Good morning. Welcome to April. Sunny with a high around 87 today—but beware of rain and maybe a thunderstorm this afternoon. Rainy overnight, with a low near 61. There’s really been a lot of Philadelphia in local sports this week: The Wizards host Philadelphia tonight, and the Nationals are in Philadelphia again this afternoon. DC Power FC will break the pattern by hosting Lexington SC at Audi Field this evening. You can find me on Bluesky, I’m @abeaujon.87 on Signal, and there’s a link to my email address below.
The weather looks good for this evening’s scheduled launch of NASA’s Artemis II mission, which could take place any time after 6:24 PM. (NASA) Astronauts aboard the Orion craft will “trace a figure-eight around the moon.” (Washington Post) Keep an eye on NASA’s YouTube page to watch.
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I can’t stop listening to:
Al Martino, “I Have But One Heart.” Keep an ear out for this tune in “The Godfather,” which shows tonight in all its big-screen glory at AFI Silver.
Take Washingtonian Today with you! I keep ridiculously long playlists on Apple Music and on Spotify of this year’s music recommendations. Here are 2025’s songs (Apple, Spotify), too.
Here’s some administration news you might have blocked out:
War news: President Trump will “provide an important update on Iran” during a nationwide address this evening, the White House said Tuesday evening. Rhetorically at least, Trump seems more or less finished with the war he started in Iran. Despite weeks of statements to the contrary, he says Iran “doesn’t have to make a deal” and claimed he’d accomplished regime change. (CNBC) Responding to a question about the average price of a gallon of gas in the US passing $4 yesterday, Trump said he expects the war to last “within two weeks, maybe two weeks, maybe three” and that gas prices should fall after that. (NPR) Meanwhile, thousands more US forces are headed to the region, and the aircraft carrier USS George H.W. Bush is headed toward the Persian Gulf. (AP) And Shelly Kittleson, a freelance American journalist, was kidnapped yesterday, apparently by a group with ties to Kataib Hezbollah, while reporting in Iraq. (Al-Monitor)
About those gas prices: Senior staff in the White House are “trying to come up with every conceivable idea that might alleviate energy prices,” concerned that oil could hit $150 a barrel. (Politico) The average price of a gallon of gas in the US is now $4.06. (AAA) Markets rallied yesterday on hopes that the war might end soon. (WSJ) Trump complained that Britain and France won’t help open the Strait of Hormuz, which Iran effectively closed because of his war. He told the world to “Go get your own oil!” (AP) The UAE “is preparing to help the U.S. and other allies open the Strait of Hormuz by force.” (WSJ) He told a UK newspaper he’s “strongly considering” leaving NATO. (Telegraph)
Ballroom blitzed: A federal judge ordered a pause, effective two weeks from now, on construction of the massive ballroom Trump plans to add on to the White House. Trump “is the steward of the White House,” US District Judge Richard Leon, a longtime fan of exclamation points, wrote. “He is not, however, the owner!” (Washington Post) A different federal judge permanently blocked the administration from defunding NPR and PBS, though it’s unclear what the effect will be “because too much damage to the public-broadcasting system has already been done.” (AP) The Supreme Court will take up Trump’s long-shot attempt to end birthright citizenship today. The President said he might attend the hearing, though he toyed with the same unusual idea before the high court’s tariff hearing last fall and ultimately didn’t show. (Politico)
Ballot headed: Trump tried again to assert oversight over elections, issuing an executive order that would—in the unlikely event that it prevails against court challenges—change rules for mail-in ballots and create a national citizenship registry. (Washington Post) It’s the “latest in a torrent of efforts from Trump to interfere with the way Americans vote based on his false allegations of fraud.” (AP) “Privately, even some Republicans were stunned” by the order. (Punchbowl News)
Okay, let’s get the Byron Noem story out of the way: The Daily Mail published photos yesterday of Bryon Noem, husband to former Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, wearing cartoonishly large fake breasts. (Daily Mail) Here’s a paywall-free distillation of the Mail’s report, by which Noem’s family said they were “blindsided.” (New York Post) Trump told the Mail he didn’t know anything about it. (Daily Mail) People back home in South Dakota “can’t help but feel sorry for Bryon Noem.” (NYT)
Administration perambulation: The US Forest Service will move from DC to Utah, echoing a similar effort, since reversed, to move the Bureau of Land Management out of Washington. (Washington Post) Flashback: “Inside the Radical, Self-Destructive, and Probably Impossible Plan to Move the Government Out of Washington.” (Washingtonian) The administration may seek a list of Jews at the University of Pennsylvania, a federal judge ruled yesterday. Officials say they need the information to probe discrimination, though “Many on campus drew parallels between the government’s approach and methods deployed in Nazi Germany.” (NYT) Three FBI agents fired for taking part in an investigation of Trump’s attempts to overturn the 2020 election he lost to Joe Biden sued, saying they were victims of a “retribution campaign.” (AP) A federal judge found Trump’s speech at the Ellipse on January 6, 2021, to be “political in nature,” dashing his claims of immunity for damage done by his supporters who rioted at the Capitol afterward. (Politico) The Justice Department is “struggling to decide how to respond” to Trump’s $10 billion lawsuit against the agency, which he oversees. (NYT) Hundreds of US hospitals are “at high risk of closing or cutting services” due to Trump’s Medicaid cuts. (NBC News) The US Supreme Court ruled against Colorado’s ban on so-called “conversion therapy.” (AP) Vice President JD Vance will publish a book about his conversion to Catholicism. (AP) The cover depicts a Methodist church in Virginia. (The Bulwark) Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth intervened in an Army investigation about helicopter flights over Kid Rock‘s house. (Washington Post)
Recently on Washingtonian dot com:
• Rye Bunny is one of DC’s most anticipated restaurant openings. Here’s a first look at the new eatery from the former owners of Tail Up Goat.
• A lot of local names got nods for this year’s James Beard Awards.
• National Cherry Blossom Festival president Diana Mayhew wears colors other than pink. Just not right now.
• This month’s travel deals for Washingtonian readers include discounted getaways to Boston, Miami, and the Eastern Shore.
Local news links:
• The Pentagon is toying with the idea of deploying anti-drone lasers—yes, the same idea that wreaked havoc in El Paso—to try to protect Hegseth’s and Secretary of State Marco Rubio‘s residences at Fort McNair from spy drones. (NYT)
• The DC Council overrode Mayor Muriel Bowser‘s veto of a measure that would require DC cops to document the names of federal agents involved in uses of force in the District. (WUSA9) The Council also doinked a contract to buy new fire engines. (NBC4 Washington)
• The DC streetcar dinged its last bell yesterday. (Washington Post)
• Today is DOJ’s deadline to appeal a ruling from last year that said Trump couldn’t deploy National Guard troops in DC. (Ryan J. Reilly/Bluesky)
• Police in DC say Rico Rashaad Barnes assaulted Syed Hammad Hussain during a robbery, tied him up, and set his apartment on fire after he died. (WTOP)
• Courtney Melissa Hruska, who has worked for several members of Congress, pleaded guilty to stealing money from one of her former employers. (ALXnow)
• Soz, mates: Authorities at Dulles say they seized 250 pounds of weed headed for the UK. (DC News Now)
• Here’s the deal with the new fencing at the Naval Observatory. (WUSA9)
• The average price of a house in the US is $400,000. That’ll buy you 755 square feet in Arlington. (ARLnow)
• Organizers of Liberation Weekend II announced new headliners for the festival after the group Ekko Astral, which founded the event, dropped out amid inter-band turmoil. (WCP)
• Easterns Automotive Group says it has remixed its locally famous jingle with Junkyard Band. (PoPville)
Wednesday’s event picks:
• It’s a cherry-blossom edition of “Wordplay Wednesday” at Planet Word.
• Roots musicians Patty Reese and Dave Chappell play Songbyrd.
• Trot on down to George Mason University to observe National Walking Day.
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.
