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Sean Salai

Sean Salai is the general assignment/culture reporter for The Washington Times. A former National desk intern and Metro clerk at The Washington Times, he also has served as a City Hall reporter at the Boca Raton News and as a special contributor at America Media. He can be reached at ssalai@washingtontimes.com.

Articles by Sean Salai

Survey finds that 40% of D.C.-area eateries likely to close this year

About 40% of casual dining restaurants in the D.C. area expect to close this year due to higher food costs, tipped wage increases and federal layoffs, according to a survey by the Restaurant Association Metropolitan Washington.

March 20, 2025

Trump pivots to supply side to tackle inflation

Economists say inflation cannot be tamed until pandemic-era imbalances between supply and demand are rectified -- a goal the Trump administration aims to achieve by unleashing private sector productivity.

March 19, 2025

Texas officials arrest two more suspects in crackdown on illegal Houston abortion clinics

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton announced Tuesday the arrests of two more people in a widening probe of illegal abortion clinics in the Houston metropolitan area.

March 18, 2025

Texas officials accuse ‘abortion midwife’ of operating illegal clinics

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton announced the arrest Monday of a midwife known as "Dr. Maria" on charges of operating a network of illegal abortion clinics in the Houston metro area.

March 17, 2025

Study finds domestic adoptions surging as international programs end

Domestic adoptions increased by 3.17% between 2019 and 2022 as disruptions in China and Ukraine curbed Americans' access to babies overseas, the National Council for Adoption reported Monday.

March 17, 2025

Americans feel down on their physical, mental health: Gallup poll

Americans' self-reported mental and physical health tied historic lows in Gallup polling released Thursday, reflecting a decadelong decline that fell fast during the COVID-19 pandemic.

March 13, 2025

Governors pitch state agency jobs to laid-off federal workers

Several governors have moved to hire federal workers fired by the Trump administration for open state jobs, tapping a growing labor pool of unemployed bureaucrats.

March 13, 2025

NTSB urges limits on helicopters near Reagan National airport after fatal crash

Federal investigators probing January's fatal air collision near Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport have called for restrictions on military helicopters to make the area safer for commercial passengers.

March 11, 2025

Janice Wright, meticulous legal ads guru for The Washington Times, dies at 71

Janice Wright, a meticulous recordkeeper who guided The Washington Times' classified legal advertising for three decades, died Feb. 24 at age 71.

March 11, 2025

Trump’s transportation chief tells D.C. leaders to make transit great again

The Trump administration has called on leaders in the District of Columbia to upgrade the safety and security of the city's transit systems "to restore greatness to our nation's capital."

March 7, 2025

WATCH: How fraudsters use fake QR codes to empty your bank account

Fraud investigators say at least 10% of QR codes attached to online orders, restaurant tabletops and public posters are scams, as Chinese state-sponsored hackers increasingly target financial information stored on smartphones.

March 7, 2025

Education Department investigating ongoing special-ed problems in D.C. Public Schools

The Trump administration has opened a Department of Education investigation into D.C. Public Schools over allegations of widespread discrimination against special needs students.

March 6, 2025

Maryland, Virginia, D.C. officials predict economic woes for the region as Trump shrinks government

Maryland, Virginia and D.C. officials say President Trump's plan for downsizing the federal government could hurt the metropolitan region's economy.

March 5, 2025

Academic progress in D.C. Public Schools remains sluggish after pandemic, report shows

Students enrolled in the D.C. Public Schools made modest testing gains last year but continued to perform at below-average levels.

March 4, 2025

Vice President Vance tells conservative Catholics to respect, pray for ailing pope

Vice President J.D. Vance acknowledged Pope Francis' displeasure with the Trump administration's immigration policy and led a prayer for the ailing pontiff Friday at the National Catholic Prayer Breakfast.

February 28, 2025

Peak bloom for cherry blossoms predicted as March 28-31

The National Park Service has released its peak bloom prediction for the District's Tidal Basin cherry blossoms, and enthusiasts hope it's accurate enough to avoid a repeat of last year's St. Patrick's Day surprise.

February 27, 2025

GOP-led states embrace DOGE’s return-to-office move for government workers

Several GOP-led states are in step with President Trump's push to make government workers return to the office or forfeit their jobs.

February 26, 2025

D.C. Delegate Eleanor Holmes Norton asks DOD to ground VIP helicopter flights near Reagan airport

D.C. Delegate Eleanor Holmes Norton asked the Department of Defense on Tuesday to end all nonessential VIP helicopter flights in the region to make Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport safer.

February 25, 2025

JAMA study finds 22,180 more births in first 14 states that restricted abortion

The first 14 states that restricted abortion after the Supreme Court struck down Roe v. Wade in June 2022 delivered 22,181 more babies into the world as a result, a federally funded study shows.