Good morning. Warm weather greets October today—it’ll be partly sunny with a high around 85, and there’ll be a low near 65 overnight. The Washington Mystics’ season ended last night with a 93–75 loss to the Atlanta Dream.
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I can’t stop listening to:
Snail Mail, “Tractor Beam.” Ellicott City’s finest returns to the area tonight for a show at the Fillmore Silver Spring with Soccer Mommy.
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:
Playing defense: Are Republicans tiring of Pete Hegseth? The defense secretary’s “stewardship of the military, particularly his firing of generals and admirals, has alienated Republican national security hawks in Washington.” (NYT) Hegseth delivered a combative speech at Quantico yesterday, declaring, “The ideological clowns are out. The patriotic cowboys are in, with testosterone testing on top.” (NPR) Hegseth “used profanity and recited scripture” and accused journalists who’ve reported on President Trump‘s stalemated Iran war of committing treason. (Washington Post) Hegseth appointed Elon Musk to a panel that will ponder the future of warfare. It’ll mark Musk’s official return to Washington since his time running his DOGE project ended in a now apparently patched-up break with Trump. (Guardian)
The ads: FCC Chairman Brendan Carr said he didn’t see “anything at all out of the ordinary” regarding TV ads, including one that’s essentially the same as a 2024 campaign ad, that Trump has bought time to air using government funds. (Deadline) Trump said the ads were not “promoting myself because I’m not running for office. I’m promoting the country.” (Washington Sun) A new ad that praises the Iran war went up yesterday. (Washington Sun)
Administration perambulation: The Justice Department filed a complaint against two federal judges in Minnesota, saying they violated ethics rules when they spoke to the New York Times about how last winter’s immigration surge affected local courts. Attorney General Todd Blanche accused the judges of “obvious bias.” (NYT) The White House removed CNN from the press pool for Trump’s planned visits to Texas and Oklahoma today as Trump’s feud with the cable news channel and two other outlets continues despite a judge’s order that restored their access to the White House. (NBC News) US Senator Ron Johnson of Wisconsin blocked an effort to thwart Trump from rescinding funding to programs that Congress had already approved. (Washington Post) New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani got a security clearance from the administration. (Politico) The US Senate left town yesterday, but first it confirmed Keith Sonderling as labor secretary. (AP) Ethan Harper was supposed to move to a White House job from his current role as general counsel to US Senator Eric Schmitt of Missouri. But that career change appears to be on hold after Schmitt’s recent botched gotcha moment while he questioned Jack Smith. (Politico)
Hidden Eats, by Ike Allen:
The best-known dish in Honduran cuisine is probably the baleada, a thick flour tortilla doubled over refried beans and cheese— and that’s the namesake comfort food of Baleadas Express, a mini-chain of food trucks with a handful of Maryland locations. But on a recent visit to the Hyattsville outpost, I was more impressed with the pollo con tajadas, a container of generously seasoned fried chicken pieces perched atop thin strips of crunchy fried plantain and showered with pickled red onions and chismol salsa. The first few plantain bites are as crisp as chips; by the end they’ve been imbued with sauce.
Take Hidden Eats with you! Our staggeringly 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:
• Sweetgreen CEO Jonathan Neman spoke at the MAHA summit this week headlined by Health Secretary RFK Jr. and Vice President JD Vance. The politicized health movement presents the chain with a delicate situation, Jessica Sidman explains.
Local news links:
• The region is abuzz about a new Trump executive order that calls on the federal government to reduce mosquitos in DC by 90 percent over the next two years. (City Cast DC) He also wants Ohio Drive gone. (Washington Post)
• Authorities in Virginia say an employee at a rental firm in Manassas shot and killed two coworkers, wounded a third, and killed himself after state police spotted his car at a rest stop on I-81. (Washington Post)
• Records show that the Kennedy Center’s finances plunged after Trump took over the arts complex. (Washington Post)
• The Pentagon has spent more than $49 million to feed National Guard troops in DC this year. At least some of that money is staying here: Sardi’s Catering in College Park is one of the firms providing meals. (Washington Sun)
• The Commanders are in London, preparing for Sunday’s game against Indiana. Jayden Daniels is with them, and head coach Dan Quinn said the team will decide Friday whether he’ll play. (Washington Post)
• Police in Fairfax say the former principal of Hayfield Secondary School used thousands of dollars of school funds for personal expenses. (DC News Now)
• An apartment fire damaged DC’s Royal last night. (WUSA9)
Thursday’s event picks:
• Gianandrea Noseda leads the NSO through a program of “exotic tales,” including “Boléro” and “Pictures at an Exhibition,” at George Mason’s Center for the Arts.
• This month’s Phillips After Five event has an “art, bikes, and beer” theme.
• Squirrel Flower plays Union Stage.
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.
