Good morning. The chill’s grip on us finally loosens today, as cold temperatures this morning yield to a high around 50 by mid-afternoon. A low near 30 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:
Taisha Estrada, “El Abstracto.” This Puerto Rico-born DC-area artist has an astonishingly beautiful singing voice. She plays a benefit for Girls Rock! DC at Pie Shop tonight alongside Flowerbomb, RenRiot, and Lud Roes.
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:
Government squeeze: President Trump said the US had assembled “the largest Armada ever assembled in the History of South America” near Venezuela. Trump initially portrayed the action as a “a total and complete blockade,” then clarified it would apply to only ships carrying oil to locations under sanction from the US. (NYT) Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, who once announced classified plans in a Signal group chat that included a journalist, said he wouldn’t widely release footage of a US strike on a boat the administration claims was carrying drugs because it’s secret. (Politico) Meanwhile: Trump expanded his travel ban and put restrictions on people coming to the US from 20 more countries. (AP)
Dark clouds: The US unemployment rate hit its highest point in four years last month. (CNN) White-collar workers are “hanging onto their jobs for dear life, spooked by high-profile layoff announcements, the rise of artificial intelligence and an unforgiving job market for the unemployed.” (WSJ) The White House portrayed the dunning jobs report as a sign of progress. (NYT)
Running Wiles: Vanity Fair published an eyebr0w-raising article based on interviews over the course of the last year with White House chief of staff Susie Wiles. (Vanity Fair) She said Trump had “an alcoholic’s personality,” called Vice President JD Vance a “conspiracy theorist,” and said Elon Musk was an “odd, odd duck” and a user of ketamine. (NYT) The article was reportedly viewed within the White House as “extremely demoralizing.” (Politico) Trump and top administration officials defended Wiles, whose remarks about Trump seeking retribution could help derail his nakedly political prosecutions of perceived foes like Letitia James and Adam Schiff. (NBC News) Trump, who does not drink, agreed with Wiles’ characterization of his personality in an interview. (New York Post) Today’s edition of Politico Playbook wonders why she did it. (Playbook) Elsewhere in the palace: A federal judge declined to halt construction on Trump’s ballroom but said he would consider an injunction early next year. (Politico)
The health-care mess: Republicans in the House won’t vote on a proposal to extend expiring Covid-era Obamacare subsidies that will cause health-insurance premiums to soar for millions of Americans. (NBC News) The GOP leadership’s inaction on what will be a major financial stressor for many in the US add to a picture of a “bumbling, unpopular GOP-run Congress that’s doing nothing.” (Punchbowl News) Republican moderates are furious about being iced out. (Axios) Outgoing US Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia said, “I don’t see Republicans winning the midterms right now.” (Washington Post) Meanwhile: Vance gave a speech in Pennsylvania yesterday where he simultaneously acknowledged Americans’ concerns about affordability and insisted that Trump’s economy was better than an A+. (Politico)
Administration perambulation: Trump will move to reschedule cannabis via executive order tomorrow. (CNN) The White House will break up the National Center for Atmospheric Research in Colorado, calling it “one of the largest sources of climate alarmism in the country.” (USA Today) A Coast Guard draft policy that downgraded nooses and swastikas to being only “potentially divisive” rather than hate symbols has gone into effect, despite the administration claiming a previous report about the policy was false. (Washington Post) Someone named Kevin is likely to run the Fed. (NYT) Jared Kushner‘s private equity firm has retreated from Paramount’s hostile bid for Warner Bros. (AP) Mick Foley cut ties with WWE over Trump’s callous comments about Rob Reiner‘s slaying, citing the company’s “close relationship” with the President. (The Hill)
Recently on Washingtonian dot com:
• Sidwell Friends tennis coach Logan West demonstrates some of the wild trick shots that have made him famous online.
• This intimate December wedding leaned into the holidays and featured dinner at Chez Billy Sud.
• Washingtonian’s CEO, Catherine Merrill, toasts the magazine’s 60th anniversary.
Local news links:
• Kenyan McDuffie will resign from the DC Council early next year as he prepares to run for mayor. (Washington Post)
• The DC Council won’t stop ranked-choice voting in next June’s primaries. (NBC4 Washington)
• A report from the DC auditor says nearly $18,000 in expenses made by advisory neighborhood commissioner Salim Adofo were not recorded properly. (WUSA9)
• A statue of Barbara Rose Johns, who fought against segregation in Virginia, was unveiled in the US Capitol yesterday. Johns’s likeness replaces one of the traitor Robert E. Lee. (Washington Post)
• DC go-go inspired a new breakfast cereal. (WCP)
• A Maryland man said, “The grinches are gonna hate, but we’re still going to do it” after his HOA fined him for an elaborate holiday display. (NBC4 Washington)
• Alexandria will try once again to best Dundee, Scotland, in rugby next year. (ALXnow)
• Someone bought Nicklas Bäckström‘s McLean house. (UrbanTurf)
• A fox in Fairfax got stuck in a fence. (WTOP)
Wednesday’s event picks:
• The Main Hall Holiday Market opens today at Union Station.
• Enjoy winter cocktails and a screening of “Die Hard” at Dirty Habit.
• A nine-foot menorah will be lit at National Landing.
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.
