During the first year of Donald Trump’s presidency, the Trump International Hotel in Washington charged the Secret Service more than $200,000 in taxpayer money, including a bill topping $30,000 for two days of use, according to expense documents obtained by NBC News.

The documents, obtained through a Freedom of Information Act request covering Secret Service expenditures, detail money the agency spent at the property from September 2016 to February 2018, which came to a total of $215,254.

While the nature of the charges were not disclosed in the documents, the hotel five blocks from the White House has become a go-to venue for Trump and his supporters for various events, including a fundraiser the president attended Tuesday for his re-election campaign.

These type of events inevitably require Secret Service detail and heavy use of the property and food services to accommodate and feed personnel.

The Boston Celtics are the frontrunners to sign Charlotte Hornets All-Star point guard Kemba Walker when free agency opens on Sunday, according to ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski.

The star of the University of Connecticut's 2011 National Championship team is one of the most sought-after free agents in this year's class, and would be a logical replacement for Kyrie Irving if he signs with the New Jersey Nets or another team as expected.

Rumors have surfaced in the past couple days that the Celtics were interested, but Wojnarowski's report adds a new level of certainty to that talk.

Shams Charania of The Athletic also chimed in on the Walker sweepstakes, saying talks with the Hornets have reached a "stalemate," leaving an opening for Boston and several other teams.

Walker, 29, averaged a career-high 25.6 points per game and was named an All-Star starter for the first time in the 2018-19 season. He's spent his entire 8-year career with the Hornets.

In order to clear enough cap space to sign Walker to a maximum contract, the Celtics would have to renounce their rights to free agents Irving, Al Horford, Marcus Morris and Terry Rozier.

Police are not allowing visitors into Topstone Park in Redding Thursday morning after a mother bear and two cubs were spotted.

In a Facebook post, Redding police posted a photo of bears in a tree and urged people to be cautious in the area of the park. They said the state Department of Energy and Environmental Protection and the Redding park and recreation department was notified.

Police said they are suspending access into the park until the bears move along.

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A former Trumbull police officer was arrested Thursday, charged with a computer crime he is accused of committing while he was still a member of the department, according to state police.

State police began an investigation in Sept. 2018 of a possible sexual assault involving Michael Gonzalez, police said in a release Thursday. The alleged sexual assault took place in August 2017, police said.

During their investigation, the State Police Central District Major Crime Unit determined Gonzalez illegally used the Trumbull Police Department's National Crime Index Computer to search for addresses and vehicles listed for the person who made the sexual assault complaint, according to state police. Gonzalez is accused of using the computer for that purpose once in March 2017 and once again in April 2017.

Gonzalez turned himself in Thursday morning and was charged with two counts of third-degree computer crime.

He was not charged with sexual assault. The statute of limitations expired for fourth-degree sexual (inappropriate sexual contact), according to state police.

Gonzalez resigned as a Trumbull officer in October 2018, police said.

Parts of the Naval Submarine Base New London have been evacuated after the discovery of deteriorated explosives in a bunker at the Groton base.

About 3 pounds of explosives were discovered during a routine inspection of the bunker in the bases weapons compound around 11 a.m., according to the Navy.

The explosives are used for military dog training.

A recreation area on the base, a golf course on the base, and the Thames View Marina were evacuated, the Navy said.

An explosive ordinance disposal team was brought in from Rhode Island to execute a controlled detonation of the explosives, according to the Navy. That is expected to happen in a small forest area inside the base.

The sub base's leaders have been in contact with leaders in both Groton and Ledyard to keep them updated on the situation.

The actual time of the controlled detonation has not been determined.

A Florida murder suspect was found hiding in a New Britain basement, according to authorities in Florida.

Police said 20-year-old Luis Rivera is a suspect in the killing of 16-year-old Bruce Hagans. Hagans’ body was found in a shallow grave in Orange County, Florida. Police believe he was shot and abducted in Winter Garden, Florida on May 31.

Investigators identified Rivera as a suspect but he fled the area. On Tuesday authorities tracked Rivera to a home in New Britain, Connecticut. Police said he was helped into hiding by extended family and friends.

Rivera faces multiple charges including second-degree murder and tampering with evidence. He has been extradited back to Orange County to face the charges.

Users from pro-Trump communities on 4chan and Reddit implored fellow members to vote for lower-polling candidates in online polls, specifically Tulsi Gabbard and Bill de Blasio, in the hours after Wednesday’s Democratic debate — a sign that digital manipulation efforts related to U.S. politics and elections remain very much alive.

Users on 4chan’s anonymous far-right /pol/message board repeatedly posted links to polls across the web, encouraging one another to “blow the polls out” for Gabbard, the congresswoman from Hawaii who has developed a substantial support base among many of its users, NBC News reported.

The posts pointed users toward polls on national news websites like the Drudge Report, The Washington Examiner, and Heavy.com, but also polls from local news providers like NJ.com, which posts from several newspapers in the state.

Kids across Connecticut didn’t let the warm weather stop them from having fun at their sports camps Thursday.

“It’s like really, really hot and hard to run,” said Leah Lucey, a fourth grader from Glastonbury.

Running comes with the territory in soccer.

“They’re doing passing, shooting, dribbling, goal keeping,” explained David Farrell, the director of the Oakwood Select Soccer Academies.

When the summer sun is beating down on players at the Oakwood Soccer Academy in Portland, their instructors find ways to help them beat the heat.

“We’ll make the space that they play in a little bit smaller so they’re doing less running,” said Nina Aglico, one of the assistant coaches and counselors for the soccer camp.

“I like it a lot when we get water breaks because we get to go in the shade,” said Myra Stanfield, a West Hartford fifth grader.

Players lined up to take extra water breaks, have a cool summer treat, and a run through the sprinkler. They also took rests in the shade and a break inside to watch the Women’s World Cup.

“We have some industrial fans underneath the tent over there and they’re pretty good about hydration,” Farrell pointed out.

Leah explained that she works up a sweat playing in cool weather. During the dog days of summer, “You’ve got to push yourself out of your comfort zone to play in this kind of heat,” she said.

Still, the children said summer is their favorite time of the year to play.

“I’ll tell you something, it’s better than playing in the freezing cold,” third grader Lucca Macchio said frankly.

Farrell pointed out that it’s not just the summer sun they worry about, but also the heat radiating up from the turf. NBC Connecticut used a radar thermometer to test the temperature of the turf and found it hovering between 150 and 160 degrees at 2 p.m.

“You get a reflective quality off of the turf, that brings the heat coming back up off the turf and then the kids are getting it from behind as well on the top of their head,” explained Farrell.

He said instructors take the air and turf temperature into account when planning the day’s drills. Instead of playing full soccer games for hours on end, they do short drills with regular breaks in the shade in between.

“It’s been really hard but you can still do it if you really put in the effort,” said Logan Humphries, a sixth grader from East Haddam.

Logan said he tries not to wear black on hot days and listens to his dad.

“On a day like today, I tell him always drink a lot of water, don’t just drink Powerade the whole time drink water too,” said his father Eric Humphries.

Luckily, their instructors have spent time under the summer sun in soccer cleats themselves.

“I definitely remember when I played camps I was very hot so that’s why I try to give them more water breaks and keep it light and fun,” said Erin Goss, and assistant coach councilor for the program.

All of the staff are trained to look for heat stroke and heat exhaustion. There is also an ice bath on hand.

A colorful Simsbury crosswalk is catching the eyes of drivers and joggers along Ironhouse Boulevard.

It’s paying homage to National Pride Month.

On Monday, the town’s selectman unanimously approved a declaration to celebrate diversity and inclusion.

Red, orange, green, blue, yellow and purple fill the entrance of the Rotary Parkway.

Simsbury Public Works added the final touches on Wednesday. The goal is to unite residents of different backgrounds.

Jane Donahue couldn’t wait for the start of the Talcott Mountain Music Festival to see the new addition.

“I just think it’s amazing,” said Donahue. “I think it’s beautiful and we love it,”

The array of colors reflecting off the ground show a clear message.

Cheryl Cook is a town selectman and leader of the community and diversity inclusion committee.

“We want to express our desire to celebrate diversity and inclusivity in our community,” Cook said. “There is still a feeling of isolation, fear and rejection.”

The glamourous facelift made its official debut on Wednesday.

Bryan Cosham is a part of the LGBTQ community and long-time resident.

“We really feel supported and loved that people want it to become permanent,” said Cosham “The crosswalk is a way for kids to feel themselves and to become what they want to be.”

The Board of Selectmen is set to host a ribbon-cutting ceremony on July 5 at 5 p.m.

The Talcott Mountain Music Festival will kick off on June 28 at 7:30 p.m.

A California man was arrested after he trespassed into the Adrienne Arsht Center in Miami and walked onto the stage minutes before the start of the first night of the Democratic presidential debates, police said.

Austin Ogg, of Lockeford, California, was not credentialed and first attempted to get into the building before he was questioned and given a warning from a witness, Miami police said in an arrest report.

Ogg was able to get into the center later after telling a security guard that he had to use the restroom, police said. He stayed inside the restroom for about an hour and then made his way to the auditorium when the candidates were onstage before the debate started. 

Police said Ogg attempted to speak while onstage but was quickly removed by security.

Ogg, 30, faces a charge of trespassing and was booked into jail on $500, online records show.

The man arrested in a deadly New Hampshire crash that killed seven members of a marine motorcycle club was also arrested in Connecticut for DUI last month.

The Massachusetts Department of Transportation said Connecticut didn’t properly report 23-year-old Vlodymyr Zhukovskyy’s arrest.

But Connecticut’s DMV deputy commissioner said his department did everything right.

“I cannot find anything wrong, the team cannot find anything wrong,” Tony Guerrera, deputy commissioner of the Department of Motor Vehicles said.

Connecticut’s Department of Motor Vehicles Deputy Commissioner called the statements made by Massachusetts officials flat out false.

“Right now everything is by statute and what we’re supposed to do,” Guerrera said.

Guerrera says statements made Tuesday by Massachusetts Department of Transportation that Connecticut DMV did not properly report Volodymyr Zhukovsky’s operating under the influence arrest are wrong and the he has the proof.

“When something like this happens the information was inputted, it was sent over to the state where that licensing would be which in this case was Massachusetts we received acknowledgment through the electronic database that they received it,” Guerrera said.

Guerrera says under state and federal statute the DMV is required to report commercial drivers’ arrests to the American Association of Motor Vehicle Administrators and Commercial Driver’s License Information System which is a part of AAMVA.

This statement from MassDOT’s Secretary and CEO Stephanie Pollack reads in part, “To the RMV’s knowledge, Connecticut failed to provide sufficient information through the federal CDL system (CDLIS) upon his May 11th OUI offense and refusal of a chemical test for the violations to automatically apply to his MA driving record.”

But Guerrera says the very association that his department is required to report to, AAMVA, is now backing the DMV’s reporting saying: “Based on the facts known at this time, it appears that the Connecticut Department of Motor Vehicles has followed the established process for reporting this type of violation through [the Commercial Driver’s License Information System] to another state.”

“Always open to have a dialogue we’re not trying to point fingers here nothing like that we always want to work with our neighbors and states,” Guerrera said.

The question of "Are you an American citizen?" will not appear on the 2020 census following a ruling from the Supreme Court one day before a summer break.

Chief Justice John Roberts joined four justices in finding the Trump Administration’s explanation for adding the question insufficient.

Local and state leaders said this ruling will lead to a more accurate count next year of the population statewide as well as in cities and towns, while President Trump is already criticizing the decision from the highest court in the land.

“I was actually undocumented for a while,” said Tabitha Sookdeo, who is now considered a DREAMER.

She said her immigrant parents brought her from Guyana in South American to Jacksonville, Florida when she was 16-years-old.

“My family and I came to the United States for economic and social opportunity,” Sookdeo said.

Recently, she said her status in the United States has changed.

“At the moment I do have provisional status because I was recently married to an American citizen,” she said, adding one day she hopes to become a U.S. citizen.

Sookdeo said she supports the Supreme Court throwing out the citizenship question in the 2020 census.

“It has one to do with human dignity,” she said, “right, it ensures people are seen as people and not because of their status.”

New Haven Mayor Toni Harp (D) applauded the 5-4 decision by the Supreme Court.

“This means we’re going to get a more accurate count that means we’ll get more state resources and more federal resources,” she said.

President Trump is attacking the ruling, tweeting, “Seems totally ridiculous that our government, and indeed Country, cannot ask a basic question of Citizenship in a very expensive, detailed and important Census, in this case for 2020. I have asked the lawyers if they can delay the Census, no matter how long, until the United States Supreme Court is given additional information from which it can make a final and decisive decision on this very critical matter. Can anyone really believe that as a great Country, we are not able the ask whether or not someone is a Citizen. Only in America!”

Lt. Governor Susan Bysiewicz, who is in charge of the state’s census efforts, called the ruling a “victory.”

“The point of attempting to include a citizenship question on the census was a deliberate attempt to drive down the response rates particularly in immigrant communities and in communities of color,” she said.

Since moving to New Haven, Sookdeo has worked with immigrants and refugees at IRIS.

“It doesn’t put people in fear,” she said of the SCOTUS ruling, “it gets people out of the shadows because numbers are important to determine how much money we need and what resources we need in every community.”

The Constitution requires a census count every 10 years. A citizenship question had once been common, but not since 1950.

Forms for the 2020 census are supposed to be printed starting next week.

A 16-year-old has been arrested in connection with an attack on a jogger in Branford Tuesday.

Police said they arrested the teen Thursday after executing a search warrant at the teen’s home.

Branford police said the victim was running in the Mill Creek area when a teen attacked her around 8:30 p.m.

The teen was charged with fourth-degree sexual assault and second-degree breach of peace.

The Branford Police Department encourages reporting suspicious activity.

The second night of the first debate of the 2020 Democratic presidential primary race kicks off at 9 p.m. ET tonight at the Adrienne Arsht Center in Miami. Ten more presidential hopefuls will hit the stage, including former Vice President Joe Biden and former Democratic presidential contender Sen. Bernie Sanders. Watch coverage live here or on NBC or Telemundo, and follow along with news and analysis below.

Note: The blog will refresh on its own every 2 minutes.

A former New London school employee is facing a new sexual assault charge as part of an ongoing police investigation into allegations tied to the man’s actions while working at Bennie Dover Jackson Middle School.

Corriche Gaskin, 35, was charged with second-degree assault and risk of injury Thursday. He was already being held at Bridgeport Correctional Center on other charges.

Gaskin was first arrested in April as a result of alleged criminal activity involving a student and was charged with risk of injury to a minor, police said. In May, he was arrested again and charged with sexual assault, possession of child pornography, voyeurism, disseminating voyeuristic materials and multiple counts of risk of injury.

According to one arrest warrant, Gaskin was employed as a behavioral specialist at Bennie Dover.

Gaskin was fired after the second arrest, district officials said.

The allegations against Gaskin set off a large-scale investigation that led to the arrest of two other employees and prompted the New London school board to look into the district’s hiring processes. 

Police have not said exactly how the three cases are connected.

In a previous statement New London Public School Superintendent Cynthia Richie called the situation "extremely disturbing" and said the district is working with police and the Department of Children and Families. NBC Connecticut has reached out to New London Public Schools for comment on the new charges.

The investigation is ongoing.

Anyone with information is asked to call the New London Police Department’s Detective Bureau at 860-447-1481 or submit anonymous information through the New London Tips 411 system by texting NLPDTip plus the information to Tip411 (847411).

Jared Kushner, President Donald Trump's son-in-law and adviser, often held talks with Saudi Arabia's crown prince and other foreign government officials without briefing or informing senior U.S. diplomats about his discussions, former Secretary of State Rex Tillerson told lawmakers in testimony released Thursday.

Tillerson recounted his experience in the top diplomatic job at a closed-door hearing with the House Foreign Affairs Committee last month and the transcript was released to NBC News and other media Thursday.

Tillerson, fired last year by Trump, said he was sometimes caught off guard by Kushner's talks with foreign officials. In one case, Tillerson said he was dining at a restaurant in Washington when the owner of the restaurant told him Mexico's foreign minister was seated at another table.

When asked how Democrats intend to pay for all the programs they are proposing, Sen. Kamala Harris said that on Day 1 of her presidency she would repeal the tax bill that benefits the top 1% during Thursday night's Democratic presidential debate.

Two people were seriously hurt in a motorcycle crash in Vernon Thursday.

It happened on Route 83 near Merline Road around 7:40 p.m. A male rider was taken to Saint Francis and a female passenger airlifted to Hartford Hospital with life-threatening injuries.

The accident reconstruction team is on scene and Route 83 is closed between Thrall and Dart Hill roads.

No other details were immediately available.

Check back for updates.

A woman is dead after being pulled from a pool in Hamden Wednesday.

Hamden police said emergency crews responded to a home on Shepard Avenue around 4 p.m. for a reported drowning.

Police said the victim’s husband told police he found his 64-year-old wife face down in the family pool. He said he and a neighbor rushed to her aid.

She was rushed to Yale-New Haven Hospital where she later died.