Good morning. Still muggy today, with a high of 86 in the afternoon and a chance of rain around midday. Thunderstorms are likelier after 2 PM. The Mystics host the Las Vegas Aces at CareFirst Arena. D.C. United return from the World Cup break with a visit to the Houston Dynamo. The Nationals finish up a visit to the Rockies this afternoon.
⚖️ The deadline to vote in our Top Lawyers survey is approaching! Attorneys, you may make your nominations here. 🌎 How well do you know the District? Play our new geography game and test your local knowledge. 📫 Thanks to Ike Allen for doing the heavy lifting with today’s newsletter while Andrew travels. There’s a link to our email addresses below. This roundup is available as a morning email newsletter. Sign up here.
I can’t stop listening to:
Kurt Vile, “Chance to Bleed.” This love letter to old time, lo-fi, DIY rock’n’roll (nights!) is my song of the summer, and Vile’s terrific new album, “Philadelphia’s Been Good to Me” hasn’t wandered far from my turntable, either. Kurt Vile plays the Howard Theatre tonight with Being Dead.
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: The US and Iran traded strikes again last night. (AP) The escalating Iran War has already cost around $3.75 billion, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth told lawmakers yesterday, and parts of the military are running out of money even after Congress approved $1 trillion in defense spending this year. (Washington Post). Trump says the US will bomb the underground facility known as Pickaxe Mountain, where he says Iran may be storing nuclear centrifuges, and threatened strikes against the Houthis in Yemen. (Axios) Only about a third of Trump’s base supports the war, down 13 points from two months ag0. (Politico)
American History X: At a hearing entitled “Rewriting American History: Examining the Smithsonian’s Efforts to Reshape the Past,” House Republicans questioned the director of the National Museum of American History, Anthea Hartig, about recent exhibits that focus on entertainment and gender identity. (ABC) Hartig told the subcommittee that the museum “does not take sides,” pushing back on a White House report that described its exhibits as “extreme political activism.” She invited the lawmakers to visit the museum and judge for themselves. (NYT)
Administration perambulation: The Trump administration won’t block the extradition of Andrew and Tristan Tate to the UK to face charges of rape and human trafficking. (Axios) Trump apparently wants FIFA president Gianni Infantino to be the next secretary general of the United Nations. (New York Post) The administration struck a deal with Saudi Arabia that could allow the kingdom to enrich its own nuclear fuel. (NYT) Workers at the Department of Agriculture say mandatory office relocations are really just mass layoffs in disguise. (NOTUS) Passengers in the van with Lorenzo Salgado Araujo, who was fatally shot by immigration agents earlier this month, say ICE rammed their vehicle before opening fire. (Texas Tribune) The Department of Homeland Security will spend $30 million on body cameras for agents after this and other recent shootings. (NOTUS)
Recently on Washingtonian dot com:
• Trump has turned the White House Rose Garden into a sculpture garden.
• A temporary monument in front of the Lincoln Memorial will display the names of 41 million veterans.
• Here’s where to see The Odyssey the way it ought to be seen. Sadly, the nearest IMAX 70mm screening is in King of Prussia, PA.
Local news links:
• The House Oversight Committee is set to mark up bill today that would bar DC from raising its own local taxes. (City Cast)
• Two weeks ago, Prince George’s County passed a data center moratorium. A new bill could allow some. (NBC4)
• Kaylee Hottle, an 18-year-old actress who starred in “Godzilla vs. Kong,” died in a Frederick car crash yesterday. (Washington Post)
• Metro is planning to install 5-foot-7-inch tall clear platform screen doors along the entire Red Line. (NBC4)
• A soldier is suing the Secret Service after he was struck by a bullet while agents fired at a gunman outside the White House in May. (Washington Post)
• Flooding caused a bridge on Woodfield Road in Gaithersburg to buckle and partially collapse. (DC News Now)
Wednesday’s event picks:
• Noah Kahan plays Nationals Park with Gigi Perez.
• Downtown Boys play DC9 with Pop Music Fever Dream.
• Watch “Catch Me If You Can” at the Wharf.
See more picks from Briana Thomas, who writes our Things to Do newsletter.
Ike Allen covers politics, food, culture, and transportation in DC and writes the monthly Hidden Eats column for the magazine. He grew up in DC.
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.
