Photo illustration by Emma Spainhoward with photograph by Getty Images.
Good morning. Cloudy with a high around 47 today and rain after 3 PM. The rain will pause this evening, then pick back up around 2 AM. An overnight low near 40. The Wizards host Indiana 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:
Alemeda, “Don’t Call Me.” Some fuzzed-out post-genre pop bliss for your Thursday morning! Alemedaplays the Atlantis tonight.
Take Washingtonian Today with you! I made a playlist on Spotify and on Apple Music of last year’s music recommendations. I’ll make one soon for 2026.
Tell *us* where to go: Typically, we’re the ones giving readers travel recommendations. But this year, we’re asking you to share your opinions, too. Nominate your favorite place to stay in our travel survey, and you could win a $100 gift card—and your picks may end up in our May issue.
Here’s some administration news you might have blocked out:
War? Now? Seriously? The US could strike Iran as soon as this weekend, though President Trump “has given no indication that he has made a decision about how to proceed.” (NYT) “A U.S. military operation in Iran would likely be a massive, weeks-long campaign that would look more like full-fledged war than last month’s pinpoint operation in Venezuela.” (Axios) And yet: Trump’s “Board of Peace” will meet today in DC. Major European allies won’t be there. (Guardian) Neither will the pope. (Politico) Road closures will ensue. (WUSA9)
Shutshow, the Sequel: The administration stopped most travel to disaster areas by FEMA employees while Congress and the administration negotiate reopening the Department of Homeland Security. That’s…not what typically happens. (Washington Post) Meanwhile: The administration’s crackdown in Minneapolis may have waned amid intense public pressure, but ICE and CBP activities continue apace in suburbs. (MPR News) Top DHS officials wrote a memo yesterday that seeks to justify deporting refugees who’ve lived in the US for a year without obtaining lawful permanent resident status. (Law Dork) The move “upends decades of protections and puts tens of thousands of people who entered during the Biden administration at risk.” (Washington Post)
Even more meanwhile: A federal judge in California said DHS and the Department of Justice must comply with court rulings and allow people swept up in the White House’s immigration crackdowns to seek their release through hearings. (Reuters) The White House relies on a law that forbids “forcibly” impeding federal officers as it increasingly attempts to “criminalize the actions of people tracking and observing its immigration officers.” (NPR) An AP reporter was among four journalists and a lawyer detained in Cameroon, where they were reporting on the administration’s deportations of non-citizens to that country. (NYT) The administration directed DHS to investigate whether naturalized citizens may have voted before they earned citizenship, though officials have struggled to indicate instances of that occurring. (MS NOW) Even some Trump voters are pushing back against ICE’s attempts to turn warehouses into prisons. (NYT)
Epstein, Epstein, Epstein: Police in the UK arrested Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, the former Prince Andrew. They’re apparently investigating reports that he shared trade reports with the disgraced, deceased financier Jeffrey Epstein. (AP) After Epstein got wind in 2016 that his associate Jean-Luc Brunel was due to testify against him, Brunel suddenly shut up. Both men later died, separately, in jail. (WSJ) DOJ’s records of its investigations into Epstein appear to lack files about four interviews the FBI conducted with a woman who accused Trump, a former Epstein pal, of “sexually and violently assaulting her” while she was a teen. (Roger Sollenberger) Former Victoria’s Secret CEO Les Wexner told Congress he was “duped” by Epstein and didn’t know about his crimes, despite their apparently close relationships. Some lawmakers appeared skeptical about Wexner’s claims of naïvety. (CNBC) Fox News viewers aren’t hearing much about Epstein these days. (Media Matters for America)
Administration perambulation: The US is building an online portal to allow people outside the US to flout local laws about what content they can see online. Edward “Big Balls” Coristine is reportedly involved in the effort. (Reuters) In a head-spinning U-turn, the FDA announced it would review Moderna’s application for a new flu vaccine after all. (Washington Post) Trump gave a speech about Black History Month. (AP) He took the opportunity to promote his planned ballroom. (Daily Beast) White House adviser Kevin Hassett said staff at the New York Federal Reserve “should presumably be disciplined” for a paper that reported consumers are paying 90 percent of the costs of Trump’s tariffs. (Politico) NIH director Jay Bhattacharya will be the acting director of the CDC, which is reeling from privations Trump has visited upon it. (NYT) Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth invited Doug Wilson, a Christian Nationalist, to speak at the Pentagon. (Washington Post) A bunch of Democrats plan to skip Trump’s planned State of the Union speech next week. (Politico) Lara Trump said her father-in-law has a speech prepared about the existence of aliens, and he’s waiting for the “right time” to give it. (The Hill) A message to the White House from Washingtonian Today: Now! The right time is now!
Hidden Eats, by Ike Allen:
Photo by Ike Allen.
Since it opened in 2023, Manifest Bread has earned plenty of attention for its breads and pastries. But unless you’ve stopped by the Riverdale bakery lately, you may not know it now has a pizza-focused dinner menu too. I was recently impressed by a blistered white pie topped with fontina, chives, mushrooms, bacon, and a crumble of crunchy potato crisps, a wintry bitter greens caesar, and a simple vermouth-and-soda cocktail. The improvised cafe-like setting only gives more personality to Rick and Tyes Cook’s Italian cooking.
Recently on Washingtonian dot com:
• Hemphill Artworks has closed its gallery in Mount Vernon Square. It’s a big loss for the region’s visual arts scene—and part of a wave of closures among established dealers.
• I spoke with colleagues about Hope Cartwright‘s life and promising career. The 23-year-old journalist was killed on Monday in Richmond.
• A “dive bar”-themed pop-up will open in Del Ray next month with cheapish drinks, darts, and a jukebox—but the bathrooms, the owner reckons, will be quite clean.
• Our March issue is on stands now. Take a peek.
Local news links:
• DC Mayor Muriel Bowser declared the massive Potomac sewage spill a public emergency last night. That will allow the District to seek federal funds to pay for the ongoing cleanup. (WTOP)
• You really should read Maura Judkis‘s account of how Petworth Peanuts, a WhatsApp group for parents, fell apart over politics. (Washington Post)
• Carter Camacho, the 18-year-old Capitol Police say ran toward the Capitol bearing a loaded shotgun, appeared in court for the first time yesterday. (WTOP)
• A Clarksburg man has been charged with recording women in a Banana Republic changing room. (WUSA9)
• A Silver Spring man got 50 years for coercing young girls to send him sexually explicit images. (Bethesda Today)
• A Frederick man is accused of recording a young girl who was showering. (DC News Now)
• Ekko Astral’s Jael Holzman got a court order against the DC punk band’s now-former drummer, Miri Tyler. (WCP)
• People in Arlington want their damn mail. (NBC4 Washington)
• The Rev. Graylan Scott Hagler died Tuesday. The pastor and longtime activist was 71. (Washington Informer)
• José Andrés is the newest member of the Marvel universe. (Axios D.C.)
Thursday’s event picks:
• SZN4 from Netflix’s “Building the Band” performs at the Howard Theatre.
• The Washington Association of Black Journalists hosts a conversation about preserving Civil Rights landmarks and Black historic sites in DC at the Thurgood Marshall Center.
• Celebrate Lunar New Year in Rosslyn with the Hung Ci Lion Dance Troupe.
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.