Good morning. Daylight saving time begins in less than one week. (A couple years ago I looked into the time the US tried permanent DST, in the ’70s, and was surprised to learn that people really hated it.) Sunny and breezy with a high of 45 today, and a low of 32 overnight. The Capitals host Ottawa this evening, and the Wizards are at Miami. 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:
Leonard Cohen, “Who by Fire.” A witchy vibe is just right for this cold morning before winter’s grip loosens. We start to warm up tomorrow, but it’s still March.
Here’s some administration news you might have blocked out:
President Trump will address Congress on Tuesday. He and his party face a trio of self-created crises, not least that the US government will run out of funding in a week and a half. (Punchbowl News) Midnight on Tuesday is also Trump’s self-declared deadline for tariffs on China, Mexico, and Canada. (NYT) A report out this morning says the President’s tariffs “would cost the typical US household over $1,200 a year.” (Peterson Institute) Some Democrats plan to bring fired feds to the speech. (NYT)
• FALLOUT FROM FRIDAY’S OVAL OFFICE THING: The administration’s foreign policy “largely aligns with our vision,” a Kremlin spokesperson said yesterday. (Washington Post) Even before that happened, the Pentagon “ordered U.S. Cyber Command to halt offensive operations against Russia.” (NYT)
• There are now 100 active lawsuits against administration actions. (NYT)
• Crypto prices rose sharply after the President talked about creating a strategic reserve of the unlicensed securities. (WSJ)
• Employees at the Department of Education have until midnight to consider a buyout offer ahead of job cuts. (Politico) The administration made deep cuts to 18F over the weekend. (Politico)
DOGE DOGE DOGE: The self-announced savings from Elon Musk‘s project don’t add up. (NYT) The administration may stop counting government spending from GDP reports as its deep cuts to the federal workforce continue. (AP) Musk sent another email. (Washington Post)
• A third term for Trump? People are working on it. (NOTUS)
The best thing I ate this past weekend, by Ann Limpert
The actual best thing I ate this weekend was a Zofran (food poisoning, occupational hazard). So I’m going to keep this short and say that the best thing I recently ate and can tolerate thinking about right now is the kakigori at the buzzy Tysons izakaya Modan. The mound of snowy shaved ice is finished at the table with two syrups: seed-studded passionfruit and creamy mango. Definitely beats the Pedialyte popsicle I’m staring down right now. (1788 Chain Bridge Road, McLean.)
Recently on Washingtonian dot com:
• Vice President Vance put his Del Ray house on the market.
• Masaaki “Uchi” Uchino îs now the executive chef at Bar Japonais in Logan Circle.
• Kevin Plank‘s Maryland horse farm is for sale.
Local news links:
• VMI’s board voted not to renew the contract of its Black superintendent. (Washington Post)
• The Washington Post is seeing lots of subscription cancellations after owner Jeff Bezos announced changes to its opinion section. (NPR)
• Local Tesla owners are not totally cool with what’s been going on. (Washington Post)
• An event at Capital One Sunday to honor victims of last month’s Potomac air disaster was poignant. (AP)
• DC Police Chief Pamela A. Smith supports Trump’s pardons of the officers involved in Karon Hylton-Brown‘s death. (Washington Post)
Did you miss our 100 Very Best Restaurants List? It’s here.
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.
