News & Politics

Plane Recovery Begins, Musk Burrows In, and Many Area Restaurants Will Close for “A Day Without Immigrants”

Six more weeks of winter await—if you trust groundhogs. This is Washingtonian Today.

Reporters at National Airport on Friday. Photograph by Anna Marina Savvidis.

Good morning. Six more weeks of winter, says Punxsutawney Phil. Sunny with a high near 61 today, and a low near 42 tonight. After this weekend’s Caps game, Alexander Ovechkin is 18 goals away from the record. The Wizards are at Charlotte tonight at 7. You can find me on Bluesky, I’m @abeaujon.87 on Signal, and there’s a link to my email address at the bottom of this post.

Potomac air disaster latest:

• Crews plan to begin to lift the jet from the Potomac today. (Washington Post) Fifty-five bodies of the 67 people lost have been recovered from the river so far. (NPR) The FAA has restricted two helicopter routes near the airport. (NYT) The helicopter involved in the crash got a warning about the American Eagle jet two minutes before the collision. (Washington Post) Pilots sometimes describe similar helicopter flights as a “taxi service for generals.” They’re also used frequently by senior administration officials. (WSJ) Family members visited the area Sunday. (ABC News) Some of the people lost. (CNN) The Ashburn Ice House has become a locus of grief. (WTOP) Some parks in Alexandria are closed during recovery efforts. (City of Alexandria) How you can help. (WTOP)

I can’t stop listening to:

Sam Fender, “People Watching.” This song could have been the soundtrack for a “success montage” in an ’80s movie—you know, when the ragtag crew of a nerd, a jock, a greaser, and a popular person build a boat or something—and yet it seems to belong to 2025. And Andrew Scott, aka the “hot priest,” stars in the video. The considerably less hot Andrew’s weekend show diary: I saw Willow Avalon at the Atlantis Friday and Lorelei/Jeanines/Lightheaded at Comet Ping Pong Saturday. (I once interviewed their bass player about his side gig.) I also caught Arch Campbell‘s book talk at Politics and Prose Sunday. Busy weekend!

Here’s some administration news you might have blocked out:

Elon Musk burrows in: Now that he’s apparently got access to some of the Treasury Department’s payment systems, the world’s richest man claims he’s shutting down payments to government contractors. (Bloomberg) Longtime Treasury career employee David A. Lebryk left the department after clashing with Musk over access. (Washington Post) The administration removed officials from USAID over the weekend after they refused access to Musk’s “Department of Government Efficiency.” He claims he’s on the verge of shutting down the agency. (Washington Post) Trump is “not closely monitoring Musk’s moves” but says he’s doing a “good job.” (Washington Post) Meet the six young engineers with “little to no government experience” who are “now playing critical roles” with DOGE. (Wired) People have begun to protest outside OPM. We’ll have someone take a look today. (Reddit)

• President Trump‘s trade war against Canada and Mexico is due to begin at midnight. (Washington Post)

Purge at the FBI: The administration ordered firings of career officials at FBI on Friday (NYT) and will “collect the names of bureau personnel who helped investigate the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol.” (NYT) David Sundberg, who ran the Washington field office, has been forced out. (NBC News)

• The administration has ended Temporary Protected Status for many Venezuelans in the US. (NYT)

• It also ordered federal employees to remove pronouns from their email signatures. (ABC News)

The best thing I ate this weekend, by Ann Limpert

Bub and Pop’s Cheap Eats 2016
Photo by Scott Suchman

This past year was filled with big, shiny restaurant openings, from out-of-town stars (Nancy Silverton of Osteria Mozza) to homegrown empire-builders (Michael Rafidi, Mike Friedman). What we didn’t see was a lot of plucky upstarts—the indie bakeries and quirky neighborhood restaurants that make a city feel like home. The kind of places like Bub and Pop’s (1815 M St., NW), the idiosyncratic mom-and-son shop that for over a decade has served some of the best sandwiches in the city. So I was jolted a few weeks ago when I saw an Instagram story from Bub and Pop’s chef/owner Jonathan Taub: “We are not making enough money to sustain much longer,” it read in part. “Bubandpops.com is on the verge of disappearing forever.”

I hit Bub’s for an early dinner this weekend, and am happy to report the hoagies are as on-fire as ever. The Hebrew Hammer, one of my old faves, is a pile-up of corned beef, turkey, brisket, Swiss, Thousand Island, and coleslaw on a terrific crusty roll Taub bakes in-house. It’s giant, but also not unwieldy to eat. Just as delicious: saucy chicken parm with provolone, pecorino, and pesto. And Philly fans, this is your spot to grab a cheesesteak on Super Bowl weekend. If you haven’t been to Bub’s in a while, go. Places like it matter more than ever right now.

Recently on Washingtonian dot com:

Romantic escapes.

• Go to the Poconos for Valentine’s Day? Sure!

• A Q&A with Mark Zaid.

Arch Campbell‘s new memoir is a heck of a lot of fun.

Local news links:

• A number of area restaurants will close Monday for “A Day Without Immigrants.” (NBC4)

• Virginians could see tax rebates this year. (WTOP)

• Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent bought a mansion in Georgetown. (WSJ)

• A raze application has been filed for the Capitol Skyline Hotel. (UrbanTurf) The Key Bridge Marriott is slated to come down soon. (ARLnow)

Ibram X. Kendi will join the faculty at Howard. (Washington Post)

Today’s event pick, by Briana Thomas:

Opera fans will have the rare opportunity to see the recently recovered Morgiane by 19th-century Black composer and conductor Edmond Dédé. ($30+)

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. 

Okay, let’s do Monday.

Senior editor

Andrew Beaujon joined Washingtonian in late 2014. He was previously with the Poynter Institute, TBD.com, and Washington City Paper. He lives in Del Ray.