Good morning. Snow likely before noon, then windy with a high of just 30 degrees today and a low of 22 overnight. The USA plays Canada tonight in the finals of the 4 Nations Face-Off, and if it’s anything like Saturday’s game, I strongly advise watching. 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:
Sun Room, “Sol del Sur.” My niece turned me on to this modern surf band from SoCal, whose sun-bleached guitars and sand-etched vocals combine nicely. A really nice discovery for this old beachcomber!
Here’s some administration news you might have blocked out:
Feels sort of longer, right? Noon today will mark one month since Donald Trump‘s second term began. He has 47 months to go.
• The President last night said the federal government should “take over the governance” of Washington, DC, saying he’d like to see our town look better when foreign dignitaries visit. (Washington Post)
• Trump likened himself to a king after his administration took steps to eliminate New York City’s congestion-pricing program. (NBC News) “We are a nation of laws, not ruled by a king,” New York Governor Kathy Hochul said. (NYT) “beep beep babes we’re taking u to court,” the state of New York tweeted. (X)
• The IRS will lay off employees today. (NYT) Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has ordered cuts to the defense budget. (Washington Post) The administration “is laying the groundwork to fire Federal Emergency Management Agency staff who have worked on addressing climate change or promoting equity and diversity.” (Politico)
• “Free speech has limits and threatening government workers crosses the line,” interim DC US Attorney Ed Martin wrote yesterday. He was talking about Democrats’ criticism of Elon Musk’s DOGE project. (Washington Post)
• Health Secretary RFK Jr. issued guidance yesterday that defined men and women. (NYT)
• James “Jim” Joseph Rodden, an ICE official, runs a white-supremacist X account, according to a Texas news outlet. (Texas Observer)
• “We are adversaries,” “Reacher” star Alan Ritchson said of his former classmate Matt Gaetz. (GQ)
One very expensive house that just sold, by Lydia Wei
This 16,000-square-foot estate in McLean boasts seven bedrooms, eight baths, and exterior walls constructed with fieldstone salvaged largely from old structures along the Oregon Trail. It went for $11,200,000 and was only the third-most expensive home sale in the region last month. Gawk at the full Top 10 here.
Recently on Washingtonian dot com:
• Free concert tickets and yoga classes, plus discounts on drinks: Some local businesses are offering discounts to federal workers and contractors
• Dolcezza’s new H Street location will feature soft-serve, which the cofounders say will allow them “to ‘freak out’ with creativity.”
• A “romantic, fall-forward elevated barn wedding.” Nice.
Local news links:
• Big local real estate news: Compass, Inc., has bought Washington Fine Properties, consolidating two big names in high-end local real estate. The two firms will continue to operate under their own brands. (WBJ)
• D.C. United hopes to add a roof and 10,000 seats to Audi Field. (Axios D.C.)
• Unemployment was up in the District in early February, which one economist says may not be coincidental to the new administration’s federal job cuts. (WTOP)
• Police charged Moi Moi chef Howsoon Cham with selling alcohol without a license. (WUSA 9)
• Negotiations between Washingtonian’s union and its management have entered their fourth year. (WCP)
• Protesters blocked traffic in front of SpaceX’s DC office last night. (NBC 4 Washington)
Thursday’s event picks, by Briana Thomas:
• Mother Tongue Film Festival kicks off at three Smithsonian museums and online.
• Out of the Vineyard, by Psalmayene 24, plays at Prince George’s Community College now through February 26.
See more of Briana’s picks for this week and weekend.
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.
The only way out is through. See you tomorrow morning.
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.
