Good morning. Outrageously hot and humid with rain and storm chances throughout the day. A high of 90 that will feel much worse today, then a low around 73 tonight with more precipitation likely. A joyous Bastille Day to you and yours! Thanks so much to my coworker Kate Corliss for doing such a bang-up job with Washingtonian Today while I was on vacation. You can find me on Bluesky, I’m @abeaujon.87 on Signal, and there’s a link to my email address below.
This roundup is available as a morning email newsletter. Sign up here.
I can’t stop listening to:
Doll Apartments, “Subaru Girl.” Let some local pop punk wrest your brain from the heat’s grasp. Doll Apartments plays Fort Reno tonight (weather permitting) with Flip Phones and Unknown Artist, which I can’t figure out if it’s the name of a band or some sort of special surprise. You might as well go and find out!
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:
Sports and all: President Trump floated the idea of an executive order to rename soccer “football” at Sunday’s FIFA Club World Cup final in New Jersey, which Chelsea F.C. won. (New York Post) The crowd repeatedly booed the US President when he appeared on the Jumbotron. (Daily Beast) Players from Chelsea and PSG brawled after the game. (Fox News) Meanwhile, it’s All-Star week in baseball, and the Major League Baseball Players Association has advised foreign-born players to carry documents to prove they’re in the US legitimately. (Detroit Free Press)
You hate to see it: MAGA continues to roil after last week’s Jeffrey Epstein fiasco. (Rolling Stone) US Attorney General Pam Bondi, who some on the online right blame for not uncovering the conspiracy they demanded, fired her ethics adviser Joseph Tirrell, a career lawyer at DOJ who advised Jack Smith‘s office during its investigations of Trump. (Bloomberg Law) Deputy FBI Director Dan Bongino has reportedly said he’d quit over the Epstein thing. (CNN) Trump asked his fans to side with Bondi. (NYT) Bondi also announced DOJ would drop charges against Michael Kirk Moore Jr., a plastic surgeon in Utah who was accused of selling fake Covid vaccination cards for $50 apiece. (NYT)
Disaster of none: Search and rescue teams say they weren’t deployed by FEMA in Texas until long after deadly floods had occurred. Multiple people told CNN that a new rule instituted by Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, who oversees FEMA, that requires her to “sign off on relatively small expenditures from her agency … created bureaucratic hurdles during a critical time.” (CNN) Noem defended her agency’s response on television Sunday, calling reports of an inadequate response “False reporting, fake news.” (NYT) The Times reported Friday that FEMA didn’t answer most calls to a disaster assistance hotline after the floods. (NYT) Noem has said the administration planned to eliminate FEMA, but now she says Trump “wants it to be remade so that it’s an agency that is new in how it deploys and supports states.” (NBC News) She also said it was “discouraging” that “that people are playing politics with this.” (Politico)
Administration perambulation: “Hundreds of immigrants with no criminal charges in the United States are being held at Alligator Alcatraz.” (Miami Herald) US Senator Rand Paul criticized the Secret Service, saying a “cultural cover-up” occurred after an attempt on Trump’s life last year. (Politico) Jaime Alanis, a worker at a California cannabis facility raided by ICE last week, died of injuries he sustained during the event. (AP) Former President Biden pushed back against Republicans’ “autopen” accusations. (NYT) Trump threatened to revoke Rosie O’Donnell‘s citizenship, which is not a power he holds. (EW)
The best thing I ate last week, by Ann Limpert:
At Sorn Thai, the four month old McLean sibling of Woodley Park hit Donsak Thai Restaurant, the menu is filled with creative, grazing-friendly plates: fiery larb made with Brussels sprouts, a rich, mousse-like shrimp croquette, and butterfly dumplings filled with minced pork and preserved radish. All very good. But there’s one more pedestrian-sounding dish you shouldn’t overlook—the curry puffs. The perfectly flaky pastries filled with warmly spiced potatoes are pure comfort on a table where so many dishes ping with more electric flavors. And they’re a great cocktail snack to go with say, the Aperol-spiked pineapple daiquiri. (6224-E Old Dominion Drive, McLean.)
Recently on Washingtonian dot com:
• We asked a sportswriter why the Nats are so bad.
• Here’s our monthly fantasy dinner list.
• This Eastern Shore wedding was inspired by oysters.
Local news links:
• The DC Council will take a first vote on a FY 2026 budget today. The current draft includes funding for an RFK deal and a repeal of I-82. (Axios D.C.) DC’s Ward 8 still has no representative on the council. Voters there will choose among four candidates Tuesday, including former Councilmember Trayon White. (NBC4 Washington)
• The Nationals picked shortstop Ethan Willits in the draft yesterday. (ESPN) Fired GM Mike Rizzo will offer fans a free drink at two sports bars this evening. (WTOP)
• Christopher Crittenden of Frederick pleaded guilty to assaulting a gate agent at Dulles in March. (NBC4 Washington)
• John Lyon, a WMAL host who spent years seeking answers about the 1975 disappearance of his daughters Sheila and Katherine, has died at 85. (WTOP) Lloyd Welch pleaded guilty to their murders in 2015. (Washington Post) Flashback: In 2019 I spoke with Mark Bowden about ” The Last Stone: A Masterpiece of Criminal Interrogation,” his book about the case. (Washingtonian)
• Katie Lettie and Vincent Bauer won a contest to get married at the Arlington Public Library. (NBC4 Washington)
• Virginians eat more french fries than anyone else in the US. (PotatoPro.com)
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.
