Good morning. Showers this morning, then gradually sunnier with a high around 63. Clear overnight with a low near 47. 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:
Gene Pitney, “Twenty Four Hours From Tulsa.” Every once in a while I find a new Burt Bacharach–written song to marvel about; this is my current obsession. Tonight at the Library of Congress, Andy Einhorn will direct a program called “Close to You: A Celebration of Burt Bacharach” that will feature Broadway stars including Liz Callaway and Damon Daunno performing the great man’s work.
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: Iran presented a a counteroffer to the US’s latest proposal to end the two-month-old war President Trump started. It offered to gradually reopen the Strait of Hormuz as the US naval blockade ended but didn’t commit in advance to dismantling its nuclear program, offering instead to discuss the issue over the next month. (WSJ) Trump rejected the proposal by way of social media, saying he had “just read the response from Iran’s so-called ‘Representatives'”—one of his running bits is that the people really in charge of Iran aren’t negotiating, despite frequent proclamations that the Iranians want to do a deal with him—and found Iran’s offer “TOTALLY UNACCEPTABLE.” (NYT) The continuing absence of Iranian supreme leader Mojtaba Khamenei has fueled the confusion. (WSJ)
Sitting here in limbo: Both Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the war wasn’t over in interviews—the administration has argued that the war ended with the current shaky ceasefire, a “declaration that came as missiles continued to fly across the Gulf region and as the Strait of Hormuz remained choked.” (NYT) More drone attacks occurred, including one that set fire to a ship near Qatar. The UAE said it shot down two Iranian drones. (AP) The US “seemed to turn a blind eye” to other Iranian attacks during the ceasefire, rattling allies with whom the US’s relationships are already strained because of the war. (Reuters) For allies in the Gulf, the US’s apparent reluctance to address Iran’s provocations “represented another humbling moment.” (WSJ)
Back home: The price of oil rose after Trump’s social media post. (AP) The average price of a gallon of gas in the US is now over $4.50. (AAA) “I don’t know the future of gas prices,” Energy Secretary Chris Wright said. (Politico) Meanwhile: “US military intelligence-gathering flights are surging off the coast of Cuba,” a sign Trump may be preparing for military action there, too. (CNN)
Out of vape: Trump plans to fire FDA Commissioner Marty Makary, whom some in the administration view “as a rogue agent on vaping and other issues,” the Wall Street Journal reported Friday. (WSJ) Makary’s mug is still prominently featured on the FDA’s homepage this morning. (FDA.gov) The agency “issued a new policy Friday that could allow major tobacco and vape companies to begin selling flavored e-cigarettes.” (NYT)
Administration perambulation: Interior Department official Karen Budd-Falen said she’s “been involved in changes to grazing policies that benefit ranching businesses like her family’s,” prompting a complaint from a watchdog group. (Washington Post) Trump claimed that Congo “released inmates from its prisons and sent them to the U.S. border with Mexico,” a statement the White House appears unable to back up. (Politico) Trump steered a no-bid contract to paint the Reflecting Pool blue to the Virginia company Atlantic Industrial Coatings, which may have worked on pools at his Virginia golf club. (NYT) Trump’s “gold card visa” appears to be a dud because attorneys for the super-wealthy are concerned that it hasn’t been enshrined in law. (Washington Post) Trump approved a visa for Zbigniew Ziobro, the former Polish justice minister who’s been on the run from his own country. (Politico) Members of Trump’s Religious Liberty Commission have discussed their wish lists, including “a federal hotline with this automated recording: ‘There is no separation of church and state.'” (AP) A 22-foot-high statue of Trump wrapped in gold appeared at his golf club in Doral, Florida. (Letters From Leo) Trump shared a clip over the weekend showing a pastor who claimed the President “has a better understanding of what the Bible teaches about the role of government than the pope has.” (HuffPost)
The Best Thing I Ate Last Week, by Ann Limpert:
When I was a college student in Connecticut, the best part of my seven-hour drive from DC to New London was a mandatory stop at the famed New Haven pizzeria Frank Pepe. There was always a line for the coal oven pies—back then it didn’t matter how long I’d have to wait. So it was a little surreal yesterday to see a single occupied booth at the Pepe spinoff at Westfield Montgomery Mall, as the Cheesecake Factory across the hall overflowed with Mother’s Day celebrants. My nine-year-old daughter and I refueled with a pepperoni pie, and it was as thin, crunchy, and bright with tomato sauce as I remember (next time, I’ll get the white clam version, too). She got her first restaurant Coke, I got an Anton Ego moment, and we both had excellent pizza. A Mother’s Day win-win. (7101 Democracy Blvd., Bethesda.)
Recently on Washingtonian dot com:
• Need an escape? Here’s our package about relaxing getaways an easy drive from DC, which also includes:
🚗 Quiet “hushpitality” experiences nearby.
• We chatted with Jasmine Kennedie, the fan favorite who will represent the DC area on the new season of “RuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars.”
• You may know the chef Darren Norris from his Japanese restaurants. But his experience with Italian cuisine made him a natural choice to revive Hank’s Pasta Bar in Old Town.
Local news links:
• Democrats in Virginia have limited—and probably long-shot—options to unravel Friday’s devastating ruling by the commonwealth’s supreme court, which invalidated a voter-approved redistricting plan. (NYT)
• The Washington Wizards will get the top pick in the NBA draft this June. (ESPN)
• The Washington Post got a copy of the internal DC police report on its spiraling crime-stats scandal. (Washington Post) House Republicans still don’t have the copy they subpoenaed for. (Axios D.C.)
• DC’s public golf courses will remain open under a deal the Trump administration announced Friday. The National Links Trust will continue to run the East Potomac Golf Links while the Park Service performs renovations. (Washington Post)
• A standoff at an Arlington 7-Eleven Friday ended when police shot and killed a suspect who they say barricaded himself inside. (NBC4 Washington)
• Brady Flowers Jr., a senior at DC’s Jackson‑Reed High School, died after a shooting in Tenleytown last week. (WTOP)
• Police say an argument preceded a shooting in Navy Yard this weekend. One man was shot, and windows at Osteria Morini were damaged. (WUSA9)
• The US Army announced the recovery of the remains of First Lieutenant Kendrick Lamont Key Jr. of Richmond. Key and another soldier went missing in Morocco after training exercises last week. (DC News Now)
• The future of the Combined Federal Campaign is in doubt. OPM won’t say whether it will continue the long-running donation program. (Maryland Matters)
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.
