Judge Lynn Leibovitz did everything she could to pry a convincing case from chief prosecutor Glenn Kirschner in Thursday’s closing arguments in the trial about the murder of Robert Wone. She let him go on for more than an hour to lay out his case that three men had conspired to obstruct justice after Wone was stabbed three times in their home in August 2006.

Then she lost patience.

“What evidence do you have when the conspiracy began?” she asked from the bench in Superior court.

And, “What is the evidence of an agreement?”

And, “Is it your position that I can find—beyond a reasonable doubt—that two of these defendants were there at the stabbing?”

There’s news today of an arrest in one of the most high-profile and unusual leaks of classified information in years, and it may have a lasting and potentially unsettling effect on the relationship between reporters in Washington and their confidential sources.

Specialist Bradley Manning, a 22-year-old Army solider from Potomac, Md., has been placed in confinement in Kuwait while he’s investigated for giving classified footage of a deadly U.S. helicopter strike in Iraq to the Web site WikiLeaks.  The footage caused a sensation when WikiLeaks released it in April, with the title “Collateral Murder.” It shows an attack in 2007 on a group that Apache helicopter pilots believed to be enemy fighters, but that turned out to consist mostly of civilians and news reporters.

Is it proud-parent week in Washington? Claire McCaskill, Bill Nelson, and Bob Inglis all have a lot of love for their kids at the moment, which never fails to make us go “aww.” And it isn’t just the parents: Mike Honda has the warm and fuzzies for Newsweek writer Andrew Romano, Jim Himes digs Greece, and Steve King is big fan of Tea Partiers. It certainly makes a change from all the sniping of yore. Long may it last.

In other news, Chris Lee’s office is apparently moonlighting as a travel bureau, Jason Chaffetz is cold (it’s always nice to see politicians liking something about Washington), Robert Menendez is excited about the Super Bowl, and Kendrick Meek is flying coach. We’ll miss Peter Roskam’s #lost updates, but we’re glad he’s not disappointed about the finale.

Conspiracy theorists are awaiting Dan Brown’s new book, The Lost Symbol. Building on his super-bestsellers The Da Vinci Code and Angels and Demons, about conspiratorial elements of the Catholic Church, Brown’s latest—set in Washington—is expected to feature another secret society with an elaborate history and illustrious membership: the Freemasons.

As a May 2006 Washingtonian article explored, the Washington area has a deep, rich history with the Masons. (To read the article, go to washingtonian.com/masons.) As the new book’s release approaches, Brown fans have been looking for hints to the plot—and some have been released on The Lost Symbol’s Twitter feed. Here’s what might come up in the novel:

We’ve known for years that Washington is a great place to live, so it’s nice to see that MTV is finally paying attention. The Real World: DC gets cameras rolling for its 23rd season in the Dupont Circle area this month, and the arrival of seven meticulously selected strangers has the neighborhood abuzz with anticipation. Here’s what happens when locals stop being polite and start getting real about the MTV invasion.

Tempers flared at last night’s Dupont Circle Advisory Commission meeting, which opened up discussion on MTV’s plans to film a season of The Real World in DC. Andrew Huff from the mayor’s office and Kathy Etemad Hollinger, director of DC’s Office of Motion Picture and Television Development, were on hand to field questions.

Huff refused to confirm the exact location of the house, despite reports earlier this week that the cast will live at 2000 S Street, Northwest. But he was able to shed light on a few new tidbits:

• The Real World will begin taping around June 20 and wrap by Thanksgiving.
• Half of crew hired for the show will be locals, Huff said, though he was vague about how many jobs it would create.
• Twelve public parking spaces are being occupied while the house is renovated. After June 20, four to six spaces will be returned for public use. The rest will be off limits to neighborhood residents until the show wraps.

In a move that should surprise absolutely no one, MTV issued a statement today officially announcing that the 23rd season of The Real World will be filmed in DC. We'll pause for a moment to let you recover from the shock . . .

Okay, ready? The statement says that eight young adults will be transplanted to Washington to "live and pursue their passions in the city that many of our country’s most influential figures call home."

The show's creative and executive producer, Jonathan Murray, said, “Young people have never been more engaged in what’s happening in this country and Washington, DC, is the perfect place for The Real World cast to express their opinions and pursue their passions.”

Our own mayor, Adrian M. Fenty, agreed: “In a time when our country has witnessed the impact and spirit of our nation’s young people, it is a pleasure to welcome MTV and The Real World cast to the District of Columbia as they utilize the immense opportunities that the District’s backdrop will undoubtedly provide.” We're assuming he's talking about Adams Morgan.

The statement includes no details about where the cast members will work while they're here, but that should be discovered soon enough—it confirms that taping will happen this summer. The show will air in 2010.

Get more Real World gossip here.  

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