Maryland Governor Larry Hogan has stopped pursuing a new Washington Redskins stadium. According to the Washington Post, Hogan will no longer push to relocate the team’s stadium to Oxon Cove Park near MGM. This move leaves team owner Daniel Snyder with few allies other than DC Mayor Muriel Bowser, who is reportedly working to secure RFK stadium for the embattled (to say the least!) team.
Speaking of splits…the son-in-law of William Barr—Trump’s pick for Attorney General—is leaving the Alexandria-based US Attorney’s office in order to work for the White House counsel’s office, officials told CNN. I guess 1600 Pennsylvania continues to be a family affair. Barr’s daughter, who headed opioid enforcement in the deputy attorney general’s office, is headed to Treasury.
Oh, it’s Valentine’s Day. Happy day of love! I hope you take the time to celebrate all sorts of relationships that spark joy, much like my relationship with you, dear reader. For you, a poem about our evolving relationship:
Look, it’s only been months
To watch our relationship grow—
But our passion’s on fire,
just like the Metro.
Still scrambling for a date idea? You’re in luck. Explorational presidential candidate and Twitter Ratio Man™ Howard Schultz will be at Sixth & I tonight to talk about his new book, which has exactly one coffee pun in its title. Not a fan of Schultz’s beans? You’re in luck, too! “NoHowardNo”, an anti-Schultz group led by Democratic consultant Bud Jackson, plans to host a counter-protest outside the venue. Nothing says true love like exercising a civil liberty or two in the cold. For what it’s worth, Schultz is not doing so well in the polling; a recent CNN poll shows a hefty…13 percent favorability.
Welcome to Wednesday with Washingtonian Today. I’m your author, Brittany Shepherd. I’ll be on Cheddar at 9:20 this morning, chatting about Trump’s potential national emergency declaration and Paul Manafort. You can watch right on Twitter. Email me at bshepherd@washingtonian.com and follow me on Twitter. Are you paying someone for this newsletter? They’re ripping you off; it’s supposed to be free! Sign up for your own copy here and help stop cyber crime.
Presidential plans: Melania Trump heads to the National Institute of Health this afternoon to craft with young patients and their parents. I’ve reached out to the White House to see whether she and President Trumphave any plans of their own, and I’ve yet to hear back. We know her husband has a preference for his own hotel, so perhaps the couple could check out the attached Sushi Nakazawa—our critic says it has some of the best sushi in Washington.
What’s on my mind: Paul Manafort is accused of doing crimes again. And the Dioceses of Arlington and Richmond released lists of clergy credibly accused of sexual abuse of a minor. Altogether, 58 priests were named.
What we have cooking at Washingtonian:
- Download these lefty V-Day cards for the woke bae in your life.
- Masonic Temple wedding!!! Yet no National Treasure references.
- This one book may be the reason you may—or may not—read the Mueller report.
- It took two months and about $200 for Southeast DC resident Jason Gomez to make his Thor costume. And that’s just the beginning of what he spends on cosplay.
- Sometimes in the winter, you need to hunker down with a good soup and shut the rest of the world out. I’m a clam chowder girl so our list of best delivery soups sings to my soul.
- Keep you and your kids entertained at one of these four snow day activities. I love the “How Things Fly” gallery at the National Air and Space Museum even as an adult!
- Want to be more grown up? Consider upgrading the soup night to a game night.
- Pretend to be #bougie and virtually tour these homes for sale.
Our pick for things to do around town:
ICE Disney On Ice will perform its “Worlds of Enchantment” show at Capital One Arena. See favorite Disney characters from Cars, Toy Story 3, The Little Mermaid, and Frozen perform aerial stunts and dances. Through February 18. $20-$65.
Good reads:
The story of the people who call their cars home. (CityLab)
Big events from Washingtonian:
Join me and Brad Jenkins, a veteran of both the Obama administration and Funny or Die’s DC office, for a discussion on what it’s like to work in the White House, how Americans get their information, how to make policy entertaining, and more! Listen: The bar will be open, the laughs will be plentiful, and the karaoke optional. This is a great opportunity to mingle with folks in the know. Plus you get to meet me, which is often a memorable experience. It’s happening on February 27. Get tickets here.
Our food critic Ann Limpert chats with readers every Friday at 11 AM. It’s such a fun event–just look at last week’s transcript! You can leave a question now for this week’s chat, and Ann will get to as many as she can tomorrow morning.
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.
