Photo illustration by Emma Spainhoward with photograph by Getty Images.
Good morning. Cold, sunny, and breezy today with a high around 39. A chance of rain or snow showers overnight, with a low near 31. The Wizards visit Atlanta 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:
Hanumankind, “Run It Up.” The Indian rapper plays the Howard Theatre 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.
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:
SOTU speak: President Trump will deliver a State of the Union address at 9 PM tonight. It’s going to a long one, Trump said yesterday. (NYT) He’s “facing abysmal approval ratings” ahead of tonight’s spiel. (Politico) The theme will be “America at 250: Strong, Prosperous and Respected,” and Trump will face the “challenge of praising the economy he has overseen over the last year without dismissing voters’ concerns.” (WSJ) The US men’s hockey team is invited. The US women’s team, whom Trump joked about with the men, said it couldn’t make it. (NBC News) Democratic leaders have said it’s fine to protest Trump, but they’d like members “to do so discreetly.” (The Hill) At least six Dem lawmakers in the House plan to bring along survivors of Jeffrey Epstein‘s crimes. (NBC News) Virginia Governor Abigail Spanberger will deliver the Democrats’ response afterward. (AP) US Senator Alex Padilla of California will deliver a response in Spanish. (NYT)
Iran amok: Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman General Dan Caine told the White House that the success of any US operation against Iran would be challenged by a lack of munitions and support from allies. (Washington Post) Caine has also told Trump and his top advisers that any such attack would be far more difficult than the US’s recent operation in Venezuela. Trump nevertheless maintains that Caine has said victory would be “easily won.” (NYT) Iran could try to retaliate with “missile strikes; proxy attacks…or terrorist attacks around the world.” (NBC News) Related: The White House is scrambling to reassure Arab countries after US ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee said “it would be fine if” Israel “took it all,” referring to an expansive definition of the Middle East. (Politico) Also related: The US killed three more people in another boat strike in the Caribbean. (NBC News)
Impost traumatic stress syndrome: Some Republicans have floated the idea of enshrining Trump’s foiled tariff regime in law. Here’s a big bucket of cold water for that idea. (Punchbowl News) Any new import-tax regime will include a”more cumbersome set of tariffs, ones that Mr. Trump will not be able to issue quickly or on a whim”—for instance, if he feels Canada’s PM has been mean to him. (NYT) Democrats plan to focus on how tariffs affect consumers, not whether they’re legal. (Politico) Don’t make plans for your tariff refund check just yet. (CNBC)
Shutshow: Former ICE lawyer Ryan Schwank told lawmakers yesterday that the agency has been graduating trainees who “cannot demonstrate a solid grasp of the tactics or the law required to perform their jobs.” (NYT) DHS Secretary Kristi Noem and her close adviser Corey Lewandowski conceived an ill-fated plan to punish travelers during a lapse in appropriations for their agency by pausing the TSA PreCheck program. Then the White House intervened. (Washington Post) Chicagoans overwhelmingly voted to name a snowplow “Abolish ICE.” (Chicago Tribune)
Administration perambulation: US District Judge Aileen Cannon forbade DOJ from ever releasing former special counsel Jack Smith‘s final report on the classified documents Trump took to Mar-a-Lago after he lost the 2020 election to Joe Biden. (Politico) The CDC lost another top official when Ralph Abraham abruptly stepped down. (Reuters) Unpredictable Health Secretary **RFK Jr.**‘s “decision to endorse increased production of a chemical herbicide he has previously called a carcinogen” has freaked out his supporters. (Politico) Police in the UK arrested, questioned, and released former ambassador to the US Peter Mandelson amid fallout from the US government’s release of files on Epstein. (AP) “Longevity influencer” may still be an avocation in 2026, but Peter Attia won’t pursue it at CBS News after the release of his correspondence with Epstein. (THR) The US Coast Guard is investigating the discovery of a hand-drawn swastika at its training center in New Jersey. (Washington Post) US ambassador to France Charles Kushner won’t have full access to the country’s government after he failed to show when summoned. (France 24) US Attorney for DC Jeanine Pirro has given up on prosecuting lawmakers who told troops they could disobey illegal orders. (NBC News) Some Republicans in Congress called on their colleague Tony Gonzales of Texas to resign amid mounting reports about an affair he is said to have conducted with an aide who later died by suicide. (Axios) “Federal supervisors are poised to soon face limitations on how many employees they can rate as above average in their annual performance reviews.” (Government Executive) Despite a weird post by Trump over the weekend, no one has ordered the Pentagon to send a hospital ship to Greenland. (WSJ)
Escape this never-ending winter without leaving town, by Daniella Byck:
Photograph courtesy of the United States Botanic Garden.
The snow was cute for a brief moment, but I think I’ve hit my limit on cold slush. In fact, I wouldn’t mind some summer weather—I promise I’ll even curtail complaints about the humidity and mosquitoes. If you also feel like you need to escape this winter “wonderland,” here are some ideas for channeling warmer vibes. Head to the Conservatory at the US Botanic Garden for a balmy room full of tropical blooms and desert plants. Craving heat? Book a sauna session at places such as the Still Point in Takoma Park, Pure Sweat + Float Studio in Georgetown, and Sweathouz, which has multiple locations in Virginia and Maryland. Sip your way to summery thoughts at an island-inspired bar such as Tiki TNT at the Wharf and Tiki on 18th in Adams Morgan. And while ice cream may feel counterintuitive, there is something delightfully transgressive about housing a cone when the weather outside is just as icy. If you stay inside one of these scoop shops, you can pretend the snow has long melted and the sun is shining, even if just for a moment.
Recently on Washingtonian dot com:
• A roundup of how our local Olympians fared in Milan and Cortina.
• The feds have agreed to help clean the Potomac.
• Jon Bernthal is moving home.
• A new coloring book asks a question that sounds like a trick: What color is the White House?
• This décor at this Anderson House wedding featured nods to North Carolina and China.
Local news links:
• David Sundberg, a former top FBI official, will run for Steny Hoyer‘s congressional seat in Maryland. (NBC News)
• Maryland sued the administration over plans to build an ICE facility in the state. (Washington Post)
• A woman was found dead at a bus stop in Fairfax last night. (NBC4 Washington)
• Cops in DC say three women faked a kidnapping to get money out of a friend. (WUSA9)
• Arlington has begun to shoot deer. (ARLnow)
• The county’s Department of Environmental Services reminded a “Florida Man” in a Cybertruck to clean the snow off his vehicle. (via Bluesky)
Tuesday’s event picks:
• Tayari Jones discusses her new novel, “Kin,” at Busboys and Poets.
• Nuovo Testamento plays DC9.
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.