Photo illustration by Emma Spainhoward with photograph by Getty Images.
Good morning. Rain likely this morning, then temperatures will rise to a high around 51. A low near 40 overnight. The Capitals host the Rangers tonight. The Wizards will visit Charlotte. 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:
Kinda Evil, “Ms. Witchy.” Honestly, I was 98 percent there when I read the words “stoner metal riot girrrl punk,” but this video, which involves the members of this DC band in robes, sealed the deal. Kinda Evilplays Pie Shop tonight with Shagwüf, Meerwolff, and Thaylobleu.
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:
Ship happens: President Trump announced the US Navy will build a new class of warship named after…himself. The destroyers, which Trump called “battleships,” will cost at least $5 billion apiece, will be part of the Navy’s new “Golden Fleet,” a name that follows the “Golden Dome” missile defense system Trump has ordered. (WSJ) The President said he’d “personally be involved in their design, as he’s a ‘very aesthetic person.'” (Breaking Defense) The ships will carry two weapons systems that the Navy “has spent billions trying and failing to develop prototypes that it can field.” (NYT) Meanwhile, in naming rights: US Representative Joyce Beatty of Ohio, an ex officio member of the Kennedy Center board who says she was muted during a meeting last week when Trump’s handpicked board renamed the arts complex for the President—who appointed himself as the board’s president and hosted the recent the Kennedy Center Honors—sued the administration, saying the name change was illegal. (NYT)
Another place you could read the President’s name: Was in the latest batch of the files related to the deceased, disgraced financier Jeffery Epstein, which the Department of Justice released, then zapped from its website on Tuesday. (Washington Post) The files were removed without explanation. (Politico) Trump said it was “a terrible thing” that a batch of documents released Friday included photos of former President Clinton. (New York Post) US Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer will introduce a resolution next month that would allow Congress to sue the administration for not complying with a December 19 deadline to produce all its files on Epstein. (Politico)
Weiss-ed out: CBS News Editor-in-Chief Bari Weiss skipped four screenings of the “60 Minutes” segment about the Trump administration’s practice of shipping Venezuelan people to a notorious prison in El Salvador that she ordered killed at the last moment this past weekend. (NYT) The segment appeared online in Canada, apparently by mistake, and was all over the internet yesterday afternoon. You can see it here. (The Breakdown) Axios says “two people familiar with Weiss’ thinking”—who could they possibly be?—believe the news magazine’s editorial process “did not provide sufficient checks and balances to ensure that the reporting met Weiss’ standards.” (Axios)
Gust never sleeps: The administration halted five wind-power programs, claiming they are a national security risk. (NOTUS) The move comes amid rising energy prices and voters’ growing concern about affordability. (Politico) Flashback: You can trace Trump’s hatred of wind power back to a project he felt would ruin the view from one of his golf courses in Scotland. (BBC News)
Administration perambulation: Judge James Boasberg “said the U.S. government denied due process to the Venezuelan men it deported to a prison in El Salvador in March after President Trump invoked the Alien Enemies Act.” (NPR) Errors plague the government’s continuing case against Kilmar Abrego García. (Politico) A group of state attorneys general sued the administration over its plans to shut down the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. (Politico) More staffers left the Heritage Foundation amid turmoil at the think tank. (National Review) More than a dozen of them will join Mike Pence‘s group Advancing American Freedom. (WSJ) George Conway filed papers to run for Congress as a Democrat in New York. (Washington Post)
Get outside on Christmas Day, by Daniella Byck:
Photograph Courtesy of Liberty Mountain Resort.
Whether you’re itching to get out of the house on Christmas Day or it’s just a regular Thursday for you, there are still places to go and things to do during the yuletide holiday. In my experience, lift lines and trails at ski resorts are less crowded on December 25. Whitetail and Liberty Mountain resorts are less than two hours away from DC, making them an easy option for the day, whether you’re skiing, snowboarding, or tubing. For more cold weather activities, a few skating rinks are open, including Westpost in Arlington, Washington Harbour in Georgetown, Reston Town Center Pavilion, and the rinks at the Wharf and Rockville Town Square. If you prefer to walk rather than glide, stop by the waterfront trails at Dyke Marsh Wildlife Preserve in Alexandria and Theodore Roosevelt Island in DC. Of course, there’s also the classic pairing of a movie and Chinese food. Shaw bar Ivy and Coney offers a destination for both, putting out a takeout spread and showing Christmas films such as “Die Hard.”
Recently on Washingtonian dot com:
• This December wedding was inspired by European Christmas markets.
Local news links:
• The Justice Department sued the District, saying its ban on registering certain weapons effectively makes them illegal. (Washington Post)
• An anonymous donor paid off school lunch debt for many children in Montgomery County schools. (Washington Post)
• Jeff Carroll, who will serve as DC’s acting police chief once Pamela Smith steps down, said he’d like the job permanently. (NBC4 Washington)
• DC will be part of a $150 million settlement between Mercedes-Benz and states that sued the automaker over allegations that it cheated on emissions tests. (CBS News/MoneyWatch)
• Kinship and Métier will close. (WBJ)
• Arlington hairstylists Yene Damtew and Njeri Radway are featured in Michelle Obama’s new book. (Northern Virginia Magazine)
• An incredibly Arlington story. (ARLnow)
• Cardi B was at Montgomery Mall. (Washingtonian Problems/Instagram)
Tuesday’s event picks:
• District Strings, featuring Madalyn Navis, Kimia Hesabi, and Emily Doveala, plays the Stage at Union Station at noon.
• It’s the last day of the Downtown DC Holiday Market.
• The annual “Messiah” sing-along at the Kennedy Center should be interesting.
See more picks 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.