Good morning. Showers and storms are likely today, with notable humidity and a high around 90. Rain is likely overnight as well, with a low near 71. Remember that time the Nationals beat the Astros in the World Series? The “Since today” guy? “Baby Shark”? Good times. Anyway, the Nats begin a three-day homestand against Houston this evening. The Mystics will host the Golden State Valkyries at CareFirst Arena tonight.
🍔 Get your tickets now to Best of Washington—Washingtonian’s premier food and drink celebration—which features top local restaurants, unlimited tastings, and an open bar. 🌎 How well do you know the District? Play our new geography game and test your local knowledge. 📫 You can find me on Bluesky, I’m @abeaujon.87 on Signal, and there’s a link to my email address below. This roundup is available as a morning email newsletter. Sign up here.
I can’t stop listening to:
The Bug Club, “A Good Day for Dying.” These fun Welsh indie rockers play DC9 tonight with Golomb.
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:
Card pill to swallow: President Trump found time to insert himself into the World Cup, successfully pressuring FIFA—the organization that presented him with its first-ever “peace prize” late last year—to reverse the questionable red card a referee gave US striker Folarin Balogun last Wednesday. (WSJ) Howard Lutnick and Andrew Giuliani led the charge to get the commander-in-chief involved. (WSJ) A hedge-fund manager named Scott Goodwin “brought to the attention of Trump officials public accusations that Raphael Claus, the referee, was involved in match fixing in Brazil by giving out irregular red cards,” leading to Trump calling FIFA boss Gianni Infantino to complain. (NYT) For fans of the US, this is a pretty weird situation. Belgium, which will play the US this evening, is not especially thrilled. (Politico)
Use the Fourth: It was an eventful Independence Day here in Washington, DC, over the weekend. Blazing high temperatures forced the cancellation of Saturday’s planned parade, and the Great American State Fair on the Mall got closed down for a while by reports of storms. A bunch of white nationalist dum-dums marched in DC, the flyovers—which at one point featured a jet flown by NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman—didn’t stop all day, and Trump said “he personally overruled a recommendation to cancel” the evening’s programming, which featured a speech by him. The fireworks that followed were very good. The air we breathe, not so much.
Administration perambulation: Sandwich Guy 2.o? The feds indicted local Olympian David Hearn, charging him with vandalizing the Reflecting Pool. (NBC News) Interior Secretary Doug Burgum said the US won’t solicit new bids to repair the pool, whose botched renovation Trump oversaw, because the companies that received previous no-bid contracts to work on the water feature “did a fantastic job.” (AP) White House officials lit into the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History, claiming the museum didn’t present history in a manner it prefers. (NYT) The report claimed the museum “cannot be trusted to tell America’s story honestly and in a way that is inspiring, unifying, and worthy of our great republic.” (AP) Russell Vought has found the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau to be useful after all—”as an instrument to carry out conservative policies.” (Politico) The Atlantic helpfully republished JD Vance‘s 2016 argument against Trump, which described him as “cultural heroin.” (Atlantic) Trump’s plan to keep the new luxury plane Qatar gave him faces some obstacles. (WSJ) This happened. (AP)
The Best Thing I Drank Last Week, by Ann Limpert:
There’s never a bad time for a frozen cocktail, but this past week was made for one. And while I have a nostalgic love for the taste of a swirly margarita, I’m convinced that most bars put about a teaspoon of tequila in each glass, and thus, you’re basically paying for a $16 Slurpee. That’s not the case at Ometeo, the sprawling Tex-Mex restaurant in the Capital One complex at Tysons. At its pleasant, plant-filled indoor/outdoor bar, you’ll find a classic lime-and-strawberry version of the drink that doesn’t feel infantilizing. Meaning it tastes like its actual ingredients—tequila included. (1640 Capital One Dr. N., Tysons.)
Recently on Washingtonian dot com:
• Alex Ovechkin will stay in town for one more year.
• You’re going to see a lot of spotted lanterflies this month.
• The Realtors Sara Azani and Arash Shirazi describe their perfect day in Potomac.
• 13 romantic summer date ideas.
• Here are this month’s exclusive travel deals for Washingtonian readers.
• Our party photographer Dan Swartz‘s monthly roundup of swanky events is here.
Local news links:
• Lightning joined Saturday’s fireworks display—look at these wild photos. (Capital Weather)
• One hundred and fifty new US citizens took their oaths at Mount Vernon Saturday. Just like at my wife’s ceremony there 17 years ago, George Washington spoke. (AP)
• A boat exploded in Maryland on Saturday, injuring at least nine people. (NYT)
• A crew found the body of a Maryland teen who disappeared while swimming near Great Falls Thursday. (NBC4 Washington)
• A father in Hollywood, Maryland, died Sunday “after going back into his burning home to search for his 10‑year‑old child after a fire, believed to have been sparked by discarded fireworks.” (Fox 5)
• Two people were found dead and a firefighter was injured at a house fire in Silver Spring Sunday. (WTOP)
• A Metrorail train derailed near College Park Saturday. No serious injuries were reported. (WTOP)
• The Wizards hired Patrick Ewing as an assistant coach. (WUSA9)
• C.J. Abrams and James Wood will represent the Nationals at next week’s All-Star Game in Philly. (WTOP)
• Ayers Variety and Hardware in Arlington’s Westover neighborhood will close. (ARLnow)
• High temperatures have killed a large number of fish in the Potomac. (DC News Now)
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.
