Good morning. Sunny with a high of 57 today—sorry, what?—and a low of 38 overnight. The Wizards host the Nets tonight. Alex Ovechkin scored a hat trick against Edmonton Sunday and is now 13 goals away from breaking Wayne Gretzky‘s record. There are 25 games left in the regular season. 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:
Los Reyes 73, “Grandes Amigos.” Occasionally I defy society and buy a record based on its cover. That’s how I ended up picking up “Baila Mi Son“—a reissue of the 1975 debut by this Cuban Afro-funk group—from Art Sound Language this weekend. I’ve been listening ever since, and now I want to save up to buy every one of these Mr Bongo “Cuban Classics Series” reissue LPs. The song provides a jolt you might be able to use on a Monday morning.
Here’s some administration news you might have blocked out:
Hello, it’s Monday, and President Trump named Dan Bongino to be the deputy director of the FBI. (Washington Post) Emmanuel Macron will visit the White House today, and Keir Starmer will pop by on Thursday. (AP)
What did you do last weekend? If your name is Elon Musk, you sent an email to millions of federal employees, asking them to send “approx. 5 bullets of what you accomplished last week and cc your manager.” The deadline is 11:59, and Musk claimed on Twitter that anyone who didn’t comply would effectively resign. (Government Executive) Some agencies have told employees not to respond. (Washington Post) Musk’s latest antic has apparently started “a power struggle between Musk and agency heads appointed by President Donald Trump to lead the federal government.” (Politico) Everett B. Kelley, the national president of the American Federation of Government Employees union, wrote OPM demanding the email be rescinded—and asked for a reply by 11:59 Sunday. (AFGE)
Trump fired 2,000 USAID employees yesterday. (Washington Post) Kennedy Center job opening coming soon? Ric Grenell said USAID did some good work. (Twitter)
Principles First Summit, a sort of Never Trump version of CPAC, was disrupted Sunday by emailed threats against its speakers. Earlier in the weekend, former Proud Boy leader Enrique Tarrio turned up at the conference to confront Michael Fanone and Harry Dunn. Fanone called Tarrio “a traitor to this country.” (CNN) Tarrio had an eventful trip to DC—he was arrested outside the Capitol Friday after cops said he assaulted a heckler. (Politico)
The murky, meme-y origins of Trump’s “Gulf of America” idea. (Washington Post)
The best thing I ate last week, by Ann Limpert
The Reuben is a hard sandwich to get right. Cheffy versions are often all about painstakingly made corned beef or pastrami, at the expense of other components of the sandwich. Sure, the meat matters, but the ideal Reuben doesn’t let any one element grab all the attention. Then, at the other end of the spectrum, there are Boars-Head-stuffed grease bombs.
Well, I have good news for my fellow Reuben fans: there’s a terrific one at Silver and Sons, the new Bethesda storefront devoted to Jewish/Mediterranean barbecue. Chef/owner Jarrad Silver makes his own short-rib pastrami, seasoning it with a mix of coriander and five kinds of peppercorns (“No garlic, paprika, or other fillers,” he says). He smokes it for four hours, finishes it in the oven with chicken stock, then slices it thick for the sandwich. Silver makes a simple kraut, too, mixes aioli with mustardy barbecue sauce for a makeshift Russian dressing, then generously piles everything on sturdy slices of caraway-studded rye. (5362 Westbard Ave., Bethesda)
Recently on Washingtonian dot com:
Avocado toast with grilled halloumi, roasted mushroom shawarma, fried giant prawns with waffles: Here are five new breakfast and brunch spots around the area.
Local news links:
• How would a Trump takeover of DC even work? (Washington Post)
• DC cops are investigating an allegation that US Representative Cory Mills assaulted someone, and they’re also investigating their own response. (WUSA 9)
• Virginia legislators made a vague gesture aimed at sort of helping laid off federal contractors sometime in the future, maybe. (Washington Post)
• Ibram X. Kendi‘s Institute for Advanced Study is launching at Howard. (NBC4 Washington)
• Jummy Olabanji did a gender reveal for her baby on-air. (Northern Virginia)
• Arlington Public Schools has quit Twitter for Bluesky. (ARLnow)
• This is a cold, unfeeling world, and it rarely makes any sense. (PoPville)
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 get to it.
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.
