Good morning. Cloudy now and clear, perhaps gusty, later. A high of 64 today and a low of 37 tonight. The Capitals host Calgary this evening. 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:
Roberta Flack, “Go Up Moses.” The legendary singer and pianist died yesterday. She grew up in Arlington, attended Howard, and got her start in the music biz after Les McCann heard her play at Mr. Henry’s on Capitol Hill. (Flack is “woven into the fabric” at Mr. Henry’s, GM Cathy Nagy said yesterday.) By all means, listen to her hits, but spend a little time with her 1971 LP “Quiet Fire” if you can, and ponder lyrics like “Boss man hears the people’s song / Coats his lies and rearranges.” She spoke with us in 2017.
Here’s some administration news you might have blocked out:
• Email trouble: The Trump administration said feds could ignore Elon Musk‘s email. (Washington Post) Some cabinet officials balked at Musk’s missive. (NYT) Trump said it was a good email, and Musk said it would all happen again. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ (WSJ) The email has won OPM a flood of rude spam. (Rolling Stone)
• DOGE may be unconstitutional, judge says. A lawyer for the government couldn’t identify the project’s leader. (NYT) “Mere days after the White House claimed in a court filing that Musk wielded ‘no actual or formal authority to make government decisions himself,’ Musk directly threatened the jobs of a huge number of federal government workers.” (Washington Post)
• What could go wrong: “A group of prominent military contractors, including former Blackwater CEO Erik Prince, has pitched the Trump White House on a proposal to carry out mass deportations through a network of ‘processing camps’ on military bases, a private fleet of 100 planes, and a ‘small army’ of private citizens empowered to make arrests.” (Politico)
• Another judge declined to immediately reinstate AP to the White House pool. (Politico) The administration had some banners made about the decision. (The White House)
• Veterans are hard-hit by Trump and Musk’s cuts. (Axios)
Life is hard right now. Cuddle with animals. By Daniella Byck
If DOGE is wigging you out, try hanging with a dog—or other cuddly animal—for some temporary stress relief. Downward dog meets actual dogs at Puppies & Yoga in Georgetown, where 45-minute yoga classes are followed by 30 minutes of playtime with the puppies. For more yoga with animals, instructor Beth A. Wolfe is teaching a few classes with goats in Arlington as well as a meditation session with bunnies on March 22 in Alexandria. You’ll have to go a little further to chill with an alpaca: Long Meadows Farm in Lovettsville, Virginia, has hourlong tours where you can greet the fluffy creatures. To snuggle with cats, make an appointment at one of the area’s cat cafes, such as Crumbs & Whiskers in Georgetown or Mount Purrnon in Old Town.
Recently on Washingtonian dot com:
• You have one week to plan how you’ll spend Mardi Gras. We can help.
• 7 ways DOGE’s cuts could affect you.
Local news links:
• Yesterday marked one year since WAMU shut down DCist. (The 51st) Flashback: I reported on that weird saga last year.
• Mandatory drug tests have caused a crossing guard shortage in the District. (Washington Post)
• Pedestrian deaths are up in the region, “fueled by an increasing number of people being hit at night and by drunk drivers.” (Washington Post)
• Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin continues to express support for Trump and Musk’s job cuts in his state, launches job-listings website. (WUSA9)
• What’s it like to eat at the CIA dining room? Tom Sietsema found out. (Washington Post)
• The US Department of Education is investigating gender policies in local school systems after complaints by the America First Legal Foundation. (Northern Virginia Magazine)
• Your flight delay at National might be due to Trump flying around in a helicopter. (Washington Post)
• The Loudoun County Sheriff’s Office busted a “pig butchering” crypto scam. (NBC4 Washington)
• How Trump could take over the DC police. (Axios D.C.)
• It’s past time to pick up those Christmas trees! (NBC4 Washington)
Tuesday’s event picks, by Briana Thomas:
• David Grann is at Sixth & I.
• Shucked comes to the National Theatre.
Read more of Briana’s picks for this week 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.
FINALLY: Now this is a press release. Have a great Tuesday.
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.
