Photo illustration by Emma Spainhoward with photograph by Getty Images. Good morning. Cloudy and perhaps gusty (yes, again) with a high around 63 today, and a low around 40 tonight with a chance of showers. Some of the trees around the Tidal Basin are “showing lots of open blossoms,” the Park Se rvice reports. Maryland’s women advanced to the Sweet 16 last night. The Capitals are at Winnipeg tonight, and yesterday’s Nationals-Orioles exhibition game got rained out. You can find me on Bluesky, I’m @abeaujon.87 on Signal if you want to share any national security secrets or thoughts on guitar pedals, and if you absolutely must send an email there’s a link at the bottom of this post. I can’t stop listening to: The Hard Quartet, “Our Hometown Boy.” I would read 1,000 words on why Gen X men are powerless before the 2024 record by this Gen X supergroup, but there was a great Q&A last fall with Stephen Malkmus that more or less handled it (“I mean, people like to see really geriatric people play their guitars and stuff”). The Hard Quartet play 9:30 tonight. Here’s some administration news you might have blocked out: In case you somehow missed it, a group of high-ranking Trump administration officials (National Security Adviser Mike Waltz, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Vice President and former Alexandria resident JD Vance, and others) texted about war plans in a Signal chat to which someone accidentally added Atlantic Editor Jeffrey Goldberg. (The Atlantic) Waltz is in hot water! (Politico) “The use of the Signal chat comes as the Trump administration has said it is trying to protect classified information by clamping down on leaks.” (WSJ) “It was an extraordinary breach of American national security intelligence.” (NYT) No rush, guys: Democrats are mulling their options. (Politico) “[I]f I were trying to spoof them, I wouldn’t do something so implausible as to start inserting juvenile emojis into a national-security conversation”: Goldberg discusses his scoop. (The Atlantic) “I’m not even sure it’ll be the biggest Trump scandal of today or this week.” (Doomsday Scenario) “I’m not sure there is any government worker right now who isn’t talking to their colleagues on Signal.” (Washington Post) Federal agencies update: Social Security’s website keeps crashing and there aren’t enough workers to answer the phones anymore, and Elon Musk’s DOGE project is “is really in charge, pushing a single-minded mission to find benefits fraud despite vast evidence that the problem is overstated.” (Washington Post) DHS Secretary Kristi Noem plans to eliminate FEMA. (Semafor) US Postmaster General Louis DeJoy resigned yesterday after tangling with DOGE. (Washington Post) Recently in defamation cases: Trump adviser Chris LaCivita sued the Daily Beast over a report that he “made $22 million off the Trump campaign.” (Axios) Hunter Biden hired Alex Murdaugh‘s attorney in his libel action against Patrick Byrne. (The State) • A lobbyist purchased JD Vance‘s now-former Alexandria house for nearly $200,000 over asking price. (Forbes) • That portrait in Colorado that Trump complained about is coming down. (AP) • A look at RFK Jr.‘s early tenure as health secretary. (NYT) The best thing I ate last week, by Ann Limpert I get it—butter chicken is a predictable and boring order from an Indian restaurant. Thing is, it’s also really delicious, and even just-okay versions are pretty tasty. (Also, it’s one of the few not-fried chicken dishes my child will eat.) The rendition of chicken makhani that I had this weekend from the long-running Cathedral Heights restaurant Heritage India is a dish you shouldn’t feel sheepish about ordering. It’s excellent, with a lushly creamy sauce that’s more about the flavor of the tomatoes than sweetness. The chicken itself—so often dry and forgettable—was juicy, and even a little smoky. Add a couple rounds of garlic-and-cilantro naan and a side of lemon rice, and you’re set. (3238 Wisconsin Ave., NW.) Recently on Washingtonian dot com: • What’s the best first-date bar in DC? Vote here in our bracket. We’ll announce who’s moved on to Round Two tomorrow. • A quick catch-up guide to Maryland basketball, for those faking their way through March Madness (like me). •  Tim Ma will open Sushi Sato, an all-you-can-eat sushi joint, on H Street, Northeast, next month. Tuesday’s event pick: • See the 1985 film The Color Purple at MLK library. See more picks from Briana Thomas, who writes our Things to Do newsletter. Local news links: • DC Mayor Muriel Bowser feels good about the chances that Congress will act to fix DC’s budget, which it broke. (The DC Line) • Oh good, self-driving taxis could be on their way. (Washington Post) • DOGE’s Washington adventures are beginning to affect the housing market. (WTOP) A new report says the region’s unemployment rate would skyrocket if Trump and Musk eliminate half of all federal workers. (WBJ) • Law school applications are up by a lot. (Axios D.C.) • Here’s why your water tastes off lately. (WUSA 9) • Flight delays and cancellations were up by a lot at National Airport. (Washington Post) Did you miss our 100 Very Best Restaurants List? It’s here. Tuesday. Let’s get to it.The post Government Efficiency Apparently Involves Texting Your War Plans to the Press, a Lobbyist Bought JD Vance’s House, and Our Food Critic Says It’s Fine to Order the Butter Chicken first appeared on Washingtonian. ...read more read less