Good morning. A chance of rain this morning, then partly cloudy with a high around 83. Rainy with a low around 50 overnight.
Sports this weekend: The Washington Wizards visit New Orleans for a preseason game tonight. The Capitals host New Jersey Saturday. The Washington Spirit host Gotham FC at Audi Field Saturday. Loudoun United FC visit Birmingham Legion FC Sunday.
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I can’t stop listening to
Brindley Brothers, “Playing With the Light.” Before they owned Union Stage Presents, Luke Brindley and Daniel Brindley were in this well-regarded Americana group. They’ll play a reunion show Saturday at Jammin’ Java with Michael Clem from the band Eddie From Ohio.
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
Ukraine
Ukraine resumed attacks on Russian energy infrastructure yesterday, hitting an oil refinery near Moscow with a drone attack. (WSJ) The strike followed Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky expressing exasperation with President Trump‘s recent moves—including an abruptly announced deal to allow Russia to sell diesel fuel and a declaration that both sides had agreed to an “energy ceasefire” that was news to Zelensky—during an interview. (NYT) European leaders plan to urge Zelensky to tone it down during a meeting in Brussels today. (FT) US officials say someone inside the White House gave an order to throttle bandwidth for an important communication system Ukraine uses. (Reuters) It wasn’t Trump, another unnamed official said. (Bloomberg) Four Republican US senators signed a letter asking the Pentagon’s inspector general to look into the situation. (Hill) The White House hopes American voters, battered by high prices that stem from Trump’s war in Iran, will appreciate his attempt to bring down fuel costs. (NYT) But prices for diesel are sky-high and climbing, and they’re putting pressure on costs in the broader economy. (Reuters)
California
The Department of Justice filed a long-shot suit against California yesterday in an attempt to prevent the Golden State from counting votes DOJ claims may be from non-citizens. (NYT) The suit is Trump’s “latest bid to assert control over states’ voter rolls ahead of the midterms in under three weeks.” (Politico) The administration has lost dozens of previous similar suits. (WSJ)
Friends like these
The State Department fired Trump pal Paolo Zampolli, who has engaged in a months-long email feud with another State official. (Politico) Zampolli, who says he introduced Trump to his wife, Melania Trump, “is known in Washington for flaunting his proximity to the Trumps.” (NYT) New White House press secretary Katie Zacharia tried to explain her weird debut in an interview with Pizzagate conspiracy theorist Jack Posobiec. (Washington Sun) Meanwhile, some Trump aides—including Stephen Miller and Bill Pulte—reportedly expect Chief of Staff Susie Wiles to step down if the midterms go as badly for the GOP as polling suggests and are “angling for the position.” (Washington Post) Kristi Noem‘s post-Homeland Security tenure as a special envoy to Trump’s Shield of the Americas initiative has also drawn to a close. (CBS News)
Administration perambulation
Trump officials scrutinized US Representative Ilhan Omar‘s immigration records during his first term, found nothing, and moved on. (Washington Post) Apple, Nvidia, and other firms have contributed millions to the ballroom Trump is building on the site of the White House’s former East Wing. Trump does not appear to have ponied up for the structure, despite his claims to the contrary. (Washington Post) The administration hopes to invoke executive privilege to shield Trump’s role in the Kennedy Center’s eventful recent history. (NBC News) Trump announced he wouldn’t use nukes or ground troops in Iran. (CNBC) ICE agents who ran over a man in Houston said they were looking for someone who reportedly died in 2017. (NYT) Vice President JD Vance said it was “disgusting and despicable” to sell access to the White House, as cashiered US ambassador to Greece Kimberly Guilfoyle is said to have done. (CBS News) Trump canceled Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth‘s plans to live-stream the execution of Fort Hood shooter Nidal Hasan. Trump didn’t know Hasan was paralyzed. (NYT)
Recently on Washingtonian dot com
• Three new spots—including a food hall with a fast-casual spinoff of Honey Pig—are freshening up the Eden Center.
• Media law experts weigh in on US Representative Andy Harris‘s recent threat to get a student journalist arrested.
• DC-area bars and restaurants are getting ready for Halloween. And here’s a list of scary parades, parties, and shows.
• A beatboxing competition is coming to town.
• This Adams Morgan wedding had a garden-party theme.
Local news links
• Inmates in the long-troubled DC Jail filed a suit saying the facility’s food contains “mice and insects.” (Washington Post)
• The administration moved ahead with plans to reinstall a Confederate monument at Arlington Cemetery. The memorial includes “a Black woman depicted as ‘Mammy’ holding what is said to be the child of a white officer.” (NBC4 Washington)
• A club tennis team at the University of Maryland apologized for sending an email that “featured the Maryland state flag alongside depictions of Ku Klux Klan members.” (DC News Now)
• Persistent elevator outages at DC public schools have forced staffers and students to improvise—one elementary school formed a weeks-long “human elevator” to ferry a teacher to her classroom. (Washington Post)
• DC’s likely next mayor Janeese Lewis George poured cold water on Waymo’s plans to run robot taxis on District streets. (City Cast DC)
• A man who was convicted of recording patrons in the bathroom of a Del Ray coffeehouse was arrested by ICE. (ALXnow)
• Arlington police say two men threw rocks at a local business and cut an employee of a towing company—guess which one—during a fight Wednesday. (ARLnow)
• Amtrak traffic between DC and Alexandria will pause for nine days starting this evening. Here’s how you can get around. (ABC7)
• Where does your grocery store rank on this list of the area’s most popular? I mostly shop at Giant, which is No. 1. (WBJ)
• Students at the University of Maryland hope to lure Larry David (B.A., 1970) back to College Park as a commencement speaker. (WTOP)
Things to Do
Friday: It’s the first night of Boo at the Zoo, when Smithsonian’s National Zoo gets spooooky.
Saturday: Eric Bentley‘s buzzy “Are You Now or Have You Ever Been?” opens at Arena Stage.
Sunday: Take in the Turkish Festival downtown.
Briana Thomas, who writes our Things to Do newsletter, has many more ideas for your weekend.
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.
