Good morning. Cloudy and cooler today, with rain chances and a high around 77. A low around 67 overnight. 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:
Girl Ultra Feat. Cuco, “DameLove.” Lysergic pop music from Mexico City? Yes, please. Girl Ultra plays Pearl Street Warehouse tonight with Petite Amie and Valgur.
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 weekend in Trump Town: More National Guard troops from red states are on their way, and they may be armed. (WSJ) Guard troops aren’t making arrests yet, and they’ve mostly stuck to areas around federal buildings. (Washington Post) Federal police tackled and arrested food-delivery driver Cristian Enrique Carias Torres in front of numerous witnesses Saturday morning. The White House later said Carias Torres was in the US illegally and had a “suspected gang affiliation.” (Washington Post) ICE agents ripped down a sign in Mount Pleasant that bore a slogan opposing President Trump‘s crackdown, and then they made a video boasting about it. (WUSA9) So far, the deployments have mostly stuck to parts of town with lower crime. Trump “probably doesn’t even know where Anacostia is,” one resident said. (USA Today) Revelers reveled and partyers partied, but nightlife on U Street was a bit muted amid the show of force. (Washington Post)
The pushback: The administration had to back off its plan to sideline DC Police Chief Pamela Smith after DC Attorney General Brian Schwalb sued the feds Friday. (NBC News) Activist Afeni Evans was released to cheers over the weekend after being arrested for allegedly dodging a Metro fare, and “Sandwich Guy” has become a symbol of hometown resistance to Trump. (Axios D.C.)
Summit in the air: European officials including French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer will accompany Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to the White House today as the administration hunts for a deal to end Russia’s war in Ukraine following a summit in Alaska where Trump appeared to take positions that hewed closely to Russian President Vladimir Putin‘s. (Axios) They’ll be there to “to present a united front to help Zelensky navigate what Ukrainians anticipate could be a high-stakes and potentially emotional meeting on which Ukraine’s future could hinge.” (Washington Post) A big concern, according to one diplomat, is to “avoid another scene like the one that took place in February when Mr. Zelensky met with Mr. Trump in front of television cameras at the White House.” (NYT) Secretary of State Marco Rubio said a deal probably isn’t imminent. (Axios) An administration official appears to have left a document with “potentially sensitive details” about the summit in the business center of Alaska’s Hotel Captain Cook. (NPR) Trump officials “derided the documents as a glorified lunch menu.” (NYT)
Administration perambulation: Accounts linked to DHS speechwriter Eric Lendrum “celebrated the Jan. 6 Capitol riot and likened the resulting political fallout for conservatives to slavery and the Holocaust.” (NOTUS) The feds halted visas for children arriving in the US for medical treatment after Laura Loomer criticized the circumstances of their arrival. (AP) ICE is throwing cash at potential recruits and has dropped age caps. (WSJ)
The best thing I ate last week, by Ann Limpert
Recently on Washingtonian dot com:
• Summer Restaurant Week starts today. Here’s what some of DC’s best restaurants have planned.
• Where to eat, drink, and shop in National Landing.
• Nuli, a fast-casual Nigerian spot with locations in Lagos, opens today at the Square.
Local news links:
• Alexandria public schools officials said Friday that the system would not comply with administration demands to change bathroom policy. (ALXnow) Arlington’s schools similarly said no and “argued that the Education Department should set the matter aside until a lawsuit on the topic goes before the U.S. Supreme Court later this year.” (ARLnow) They join Loudoun and Fairfax counties in defying the administration on this subject. (Northern Virginia Magazine) The Education Department announced that it would cut off federal funds to the systems. (NBC4 Washington)
• Emily Gabriella Sommer pleaded guilty to spitting on former interim US Attorney Ed Martin, spitting on and kicking a US Marshal, and kicking another. (NBC4 Washington)
• Virginia Lieutenant Governor Winsome Earle-Sears, who is running to replace Glenn Youngkin, revived some of Youngkin’s slogans from his 2021 campaign and, perhaps more significant, acknowledged John Reid, her GOP colleague on the November ticket. (Virginia Mercury)
• About 6,200 gallons of untreated sewage spilled into the Anacostia River Saturday after a main failure. (WTOP)
• Police rescued 32 people from a malfunctioning ride at Six Flags America on Saturday. (WTOP)
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.
