Good morning. Humidity returns today, with highs in the upper 80s and strong thunderstorms likely in the afternoon.Ā The Nats wrap up a three-game visit to the Texas Rangers this evening.
š How well do you know the District? Play our new geography game and test your local knowledge. š« Ike Allen here, filling in for Andrew. You can find my food coverage on Instagram and thereās a link to my email address below.Ā This roundup is available as a morning email newsletter. Sign up here.
I canāt stop listening to:
NRBQ, āRidin’ in My Car.ā A great summer song from 1977 by a 50-year-old cult band. For NRBQ fans, it’s all about the spontaneous, cover-heavy live shows. The band plays The Birchmere tonight.
Hereās some administration news you might have blocked out:
The war: Trump is promising “Economic Warfare and Isolation on an unprecedented scale” against Iran. (The Hill) Iran called the threat a diversion, and oil prices jumped by 2%. (CNN) There has been neither diplomatic progress nor full-scale fighting for weeks. (NYT) Over 750 US service members have been wounded since the start of the war. (CNN) Even the president’s allies want to know what the plan is for getting out of Iran. (NOTUS)
DJT HGTV: Trump’s mind is still on renovations. He invited reporters for a last-minute dog and pony show on the South Lawn yesterday: a tour of the replaced White House driveway (now made of “very special stone” instead of asphalt) and the helipad still under construction. (CNN) Meanwhile, the Kennedy Center may not be looking its best for some time: the center’s lawyers say the tarp originally set up to remove Trump’s name is being kept up for the foreseeable future so that crews can conduct “water testing” and make structural repairs. (Washington Post)
Crime fighters?: The National Guard was mentioned in only 1.3% of criminal prosecutions in DC during a year of deployment, Reuters reports. In cases where the Guard did come up, it was more often as victims than as law enforcement. Soldiers mostly responded to crimes in wealthier, whiter areas and seldom in neighborhoods where most crimes took place. (Reuters)
Administration perambulation: Trump would like to hire a man to serve as the next White House press secretaryāpossibly pundit Scott Jennings or Bush pick Ari Fleischerāto “stave off comparisons” to outgoing spokesperson Karoline Leavitt. (NOTUS) A National Park Service engineer warned the administration about the Reflecting Pool’s peeling lining in June, before it brought vandalism charges against canoeist David Hearn. (NBC) Pete Hegseth‘s pick for vice chief of staff of the Army, Christopher LaNeve, will do away with a brand new drone battalion. (WSJ) The longtime publisher of Stars and Stripes is retiring, citing fundamental philosophical differences with the Pentagon, which has exerted more editorial control over the military newspaper. (AP) A US airman who was arrested on the steps of the Capitol last month after calling for Trump’s impeachment has been detained again on unclear charges. (CNN) Embattled Trump aide Natalie Harp worked at the White House without a security clearance for a year. (MS Now) FAA officials are dissatisfied with the company that won a $1.5 billion contract to overhaul the nation’s air traffic control system. (Politico)
Hidden Eats:
If you live or work near the Catholic University of America, maybe you’re already familiar with the mini-mall that houses City Kabob & Curry House. Yesterday, I stopped by for a Pakistani buffet lunchāground chicken kebabs, cardamom-scented biryani, and silky channa masalaāand understood why the crowd was so busy and diverse at lunchtime. At under $14, it was a steal. Maybe the buffet is not dead!
Take Hidden Eats with you! Our popular map will show you which Hidden Eatsāthe out-of-the-way mom-and-pop eateries I highlight in this newsletter and in our print magazineāare nearby.
Recently on Washingtonian dot com:
ā¢ Robert White is all but certain to succeed Eleanor Holmes Norton as DC’s congressional delegate. I profiled him for the August issue.
ā¢ An independent horror and sci-fi bookstore is coming to Alexandria. Long Dark House opens on King Street on September 1.
ā¢ Our staff writer Sylvie McNamara wrote an ode to the humble McFlurry from McDonald’s. It’s her ideal summer dessert.
ā¢ The Freedom 250 Grand Prix this Sunday will be loud and smelly, and will ground flights, close roads, and reroute buses.
ā¢ Summer Restaurant Week starts Monday. Here are the deals that the city’s best restaurants are offering to get through the dog days.
ā¢ Here’s what local immigration law experts say you should know about interacting with ICE.
Local news links:
ā¢ Northern Virginia representatives are opening a congressional investigation into recent incidents of “brutality” by ICE. (NBC4)
ā¢ The multibillion-dollar Dulles overhaul got the green light from Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority, without any plan for a new parking garage. (Washington Post)
ā¢ Vaccination rates among DC kindergarteners are down, with more parents asking for exemptions. (Axios)
ā¢ A house exploded in Annapolis, leaving one woman dead, a man critically injured, and debris spread across a cul-de-sac. (Fox5)
ā¢ A 19-year-old man confessed to killing his 42-year-old coworker Carmen Lizet Puch, who was found stabbed in Great Falls, Virginia earlier this week. (WTOP)
Thursday’s event picks:
ā¢ Pauly ShoreĀ plays the Comedy Loft of DC.
ā¢ Watch “Top Gun: Maverick” outdoors at Audi Field.
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.
