Good morning. Mostly sunny until this afternoon, when storms may return. A high around 91. Rain and storm chances overnight, with a low near 72.
Sports this weekend: The Nationals host the Yankees today, Saturday, and Sunday. The Washington Spirit visit the North Carolina Courage Saturday. Loudoun United FC visit Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC on Saturday. The Washington Freedom play the Texas Super Kings Saturday and MI New York Sunday in Dallas. The Mystics will host the Seattle Storm at CareFirst Arena on Sunday.
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I can’t stop listening to:
Cure for Paranoia, “No Brainer.” This Dallas collective won NPR’s Tiny Desk Contest in March; you can see them Saturday at the Howard Theatre with Les Greene and ViRG.
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:
Theatre of plane: The luxury 747-8 Qatar gave President Trump “lacks the same defensive countermeasures that were security features of the old model”—including a “defensive system designed to defeat heat-seeking missiles.” That softness contributed to the Secret Service urging Trump to leave Turkey on an older airplane this week. Experts said they were surprised he used it outside the US. (NYT) Israel has shared intelligence with the US that indicates Iran has fresh plans to kill Trump, though some officials caution that Israel remains skeptical of Trump’s deal to end his war against Iran. (CNN)
About that peace deal: The short memorandum of understanding that led to the current, extremely shaky ceasefire includes a clause that the US and Iran interpret very differently: Iran believes the accord grants it effective control of the Strait of Hormuz, while the US presumed Iran would prize revenue from ships transiting the waterway over demonstrating its power. That appears to have been a miscalculation. (WSJ) “If Mr. Trump and his aides now have a Plan C — after bombing and a preliminary accord failed — they have not described it.” (NYT) Administration officials have landed on a term for the recent and perhaps continuing strikes on Iran: they call them a “bitch slap.” (New York Post)
Commission impossible: Trump fired two Democrats on the US Election Assistance Commission and allowed a Republican member to resign. (Votebeat) That leaves the body, which distributes grants for election security and advises officials on best practices, without any leaders. (Politico)
Houston shooting: Harris County, Texas, officials investigating the fatal shooting of Lorenzo Salgado Araujo by federal immigration agents say they have been sidelined by federal authorities. (Washington Post) Salgado Araujo was not the subject of an ICE investigation—agents were looking for two different individuals when they stopped his van, prompting an interaction that turned deadly. (NYT) The agents were not wearing body cameras. (Houston Public Media) Mexico “plans to file criminal complaints” about deaths of its nationals in US custody. (Axios)
Administration perambulation: The National Capital Planning Commission moved Trump’s plan to build a Triumphal Arch near Arlington Cemetery forward yesterday but punted on a question of its height, currently planned at 250 feet. (Washington Post) New Mexico Attorney General Raúl Torrez said the Department of Justice wasn’t cooperating with its investigation into a ranch owned by the deceased, disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein. (NYT) Palm Beach’s airport is now officially renamed for Trump. (NPR) So is a bridge on I-40 in Tennessee. (WVLT)
Recently on Washingtonian dot com:
• David Hearn pleaded not guilty yesterday to federal charges of destruction of property. Demonstrators gathered outside the courthouse where the local former Olympian answered an indictment that claims he vandalized the Reflecting Pool.
• As the Great American State Fair closes, our photographer takes a look back on the strange two-week-long festival.
• We’re at the part of the summer where you may want to look for things to do indoors. Here are some ideas.
• Liz Potarazu tells us how she turned an unfinished storage room in her basement into a warm, inviting space to work out—and chill out.
• Our Guest List for this month includes five people we’d like to invite to an imaginary dinner party.
Local news links:
• Convicted fraudsters Jack Burkman and Jacob Wohl have a new project: A cybersecurity firm called IRIS C2. The AI-powered lobbying firm they operated under pseudonyms is now defunct. Wohl says IRIS C2 is “working on federal government contracts, but when pressed for specifics said he was not at liberty to speak publicly about them.” (Krebs on Security)
• Vice President JD Vance and his family are considering leasing property around Middleburg. (NBC News)
• Arch, smcharch: The National Harbor Sphere will loom 302 feet over National Harbor. (WBJ)
• Police in DC say “a girl whacked another girl with a pole” during a fight. (WUSA9)
• The Washington Commanders will retire John Riggins‘s jersey this fall. (WTOP)
• A bald eagle who got stuck in an “open tank of human waste” in Dale City was rescued. (WUSA9)
Weekend event picks:
Friday: Usher and Chris Brown perform the first of three nights at Northwest Stadium.
Saturday: American Football plays the first of two nights at 9:30.
Sunday: The “Jazzy Sundays” concert series returns to Anacostia.
See lots more picks for the weekend from Briana Thomas, who writes our fabulous 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.
