Good morning. The heat continues to pummel us: A high around 99 today with heat index values around 103. A low around 78 tonight. The Nationals will play the Astros again this evening, and the Mystics will host the Chicago Sky. 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:
Mike Campbell & the Dirty Knobs, “F*ck That Guy.” Campbell, who played with Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers since the band formed in 1976, is one of my favorite guitar players, and the video for this song makes me a little wistful for the point in the pandemic when many of us were sort of rowing in the same direction. (The song still feels relevant to me, just in a different way.) Campbell’s group will play the Warner Theatre this evening.
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:
The daily Epstein: President Trump, in an apparent attempt to defuse reporting linking him to deceased, disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein, said, “I never had the privilege of going to his island.” He also offered a new explanation of why the pair fell out—”He stole people that worked for me,” the President said. (NYT) Trump’s lawyers cited Rupert Murdoch‘s age and health in asking a court to force the media mogul to give a deposition soon in the President’s lawsuit against Murdoch’s Wall Street Journal, which reported that Trump provided a letter to Epstein for a 50th birthday book compiled by his associate Ghislaine Maxwell in which Trump drew a naked woman with his signature in place of her pubic hair, which Trump denies. (AP) Meanwhile, Maxwell, whom the Justice Department interviewed last week, appealed her sex-trafficking conviction to the US Supreme Court. She’s also hoping for a pardon from Trump. (Axios) 64 percent of people polled by the Washington Post said they were paying “a lot” or “some” attention to the Epstein story. (Washington Post)
The courts: A third whistleblower came forward about Emil Bove, saying Trump’s former Trump defense attorney and nominee for a federal judgeship “misled lawmakers during his confirmation hearing last month.” (Washington Post) Attorney General Pam Bondi announced a misconduct complaint against US District Judge James Boasberg, claiming he made “‘improper public comments’ about President Donald Trump and his administration.” (Courthouse News Service) Confusion over who leads the US Attorney’s Office in New Jersey could engender “months of uncertainty over whether the office’s criminal cases — some 1,500 a year — could be thrown out or otherwise undermined.” (Politico)
The universities: Harvard University “has signaled a willingness to meet the Trump administration’s demand to spend as much as $500 million to end its dispute with the White House.” (NYT) The Justice Department plans to investigate faculty at George Mason University who “published a resolution supporting their president and the university’s efforts around diversity” following a separate Justice Department investigation into the Virginia school. (NYT) The Department of Education plans to probe diversity efforts at Duke University’s law journal and medical school. (Washington Free Beacon)
Administration perambulation: “US immigration officers made false and misleading statements in their reports about several Los Angeles protesters they arrested during the massive demonstrations that rocked the city in June,” leading to dropped prosecutions. (The Guardian) The administration issued guidance that says federal workers may try to “persuade others of the correctness of their own religious views.” (Government Executive) Forget simply naming the Kennedy Center Opera House after Melania Trump: A GOP representative from Missouri proposed renaming the entire center for President Trump. (The Daily Beast) Trump’s former top aide Hope Hicks will become COO of Megyn Kelly’s Devil May Care Media. (New York Post) Some faint good news: Apple’s new operating system could help cut down on political fundraising texts. (Insider via Yahoo! News)
Where to get a game of mahjong around town, by Daniella Byck:
Once the purview of your busybody grandma who won’t stop asking when you’re getting married, mahjong is now having a moment across age groups, thanks to the game’s social aspect. And if you’re interested in the tile-based game, the DC area offers options for learning and playing. Three DC Public Library locations (Shaw/Watha T. Daniel Neighborhood Library, Martin Luther King Jr Memorial Library, Cleveland Park Library) hold weekly sessions, as does the Lillian and Albert Small Capital Jewish Museum. At Chevy Chase restaurant Joy and Penn Quarter Chinese American spot Lucky Danger, players can turn tiles while sipping cocktails. The latter restaurant also holds lessons on Wednesdays. For more places to play, check out our list of mahjong workshops and games.
Recently on Washingtonian dot com:
• The DC Council voted to partially repeal Initiative 82 yesterday, which means the tipped minimum wage, and likely confusion around tipping, will continue in some form for years.
Local news links:
• A look at the plans for the RFK stadium site. (Axios D.C.)
• Democrats on Capitol Hill say Republicans are making it difficult for them to reserve meeting rooms. (NOTUS)
• A Montgomery County Council member has proposed penalties for drivers who block bike lanes. (WTOP)
• Something new to worry about: The box tree moth was discovered in Northern Virginia: “The caterpillars are ravenous feeders, and heavy infestations can completely defoliate host plants.” (Alexandria Living)
Tuesday’s event picks:
• Watch the Southern Delta Aquarids meteor shower from the Bridge District rooftop with cosmos-inspired drinks and music.
• See “American Ninja” alongside a live score of the soundtrack by DJ 2-Tone Jones at Songbyrd Music House.
• Sing along to “Moana 2” at Deanwood Neighborhood Library.
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.
