Good morning. Sunny with a high around 72 today. Breezy and perhaps gusty this afternoon. A low near 53 overnight.
Sports this weekend: The Nationals visit the Marlins today, tomorrow, and Sunday. The DC Defenders host the Louisville Kings at Audi Field Saturday. D.C. United visits Nashville SC on Saturday. Loudoun United FC visits Brooklyn FC Saturday. DC Power visits Spokane Zephyr FC Saturday. Old Glory DC hosts the Seattle Seawolves at George Mason Stadium Sunday. The Washington Spirit visit Seattle Reign FC on Sunday.
You can find me on Bluesky, I’m @abeaujon.87 on Signal, and there’s a link to my email address below. This roundup is available as a morning email newsletter. Sign up here.
I can’t stop listening to:
Messthetics with James Brandon Lewis, “Deface the Currency.” I dug this song before the President decided to slap his signature on the dollar bill. Prepare for some skronk when these DC legends play Black Cat Saturday with Trinary System and Thunderpaw.
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: Iran attempted to attack three US ships in the Strait of Hormuz yesterday, and the US struck targets nearby in response. President Trump insisted a ceasefire between the two nations was still in effect, saying Iran “trifled with us today.” (NYT) Saudi Arabia and Kuwait agreed to allow the US to use its airspace and bases within the countries to support efforts to reopen the strait, which Iran has effectively closed since Trump began this war more than two months ago. The US plans new efforts to force the strait open; its previous effort lasted one day. (WSJ) The UAE reported drones and missiles were fired at it this morning. (AP) Several UAE tankers have slipped through the strait recently. (Reuters)
Not great: Iran could withstand the US blockade of its ports for months, a confidential CIA assessment says. Iran also “retains significant ballistic missile capabilities” and has thousands of drones that “can be built in small warehouses and easily concealable facilities.” (Washington Post)
More tariff trouble: The global tariff Trump imposed after the Supreme Court invalidated his previous regime is also illegal, a federal court ruled yesterday. The administration plans to appeal. (AP) The decision about tariffs “only explicitly blocked their collection from small businesses and some states that had sued over their legality,” and it’s unclear how the administration will interpret the decision. (NYT) A profile of Jamieson Greer, the US’s top trade lawyer who’s investigating 96 countries, looking for trade practices that could put Trump’s tariffs on a firmer legal footing. (Politico)
FB-aye-yi-yi: FBI Director Kash Patel is reportedly “in panic mode to save his job” and has ordered polygraphs of more than two dozen people from his security detail to try to root out the sources of media reports about his tenure. (MS Now) Patel “never consumed the alcohol” in commemorative bottles of bourbon that he hands out as official gifts and reimbursed the bureau for any bottles he gave as personal gifts, a “senior FBI source” said. (Guardian)
Administration perambulation: Elon Musk‘s DOGE project had no authority to revoke $100 million in humanities grants, a federal judge in New York ruled yesterday. Trump’s revocation of the grants was unconstitutional, the judge said. (AP) The US Circuit Court of Appeals in DC appeared likely to reject the Pentagon’s attempts to punish US Senator Mark Kelly of Arizona for appearing in a video that reminded US troops they can disobey illegal orders. (CNN) Kelly “has already profited off the fight, raking in a staggering $25 million-plus over the last six months even though he’s not on the ballot this year.” (Politico) Florida’s “Alligator Alcatraz” project may soon shut down—the detention center in the Everglades costs more than $1 million each day to run, and federal officials consider it ineffective. (NYT) The administration is mulling a rule change that would allow handguns to be shipped through US Mail. (AP) The State Department plans to revoke passports issued to people who owe child support. (AP) A budget deal in New York bars federal immigration officers from wearing masks and localities from working with ICE. The administration has promised to “flood the zone” in New York in response to the measure. (NYT) The $1 billion the White House wants for Trump’s planned White House ballroom “is getting a very frosty reception on Capitol Hill.” One GOP lawmaker said, “A first-year poli sci major would know not to ask members to take this vote and we hope the speaker does too.” (Punchbowl News) On Thursday evening, Trump drove across the Reflecting Pool, whose bottom he recently had painted blue. He said he had some ideas about changes to the Lincoln Memorial, too. (AP)
Cool Listing: A winery and Airbnb in Loudoun County
This multi-building property in Hamilton, Virginia, is currently being operated as a winery and short-term rental. There’s a main building that could be used as a residence, a smaller one with a gathering space and a wine cellar, and another—currently a tasting room—with a 1,200-square-foot deck, and a guest cottage. Its acreage is too small to continue being used for wine production under a new Virginia law, so it’s primed to transition to another use. It’s listed at $2.5 million, and you can see lots of photos here.
Recently on Washingtonian dot com:
• The EU Open House is Saturday. Save some $$$ on airfare and visit these embassies.
• May is Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander Heritage Month. Here are eight ways to mark the occasion.
• A day trip to Frederick? Why not? Here’s a sample itinerary.
Local news links:
• Congressional maneuvering, the lingering stink of the Capitals’ failed plans to move to Virginia, and an Elon Musk tweet that nearly scuttled everything: The juicy inside story of the Commanders’ stadium deal with DC. (Athletic)
• Attorneys for accused WHCD shooter Cole Allen argued last night that US Attorney for DC Jeanine Pirro and acting US Attorney General Todd Blanche should be disqualified from the case because they attended the dinner and are thus potential witnesses. (CBS News)
• Trump has placed banners thanking himself around construction projects in DC. (Washington Post)
• The District spent $67 million on cleanup during this year’s “snowcrete” event. $20 million went to hire Bobcats to clear entries to alleyways so trash could be picked up. (51st)
• Maryland officials hammered in the last pieces of track for the Purple Line, sort of the “Chinese Democracy” of local transportation projects. The line should open late next year. (Washington Post)
• International tourism to DC dropped last year, though a small increase in domestic tourism helped hold the line. (WTOP)
• The EPA said it finished remediation efforts on the Potomac Interceptor water pipe. (ABC 7)
• The majority of members of Alexandria’s city council will be women after Sandy Marks is sworn in next week. It’s the first time that’s happened in 277 years. (ALXnow)
• The Star, Robert Allbritton‘s planned rebrand of the publication Notus, announced a local news team that includes Martin Austermuhle, Tom Sietsema, and Michael Brice-Saddler. (Notus/X)
• Officials at Smithsonian’s National Zoo are searching for answers after the red panda Chris-Anne died unexpectedly last week. (WUSA9)
Weekend event picks:
Friday: The deservedly buzzy British band Dry Cleaning plays the Howard Theatre with Hotline TNT.
Saturday: Strap on your lederhosen, practice your Irish dancing, and grunt “Sisu” as you get ready for the EU Open House event.
Sunday: The Washington Ballet presents “Cinderella” at National Theatre.
See lots more picks for the weekend 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.
