Good morning. It’s hot in the city. The high today will be around 97 and the heat index could take us all the way to 107. The humidity will be extraordinary. A low around 78 tonight with rain and storm chances strongest before 7 PM. 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:
Zipa, “In Your Eyes.” Dreamy bilingual surf-rock at Fort Reno tonight? Yes, please! Zipa are scheduled to play with Atoms Apart and 504 Plan. As always, check the weather before you head 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:
Breaking overnight: President Trump‘s bid to rescind billions in foreign aid and public broadcasting funding squeaked through the US Senate early this morning. (Washington Post) Here’s how senators voted. (NYT)
Epstein disarray continues: Trump lashed out at his MAGA supporters upset that his Justice Department said it couldn’t uncover evidence of a wide-ranging elite conspiracy regarding disgraced, deceased financier Jeffrey Epstein, calling them “weaklings.” (CNN) Influential Trump superfan Laura Loomer warned the issue could “consume his presidency.” She wants Trump to appoint a special prosecutor. (Politico) The administration has courted other conservative influencers in an attempt to tamp down outrage. (Rolling Stone) Former Trump buddy Elon Musk posted more than a dozen times about the mess. (Daily Beast) Theo Von tweaked Vice President JD Vance about it. (Politico) Even Mike Pence got in on the act, saying, “the time has come for the administration to release all of the files.” (CBS News) Why won’t this all go away? Epstein is central to QAnon ideology, Donie O’Sullivan explains, and “perhaps this is a remarkable instance of the 79-year-old president not fully grasping how profoundly he has stoked and encouraged the conspiratorial beliefs of many in his base.” (CNN) Meanwhile, in Manhattan: The DOJ fired federal prosecutor Maurene Comey, who worked on Epstein’s sex-trafficking case and is the daughter of former FBI Director James Comey. (AP)
Trump throws in the Powell: Trump showed House Republicans a draft letter Tuesday that would fire Fed Chair Jerome Powell, asking for their input. (NYT) Markets recoiled, and Trump said Wednesday that he had no immediate plans to fire Powell. (NBC News) Trump said of Powell that he was “surprised he was appointed” and blamed former President Biden. In fact, it was Trump who appointed Powell. (NBC News)
Courts and sparks: More than 900 former DOJ employees urged the Senate not to approve Trump’s nomination of his former defense attorney Emil Bove to a Third Circuit judgeship. (ABC News) Jeffrey Toobin reckons Trump’s eventual plan is to put Bove on the Supreme Court: “Out with the eggheads and in with the street fighters” is the operating philosophy, he opines. (NYT) Meanwhile, in Albany: After district judges knocked back the nomination of interim US Attorney John Sarcone to a permanent position, DOJ named the controversial figure a “special attorney to the attorney general” with an indefinite term. (NYT)
Meanwhile, in Sacramento: Democrats have long-shot plans to redistrict in California if Texas tries to ice out blue voters. (Punchbowl News) Golden State political hands see the fingerprints of Governor Gavin Newsom‘s Presidential ambitions on the gambit. (Politico)
Administration perambulation: Sure, okay: Trump asked Coca-Cola to use cane sugar rather than high-fructose corn syrup. (AP) What’s going on with the bruise on Trump’s right hand? (Daily Beast) Perhaps unsurprisingly, the early days of Florida’s “Alligator Alcatraz” have not gone smoothly. (NYT) Remember the idea to reopen the actual Alcatraz? It’s not dead. (KQED) No more dumping out your water bottle at the curb? Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said the TSA may ease limits on liquids. (Axios)
Hidden Eats, by Ike Allen:
In Japan and Taiwan, convenience store and gas station food is often so fresh, varied, and economical that it makes you wonder why we can’t have nice things in the US. Amore Eats, a Taiwanese lunch counter inside a Rockville Exxon station, channels some of their quality and budget-friendliness. The menu is surprisingly large; a hefty $13 bento with your choice of main and sides is a good way to sample a variety. One recent weekday, mine came with stir-fried zucchini and mushrooms, curried potatoes and peppers, sliced chinese sausage, pickled mustard greens, and soy-braised pork. Those were just the “sides”—but they outshone the perfectly solid popcorn chicken. (1900 Rockville Pike.)
Recently on Washingtonian dot com:
Our big guide to airports in the region has landed. Here are some of the perks Washingtonian passengers will enjoy:
✈ Airport bars and restaurants where you can fuel up well.
✈ Some of the best airport lounges.
✈ Palm Springs, Zurich, Nice: New direct flight options from local airports.
✈ Packing advice from CNN’s Kristen Holmes.
✈ Travel hacks that will make your next flight easier.
✈ And finally it’s not just you—lots of people are worried about flying out of National Airport these days.
Meanwhile, back on the ground:
• A new conservative evangelical church has sprouted locally, and it’s attracting Trumpworld figures like Pete Hegseth.
• The International Spy Museum gave us a tour of its vault.
• The This Could Go Boom! festival in Maryland will smash gender complacency.
Local news links:
• The New York Times says Navy Yard restaurant Ama, a restaurant created to be “free of toxicity,” is attracting Republicans and Democrats. (NYT) Related: MAHA food trends are getting offaly big in DC. (Axios D.C.)
• An Oregon man was arrested outside the Capitol after police, alerted to potential weirdness by a tricycle strapped to the top of the man’s Subaru, discovered weapons inside. (The Oregonian)
• Perhaps you thought the McMillan story is over. It is not. (Washington Post)
• It sure looks like Mark Zuckerberg is building another compound in Northwest. (WBJ)
• Those Smithsonian museums reopened. (WTOP)
• RIP Hank Burchard, a quirky former Post reporter. (Washington Post)
• Say, here’s something weird at Dulles. (PoPville)
Thursday’s event picks:
• Watch “The Goonies” on the Library of Congress’ lawn.
• Take in a discussion of “Heritage, Design, and Culture in the Black Home” at the National Museum of African American History and Culture.
• Race in the Mario Kart World grand prix at Fantom Comics.
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.
