Photo illustration by Emma Spainhoward with photograph by Getty Images.
Good morning. Cold again, with snow flurries possible and a high around 39. A low near 28 overnight.
Sports this weekend: The Wizards host Cleveland Friday and visit Indiana Sunday. The Capital City Go-Go host the Maine Celtics Friday and the Delaware Blue Coats Sunday. The Capitals visit Winnipeg on Saturday. The Commanders visit the Giants 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:
The Dream Syndicate, “The Medicine Show.” The influential Paisley Underground band reunites to play its 1984 album “Medicine Show” in its entiretyat Union Stage on 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:
Trump had a bad day: Republicans in the Indiana Senate defied President Trump and declined to gerrymander the state’s two Democratic- held seats out of existence yesterday. Trump claimed he “wasn’t working on it very hard” despite a public high-pressure campaign. (Politico) A grand jury in Alexandria rejected yet another bid to indict New York Attorney General Letitia James, the latest setback for the flimsy prosecution Trump dialed up of one of his perceived political enemies. (NYT) Kilmar Abrego García was freed from federal custody; the administration has been fighting to deport the Maryland resident since it deported him by mistake earlier this year. (AP) Meanwhile: Departing US Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia is reportedly maneuvering to launch a long-shot attempt to oust Mike Johnson as House speaker before she steps down. (MS Now)
Back to reality, or the 2025 version thereof: Trump signed an executive order that could thwart state efforts to regulate AI. (NYT) The US could seize more oil tankers as it applies pressure to Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro. (Reuters) Trump pretended he pardoned Tina Peters, who was convicted of state crimes in Colorado and is thus not eligible for a federal pardon. (Washington Post) The US Navy delivered a report—contents still unknown—on any punishment the Pentagon may visit on US Senator Mark Kelly of Arizona, a veteran who infuriated Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth by participating in a video that reminded US troops they may refuse illegal orders. (CNN)
Cliff notes: The Senate rejected Republican and Democratic plans to address the looming expiration of Covid-era Obamacare subsidies for millions of Americans, without which insurance prices will soar. (NPR) Four Republicans voted for the Democratic plan. (The Hill) Action now shifts to the House, where the GOP’s “Five Families” will meet today to discuss whether Republican moderates will be able to force a vote on continuing the subsidies. (Punchbowl News)
Administration perambulation: Trump is said to be leaning toward a move to reschedule marijuana, which could be a big step toward federal legalization begun by former President Biden. (Washington Post) Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem left a House hearing early after facing tough questions from Democrats. (Politico) FBI official Michael Glasheen appeared to be flummoxed by members’ specific questions about antifa, which Trump has declared a “major terror organization.” (The Intercept) A federal judge in Massachusetts ordered the administration to resume federal disaster-preparedness funding it cut earlier this year. (AP) The administration ordered gift shops in national parks to get rid of items that run counter to Trump’s agenda. (AP) It also issued an order about “woke” AI. (Axios) The feds indicted Tashella Sheri Amore Dickerson, the leader of a Black Lives Matter matter group in Oklahoma, charging her with embezzling funds. (Washington Post) After Mother Jones journalist Dan Friedman began to probe some unusual books that seem to have been read by Hegseth mentor and adviser Eric Geressy, Pizzagate promoter Jack Posobiec launched what he and the Pentagon claimed was an unrelated investigation of the reporter. (Mother Jones) Liam Neeson narrated an anti-vax documentary that glorifies Health Secretary RFK Jr. (Important Context) The measles outbreak in South Carolina is spreading. (NYT)
One snazzy open house this weekend:
Photo courtesy of Sean Shanahan.
This six bedroom/seven-and-a-half bathroom 1935 Tudor Revival on Foxhall Road was renovated and expanded by 3G Architects to include oak floors, a guest suite/home office, a two-sided fireplace in the primary suite, a three-car garage, and a heated pool with a waterfall. It’s listed at $5,595,000, and you can see it Sunday. See our other picks for this weekend’s must-see open houses here.
Recently on Washingtonian dot com:
• It’s that time of year again when our staffers make all the New York Times holiday cookies and then complain about them.
• A Glover Park house from which the FBI once spied on the Russians has been gutted and turned into a luxury home.
• This hasn’t been an easy year for many people in our region, but here’s a reminder that a few good things happened in 2025, too.
• Here’s where you can see some very big Christmas trees around town.
Local news links:
• A passenger got hurt after they made “an unauthorized entry into the baggage delivery system” at Dulles and got trapped. (NBC4 Washington)
• David Trone will seek his old seat in Congress, which is currently held by April McClain Delaney. Trone once backed Delaney, and his entry sets up a battle between “two formerly allied families from one of Maryland’s wealthiest Zip codes in a fight over the state’s most competitive congressional districts.” (Washington Post)
• Text messages and recorded calls may have helped a judge rule that Catherine Hoggle is competent to stand trial. (NBC4 Washington)
• An inspector general found that DC Department of Employment Services Director Unique Morris-Hughes approved nearly $70,000 in “questionable expenses” for events, including “go-go bands, DJs, emcees, motivational speakers, and acrobats.” (WCP)
• DC voters could see a large number of ballot initiatives next November. (The 51st)
• The National Museum of Natural History will display a rare dinosaur skull for a week starting December 22. (Washington Post)
• Police in Prince William County say a man in Woodbridge is impersonating an ICE officer. (WUSA9)
• The driver of a car fled a traffic stop in Southeast DC and struck a pedestrian. (DC News Now)
• The National Women’s Soccer League is mulling a plan that would allow clubs to pay certain players far more than the salary cap that’s currently in place allows. Such a change could help the Washington Spirit try to keep star Trinity Rodman. (The Athletic)
• I’d consult with an attorney first, but my instinct is to shoot one of these things if it comes to my door. (Northern Virginia Magazine)
Weekend event picks:
Friday: An exhibition of Ruth Orkin‘s photographs opens at the National Museum of Women in the Arts.
Saturday: Hundreds of smoochers will try to break the Guiness World Record for couples kissing under mistletoe.
Sunday: The Washington Chorus’s A Candlelight Christmas returns to celebrate hope at the Kennedy Center.
See lots more picks for this weekend from Briana Thomas, who writes our Things to Do newsletter.
Join the conversation!
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.