Good morning. A rainy day awaits, with a high around 70. Rain and wind are likely overnight, too, with a low around 60. The Nationals are scheduled to host the Braves for a doubleheader today, with games at 1:05 and 6:45. 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:
Glenn Jones, “Bergen County Farewell.” Jones, a student and friend of the late Takoma Park legend John Fahey, plays Rhizome tonight with Liam Grant and Kajwan Ziaoddini.
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:
Crackdown on political opponents to follow killing of free speech advocate: Vice President JD Vance hosted the late Charlie Kirk‘s podcast yesterday and said the federal government would target groups that organized protests against the administration, saying they’re part of a network Vance claimed “foments, facilitates and engages in violence.” (NYT) Such a campaign could include targeting groups that organized protests at Tesla dealerships during and after former Trump pal Elon Musk‘s spell in government as well as “reviewing the tax-exempt status of left-leaning nonprofit groups and targeting them with anticorruption laws.” (WSJ) President Trump‘s aide Stephen Miller claimed the existence of a “vast domestic terror movement” among Trump opponents and Vance said that “most of the lunatics in American politics today are proud members of the far left.” (NBC News) “Trump has spent the last decade saying conspicuously violent things and often flirting with the prospect of justified violence by his supporters – including as recently as Friday.” (CNN) Trump claimed yesterday that he didn’t order flags lowered after the killings of a Democratic politician in Minnesota this summer because Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, whom he declined to speak with afterward, never asked him to. (NYT)
Meanwhile: Tyler Robinson, the suspect in Kirk’s killing, appears to have confessed in a group chat on Discord. Authorities still haven’t released allegations of a specific motive. (Washington Post) Robinson will make his first court appearance today in Utah, where he will be charged. (KSL)
More news from the free speech brigade: Washington Post columnist Karen Attiah said she was fired after posting about gun violence and “racial double standards” following Kirk’s death. The Post wouldn’t comment. (NYT) Attiah also quoted some of Kirk’s views on Black women. (The Golden Hour by Karen Attiah) Clemson University fired one employee and placed two others on leave following allegations they created social media posts that “appeared to mock Kirk and celebrate his murder.” (The State) Texas Tech expelled student Camryn Giselle Booker after she argued with another person about Kirk “in the free speech area on the campus.” Booker was also charged with assault, apparently for flicking a debate opponent’s hat. (KDFW) New Jersey surgeon Matthew Jung resigned after he “allegedly openly celebrated news of Kirk’s murder in front of the hospital’s nurses’ station.” (New York Post) FEMA official Colt Hagmaier resigned after two staffers were placed on administrative leave after allegedly making negative comments about Kirk. (The Handbasket) Attorney General Pam Bondi said the Department of Justice was considering prosecuting a former Office Depot employee who got fired after they refused to print posters for a vigil for Kirk. (Mediaite) Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the US would deport people who hold visas if they appeared to be “cheering on the public assassination of a political figure.” (Axios) Far-right activist Nick Fuentes claimed his followers, known as Groypers, “are being ‘framed’ for Kirk’s killing.” (Axios)
Interest-ing: A federal appeals court said Lisa Cook could remain a governor on the Federal Reserve while the Trump administration attempts to fire her ahead of a meeting today about whether to cut interest rates. (AP) Tax authorities in Ann Arbor, Michigan, said Cook didn’t violate its rules by declaring a home there as her primary residence. (Reuters) Meanwhile: The US Senate narrowly confirmed Trump appointee Stephen Miran to the Fed. He will remain an administration official while he serves in that role. (Washington Post)
Administration perambulation: Trump ordered a military strike on another boat he claimed was bringing drugs to the US. Three people were killed. (NYT) Harpers Ferry National Historic Park will remove a photo that showed scars on the back of an enslaved man, a move “in line with President Donald Trump’s March executive order directing the Interior Department to eliminate information that reflects a ‘corrosive ideology’ that disparages historic Americans.” (Washington Post) Trump ordered Republicans not to negotiate with Democrats to avoid a government shutdown. (NBC News) Republicans in the Senate hope to extend Obamacare subsidies that are otherwise due to expire at the end of this year. (Politico) Trump sued the New York Times, “accusing the newspaper of libeling him in several articles in the lead-up to last year’s presidential election.” (Washington Post) Trump and administration officials defended FBI Director Kash Patel, who has drawn criticism for his oversight of the manhunt for Kirk’s killer. Patel will appear before a US Senate committee today. (Axios) Jefferey Epstein‘s estate plans to turn over more documents to investigators in the US House of Representatives. (NBC News) Maurene Comey, who prosecuted Epstein and his associate Ghislaine Maxwell, sued the administration over her abrupt firing in July. (Politico) Trump ordered National Guard troops to be deployed in Memphis, saying troops would join a task force that’s a “replica of our extraordinarily successful efforts” in DC. (AP) Britain’s Channel 4 will broadcast a several-hours-long program called “Trump v the Truth” tomorrow as the President visits the UK. (The Hollywood Reporter)
Get ready for a lot of theater, by Daniella Byck:
Immerse yourself in drama during Theatre Week, a celebration of local theater that runs from Thursday, September 18, through Sunday, October 5. Patrons can check out nearly 30 productions for $25, $45, and $65, including a dramedy about Craigslist, a musical based on “Twelfth Night,” and a play that involves astrology and Princess Diana. Beyond the shows, there’s a free concert at the Wharf with local performers singing show tunes, and a panel will dive into the upcoming theater season around DC.
Recently on Washingtonian dot com:
• Buffalo Billiards will make a comeback on 14th Street.
• Mobile saunas, yoga, dance: Bathe-ing DC is a new festival of wellness headed to Sandlot Anacostia next month.
• Tramell Tillman, who won an Emmy Sunday for his role on “Severance,” grew up in Maryland.
• Our guide to Bloomingdale and Eckington, with recommendations for restaurants, venues, and more.
• This wedding at the Renwick had a warm, modern color palette and saw the newlyweds cut pies instead of cake.
Local news links:
• Trump threatened another takeover of law enforcement in DC. (Washington Post)
• The House will likely vote this week on whether 14 year olds can be charged as adults in DC. (Washington Post)
• Eleanor Holmes Norton shouldn’t run for reelection, writes Donna Brazile, who ran the first campaign for DC’s 88-year-old non-voting delegate to Congress and served as her chief of staff: “Washingtonians need a delegate in Congress who is able to vigorously stand up for our right to govern ourselves.” (Washington Post)
• Chris Stone, a Republican who was running for state office in Virginia, abruptly pulled out of the race, saying he had lost his job as a government contractor and hopes to move elsewhere. Democrats have made the Trump administration’s downsizing, which has affected the Commonwealth’s economy significantly, a cornerstone of their argument for this fall’s elections. (Prince William Times)
• Prince George’s County Executive Aisha Braveboy will pause development of data centers. (NBC4 Washington)
• The Alexandria Redevelopment and Housing Authority fired its executive director, Erik Johnson, who had moved into one of the agency’s units. (WTOP)
• Police in Alexandria say a DC police officer “attacked two police officers and tried to take one of their weapons” after an arrest for suspected drunk driving. (NBC4 Washington)
• Meet Abbie Algar, the director of programming at AFI Silver Theatre and Cultural Center, which has become the region’s center for cinema after Landmark’s E Street Cinema closed. (WCP)
• Arlington County can’t step in to end the financial troubles that threaten the continued existence of Arlington Independent Media, County Board Chair Takis Karantonis said Saturday. (ARLnow)
• Wakefield High School, the alma mater of Washingtonian Today, has an early-season winning record in football for the first time since 2020. (ARLnow)
• Gulp: Jayden Daniels “is nursing a leg injury that could keep him out of Sunday’s game against the Las Vegas Raiders.” (Washington Post)
Tuesday’s event picks:
• Issa Rae appears at DAR Constitution Hall months after she canceled a planned appearance at the Kennedy Center following Trump’s takeover of the arts complex.
• Dr. Thaisa Way gives a lecture about the complex history of Dumbarton Oaks’ land, from a place for the Piscataway people to the work enslaved people did there.
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.
