Good morning. Chances for snow and sleet today, with a high of 38. Sleet likely with a wintry mix possible tonight, with a low of 32. Wizards play the Nets tonight. 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:
Recovery efforts have ended now that the remains of all 67 people aboard the two aircraft that collided over the river last week have been found. (NBC News) Crews were able to retrieve more pieces of the passenger jet, and they plan to lift the helicopter later this week. (AP) The helicopter may have been traveling at higher altitude than permitted, the National Transportation Safety Board said Tuesday. (Washington Post) Here are some ways you can help. (Washingtonian)
I can’t stop listening to:
Carpenters, “Superstar.” This song has lodged itself in my brain lately, and that’s just fine with me. Supposedly, Karen Carpenter recorded the vocals in one take while she read the lyrics for the first time. Sonic Youth‘s 1994 cover is excellent, too. Good music for a dreary day!
Here’s some administration news you might have blocked out:
• The Trump administration has put most USAID staffers on paid leave. (AP) Lawmakers say Trump can’t unilaterally gut the agency. (Federal News Network) The Congressional Research Service agrees. (CRS) He’s also working on dismantling the Education Department. (CNN) EPA is demoting career employees. (NYT) About 20,000 people have accepted buyouts. That’s about 1 percent of the federal workforce. (Axios) Layoffs could follow. (Washington Post)
• Pam Bondi was confirmed. (NYT)
• Um, what? “President Donald Trump on Tuesday proposed that the United States take a ‘long-term ownership position’ over Gaza.” (Washington Post)
• Despite hoopla from the administration, “the number of daily Immigration and Customs Enforcement arrests…are still about where they were at times under President Barack Obama.” (Politico)
• The US Postal Service will temporarily stop accepting packages from China. (NYT)
• Families sued to block Trump’s executive order about gender transition care. (Washington Post) A judge blocked Trump’s plan to move trans women to mens’ prisons. (NYT)
• What is the deal with the World Cup trophy in Trump’s office? (The Atlantic)
• The “accidental” FBI chief who’s becoming the subject of memes. (NYT)
One great place to buy books, by Rob Brunner
Wonderland Books
It’s been years since I bought a book in Bethesda, something I once did all the time (RIP Olsson’s, Barnes & Noble, and Travel Books Unlimited). So with indie shop Wonderland Books (7920 Norfolk Ave., Bethesda) finally open, it’s exciting to once again have that option. I stopped in earlier this week to pick up Adam Ross’s new novel, Playworld, and while the store doesn’t have the most extensive or eclectic selection, the vibe is warm (“Fake Plastic Trees” was playing) and they had a stack of the novel I sought. Now could we get a Bethesda record store to go along with it?
Recently on Washingtonian dot com:
• The DC Council has expelled Trayon White.
• A group of FBI agents has sued the Justice Department, saying the administration’s efforts to identify people who worked on the January 6 and Mar-a-Lago documents cases puts them at risk. MORE: There’s now a second suit. (Kyle Cheney)
• Metro set aside a seat on every bus and train for Rosa Parks yesterday.
• Metropolitan African Methodist Episcopal Church now owns the Proud Boys’ trademarks.
Local news links:
• “We’re just going to elect him again”: Trayon White is preparing to run for the seat he just lost. (WCP) His ward faces a gap in representation on the DC Council. (WTOP)
• Maryland Governor Wes Moore showed what the new Key Bridge may look like. (WUSA9) What will its name be? (WTOP)
• The Tysons casino inches closer. (Virginia Mercury)
• Loudoun County could get a new state park. (Augusta Free Press)
• Britain’s new ambassador to the US has an interesting job ahead of him. (NYT)
• Bird flu hits flock of backyard chickens in MoCo. (Washington Post)
• A guide, for federal workers, to using Signal. (AWLN)
• What’s filming on H Street? (PoPville)
• DC’s government, which in my experience is hardly a bastion of FOIA compliance to begin with, won’t release records about how it might finance a football stadium. (WUSA9) The council approved a lease for RFK. (NBC 4)
• Here’s nice video of a beaver swimming in the Potomac. (Jeanne Stuart McVey)
Wednesday’s event picks, by Briana Thomas:
• “The Simon & Garfunkel Story” is at the National Theatre.
• Rubblebucket plays the 9:30.
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.
Let’s get that day.