Good morning. Another lovely day is on tap—a high around 78 with sun and low humidity. A low near 57 overnight. The Nats are at the Marlins again tonight. The Mystics will visit Brooklyn to play the New York Liberty. You can find me on Bluesky, I’m @abeaujon.87 on Signal, and there’s a link to my email address below.
Know a local hero? We’re now taking nominations for the 2025 class of Washingtonians of the Year: people who have dedicated themselves to making our region a better place. They could be well-known, even celebrities, but we’re also looking for super volunteers, nonprofit leaders, inspiring teachers, and others whose impactful work may not have made headlines. You can learn how to submit someone here.
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I can’t stop listening to:
Superchunk, “Care Less.” “I’m trying to care less,” Mac McCaughan sings on this relatable anthem from Superchunk’s wide-eyed and world-weary new LP, “Songs in the Key of Yikes,” which finds the North Carolina group searching wryly for joy amid the unease and disappointments of 2025. Superchunk plays the Black Cat tonight with Tee Vee Repairman.
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:
The doodle abides: Here’s how the Wall Street Journal described a 2003 letter from Donald Trump to Jeffrey Epstein in a bombshell report this past July:
It contains several lines of typewritten text framed by the outline of a naked woman, which appears to be hand-drawn with a heavy marker. A pair of small arcs denotes the woman’s breasts, and the future president’s signature is a squiggly “Donald” below her waist, mimicking pubic hair.
The letter concludes: “Happy Birthday — and may every day be another wonderful secret.”
The White House vehemently denied such a letter existed. Trump sued the Wall Street Journal. Vice President JD Vance said the article was “complete and utter bullshit.” On Monday, the House Oversight Committee released an image of the letter provided by lawyers for Epstein’s estate, and it looks…exactly as described. (WSJ) The signature, typeface, lines, and word choices strongly resemble other content Trump has produced. (WSJ) Trump usually signs letters with his whole name, but has signed many notes, often personal ones, with only his first name. Have a look and compare them with the Epstein letter. (NYT) The White House nonetheless claimed the letter was fake. “No one is falling for this BS,” Vance posted. (NOTUS) The book, compiled by Epstein’s associate and now convicted sex trafficker Ghislaine Maxwell, contains tributes from famous people and others in Epstein’s circle, and there are “numerous references to Mr. Epstein’s sexual conquests and female genitalia.” (NYT) Have a look at more pages, including letters from Bill Clinton, Peter Mandelson, and Leon Black. (WSJ) Not completely unrelated: Trump claimed in a speech yesterday that crime had vanished in DC since his takeover of the city’s police force, but that “Things that take place in the home they call crime,” adding, “If a man has a little fight with the wife, they say this was a crime scene.” (NYT)
Probably a coincidence: The White House announced it had ordered an immigration enforcement operation in Chicago. (Washington Post) Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson said ICE gave the city no notice. (CBS News) The Supreme Court ruled Monday that ICE agents “may stop and detain anyone they suspect is in the U.S. illegally based on little more than their working at a car wash, speaking Spanish or having brown skin.” (Los Angeles Times) “California Attorney General Rob Bonta pointed out the Supreme Court recently ruled that race can’t be considered in college admissions.” (AP)
Administration perambulation: The White House is preparing a report “laying out alleged shortcomings of the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ jobs data” after Trump fired its head following a dismal jobs report. (WSJ) During the first Trump administration, trans people in the US military were told they could continue to serve as long as they secured a doctor’s note diagnosing them with gender dysphoria. Now it’s made gender dysphoria a disqualification for serving. (NPR) Trump “posted a video to his social media account promoting the discredited theory that vaccines cause autism.” (Politico) A federal appeals court panel in New York unanimously upheld an $83.3 million defamation award Trump owes E. Jean Carroll. Trump’s legal team demanded “an immediate end to the political weaponization of our justice system.” (NYT)
Start picking apples, by Daniella Byck:
Summer, you’re dead to us! Another certifiably crisp morning in the DC area means it’s ripe time for a lovely apple picking excursion. Local orchards have transitioned from peaches to pome, and fall’s favorite fruit can typically be picked through October. Consult our list of 11 great pick-your-own-apple places for your next weekend activity; some locations such as Baugher’s in Westminster, Maryland, and Homestead Farm in Poolesville also offer an opportunity to commune with farm animals. If the smallest taste of autumnal fun inspires a voracious desire to don a flannel and sip a hot cider, consider coupling your apple escapades with other seasonal activities: The annual Pumpkin Festival at Butler’s Orchard runs from September 20 through November 2 with corn mazes, pick-your-own pumpkins, and a pool of kernels, while Gaver Farm offers pedal karts and a zip line at its daily Fall Fun Fest, which also runs through November 2.
Recently on Washingtonian dot com:
• Song Dog Farm Distillery will open in Boyds, Maryland, this October, and the owners plan to celebrate the “flavors of Montgomery county” in its spirits.
• Photos from Saturday’s march against Trump’s takeover in DC.
• Desert 5 Spot, a country bar with a mechanical bull, has opened in Union Market.
Local news links:
• It’s Election Day in Fairfax, where voters will choose a successor to US Representative Gerry Connolly, who died this past May. (WTOP) If Democrat James Walkinshaw prevails over Republican Stewart Whitson in the 11th District, as expected, Republicans will hold an even narrower advantage in the US House of Representatives. (NBC4 Washington)
• Maryland Governor Wes Moore will officially launch his reelection campaign today. (Maryland Matters)
• Blast from the past: Iran-Contra figures Oliver North and Fawn Hall got married in Virginia. (SpyTalk)
• Crime in the Metro system fell by 43 percent year-over-year in June 2025, which Metro chalked up to more officers and the use of surveillance tech. (WTOP)
• Arlington’s “Missing Middle” law could return following a win in the Virginia Court of Appeals. (ARLnow)
• The cost of in-state tuition at Virginia colleges and universities has increased by 40 percent since 2006, a new analysis finds. Washingtonian Today, who just paid tuition for two kids in Virginia schools, is painfully aware of this fact. (Northern Virginia Magazine)
• A former church on North Capitol Street, Northeast, that was once slated to be the new home of Town nightclub has gone up for sale. (PoPville)
Tuesday’s event picks:
• “Merry Wives,” a Harlem remix of Shakespeare’s classic farce, opens at Shakespeare Theatre Company.
• Sparks play music that you can dance to at Lincoln Theatre.
• Marlee Matlin will chat with Olney Theatre Company’s artistic director Jason Loewith at Montgomery College.
See more picks from Briana Thomas, who writes our Things to Do newsletter.
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.
