Good morning. Cloudy with a high around 79 today. A low near 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:
Carl Stone, “Rikido.” Today’s pick comes courtesy my friend and music sommelier, John Rickman: “Carl Stone has a computer. Watch the composer and master sampler use it at Rhizome tonight in a rare appearance with multi-disciplinary artist Alma Laprida.”
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:
Shutdown showdown: The federal government will run out of money tomorrow night. President Trump and top Congressional leaders from both parties will finally meet this afternoon to discuss a solution, which seems unlikely. Here’s a good rundown about what each side wants. (Punchbowl News) “I just don’t know how we are going to solve this issue,” the President said. (CBS News)
Leave it, says Beaver State: Oregon sued the administration Sunday to stop the administration from sending federal troops to Portland, which Trump claimed in a weekend social media post was “War ravaged” and required military intervention, confusing a lot of locavores, cargo bike owners, and vegans who wear ironic dinosaur suits to bake sales who posted photos of the City of Roses looking very much like it’s not a war zone. “The facts cannot justify this overreach,” Oregon argued. (The Oregonian) Trump is obsessed with Portland, where protesters and authorities clashed repeatedly in 2020, and the President frequently makes statements that “marry facts from 2020 with the current situation,” which is a sustained but small protest outside an ICE facility there. (Politico) US Senator Ron Wyden of Oregon said Trump should “stay the hell out” of Portland. (NOTUS) Authorities have made around 29 arrests in the protests outside the ICE facility there since June, with the number dropping sharply as summer wore on and the number of protesters dwindled to a few dozen. (The Oregonian) Meanwhile: Top Border Patrol official Gregory Bovino told a journalist his agents were organizing their patrols of Chicago around the question: “‘How do they look compared to, say, you?’ he said to the reporter, a tall, middle-aged man of Anglo descent.” (Chicago Sun-Times)
Executive downtime: Honestly, it was a pretty weird weekend even for Trump, who posted, then later deleted, a video in which an apparently AI-generated version of himself promoted the “med bed” conspiracy theory that you can read about if you’re short on despair this morning. (Rolling Stone) He also “falsely accused the FBI of fomenting the Jan. 6, 2021, assault on the Capitol.” (Politico) He declassified records about Amelia Earhart, claiming “many people” have been asking him about the early 20th century aviator. (AP) And he decided that he’d attend Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth‘s already extremely unusual gathering of US generals planned for Tuesday, sending security teams scrambling. (Washington Post)
Administration perambulation: The indictment against former FBI Director James Comey that Trump ordered up “may quickly end in disappointment — and even humiliation — for the prosecutor who was conscripted by the president to bring the charges.” (Politico) Trump said he “would think” that the feds were also investigating former FBI Director Christopher Wray. (NBC News) The White House is working on a plan to fund US universities that “pledge to adhere to the values and policies of the Trump administration.” (Washington Post) Trump fired Michele Beckwith, the acting US attorney in Sacramento, after she told Bovino “that a court order prevented him from arresting people without probable cause.” (NYT) Administration cuts have ravaged the already understaffed National Weather Service. (Washington Post) Sinclair and Nexstar folded, and both local broadcasting giants put Jimmy Kimmel back on the air. (NBC News) Eric Adams abandoned his quixotic reelection bid in the New York mayoral race, and it doesn’t look as if he’ll get an ambassadorship from Trump. (NYT)
The best thing I ate last week, by Ann Limpert:
Sushi Sato, which recently took over the former Bronze space on H Street, has gotten attention for its all-you-can-eat option ($55 per person, plus an extra “food waste surcharge” if you leave too much behind on your plate). It serves miso old fashioneds and a sushi roll inspired by an In-N-Out burger. But it’s actually a pretty sedate place, at least during the week. And the standout for me at a recent dinner was the relatively simple Pacific roll: a wide cylinder of rice stuffed with yellowtail, tuna, jalapeno, cilantro, avocado, and cucumber. That might sound like a lot, but with no spicy mayo zigzags, no cream cheese, no black-truffle sauce in the way, you could actually taste each ingredient. (1245 H Street, Northeast.)
Recently on Washingtonian dot com:
• Mattel claims Northern Virginia’s Ken Biberaj infringed on its trademark for Barbie’s number two with his podcast “Coffee With Ken.” Biberaj had Kenough—and decided to fight.
• Here’s our October culture guide, with 57 great things to do next month.
• Four DC restaurants made the new North American edition of the luxury-traveler-focused World’s 50 Best Restaurants list.
• If you’re a lawyer in DC and wonder how you can help with [gestures] all this, here’s a guide.
• Here’s why area couples are increasingly hiring local restaurants to be the venues for their big days.
Local news links:
• The Commanders lost. (Washington Post) The Nationals got blanked in their last game of the season. (Washington Post)
• ICE arrested Des Moines Public Schools superintendent Ian Roberts, a former principal in DC. The feds say he doesn’t have authorization to stay in the US. (NBC4 Washington)
• A woman was hospitalized this weekend after getting her arm stuck in an elevator in Adams Morgan. (WTOP)
• Activists in Maryland are putting pressure on Governor Wes Moore to revoke access to BWI for Avelo, a low-cost airline that DHS charters for deportation flights. (Maryland Matters)
• Virginia Attorney General Jason Miyares, who is running for reelection, alleged that Fairfax County Commonwealth’s Attorney Steve Descano violated election law and referred an investigation into the attorney to DOJ. Descano called the move “a sad, last-ditch political stunt by a man who’s about to lose an election.” (NBC4 Washington)
Noms, Noms, Noms: 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. That’s tomorrow! We’re also seeking nominations for our 500 Most Influential People list. Those are due by December 5.
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.
