Good morning. Sunny and windy with a high of 59 today. The cherry blossoms have reached Peduncle Elongation, I repeat, the cherry blossoms have reached Peduncle Elongation. More wind overnight, with a low of 39. We could get muddy rain. Fun! A few NCAA tournament games of local interest this weekend, including University of Maryland games tonight and tomorrow. The Wizards will host Orlando tonight. The Washington Spirit will play their home opener against Kansas City tomorrow. Alex Ovechkin scored goal No. 888 against Philadelphia last night, and he’s now seven away from The Record. The Capitals will host Florida Saturday. D.C. United will be at Orlando tomorrow, and Old Glory DC will host New England. Lewis Hamilton just took pole for the Chinese Grand Prix sprint race. Conan O’Brien will receive the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor at the Kennedy Center Sunday, which should be an interesting and not at all fraught 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:
Horsegirl, “Frontrunner.” The lovely first single from this Chicago band’s new LP is wistful and triste-full, and its video demonstrates both excellent indie rock and an unorthodox approach to food safety. Horsegirl play Black Cat tomorrow with Free Range and Emotional World.
Here’s some administration news you might have blocked out:
Elon Musk is in the news again: The Pentagon was poised to give a briefing on its operational plans for a war with China to Musk, the New York Times reported last night. The administration claimed the scoop was “100% Fake News.” (NYT) “Musk, according to one person familiar with the arrangements, is receiving the briefing because he asked for one.” (WSJ)
Meanwhile: A federal judge blocked Musk’s DOGE project from accessing sensitive data at the Social Security Administration, calling its plan to do so a “fishing expedition.” (Politico) “Democrats in Wisconsin are trying to use a state judicial race as a referendum on Elon Musk.” (Politico) A Musk PAC has offered Wisconsinites $100 to sign a petition opposing “activist judges.” (Axios) The feds called violence against Tesla dealerships “domestic terrorism” but didn’t charge three people with such a crime, since there’s not really a legal definition of it. (NBC News) Apparently there are more than 46,000 Cybertrucks in the US, and they got recalled. (AP)
Georgetown scholar update: The administration can’t deport Badar Khan Suri now, a federal judge in Alexandria ruled yesterday. (AP)
Venezuelan prisoners update: The Trump administration believes an “18th-century wartime law the president has invoked to deport suspected members of a Venezuelan gang allows federal agents to enter homes without a warrant.” (NYT) US District Judge James Boasberg said the administration “again evaded its obligations” to answer his questions about deportation flights. (NBC News) An intelligence community assessment concluded that the gang Trump targeted “was not directed by Venezuela’s government or committing crimes in the United States on its orders.” (NYT) Evidence of the people’s membership in the gang is “weak to the point of nonexistence.” (Slate) The UK issued a travel warning to its citizens about visiting the US. (Newsweek)
Bending the knee: The law firm Paul Weiss agreed to provide the Trump administration with $40 million in pro bono legal services, and President Trump suspended an executive order that targeted the firm. (WSJ) “Members of the legal profession said in interviews that they were surprised by the deal.” (NYT)
• The administration sidelined Pentagon spokesperson John Ullyot after he struck an “unusually combative tone” while defending the Pentagon’s removal of an article about Jackie Robinson‘s military career. (Washington Post)
• The White House will arrange new Social Security numbers and free credit monitoring to the people whose information it inadvertently disclosed in the release of records regarding JFK‘s assassination. (Washington Post)
• What Trump’s order to abolish the Department of Education means for states “remains to be seen.” (NOTUS)
One great real estate listing, by Eric Wills
There are many ways to market a property, but Denny Hoyer and Leyla Phelan of the real estate firm RLAH @properties struck upon an unusual tactic for one of their current listings in Capitol Hill. When they posted the three-bedroom, three-and-half bathroom townhouse as “coming soon” in the MLS earlier this week, they were still waiting on professional photos of the space. Instead, they opted for a different, um, model: snapshots of a near perfect replica of the four-story property, made using Lego. Hoyer told us that one of the owners, something of a Lego fan, had constructed the replica a few years back and had shared the images as they discussed a marketing strategy.
The approach seems to have worked: Zillow Gone Wild picked up the listing, and we couldn’t resist, either. The images of the Lego model are juxtaposed with old photos of the townhouse, making it easy to judge the skill of the builder. For the most part, we rate it a triumph: even the hummingbird artwork in the living room is expertly re-created. Although the scale of one of the bathroom doors needs some work.
Will the Lego marketing translate to a quick sale? Hoyer hopes it will attract a few more buyers to the open house this Sunday. The listing, which includes an elevator, can be yours for $1.2 million.
Recently on Washingtonian dot com:
• Open house picks for this weekend.
• A guide to spring festivals.
• Our reporter personally inflated 10,000 basketballs. Okay, she had some help.
• We caught up with the “jumping kid” from our first Covid magazine cover.
• The most expensive home sales last month (with photos!).
• You may have questions about the cherry blossoms. We may have answers.
• Cherry blossoms get a lot of attention, but there are other notable local trees.
Local news links:
• Vice President JD Vance sold his house in Del Ray “for $172,025 more than the asking price and $228,025 more than the Vance family purchased the property for.” (ALXnow)
• More measles cases in Maryland. (Washington Post)
• The Commanders hired Andy VanHorn, recently of JBG Smith Properties, to lead their effort to build a new stadium. (WBJ)
• Maryland authorities “never conducted a risk assessment on the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore that would have shown it was well over the established risk threshold for collapse due to a vessel strike.” (WTOP)
• Anna Spiegel takes a look at new food at Nationals Park. (Axios D.C.) The Nats will offer $5 concessions—including $5 beer—on Tuesdays. (PoPville)
• Automatic click: “What started out as a friendly flag football game ended in a massive brawl on the field.” (WUSA 9)
Weekend event picks:
Friday: An evening of comedy with Carol Leifer, Rich Hall, and Rondell Sheridan at Wolf Trap.
Saturday: The Cherry Blossom Festival kicks off with a sold-out program of Japanese cultural performances at the Warner Theatre—though a limited amount of walk-up tickets will be available.
Sunday: View the installation of ten-foot-wide Japanese Daruma doll aerial art at Anthem Row.
See more picks from Briana Thomas, who writes our Things to Do newsletter.
Did you miss our 100 Very Best Restaurants List? It’s here.
Have a great weekend. See you Monday.
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.
