Good morning. Partly sunny today until late afternoon, when showers and storms are expected to roll in. Rain is likely to linger overnight. Highs around 90. The Nats play the Cardinals in St. Louis tonight. DC United will face off against Nashville in the US Open Cup quarterfinals. 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:
“You’re the Only One I’ve Told” by Dr. Meera Shah. When people find out that Shah is an abortion provider, they often share their own stories with her. Here, she collects these testimonies, piecing together a diverse portrait of the people who get abortions and the myriad reasons why they choose to. Trump’s megabill placed a yearlong ban on Medicaid payments to health care nonprofits that offer abortion care and received more than $800,000 in federal funding in 2013; a federal judge temporarily blocked this provision earlier in the week. (The Hill) As these legal challenges unfold, Shah’s book is worth a read.
Here’s some administration news you might have blocked out:
Judgment day: The Supreme Court gave the Trump administration the go-ahead to proceed with mass firings and restructurings at federal agencies for now, overturning a lower-court order that temporarily blocked the plans. At this point, the majority wrote, it is not ruling on the “legality” of the layoffs and indicated the issue could return to the court. (Washington Post) Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson was the lone dissent, calling the ruling “the wrong decision at the wrong moment, especially given what little this Court knows about what is actually happening on the ground.” (The Hill) Now, federal workers who have faced uncertainty for months are bracing for impact. (NYT)
Immigration latest: Detainees at the “Alligator Alcatraz” detention center in Florida allege abusive conditions, including limited access to water, maggot-infested food, and Bible confiscations. (CBS) The city of Los Angeles has joined a federal class-action lawsuit against the Trump administration, alleging unlawful practices—such as racial profiling and excessive use of force—during its immigration raids. (Politico) Law experts say the administration’s plan to situate National Guard officers as immigration judges is likely illegal. (Mother Jones)
Administration perambulation: The FBI has launched an investigation into former CIA director John Brennan and former FBI director James Comey over alleged wrongdoing in their handling of the probe into Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election during Trump’s first term. (Fox News) Defense secretary Pete Hegseth did not give the White House a heads-up before he halted weapons shipments to Ukraine last week. (CNN) Trump says tariffs on US trade partners will start being paid on August 1, and “no extensions will be granted.” (NBC News) Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem announced that airport travelers will no longer have to remove their shoes during TSA screenings. (CBS) Attorney General Pam Bondi attempted to clarify comments she made about Jeffrey Epstein’s supposed “client list” during a Fox News segment in February; she’d said the list was “sitting on my desk right now to review.” Yesterday, she told journalists she didn’t mean a client list was on her desk, but rather the Epstein file itself. (NOTUS) MAGA wants Trump to give her the boot. (WSJ) A group of liberal foundations is trying to raise $250 million to help nonpartisan nonprofits pay for lawsuits against the government, support activists, and underwrite pro-democracy news media. (NYT) The president was highly sassy to reporters at a cabinet meeting yesterday before brightening up to chat about interior design, surveying education secretary Linda McMahon and then eventually the entire room on whether he should “gold-leaf” the crown moldings. (NYT)
Where to pick your own sunflowers in the DC area, by Daniella Byck:
Recently on Washingtonian dot com:
• Beloved sandwich shop Bub and Pop’s has gloriously reopened in Union Market—this time, with soft serve, a retro soda fountain, and a full bar.
• Our exhaustive guide to trivia nights in the DC area.
Local news links:
• When asked about the New York City mayoral election at yesterday’s cabinet meeting, Trump reviled Democratic nominee Zohran Mamdani and suggested that there is “tremendous power at the White House to run places when we have to.” Unprompted, he added, “We could run DC … we would run it so good.” He said White House Chief of Staff Suzie Wiles is working “very closely” with Mayor Muriel Bowser. (ABC)
• DC Delegate Eleanor Holmes Norton introduced a bill to strip the US Commission of Fine Arts of its control over the city’s non-federal property, calling federal oversight of the District’s land “a violation of home rule.” (Washington Informer)
• Speaking of Norton, a Politico column ponders whether journalists should continue to report her quotes at face value, given that her office has twice recently walked back the delegate’s own declarations that she’ll run for re-election. Hill correspondents weigh in about their experiences interviewing aging lawmakers. (Politico)
• More than 300 hotel housekeepers in the District will receive $215,000 total in restitution after two major cleaning companies failed to pay them the overtime wages they’d earned, DC Attorney General Brian Schwalb announced. (WJLA)
• DC’s Department of Housing and Community Development won’t answer basic questions about former Ward 2 Councilmember Jack Evans‘ new job within the agency. (Washington City Paper)
• Arlington’s median rent rose again last month. It’s still the priciest rate outside California. (ARLnow)
• Goodbye for now to DC’s Throne public toilets. (Washington Post)
Wednesday’s event picks:
• Summer concert series Live from the Lawn is kicking off at Strathmore with a performance by reggae Beatles tribute band Yellow Dubmarine.
• The new musical Dead Inside, written and performed by comedian Riki Lindhome who was inspired by her journey with infertility, will make its American debut at Woolly Mammoth Theatre.
• Catch pop-punk band Cap’n Jazz at the Black Cat.
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.
