Good morning. A chilly day awaits, with breezes and a high near 42. Clear overnight, with a low around 27. The Capitals visit San Jose 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:
Vince Guaraldi Trio, “Skating.” Let tunes like this one fall on you like fresh snow at the Lincoln Theatre tonight, where “A Charlie Brown Christmas Live on Stage” will light up U Street.
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:
Sshifting blame: Seated behind a placard that read “Ssecretary of War,” Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth distanced himself during a cabinet meeting yesterday from a deadly attack on a boat in the Caribbean in September as outrage grows, even among members of President Trump‘s GOP, about a second strike that killed survivors. It was hard to see after the initial blast, Hegseth said, and he left the room and didn’t know about the second strike, but he said it was the right thing to have done. (AP) Hegseth’s revised account—he previously boasted about watching the strike live— increases pressure on Admiral Frank M. Bradley, who oversaw the already legally questionable action on Hegseth’s orders, and whom the administration appears to be hanging out to dry. (NYT) Republicans in Congress are inching toward investigating the incident, a further sign that Trump’s grip on the party may be loosening. (Politico)
Ssuboptimal: Video from 2016 shows Hegseth saying US troops won’t follow illegal orders, potentially complicating his campaign against US Senator Mark Kelly of Arizona for saying the same thing. (CNN) The Pentagon’s inspector general has finished an investigation into Hegseth’s use of a Signal chat—which accidentally included Atlantic Editor-in-Chief Jeffrey Goldberg—to announce a strike on Yemen earlier this year. (NBC News)
Harsh realm: It’s kind of difficult to say what counts as a weird day in official Washington nowadays, but yesterday’s marathon cabinet meeting made Tuesday a contender. Trump fell asleep—sorry, he “closed his eyes for extended periods”—as Secretary of State Marco Rubio took his turn at praising his boss. (Washington Post) Trump called affordability a “con job,” further mixing his messages on a topic that’s animating his drop in polls. (NYT) And he went on a bit of a tear about people from Somalia, calling them “garbage” while Vice President JD Vance “banged the table in encouragement.” (NYT)
In related news: Federal officials plan a crackdown on Somali immigrants in Minnesota. (AP) The administration halted immigration cases for people from 19 countries whose travel to the US it had already restricted—including citizenship ceremonies for legal permanent residents. (CBS News) Pop star Sabrina Carpenter called an administration video that used one of her songs “evil and disgusting,” prompting a typically measured response from the White House. (Politico)
Cliff notes: Covid-era Obamacare subsidies are about to expire, and Congress is still more or less nowhere on fixing a problem that will cause huge rate jumps for millions of people. (NBC News) The administration threatened to withhold SNAP funds from states controlled by Democrats. (AP) Republicans don’t think affordability or the premium cliff will be much of a problem for them politically. (Politico) Perhaps related: Democratic candidate Aftyn Behn overperformed in a special-election loss to Republican Matt Van Epps in Tennessee, raising concerns among some Republicans. (Politico)
Administration perambulation: Trump claimed on social media that President Biden‘s executive orders and pardons were “hereby” rescinded, which isn’t exactly how things work but it was good that he was awake, I guess? (Democracy Docket) He also said he plans to “rebuild” Dulles airport, which is already in the midst of a revamp. (Washington Post) And he said Jack Smith‘s report on that whole classified documents thing should remain…classified. (Politico) ICE separated a father from his six-year-old son, according to immigration advocates. (The City) Former Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernández is out of jail thanks to a pardon from Trump. Hernández was convicted of a conspiracy to send illegal drugs to the US. (Washington Post) Does DOGE exist? I don’t know, is anything real? (Wired)
Recently on Washingtonian dot com:
• Olivia Nuzzi no longer likes DC.
• New Post food critic Elazar Sontag dishes about his plans for the gig.
• Wizards player Corey Kispert tells us about his new coffee company.
Local news links:
• National Guard troops will now all be armed as they walk around DC following a deadly attack on two of their number last week. (Axios) Rahmanullah Lakanwal, who is accused of that shooting, made his first court appearance from a hospital bed yesterday. (Washington Post)
• Rafael López, Maryland’s Human Services secretary, pleaded guilty to DUI in DC. (Maryland Matters)
• Virginia’s legal recreational weed market is taking shape. (WTOP)
• Mark Warner will run again. (NBC4 Washington)
• Don’t do this. (ALXnow)
• Old Bay will once again be sold in tins, as the Good Lord intended. (NBC4 Washington)
• Alicia Silverstone has offered a reward for some missing baby giraffes in Virginia. (Alexandria Living)
• A raccoon broke into a central Virginia ABC store, got drunk, and passed out in the bathroom. (Axios Richmond)
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.
