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.
Going Wall In for Trump: Brian Kolfage has started a GoFundMe page to raise money for Trump administration’s proposed border wall. In the last three days, 50,341 people have donated $3,083,018—peanuts compared to their $1 B goal. Trump has been frustrated in his attempts to secure the funding he desires for the “steel slats (wall)” from either Congress or Mexico. If you’d like to give money to the federal government directly, the US Treasury has a page here.
Hi, good morning, and happy Thursday. I’m Brittany Shepherd, the author of this morning newsletter. Feel free to contact me at bshepherd@washingtonian.com or find me on Twitter. Sign up for this newsletter here.
Prime Real Estate: Amazon’s HQ2 project has sparked concern in the residents of Hispanic enclave Chirilagua, an Alexandria neighborhood just one mile from Crystal City. Some locals are worried their community could split if home prices spike.
Something You May Have Missed: Instagram aficionado Senator Cory Booker featured some of his fellow members of Congress on his Instagram story yesterday. Senator Chuck Grassley—whose use of social media has been chronicled for years—said he’s unaware of how to add to his story. “I can Instagram but I can’t do it by voice.”
Our food critic Ann Limpert will chat with readers Friday at 11. Leave her a question now, and she’ll get to as many as possible.
What we have cooking at Washingtonian:
- You cross the street as soon as you see them—bright-eyed young canvassers with smocks and a question: “Hey, can I talk to you for a second?” So we decided to hang with them for a day and see what it’s like to do that job.
- Roger Stone is selling stones with his autograph and six other things to buy the Russian election meddler in your life.
- Here’s some workouts to get you that much closer to having Michelle Obama arms.
- Kerry Washington and Valerie Jarrett are among several new investors in the Wing’s new $75 million additional funding.
- Have a good boyfriend this holiday season? That’s cute. Here are the gifts you should be getting him.
Our pick for things to do around town:
MUSIC “The 9 Songwriter Series” features a rotating cast of 9 different songwriters. The collective’s next show at Union Stage is billed as a holiday show: you can expect to hear each one perform a holiday tune in addition to their original music. Performers typically collaborate, harmonize, and tell stories with one another. This show will include the 9’s leader Justin Trawick as well as Abby Sevcik (Mystery Friends), Louisa Hall, Kevin de Souza (Uptown Boys Choir), Grover, Davis Gestiehr (Davison), Greg Vickers, the Duskwhales, and Jasmine Gillison. $12 (in advance) or $15 (day of), 8:30 PM.
Good reads:
You can blame this guy for executive time—Justin McConney, the man who taught Trump how to tweet, speaks up. (Politico)
Big events from Washingtonian
Every year, Washingtonian hosts several photo contests, and we’re looking to you to help determine which contest we host in 2019. Vote for the photo contest you’d like to participate in.
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.
