Good morning. Cloudy this morning, then clearing with a high around 72. A low near 46 overnight. How well do you know the District? Play our new geography game and test your local knowledge. 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 Sylvan Esso, “Coffee.” The North Carolina duo will play play 9:30 tonight with GRRL. That show is sold out, but you can still get tickets for tomorrow’s show.  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: The war The US rapidly withdrew B-1 bombers from an RAF base in Britain yesterday following threats of an Iranian plot against the facility. (NYT) The unusual move followed, by a week, the arrest of six people who a US official says plotted an attack on the base. (WSJ) Meanwhile, the war between the US and Iran widened as Yemen’s Saudi-backed government took strategic positions on the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, which is currently held by the Iran-backed Houthi rebels. (Reuters) The Houthis took an important town in southern Yemen. (AP) Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf, the speaker of Iran’s parliament, said the country would not reopen the Strait of Hormuz unless the US met conditions it set forth in a memorandum of understanding President Trump signed in June. Trump recently rejected an Iranian attempt to reconstitute that peace agreement. (Reuters) Energy Secretary Chris Wright said Trump was aware that the war he launched in February would cause energy prices to shoot up. (CBS News) Americans say those prices are top of mind as the midterm elections approach. (WSJ) Here’s something fresh to worry about The US “is monitoring reports of a suspected plague case and related quarantines in Russia.” (Axios) A 28-year-old worker at a research facility in Siberia “died after being diagnosed with a pneumonia of ‘unknown’ origin.” (CNN) Administration perambulation The US Supreme Court opens a new term today. Here’s a look at what’s ahead. (NPR) Trump promised a $90 check for millions of US seniors and reiterated his pledge to issue $5,000 checks to American adults if Republicans triumph in next month’s midterms. (WSJ) Former Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem directed  her agency to buy airplanes from a political donor “at a substantial markup” hours before she left office. (NYT) An inspector general’s report says IRS employees looked up celebs’ tax records. (WSJ) Attorney General Todd Blanche said the Justice Department won’t reopen a Trump-prompted criminal investigation of former Fed Chair Jerome Powell. A report by the Fed’s inspector general last week “found no grounds for a criminal referral” regarding an HQ renovation project. (Bloomberg) Trump posted US Senator Tom Cotton of Arkansas’ cell phone number in an attempt to pressure him to make daylight saving time permanent. (AP) FBI Director Kash Patel got engaged to his girlfriend, the country singer Alexis Wilkins. (New York Post)   The Best Thing I Ate Last Week, by Ann Limpert: Photo by Ann Limpert. Georgetown is made for sunny fall days—the sidewalk cafes are packed, and the heirloom pumpkin displays are strong. Plus, few patios are prettier than the narrow, cosseted outdoor space at Chez Billy Sud (which long timers might remember as the former Cafe La Ruche). The French restaurant is doing many things well these days: tall stacks of Bibb lettuce with lots of herbs and vinaigrette, a caramel-streaked rice pudding, a lush potted chicken liver mousse. Best of all, though, was an artful take on Niçoise salad starring perfectly seared and spiced yellowfin tuna against an elegant backdrop of piquillo peppers, fingerling potatoes, and blanched green beans. Recently on Washingtonian dot com: • “Wind phones” have appeared around the region; the disconnected kiosks encourage people to voice thoughts they have for loved ones who have died. • The chef Tracy O’Grady sells surprising spins on chili crisp at the Falls Church Farmers Market—her business Travelers Chili Crisp makes Greek, Thai, even Chesapeake varieties of the popular condiment. • Photos from our Top Real Estate Agents reception. Local news links: Commanders Marcus Mariota was injured early during the Commanders’ miserable outing in London. Led by third-string QB Athan Kaliakmanis, the team lost to Indianapolis 30-13. (Washington Post) Jayden Daniels could return to the injury-plagued team this week. (Washington Sun) The team plans to make its “spear” logo permanent. (Athletic) Other local news • Bruce Springsteen opened his set at this weekend’s Power to the People concert at Merriweather Post Pavilion with a song about the administration’s deadly immigration crackdown in Minnesota. Tom Morello and Dave Matthews played; Jack Smith was spotted wearing a “No Kings” shirt. (AP) • The Kennedy Center said its Honors will be held at Capital One Arena this year. (Washington Post) • Southbound lanes on the George Washington Parkway south of Old Town will close between 9:30 AM and 2 PM today through Thursday. (NPS) • Will the statues Trump had installed at Freedom Plaza come down soon? Perhaps? How can we, mere humans for whom existence is but a hole in the universe, know the future? (Axios D.C.) • US Park Police stopped a National Guard member from Oklahoma for driving with an expired license plate and charged him with carrying an unlicensed firearm. (AP) • DC tour guides say their business is crumbling under Trump. (Washington Post) • Metro will retain colored stripes atop its pylons outside subway stations as battles over its graphic design refresh continue. (Washington Sun) • Finally, DC has a $30 loaf of bread. (City Cast DC) The post Commanders’ Season Somehow Gets More Miserable, Jack Smith Spotted in “No Kings” Shirt at Springsteen Show, Pricey Bread Now Available in DC first appeared on Washingtonian. ...read more read less