Good morning. Some rain this morning, then cloudy with a high around 76. Rain is possible again overnight, with a low near 61.
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I can’t stop listening to
Rostam, “Hardy.” The former Vampire Weekend member joins former Walkmen frontman Hamilton Leithauser in a homecoming show at 9:30 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
After the tsunami
The blame game is the hottest ticket in town. Asked to explain their electoral wipeout Tuesday, some Republicans—several of whom courageously declined to set their names next to their opinions—”tiptoed their way toward once unthinkable territory: blaming the president.” (Politico) Vice President JD Vance wrote a post-mortem on X that blamed President Trump‘s war in Iran for the loss. (Washington Post) The New York Post called the screed a “Hillbilly Eulogy,” which, no notes. (Yashar Ali/X) At an event designed to show off work on his planned ballroom, Trump allowed that the war may have harmed GOP prospects “because it drove the gasoline up a little bit short term” but maintained that he’d go to war all over again if given the chance. (NBC News)
Update your LinkedIn profiles
Trump has been phoning people to ask whether he should keep Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth in his job. (CBS News) The House could vote to impeach Hegseth as early as next week. (CNN) Outgoing House Speaker Mike Johnson said he wouldn’t run for minority leader. (NBC News) Sergio Gor, currently the US ambassador to India, may be in line for a big job in the administration—chief of staff? Secretary of State? (Washington Sun) Shares in Elon Musk‘s companies SpaceX and Tesla “fell sharply on Wednesday.” (NYT) Musk spent “hundreds of millions to boost candidates that failed to win their races,” and his hopes to build data centers in Texas may be in peril after the state flipped blue. (Politico)
Administration perambulation
Melania Trump will attempt to mediate between Russia and Ukraine today. (Politico) Trump doesn’t have a lot of good options in Iran. (Axios) The billionaire Leon Black sued US Representative Robert Garcia of California, the likely next head of the House Oversight Committee, over Garcia’s comments about Black’s relationship to the deceased, disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein. (NBC News) Trump’s hopes to pack the Federal Reserve board are likely DOA now. (Axios) Ditto his judicial picks. (Washington Sun)
Hidden Eats, by Ike Allen
The suburban comfort of Crab Cab in Capitol Heights makes it feel a little like a Red Lobster. But this place is pure DMV, and it has high standards for crab cakes and soul-food sides. My two crab cakes, sitting in a millimeter-deep pool of drawn butter, contained almost more crustacean meat than I could eat, and they appeared to be bound together with almost no filler. Crispy glazed Brussels sprouts and collards were two standout sides.
Take Hidden Eats with you! Our ludicrously 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
• A report from Janeese Lewis George’s victory party Tuesday night, with lots of photos.
• A bittersweet goodbye to Bold Fork Books, the DC cookbook store that shuttered in September—and the oddball recipes found in vintage community cookbooks that inspired gatherings and taste tests there.
• A fabulous hotel in Winchester, a golf club in Jamaica, a resort in Arizona: This month’s travel deals for Washingtonian readers are here.
Local news links
Elections roundup
Chuck Jenkins, the MAGA favorite sheriff from Frederick County, Maryland, lost his seat in Tuesday’s elections. He’ll be replaced by Karl Bickel, who’s described as a “bookish introvert.” Jenkins had previously predicted Bickel had an “ass-kicking coming”; he got the boot instead. (Baltimore Banner) Lewis George named her transition team yesterday. (DC News Now) Virginia Governor Abigail Spanberger celebrated the flip of two Virginia US House seats, though she wanted four. (Virginia Mercury)
Other local news
• Construction on Trump’s Triumphal Arch could begin today. (City Cast DC)
• Prosecutors say a man made a “finger gun” gesture at National Guard troops near the White House. DC cops arrested him, and he’s been charged with misdemeanor simple assault. (Washington Post)
• Montgomery County police say a 23-year-old man carrying a rifle struck a plainclothes officer in the head when the cop inquired about a stolen Corvette parked in a driveway. (DC News Now)
• The Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority hopes to sell two parcels of land near Dulles for data-center development. (WBJ)
• The Taco Bell 50K will return on Black Friday. (Northern Virginia Magazine)
Things to Do
• The Double Exposure film festival kicks off in DC. This year’s theme: “On the Record.”
• More film! The HBCU First LOOK Film & TV Festival opens at Howard University.
• Edmar Castañeda plays jazz harp at the Library of Congress.
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.
