Good morning. Cloudy with the possibility of light showers today and a high around 72. A low near 59 overnight. The Nationals are at the Marlins again today. 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:
Rilo Kiley, “Portions for Foxes.” This reunited LA band plays the Anthem tonight with Dean Johnson.
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:
Power crab: Last night, for the first time ever, President Trump dined at a DC restaurant that wasn’t in a property his company managed, heading one block from the White House to Joe’s Seafood, Prime Steak, and Stone Crab. He was joined by Vice President JD Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth—plus protesters who shouted at him in the restaurant. He was also booed on the way in. (Washingtonian) Trump claimed DC has “virtually no crime” following his takeover last month of the District’s police force, which expires today. (Washington Post) Code Pink interrupted his meal, calling him the “Hitler of our times.” (Via Washingtonian Problems)
Penned in: Trump continued to claim that his signature didn’t grace a letter to disgraced, deceased financier Jeffrey Epstein, with whom he used to enjoy a close friendship, in a 2003 birthday book Congress released Monday. He called the swirling controversy about his ties to Epstein a “dead issue.” (ABC News) “[I]n order for Trump’s page to be a fake it would have had to be faked in 2003, when the book was bound. I can understand a motive for one of Trump’s political enemies creating a fake in 2016. What would the motive have been in 2003?” (The Bulwark) Trump’s letter is “far from the most disturbing or lecherous of the book’s contents.” (The Atlantic) Flashback: After he survived the “Access Hollywood” debacle, Trump began to claim that wasn’t his voice on the famous tape. (NYT)
US Department of Hell: Former CDC director Susan Monarez will testify on Capitol Hill next week, “a high-profile platform to publicly address the tumult that prompted other top CDC officials to resign” after Health Secretary RFK Jr. fired Monarez. (Washington Post) Kennedy issued his long-awaited childhood health report, which offers a muddled view of his agency’s plans and accomplishments and “stops short of calling for direct restrictions on pesticides and ultraprocessed foods, which Mr. Kennedy has called major threats.” (NYT) The report is “light on specifics.” (ABC News) The administration moved Tuesday to clamp down on prescription drug advertising on TV. (ABC News) Trump doesn’t have the authority to ban such ads, but he “seems to be trying to make it ‘death by disclosure and rulemaking,'” one analyst wrote. (Axios)
Administration perambulation: The Bureau of Labor Statistics revised its jobs statistics for 2024, saying the economy added nearly a million fewer jobs than it had previously reported. (Washington Post) The Supreme Court will hear a case on the legality of Trump’s tariffs in November, “a lightning-fast timetable by the Supreme Court’s typical standards.” The tariffs will persist at least until it rules after that. (AP) Chief Justice John Roberts “revived President Donald Trump’s bid to slash $4 billion in foreign-aid funding without Congress’ approval.” (Politico) A federal judge in DC ruled that Lisa Cook, who Trump is trying to fire from the Federal Reserve board of governors over accusations his administration has leveled at her about financial impropriety, can remain in her job for now. (NYT) Those accusations were made by Bill Pulte, the splashy FHA director with whom Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent got into a nearly violent argument last week. Republicans in Congress are “privately expressing growing discontent” with Pulte. (Politico) Protesters in Rochester, New York, forced ICE agents to retreat, surrounding them as they descended on a site of a roofing job. (WXXI) James Walkinshaw won handily in the race to replace Fairfax’s Gerry Connolly in Congress, narrowing the GOP’s advantage in the House. (Politico)
Recently on Washingtonian dot com:
• Our 2025 list of the area’s Tech Titans is here. Meet the VCs, founders, and government officials who shape our region’s booming tech industry.
• Do you Bolivian love? Then you’ll want to try these five restaurants.
• Acqua Bistecca, Michael Mina‘s new glam Italian steakhouse, opens today at City Ridge.
• The color palette at this September wedding evolved throughout the celebration.
Local news links:
• Some takeaways from Trump’s one-month takeover of law enforcement in DC: Less visible crime, more political problems for DC Mayor Muriel Bowser, and worse relationships between local communities and the cops who will remain here. (AP) Today, Republicans in the House will begin to consider more than a dozen bills that would limit DC’s autonomy. (ABC 7)
• College students protested the Trump takeover around town yesterday. (WTOP)
• Barron Trump has moved into the White House and will take classes at NYU’s DC campus this year. (New York Post)
• 7-Eleven will pay a $1.2 million fine to settle accusations that it sold vapes in stores close to DC schools. (WUSA9)
• Alexandria may permanently close another block of King Street to pedestrian traffic. (NBC4 Washington)
• The Udvar-Hazy Center has begun work on an expansion. (FFXnow)
• Ken Burns will host a screening of his new series about the American Revolution at Mount Vernon next month. (Alexandria Living)
• The National Archives will display the entire US Constitution beginning next week. (NBC4 Washington)
• Lady Gaga will play two DC shows next year. (Fox 5)
Wednesday’s event picks:
• The Anne Arundel County Fair kicks off in Crownsville.
• Spacey Jane plays the second of two shows at the 9:30 Club.
• Pedal along to lively go-go beats at DC Bike Party Go-Go Ride.
See more picks from Briana Thomas, who writes our Things to Do newsletter.
Know a local hero? Nominate them to join our next class of Washingtonians of the Year. We’re looking for anyone who makes our area a better place. Nominations are due by September 30.
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.
