Good morning. Storms and heavy rains are likely this afternoon on what could be our last day of back-breaking heat for a while (and right on cue, I finally got an appointment to fix my AC). A high of 93, with heat index around 105. A flood watch is in effect from 2 PM to 2 AM. More rain overnight, with a low around 68. The Washington Mystics will host the Golden State Valkyries tonight. 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:
Barrington Levy, “Better Than Gold.” The Jamaican legend’s voice electrifies this slinky highlight from the “Harder They Fall” soundtrack—if there’s such a thing as spaghetti Western reggae, I think this is it. Barrington Levy plays the Howard Theatre 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:
Personnel matters: The Senate confirmed Joe Kent, a two-time failed congressional candidate with deep connections to the far right, to run the National Counterterrorism Center. (AP) Flashback: In 2021, Kent spoke at a lightly attended rally to support January 6 rioters in front of the US Capitol. (Washingtonian) On Tuesday, the United States Military Academy appointed former Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency director Jen Easterly to an academic post. On Wednesday, following criticism from conservative activist Laura Loomer, Army Secretary Dan Driscoll directed West Point to yank the appointment. (CyberScoop) President Trump overruled Health Secretary RFK Jr. and FDA Commissioner Marty Makary when he fired Vinay Prasad, who Loomer also targeted. (Politico)
Epstein latest: The family of Virginia Giuffre asked Trump not to pardon Ghislaine Maxwell, a convicted sex trafficker who abetted the crimes of the disgraced, deceased financier Jeffery Epstein. Giuffre, a victim of Epstein’s who Trump recently said Epstein “stole” from his Mar-a-Lago club, died by suicide earlier this year. Trump’s weird statement, the family said, “makes us ask if he was aware of Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell’s criminal actions, especially given his statement two years later that his good friend Jeffrey ‘likes women on the younger side . . . no doubt about it.'” (NBC News) From taking credit for a Red Sox winning streak to demanding that Coke change its formula, here are the topics Trump has posted about since the Epstein story engulfed his administration. (Politico)
The economy: Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said Trump-branded savings accounts the US Congress established for babies are “a back door for privatizing Social Security.” (AP) Trump slapped 50 percent tariffs on Brazil and sanctioned a judge he dislikes after its president, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, said in an interview that Trump shouldn’t mix politics with trade. (NYT) The US struck a trade deal with South Korea. (CNN) The economy grew by 3 percent in the last quarter. (CNBC) That growth came at the expense of imports, the Wall Street Journal’s editorial board noted, calling it the “weirdest GDP report ever.” (WSJ) The Fed declined to lower interest rates. (Washington Post)
Administration perambulation: Brown University is the latest Ivy League school to bow to the administration’s pressure campaign. (NYT) Scientists say the administration misrepresented their work in a report that pooh-poohs climate change. (NOTUS) A little-known company with few employees and a headquarters that’s a house in Henrico County just won a $1.26 billion contract to build an immigrant detention center in Texas. (The Richmonder) Elon Musk‘s “America Party” has proved to be as real as his tunnel between Baltimore and DC. It was a way for Musk to “blow off steam,” according to a Tesla investor. (Axios) A website called the Panama Playlists claims it’s got data on what Trump administration officials listen to on Spotify. Vice President JD Vance has Justin Bieber and the Backstreet Boys on his “Making Dinner,” playlist, the website says. (Wired)
Hidden Eats, by Ike Allen
Recently on Washingtonian dot com:
• T.J. Oshie put his mansion on the market and split for Minnesota.
• Photos from our Best of Washington 2025 party.
Local news links:
• Sally Jenkins, Erik Wemple, Mike Semel, Ann Gerhart, Monica Norton, and Stephen Stromberg are the latest big names to take buyouts from the Washington Post. Jenkins will go to the Athletic, and Wemple will go to the NYT. (Status)
• The NTSB grilled members of the Army and the FAA during Day 1 of hearings about the January air disaster near National Airport. (Washington Post)
• DC Mayor Muriel Bowser “believes there are enough ‘yes’ votes on the D.C. Council” for a stadium deal with the Commanders. (Axios D.C.)
• Maryland Governor Wes Moore‘s plan to hire cashiered federal workers is on hold. (Maryland Matters)
• Lee Vogler, a city councilman in Danville, Virginia, was attacked and set on fire at the office of a local magazine where he works. Police said the attack was “unrelated to his politics or work as councilman.” (NBC4 Washington)
• Former Wizards star Gilbert Arenas was charged with running illegal poker games at his mansion in LA. (AP) Flashback: Arenas has an unhappy history with card games. (Washington City Paper)
• The Bethesda Big Train defeated the Alexandria Aces in the Cal Ripken Sr. College Baseball League championship. (Alexandria Times)
• Caroline Tso, who will begin high school in Fairfax County this fall, compiled a history of “what may have been Arlington’s first Chinese-inspired restaurant.” (ARLnow)
• Police say a woman in DC was attacked by two women in bikinis. (WTOP)
• Former President Biden visited a Baskins Robbins in Kensington on Monday. (The MoCo Show)
Thursday’s event picks:
• The Fairfax County Carnival and Fair kicks off at Frying Pan Farm Park.
• The Trail Running Film Festival pads into the Miracle Theatre.
• The YMCA Thingamajig Invention Convention STEAMs into the US Patent & Trademark Office in Alexandria.
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.
