Good morning. Patchy fog early, then partly sunny with a high around 79. A chance of rain and thunderstorms tonight, with a low around 64. The Nationals are at the Mariners again 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:
Small Sur, “Love.” We’ve had a wet spell. Dry out with some country-bleached psychedelia from this swell Baltimore group, which plays Rhizome DC tonight with Cameron Knowler and Adeline Hotel.
Here’s some administration news you might have blocked out:
Impost modernism: The US Court of International Trade ruled that President Trump doesn’t have the unilateral power to set tariffs under a 1977 law, a “categorical rejection of the legal underpinnings of some of Trump’s signature and most controversial actions of his four-month-old second term.” (AP) It’s an “early yet significant setback” for the President, who intends to appeal. (NYT) GMU prof Ilya Somin: “From the very beginning, I have contended that the virtually limitless nature of the authority claimed by Trump is a key reason why courts must strike down the tariffs.” (Reason) Markets love the decision. (Yahoo! Finance) Don’t taco ’bout it: Trump flipped out when a reporter asked him about a report that traders call certain actions “TACO trades,” which stands for “Trump Always Chickens Out.” He said, “To me that’s the nastiest question.” (Politico) Kind of related? Trump nominated his former criminal defense lawyer Emil Bove III to a federal appeals court. (NYT)
Elon goodbye? Elon Musk said his adventures in government are over for the time being. (X) He’s disillusioned by the “One Big Beautiful Bill,” he’s upset about a data center deal in Abu Dhabi that favors OpenAI, and he hasn’t fulfilled a promise to donate $100 million to Trump’s political arm. (NYT) The White House confirmed it began offboarding Musk last night. (Washington Post) Flashback: Will Elon Musk Ever Leave DC? (Washingtonian)
Howdy, pardoner: Trump made a bunch of pardons and commutations Wednesday. Recipients included former gang boss Larry Hoover (who still faces a state sentence in Illinois) and former Congressman Michael Grimm. (NOTUS) Trump’s…individualistic approach to clemency has “created an incentive for pardon seekers, or their allies, to demonstrate their fealty to him and to accuse the Biden Justice Department of singling them out because of that support.” (NYT) He said he’d “take a look” at pardoning the men who plotted to kidnap Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer. (Detroit Free Press) Garrett Graff: “[I]t’s clear that the FBI and the Justice Department are basically winding down routine investigation of public corruption nationwide. Instead, the only ‘corruption’ that will be investigated going forward will be politically motivated cases.” (Doomsday Scenario)
Revoke mindset: Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the US will “aggressively revoke” visas for Chinese students. (Politico) The origins of Trump’s war on academia, an effort spurred on by adviser Stephen Miller, may lie in a Turning Point USA representative getting punched at the University of California, Berkeley in 2019. Neither he nor the man accused of hitting him were students there. (WSJ)
Administration perambulation: The administration canceled a contract with Moderna, which the US had engaged to develop a bird flu vaccine. (Axios) Paramount offered to settle Trump’s “60 Minutes” lawsuit, but he doesn’t think the offer is enough. (WSJ) The agreement between the US and Qatar to donate a palatial 747 for Trump’s use isn’t actually done. (Washington Post)
Hidden Eats, by Ike Allen
I could fixate on the exemplary chicken kebabs or the crispy, peppery leek bolani at Afghan Restaurant & Sheeryakh, but something else at this strip mall spot commands even more attention: the ice cream station. Sheeryakh, an Afghan style of hand-churned ice cream flavored with rosewater and pistachios, gets top billing here— a pink neon cursive sign reading “sheeryakh” even greets you near the door. The sheeryakh process looks to be quite the workout for the ice cream maker, who churns it to order by hand in an ice-submerged copper kettle before scraping it up and piling it into narrow, Washington Monument-shaped turrets of ice cream on each plate. With a caramel sweetness and floral scent, plus a texture that ranges with each bite from fudgy to icy to milky, it’s not much like any other ice cream in town. (6244 H Little River Turnpike, Alexandria.)
Recently on Washingtonian dot com:
• History, best events, great gay and lesbian bars, and more: Our big guide to Pride has arrived.
• Casamara, a glam Mediterranean restaurant, and its martini-centric sister bar Reynold’s just opened in Dupont Circle.
• A brief primer on Scott Jenkins, the former Virginia sheriff Trump pardoned.
• You can still pick strawberries at these spots.
• Two of our staffers tried Putt Across America at the Wharf and now they’re super-patriotic.
• “DC, I Love You: First Dates” is a new play put on by the Folger Shakespeare Library. A night out will take you on a tour around Mount Pleasant.
• Here (with photos) are the most expensive houses sold in the region in April.
Local news links:
DC budget: Mayor Muriel Bowser‘s plan would legalize blackjack. (WBJ) Her budget is business-friendly, reflecting a wariness about the effects of cuts by the administration and Musk’s DOGE project. (Axios D.C.) The DC Auditor’s office issued a report that says the city really, really needs a new jail. (WTOP) Read the report. (Office of the District of Columbia Auditor) How will a handful of people ride along H Street now? Bowser also plans to ax the streetcar and will replace it with an exciting technology called “bus.” (Washington Post)
Pride onside: A profile of Capital Pride Alliance boss Ryan Bos, whose organization is tasked with organizing WorldPride. (Washington Post) Soft hotel bookings suggest that “Predictions of up to three million visitors traveling to the region for the events are not materializing.” (Washington Blade) Local theater artists are ready for Pride anyway. (WCP)
• Virginia politicos are waiting for Governor Glenn Youngkin to set a date for a primary to replace Gerry Connolly in Congress. The calendar is tight. (Virginia Mercury)
• The Capital Jewish Museum will reopen today with a tribute to Yaron Lischinsky and Sarah Milgrim, who were killed there last week. (WUSA9)
• MoCo police appealed to the public for information about the death of a man at a Silver Diner last week. (WTOP)
• Harrison Ruffin Tyler died at 96. He was the grandson of President John Tyler, who served from 1841 to 1845. (The Richmonder)
• Meet Hercules and Ned, the border collies who scatter geese and greet passengers at West Virginia International Yeager Airport in Charleston. (WUSA9)
Thursday’s event picks:
• “Liquid,” the New York Circus Project’s punk rock circus experience, premieres at Dock 5.
• Sit in on a Profs and Pints lecture about US-China relations at Hill Center.
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.
