Good morning. Mostly sunny with showers possible this afternoon and a high near 80. Rain is likely overnight, with a low around 64. The Capitals will face the Hurricanes in Raleigh again tonight. They’re behind the Carolina team 2-1 in the second round of the Stanley Cup playoffs. The Nationals are at Atlanta this evening. You can find me on Bluesky, I’m @abeaujon.87 on Signal, and there’s a link to my email address below.
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I can’t stop listening to:
Living Colour, “Cult of Personality.” It’s easy to overlook how good a band Living Colour are, but this song still hits so hard 37 years after its release. Squeeze into your neon bicycle shorts and see them tonight at the Birchmere.
Here’s some administration news you might have blocked out:
Ticket to bribe: The government of Qatar plans give President Trump the use of an airplane worth $400 million until January 2029, when the “flying palace” will be transferred to Trump’s presidential library at taxpayer expense. (ABC News) Some humorless killjoys fear that such a transaction might be seen as a bribe, but Trump defended it as a no-strings-attached gift. (AP) Attorney General Pam Bondi, who has lobbied on behalf of Qatar, was part of a review of the gift’s legality. (NYT) “Within the Secret Service, the potential gifting of a plane by a foreign government for presidential use is being viewed as a ‘security nightmare.'” (CNN) Qatar said the transaction is yet to be finalized. (Politico)
Geneva contention: The US and China will cut tariffs while they negotiate on trade. US tariffs on Chinese goods will drop from 145 percent to 30 percent, and Chinese tariffs on US goods will drop from 125 percent to 10 percent. (NYT) The administration claimed Sunday that it had struck a trade deal with China in Switzerland, though details were scant. (Washington Post) “Trump was anxious to declare the sessions a win.” (AP) Small businesses are getting hammered by the tariffs. (WSJ) The Court of International Trade, a rather obscure federal bench in Manhattan, will hear arguments on the tariffs’ legality this week. (WSJ)
Administration perambulation: The White House fired Shira Perlmutter, the head of the US Copyright Office. The office had raised questions about the use of AI, which Elon Musk‘s DOGE project aims to incorporate into its government-cutting efforts. (Washington Post) Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said travelers could see delays this summer after he announced the US would scale back the number of flights allowed at Newark Liberty International Airport. (NYT) Trump plans to sign an executive order that he says will lower drug prices. (WSJ) In an astounding coincidence, Musk’s “regulatory problems have started to fade into the past.” (NBC News) Rumeysa Ozturk was released from detention in Louisiana. Deportation proceedings against the Tufts University student will continue because she wrote an op-ed that criticized how her school handled Palestinian protests. (NYT) Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth‘s senior thesis at Princeton included “eight instances of uncredited material, sham paraphrasing, and verbatim copying.” (The Daily Princetonian) Health Secretary RFK Jr. swam in Rock Creek. (Robert F. Kennedy Jr.) “Swimming and wading are not allowed due to high bacteria levels.” (National Park Service)
The best thing I ate last week, by Ann Limpert
Right now is the time to hug your neighborhood restaurants close. And one of my longtime favorites is Pearl Dive on 14th Street. I had my third Mother’s Day brunch in a row there yesterday, and while you wouldn’t guess it by the several empty tables, the place is as quietly great as it ever was. My cornmeal-crusted shrimp po’boy stood up to the far-more-famous rendition I had in New Orleans a few weeks ago. But my favorite thing on the menu is the clam chowder (yes, even on a warm day). It’s creamy but not flour-y and thick, and bolstered by extra-smoky bacon, buttery croutons, and a hidden mix of corn and poblanos. Here’s hoping I can repeat the tradition next year. (1612 14th St., NW.)
Recently on Washingtonian dot com:
• 20 new restaurants to get excited about this coming summer.
• These Airbnbs are still available to book for WorldPride.
• Snow Crane, a Japanese ice cream shop, will come to Hyattsville, perhaps by the end of the year.
• Teenagers! Running a museum about teenagers!
• A few facts about Jeanine Pirro, the Fox News host who’s Trump’s new pick for interim DC US Attorney.
Local news links:
• Last year, DC Mayor Muriel Bowser‘s approval rating was under water. Now, as the Trump administration tries to bat the District around like a cat toy, most people in DC approve of her again.
• A group of white South Africans who “claim they are fleeing racial discrimination” at home will arrive at Dulles today. (WUSA9)
• A Metallica concert at Virginia Tech caused a seismic event. (Axios Richmond)
• Work on the Roosevelt Bridge starts today. (WTOP)
• Everything you need to know about the upcoming DC Bar race, in which the attorney general’s brother Brad Bondi is running for president. (Axios D.C.)
• Joel Biermann, the former mayor of University Park, Maryland, will remain in jail while he is accused of possessing, commissioning, and distributing child sexual abuse material. (Washington Post)
• DDOT has proposed changes to the Southwest DC intersection where a pedestrian was killed last month. (WUSA9)
• Loudoun County wants to regulate the use of AI in classrooms. (WTOP)
• Brookland Pint will close later this month. (PoPville)
• If you go to see AC/DC at Northwest Stadium tonight, Metro will not leave you thunder…stuck. (WUSA9)
Know someone we should consider for our Tech Titans feature this year? Nominate them here. 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.
