Good morning. Sunny with a high of 87 today. A low around 67 overnight. How about that Trinity Rodman goal yesterday? 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:
Lambchop, “Give Me Your Love.” This morning, we note the anniversary of the 1972 film “Superfly”‘s release date with this surprisingly successful cover version of a song from Curtis Mayfield‘s great soundtrack by a fabulous Nashville indie band.
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:
Econ man: We now live within President Trump‘s economy, in which peril abounds despite his claims to the contrary: “Job gains are dwindling. Inflation is ticking upward. Growth has slowed compared with last year.” (AP) Consumers are beginning to see price increases from Trump’s tariffs. (NYT) As a result, they’re starting to pull back on spending. (WSJ) Trump’s response to Friday’s dim jobs report was to fire Bureau of Labor Statistics Commissioner Erika McEntarfer, which “raised questions about the future independence of agencies tasked with reporting critical economic data — and threatened to further politicize the fraught debate over whether federal budget cuts and job eliminations have weakened the nation’s ability to track major economic statistics.” (Washington Post) McEntarfer is a certain type of DC nerd who makes “an unlikely central character in a political drama over the direction of the U.S. economy.” (WSJ)
Leaving town: Senators left Washington Saturday after Trump torpedoed a deal to confirm a batch of his nominees in return for funding of some foreign aid and the National Institutes of Health. Democrats also wanted the GOP to promise not to push through more rescissions legislation. (Politico) The knock-on effects of this stalemate could endanger government funding this fall. Trump could have made recess appointments if the House had officially adjourned, but “Republican leaders didn’t think that could happen without [Speaker Mike] Johnson facing [a Jeffrey] Epstein-related vote, and there’s no way they were going to let that happen.” (Punchbowl News) Meanwhile: Texas Democrats split for Illinois to try to thwart a GOP redistricting plan that could hand Republicans five additional House seats. (Texas Tribune)
Administration perambulation: Remember Trump’s pledges about IVF? Apparently he doesn’t, either. (Washington Post) The Corporation for Public Broadcasting announced Friday that it will shut down after Congress yanked its funding. Here’s what that could mean for public media in the US. (NYT) Harvard President Alan Garber told faculty members the university wasn’t considering a half-billion-dollar deal with the administration and that claims otherwise were leaked by the White House. (Harvard Crimson) The Senate confirmed Jeanine Pirro as US Attorney for DC before it left town. What will this mean for the water situation in her office? (CBS News) Finally, meet Geoffrey Epstein, who’s running for mayor in Framingham, Massachusetts. (Matt Shearer/WBZ)
Recently on Washingtonian dot com:
• Confusing service fees at restaurants are a thing of a past now that the DC Council partially repealed I-82, right? You must be new here.
• Here’s a look at the contours of DC’s deal with the Washington Commanders.
• People’s Book in Takoma Park directed the proceeds from bulk sales of US Senator Dave McCormick‘s book to the immigrant-advocacy charity CASA.
Local news links:
• The Smithsonian Institution said it will reinstall information about Trump’s two impeachments to an exhibit at the the National Museum of American History. A spokesperson said no one in the administration asked for the removal. (Washington Post)
• Warning lights are blinking red for the Washington area’s economy. (Washington Post)
• George Mason University’s board gave its president, Gregory Washington, a raise. Some of his supporters had worried he might get canned instead due to pressure from the White House. (WTOP)
• A grand jury re-indicted Catherine Hoggle. Prosecutors allege she killed her children in 2014. (NBC4 Washington)
• Katie Ledecky won another title in Singapore Saturday in the 800-meter freestyle. (The Athletic)
• A really big potato is coming to Culpeper. (Inside NoVa)
• Remember the maglev train? It’s dead now. (Washington Post)
• Ron Rivera sold his house in McLean. (Inside NoVa)
• Former President Biden visited another area Baskin Robbins last week. The former leader of the country “appeared to have a cup of ice cream and a milkshake again.” (The MoCo Show)
• Finally, if you asked me what I love about living in this area, I’d have to say the dolphin sightings. (Washington Post)
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.
