About Washingtonian Today
Washingtonian Today is not just another political news roundup. Instead, this daily morning brief provides local context on national news, catches you up on what’s happening at Washingtonian, points you toward super duper awesome things to do around town, and lets you in on some special events going on in-house. Sign up here to receive Washingtonian Today in your inbox every morning.
Congrats, we made it to Friday! Fall weather has finally settled in. I love to warm up with an extra-large coffee from Philz or Firehook Bakery. Do you have some favorite morning spots? Let me know.
Truth be told, I nearly ran out of dragon energy yesterday trying to follow Kanye West around Washington. Mr. West’s nearly 10-minute long speech was as zany as you may have expected; the rapper and fashion designer riffing on everything from police brutality in Chicago to why Trump must be “the freshest, the flyest” and have “the flyest planes, the best factories.” (You can read the full transcript here, and make sure to look out for keywords “Unabomber” and “trap door”—the anecdote is something for the history books.)
He made an encore speech at the Georgetown Apple Store a few hours later, echoing some of his same talking points about free thought. Lucky for everyone, I did not stand up on a table at the Apple store, though after some particularly tough Genius Bar appointments I can’t say I haven’t thought about it.
The Vatican and Pope Francis accepted Cardinal Wuerl’s resignation this morning amid continued allegations of years of sexual misconduct and abuse in the church. In his letter to Wuerl, the pope writes that Wuerl made “clear the intent to put God’s Project first, before any personal project” in offering his resignation.
Ann Limpert will hold her weekly chat at 11 AM. Do you have questions about the Mirabelle or Momofuku refreshes? Or maybe you just want some ideas for places to try this weekend? You can leave questions now, and she’ll get to as many as she can later this morning.
What we have cooking at Washingtonian:
- Is the restaurant name I’m Eddie Cano genius or just infuriating? We talked to a branding expert to see what the deal is with this new restaurant’s moniker.
- Years after he was murdered, Matthew Shepard will finally be laid to rest. Here’s how you can pay your respects.
- The DC episode of The Shop airs tonight on HBO. We chatted to the owner of Immortal Beloved, the salon slash barber shop where Drake and LeBron James filmed their interview.
- Kanye West did a lot of usual things yesterday. One of them was standing on a table at the Apple Store and ranting about, well, we’re not quite sure. But one interesting, futuristic shopper caught our eye and made us think, wait, are we in the Matrix?
Our pick for things to do around the District:
ART The new exhibit at ARTECHOUSE, “New Nature,” incorporates AI and responsive technology to generate patterns of insects and plants that react to the people inside the exhibition room. The exhibit’s Polish-born artist, Marpi, is inspired by the world of gaming—and specifically MMORPG (massively multiplayer online role-playing games)—to create interactive art installations; take a peek at his Instagram account for a sense of the visuals. The venue’s bar will feature seasonal interactive cocktail drinks that complement the artwork. Through January 13. $15.
Free Fitness:
Maybe instead of HIIT, you enjoy picking up heavy things and setting them back down. Your first class is also free at CrossFit DC, where coaches will walk you through the jargon (WOD, ladders, AMRAP) and exercises, focusing on proper form. Sign up for the free intro class here. 1507 U St., NW and 1365 H St., NE.
Good reads:
- Jonathan Swan smartly points out that now more than ever Trump is giving significant attention to television, from lengthy interviews on Fox & Friends to a televised Kanye West pool spray. He explains what that means for the rest of Trump’s administration. (Axios)
- Please take a break from politics news altogether and relax into this phenomenal look into “Dril”, the most interesting account on Twitter dot com. (The Verge)
Big events from Washingtonian:
Need last-minute dinner ideas? Our Cheap Eats list might help.
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Brittany Shepherd covers the societal and cultural scene in political Washington. Before joining Washingtonian as a staff writer in 2018, Brittany was a White House Correspondent for Independent Journal Review. While she has lived in DC for a number of years now, she still yearns for the fresh Long Island bagels of home. Find her on Twitter, often prattling on about Frasier.
