Photo illustration by Emma Spainhoward with photograph by Getty Images.
Good morning. Cold and windy with a high around 43 today as March continues its program of surprises. Clear with a low near 27 overnight. Here’s the Capital Weather Gang’s post-mortem on yesterday’s storms that weren’t. Happy St. Patrick’s Day. Here’s our guide to great Irish bars in the area. The Wizards host Detroit tonight. You can find me on Bluesky, I’m @abeaujon.87 on Signal, and there’s a link to my email address below. Sorry if I’m late getting back to you; we lost power and internet at my place for most of yesterday.
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I can’t stop listening to:
Moondoggy, “The Capital City.” Here’s some nice indie-pop from Toronto, which is the capital of Ontario. Moondoggyplay Pearl Street Warehouse tonight withMagenta Wave.
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.
Here’s some administration news you might have blocked out:
War news: Israel said it killed Iran’s security chief and the commander of the Revolutionary Guard’s Basij force in strikes overnight. (AP) Iran has “unleashed a new crackdown against domestic dissent” as it works to “hold back the risk of an uprising.” (WSJ) Iran’s regime will likely outlast the war with “more hard-line” forces in place, US intelligence sources say. (Washington Post) More than 600 sailors aboard the USS Gerald R. Ford are bunking rough after a massive fire in the boat’s laundry area last week. (NYT) A tanker anchored near the Strait of Hormuz was struck. (NYT) Despite President Trump‘s entreaties, several European allies wish he “would stop asking” for their help reopening the strait. (Politico) Trump’s assertion that NATO’s defensive pact applies to a war he started is falling flat, too. (NYT) Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent claimed the US is allowing Iran to operate tankers through the strait and predicted lower oil prices after the war ends. (CNBC) When will that be? War planners have provided Trump with possible off-ramps, but he hasn’t taken any yet. (NBC News) At a press conference, Trump claimed a former President told him he wished he’d been the one to go to war with Iran. That person doesn’t seem to be among any of the former US Presidents who are alive. (NYT) Some of Trump’s advisers worry that he “no longer controls how, or when, the war ends.” (Politico) Trump mused about “taking” Cuba yesterday. (Washington Post)
The jabs president: A federal judge in Massachusetts blocked the administration’s changes to the childhood vaccine schedule. (Washington Post) The judge said Health Secretary RFK Jr. and his handpicked vaccine advisers had made “arbitrary and capricious” decisions. Expect the administration to appeal. (NYT) The percentage of Americans who trust the government’s vaccine policies has plunged since last year, according to a new poll. (Axios)
Surprise, surprise: The board Trump stocked with loyalists voted to approve his idea to close the Kennedy Center for two years for renovations. (NOTUS) The board also named Matt Floca the center’s new president as Ric Grenell is out on his duff. (AP) Grenell had hoped Trump would name him secretary of state. It’s not clear where his career will take him next. (NYT)
Administration perambulation: White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles said she has breast cancer and will continue in her role while she undergoes treatment. (NYT) Brian Cole Jr., who’s accused of planting bombs near the US Capitol on January 6, 2021, argued Trump’s pardon of anyone charged or convicted of crimes “that occurred at or near the United States Capitol on January 6, 2021” covers him. (Politico) The administration is considering withholding HIV aid from Zambia unless it gives the US “more access to its critical minerals.” (NYT) Leqaa Kordia, a Palestinian whom the US has detained for a year over a protest at Columbia she attended in 2024, was released yesterday. (AP) The Department of Justice will no longer require new hires to have at least one year of experience as it struggles to refill its ranks. (Bloomberg Law) The administration continues to try to stop offshore wind power, a longtime Trump obsession, despite repeated losses in court. (NYT) Hundreds of thousands of truck drivers’ licenses will begin to expire today as a new Trump rule designed to thwart immigration takes effect. The effects this will have on the economy—trucks are how most goods move around the country—are unclear. (Washington Post) Trump claimed he’d saved the life of US Representative Neal Dunn of Florida “in an unusual and at times uncomfortable exchange that publicly laid out the congressman’s formerly private prognosis in new detail.” (NYT) Trump’s personal cell phone number is the “worst-kept secret in Washington.” (Semafor)
Keep that Oscars spirit alive a bit longer, by Daniella Byck:
“Forever Home” by Allison Argo shows Saturday as part of the DC Environmental Film Festival.
It’s been two days since the Oscars, and I’m still emotionally stuck at the Dolby Theatre. I haunt my movie theater one to three times a week and track festival awards with nerdish fervor, so I imagine the way I feel right now is similar to a football fan after the Super Bowl. Of course, the only solution is to see more movies. Whether you consider yourself a card-carrying cinephile or a casual viewer, film festivals are a fun way to catch a new movie, especially films that don’t get the popcorn and box office treatment. You also have a chance to learn behind-the-scenes factoids and dig into the films during panel sessions. The DC Environmental Film Festival runs from March 19 to 28, showing more than 70 films in theaters across DC. Screenings include tales about whales, the story of the Apollo 1 astronauts, and shorts about pioneers in conservation. AFI Silver Theatre in Silver Spring often hosts series, including the New African Film Festival, which is happening now through March 26, and “Bleak Week: Cinema of Despair,” a festival from June 12 to 18 focused on doom and gloom. If you can’t make it to Cannes this year, the exclusive international film event, Filmfest DC will celebrate its 40th anniversary from April 16 to 26 with a lineup of globetrotting movies.
Recently on Washingtonian dot com:
• VCU, Howard, Maryland: Ten schools from our region will take a crack at this year’s men’s and women’s NCAA basketball tournaments.
• John Thompson III on the memorable end to one basketball season.
• Last month’s luxury home transactions—and the bold-faced names that made them.
• See what the rise in gas prices looked like at area stations last week.
Local news links:
• A measure that could lead to a casino in Fairfax County is on Governor Abigail Spanberger‘s desk. She hasn’t said whether she’ll sign it. (Fox 5) State Senator Scott Surovell has championed a casino despite opposition from many local officials. (Axios D.C.)
• Here’s a list of data-center-related measures that passed during this year’s Virginia General Assembly session—and their prospects. (Virginia Mercury)
• US Senator Mark Warner of Virginia formally filed for reelection. (Virginia Mercury)
• Robert Allbritton plans to double staff at his NOTUS publication in the wake of layoffs at the Washington Post. He’s already hired Dana Milbank. (Max Tani/Bluesky)
• The NTSB said a natural gas leak caused a huge explosion in Centreville last month. (NBC4 Washington)
• A tree fell on a house in Potomac. No one was injured. (DC News Now)
• The District lost more than 22,000 jobs during a purge of federal employees carried out by Elon Musk‘s DOGE project last year, a new OPM report says. (WTOP)
• The Washington Nationals will have a new team dog. (WUSA9)
Tuesday’s event picks:
• The Royal Shakespeare Company’s adaptation of Maggie O’Farrell’s “Hamnet” opens at Shakespeare Theatre Company.
• The Baltic Celtics play Irish tunes at Wunder Garten.
See more picks for this week 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.