Photo illustration by Emma Spainhoward with photograph by Getty Images.
Good morning. Clouds gather as the day proceeds, with a high around 58. Breezy overnight, with a low near 43.
Sports this weekend: The Washington Spirit will play a semifinal match against the Portland Thorns at Audi Field Saturday at noon. Here’s a list of watch parties in the area. The Capitals host the New Jersey Devils Saturday. The Wizards visit the Brooklyn Nets Sunday. The Commanders will play Miami in Madrid Sunday morning.
Hearty thanks to Kate Corliss for covering for me yesterday. 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:
**DakhaBrakha,**“Sho Z-Pod Duba.” These large-hat-wearing Ukrainians bring their fantastic “ethno chaos” musicto the Birchmere Saturday.
Take Washingtonian Today with you! I’ve made a playlist on Spotify and on Apple Music of my daily music recommendations this year.
Here’s some administration news you might have blocked out:
Epstein, Epstein, Epstein: A satirical statue that depicts President Trump cavorting with the deceased, disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein reappeared abruptly outside the Busboys & Poets on 14th Street, Northwest, yesterday. That’s pretty close to where Sean Dunn, aka “Sandwich Guy,” had his fateful encounter with federal officers. (WUSA9) It’s an unwelcome reminder to the President about the sudden surge of interest in his onetime friendship with the sex offender, which has rocked his MAGA base. (Washington Post) The timing of this scandal is suboptimal for Trump, who faces declining poll numbers and mounting concerns about affordability in the wake of his tariffs and whose party just got walloped in off-year elections. (The Atlantic) The House will vote on a discharge petition that will direct the US government to release its files on Epstein next week. (PolitiFact) It’s “about building trust in government,” US Representative Ro Khanna of California, who co-sponsored the legislation, told us. (Washingtonian) Republican attempts to tamp down the controversy have backfired spectacularly. (NYT)
Within the blast circle: Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, who until recently was known as Prince Andrew, and Peter Mandelson, who until recently was Britain’s ambassador to the US, appear in the trove of Epstein emails released this week. “I can’t take any more of this,” the former royal wrote to Epstein’s co-conspirator Ghislaine Maxwell. (Washington Post) Former Harvard President Larry Summers corresponded with Epstein for years. (Harvard Crimson) A meditation on Michael Wolff, the ethical-line-obliterating chronicler of powerful people who appeared to give Epstein PR advice. (The Guardian) Wolff said “play-acting” was necessary for him to cozy up to Epstein. (The Daily Beast) Megyn Kelly is in a bit of hot water after implying that Epstein might not be a pedophile because his victims were in their teens and “there’s a difference between a 15-year-old and a 5-year-old.” (Mother Jones) The emails “shatter the myth of genius and merit that the ruling class tries carefully and spends exorbitantly to cultivate.” (The Atlantic)
Weaponization nation: Bill Pulte—easily the most famous director of the Federal Housing Finance Agency of my lifetime—referred US Representative Eric Swalwell of California to the Justice Department for possible prosecution, claiming the Trump critic engaged in mortgage fraud. (NBC News) A US District judge appeared skeptical about the legality of Lindsey Halligan‘s appointment as the interim US attorney for Eastern Virginia, where she is prosecuting flimsy cases against Trump’s perceived enemies James Comey and Letitia James. (Politico) The BBC apologized for an edit in a documentary program that implied Trump encouraged the deadly January 6, 2021, riot at the US Capitol after he threatened to sue, but said it disagreed that the President could make a defamation claim stick. (Washington Post) The Justice Department sued California to block the state’s redistricting efforts to bolster national Democratic prospects. You might not want to hold your breath waiting for similar actions in states that pushing similar efforts that benefit Republicans. (AP)
Unwinding the shutdown: You can’t reopen the federal government overnight. Here’s how it will get back to work. (AP) Here’s a list of when Smithsonian facilities will reopen. (Washingtonian) Most federal workers will get back pay next week. (Government Executive) Federal workers are reeling from the shutdown and question whether it was worth the trauma. (AP) Some TSA officers will get bonuses. (NYT)
Administration perambulation: Military officials briefed Trump about his options in Venezuela. (CBS News) The White House’s legal justification for deadly boat strikes it claims without offering evidence are directed at drug traffickers rely on Trump’s own assertions. (NYT) The US designated four European anti-fascist movements as foreign terrorist organizations. (The Guardian) Secretary of State Marco Rubio instructed US visa officers to consider medical conditions such as obesity when processing visa applications. (Washington Post) The administration is preparing to ease some tariffs on beef and citrus as concerns about affordability spiral. (NYT) Door Dash says a report the White House cited as proof that “inflation has been tamed” says nothing of the sort. (The Handbasket) Somehow there’s even more to read about Bill Pulte. (AP) Paul Ingrassia, whose previous appointment was scuppered by revelations of messages in which he dropped bon mots like “I do have a Nazi streak,” got offered a new job in the Trump administration. (Politico) Trump pardoned former Tottenham Hotspur owner Joe Lewis, who was convicted of insider trading. (The Athletic) Charlotte is the next site of an immigration crackdown. (Politico) Federal prosecutors have not charged anyone in splashy raids that the administration conducted on a Chicago apartment building. (ProPublica) Some US senators are backing away from a proposal that would allow them to seek payments from the US over investigations that included their phone records. (Politico) The White House Historical Association will bid on Norman Rockwell paintings that once hung in the executive mansion and are going up for auction. (AP) Some MAGA influencers have soured on Alexis Wilkins, FBI Director Kash Patel‘s country-singer girlfriend who has a “penchant for suing conservative commentators over their claims that she’s an Israeli intelligence ‘honeypot’ who’s only dating Patel to control him on behalf of the Mossad.” (The Bulwark) How did a 17-year-old girl get mixed up with former US Representative Matt Gaetz of Florida, Trump’s early pick for attorney general? (NYT)
One snazzy open house this weekend:
Photograph by Constance Gauthier.
This five-bedroom/four-and-a-half bathroom house in Kent was built in 1941 and reimagined by Griffith Blythe Interiors. The kitchen has marble countertops, the living space has a wood-burning fireplace, and there’s a heated in-ground pool, a large patio area, and a two-car garage. It’s listed at $3,795,000, and you can see it this weekend, along with our other choices for must-see open houses.
Recently on Washingtonian dot com:
• Tom Goldstein seemed to have it all. So how did the Supreme Court litigator and former SCOTUSblog proprietor end up in such legal peril?
• Recent luxury home sales—and the boldfaced names that bought and sold them.
• Here’s what DC’s best restaurants are doing for Thanksgiving.
• Here are some quirky ways to fight bad vibes this weekend.
• It’s holiday market time!
Local news links:
• A look at how DC Mayor Muriel Bowser “has worked to appease Trump in both small and significant ways” since he returned to power. (Washington Post)
• The Commanders hired a Dallas firm (!!!) to design their new stadium. (WBJ)
• FIFA will get to use the Kennedy Center for free. (Washington Post)
• A federal agent fired a weapon during a police pursuit in DC yesterday. (WTOP)
• Virginia governor-elect Abigail Spanberger asked U.Va. to hold off on its search for a new president. (WTOP)
• A US district judge in Alexandria ordered the release of three people ICE arrested in Virginia. (ALXnow)
• The National Cathedral will host Dick Cheney‘s funeral. (DC News Now)
• Dan Snyder‘s mansion will go to auction. (WUSA9)
• Lime and Veo have slowed down their e-bikes “at the request of D.C. officials to address issues with speeding and crime, particularly among teenagers.” (The 51st)
• There was a rabid fox in Alexandria, but it’s now dead—and sort of related, you would not believe the size of a fox I saw strolling around Del Ray a few days ago, in broad daylight. It looked like a medium-sized dog. (WUSA9)
Weekend event picks:
Friday: The Washington National Opera’s take on Mozart’s “Marriage of Figaro” opens at the Kennedy Center.
Saturday: Midori and Ieva Jokubaviciute light up Sixth & I.
Sunday: Take in the Winter Walk of Lights at Meadowlark Botanical Gardens.
See lots more picks for the weekend from Briana Thomas, who writes our Things to Do newsletter.
Senior editor
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.