Good morning. Welcome to the longest day of the year (and not because today is a work day that follows a federal holiday). Sunny and less muggy today with a high around 87. A low near 69 overnight. Enjoy it: A heat dome is on its way.
Weekend sports: The Nationals will visit the Dodgers this weekend. The Mystics will visit the Atlanta Dream tonight and the Dallas Wings on Sunday. Loudoun United FC will play Hartford Athletic tonight. The Washington Spirit will visit San Diego Wave FC Sunday. The Washington Freedom will play the Texas Super Kings in Dallas Sunday. FC Salzburg will play Al Hilal in the FIFA Club World Cup at Audi Field on 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:
Holy Rollers, “Eleventy.” Positive Force co-founder Mark Andersen shared a memento mori with me recently via email: When his punk activist group coalesced in 1985, D-Day was closer to current events than “Revolution Summer” was to today. Rude! Anyway, this 1991 tune is a good reminder that Holy Rollers were one of the region’s best bands during a particularly fruitful period of DC music. They’ll reunite Saturday to play with Soulside, Tsunami, and No Man. It’s part of four days of events to mark Positive Force’s 40th anniversary.
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:
The undecider: President Trump will make a decision about whether to intervene in the Israeli-Iranian conflict “within two weeks,” the White House said Thursday. (NPR) “Two weeks” is “one of Mr. Trump’s favorite units of time,” which “can mean something, or nothing at all.” (NYT) Trump has reportedly frozen out Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard in the matter, relying on a small core group of advisers that includes Vice President JD Vance. (Washington Post) Trump reportedly doesn’t want Iran “to turn into Libya.” (New York Post)
Captive audiences are still audiences: Trump met with members of the Italian soccer team Juventus Wednesday and peppered them with questions about trans people playing sports. “It was a bit weird,” one player said about his visit to the White House. (Washington Post) Juventus later mauled the UAE team Al Ain at Audi Field, winning 5-0. (The Athletic) Trump also sought out a group of people installing giant flagpoles at the White House this week to “hold forth about striking Iran. ‘I may do it,’ he said. ‘I may not do it. I mean, nobody knows what I’m going to do.’” (NYT) Flagpole update: Former White House chief of staff Mick Mulvaney said he’s worried that the massive new flagpoles Trump had installed will make it impossible for helicopters to land on the South Lawn. (The Hill)
Administrative perambulation: Trump complained about “non-working holidays” on Juneteenth. The President, who last month abandoned the idea of renaming Veterans Day, said US workers “don’t want” paid days off. He did not otherwise acknowledge yesterday’s holiday, which commemorates the end of slavery in the US. (NYT) An appeals court in California allowed Trump to maintain control of National Guard troops in Los Angeles. (AP) Elon Musk‘s company SpaceX suffered “another major setback” Wednesday when its Starship spacecraft exploded. (Washington Post)
One snazzy open house this weekend:
This four bedroom, two-and-a-half bath farmhouse in Del Ray features a fireplace in the living room and brick built-ins in the dining room. But the main highlights are out back: a large screened-in porch with a hot tub, a patio, and two sheds that can be used for storage or a gym. It’s listed at $1.4 million. See more suggestions for great open houses this weekend.
Recently on Washingtonian dot com:
• 6 ways you can mark the summer solstice.
• The most expensive real estate sold in the area last month.
• Reports from an intimate wedding in Charlottesville and a space-themed wedding at the Udvar-Hazy.
Local news links:
• Virginia’s general election season has begun now that the Democratic and Republican tickets are set. (AP) Former Richmond Mayor Levar Stoney lost his bid to become Dems’ lieutenant governor nominee because of resistance in Richmond. One voter there said “He lives in a city that can’t seem to provide reliable drinking water.” (The Richmonder) Richmond voters have a long list of gripes about Stoney, who was once seen as a rising star. (Axios Richmond) The Republican Governors Association plans to spend a half-million dollars to boost the candidacy of GOP gubernatorial nominee Winsome Earle-Sears. (Punchbowl News)
• A Falls Church man was sentenced to 25 years in prison for planning a mass shooting at a Northern Virginia church. (NorthernVirginia)
• Former federal workers are meeting up around the area and offering support to one another. (NYT)
• Four area high schoolers have been named Milken Scholars, which entitles them to a full ride at college. (WTOP)
• The Atlantic “has been offering salaries in the $200,000–to–$300,000 range” to writers it poaches from other organizations, particularly the Washington Post. (New York)
• Miss Pixie’s will close for good by the end of the year. (Washington Post)
• &pizza has begun to franchise. (WTOP)
• A Lego model of National Airport will go on display in Terminal 2 next week. (ARLnow)
Weekend event picks:
Friday: A double-dutch session led by DC Retro Jumpers at Kenilworth Aquatic Gardens.
Saturday: The Home Rule Music Festival will feature Backyard Band, Imani-Grace Cooper, and Backyard Band at the Parks at Walter Reed.
Sunday: The Giant National Capital Barbecue Battle gets saucy for a second day on Pennsylvania Avenue.
See lots more weekend 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.
