Good morning. Humidity will increase today, but it will still be pretty nice out, with a high around 82. Cloudy overnight, with a low near 63. The Nationals will host the Braves 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:
Waylon Wyatt, “Old Habits.” I first heard this young Americana artist from Arkansas via a good duet he performed with Washingtonian Today favorite Willow Avalon, and this song, also from Wyatt’s recent “Out of the Blue” EP, is another tune I could get lost in. Wyatt plays the Atlantis tonight and tomorrow with Dom Ellis. Both shows are sold out.
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:
Kirk shooting aftermath: Utah Governor Spencer Cox said Tyler Robinson, the suspect arrested last week in connection with the murder of conservative activist Charlie Kirk, followed a “leftist ideology” and spent time on the “deep, dark internet, the Reddit culture, and these other dark places of the internet.” (Washington Post) Cox said Robinson “had also been in a romantic relationship with a partner who was in the process of transitioning from male to female,” and that that person was unaware of any plans Robinson might have had and has been assisting authorities. (NYT) Cox said he went on TV Sunday because “The White House asked us to come on and to talk about this because they’re worried about the escalation that’s happening out there.” (Politico)
Patel in hot water: FBI Director Kash Patel‘s job is in trouble after what administration officials see as “amateur hour” communications during the manhunt for Robinson, ten anonymous sources told Fox News. Others said co-Deputy Director Dan Bongino is more endangered. Patel was instructed not to talk during a press conference that followed Robinson’s arrest, sources said, over concerns that “letting Kash talk much could f*ck up the prosecution.” (Fox News) Patel dined in New York hours after Kirk’s shooting at Rao’s, the venerable Italian restaurant where reservations are “famously difficult to obtain.” (NBC News) Patel is due to attend an oversight hearing on Tuesday. (US Senate)
Administration perambulation: The White House will seek $58 million for enhanced security measures for people in the executive and judicial branches following the shooting of Kirk and Democratic lawmakers in Minnesota. (NBC News) President Trump‘s desire for red states to redistrict has engendered an “increasingly apocalyptic valence” among supporters. “You need to carve this state into nine Republican districts and drink their tears,” one speaker at an event in Indiana said of Democrats. (Politico) Others on the right have campaigned for the firings of people who criticized Kirk after his death. (AP) Administration officials spoke at a memorial to Kirk at the Kennedy Center Sunday evening, with Kari Lake calling on parents not to send their children to “indoctrination camps,” i.e., colleges and universities. (The Hill) Fox News host Brian Kilmeade apologized for saying homeless people deserved “involuntary lethal injection.” (AP)
The best thing I ate last week, by Ann Limpert:
Fifteen years ago, when Cedric Maupillier was executive chef at Central Michel Richard, the kitchen served up a genius sandwich: a grilled cheese with even more cheese for dipping (a three-cheese béchamel sauce, to be specific). Now, he’s doing the same thing with gougères at Barbouzard, which brings a little Riviera-inspired glitz to an otherwise boring stretch of lobbyist and law offices. The airy little cheese puffs are delicious on their own, but even better with a dunk in a fondue-like Comte sauce. (1700 K Street, Northwest.)
Recently on Washingtonian dot com:
• What to know about Free DC, the group that saw its profile rise dramatically during Trump’s takeover of DC law enforcement.
• Wetlands restoration projects like this one could help clean up the Anacostia River.
• “These days, many of the restaurants that feel genuinely interesting or original—the kind of spots that add real character to a city—are actually bars.”
• Champagne, freshly made pasta, local snacks: Some vending machines in the area are getting a glow-up.
• New breakfast and brunch spots in the region.
Local news links:
• Many of the arrests during Trump’s crackdown began as police investigations of nonviolent offenses like people smoking weed or having car windows that are too dark. (Washington Post)
• Fans at Washington Spirit games will continue to chant “Free DC” at home games. (WTOP)
• George Washington University increased security after a staffer criticized Kirk in a Facebook post. (NBC4 Washington)
• A new police affidavit says teens armed with rifles who were looking for members of a rival gang to shoot near the Walter E. Washington Convention Center this past June when they unleashed a hail of bullets that killed Congressional intern Eric Tarpinian-Jachym, who was walking by. (Washington Post)
• An air show at Joint Base Andrews this weekend had to turn people away. (WTOP)
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.
