Good morning. Another hot one: sunny with a high around 95 today. Isolated showers possible after 11 AM, with a low near 68. The Nationals are at Pittsburgh again today. 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 availabl e as a morning email newsletter. Sign up here. I can’t stop listening to: Swansea Sound, “Not My Order.” Swansea Sound includes Hue Williams of the Pooh Sticks and Amelia Fletcher from Heavenly. This tune connects internet shopping to the profound loneliness of modern existence, and I’ll have to buy lots of stuff on Amazon to feel better now that I’ve heard it. Swansea Sound and Heavenly play Black Cat tonight alongside Lightheaded. 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: Fed: White House plans to highlight tax refunds under President Trump went awry when Trump threatened to fire Fed Chair Jerome Powell in an interview with Maria Bartiromo that aired Wednesday. (Politico) In response, US Senator Thom Tillis of North Carolina reiterated his position that until Trump ends the criminal investigation of Powell that he dialed up—the President told Bartiromo that *he* didn’t plan to drop the probe, which is supposedly being conducted independently by the DC US Attorney’s office—he wouldn’t vote to confirm Kevin Warsh, Trump’s pick to succeed Powell when his term ends next month. (NBC News) Cue the anonymous sources: “Some of Tillis’ fellow Republicans privately acknowledged Wednesday they don’t understand the White House’s current strategy.” (Politico) And then, of course, there’s the pope thing: Tillis also advised Trump to apologize for his attacks on Pope Leo XIV. Instead, the administration “abruptly canceled an $11 million contract with Catholic Charities to shelter and care for migrant children” that had been in place for more than six decades. (Miami Herald) Trump seems to be searching for the limits of his religious supporters’ patience: In addition to picking a fight with the pope, he used the f-word in a post on Easter Sunday and posted, then deleted, a meme that depicted himself as Jesus. (His explanation that he thought it made him look like a doctor doesn’t seem to have settled any nerves.) “These things add up,” Erick Erickson said. (Washington Post) There’s a rather amazing piece of connective tissue between Trump’s campaigns against Leo and Powell: Federal housing official Bill Pulte, who reportedly encouraged the Powell investigation, brought the Jesus meme to Trump’s attention. (Axios) Meanwhile, life keeps getting more expensive for many Americans. Trump seems to have abandoned his campaign pledge to help with the cost of child care. (Washington Post) The price of gas has shot up because of the war he started with Iran, and the White House plans to ask oil-company CEOs today to drill more, which is not exactly a near-term solution. (Politico) The wealthy are doing great: Major indices had record days yesterday on hopes that Trump’s Iran adventure may end soon. (WSJ) And a new report says dozens of US corporations “paid no federal corporate income taxes in their most recent fiscal year despite enjoying substantial pretax profits in the U.S.” (ITEP) Because of Trump’s antics, a “growing number of White House allies are resigned to losing the House and fear that the Senate is also in play.” (Politico) Speaking of Congress: Republicans in the Senate blocked a resolution that aimed to reign in Trump on Iran. (Reuters) Six House Republicans joined Democrats to advance a bill that would restore Temporary Protected Status to Haitian immigrants. (NBC News) The Department of Homeland Security remains unfunded. (NYT) Administration perambulation: Labor Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer, her husband, Shawn DeRemer, and her father “routinely sent personal messages and requests to young staff members.” (NYT) Sebastian Gorka—remember him?—wants to run the National Counterterrorism Center. (Washington Post) John Eastman, the legal engine behind Trump’s attempts to overturn the election he lost to Joe Biden, got disbarred. (NYT) The Commission of Fine Arts will pretend to consider Trump’s planned triumphal arch today. (NYT) Rodney Mims Cook Jr., one of many allies Trump has on the commission, says DC needs even more arches. (Washington Post) Emails acquired via FOIA detail the, uh, extremely thorough bureaucratic processes involved in the Space Force’s pursuit of a theme song. (404 Media) A new book says Health Secretary RFK Jr. once cut off a raccoon’s dinger “for further study.” (TMZ) Trump thinks soda cures cancer. (The Hill) Hidden Eats, by Ike Allen: Photo by Ike Allen. What started as a bakery in Anacostia became an African-inflected soul food takeout spot with popular fried whiting sandwiches. Now, Open Crumb is a mostly Ghanaian counter-serve restaurant just off H Street Northeast. The place still feels a little temporary, but chef Peter Opare’s cooking feels grounded and reliable. I liked the hearty vegetarian take on the classic West African egusi stew, with tender leaves of spinach and ground melon seed. Suya-spiced grilled beef atop jollof rice is brightened by an herb-y corn salad. Recently on Washingtonian dot com: • These unusual bagels will drive purists crazy. • 323 Dhaba Express, a restaurant serving hearty Punjabi vegetarian fare, is spicing up Sterling. • Architect Deborah Buelow talks about turning an 8,200-square foot Del Ray house into an energy-efficient “passive house.” • Jazz in the Garden will return next month. Here’s how you can get tickets. • This extravagant November wedding featured two ballet performances. Local news links: Trouble in the data center: Three years ago, almost 70 percent of Virginians polled said they would be comfortable with a data center being built in their area. Now only 35 percent say the same. (Washington Post) Virginia Governor Abigail Spanberger is seeking changes that would weaken bills “designed to shift more costs onto data centers.” (Virginia Mercury) • Hair-touching Metro creep and Trump-pardoned January 6 rioter Bryan Betancur must remain in custody while his case proceeds, a judge ruled. (NBC4 Washington) • Maryland Governor Wes Moore said he will sign a bill that forbids dynamic pricing in grocery stores. (DC News Now) • Prosecutors “have added terrorism and weapons-of-mass-destruction charges” to the case against accused January 6 pipe bomber Brian Cole Jr. (Washington Post) • A DC cop didn’t show up for a hearing about an 18-year-old arrested for carrying a pistol illegally, so the charge got dropped. A week later, police say, the teen shot and killed someone. (WCP) • The Appellate Court of Maryland ruled in favor of the Washington Post in a suit the paper filed against Ocean City’s police department. The court ruled that a pro-transparency law the state passed in 2021 requires police departments to release the names of officers in use-of-force reports. (Washington Post) • A 12-year-old boy died yesterday, the second child killed in a shooting Tuesday outside a convenience store in the District. (NBC4 Washington) • Three people on scooters struck a pedestrian who confronted them about smoking weed on the Washington Monument’s grounds, US Park Police cops say. (ABC7) • The Washington Capitals “might be more ready to move on” than Alex Ovechkin is. (WTOP) • The Washington Commanders unveiled a new alternate uniform that includes the image of a spear, a reference to the team’s former name. (Washington Post) • Former NPR President Kevin Klose died Wednesday. He was 85. (NPR) • The FAA is looking into audio that shows two pilots near DC “making dog and cat noises” on their radios. (WTOP) • Someone placed a “golden crapper” on the grounds of Culpeper County, Virginia’s administration building. The local sheriff’s department joked that the culprit should “come in here and beg for mercy.” (WUSA9) Thursday’s event picks: • It’s the first day of Filmfest DC. • See “Freaky Friday”—on a Thursday. • David Michael Wyatt plays the Howard Theatre. See more picks from Briana Thomas, who writes our Things to Do newsletter.The post Big Day for Trump’s Arch, Sebastian Gorka Is Back, and Someone Left a Golden Toilet in Virginia first appeared on Washingtonian. ...read more read less