Good morning. Severe thunderstorms and even tornados are possible today, especially after 2 PM. There’s likely to be a good deal of rain as well as potentially damaging winds. A high temperature of around 73 today will plunge to a low around 31 overnight as what the National Weather Service calls a “potent cold front” moves in. Here are some tips for staying safe during unsettled weather. Some area school systems have decided to dismiss students early or close. Federal employees have the option for unscheduled leave or unscheduled telework. The Wizards host Golden State 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: Powerband, “Death Machine.” Tuneful, fun, exuberantly noisy punk from DC. Powerband plays Rhizome tonight with Bone Bag and the M.F.C.  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: The Pentagon announced Saturday that all six members of a refueling airplane’s crew were killed last week when their plane, which was supporting President Trump‘s war on Iran, crashed Thursday following an incident with what was reportedly another US plane over Iraq. (AP) Trump posted Saturday that “Hopefully” other countries would join a coalition to escort commercial ships through the Strait of Hormuz, which Iran has effectively closed. (Axios) He has “so far received cautious responses” from the countries he named. (NYT) In an interview Sunday, Trump called on NATO allies to join his war effort, saying, “If there’s no response or if it’s a negative response I think it will be very bad for the future of Nato.” (FT) Iran’s cyberattack on the US company Stryker last week was “likely the most significant wartime cyberattack against the U.S. in history.” (WSJ) The US struck Kharg Island, the site of Iran’s most important oil terminal, in the Strait on Friday. (AP) Trump said the US may hit it again, “just for fun.” (NBC News) Oil, gas, and politics: Oil prices continued to rise yesterday as a result of the war. (NBC News) The national average price of a gallon of gas is $3.71 today. (AAA) Oil industry executives told Trump officials last week that the “energy crisis the Iran war has unleashed is likely to get worse.” Trump did not attend the meetings. (WSJ) Asked Sunday when gas prices may fall, Energy Secretary Chris Wright said there are “no guarantees in wars at all.” (Axios) Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth expressed hope Friday that CNN will soon have a new Trump-friendly owner in Paramount boss David Ellison. FCC Chair Brendan Carr threatened the licenses of broadcast outlets whose reporting the administration doesn’t like. (Axios) The war, now in its third week, offers Trump several suboptimal choices about how and when he could end it—and what he will be able to say it accomplished. (NYT) The war has divided his MAGA base. (AP) The deal with the arts: Ric Grenell will leave the Kennedy Center after a tumultuous tenure as the art complex’s Trump-installed leader. (Axios) Matt Floca, who’s become Trump’s “go-to renovation buddy,” will take his place, which suggests Trump is looking for someone less fighty as he seeks to remake the center, upon which he has slapped his name, in his image. (Atlantic) Trump posted images Friday of what he envisions the center will look like after it closes for a proposed two-year renovation. (CBS News) The center’s board, handpicked by Trump, will vote today on whether to approve the closure. Gee, I wonder how that will go. (NYT) A federal judge ruled Saturday that US Representative Joyce Beatty, an ex-officio member of the board who’s also a Democratic member of Congress, be allowed to join the meeting after she sued. (NYT) Administration perambulation: The US Senate this week will consider the nomination of Senator Markwayne Mullin of Oklahoma to lead the Department of Homeland Security, which remains shut down. (Punchbowl News) It will also take up the SAVE America Act, a voter-ID bill Trump wants passed despite Democratic opposition. (WSJ) Mohommad Nazeer Paktyawal, an Afghan man who helped the US military in Afghanistan, died Saturday in ICE’s custody. (Texas Tribune) Some Republicans are wary of Trump’s push to relitigate the 2020 election, which he lost to Joe Biden. (Politico) Trump raged Sunday against the US Supreme Court and other perceived enemies online after he held a “tempestuous 20-minute briefing” while he flew back to DC from Mar-a-Lago. (Playbook) Rodney Mims Cook Jr., the Trump-appointed chair of the Commission of Fine Arts, hopes to replace the White House’s Ionic columns with the more ornate Corinthian columns Trump prefers. (Washington Post) The White House also hopes to build a new underground screening center for visitors. (AP) The best thing I ate last week, by Ann Limpert: Photo by Ann Limpert. Next year, the Hitching Post in Petworth will turn 60 years old. And while some things have changed from the older days—a twice monthly Guyanese menu and a Michelin nod, for instance—much is exactly the same, from the framed Redskins memorabilia to the chatty, friendly dining room. And of course, the destination-worthy fried chicken. It’s still supremely crunchy and juicy, and it goes perfectly with sides of cornbread, tangy-sweet potato salad, and mac and cheese. Long live the all-golden dinner. (200 Upshur St., NW.) Recently on Washingtonian dot com: • Starting next month, you’ll be able to see the zoo’s new baby elephant, Linh Mai. • Consider these area Irish bars for St. Patrick’s Day. • These hotels offer cherry blossom packages for visitors and staycationers alike. • Where to watch March Madness. Local news links: • A mayoral forum Saturday got testy as frontrunners Janeese Lewis George and Kenyan McDuffie traded barbs. (Fox 5) • DC Mayor Muriel Bowser introduced a bill Friday that would make it easier for renters to turn their properties into Airbnbs. (Axios D.C.) • D.C. United’s game in Chicago this past weekend after a fan reportedly said something negative about striker Tai Baribo, a native of Israel. (WTOP) • A good look at how the Washington Post’s massive layoffs came to happen. (NYT) • Louis Delano Bowles, III, a former high school coach in Charles County, has been indicted on charges of possessing and distributing child pornography. (WTOP) • Mayhem in the form of hundreds of teenagers overtook Navy Yard this weekend. There were arrests, fights, and, cops say, a teenager fired a gun in the air. (WUSA9) • Police in Fairfax County say driver Lucas Lese of Springfield didn’t stop for pedestrian Sun Hyo Kim in a fatal late February accident in Annandale. (WUSA9) • Flights were halted at Washington area airports Friday after a “strong chemical smell” was discovered at an FAA facility in Virginia. (WTOP) • Two unoccupied boats got loose during a windy Friday; one was submerged. (WUSA9) • Police in Fairfax released a sketch of the naked burglar who’s still on the loose. The sketch is just of his face. (WTOP) • Metro hair-toucher and Trump-pardoned January 6 rioter Bryan Betancur has been banned from WMATA. (Washington Post) • Island Styles, who’s originally from this area, composed the music for “The Singers,” which won the Academy Award for Best Live Action Short Film at last night’s Oscars. (DC News Now)The post Severe Storms Possible Today, Trump Removes Loyalist Who Served as the Kennedy Center’s President, and Iran War Enters Week 3 first appeared on Washingtonian. ...read more read less