Good morning. Still hot, still humid today. A nominal high of 98 with heat index values near 109. A heat advisory will be in effect from 11 AM-9 PM. (Perhaps you could use a guide to chilled soups around town?) There’s a chance of thunderstorms overnight, with a low near 77. The Nationals are still in San Diego, where the high temperature is expected to hit 73 today. 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:
Sub Urban, “Bandit.” Who doesn’t love some spaghetti Western–flavored pop? I would hate to meet such a miserable creature! Sub Urban plays Pearl Street Warehouse tonight with Madelline.
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:
Spies vs. vibes: A US intelligence assessment says that President Trump‘s bombing campaign in Iran set its nuclear program back by a few months. In response, Trump “repeated his belief the damage from the strikes was significant.” (CNN) “[M]any military bomb experts believed that more than one day of strikes would be needed to complete the job.” (NYT) Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Iran is “much further away” from building a nuclear weapon, which is not exactly “totally obliterated.” (Politico) Iran claimed its enrichment program has restarted. (Daily Beast) Doubts over the bombings’ efficacy overshadowed a win for Trump: NATO members agreed to spend 5 percent of their GDP on defense. Trump (NYT) A Ukrainian lawmaker who nominated Trump for the Nobel Peace Prize—a recognition he apparently aches for—withdrew the nod after the bombings, but others have put his name forward. (Newsweek) House Speaker Mike Johnson “asserted that the War Powers Act is unconstitutional.” (The Hill)
Meanwhile, on Capitol Hill: More Republicans are expressing complaints about the administration’s budget bill. (Punchbowl News) Senate Majority Leader John Thune said it was “hard to effectively talk about a bill this big.” (Axios) Proponents of the bill hope to jam conservative holdouts. (Politico) Even more meanwhile on Capitol Hill: 128 Democrats helped block an impeachment vote brought by US Representative Al Green. (Axios)
Balls out: Edward Coristine, who you might know better as “Big Balls,” has resigned from the DOGE project formerly associated with Elon Musk. (Wired) “Mr. Coristine had been involved in DOGE activities in the General Services Administration, the U.S. Agency for International Development, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, and the Departments of Education, Health and Human Services and Homeland Security. He was most recently seen working in the Social Security Administration.” (NYT)
Grudging mention of NYC politics that doesn’t really fit under any of this post’s rubrics: Zohran Mamdani bested Andrew Cuomo in the Democratic primary for mayor. His upset victory “reverberated across the party and the country.” (NYT) Voters rejected Anthony Weiner‘s comeback attempt. (AP)
Administration perambulation: Health Secretary RFK Jr. told Congress that the “foundational assertions” in his MAHA report were accurate, despite the made-up citations it contained. (NOTUS) Trump mixed up supercells, which are a type of thunderstorm, with sleeper cells. He blamed Joe Biden for the storms. (Daily Beast) Trump adviser Stephen Miller owns stock in Palantir, “a tech company woven into the operations of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and used by other federal agencies such as the Pentagon.” (Project on Government Oversight) An appeals court “ordered the Trump administration to facilitate the return of a man who was deported to El Salvador roughly 30 minutes after the court suspended an order to remove him from the U.S.” (AP) A frustrated tourist named Mads Mikkelsen (not the guy you’re thinking of) claimed he was denied entry to the US because he had a meme about Vice President JD Vance on his phone. Officials say it was in fact a photo of a wooden pipe he’d made that concerned them. (Time) Flashback: Our guide to “Swollen JD Vance” memes. (Washingtonian)
Recently on Washingtonian dot com:
• A survey of real estate agents confirms it: Trump’s cuts are dampening the area’s housing market.
• Events and rooftops: Our guide to celebrating July 4 around the area.
• Here’s where you can see fireworks away from the National Mall on July 4.
• Our neighborhood guide to Navy Yard: Restaurants, shopping, things to do, and more.
• A roundup of Virginia laws that will go into effect next month.
• DC’s attorney general sued more Virginia and Maryland drivers.
• The MetroPCS shop in Shaw that indirectly kicked off the #DontMuteDC movement is now a cannabis dispensary.
Local news links:
• Gerry Connolly tweeted in support of James Walkinshaw, who’s running to replace him, which kind of surprised some people since Connolly died last month. (Axios)
• Virginia Democrats sued universities as part of an escalating disagreement with Governor Glenn Youngkin over appointees to the schools’ boards. (Washington Post)
• Arlington gave Amazon a three-year extension on its plans to build a giant glass poop emoji in Crystal City. (ARLnow)
• HUD will reportedly kick the National Science Foundation out of its building in Alexandria. (ALXnow)
• DC Councilmember Brooke Pinto put a proposal to restructure DC’s violence interrupter programs on ice after pushback from Mayor Muriel Bowser and other officials. (WUSA9)
• Cops found a decomposing body near a District elementary school yesterday. (WJLA)
• Arnold Schwarzenegger will keynote a July 4 naturalization ceremony at Mount Vernon. (Unfair! My wife’s ceremony there was headlined by a George Washington impersonator.) (FFXnow)
• Shake Shack is moving ahead with plans for an Old Town location. (ALXnow)
• Dermot Mulroney, who is from Alexandria, plans to get divorced. (Northern Virginia Magazine)
• The Washington Monument is still closed due to the heat. (WUSA9)
Wednesday’s event picks:
• US Senator Lisa Murkowski will discuss her new book, “Far From Home,” with Washington Post journalist Libby Casey at Sixth & I.
• The poet and novelist Honoree Fanonne Jeffers will discuss her new book, “Misbehaving at the Crossroads,” at MLK Jr. Memorial Library.
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.
