Good morning. Hotter today, with a high around 91 and increasing humidity. (I have been without AC since Sunday, and my brain recently melted into my socks.) A low near 74 overnight. Washingtonian’s Best of Washington party takes place tonight at the National Building Museum. 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:
Ankhlejohn, “Wait for Me.” New York’s CashOnlyDeli is a really interesting indie hip-hop label and recording studio, and DC rapper Ankhlejohn will join the collective for a showcase at Pearl Street Warehouse tonight.
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:
He’s lost control: Late on Wednesday, three Republicans—Nancy Mace, Scott Perry, and Brian Jack—voted with Democrats on a House subcommittee to subpoena the Justice Department’s files on its investigation into disgraced, deceased financier Jeffrey Epstein despite President Trump‘s attempts to force his party to move on from the topic. (NYT) Trump has “lost control of the Jeffrey Epstein scandal,” Jake Sherman, John Bresnahan and Andrew Desiderio write: The committee voted for a bunch of subpoenas—including some for former President Clinton, Hillary Clinton, James Comey, and Robert Mueller—all of which means “that the Epstein story will continue to play out for at least another few months – just as Congress and the Trump administration wrestle with government funding.” (Punchbowl News) Congress’s turn toward the MAGA base’s desire to see these documents has boosted the standing of US Representative Thomas Massie, who has pressed for their release despite Trump’s calls for a primary challenge to the Kentucky Republican after he opposed the President’s “One Big Beautiful Bill.” (NBC News)
D’oh! J: Attorney General Pam Bondi told Trump in May that his name appeared multiple times in documents about the case and that her department wouldn’t release any further documents “because the material contained child pornography and victims’ personal information.” (WSJ) US Senator Adam Schiff “responded to the report by calling on Bondi and FBI Director Kash Patel to appear before the Senate Judiciary Committee.” (AP) DOJ’s reasons for not releasing the documents have shifted over the years and across administrations. (The Lever) DOJ will meet with imprisoned Epstein associate Ghislaine Maxwell today. (ABC News) The Epstein fury drowned out a press conference by Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard where she argued, based on a GOP report, that President Obama had led a “yearslong coup and treasonous conspiracy” against Trump. (NYT)
Even more Epstein: A federal judge in Florida denied the government’s request to unseal records from Sunshine State grand juries—the records Trump recently directed DOJ to seek the release of—saying that public interest in the case doesn’t outweigh rules already in place about the secrecy of the proceedings. (Washington Post) Todd Blanche, a former defense attorney for Trump who’s now Bondi’s second-in-command, has a complicated role in all this. (NYT) How did Epstein conspiracy theories grow so intense that they now threaten to derail Trump’s agenda? Andrew Prokop explains. (Vox)
Meanwhile, in the courts: A federal appeals court upheld a block on Trump’s attempts to end birthright citizenship, affirming that they are unconstitutional. (AP) Bill Essayli, Trump’s interim US Attorney in Southern California, has failed to get many indictments for people involved in the protests in LA last month or in immigration raids. “Legal experts said Essayli’s low number of indictments raised concerns about the strength of the cases he is filing.” (Los Angeles Times) Two judges, one in Tennessee and one in Maryland, ruled that Marylander Kilmar Abrego García, whom the administration deported illegally, then accused of crimes upon his return, “must be released from criminal custody in Tennessee and returned to Maryland and cannot be immediately redetained by immigration authorities.” (Politico) It’s not clear who’s in charge of the New Jersey US Attorney’s Office. (Politico) The US Supreme Court handed Trump a victory yesterday, allowing him to fire Democratic members of the Consumer Product Safety Commission. (NYT)
Administration perambulation: Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth‘s messages in a group chat about a bombing campaign came from a classified email, according to evidence seen by the Pentagon’s inspector general. That “appears to contradict long-standing claims by the Trump administration that no classified information was divulged.” (Washington Post) Columbia University cut a deal with the administration to end its investigations into the school’s practices. It will pay $200 million and allow a monitor to examine its admissions data. (NYT) Trump’s trade deal with Japan worries US automakers because “some cars manufactured by U.S. companies could end up facing higher duties than some cars built entirely overseas.” (Politico) Kari Lake “has taken new steps to consolidate power” at the Voice of America. (Washington Post) George Tidmarsh, the FDA’s drug czar, expressed skepticism about fluoride supplements at a meeting yesterday. (NOTUS) Health Secretary RFK Jr. won his fight to remove the preservative thimerosal from flu shots “even though there is no evidence of harm from the ingredient. ” (CNBC) Paul Ingrassia, Trump’s pick to lead the Office of Special Counsel, faces questions about his competency thanks to his rhetoric, including proposing that January 6 be made a federal holiday to honor Trump fans’ attack on the Capitol in 2021. (Washington Post) PHOTOS: Look at the crap DOGE staffers left in their offices when they vamoosed. (Wired) Sales continued to crater at Tesla, led by former Trump buddy Elon Musk. (WSJ)
Hidden Eats, by Ike Allen:
The sparkling-new Baek Ban in Chantilly is something totally new for the DC area. In Korean, its name refers to a set meal—something like a bento box or Indian thali—often served on a stainless steel platter, in homestyle casual places like Seoul’s gisa sikdang, or taxi driver’s restaurants. Bulgogi is killer here, but look beyond grilled beef for the most distinctive options, like cold buckwheat noodles, kimchi stew, squid bibimbap, ginseng chicken, grilled mackerel, or spicy pollack roe soup. Regardless of what you pick for a main dish, though, your tray will be fairly sagging under the weight of almost a dozen different side dishes in small serving bowls—I particularly loved the pickled daikon slices wrapped around veggies, sweet stir-fried anchovies, and rolled omelette with crab stick. Many main dishes come with slightly different selections of sides—Baek Ban is a place that will reward return visitors. (13934 Metrotech Drive, Chantilly, Virginia.)
Recently on Washingtonian dot com:
• Take a look inside the Library of Congress’ collections.
• Oasis: The Listening Bar, a Japanese-inspired record bar serving over-the-top sushi and sake flights, has opened in Arlington.
• Harvey’s Market in Union Market stopped selling foie gras after a lawsuit from an activist group. There’s now only one retailer that sells foie gras in DC.
• Cam Newton, Wyclef Jean, Jonathan Capehart: Here are our party photographer Dan Swartz‘s best snaps from May.
Local news links:
The great Washington Post exodus: Opinion section staffers including Capehart, Philip Bump, Catherine Rampell, and Perry Bacon have announced they’ll leave the paper, while Karen Tumulty and Dana Milbank will move to the newsroom. It’s “a significant brain drain inside one of the paper’s most high-profile departments,” Oliver Darcy reports. (Status) Meanwhile, the newsroom has taken huge losses as leaders like Ann Gerhart, Mike Semel, and Hank Stuever will reportedly leave. (New York)
• The DC Council has struck a deal with the Washington Commanders in the team’s quest to build a new stadium on the RFK site, Mark Segraves reports. (NBC4 Washington)
• State police arrested Purcellville’s vice mayor and town manager last night. (WTOP)
• A new report from the DC Auditor “says the discipline of Metropolitan Police Department officers in the death of Karon Hylton-Brown was ‘grossly inadequate.'” (WUSA9)
• The Trump administration denied flood aid to Western Maryland. (Baltimore Banner)
• Michael Robinson, the former manager of the Chinatown Walgreens convicted of “facilitating a series of seven inside-job robberies at the store,” got sentenced to 12 years in prison. (WTOP)
• WETA says programming cuts will follow Congress’s decision to rescind federal funds for public broadcasting. (ARLnow)
• Alexandria Aces pitcher Connor Hutchinson recorded a no-hitter earlier this month. (Alexandria Times)
• A woman was charged with “keeping a bawdy place” in Alexandria after police discovered text messages with her on the phone of a man who died in his car earlier this month. They say the woman rented a pricey Airbnb in Old Town and used it for sex work. (ALXnow)
Thursday’s event pick:
• CJM After Sunset, the Capital Jewish Museum’s evening party, celebrates the museum’s new exhibit “LGBTJews in the Federal City ” with curator talks, performances, and cocktails.
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.
