News & Politics

Washingtonian Today: Bye Bye, Initiative 77

Photograph by Evy Mages

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.

Welcome to Wednesday, everybody! The DC Council has postponed its final vote on Airbnb regulations and officially overturned this summer’s Initiative 77. What does this mean for diners? Not much: Your Founding Farmers dining experience will be exactly as it was before. But employers must now adhere to the Tipped Wage Workers Fairness Amendment Act of 2018, which is designed to curb wage fraud.

Tucker Carlson says he can’t eat out at restaurants anymore without being accosted. Though not all hope is lost for Carlson’s dining aspirations; he is reportedly a regular at the Palm, a steakhouse just blocks away from the Daily Caller’s offices. Maybe he should check out our (slightly outdated–two places have since closed) 2015 list of the best bars to meet people discreetly if he wants a little more privacy.

Washingtonian senior editor Andrew Beaujon took advantage of yesterday’s pick for things to do: Slate’s Slow Burn live podcast event at the Hamilton. Here’s his dispatch:

What a DC event. It was tough to find bike parking, a video of Bill Clinton’s impeachment played in the downstairs venue, and there was a Slate merch table. Slow Burn host Leon Neyfakh talked about Clinton pal Webb Hubbell as a “keyhole” to the Clinton-Monica Lewinsky scandal and wondered what “keyholes we’re not yet able to see” to our time. He interviewed Ruth Marcus, who said she ”would do anything to have Bill Clinton back as President.” Hanna Rosin said Juanita Broaddrick’s allegation that Bill Clinton raped her “collapses the tidy feeling” liberals have about the Clintons, to a lot of approval from the audience. During the Q&A Undefeated columnist Clinton Yates asked about why the show let Ken Starr off the hook for how he mishandled sexual assault allegations when he was president of Baylor. And again because this was DC, someone asked about Slow Burn’s fact-checking process, and folks cheered Neyfakh’s praise for researcher Madeline Kaplan.

What we have cooking at Washingtonian:

  • The Trump administration’s rollback of Temporary Protective Status (TPS) affects over 30,000 Salvadoran residents in Washington. Here’s why TPS’s fate has such big implications for our area. (We also published the article in Spanish.)
  • You can finally catch a 9:45 PM “happy hour” cocktail at Broccoli City and &pizza’s new joint venture, Broccoli Bar.
  • We all want to be a little more healthy before the holidays. But sometimes you have the hankering only Chick-fil-A can, well, fill. We got a dietician to rank the healthiest things on the menu so you don’t have to feel so guilty nomming on those Chick-n-Minis.
  • Sorry, but I don’t “get” the appeal of edible cookie dough, and our food team doesn’t appear to, either. Check out the five things our food editors are buzzing about this month, including super-sweet food gimmicks to best new bar around town.

Our pick for things to do around the District:

BEER Learn about the history of beer in Virginia from Lee Graves, who will discuss his new book, Virginia Beer: A Guide from Colonial Days to Craft’s Golden Age, at Mad Fox Brewing in Falls Church. Several CEOs and brewers from local breweries will be on hand to discuss their experiences working in the industry; local beers will also be available for tasting. Free to attend, 6:30 PM.

Today’s Free Fitness Class:

Running the Marine Corps Marathon? By now you’re likely in taper mode, and the Pacers gang has you covered with an easy four-mile run led by running coach Tammy of TW Training and Wellness. After the run, a member of the MCM team will hang around to answer any lingering questions about the race. Register here300 Tingey St., SW.

Good reads:

  • Want to be an influential judge? Get yourself into the Heritage Foundation’s Clerkship Academy, says Mark Joseph Stern. Stern explains how Heritage creates a pipeline to Trump-ify the court.  (Slate)
  • Over the last ten years, Rent the Runway has been taking over the closets of city women. Here’s how its founders they turned a great idea into a cash cow. (The New Yorker)

Big events from Washingtonian:

Tucker Carlson should check out our list of 100 Best Restaurants if he needs to switch up his dining routine.

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Staff Writer

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.