Good morning. Sunny with a high around 66 today. A low near 48 overnight. The Washington Commanders play San Francisco this evening.
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I can’t stop listening to
The Snuts, “Glasgow.” Vibe-y, jangly rock from this Scots group, who play DC9 tonight with Kinda Evil.
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 waive
President Trump‘s abrupt decision Friday to forgo sanctions on Russia—the same economic tools intended to force an end to Russia’s war in Ukraine that he’d approved the month before—has Ukraine officials fuming and put Republican candidates in a bind. Administration officials offered various, often conflicting explanations for the move and Trump’s surprise deal last week to buy diesel fuel from Russia. (Axios) The President said it was all part of his attempts to negotiate an end to the war and claimed he was also involved in “hostage negotiations” with Russia. (NYT) “I WANT THIS WAR END!” Trump posted on social media. (Bloomberg) Russian President Vladimir Putin proposed a peace summit between himself, Trump, and Chinese President Xi Jinping. Ukraine’s not invited. (WSJ)
Midterms mélange
Trump has lost support among some Republicans, and his approval rating has dropped to 33 percent, according to a new Washington Post/ABC News/Ipsos poll that also found most Americans believe Trump is using the presidency to get richer. (Washington Post) Polling has “changed enormously since the dawn of the Trump era.” (NYT) The White House chaos on display last week “has left many Republicans rudderless” as they strive to keep control of Congress. (Politico) The President held rallies where he made the case that his second term has been an “unbridled success.” (NYT)
Trump’s DC projects
Amid all this, the President on Sunday announced that East Potomac Park will close on November 15 as part of his plans to build a new golf course. (AP) That same evening, lawyers for the Department of Justice argued that “any plans for the large-scale construction project at D.C.’s East Potomac Park are not final and should not be subject to judicial review.” (Washington Sun) Katie Zacharia, the White House press secretary who got canned on Friday after an eventful five-day tenure, “posted two photos that appear to have been digitally modified to conceal an image on President Donald Trump’s Oval Office desk.” The photos appear to depict East Potomac Park. (Washington Post) US District Judge Ana Reyes, whom the administration has sought to remove from hearing a lawsuit over plans for the golf course, will hold a hearing today in which “she has called on the acting director of the National Park Service and the Interior Department’s chief of staff to testify under oath.” (NBC News) The administration published a report Friday that acknowledged that Trump’s plan to paint the Eisenhower Executive Office Building white could damage the structure’s granite exterior. It intends to proceed anyway. (AP) The White House also released final plans for Trump’s planned Triumphal Arch near Arlington Cemetery that “do not include drones, snipers or other features of the ‘military complex’ that Trump said he would add to the project.” (Washington Post)
Administration perambulation
Mexican native Emiliano Andrade-Covarrubias was found dead in his cell at an ICE detention facility in Laredo, Texas, on Saturday. The 56-year-old was the seventh person to die in ICE complexes in Texas this year. (Texas Tribune) While its clampdown on illegal immigration is well-known, the administration’s policies have also dramatically cut legal immigration to the US. (NYT) The administration plans to punish people who’ve defaulted on their student loans and will hire debt collectors to pursue them. (Washington Sun) White House staffers “are calling law firms in search of legal advice as they brace for an avalanche of investigations next year.” (WSJ) “No Kings” protests over the weekend focused on turning out voters. (NYT) It’s kind of looking like Trump will be the first and last recipient of the FIFA Peace Prize. (Athletic) Former Homeland Security Secretary and now former envoy to the Shield of the Americas Kristi Noem posted a photo of herself with a new dog on Saturday, inspiring commenters to ask her not to kill this one. (New York Post)
The Best Thing I Ate Last Week, by Ann Limpert
Want to avoid 14th Street’s boozy brunch scene? Make your way to Ingle Korean Steakhouse, which is quietly putting out an excellent, if splurgy, weekend lunch. The $62 prix fixe centers around four cuts of American Wagyu—including lush hanging tender (terrific with soy/garlic sauce and a dab of wasabi) and sweetly marinated galbi—which are cooked and snipped for you at a tabletop grill. The steak is the biggest draw, but you also get a sizeable soup, noodle, or rice dish plus dessert. Close things out with a bowl of cinnamon-punch-soaked shaved ice dotted with dried, date-like jujubes.
Recently on Washingtonian dot com
• We played golf with Alex Dickson, the golfer who’s suing to thwart Trump’s takeover of DC public courses.
• A first look at the Korean cafe Twosome Place, which just opened its first US location in Alexandria.
• What are those! Attendees at this past summer’s DC Sneaker Con showed us their kicks.
• Photos from our recent Tech Titans reception.
Local news links
• A member of the National Guard and another person were shot late last night during an altercation in Barracks Row. (NBC4 Washington) Four people were shot near Howard University during Homecoming weekend. (Fox 5) One person is dead following a series of crashes on the BW Parkway early on Sunday. (WTOP)
• Cops in DC are “cracking down on unsafe electric scooter and bike riders.” (Washington Sun) Separately, the DC police say District official Talib Shakir was not wearing a helmet when he was killed in a collision with another e-scooter operator. (City Cast DC)
• The White House Historical Association accepted a $2.5 million donation from Vance Patterson, a businessman who hoped to “help Trump tear down the White House’s existing East Wing to build a new ballroom.” (Washington Post)
• DC officials are mulling tax increases. (Axios D.C.)
• A high school student in Charles County is in hot water after authorities allegedly found “more than 30 vaping devices containing THC” in his bag. (ABC 7)
• Bloomberg Philanthropies will give the city of Alexandria a bunch of money to help find ways to build more housing. (Alexandria Living)
• The DC bar Madams Organ on Friday broke the news that Stephen A. Smith and Bill Maher had dinner with Trump at the White House the night before. Kid Rock also attended the do. (New York Post)
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.
