Good morning. Fog is possible this morning, then cloudy with a high around 62. Scattered showers could occur this evening, with a low near 50. The Capitals visit New Jersey tonight. You can find me on Bluesky, I’m @abeaujon.87 on Signal, and there’s a link to my email address below. This roundup is available as a morning email newsletter. Sign up here. I can’t stop listening to: Thursday, “Understanding in a Car Crash.” The New Jersey screamo titans will celebrate the anniversaries of their albums “Full Collapse,” “A City by the Light Divided,” and No Devolucion” tonight at Black Cat alongside Chris Conley of Saves the Day. 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: President Trump attempted to calm markets and assuage Americans’ concerns about the war he launched in Iran more than a month ago by giving an address last night. He estimated the war would last two to three more weeks.(Washington Post) So far, the markets part of that effort hasn’t worked: Oil prices are up, stocks are down, and investors didn’t receive a timeline for when this all will end. (Reuters) “Futures tied to the SP 500, Nasdaq-100 and Dow industrials all fell around 1% or more. Asian and European stocks declined, with particularly steep losses in South Korea.” (WSJ) Trump’s got his work cut out for him in the public relations sphere: Recent polls consistently show that a majority of Americans do not approve of the war . (NBC News) The average price for a gallon of gas in the US rose to $4.08. (AAA) Here’s the transcript of his speech, which featured a boast that the US would bomb Iran “back to the Stone Ages” and a claim that “Regime change was not our goal.” (AP) Some takeaways. (NYT) How are the goals Trump expressed early in the conflict proceeding, anyway? (NYT) Bondi Thursday: Trump “has discussed firing Attorney General Pam Bondi in recent days as he grows frustrated with her leadership at the Justice Department and her handling of the Epstein files.” (NYT) The President, who has reportedly “fumed that she hasn’t investigated enough of his political opponents,” has also mused about replacing Bondi with EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin. (CNN) Bondi’s detractors, some of them Republicans, see “more than a year of unforced errors and messaging misfires.” (NYT) Huh: DOJ “has concluded that a federal law requiring presidential records to be turned over to the government is unconstitutional.” (Axios) Supreme alarm bells: Bondi accompanied Trump to the US Supreme Court yesterday, where the President sat in on what looks like an impending loss in his attempts to unilaterally redefine citizenship. Robert De Niro also attended, as a guest of the justices. (AP) “Most of the justices, even among the conservative supermajority, seemed inclined to strike down his policy.” (Atlantic) Trump left about an hour after he arrived, once it became clear that his apparent attempts to intimidate the justices with his presence hadn’t had the effect he desired. (NYT) Recent losses at the nation’s high court “are challenging the perception that Trump has the court firmly in his pocket.” (Politico) Pardoned Capital Rioter and accused Metro creep Bryan Betancur was spotted in line for the hearing. (Joe Flood/X) José Andrés gave a speech outside. (Diario AS/YouTube) Cave man: A week after he blew up a bipartisan deal to fund the Department of Homeland Security, calling the arrangement a “crap sandwich,” House Speaker Mike Johnson said yesterday he’d fund that sandwich through the end of September, with funding for ICE and Customs and Border Patrol operations to come at a later time. (NYT) The move “amounts to a stunning reversal for Johnson, who was facing pressure from conservatives to oppose the Senate deal.” (MS Now) The House, which is in recess—dozens of members are in Scotland on a trip funded by taxpayers—could wait till April 13 to take up the bill, but that seems unlikely. Plus, Johnson and Senate Majority Leader John Thune will have to start work on a reconciliation bill they hope can fund those agencies and incorporate elements of the voter-ID bill Trump wants. (Punchbowl News) Meanwhile, at DHS, new Secretary Markwayne Mullin canceled a Kristi Noem-era policy that required the secretary to sign off on any contract worth more than $100,000. (Reuters) DHS’s inspector general continues to scrutinize how the Noem–Corey Lewandowski administration approached contracts. (NYT) Administration perambulation: The National Capital Planning Commission—the nominally independent body reviewing Trump’s plans for a massive ballroom at the White House—”softened its own official documentation about the project at the White House’s request.” (Washington Post) Democrats sued over Trump’s executive order about mail-in voting. (Politico) Remember Trump’s tariff-soaked “liberation day”? That was one year ago. (NPR) He plans to revamp his tariffs on steel and aluminum, which “could effectively raise costs for many imports.” (WSJ) Most Americans “express little or no confidence in his handling of tariff policy.” (Pew Research Center) A medical examiner in Buffalo ruled the death of Nurul Amin Shah Alam a homicide. Border Patrol agents left the visually impaired refugee outside a Tim Horton’s on a frigid night. CBP says it’s not responsible for his death. (NYT) Border Patrol Chief Michael Banks reportedly “was known among colleagues for taking regular trips abroad to engage in sex with prostitutes.” (Washington Examiner) Chinese hackers “successfully compromised swathes of sensitive data stored directly on FBI systems.” The agency called the incursion a “major incident.” (Politico) Responding to skepticism about his claim that he once teleported to a Waffle House, top FEMA official Gregg Phillips wrote,  “Haters gonna hate.” (CNN) Hidden Eats, by Ike Allen: Photo by Ike Allen. The basic cheese and pepperoni slices at Minya’s, an Eritrean pizzeria on 9th Street just south of U, are nothing to write home about—the crust is a little doughy, the cheese-to-sauce ratio a little off—though they’d be serviceable after a show at the 9:30 Club up the street. It’s all about the Eritrean fusion slices here. The Derho, topped with berbere-marinated chicken, brings to mind ’00s memories of the BBQ chicken pie at California Pizza Kitchen, only much spicier. You can also get a slice of pizza topped with awaze tibs—beef with that distinctive East African spice blend—and oddly potent jalapeño slices. And the Asmarino, a tasty white pie with prosciutto, is named after Eritrea’s capital city, where the vestiges of Italian colonialism still linger in the form of espresso bars and pizzerias. (1932 9th St., NW.) Recently on Washingtonian dot com: • The psychiatrist Suzan Song talks about her new book, “Why We Suffer,” which blends memoir, case studies, and self-help to lay out a framework to survive trauma. • Bars and restaurants around Nationals Park will have specials during tomorrow’s Nationals home opener. Here’s a rundown. • The Boulevard, a new modern American restaurant, will soon bring a globally inspired menu—and a rooftop bar—to Clarendon. • Here’s a guide to Easter brunches and egg hunts on Sunday. • Our roundup of local April Fools’ Day jokes yesterday. Local news links: • DC Water “repeatedly delayed” improvements to the recently infamous Potomac Interceptor sewage pipe for years “as federal officials studied potential environmental impacts.” (Washington Post) • DC Mayor Muriel Bowser called the DC Council “soft on crime” after it punted on youth curfews. (WTOP) • Bowser introduced a bill that would allow local brewers and distillers to partner with medical marijuana providers to sell cannabis-infused nonalcoholic drinks at dispensaries. (Axios D.C.) She also announced an anti-rat initiative. (Mayor Muriel Bowser/X) • A Virginia appeals court put plans for a new data center near Manassas National Battlefield Park on ice. (NBC4 Washington) • Attorneys for quadruple amputee and cornhole pro Dayton James Webber say he acted in self-defense when he fatally shot a passenger in his car. (NBC4 Washington) • Police released what they say is new footage of the naked man accused of a burglary spree in Centreville. (Fox 5) I am very much in favor of the nickname “Bare-bottomed burglar.” Let’s use that going forward. (NBC4 Washington) • Cops in Fairfax say they arrested an off-duty officer for being drunk in public. (DC News Now) • The sheriff’s office in Bel Air, Maryland, says it caught 11-year-old twins trying to break into cars at an apartment complex and in a statement lamented that children that young enjoy strong legal protections. (ABC7) • Purcellville, Virginia, is consumed by drama. (Northern Virginia Magazine) • Employment has picked up at HQ2. (ARLnow) • The Washington Commanders took office space in Foggy Bottom. The team agreed to move most of its operations to DC as part of a stadium deal. (WBJ) • The National Archives “quietly installed” the Emancipation Proclamation and the 19th Amendment to the permanent display in its rotunda. (NYT) • At this point, we should probably write articles about days when NO satirical Trump statues appear on the Mall. (PoPville) Thursday’s event pick: • “Life of Pi” author Yann Martel reads from his new book, “Son of Nobody,” at Politics Prose. See more picks from Briana Thomas, who writes our Things to Do newsletter.The post Markets Unconvinced by Trump Speech; Bowser Calls Council “Soft on Crime,” Goes to War With Rats; and Virginia’s “Bare-Bottomed Burglar” Caught on Tape first appeared on Washingtonian. ...read more read less