Good morning. Mostly sunny with a high around 89 and chances of isolated showers before 2 PM and then again this evening. A low near 72 overnight. The Mystics visit the Chicago Sky tonight.
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I can’t stop listening to:
LA LOM, “Angels Point.” I recently drove around Los Angeles bumping this swell instrumental group in my rental and feeling like a secret agent. Highly recommend! They’ll play Wolf Trap tonight with Thee Sacred Souls, a Chicano soul group from San Diego who are likewise terrific.
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: President Trump will meet in New York next week with the leaders of Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Kuwait, and other Gulf nations to discuss the widening war in the Middle East. (Axios) Trump said “hopefully we are towards the end of the war” and claimed once again that Iran wants to make a deal with him to end it. (Reuters) Saudi Arabia is increasingly entangled with the Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen and “is facing the prospect of a severe energy crisis with global implications.” (NYT) Yet! Oil prices fell yesterday after the US said supply interruptions from an attack on a Saudi pipeline would be brief. (CNBC) A UN-backed team of investigators said it’s likely the US committed war crimes when it struck a school and a sports complex at the war’s outset. (AP)
Rate, rate, don’t tell me: The Federal Reserve raised interest rates yesterday amid concerns about inflation and prices due to the war. (WSJ) Trump complained about the decision but said he had confidence in Kevin Warsh, the new Fed chair. (CNBC) He claimed, again, that he’d stop the US from trading with some countries unless the Fed lowers rates. (NYT)
Capitol Hill potpourri: The House’s last workweek before the midterms ended early when Speaker Mike Johnson sent lawmakers home, avoiding an impeachment vote on Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth. (Washington Post) A meeting of the GOP “five families” Tuesday night “quickly devolved into chaos,” and a plan for a gas-tax holiday went nowhere. (Washington Sun) The House passed a bill that will impose new sanctions on Russia over the Ukraine war and give Trump “fresh authority to impose secondary tariffs of up to 100% on buyers of Russian oil and gas.” (Axios) The House voted to hold Leon Black in contempt. The billionaire refused to comply with subpoenas for certain documents about his relationship with the deceased, disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein. (Politico)
Administration perambulation: Trump has pushed Canada away. The European Union is looking for ways to welcome it. (NYT) Postmaster General David Steiner is reportedly eyeing the exits, saying the White House is ignoring USPS’s fiscal challenges. (Reuters) The administration is “quietly moving to strip a core protection of the Endangered Species Act.” (NYT) Health Secretary RFK Jr. will give a keynote speech to a conference of anti-vaxxers. (Washington Post) Vice President JD Vance said the show “Emily in Paris” is “the Shakespeare of our time.” (MS Now)
Hidden Eats, by Ike Allen:
A Bollywood-themed Indian place called Delhi Belly has taken over the two-storied Georgetown space that was home for years to Dolcezza. It’s mostly snack bar fare here, served on traditional sal leaf-lined disposable bowls. Dahi puri (semolina balls filled with yogurt and chutney) gets extra crunch from a dusting of crispy sev noodles. And though palak chaat (crunchy fried spinach tossed with chutneys) might be familiar to DC diners, the addition of sliced mango to this version is a nice surprise.
Take Hidden Eats with you! Our astoundingly popular 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:
• Waterside Drive will close for two months. You’ll need to find another route to Rock Creek Parkway.
• Updated programming, new technology, better floor plans—memory care is evolving. Learn what to look for in a community.
• The theme of this wedding was “vintage romance.”
Local news links:
Trump Town update: National Park Service officials said Trump’s planned Triumphal Arch would harm historic sites around Arlington Cemetery but construction must begin immediately. (Washington Post) US Representative Joyce Beatty of Ohio filed an emergency motion to halt the closure of the Kennedy Center. Trump said the arts complex could get “ripped down” unless he gets “recognition”—i.e., his name on the building—somehow. (Washington Post) Fencing went up around the Kennedy Center yesterday. (Axios D.C.)
• Karl Racine “verbally sparred” with people at a demonstration outside the John A. Wilson Building Tuesday. The former DC attorney general crashed a press conference about a suit by current DC AG Brian Schwalb against one of Racine’s clients. (Washington Sun)
• The DC Council is still looking for a way to do something about the ride-sharing service Empower. (City Cast DC)
• Current and former residents at the DC Jail sued the facility over a 2023 fire. (Washington Sun)
• The far-too-narrow bike and pedestrian trail on the Roosevelt Bridge will close for a year. Cyclists should use Key Bridge or Memorial Bridge instead, officials say. (ARLnow)
• Police in Charles County say a woman punched a store clerk in the face and flashed a pistol after complaining about the wait to pay at a shop. (ABC7)
• Police in DC are looking for two people they say committed an armed robbery, then fled, sharing a scooter. (WUSA9)
• Three kids from Arlington saved a “sinking boatful of teenagers” in Tennessee this summer. (ARLnow)
• The Commanders released renderings of the interior of their planned stadium. (Washington Sun)
• Virginia has a hay shortage. (WUSA9)
• Researchers are raising mussels to help filter water in the Potomac. (DC News Now)
• A tortoise named Luigi is on the loose in Spring Valley. How far can he get on foot? (PoPville)
• RIP Sunny, the Portuguese water dog owned by former President Obama‘s family. (AP)
Thursday’s event picks:
• The Charles County Fair starts its three-day run in La Plata.
• René Ibáñez & Cubano Groove plays a free show at Arlington’s Met Park.
• Do some salsa dancing on the waterfront.
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.
