Good morning. Some area school systems will open on a two-hour delay this morning due to icy roads, mostly north and west of DC. We’ll all experience a rainy day with a high around 46. The rain will continue overnight with a low near 44. The Capitals host the Utah Mammoth tonight, and the Wizards visit Orlando. 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: R.E.M., “Fall on Me.” Tonight at 9:30, the actor Michael Shannon, alongside Jason Narducy and various other indie musician “friends,” will perform R.E.M.’s 1986 album “Lifes Rich Pageant” in its entirety. As a Gen-X male, I feel I have no choice but to attend? The show is sold out. 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. Tell *us* where to go: Typically, we’re the ones giving readers travel recommendations. But this year, we’re asking you to share your opinions, too. Nominate your favorite place to stay in our travel survey, and you could win a $100 gift card—and your picks may end up in our May issue. Here’s some administration news you might have blocked out: Big nah: The Department of Justice stopped trying to defend President Trump‘s executive orders against law firms upon which he hoped to visit retribution, saying it would drop appeals against cases won by firms that chose to fight rather than capitulate. (WSJ) The decision “places a rather uncomfortable spotlight on the nine firms that bent a knee and traded their dignity to the administration rather than fight.” (Above the Law) Paul Weiss and other firms that struck deals with the administration “were particularly vulnerable” because they “increasingly relied on highly paid corporate lawyers” whose clients didn’t want to get on Trump’s bad side. (NYT) War in Iran: Trump’s war in Iran enters its fourth day today. The US closed embassies in Saudi Arabia and Kuwait after Iranian attacks. (NPR) US Marines opened fire on protesters who stormed the American consulate in Karachi over the weekend. (Reuters) Six American servicemembers are now dead after an Iranian drone attack on a “makeshift office space” in Kuwait. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth said the building—in fact, a trailer—was well fortified, but “three U.S. military officials questioned the assertion.” (CBS News) Iran said it would fire on ships that enter the Strait of Hormuz. (Reuters) Oil prices jumped as “Commercial traffic has effectively stopped.” (Washington Post) US Secretary of State Marco Rubio told lawmakers “The hardest hits are yet to come from the U.S. military,” and Trump said operations could go longer than four to five weeks, or possibly longer. (AP) He said he wouldn’t rule out sending ground troops. (New York Post) Why are we fighting? Yeah, about that. The administration appears to be constructing its case for war as the conflict unfolds, offering shifting explanations and sometimes false claims to explain why Trump struck Iran now. (WSJ) Trump’s decision to go to war was fueled by allies including Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his ” own confidence after the successful U.S. operation that toppled the Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro in January.” (NYT) The war is a bit awkward for Vice President JD Vance, “who rose to national prominence as the standard-bearer of MAGA’s anti-interventionist faction.” (Politico) Some of Trump’s allies at right wing media outlets are quite freaked out by the war and Rubio’s statement that the US went to war because of an impending attack on Iran by Israel. (Bulwark) They’re not the only skeptics: Three polls show that Americans largely disapprove of the war. (ABC News) Trump maintained that his MAGA movement “loves what I’m doing.” (AP) Administration perambulation: Those agents FBI Director Kash Patel fired recently over their role in investigating Trump’s hoarding of classified documents after he lost the 2020 election to Joe Biden? Turns out they were part of an elite unit that “specializes in Iran.” (MS Now) A rash visible on Trump’s neck yesterday is the latest data point for concerns about the 79-year-old’s health. (NYT) Former President Bill Clinton told congressional investigators Trump told him he and the disgraced, deceased financier Jeffrey Epstein “had some great times together over the years” before their friendship faltered. (Politico) Video of the testimony released yesterday showed that Hillary Clinton “seemed bored, if not annoyed” by Republican questions and appeared to have prepared well for the session. (Politico) A confidential database at the Department of the Interior lists National Park Service assets that stray from Trump’s ideology. (Washington Post) Prosecutors in Minneapolis are probing actions by federal immigration officers during Trump’s violent crackdown there. (WSJ) The Department of Homeland Security is still shut down as the White House and Democrats in Congress negotiate over changes to DHS operations post-Minneapolis. Democrats say Trump’s new war won’t affect their position. (Politico) Trump said he’d attend this year’s White House Correspondents’ Association dinner. (Politico) Secondhand news, by Daniella Byck: Photo courtesy of Jock Gilchrist. It’s a good time to be a secondhand shopper in DC, with a number of vintage vendors moving into brick-and-mortar spaces within the last year. Many shops started as pop-ups, selling wares at local markets, and those group events remain a great way to shop multiple vendors under one roof, from established curators to newer dealers. There are a few markets coming up this spring. Organized by Vintage Vintage Vintage, bridal show Something Old will pop up at the Square on March 7, and if you’re a bride-to-be or merely a lover of weddings, it’s worth securing tickets. (I attended last year and found my dream ’60s wedding dress, though a groom still remains at large.) For throwback clothing and home decor, That’s So Vintage is also coming to the Square, featuring more than 50 vendors on April 18 and 19. Beyond markets, clothing swaps are an opportunity to get rid of your pieces while raiding the closets of stylish Washingtonians. Plush DMV is organizing a plus-size swap on March 7 at Transmission DC, and a collection of local vintage purveyors are behind the popular Happy Daze Swap on March 22. Recently on Washingtonian dot com: • Steven Ginsberg, the Athletic’s executive editor, talks about how his publication scooped up six former Washington Post journalists after Jeff Bezos‘s paper nuked its sports desk. • Legendary journalist Dorothy Butler Gilliam talks about her $10,000 donation to a fund for laid-off members of the Post Guild. • José Andrés will replace the Bazaar by José Andrés at the Waldorf Astoria with a “theatrical steakhouse” called Bazaar Meat. • Here’s a list of Italian spots from our 100 Very Best Restaurants list. • Oh good, the region’s mosquitos likely survived our harsh winter just fine. Local news links: • DC lifted an advisory against getting near the Potomac after January and February’s massive sewage spills. But don’t get your swimsuit on just yet. (The 51st) More sections of the Potomac Interceptor, the pipe that burst, are at risk of failure. (WTOP) Here’s an inside look at the repair efforts. (Washington Post) What will the spill mean for party boats this summer? (WTOP) • Sunday was the 12th anniversary of Relisha Rudd‘s disappearance. (WUSA9) • Amazon Data Services purchased George Washington University’s Ashburn campus in a $427 million deal GW’s president characterized as “very favorable” for the school. (WTOP) • The National Capital Planning Commission released public comments on Trump’s planned ballroom. There weren’t a lot of rave reviews. (Axios D.C.) • Arlington is likely to phase out gas-powered leaf blowers. (ARLnow) • The Washington Commanders will pay $1 million to settle DC’s 2022 case against the team. (WTOP) • Arlington county board candidate James DeVita threatened to sue the county if it bans political signs in public rights-of-way, something neighboring jurisdictions like Alexandria did long ago. (ARLnow) Tuesday’s event picks: • The indie-rock musical “Safety Not Guaranteed” opens at Signature Theatre. • What did colonists sound like? Dr. Anne Curzan discusses their accents and vocabulary at Planet Word. • It’s music trivia night at Songbyrd. See more picks for this week from Briana Thomas, who writes our Things to Do newsletter.The post Trump’s War on Law Firms Fizzles Out; His War in Iran, However, Is Still Going; DC Lifts Potomac Water Advisory first appeared on Washingtonian. ...read more read less