Good morning. Mostly sunny with a high around 77 until this afternoon, when showers are possible. Rain and thunderstorms overnight, with a low near 54. D.C. United host the Chicago Fire at Audi Field this evening. The Nationals are at Cincinnati again tonight. You can find me on Bluesky, I’m @abeaujon.87 on Signal, and there’s a link to my email address below.
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I can’t stop listening to:
Flea feat. Thom Yorke, “Traffic Lights.” I swear I’m not pulling your leg: The Red Hot Chili Peppers bassist’s recent jazz-trumpet album “Honora” is really not too bad! Flea performs at the Black Cat 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:
The war: According to US intelligence estimates, Iran “has restored operational access to 30 of the 33 missile sites it maintains along the Strait of Hormuz” and “has retained roughly 70 percent of its prewar missile stockpile.” That’s a stark contrast to the rosy scenarios President Trump and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth have offered, and it also underscores the danger of the US’s dwindling stock of munitions if hostilities resume in the ten-week-old war that Trump started. (NYT) The war is widening—like the UAE, Saudi Arabia has “launched numerous, unpublicized strikes on Iran in retaliation for attacks carried out in the kingdom during” the conflict. (Reuters) Nine small earthquakes struck near Tehran last night. (Reuters) Should combat resume, the Pentagon may rename the war “Operation Sledgehammer,” apparently part of the administration’s insistence that the war has ended and thus doesn’t need approval from Congress. (NBC News)
The war’s costs: The war has cost the US $29 billion so far. (Politico) With the Strait of Hormuz effectively closed by Iran, shipping companies have deployed thousands of trucks to move goods across the Persian Gulf region. (WSJ) As you may have noticed, consumer prices shot up in April. Energy and food prices drove the gains in inflation. (CNBC) Asked about the economic pain many Americans are experiencing, Trump said, “I don’t think about Americans’ financial situation. I don’t think about anybody.” The only thing that matters to him, he said, is whether Iran gets nuclear weapons. He then flew off to China. (NYT) Hegseth took a similar line when questioned by lawmakers yesterday. (AP) This isn’t an ideal situation for GOP lawmakers, especially when viewed in concert with the White House’s request for $1 billion for Trump’s ballroom. (Politico)
The Marty’s over: FDA Commissioner Marty Makary resigned yesterday, ending a days-long limbo in which multiple outlets reported Trump planned to fire him, but Makary somehow remained in office. (NYT) I realize I’m getting obsessed with this fact, but a photo of a beaming Makary still greets visitors to the FDA website. (FDA.gov) Makary had infuriated “advocates for vaping and rare-disease patients, antiabortion groups, and some drug-industry leaders,” as well as others in the administration. (WSJ) Kyle Diamantas will become FDA’s acting leader. (Politico)
Administration perambulation: “[B]ubbles and small holes” have begun to appear in the blue coating Trump ordered for the Reflecting Pool. The unintentional metaphor suggests the project may not be complete in the time the administration hoped. (NYT) The administration plans a daylong prayer festival on the National Mall Sunday. (Washington Post) The Department of Justice is mulling a settlement with Trump over his $10 billion lawsuit against the agency. Such a transfer of public funds to the President could scuttle a judge’s plans to untangle the conflicts of interest involved. (NYT) The Congressional Budget Office estimated that Trump’s “Golden Dome” missile defense plan could cost $1.2 trillion over the next two decades. He had pegged the cost at $175 billion. (AP) David Venturella, a former leader of a private prison company, will become the acting director of ICE. (Politico) FBI Director Kash Patel “said he would commit to taking a test about his alcohol use after a testy exchange” with US Senator Chris Van Hollen of Maryland. (Hill)
Recently on Washingtonian dot com:
• Uchi, a swanky new Japanese restaurant with roots in Austin, has opened downtown.
Local news links:
• Crashes on the Beltway have snarled traffic this morning. (WUSA9)
• A jet fuel spill into the Potomac from Joint Base Andrews has compounded concerns about water quality after a massive sewage spill earlier this year. In related news, I’d love your recommendations for kayak spots in other waterways. (Washington Post)
• A search of currently sidelined DC police official Andre Wright‘s cell phone during an investigation into crime statistics has turned up numerous inappropriate text messages, many about now former police chief Pamela Smith. (City Cast DC)
• The owners of the Dali, the ship that destroyed the Francis Scott Key Bridge, have settled with Maryland to the tune of $2.25 billion. The feds unveiled criminal charges against the Dali’s owners and operators, too. (Maryland Matters)
• WMATA doesn’t plan to build a new Metrorail station at the Commanders’ planned stadium at RFK. Instead, it envisions a “Gold Line” bus service from Union Station and improvements to the Stadium-Armory stop. (NBC4 Washington)
• Authorities in Stafford County, Virginia, found a baby in a park yesterday. (WUSA9)
• The Preakness Stakes may soon take place three weeks after the Kentucky Derby. The close proximity of the races has led to derby winners increasingly skipping the Maryland contest. (WTOP)
• Public restrooms in Virginia will be required to host diaper-changing stations thanks to a proposal by Alexandria state Senator Elizabeth Bennett-Parker. (Virginia Mercury)
• Baltimore named a street for Tupac Shakur. (WTOP)
• A truck advertising plans for the new Star publication was spotted outside the Washington Post’s building. (Marc Fisher/X)
• DC’s Noyes Elementary School is dealing with a raccoon infestation. Teachers say they can hear the critters “scratching in ceiling tiles and running back and forth above classrooms.” (DC News Now)
Wednesday’s event pick:
• “1776” will close Saturday at Ford’s Theatre—get down there soon if you’ve been meaning to catch the American Revolution musical.
See more picks for this week and 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.
