Good morning. Sunny with a high around 86 and low humidity: another swell day! A low near 65 overnight. The Nationals host the Rockies again this evening, and the playoffs-bound Mystics visit the Phoenix Mercury.
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I can’t stop listening to:
Robert Glasper, “Black Superhero.” The pianist and songwriter plays the Birchmere tonight.
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: Almost six months after launching a military operation against Iran that’s resulted in a stalemate, the administration of President Trump trumpeted a new strategy: “a sweeping campaign of financial sanctions and diplomatic pressure designed to sever Iran’s remaining links to the global economy.” (Washington Post) Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent identified 60 entities linked to Iran that the US would sanction but said the US won’t impose secondary sanctions—at least not yet—on countries that do business with Iran. (AP) This latest pivot’s goal “is not implausible,” but it will depend on cooperation from China, which buys most of Iran’s oil. (NYT) Two ships made it through the Strait of Hormuz yesterday. Ali Madanizadeh, Iran’s finance minister, said, “we also have our own tools and know how to play the game.” (Reuters)
Post rocked: The Supreme Court allowed a Trump executive order aimed at restricting mail-in voting to stand, saying states that sued to stop it lacked standing to do so. (Axios) The order requires the administration to create lists of eligible voters in states—which actually run elections—and allows the US Postal Service to deliver ballots only to people on those lists. It “opens a path for the administration to begin action to restrict mail voting, but it also could lead to further litigation that could freeze the federal government again.” (AP) “No one is saying this executive order is constitutional.” (Law Dork) Meanwhile, Trump has quietly moved to stock USPS’s Board of Governors with his partisans. (NYT)
Canadian mire: Trump said yesterday that he’ll place a 50 percent tariff on cars, trucks, and auto parts made in Canada beginning next year. (Politico) Ontario Premier Doug Ford said Trump could “kiss my ass.” Trump compared Ford unfavorably to his deceased brother Rob Ford, perhaps the first time anyone has used the crack-smoking former mayor of Toronto as a measuring stick. (CTV News) Canadians are prepared to take the pain of a trade war with the US. Americans? Maybe not so much. (Politico)
Administration perambulation: The US Department of the Interior has reassigned 30 senior career staffers, which one affected person reckons is part of a drive to install more political appointees. (NOTUS) The State Department plans to revoke visas for people who visit the US for tourism or business and apply for asylum. Hundreds of thousands of people could be affected by the revocations. (AP) Thwarted in its original plan to charge a $100,000 fee for H-1B visa seekers, the administration now hopes to impose a $103,265 fee instead. (Washington Post) The feds charged Air Force Major Jason Watson with violations of the Uniform Code of Military Justice for calling for Trump to be impeached. (CNN) The Department of Homeland Security deported the wife of a US Army sergeant Monday. (Reuters) The State Department is looking to sell a painting by Kehinde Wiley that Erin Scavino, the director of State’s Art in Embassies program, called “very woke.” Scavino didn’t outline her aesthetic objections, but it’s perhaps relevant that Wiley painted a portrait of President Obama. (NYT) Trump hopes to change the slope of the White House’s South Lawn as part of his helipad project. (Washington Post) The White House cropped Natalie Harp out of recent social media posts. (Rolling Stone) Trump’s relationship with Harp is “even weirder than we already knew.” (Bulwark)
Take a Jurassic day trip, by Daniella Byck:
I recently saw The End of Oak Street, a sci-fi movie about a suburban neighborhood overtaken by dinosaurs. Anne Hathaway is in it! The characters were running away from the prehistoric creatures, but here’s an adventure that’s all about driving to them. Just outside Winchester, find more than 55 fiberglass dinosaurs at roadside attraction Dinosaur Land. You’ll also spot King Kong, who comes a little after their time. It’s a cool spot that offers nostalgia for two eras: dinosaurs deliver that classic Mesozoic vibe while the retro look is a salute to the ’60s, when the display first opened. Entry is $9 for kids 11 and up, $7 for ages 2 to 10, and free for kids under two.
Recently on Washingtonian dot com:
• Surprisingly, Sunday’s Grand Prix in DC offered a bit of a refreshing break from our Trump-dominated summer, Sydney Carroll writes.
• An interview with Brent Leggs, the head of the National Trust for Historic Preservation, on suing to stop construction on Trump’s ballroom.
Local news links:
Prix-dom isn’t free: IndyCar President Doug Boles poured cold water on hopes that Sunday’s Grand Prix might become an annual event. (WBJ) Road closures will persist this week as crews clean up from the race. (WTOP)
• The office of US Attorney for DC Jeanine Pirro “has a jury problem”: Even its seemingly slam-dunk cases keep falling apart. (CNN)
• Robert White, DC’s likely next nonvoting delegate to Congress, announced an initiative to support pro-statehood candidates in East Coast states. (AP) Bonus read: Make a little time for Ike Allen‘s solid profile of White. (Washingtonian)
• Amtrak announced a nine-day service interruption south of Union Station in October for what it calls a “Pause for Progress.” (DC News Now)
• A woman was found dead outside the Rosslyn Metro station Sunday. Cops in Arlington say that so far, the death does not appear to be suspicious. (ARLnow)
• DC Mayor Muriel Bowser cut the ribbon on John R. Thompson Jr. High School yesterday, the first day of school for public school students in the District. (Georgetowner)
• Got a boxwood? Look out for this pernicious moth. (WTOP)
• Portions of the Maryland park where two rabid beaver attacks took place this summer have reopened. (Fox 5)
• A bison got loose in Loudoun County yesterday and created quite a stir. (Washington Post)
Tuesday’s event picks:
• Stephen Sondheim‘s “Merrily We Roll Along” opens at Signature Theatre.
• Jack Harlow plays the Anthem.
• It’s the National Park Service’s 110th birthday, and admission to national parks is free today.
See more picks 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.
