Good morning. Cloudy with a small chance of showers between 9 AM and 3 PM and a high around 66. Cloudy with a low near 52 overnight. The Nationals visit the Mets 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:
The Afghan Whigs, “Debonair.” I just checked, and yes, this song still rules. The Afghan Whigs play 9:30 tonight with Mercury Rev.
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: The stalemate continues. President Trump isn’t inclined to accept Iran’s proposal to open the Strait of Hormuz in exchange for the US lifting its blockade of Iranian ports because it doesn’t address Iran’s nuclear program. A US official said that accepting such a deal “could appear to deny Mr. Trump a victory.” (NYT) The larger question is who holds the cards here. German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said yesterday that the US lacks a clear strategy and “is being humiliated by the Iranian leadership.” (PBS) Iran’s economy has been gravely injured by the blockade and US and Israeli strikes, but its leaders “are betting that an economy built to be self-reliant under decades of international sanctions can endure the pain longer than U.S. President Donald Trump.” (AP) It’s scrambling to find places to store the oil it cannot sell. (WSJ)
Here at home: The average price for a gallon of gas ticked up yesterday. (AAA) Farmers in the US, already hard-hit by Trump’s tariffs, are struggling with rises in the costs of gas and fertilizer due to Trump’s war. Still, they largely back the President. (Economist) Vice President JD Vance “has repeatedly questioned the Defense Department’s depiction of the war in Iran and whether the Pentagon has understated what appears to be the drastic depletion of U.S. missile stockpiles.” (Atlantic) Democrats in the US Senate sent a letter to Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, arguing the US didn’t adequately prepare for retaliatory strikes by Iran. (ABC News) Some GOP senators are said to be dissatisfied with Hegseth. (Hill)
Ballroom splits: The National Trust for Historic Preservation declined to drop its case against Trump’s planned White House ballroom, saying the Constitution still requires Trump to seek Congress’s approval for the project. (Washington Post) For its part, DOJ filed a motion that “more closely resembled a Truth social post from Trump than a legal filing from the Department of Justice.” (Law Dork) But while some Republicans on the Hill have embraced Trump’s argument that the ballroom is necessary for national security, especially in light of this past weekend’s assassination attempt at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner, they don’t have any way past a Senate filibuster. (Politico) Indeed, there isn’t agreement inside the GOP about whether to use taxpayer funds for the ballroom. (CNBC)
DH-mess: House Speaker Mike Johnson said yesterday that the House may try to write its own bill to end the ten-week-plus shutdown of the Department of Homeland Security, scuttling a bipartisan plan the Senate has already passed. That could prolong the shutdown. (Washington Post) Johnson’s week is not looking great. (Punchbowl News)
This town’s a-boil about royals: King Charles III will address Congress this afternoon. He’ll try to ease tensions between the US and Britain over Trump’s war. (NYT) There’s a state dinner tonight, and Charles prefers seasonal produce and lamb. Queen Camilla is fond of chocolate. (Fox News) The British Embassy prepared thousands of sandwiches for a tea with the king yesterday. (People) See who was there. (Playbook) Here’s the king and queen’s schedule. (Washingtonian)
WHCD shooting latest: In federal court in DC yesterday, the feds charged Cole Tomas Allen with attempting to assassinate Trump at the correspondents’ dinner. (Washington Post) Trump demanded ABC fire Jimmy Kimmel for joking last week that Melania Trump has a “glow like an expectant widow.” (CNN) Kimmel said his bon mot was “a very light roast joke about the fact that he’s almost 80 and she’s younger than I am.” (Washington Post)
Administration perambulation: A federal appeals court panel allowed the Pentagon to keep restrictions on journalists in place for the time being. (ABC News) Joseph DiGenova‘s past statements about a “grand conspiracy” against Trump could backfire now that Trump has put him in charge of investigating what he views as a complex plot against him. (Lawfare) Florida will try to gerrymander four more seats for the GOP, but the plan faces challenges. (NPR) Some members of DC’s Metropolitan Club don’t want acting Attorney General Todd Blanche to join, “saying he’s too polarizing and has politicized the Justice Department.” (Politico) Hegseth took Kid Rock on a helicopter ride at Fort Belvoir yesterday. (AP)
A Perfect Saturday…with alpacas, by Daniella Byck:
In honor of warmer weekends and longer days, we’re launching “Perfect Saturdays,” a weekly feature on day trips within a two-hour drive of DC. Each week I’ll tease a snippet of an itinerary in Washingtonian Today, followed by a longer version on the website Thursday. I have alpacas on the mind this week—mainly, how can I snuggle one of these guys without using any airline points? Luckily, there are nearby options that don’t require a passport. In Loudoun County, schedule a weekend tour at Long Meadows Farm to cuddle with the alpacas, meet a mini donkey, and hang with the other animals. For an alpaca outing in Maryland, reserve a day (Thursday through Sunday) at Black Barn Alpacas in Carroll County to feed the alpacas between 10 AM and 4 PM. Looking for food options and other ways to make the most of your alpaca excursion? Bookmark our Perfect Saturdays page for an extended itinerary later this week.
Recently on Washingtonian dot com:
• We found out what happened with all the lobster and steak that was meant to be served at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner.
Local news links:
• Virginia’s Supreme Court heard arguments yesterday about the commonwealth’s recently passed redistricting referendum, which gerrymanders the state in favor of Democrats. It wasn’t clear how the court may rule, but one justice appeared unmoved by a plaintiff’s argument that proponents failed to post the text of the referendum on county courthouse doors three months in advance. (NYT)
• A jury in Loudoun County found that Purcellville Vice Mayor Ben Nett “violated Virginia’s Conflict of Interest Act and the town’s own policies and procedures but chose not to remove him from office.” (NBC4 Washington)
• The University of Maryland’s Francis King Carey School of Law put scandal-plagued former US Representative Eric Swalwell on leave from its board. (Baltimore Banner)
• Dupont Circle business owners say a massive construction project has caused huge losses and asked the District for financial support. (WUSA9)
• The late-April frost “wiped out swaths of this year’s grape crop across Virginia and Maryland.” (Axios D.C.)
• Police in Arlington say a blotto Maryland resident fired a gun in a parking lot near my storage space, which if true I find outrageous! What if something were to happen to the mountain of crap I don’t want to deal with? (ARLnow)
• There’s an AI version of DC mayoral candidate Vincent Orange now, and you can call him. (Alex Koma/X)
• Workers at the Reflecting Pool laid down a darker shade of blue yesterday. (Amanda Moore/X)
• “Men in Blazers” named Ireland’s Four Courts in Arlington “America’s Best Soccer Bar.” (Washington Post)
Tuesday’s event picks:
• “The Book of Mormon” opens at National Theatre.
• Jodi Kantor discusses her new book, “How to Start: Discovering Your Life’s Work” at Sixth and I with Anthony Fauci and Derek Thompson.
• Jasmine Mans headlines a poetry showcase at MLK Jr. Memorial Library.
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.
