Good morning. Steamy with a high around 90 and a chance of storms or showers in the afternoon. A low near 73 overnight.
Sports this weekend: The Nationals will host the Phillies all weekend. The Mystics visit the Indiana Fever tonight and host the Los Angeles Sparks on Sunday. The Washington Spirit will host Racing Louisville on Saturday at Audi Field. D.C. United will visit Montréal on Saturday. On Sunday, Howard University will play Hampton University in the inaugural HBCU Women’s Soccer Invitational at Audi Field.
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:
Czonka, “Shibuya Crossing.” I love the deft, arty post-prog rock this local duo dishes out. Czonka will play a release party for their new album, “The Geography of Nowhere,” at Comet Ping Pong Saturday with Shadow Riot and Hammer No More the Fingers.
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:
A bad situation gets worse: Attorney General Pam Bondi ordered DC Mayor Muriel Bowser to recognize DEA head Terry Cole as the District’s “emergency police commissioner,” supplanting DC’s police chief, Pamela Smith. (Washington Post) DC Attorney General Brian Schwalb issued an opinion that says the feds don’t have that power. (Washington City Paper) Bondi also “rescinded Washington policies that restrict the local police from aiding in immigration enforcement.” (NYT) That action followed a policy Smith issued Thursday that allowed “officers to assist in federal immigration enforcement in limited circumstances,” a step President Trump initially praised before tightening the screws. (Washington Post) DC cops “historically have been barred from assisting with civil immigration enforcement.” (Washington City Paper) Bowser took her freshly defiant stance against the administration’s takeover from Martha’s Vineyard, where she had traveled Wednesday to pick up her daughter from camp. She said she’d return this afternoon. (NBC4 Washington)
They’re here: DC officials began to clear encampments yesterday ahead of an anticipated federal crackdown on homelessness. (Washingtonian) The White House plans to target “known hot spots” for crime in a 24-hour operation. (Washington Post)
Sub-optimal: Bondi called Sean Charles Dunn, who is accused of winging a hoagie at a federal cop on Sunday night, “an example of the Deep State” and fired the Air Force vet from his paralegal job at the Department of Justice. (Washington Post) A judge released Dunn on his own recognizance despite federal prosecutors’ charges of felony assault. (WUSA9) Grand juries twice rejected similar charges against a DC woman who feds claimed assaulted a federal officer when she attempted to impede an ICE arrest. That suggests “the evidence is wanting, given the standard for indictment is probable cause,” the judge said, and that “the government may never get an indictment.” (WUSA9)
Not-so-secret police: Federal immigration agents surrounded a building in Los Angeles where California Governor Gavin Newsom announced redistricting plans prompted by a similar initiative in Texas. Border Patrol official Gregory Bovino claimed ignorance that the governor was nearby and said the masked, camouflaged agents were on hand for an immigration raid. (LA Times) LA Mayor Karen Bass “told reporters outside the museum that there was ‘no way’ the presence of federal agents outside Mr. Newsom’s rally was a coincidence.” (NYT) Related: Leaked charts show how Newsom’s redistricting plan could work. (Politico)
Administration perambulation: Trump will travel to Alaska—or, as he called it Monday, “Russia”—today to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin in an attempt to end Putin’s war in Ukraine. (NYT) Trump claimed he had fixed Social Security yesterday. The program is in deep trouble. (Washington Post) The Justice Department has quietly dismantled a domestic terrorism unit, a top official said upon resigning. (SpyTalk) In just one week, Health Secretary RFK Jr. “irked nearly all of his allies: MAGA, MAHA, the White House and the agency he leads.” (NBC News) A much-watched report from Kennedy’s department “would stop short of proposing direct restrictions on ultraprocessed foods and pesticides” that he has decried. (NYT) How does this keep happening? ICE officials “inadvertently added a random person” to a group chat “where they exposed highly sensitive information about an active search for a convicted attempted murderer.” (404 Media) Trump surprised Norwegian finance minister Jens Stoltenberg with a phone call last month to inquire about his chances of receiving the Nobel Peace Prize. (Politico) White House staffers have begun to track the work habits of Corey Lewandowski, who they believe is “undercounting his work hours to avoid leaving his unpaid job” at DHS. (Axios) Staff at a pub in England reportedly refused to work if Vice President JD Vance visited. (Daily News via Yahoo)
One snazzy open house this weekend:
This 1968 house is one of 65 built by Reston architect Ken Bonner, and the 3,500-square-foot property features two fireplaces, a butler’s pantry/bar, a sunroom with skylights, and a two-car carport. It’s listed at $1.05 million, and you can tour it Saturday. See more of Lindsey Byman‘s open-house picks for the weekend here.
Recently on Washingtonian dot com:
• Know your rights at an ICE traffic stop.
• Republicans have targeted a DC law that allows non-citizens to vote in local elections. But the District may have found an ally in Vermont.
• A brief history of edible, flying protests.
• DC Summer Restaurant Week kicks off Monday. Here’s what you can find at 14 new spots.
• Some timely ideas for self-care during National Wellness Month.
• This black-tie-meets-garden-floral-whimsy wedding ended with a confetti drop.
• Catherine Oakar, Michael Retta, Audrey Fix Schaefer: Our monthly list of people we’d love to have over for dinner.
Local news links:
• Maryland Governor Wes Moore said he doesn’t “listen to criticism from chicken hawks” after Trump slammed Baltimore in his press conference about his DC takeover on Monday. By contrast, Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin praised the President. (WTOP)
• Arlington County Board Chair Takis Karantonis said the county’s mutual aid agreements with local police forces do not require it to aid with Trump’s DC takeover. (ARLnow)
• Virginia Democratic gubernatorial candidate Abigail Spanberger declined an invitation to debate GOP hopeful and current Lieutenant Governor Winsome Earle-Sears on CNN. Spanberger has a comfortable lead over Earle-Sears in most polls. (CNN)
• Would-be protests of Trump’s DC takeover are being discussed online using code words. (Axios D.C.)
• Colin Kaepernick spoke with Montgomery County Public Schools officials Thursday. (BethesdaToday)
Weekend event picks:
Friday: The Wolf Trap Opera presents Bizet’s “Carmen” at the Filene Center.
Saturday: Girl Ultra plays Pearl Street Warehouse.
Sunday: It’s the last day of the Arlington County Fair.
See lots 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.
