Good morning. Gusty with a high of 59; low of 29 tonight. The Wizards host Toronto at 7 PM. My funding is usually frozen, you can find me on Bluesky, and there’s a link to my email address at the bottom of this post.
I can’t stop listening to:
Bettye LaVette, “Let Me Down Easy.” Happy birthday to a singer with of one of the most startling voices in pop music.
Here’s some administration news you might have blocked out:
• Buyout chaos: The Trump administration offered most federal workers more than seven months’ severance if they agree to resign by Thursday, February 6. (Axios) The administration cited a debunked figure about how many feds work in-person. (Government Executive) The process? “Send an email to hr@opm.gov… . Type the word ‘Resign‘ into the ‘Subject’ line of the email. Hit ‘Send’.” (OPM) The memo echoes Elon Musk’s “extremely hardcore” memo when he took over Twitter. (Washington Post) More Musk-iness: It’s not clear where OPM suddenly got the capacity to email millions of people, and some anonymous feds are suing. (Nextgov/FCW) “Don’t fall for it!” (Senator Tim Kaine) “[I]t’s simply an offer to telework until September.” (Christina Henderson) “Purging the federal government of dedicated career federal employees will have vast, unintended consequences that will cause chaos for the Americans who depend on a functioning federal government,” AFGE President Everett Kelley said in a statement.
• Freeze frozen: A judge paused Trump’s vaguely worded spending freeze until at least February 3. (Washington Post) (Washington Post) Trumps orders have scrambled work at the Pentagon. (Politico) Universities are reeling. (NYT) State Medicaid payments went offline. (Politico) More than 2,600 programs are under the microscope. (NYT)
• RFK Jr.‘s Senate hearings begin today. (Politico) His cousin Caroline Kennedy sent senators a letter that reads, “It’s no surprise that he keeps birds of prey as pets because he himself is a predator.”
• Retired Joint Chiefs chairman General Mark Milley just joined DC’s weirdest club: The administration pulled his security detail. (AP)
One good watch, by Sylvie McNamara

My son, an aspiring chef, has lately grown passionate about Anthony Bourdain. He read “Kitchen Confidential,” and now we’re watching through “Parts Unknown.” I’ve loved dipping into Bourdain’s travelogues, his trips to Myanmar and the Congo and Beirut. It’s a treat right now to be reminded of elsewhere—of other countries and warmer climes—and to see, over and over, that living with an oppressive government isn’t completely antithetical to joy.
Local news links:
• Trayon White‘s attorney Fred Cooke questioned the DC Council’s process during a hearing yesterday about whether to expel the councilmember, who faces federal bribery charges. (Martin Austermuhle) White wore a T-shirt that reads “THE FBI KILLED FRED HAMPTON” to his hearing. (Mark Segraves) “I wish he would resign,” Councilmember Robert C. White Jr. said. (Washington Post)
• The Smithsonian will close its diversity office. (Washington Post)
• The Capital Fringe festival called it quits. (WCP)
• Trump’s fiscal freeze could substantially affect government operations in DC, Maryland, and Virginia. (Washington Post)
• Caps’ stadium announcer Wes Johnson needs financial help. (Northern Virginia Magazine)
• What will the feds’ and Amazon’s return to office orders mean for National Landing? (ARLnow)
• The Tysons casino got closer to being a reality. (WBJ)
• MicroStrategy might change its name. (WBJ)
• #ThisTown
I’ll be calling it The Gulf of America just after I switch from calling the airport National Airport
— Deb Golden (@debgoldendc.bsky.social) January 28, 2025 at 2:25 PM
Wednesday’s event picks, by Briana Thomas:
• Gianandrea Noseda conducts Barber’s “Vanessa” at an NSO “Opera in Concert” event. ($15+)
• Iranian pop vocalist Marjan Farsad is at Miracle Theatre. ($45)
• Jamie xx is at the Anthem. ($50+)
See more of Thomas’s picks here.
Did you miss our 100 Very Best Restaurants List? It’s here. If you love your workplace, now’s your chance to nominate it for Washingtonian’s next Great Places to Work contest. Register here to get the ball rolling.
Mid-week. Let’s make it count.