Good morning. Partly sunny with a high around 91 today. Rain and storm chances after 2 PM will continue into tonight, with a low near 72. The Nationals begin a three-game homestand against the Cubs this evening. The Mystics visit the Las Vegas Aces tonight.
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I can’t stop listening to:
Dogstar, “All In Now.” It’s weird, but the thumbnails for this band’s videos almost always feature the bass player, not the singer. I guess we’ll never know how algorithms work! Dogstar plays 9:30 tonight with the Backfires.
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: Iran and the US traded words yesterday as the stalemate in the Persian Gulf continues. Iran repeated demands that the US end its naval blockade of Iranian ports. (AP) President Trump reacted to Iran’s demands for reparations, saying Iran should pay the US “for the damage they’ve done over a 50-year period”—including the attack by al Qaeda in 2000 on the USS Cole. (Reuters) Trump repeated his theory that the Strait of Hormuz is open and that the US controls the waterway. (CNBC) Energy producers in the Gulf “are concluding that Iran’s control over the Strait of Hormuz will become permanent.” (WSJ)
The cart of the deal: Astonishing new details emerged about Trump’s July 8 flight out of Turkey. After an assassination threat by Iran that made his flight home aboard a Qatar-gifted luxury jet unsafe, the President was “secretly shuttled” aboard “an airport catering truck typically used to load meals and other supplies” from a backup Air Force One to a smaller Air Force aircraft. As a result, his “actual location was concealed from the American public and many senior U.S. officials for hours.” (Washington Post) Trump was “whisked off that plane via a catering container.” Reporters who accompanied him on the flight—and some White House officials—flew to Britain, unaware that they were now part of a decoy operation, on the blue backup plane. (NYT) This whole thing raises some big questions about the subpoenas the administration issued, then abandoned, to New York Times journalists who reported the security concerns about the Qatari plane. (Law Dork)
You had one jab: Citing his theory that American children take “vats” of vaccines, Trump issued an executive order that calls for fewer vaccinations spread over multiple doctor visits. The pronouncement was prompted by “his concerns about a debunked link between childhood vaccines and autism.” (Washington Post) The president of the American Academy of Pediatrics “disputed Trump’s recommendations and said previous ones should stand.” (AP) Here’s a fact-check of Trump’s claims. (NYT)
Administration perambulation: Trump Media & Technology, which operates the President’s social media network Truth Social, “posted a massive loss in the second quarter” due mostly to “unrealized paper losses from the falling values of Trump Media’s holdings of bitcoin and a crypto token called Cronos.” (AP) The State Department “has revoked more than 175,000 visas” since Trump returned to power. (Washington Post) The White House pressured Republicans in Ohio not to call for US Representative Max Miller to abandon his reelection campaign amid allegations of domestic abuse, which he denies. (Politico) Trump “described Democratic candidates in the midterm elections as ‘jihadists'” yesterday. (NYT)
Take in a late-summer flower display, by Daniella Byck:
Cherry blossoms get all the glory around here, but late summer brings some of my favorite florals to nearby locations. To celebrate vibrant yellow, fuschia, orange, and red petals, Summers Farm in Frederick County is throwing a weekend flower festival from August 22 through September 7 (Labor Day). The field is full of colorful blooms, including zinnias, sunflowers, cosmos, and wildflowers. Take a wagon to the field and pluck a bouquet of six flowers (you can pick more for an additional price), then enjoy activities such as an obstacle course, mini golf, corn hole, and more. Food and local beer and wine are available for purchase. Early bird tickets are $18.32 per person until August 22 and then become $21.67 per person.
Recently on Washingtonian dot com:
• Summer Restaurant Week is coming up soon. Make reservations now to try these hot dining spots.
• Local divorce attorneys are increasingly encountering a novel situation—people whose partners have had an extramarital relationship with an AI chatbot.
• New books, a podcast, and an album you shouldn’t miss this month.
Local news links:
• Today marks one year since Trump ordered National Guard troops to mill about on DC’s streets. (NOTUS) The administration released a potpourri of statistics yesterday, but they don’t distinguish between federal and local efforts to reduce crime. What is clear: The deployment is now almost six times its original size. (City Cast DC)
• The FAA will pause flights out of National on August 23 during the IndyCar Grand Prix in DC. (DC News Now)
• Authorities in Fauquier County released more details about a shooting there Saturday. A 16-year-old boy named Samuel Ojeda was killed after a fight at a quinceañera. A manhunt for the suspect is under way. (Fox 5)
• Tyrone Hines, who’d been held in Arlington’s jail for almost a year while awaiting trial on a robbery charge, died yesterday. (ARLnow)
• Seriously? Police in Prince George’s County say someone broke into the cars of people attending a funeral on Friday. (Fox 5)
• The Washington Commanders said Laremy Tunsil will have surgery after he tore a triceps muscle during a practice Saturday. He’ll be out for at least a good deal of the season, “a crucial blow to the Commanders’ offense.” Brandon Coleman will start in his place. (ESPN)
• A coalition of business owners sued Prince George’s County over a $5,000 “use and occupancy” imposed on businesses like liquor stores, gun shops, and tobacco outlets. (WTOP)
• Maryland’s summer of rabies continues: Health officials say they are investigating whether children at a Frederick park may have played with a rabid bat over the weekend. (WUSA9)
Tuesday’s event picks:
• A series of family-friendly craft nights kicks off at We Make DC.
• Teens in Prince George’s County can take a late-summer dinner cruise this evening.
See more picks for this week 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.
