Good morning. Sunny and gusty with a high near 68 today. A low around 50 tonight. This roundup will be off for Memorial Day, and we’ll be back bright and early Tuesday.
Sports this weekend: The Washington Spirit will visit Seattle Reign FC tonight. The Nationals will host the San Francisco Giants today, Saturday, and Sunday. The Mystics are at the Las Vegas Aces tonight and will visit the Phoenix Mercury on Sunday. D.C. United will host the NY Red Bulls Saturday. Old Glory DC will visit the New England Free Jacks on Saturday. The DC Defenders, who clinched a spot in the postseason with their win over the Arlington Renegades last week, will visit the Houston Roughnecks on Sunday. Slightly outside of town but of great interest to area petrolheads (guilty as charged, your honor), the Monaco Grand Prix and the Indianapolis 500 will take place Sunday.
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:
Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark, “Genetic Engineering.” This English group was one of the first New Wave bands I connected with after a summer camp counselor instructed me to buy the soundtrack to “Urgh! A Music War.” Later, I made one of my most profound friendships after I noticed OMD’s name scrawled on another kid’s notebook in high school. OMD play the second of two sold-out shows at the Lincoln Theatre tonight.
Here’s some administration news you might have blocked out:
Tales from the crypto: President Trump hosted the “highest-paying customers of his personal cryptocurrency” at his golf club in Sterling last night, a “gathering arranged by the president’s business partners to directly enrich the first family.” (NYT) “The White House has argued the dinner poses no conflict of interest because the president’s assets are in a blind trust managed by his adult sons.” (Washington Post) Protesters chanted at attendees like Lamar Odom as they arrived for the black-tie-optional event. (NBC News) Chinese crypto billionaire Justin Sun, who “for years wouldn’t set foot in the U.S. for fear of arrest,” attended. (WSJ) Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff‘s son, Zach Witkoff, travels the world to promote a crypto venture he cofounded with the Trump family. (WSJ) More than a dozen administration officials “have made well-timed trades since Trump took office in January.” (ProPublica) “It’s absurd for anyone to insinuate that this president is profiting off of the presidency,” White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said. (NYT) Related: The US Mint is moving to end production of the penny, a form of money that doesn’t interest the President. (AP)
Travel ban 2.0? Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem informed Harvard University that the United States of America will no longer allow it to enroll international students. (NYT) “This should be a warning to every other university to get your act together,” Noem told Fox News. (Axios) The move is “likely to prompt a legal challenge from Harvard.” (Harvard Crimson) In an unrelated case, a federal judge blocked the administration from “terminating the legal statuses of international students at universities” in the US. (NBC News)
Health is other people: Health Secretary RFK Jr. and other administration officials unveiled the “MAHA Report,” which “highlighted crises including childhood obesity and declining mental health with sweeping warnings, but did not address structural issues such as physician shortages or high health care costs.” (Washington Post) Here’s the report. (White House) Trump said autism “has to be artificially induced” at an event for the report. (The Hill)
Administration perambulation: The FTC has opened an investigation into Elon Musk foil Media Matters, the “latest example of the Trump administration’s taking actions against individuals and organizations that play critical roles in the infrastructure of the political left.” (NYT) Musk’s DOGE project used an AI model made by Meta to try to read the “five things” emails Musk instituted at federal agencies. (Wired) The Supreme Court ruled that Trump can fire the heads of independent agencies—though not the Fed. (NBC News) Multiple cases of a new Covid variant have been reported in the US. (CBS News) Federal immigration officials are detaining people attending hearings at immigration courts around the country. (Dallas Morning News) New Social Security boss Frank Bisignano told staffers he Googled “What the heck’s the commissioner of Social Security?” when he was offered the job. (ABC News)
One snazzy open house this weekend:
This six bed/11 bath Great Falls manse boasts a pool, a sports court, an outdoor kitchen, a gym, and (of course) a movie theater into its 13,367 square feet. It’s listed at $7.175 million, and you can see it Saturday. See more of this weekend’s best open houses here.
Recently on Washingtonian dot com:
• Washington Performing Arts announced its fall season—and no shows will be at the Kennedy Center.
• We went to DC’s Parthenon restaurant to watch people there watch Gordon Ramsay flay the place.
• El Bistró, a more affordable à la carte room from El Cielo, opened at Union Market.
• DC’s streets could take a serious beating from Trump’s birthday military parade. The Army says it’ll pay for any damage.
• Jeanine Pirro complained about having to pay for bottled water.
• A DC woman was arrested for allegedly spitting on Ed Martin. Authorities say she repeatedly tweeted, “That was me that spit in your face today.”
Local news links:
Museum shooting latest: The person accused of shooting Israeli Embassy employees Yaron Lischinsky and Sarah Lynn Milgrim outside the Capital Jewish Museum Wednesday has confessed, authorities say. (Washington Post) A vigil at Lafayette Square drew more than 100 people. (NBC4 Washington) Friends remember the couple. (WTOP) For people in the area, the shooting represents “a potent and unsettling threat: that the world’s geopolitical fault lines are now cracking open on U.S. soil.” (WTOP)
• The Washington Post hired Baltimore Banner EIC Kimi Yoshino as a managing editor. She’ll oversee local coverage, among other areas. (Washington Post)
• “I work on Capitol Hill and I think that has prepared me for Survivor because one of my favorite pastimes is kissing butt”: Alex Moore, a spokesperson for US Representative Jan Schakowsky, will appear on the next season of “Survivor.” (Politico)
• A DC man who tried to carjack a deputy US marshal outside Sonia Sotomayor’s home got ten years. (WTOP)
• Just an awful story: A teenager in the District accidentally shot and killed herself while filming a video for social media. (NBC4 Washington)
• Alexandria police say Potomac Yard and King Street are hotspots for crime in the city, particularly thefts committed by people from Maryland and DC. (WUSA9)
• Kermit the Frog gave a commencement address at the University of Maryland. (NBC4 Washington)
Weekend event picks:
Friday: Jazz in the Garden returns to the National Gallery of Art’s Sculpture Garden.
Saturday: It’s your last chance to see Avant Bard Theatre perform Kathleen Akerley‘s take on “Hamlet.”
Sunday: Place flowers at Arlington National Cemetery.
Monday: Here’s our list of Memorial Day events around town, and here’s what you need to know about DC’s Memorial Day parade.
See lots 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.
