Good morning. Sunny with a high around 88 today. Cloudy with a low near 66 overnight. The Nationals will host the Cubs 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:
Paul Simon, “The Sacred Harp.” Simon’s meditative 2023 LP “Seven Songs” works best if you listen to it start to finish, which is how he’ll play it tonight before unleashing a slew of hits. It’s been seven years since the 83-year-old’s last tour, so get yourself to Vienna as Simon plays the first of three shows at Wolf Trap this evening.
Take Washingtonian Today with you! I’ve made a playlist on Spotify and on Apple Music of my daily music recommendations this year.
Here’s some administration news you might have blocked out:
Budget fuss: Elon Musk complained about the GOP’s “One Big Beautiful Bill,” which he says will increase government spending and undo the work of his DOGE project. (Politico) The political math between Musk’s increasing break with President Trump. (Axios) Look at how the bill affects Musk’s business interests, someone “close to the White House” says. (Politico) FWIW, the White House’s proposed budget asks Congress to rescind billions in approved spending, which is what DOGE asked for. (AP) Some of that spending is popular, and a few Republicans are nervous about eliminating it. (Politico) Among the planned cuts: Trump proposes zeroing out funding for NPR and public media. (NPR) He also proposed cutting funding to tribal colleges and universities by 90 percent. (ProPublica) He’d eliminate the Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board, which investigates chemical disasters. (Washington Post)
Load of ship: Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has ordered the US Navy to rename the USNS Harvey Milk, a move intentionally timed for Pride month. (Military.com) Hegseth, who has moved to restore Confederate names at military bases, is also reportedly targeting vessels named for Thurgood Marshall, RBG, and Cesar Chavez. (NYT) Flashback: Washingtonian legend Leslie Milk, a “Milk by marriage,” reviewed a musical about her famous relative, who was the first openly gay man to be elected in California and was assassinated in 1978. (Washingtonian)
Pedal to the metal: Tariffs on steel and aluminum have doubled as of today, a move that’s alarming “automakers, plane manufacturers, home builders, oil drillers and other companies.” (NYT) Trump complained that it’s “extremely difficult” to make a deal with the Chinese. (CNBC)
Administration perambulation: Trump officials delayed the release of a report “because it predicts an increase in the nation’s trade deficit in farm goods later this year.” (Politico) The White House intends to “revoke guidance to the nation’s hospitals that directed them to provide emergency abortions for women when they are necessary to stabilize their medical condition.” (AP) A recent Trump executive order “puts his political appointees in charge of vetting scientific research and gives them the authority to ‘correct scientific information.'” (NYT) Lakshmi Panagiotakopoulos, an expert in pediatric infectious diseases, resigned from a group that advises manufacturers of Covid vaccines following Health Secretary RFK Jr.‘s decision to stop recommending Covid vaccines for most children and pregnant women. (Reuters) Could the US become a manufacturing hotspot again, as Trump hopes? You know the answer. (NYT) The administration’s push for deportations is reshaping federal law enforcement. (NBC News) In response to a lawsuit, the USDA will pause its program to collect information about recipients of food stamps. (NYT)
A local musician you shouldn’t miss, by Rob Brunner
Heather Stebbins, “On Separation.”
A composer and George Washington University music professor, Stebbins uses cello, synthesizer, and other tools to create subtle soundscapes that are worth paying close attention to. This is the latest intriguing release from adventurous DC label Outside Time, and the album is available as a download. But our advice? Spring for the physical version—on cassette!
Recently on Washingtonian dot com:
• Here’s our first list of 18 Great Places to Work since 2019.
• The DC Council voted to delay a tipped minimum wage increase until October, following a push by Mayor Muriel Bowser to repeal Initiative 82.
• The DC police rescinded a request to the National Park Service to close Dupont Circle park during Pride events this weekend.
• Enjoy these outdoor happy hours while the weather is still glorious.
• A version of NYC’s H&H Bagels will open in Mount Vernon Triangle next week.
• Those “DOGE Parking Only” signs were not real.
• A “Bridgerton”-inspired wedding at DAR.
• This wedding blended Sikh and Jewish traditions.
Local news links:
• Subscription sales at the Kennedy Center are down by more than a third after Trump’s takeover. (Washington Post) The center, which wouldn’t provide financial documents to back up its rebuttal or its recent assertions that its MAGA management swooped in to save the center from purported financial chaos, posted one of those tiresome “Here’s our response to the fake news” tweets after the story published. (X) The MAGA clubhouse Butterworth’s will offer 10 percent discounts to KenCen patrons. (Axios D.C.)
• The Washington Post plans to incorporate outside opinion writers and an AI-editing system for them. I look forward to seeing this plan, which could not possibly go wrong, roll out. (NYT)
• A conservative group has filed an ethics complaint over trips DC Mayor Bowser took on Qatar’s dime. (Washington Examiner)
• The Smithsonian won’t say how it intends to deal with Trump’s attempts to co-opt the institution, like claiming he’s fired National Portrait Gallery director Kim Sajet. (NYT)
• DC has paid off the bonds it used to finance infrastructure improvements at the Wharf 15 years ahead of schedule. (WBJ)
• Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin announced that the special election to replace Representative Gerry Connolly will take place Sept. 9. (WTOP)
• Georgetown University scholar Badar Khan Suri discussed his time in federal custody at a Busboys and Poets. (WUSA9)
• Trayon White skipped a Ward Eight candidate forum. He’s running to replace himself after he was booted from the DC Council following bribery allegations. (WCP)
• Buc-ee’s will open soon in Virginia. It’s a rather long drive from this area, but a Texas transplant explains why you should get excited. (Northern Virginia Magazine)
• A man who pulled a gun in a DC Wawa got eight years. (WUSA9)
• James Lloydovich Patterson, who moved to town after a short-lived career as a star of Soviet propaganda, died at 91. (Washington Post)
• The cops found a rabid raccoon in Bowie. (WUSA9)
Wednesday’s event picks:
• Molly Jong-Fast will discuss her new book “How to Lose Your Mother” with Maureen Dowd at Politics and Prose at the Wharf.
• Birmingham Royal Ballet salutes fellow Brummies Black Sabbath at the Kennedy Center (runs through Sunday).
• Yee-haw! It’s a gay country dance workshop at Eastern Market.
There’s so much going on today and this week. 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.
