Good morning. A high of 36; more wind with gusts likely. Windy tonight, too, with a low around 20. The Wizards and the Caps are still off. 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.
I can’t stop listening to:
Ben Kweller (feat. Waxahatchee), “Dollar Store.” Ben Kweller’s new single evokes the weird half-existence that follows a wrenching loss—in Kweller’s case, the death of his teenage son, Dorian. He says the song “is a battle between moving forward and wallowing in your sadness forever.” Kweller plays Union Stage tonight.
Here’s some administration news you might have blocked out over the weekend:
Your turn, NYC: A city not named Washington, DC, dominated the news over the holiday weekend. Four NYC deputy mayors announced they would resign from Mayor Eric Adams‘s administration following a top prosecutor’s accusation that the Justice Department dropped charges against Adams as part of a quid pro quo with the Trump administration. (NYT) Adams took the opportunity yesterday to describe his legal woes as a “modern day ‘Mein Kampf,’” which went about as well as you might imagine it might in New York City. (Daily News) New York Governor Kathy Hochul is considering removing Adams from office. (AP)
Meanwhile: Michelle King, the Social Security Administration’s acting commissioner, stepped down after Elon Musk‘s DOGE project sought access to sensitive federal data amid its hunt for what Musk describes as a hunt for fraud. (Washington Post) In a court filing, the administration claimed Musk is not in charge of DOGE, which seems a bit odd. (Politico) More new hires at agencies lost their jobs over the weekend. (Washington Post) Hundreds of FAA employees were among them. (NBC News) “The White House sent termination emails to the wrong addresses of as many as 22 US attorneys who learned they’d been dismissed five days later after a perplexing weekend.” (Bloomberg Law) DHS layoffs are planned for this week. (NBC News) Watch this: Unemployment claims shot up in the District in early February. (CNBC) The DC area is “going to have more people on the market than jobs.” (WBJ)
• Thousands of people protested Trump over the weekend, including in DC. (NYT)
Recently on Washingtonian dot com:
• The type of question I’d like to see more people ask themselves when planning events: “What would it be like if Yves Saint Laurent walked into a disco?”
• Upscale Korean barbecue in Falls Church? Yes, please.
• Trump’s tariffs on steel and aluminum worry local breweries.
• The Mother Tongue Film Festival kicks off this week.
Local news links:
• Laurene Powell Jobs had been in line to succeed David Rubenstein as chair of the Kennedy Center before the Trump administration dismantled the arts complex’s leadership. New leader Ric Grenell has begun to fire employees, and Robert Barnett resigned as the center’s counsel. Among the people Trump would like to see receive Kennedy Center Honors: Sylvester Stallone and Lee Greenwood. (WSJ)
• The Washington Post declined to run a wraparound ad on its print edition that would have asked “Who’s running this country: Donald Trump or Elon Musk?” (The Hill) “Although it is unclear who made the decision to pull the ad or why, the move comes amid growing concern about the changing mission of the Washington Post newsroom under the ownership of Jeff Bezos, the founder of Amazon.” (NYT)
• Trump wants Ed Martin to stay on as US Attorney in DC. (AP)
• Jack LaSota, the “leader of a cultlike group that has been linked to multiple killings,” was arrested in Maryland. (NBC News)
• No implosion coming to RFK stadium. (WTOP)
• The story of Lakeland, Maryland, a Black community decimated by urban renewal efforts in the ’70s. (NBC 4 Washington)
• Virginia hasn’t issued a commemorative license plate for the Washington Commanders since the team changed its name. That oversight will now be corrected. (ARLnow)
• Counter, a budget airline that flies to Macon, Georgia, and Plattsburgh, New York, will begin service at Dulles this spring. (Northern Virginia Magazine)
• RIP North the hornbill. (WUSA 9)
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.
Welcome back. Let’s go.
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.
