Good morning. Increasing clouds with a high near 73 today. Showers likely overnight, with a low around 56. The Nationals host the Braves tonight. 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:
Andrew White, “Who Got De Funk?” The DC musical polyglot Andrew White played bass with Stevie Wonder and the 5th Dimension, was an oboe and sax virtuoso, and was a noted scholar of John Coltrane‘s work. He also released dozens of albums on his Washington-based “Andrew’s Music” label, including the 1973 album named for this outrageously groovy track. (I bought my copy from Spin Time Records, which keeps a bunch of White’s work in stock.) White died in 2020; his stalwart drummer Nasar Abadey, along with musicians including Antonio Parker and Antonio Parker, will play tribute to him tonight at Blues Alley.
Here’s some administration news you might have blocked out:
Court and stark: The Supreme Court allowed the Trump administration to revoke Temporary Protected Status for 350,000 Venezuelans who were living in the US legally. (Politico) The decision “comes just three days after the court handed a defeat to the Trump administration on another aspect of its hard-line immigration agenda.” (NBC News) The administration must “facilitate” another wrongly deported man’s return to the US from El Salvador, the 4th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled. (TPM) About 65 people took the government’s offer of $1,000 to “self-deport” and flew out of Houston yesterday. (Axios)
Rippling outward: Ruth López, a lawyer who represents families of Venezuelans imprisoned in El Salvador after being deported by the US, was arrested over the weekend. López has been a vocal critic of Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele. (The Guardian) Journalists who’ve reported critically on Bukele have had to flee the country. (Washington Post)
Meanwhile, here at home: The Justice Department filed an assault charge against US Representative LaMonica McIver following a dust-up at an immigration detention site in New Jersey and dropped charges against Newark Mayor Ras Baraka. (Politico) The feds say McIver and other politicians stormed the center, but their “narrative has also been contradicted by video footage and by witnesses who were at the scene.” (NYT) The Justice Department launched an investigation of Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson based on remarks where he “emphasized how many Black people he’s hired in his administration.” (Chicago Tribune)
Downward DOGE: US District Judge Beryl Howell ruled that DOGE’s takeover of the US Institute of Peace was “effectuated by illegitimately-installed leaders who lacked legal authority to take these actions, which must therefore be declared null and void.” (NBC News)
No plane, no gain: Qatar tried to sell a luxury 747 for years. Then President Trump fell in love with it. (NYT) The administration say it was Qatar’s idea to offer the plane as a gift. That’s not how things actually went, four sources say. (CNN)
Deepfake news: Trump reveled in the bipartisan passage of the Take It Down bill, an anti-revenge porn law championed by first lady Melania Trump. (NYT) Trump, who has posted fake images of Taylor Swift, said the bill would provide succor to people “whose lives were rocked by online harassment.” (MSNBC) Free-speech types are “concerned that a lack of guardrails in the Take It Down Act could allow bad actors to weaponize the policy to force tech companies to unjustly censor online content.” (Wired)
Administration perambulation: The administration will pay Ashli Babbitt‘s family nearly $5 million to settle a lawsuit after she was killed in the January 6, 2021 riot at the US Capitol. (Washington Post) MAGAs are upset that FBI honchos Kash Patel and Dan Bongino have “tried to deflate conspiratorial claims that have propped up and united Trump’s base.” (CNN) CBS News President Wendy McMahon was forced out as parent company Paramount looks to settle a Trump suit that many consider frivolous. (NYT) Retired Navy Admiral Robert P. Burke was “found guilty of steering work to a New York company in 2021 in exchange for a $500,000-a-year job.” (Washington Post) “It’s getting harder to predict the weather, and the reasons are largely political.” (NiemanLab)
How Washingtonian staffers are getting ready for summer, by Daniella Byck:
Memorial Day is the unofficial start of summer, which means we’re getting ready to strike items off our seasonal bucket lists. Personally, I’m looking forward to getting on the water, whether that’s renting a paddleboard from Belle Haven Marina in Alexandria or captaining an electric Go Boat to putter around the Potomac. Food Critic Ann Limpert is looking forward to another summer of tackling the fancy soft-serve scene and scoping out the Dolcezza crew’s rendition on H Street. For a beach getaway, junior staff writer Kate Corliss is trying to see the wild horses on Assateague Island. Closer to home, she’s hoping her friends will remember to enter the lottery for Jazz in the Garden because—much like this writer—her friends tend to be better prepared.
Recently on Washingtonian dot com:
• DC is set to unveil a half-mile-long LGBTQ+ mural.
• These relaxing getaways are a short drive from DC.
• The “Republican Makeup” look, explained.
• Are the pandas really ready for dating in this town? An analysis.
• Cynthia Erivo, Kendrick Lamar, Jessie Murph: A baker’s dozen of highly anticipated summer concerts are nigh.
Local news links:
Clarendon comes for us all: Washington Capitals defenseman Alexander Alexeyev was arrested outside Big Tony’s Pizzeria in Arlington Saturday. Police say he was fighting with someone. (ARLnow) “Alexeyev was treated on the scene for the pepper spray exposure. He was then arrested and charged with public intoxication.” (WUSA9)
• Interim Kennedy Center President Ric Grenell said he has discovered criminality in the center’s budget and wants federal prosecutors to intervene. (NYT) Trump hosted the center’s new “hot” board. (AP) The center has booked two shows that use non-union actors, a departure from its previous practice. (Playbill)
• Police say they arrested three teens during this past weekend’s Navy Yard hullabaloo. (WTOP)
• Virginia Republicans are “privately expressing concerns” about GOP gubernatorial nominee Winsome Earle-Sears. (Politico)
• Local food banks say they’re being hit hard by Trump’s cuts. (Washington Post)
• Residents of Arlington’s Crystal House say a new management company hasn’t responded to concerns. (ARLnow)
• Dianne Feinstein‘s old house in Spring Valley sold; the buyer plans to knock it down and build three houses there. (WBJ)
• Mark Judge is raising money “to leave journalism.” (Splice Today)
• Martha Stewart is mentoring Ari Katz, a 23-year-old chicken breeder from Maryland. (Washington Post)
• Kali Uchis‘ new album debuted at No. 2. (Hypebeast) Flashback: In 2015, Uchis gave us a peek inside her suitcase before she moved from NoVa to LA, a move that seems to have worked out well for her! (Washingtonian)
Tuesday’s event picks:
• “Kimberly Akimbo” opens at National Theatre.
• Chasten Buttigieg and Kara Swisher discuss Buttigieg’s new children’s book at Union Stage.
• Upgrade your mixology skills for AAPI Cocktail Week at Lost Generation Brewing’s cocktail class.
See more picks from Briana Thomas, who writes our Things to Do newsletter.
We’re now taking suggestions for this year’s “Most Powerful Women” list. You can nominate someone here. Know someone we should consider for our Tech Titans feature this year? Put their name forward 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.
