Good morning. A rainy morning ahead, with clearing skies after 11 AM and a chance for more showers in the evening. Highs around 85. The Nats will face the Detroit Tigers at home this afternoon, and the Washington Freedom will play a cricket match against the Texas Super Kings tonight. You can find me on Bluesky, I’m @kmcorliss.19 on Signal, and there’s a link to my email address below.
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A great book on my nightstand:
“Doppelganger: A Trip into the Mirror World” by Naomi Klein. Fundamentally, this book is an exploration of political polarization in America, examining how conservative influencers have co-opted progressive messaging to build their movements—creating a so-called “mirror world” in which conspiracy theories masquerade as fact. Klein’s intense interest in the mirror world is exacerbated by the fact that she is endlessly mistaken for feminist-writer-turned-right-wing-Covid-crank Naomi Wolf. These whispers of memoir take her cultural analysis from engaging to visceral. If my evil twin is reading, please do not go on Steve Bannon’s podcast.
Here’s some administration news you might have blocked out:
Running up that bill: After more than 24 hours of negotiations, the Senate passed Trump’s domestic policy package by the skin of its teeth; Vice President JD Vance broke a 50-50 tie. (AP) Republican Senators Thom Tillis, Rand Paul, and Susan Collins deviated from party lines to vote against the megabill. (The Hill) The updated legislation will now head back to the House; some GOP representatives are already saying they’ll oppose it. (NYT) Trump really wants this thing passed by July 4. (Politico) House Speaker Mike Johnson says a vote could happen as early as today. (ABC News) An overview of what the latest version includes. (PBS) The thesis statement: Cuts to social programs like Medicaid and food stamps will fund tax cuts for the wealthy, disproportionately hurting the country’s poorest people. (NYT) At least 17 million Americans will lose their health insurance if the bill passes as is. (Washington Post)
The call is coming from inside the house: Former FBI agent and pardoned January 6 rioter Jared L. Wise has joined the Justice Department as a counselor to Weaponization Working Group director Ed Martin. (NYT) Bodycam footage from the day of the insurrection captured Wise calling DC police officers “the Nazi” and “the Gestapo.” (WUSA9) “When violence against law enforcement began in front of WISE, including officers being knocked to the ground directly in front of him, WISE turned in the direction of the violence and shouted, ‘Yeah, fuck them! Yeah, kill ‘em!'” (Department of Justice)
I smell broke: Trump has launched a new line of fragrances, which retail for $249 per 3.3-ounce bottle; as someone who buys a lot of perfume, I can confirm this deal is downright foul. (The Hill) The Fight Fight Fight men’s cologne reportedly smells like hamburger sweats cardamom and geranium, while its counterpart women’s perfume features notes of citrus (and hopefully doubles as a setting spray). There’s a second line of fragrances, Victory 47, but those scent profiles are somehow even more vague. (Newsweek)
Swimmer’s knee: Per an agreement with the Department of Education, the University of Pennsylvania will ban trans women from competing on its women’s sports teams; the university will also strip swimmer Lia Thomas of her records. (NYT) “Under the agreement, Penn agreed to restore all individual Division I records and titles to female athletes who lost to Thomas and send a personalized apology letter to each of those swimmers, the Education Department said.” (AP)
Swamped: Trump will okay Florida’s plan to deputize certain National Guard officers to serve as immigration judges at “Alligator Alcatraz,” the new Everglades detention facility he toured yesterday. (Miami Herald) “Don’t run in a straight line. Run like this,” he advised an imaginary escapee, making a zigzag motion with his hand. (AP) What we know about the detention center. (CNN)
Administration perambulation: US District Court Judge Melissa DuBose has blocked mass layoffs and restructuring plans at the Department of Health and Human Services; “HHS has failed to produce a shred of evidence that services to States and access to critical information would continue uninterrupted, that the harms are minimal or not irreparable, or that it is authorized to act absent Congressional action,” she wrote in her opinion. (CBS News) The Pentagon has paused shipments of some military weapons to Ukraine. (Politico) Paramount, the parent company of CBS, will pay Trump $16 million to settle his 60 Minutes lawsuit. (NYT) Peer-reviewed reports assessing how climate change affects the US have gone missing from federal websites. (AP) A new study in The Lancet estimates that 14 million people could die if USAID cuts endure through 2030. (NPR) Trump says he is going to “take a look” at deporting Elon Musk. (ABC News) The president also falsely suggested that Zohran Mamdani, NYC’s Democratic nominee for mayor, is in the US illegally and threatened to arrest him. (NYT) The White House has generously donated a new, skinnier portrait of Trump to the Colorado State Capitol. (AP)
Where to see July 4 fireworks around DC, by Daniella Byck:
It’s almost the Fourth of July. Do you know where you’re watching fireworks? The annual display on the National Mall kicks off at 9:09 PM. You can watch from the Mall or scope out our list of alternate locations—some with elevation (Cardozo Education Campus), others outside of DC (Lady Bird Johnson Park). To avoid National Mall crowds, consider options beyond the Washington show, such as local celebrations. For pre-sunset pyrotechnics, head to Mount Vernon, where fireworks are launched at 1 PM. Williamsburg also runs an impressive display above the Governor’s Palace, and there’s free entry to the Historic Area from 10 AM to 5 PM for the holiday, ideal for a patriotic day trip.
Recently on Washingtonian dot com:
• Two of our reporters visited DC’s brand-new, interactive 51 Steps to Freedom Trail—which its founders say is the world’s largest outdoor museum. If you thought you weren’t going to see an augmented-reality rendering of Mayor Muriel Bowser today, think again.
• The fan-favorite cannabis brand Cookies will open a U Street storefront Friday.
• Perhaps you’ve noticed that stepping outside recently feels like burrowing headfirst into a damp sock. Here are our ideas to beat the heat.
• Check out these five cool things to do at the Smithsonian Folklife Festival, which opens today. (Washingtonian Today incorrectly reported in yesterday’s newsletter that the festival started Tuesday, not today. Oops! Apologies.)
Local news links:
• The DC Council voted yesterday to make the city’s summer youth curfew stricter, bumping it up an hour to 11 PM. (WTOP) Members also extended a pretrial detention policy that makes it easier for judges to jail people accused of certain violent offenses before they’re tried. (Washington Post)
• DC Council Chairman Phil Mendelson has withdrawn an amendment to council rules that would have allowed members to remove a previously expelled member again without new evidence—which, of course, would have simplified the path to swiftly oust Trayon White, should he win the July 15 special election to fill his previous seat representing Ward 8. Council members voiced concerns that considering the amendment now could create the appearance of election interference. (Washington Post)
• The FBI will stay in DC, moving from the J. Edgar Hoover Building to the Ronald Reagan Building. (Federal News Network)
• Two longstanding small businesses in Chinatown, Gao Ya Hair Salon and Full Kee Restaurant, closed yesterday—they’ll be replaced by a $75-million Marriott. The Save Chinatown Solidarity Network warns that the neighborhood’s culture is “on the brink of erasure” as legacy AAPI-owned businesses are driven out. (Fox 5)
• DC Public Schools will no longer allow redshirting, or delayed enrollment, for kindergarteners. (Axios)
• VIDEO: Virginia Republicans rallied in Vienna yesterday. (NBC Washington)
• Capital Bikeshare rates are going up for the first time since 2021. (Washington Post)
• Alex Ovechkin is a finalist for the ESPY Awards’ Muhammad Ali Sports Humanitarian Award. (WUSA9)
Wednesday’s event picks:
• Lost City Books will host four writers at The Line hotel as part of its Summer Salon reading series.
• You’ve Got a Friend: Women Pop Songwriters, a cabaret celebrating the likes of Carole King and Adele, opens at Signature Theatre.
• Get hyped for Beyoncé‘s Northwest Stadium shows this weekend with some Bey-Hive Music Bingo at Buddy’s DC.
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.
