Photo illustration by Emma Spainhoward with photograph by Getty Images.
Good morning. Cloudy with a chance of showers after 5 PM with a high of 81. We could see even more darn gusts. A low around 62 tonight with showers likely and a chance of thunderstorms. The Wizards host Orlando tonight. Alex Ovechkin scored against Carolina last night and is now three goals away from Wayne Gretzky‘s record. 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:
Marty Stuart & His Fabulous Superlatives, “Country Star.” The perfect country and western song, as a guy once sang, requires references to Mama, trains and/or trucks, prison, or getting drunk. Marty Stuart, who has lived country in ways few will ever know, is here to remind you that the essence of country is in fact hard work. Okay, that and blazing Telecaster solos. Stuart and his excellent band play the Birchmere tonight and Friday.
Here’s some administration news you might have blocked out:
The trade show: Saying the US has been “looted, pillaged, raped and plundered by nations near and far, both friend and foe alike,” President Trump announced sweeping tariffs on all imported goods during a Rose Garden ceremony yesterday. (Washington Post) April of the penguins: The tariffs apply even to remote and uninhabited islands. (Axios) “The Heard and McDonald Islands, known for their populations of penguins and seabirds, can only be reached by sea.” (Wired) There appears to be a maverick form of math behind the administration’s tariff formula. (NYT) Markets are flipping out. (CNBC)
I fought the tariffs: The US Senate passed a measure sponsored by Tim Kaine that would quash some of Trump’s tariffs against Canada. Four Republicans joined Democrats to vote for the measure, which is unlikely to see the light of day in the House. (NYT) Nonetheless, Democrats in the House have a plan to force a vote on the sweeping tariffs announced Wednesday. (Axios)
Musk falls? Trump has told people around him that Elon Musk will wrap up his work in Washington soon. Some in the administration see the billionaire as a “political liability,” especially after he came up short following his adventures in Wisconsin. (Politico) Some administration sources say the report is “overblown.” (ABC News) The President likes Musk, and his service as a special government employee has to come to an end soon anyway. (NYT) Musk plans to keep spending lots of dough on politics. (Washington Post) US Representative Mikie Sherrill of New Jersey, a Democrat, proposed stunt legislation that would require drug-testing for Musk and employees of his DOGE project. (Axios)
Administration perambulation: National security adviser Mike Waltz‘s use of Signal group chats was widespread. (Politico) “Emails show that the Social Security Administration canceled contracts with the state of Maine as political payback against its Democratic governor.” (HuffPost) The Naval Academy removed some items celebrating female Jewish graduates from a display in advance of a visit from Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth. (Military.com) The CIA has dropped Ralph Goff, “an agency veteran and vocal supporter of Ukraine, from consideration to serve as its chief of clandestine operations.” (Politico)
Other stuff that happened: The US Attorney’s office in DC declined to pursue an assault charge against James McIntyre, an activist US Representative Nancy Mace claimed assaulted her. (NBC News) US Senator Jim Banks told a fired HHS worker he “probably deserved” being laid off. (CNN)
We got a new billionaire neighbor: Mark Zuckerberg is the buyer of a $23 million property mansion in DC. (Politico) We’ve got photos of the house in the District’s Woodland Normanstone neighborhood, where Peter Thiel also owns a pied-a-terre. (Washingtonian) Zuckerberg will pay more than $100,000 in property taxes to DC each year, and taxes associated with the home purchase will bring in $667,000. (Martin Austermuhle)
Hidden Eats, by Ike Allen
Photo by Ike Allen.
Though the cuisine doesn’t get much attention compared to its Central American neighbors, there are a few nice Nicaraguan places in greater Silver Spring if you know where to look. The family who run Gio’s Sazon Nicaragüense in an Aspen Hill strip mall, who hail from the coastal state of Carazo, do a bit of everything. There’s Peruvian-ish rotisserie chicken and lomo saltado, but for the real Nicaraguan stuff, look for the various permutations of plantains, yuca, and beef. Vigoron is a hearty plate of steamed yuca with chicharron and tangy cabbage slaw. A beef fritanga is served with tajadas (long, thin plantain chips), fried cheese, and gallo pinto (Nicaraguan rice and beans). On weekends, they make baho (yuca, plantains, and beef steamed in a banana leaf). Are you beginning to get an idea of the staple foods of Nicaraguan cuisine? Spicy minced pickled onions do a lot to energize all this starch and meat. (13643 Georgia Avenue, Aspen Hill, Maryland)
Recently on Washingtonian dot com:
• We talked with David Karpf about protests in Trump’s second term.
• Spring-cleaning guide!
• DC-area restaurants, chefs, and owners were among the nominees for this year’s James Beard Awards.
• A somewhat unhinged panda-themed pop-up bar is here.
Local news links:
• The House Freedom Caucus wants more control over DC in return for fixing its budget, which the House GOP broke. (Punchbowl News)
• Kevin Young, who led the National Museum of African American History and Culture, has quietly gone on leave while the Trump administration plans a crackdown on museums. (Washington Post)
• A California man accused of plotting to kill Supreme Court justice Brett Kavanaugh in Chevy Chase intends to plead guilty. (Washington Post)
• DC taxpayers are paying $610,000 to remove Black Lives Matter Plaza. (NBC 4 Washington)
• Maryland is simply begging people to stop throwing trash out of their cars. (WTOP)
• New Stumpy just dropped. (Washington Post)
• An Arlington family bought four ice creams from one of those weird food trucks near the Mall. The bill was $88. (WUSA)
• A crumbling bridge over Four Mile Run may finally get some work done. (ARLnow)
Thursday’s event picks:
• The Words, Beats, and Life Festival kicks off at locations around town.
• “cullud wattah,” about Flint, Michigan’s 2016 water crisis, opens at Mosaic Theater.
• There’s a cherry-blossom themed Phillips After 5 tonight.
See more picks from Briana Thomas, who writes our Things to Do newsletter.
Did you miss our 100 Very Best Restaurants List? It’s here.
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.