if you have loved ones in New England, you might want to tell them to stock up on salt, shovels and snow chains now.

The second week of November brought the D.C. area its first taste of that arctic cold, with a frigid Monday and Tuesday. Get ready for more of the same as the season continues.

Dare we dream of a white Christmas?

It might be just like the ones you used to know!

While nothing is set in stone, we think there might be a better-than-average chance of snow for the holidays in 2025 — and maybe even a white Christmas.

Pat and Doug's 2025-26 Snow Stick Challenge

Don't miss your chance to win a Pat Collins Snow Stick!

Tell us what date and time you think the first inch of snow will fall at Reagan National Airport this season. If your guess is the closest without going past the time and date, you could win a Pat Collins Snow Stick. Go here to tell us your predictions.