Good morning. Isolated showers today with higher humidity and a high around 82. A low around 67 overnight. The Nationals will host the Athletics again this evening, which is also Italian Heritage Day at the ballpark. 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:
Bonnie “Prince” Billy, “Ohio River Boat Song.” I can’t decide whether I prefer this fleshed-out country version of the song to Will Oldham‘s stripped-down earlier version, which he recorded as Palace Music. You can ponder such questions yourself tonight when Oldham, aka the Prince, plays the Miracle Theatre with Tashi Dorji.
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:
High-profile carjacking: Edward “Big Balls” Coristine, perhaps DOGE’s most famous ex-staffer, was the victim of an assault on Swann Street, Northwest, on Sunday. Police say a large group of youths surrounded Coristine and another person and demanded their car. Cops arrested two teens from Maryland, and President Trump threatened anew to take over the DC government if the District “doesn’t get its act together, and quickly.” (Washington Post) Trump also floated the idea of deploying the US military to LA during the Olympics. (Washington Post)
Vax checked: Health Secretary RFK Jr. yanked funding for mRNA vaccine research, alarming public health experts. The Covid vaccines developed during Trump’s first term used mRNA technology. (AP) Kennedy claimed mRNA vaccines weren’t effective against Covid and the flu, which is not true. (Stat)
Epstein, Epstein, Epstein: Convicted sex trafficker Ghislaine Maxwell told Trump’s former defense attorney and current deputy attorney general, Todd Blanche, that the President “had never done anything in her presence that would have caused concern” when he was still pals with the disgraced, deceased financier Jeffrey Epstein. Maxwell is seeking a pardon from Trump. (ABC News) The House Oversight Committee subpoenaed the Department of Justice’s records in the Epstein case, setting up “a potential clash between Congress and the White House.” The committee also sought testimony from former President Bill Clinton, Hillary Clinton, Bill Barr, James Comey, Robert Mueller, and others. (NPR) One person not on the committee’s subpoena list? Former Trump Labor Secretary Alex Acosta, who negotiated the deal that kept Epstein from facing serious jail time when he was a federal prosecutor. (Axios) Vice President JD Vance, Attorney General Pam Bondi, White House chief of staff Susie Wiles, Blanche, and FBI Director Kash Patel plan to gather at Vance’s residence tonight to work on a strategy to address the persistent Epstein scandal. (CNN) A bit on the nose: Previously unreported photos of Epstein’s Manhattan townhouse show photos and letters with celebs as well as a first edition of “Lolita.” (NYT) Completely unrelated: Trump walked around on the roof of the White House yesterday and joked (?) that he might install nuclear missiles there. (AP)
Administration perambulation: Former Trump friend Elon Musk‘s “Five Things” emails are officially history. (Reuters) EPA will end a program that helped people who aren’t rich install solar panels on their homes. (NYT) ICE quickly canceled a program that would have provided cash to agents who deported people quickly after the New York Times asked about it. (NYT) The National Weather Service is trying to hire hundreds of people after Musk’s DOGE project stripped the agency of personnel. (CNN) The administration fired all the Democrats on Puerto Rico’s control board. (NBC News) The administration announced new grants from the National Endowment for the Humanities that reflect Trump’s ambitions to reshape US culture. (NYT)
Recently on Washingtonian dot com:
• We visited the USDA’s MAHA event on the Mall, where RFK Jr.’s “cooking” demo turned out to be him making a smoothie.
• A Google-funded project at Howard University aims to teach software to better recognize Black speech.
• Paolo Dungca’s modern Filipino restaurant Kayu didn’t stay closed for long—a new iteration of the popular H Street spot opens in Dupont today.
• The honeycomb on this couple’s wedding cake was a nod to where they met: Bumble.
• A “coastal cozy” theme and Maryland-inspired details greeted guests at this Eastern shore wedding.
Local news links:
• Georgetown University scholar Badar Khan Suri will return to work under a deal worked out with the administration, which arrested him in March and detained him in Texas despite never charging him with a crime. (NYT)
• Arlington-based Axios quietly ended its “Pro” subscription business. (Status)
• Framebridge has opened two shops in California, part of the DC-based firm’s national expansion. (WTOP)
• Police in Laurel arrested Kenneth Wonsom and charged him with the 1995 murder of his girlfriend, DC police officer Deena Campbell. (NBC4 Washington)
• The water fountains along the Mount Vernon Trail will be upgraded. (WTOP)
Wednesday’s event picks:
• It’s Wordplay Wednesday at Planet Word.
• Olivia Dade discusses her newest romance novel, Zomromcom, at East City Bookshop.
• The new exhibit “From Barriers to Ballots,” which looks at the history of the Voting Rights Act of 1965, opens at Arlington’s Central 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. 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.
