Good morning. Sunny and gusty with a high of 38 today and a low around 22 overnight. We’ll warm up a little this weekend. The Wizards host Milwaukee tonight and are at Orlando on Sunday. D.C. United begins its season Saturday at Toronto. The Caps return from the 4 Nations Face-Off break (and by the way, the final last night, won by Canada in OT, offered some superb hockey) Saturday to face Pittsburgh, and they’ll host Edmonton on Sunday. My music agenda this weekend includes seeing DanielD and Syncretist at Art Sound Language on Saturday. 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:
The Montaines, “Work It Out.” I love the dreamy guitar effects and hazy ’80s vibes that underpin this DC band’s recent single. The Montaines play DC9 tonight.
Here’s some administration news you might have blocked out:
• CPAC will be in full swing this weekend in National Harbor. President Trump will speak at the annual conference Saturday. Attendees there cheered news yesterday of US Senator Mitch McConnell‘s planned retirement. (Washington Examiner) CPAC chair Matt Schlapp faces a new allegation of sexual misconduct. (NYT) Elon Musk waved a chainsaw onstage. (Politico) Steve Bannon said the “J6 Choir” would play the Kennedy Center. (Acyn)
• Trump plans to take over the US Postal Service and potentially privatize it. (Washington Post)
• Kash Patel got confirmed as FBI director. (AP)
• Too far? Some GOP members of Congress got an earful about Trump’s executive orders and cuts by Musk’s DOGE project, including Rich McCormick in Georgia (NBC News) and Troy Balderson in Ohio. (Columbus Dispatch) GOP leaders are “desperately trying to back-channel with White House officials as President Donald Trump’s Department of Government Efficiency ramps up its slash-and-burn firings of federal workers.” (Politico) Trump’s actions during his first month in office are not polling well. (Washington Post)
• The IRS fired thousands of employees yesterday. (NYT) A federal judge declined to pause some of Trump and Musk’s federal firings, saying he lacked jurisdiction. (Washington Post)
One cute house for sale in Arlington, by Kate Corliss
This Colonial in Arlington’s excellent and serene Glencarlyn neighborhood has three bedrooms, three bathrooms, a wood-burning fireplace, and some primo hangout options, including a newly expanded deck. It’s listed at $949,000 and there’ll be open houses Saturday, February 22, and Sunday, February 23, from 1 PM — 3 PM.
See more of Kate’s open house picks here.
Recently on Washingtonian dot com:
• DC’s AG sued Talea Ristorante in Cathedral Heights, accusing the Italian restaurant of stealing wages and denying workers overtime pay and sick leave.
• Kyle Kuzma’s proposal to Winnie Harlow got an assist from DC flower shop She Loves Me.
• Like party pix? Good news: It’s Dan About Town o’clock!
• Meet Ed Martin, DC’s new top federal prosecutor. Interesting chap.
• Four ideas for free things to do around town this time of year.
• This wedding was so fancy! So was this one!
Local news links:
• There was a bomb threat at the Kennedy Center yesterday. It “targeted Shen Yun performances there.” (Washington Post)
• A National Harbor-type development is coming to…Dumfries? (NBC 4 Washington)
• Sorry, haters: Trump’s cuts are not causing a slump in the DC housing market. (Washington Post)
• DC has closed dozens of I-71 shops that haven’t applied to become medical dispensaries. Owners of legal dispensaries say they’re still struggling. (The 51st)
• Dana McDaniel, a former official at DC’s Office of Neighborhood Safety and Engagement, has been charged with bribery. ONSE is the agency former DC Councilmember Trayon White is accused of trying to influence in his bribery case. (Washington Post)
• Police charged an 11-year-old and a 13-year-old girl in the assault of a woman at Union Station. (WTOP)
• James Walker, the landlord of two tenants—including a ten-year-old boy—who died in a 2019 fire on Kennedy Street, Northwest, was convicted of second-degree murder. (Washington Post)
• Downtown is getting crowded again. (Washington Post)
• I’m glad someone gamed this out: How would Virginia survive several apocalyptic scenarios, like an alien invasion, a zombie attack, or an asteroid hit? (Axios Richmond)
Weekend event picks, by Briana Thomas:
Friday: The exhibition “We Gather at the Edge,” which shows 35 quilts that celebrate Black culture, opens at the Smithsonian American Art Museum.
Saturday: Families will love Flurry Fest at the Yards, which transforms the sundeck into a winter wonderland. And there’s also the annual Polar Plunge, which will support Special Olympics DC.
Sunday: Sample chili and vote on your favorite at this neighborhood Chili Cook Off.
See more of Briana’s picks for the weekend 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.
Friday! Yes.
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.
