Good morning. Sunny with a high around 87 today. A low near 69 overnight. The Nationals visit Atlanta this evening.
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I can’t stop listening to:
Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit, “If We Were Vampires.” Isbell and Co. were scheduled to play Wolf Trap tonight with Patty Griffin; the concert has been postponed until August 20.
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 tempo of fighting increased yesterday as Iran and the US traded attacks. Jordan said it foiled an Iranian barrage and one person was killed in an Iranian strike that hit a Chinese firm’s building in Kuwait. The US hit targets it said belonged to Iran’s Revolutionary Guard. Iran said three people were killed in a US strike on Qeshm Island in the Strait of Hormuz. (AP) A drone strike damaged two ships in the Egyptian port city of Damietta. (Reuters) President Trump, who started this war more than five months ago, reportedly “erupted during a meeting last week with some of his top national security officials, yelling expletives.” An ally says he’s “exasperated” by the drawn-out conflict. (NBC News)
New polls: 60 percent of Americans oppose the war, according to one new poll. (Quinnipiac) The share of opposition is even higher in a new AP/NORC survey: 64 percent of people—and 68 percent of independents—said the war “has not been worthwhile.” Support has declined among Republicans, too. (AP)
Fauci ouchie: Anthony Fauci took the fifth “more than 100 times” amid hostile questioning from Senate Republicans yesterday. (AP) US Senator Rand Paul of Kentucky, a particular nemesis to the former government scientist, floated the idea of seeking contempt charges, though Congress’s “‘inherent contempt’ power hasn’t been used for nearly a century.” (Politico) Bret Baier, Jake Tapper, Jimmy Page: A rundown of the bold-faced names in Fauci’s diaries. (City Cast DC) Entries about Fauci’s apparently once-friendly relationship with Katie Miller got redacted. (eNOTUS)
Meanwhile, back at the Blanche: The Senate delayed a vote scheduled for today on whether to confirm Todd Blanche as Trump’s new attorney general. Senators John Cornyn of Texas and Thom Tillis of North Carolina are seeking, in writing, assurances that the Justice Department won’t go ahead with a once-planned $1.8 billion slush fund for Trump allies and “changes to a Blanche order that ended pending tax audits against Trump and his businesses.” (WSJ) A seven-figure payout to anti-abortion activist Paul Vaughn shows how DOJ “could still funnel taxpayer money to people who claim to be victims of government persecution.” (NYT) Trump’s relationship with Senate Majority Leader John Thune is curdling amid the Blanche brouhaha and Trump’s single-minded pursuit of a voting bill Thune says can’t pass, and “Some Trump allies are now talking about the president installing Bill Pulte as an acting attorney general if Blanche’s nomination continues to stall.” (Punchbowl News)
Administration perambulation: Secret Service agents interviewing James Comey over an Instagram post that featured seashells spelling “86 47” were directed to provide a summary of their meeting to Trump, who has ordered prosecutions of Comey and other perceived enemies. (NYT) Immigration agents groused about what one called a “stunt” operation outside a Gavin Newsom press conference last August, according to text messages included in a court filing. (NOTUS) The administration will use the Alien Terrorist Removal Court, “an obscure court that remained dormant for 30 years,” to attempt to expel an Afghan woman from the US. (AP) Homeland Security official James Percival “is using his government social media account to name and attack sitting federal judges whose rulings he doesn’t like.” (HuffPost) The administration’s new ban on Chinese robots will affect robot vacuum cleaners, too. (Verge) Noah Kahan objected to the White House using his song “American Cars” in social media posts. (Daily Beast)
Hidden Eats, by Ike Allen:
Take Hidden Eats with you! Our popular new map will show you which Hidden Eats—the out-of-the-way mom-and-pop eateries Ike highlights in this newsletter and in our print magazine—are nearby.
Recently on Washingtonian dot com:
• How did Brendan Carr, a “spectrum nerd” and wonk, become MAGA’s media watchdog? A profile of the FCC boss.
• Xi’an Famous Foods will wind down its ghost kitchen location in Alexandria and set up shop in Clarendon.
• This Arlington couple got married in Great Falls Park.
Local news links:
Dulles is more: As expected, Trump announced his plans to renovate Dulles at a cost north of $20 billion yesterday. (Washington Post) The winning design belonged to United Airlines and MWAA and “includes plans for a 32,000-space parking garage.” (NYT) Tabletop models for the President to futz with were involved. (CBS News) Trump also claimed the administration would be “changing all the grass at all the parks” in DC. (Washington Examiner)
• Anna King, the subject of a violent detention by National Guard troops stationed in the District—the video of the incident has gone viral—sued for $3 million. (Washington Post)
• Howard University re-enrolled about 200 of the 500 or so students it recently booted from its rolls. (AP)
• Janeese Lewis George, the likely next mayor of DC, has been quietly meeting with groups whose members have been critical of her, including the D.C. Police Union and the Greater Washington Partnership. (NOTUS)
• Mia Bieniemy is out of intensive care after her son allegedly shot her at their Loudoun County home. (NBC News)
• Dark Star Park day in Arlington will take place this Saturday. (ARLnow)
• The teenage boy bitten by a rabid beaver in a Maryland state park remains hospitalized. Authorities euthanized the beaver. (DC News Now)
Thursday’s event picks:
• A Japanese music dance party at Black Cat.
• Emma Copley Eisenberg discusses her new short story collection, “Fat Swim,” at Vida’s rooftop pool.
See more picks from Briana Thomas, who writes our Things to Do newsletter.
Correction: This post originally said Isbell would play Wolf Trap tonight. The concert has been postponed.
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.
