Good morning. Sunny with a high around 89 today. A low near 64 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:
Kali Uchis, “Just A Stranger.” The erstwhile Alexandrian performs at Merriweather Post Pavilion tonight with Mariah the Scientist and Laila!
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:
The war: President Trump speculated that the Strait of Hormuz could remain closed through Labor Day as the timeline for his “little excursion” in Iran got longer. (AP) Trump “has told aides privately that he would consider ending the ceasefire with Iran if Tehran kills American troops” while he wrestles with striking a deal with Iran to end the war. (WSJ) “There’s growing concern inside the administration and among key advisers and allies that Trump now finds himself in a bind.” (AP)
At home: Four Republicans joined Democrats in the House of Representatives to pass a resolution that would reel in Trump’s war. (NYT) The resolution faces a rocky path forward. (Washington Post) Trump has embarked upon a losing streak with congressional Republicans, who have bucked him on funding for his ballroom, a fund meant to compensate people like January 6 rioters who feel they’ve been victims of government “weaponization,” and now this. (Politico) Oil prices rose again after several days of skirmishes between the countries. (AP) Meanwhile: Secretary of State Marco Rubio again raised the prospect of the US taking over Greenland (this again!), and Trump again made noise about annexing Canada. (Axios)
AG in place? Trump announced he’ll nominate Todd Blanche to become attorney general. The President’s former personal lawyer has been in the role in an acting capacity since Trump fired Pam Bondi in April. (AP) This nomination won’t be an easy lift for Republican leadership in the Senate—it “comes just weeks after a hostile meeting between Blanche and Senate Republicans over the ‘anti-weaponization’ fund that left GOP senators fuming.” (Punchbowl News) Trump helpfully called the $1.8 billion slush fund “a beautiful thing” and cast doubt that it was really dead, saying, “I’d have to ask the lawyers.” (NBC News)
On schedule : Trump signed an executive order yesterday that intends to strip civil service protections from thousands of career federal workers. (Government Executive) Administration officials “told reporters Wednesday there would be no political litmus test for federal employees subject to the reclassification.” (NOTUS) The order affects a smaller number of feds than originally planned, but the White House “has not ruled out expanding the pool at a later time.” (NPR)
Administration perambulation: The administration imposed a fresh round of tariffs on dozens of countries and the European Union, employing a new legal justification: The imposts are necessary, the White House claims, because the countries don’t do enough to clamp down on imports made with forced labor. (NYT) Trump’s presidential library claims it’s been unable to find a single direct message Trump sent on Twitter during his first term. (Washington Post) A new lawsuit claims the Pentagon is “Unlawfully censoring” the Stars and Stripes newspaper. (Washington Post) “A little-noticed nonprofit founded by Trump donors has been raising millions of dollars to provide legal assistance to the president’s allies.” (NYT) National park fees are funding the July 4 fireworks display the administration plans in DC. (Washington Post) The feds raided the Newport Coast, California, home of Jamshid Ghomi. Prosecutors say he smuggled computer equipment into Iran. (Orange County Register) What is up with Trump’s swollen eye? (TNR) The UFC Octagon at the White House might stay in place, Trump mused yesterday, likening the structure to the Eiffel Tower. (It kind of looks more like a baby’s activity mat, right?) (NBC News)
Hidden Eats, by Ike Allen:
Fair warning: the Beltsville Cameroonian barbecue trailer known as Bros J Suya fits the “Hidden Eats” bill so well that, even after Google Maps told me I’d arrived and I could smell grilling meat, I struggled to find the place for at least 15 minutes. I knew I finally had when I saw a huge pile of firewood along the side of the industrial backstreet. The operation mostly consists of a smokehouse trailer caked with soot, where Ulrich Nebangu and his crew grill superb suya (beef skewers): chewy, peppery, and richly smoky.
Take Hidden Eats with you! Our new map will show you which out-of-the-way mom-and-pop eateries Ike has highlighted near you.
Recently on Washingtonian dot com:
• David Brooks says he’s (mostly) done with politics. A profile of the former New York Times columnist as he ponders “fundamental questions of the human existence.”
• Cielo, a new “heaven and hell”-themed, Latin-inspired supper club, will open mid-June in Clarendon. Here’s a first look.
• Go strawberry-picking.
• Puerto Rico, the Jersey Shore, Cancun: This month’s exclusive travel deals for our readers.
• A report from a “Nancy Meyers-chic” wedding in DC.
Local news links:
• Monsignor Stephen Rossetti will no longer serve as the Archdiocese of Washington’s exorcist “after he made public comments suggesting that UFO sightings were the work of demons.” (AP)
• The Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments declared a drought watch for the region and advised residents to take shorter showers (I may print this item out and tape it up in our bathroom) among other measures to save water. (MWCOG)
• Scott Allen Bolger of McLean was sentenced to more than a year in prison for threats he made to former Kennedy Center prez Ric Grenell. (FFXnow)
• D.C. United canceled a planned July match against Ethiopia’s national team, citing visa difficulties and precautions due to an Ebola outbreak in Africa. (WTOP)
• Kimberly Vu, who’s accused of a rental scam in Loudoun County, reportedly didn’t pay rent on the properties she’s accused of showing victims. They say she showed them properties, accepted deposits and first month’s rent, then ghosted them. (ABC 7)
• A South Carolina man was found dead of what police say was a self-inflicted gunshot. Prince George’s County police believe he shot a woman in her driveway in Upper Marlboro on Tuesday morning. (DC News Now)
• Police in Arlington say a man accidentally fired a round into a neighboring apartment while cleaning his firearm. (ARLnow)
• Authorities in Spotsylvania County say they broke up a cockfighting ring and seized more than 100 birds and a Great Pyrenees dog. (WUSA9)
• The buoys are back in town: New floating stations will monitor water quality in the Potomac. Call them “Bob.” (WTOP)
Thursday’s event picks:
• This month’s Phillips after 5 event has a Pride theme.
• Ron St. Clair’s photos of Black musicians go on display at Union Market.
• Local rapper Sideshow plays Pearl Street Warehouse.
See lots 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.
