Good morning. Cloudy with a high around 51 today. A low near 42 overnight. The Capitals are at Montreal tonight. 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:
Light Beams, “Emulate.” These fabulous DC dance punks celebrate the release of a new single at Haydee’s Mount Pleasant with Two Inch Astronaut.
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:
Clown court: The administration’s prosecution of President Trump‘s perceived enemy James Comey is on the brink of collapse after “an excruciatingly awkward hearing” in Alexandria yesterday. (NYT) Lindsey Halligan, Trump’s handpicked prosecutor who has never tried a criminal case, admitted to US District Judge Michael Nachmanoff that a full grand jury never saw the full indictment. Assistant US Attorney Tyler Lemons argued, apparently with a straight face, that Comey “was not indicted at the direction of the president of the United States.” (Washington Post) “The case against Comey appears to be on increasingly flimsy ground.” (Politico)
Epstein, Epstein, Epstein: Trump signed a bill compelling himself to release the government’s files on his former pal, the deceased, disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein. Trump could have ordered the document dump himself—he has initiated similar efforts with regard to Amelia Earhart and Jimmy Hoffa—but chose to back the bill after it became clear it would pass Congress, which it did overwhelmingly despite his earlier objections. (AP) “The bill contains significant exceptions, including a provision protecting continuing investigations, which could mean many documents would stay confidential.” Trump ordered an investigation into Democrats named in emails Epstein’s estate produced last week, for instance. (NYT) The White House plans to go on the attack. (Politico) Former Harvard President Larry Summers lost his teaching gig at the Massachusetts school, a job he initially tried to hold onto after embarrassing emails with Epstein surfaced. (Harvard Crimson) Trump is mentioned more than a thousand times in the recently released emails. (NPR)
Dept. of departments: Former FEMA officials say the administration has heavily edited a report about reforming at the agency rather than dismantling it, slashing the document from around 160 pages to about 20 and removing proposed reforms. (AP) Trump appointed the panel that wrote the report. It was made up largely of Republican officials, but Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem “wants to take FEMA in a different direction.” (Washington Post) The Social Security Administration abandoned administration initiatives that would have cut benefits for hundreds of thousands of people after backlash ensued. (Washington Post)
Administration perambulation: US District Judge James Boasberg plans to restart his inquiry into “which Trump administration officials were responsible for flouting his orders in a high-stakes immigration case” after an appeals court gave him a green light. (CNN) Trump agreed to a meeting with New York’s mayor-elect, Zohran Mamdani, at the White House on Friday. (WSJ) The White House may try to overrule states taking efforts to regulate AI. (Axios) The Department of Justice charged US Representative Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick of Florida with stealing disaster funds. (AP) Wild story: Federal prosecutors in New Jersey say Natalie Greene, a former staffer for US Representative Jeff Van Drew, faked an attack on her in which she claimed she was zip-tied, cut, and had the words “TRUMP WHORE” scrawled on her body. (New Jersey Globe) Dick Cheney‘s funeral will be held at the National Cathedral this morning. Trump wasn’t invited. (CNN)
Hidden Eats, by Ike Allen:
The veteran Arlington Levantine restaurant Layalina is now Alshami— a bit loungier and more explicitly Syrian than its predecessor. There’s also a $20 all-you-can-eat Sunday breakfast buffet, with Damascus-style morning fare like falafel, ful, eggs, and cheeses. My favorite Syrian breakfast dish is fatteh: fresh-fried pita strips smothered in strained yogurt, olive oil, and chickpeas, and scattered with pomegranate seeds. It’s very hearty, but with a satisfying textural contrast.
Recently on Washingtonian dot com:
• The Michelin guide to DC dining feels increasingly stale, an impression that’s prominent this year.
• What do Democrats in Virginia hope to accomplish during Abigail Spanberger‘s first 100 days as governor?
• Where to buy your Thanksgiving pies.
• On Saturday in DC, you and a partner can help try to break the Guinness World Record for couples kissing under mistletoe.
Local news links:
• Bethesda resident George Conway is considering running for Congress in New York. (NYT)
• DC Council member Janeese Lewis George plans a Mamdani-style campaign to be DC’s next mayor. (Axios D.C.)
• ICE plans to deport Melissa Tran, who co-owns a nail salon in Hagerstown, over a criminal conviction from 2001. (DC News Now)
• The Virginia Department of Transportation has released proposed changes to Langston Boulevard and the Custis Trail. (ARLnow)
• Authorities in Ashburn charged the volunteer fire chief there, William Graham II, with embezzlement. (WUSA9)
• Jennifer Tinker of Ellicott City was sentenced to five years in prison for embezzling more than $1 million from two different employers. (DC News Now)
• Arlington will hold another name-that-plow contest. (WUSA9)
• Cristiano Ronaldo was spotted outside downtown hotspot Shoto. The soccer star was in town to clink glasses with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, who US intelligence agencies concluded ordered the brutal murder of Washington Post journalist Jamal Khashoggi. (PoPville)
Thursday’s event picks:
• “A Christmas Carol” opens at Ford’s Theatre.
• Gunna plays a sold-out show at the Anthem.
• The Listeso String Quartet plays Beyoncé tunes by candlelight at St. Francis Hall.
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.
