Good morning. Sunny with a high around 86 today. A low near 68 overnight, as well as a full moon. The Nats wrap up a homestand against Toronto this afternoon. The Washington Spirit visit Utah Royals FC tonight.
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I can’t stop listening to:
April + Vista, “Standing in Place.” An intriguing blend of pop, R&B, and even some Radiohead from this DMV-rooted group, who play Songbyrd tonight with Evil.
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 Saudi Arabia launched airstrikes on Iran-backed groups in Iraq early Wednesday, and Iran fired at ships in the Strait of Hormuz and at a US base in Jordan as a pause in fighting apparently came to an end. (Reuters) US Central Command said it intercepted all the missiles Iran fired at the American facility in Jordan. (Axios) But with its surprise attack, “Iran showed it is willing to take the fight to the U.S. on its own terms in an attempt to force Trump’s hand.” (WSJ)
Expanding problems: The aperture of the war could yet widen. Iran “considered attacking a seaport in Ukraine in response to a Ukrainian strike on an Iranian ship, but a flurry of diplomacy has calmed the situation for now.” (NYT) Iran will soon receive hundreds of shoulder-mounted missile launchers made in China, systems that can “provide an effective layer of short-range protection against drones and low-flying targets.” (Reuters) A new analysis by DC’s Center for Strategic and International Studies says the hostilities in the region since a ceasefire fell apart this month “used up more of the U.S. military’s already diminished stockpiles of advanced missile interceptors, potentially putting American troops at more risk if hostilities resume.” (AP) Oil prices rose again. (NYT)
Eulogy log: President Trump attended a memorial for Lindsey Graham at the Washington National Cathedral yesterday and told attendees Graham “never saw a war that he didn’t like.” (Reuters) Trump, Vice President JD Vance, and Sean Hannity all cited Graham’s defense of Brett Kavanaugh during the service. (WSJ) Graham was the last of the US Senate’s “Three Amigos” to die and the only one whose funeral included Trump, a turn of events that “exemplified how much has changed in the nation’s capital.” (NYT) Trump rapped on Graham’s casket after he finished speaking. (TMZ) The White House contested reports that Trump fell asleep during the memorial. (HuffPost) The Senate moved forward a bill named for Graham that would impose sanctions on Russia and Iran. (Axios) Trump met with Benjamin Netanyahu and Volodymyr Zelensky before the service. (Politico)
Administration perambulation: The White House “plans to end a subsidy program that helped hold down premiums for Medicare drug plans.” (WSJ) US Senator Susan Collins of Maine said the State Department had agreed to distribute $600 million in funding for vaccines overseas that Health Secretary and vaccine skeptic RFK Jr. had held up. (Politico) The Senate confirmed Jay Clayton as the new director of national intelligence. (CBS News) He’ll replace interim director Bill Pulte, whose boasts of headcount reductions at ODNI have proved difficult to verify. (NYT) ICE has “begun arresting foreign citizens with expired U.S. visas as they travel through airports.” (NYT) Trump’s lawyers asked the US Supreme Court to overturn an $83.5 million judgment he owes to E. Jean Carroll. A jury in New York found that Trump had sexually assaulted Carroll, a charge the President denies. The high court declined to block a $5 million payment from Trump to Carroll last month. (Axios)
Recently on Washingtonian dot com:
• The Mubadala DC Open’s home in Rock Creek Park could finally get some upgrades. But there’s a lot that’s still…up in the air.
• Jeff Wang, a bartender at José Andrés‘s Barmini, has created a cocktail inspired by pineapple pizza.
• Local Italian chefs and embassy officials keep visiting Via Roma, a pizzeria in Woodley Park.
• This modern wedding featured a violinist, signature cocktails—and a short standing ceremony.
Local news links:
• Trump plans to announce renovations to Dulles—including the end of its people movers—this week. (CBS News) Flashback: The weird history of the mobile lounges. (Washingtonian)
• DC Mayor Muriel Bowser said she wouldn’t sign the budget passed by the DC Council. It’s a mostly symbolic move by the outgoing mayor, but it could trigger further congressional meddling in the District’s affairs. (Axios D.C.)
• No federal or state law enforcement agency informed Old Dominion University of a student’s 2017 conviction for supporting the Islamic State. Mohamed Bailor Jalloh opened fire on an ROTC group in March, killing one person and injuring two others. (AP)
• Police in DC are looking for the driver of an Audi who, they say, drove into a park Monday morning and killed someone. (WUSA9)
• Police in Arlington arrested two people—one of them a former Prince George’s County police officer—who they say conspired to steal vehicles. (ARLnow)
• Cops in Fairfax shot a man who they said grabbed the barrel of an officer’s gun while they investigated a domestic incident between him and his wife. (WTOP)
• A major in the DC National Guard pleaded guilty to marrying a woman in Mongolia while he was already married to someone else. Collin L. Welch brought his new wife to the US, lied to her about her immigration status, and filed fraudulent expense reports. (WUSA9)
Wednesday’s event pick:
• Catch an outdoor screening of “Apollo 13” at the Wharf.
See more picks for this week and weekend 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.
