Good morning. Clouds increase throughout the day, with a high around 88. Showers likely this evening, with a low near 61. I wish you an excellent weekend—and I wish Sting a very happy 75th birthday. Sports this weekend: The Washington Capitals open their regular season with a visit to Carolina ton ight and another away game against Tampa Bay Saturday. Loudoun United FC host the Indy Eleven at Segra Field Saturday. The Washington Commanders play the Indianapolis Colts in London on Sunday. The Washington Spirit visit the Houston Dash Sunday. 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: Medium Build, “In My Room.” Nicholas Carpenter is one of the more quirky frontpeople working today, but he quickly won over the crowd when I saw him open for Tyler Childers at Jiffy Lube Live last year. Medium Build plays the 9:30 Sunday with Ken Yates. 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 plans to send as many as 10,000 fresh troops and a third aircraft carrier to the Persian Gulf as the war President Trump started with Iran in February is now in its eighth month. (WSJ) Trump threatened to hit Iran “very hard” if the US learns it had anything to do with the attack on a flight to Israel from Dubai on Wednesday. (AP) Members of the European Union will consider a plan to “release diesel stocks in response ​to US pressure to help cool surging fuel prices.” (Reuters) Meanwhile, the administration plans to defy Congress and divert military assistance for European and Middle Eastern countries to conservative-led governments in Latin America. (Washington Post) The ads: The administration took money from border security efforts to pay for campaign-style ads it’s been running on TV with taxpayer funds. (Washington Post) Customs and Border Protection officials “were cut out of the decision to use their agency’s funds.” (NBC News) Huh: In a wide-ranging interview with Time, Trump said he wanted the Oval Office to be “declared a federal landmark so no one can take down the gilded accents he’s affixed to the walls.” (Washington Sun) Using the familiar technique of telling a difficult-to-verify story that begins with someone calling him “sir,” the President also claimed the Secret Service suggested he knock down the Oval Office. (Washington Post) Administration perambulation: The Justice Department will review “whether the special prosecutor’s office that investigated the famed Watergate break-in committed misconduct.” Some Republicans view parallels between Trump and President Nixon and feel the latter may have been treated unfairly. (WSJ) A federal judge in Seattle overruled Trump’s firing of a court-appointed US Attorney in Washington state. The administration plans to appeal. (Politico) Bill Pulte, the Federal Housing Finance Agency director who has encouraged prosecutions of Trump’s perceived enemies, “moved this week to slash the inspector general’s office that scrutinizes his actions.” (NYT) Jay Clayton, the director of national intelligence, is likely to be Trump’s “AI czar.” (CBS News) FBI agents arrested a Massachusetts man and charged him with stalking former White House adviser Katie Miller. (NBC News) The family of Renee Good sued the US government and the ICE officer who shot and killed her in Minneapolis in January. (AP) The TSA banned its officers from sitting down while on the job. (Washington Post) Major League Baseball gave up on an idea to hold a game in Grand Teton National Park, saying that subsequent feedback from the public made it reconsider. (Washington Post) It’s almost time for holiday markets (believe it or not): Photograph courtesy of DowntownDC Holiday Market. Despite summerlike conditions, we’ve made it to October. You may be just starting to think about Halloween costumes, but others are looking ahead to the winter holidays. At a press conference this week, Downtown DC Holiday Market announced that the annual shopping event will run for 40 days this year, from November 13 through December 23. The 2026 market will also feature 17 new vendors, selling everything from intricately-designed press-on nails (Nailluxe) to honey in fun flavors such as raspberry blossom and ghost pepper (Laura’s Raw Honey). Opening weekend coincides with the tree lighting at CityCenterDC, so you can plan an evening of holiday spirit in downtown DC before the Thanksgiving turkey even hits the table. —Helena Getahun-Hawkins Recently on Washingtonian dot com: • The elaborate Turkish breakfasts at the Manassas restaurant My Cravingz draw fans from all over—one family even bought a house nearby to be closer. • It’s just about pumpkin-picking season. You can also make plans to hit a fall festival. • Laugh it up at a comedy show this fall. • Area designers talk about the latest kitchen trends. • The guest list for our imaginary dinner party this month. • A “Mariachi Disco”–themed wedding in Virginia. Local news links: Canoe Guy victorious: A federal judge dismissed the feds’ vandalism case against Olympic canoeist David Hearn with prejudice, saying Trump’s statements about the case raised the possibility of “a meritless, politically driven prosecution in the future.” (You should give the decision a read if you can.)  (Washington Post) Hearn is scheduled to headline a demonstration about Trump’s plans for East Potomac Park this weekend. (Washingtonian) Related: The Interior Department will pay a Maryland company more than $3 million to repair turf on the National Mall damaged by still-unknown person or persons who etched the numbers “86” and “47” into the grass. Trump also had a stage built on that spot for his July 4 fiesta. (Washington Sun) • The Right Reverend Mariann Budde announced that she’ll step down as the Episcopal bishop of Washington in June 2028. Budde, who’s become known for confronting Trump, plans to return to Minnesota. The diocese will elect a new leader in January 2028. (Religion News Service) • DoorDash apologized for supporting a Republican bill that would have limited the District’s ability to impose taxes. Blowback to the decision in DC was fierce, and DoorDash still seems to have a little trouble with local ways—its statement refers to something called the “D.C. City Council.” (Washington Sun) • The Department of Justice sued the state of Maryland and Montgomery and Prince George’s counties over bans on federal officials wearing masks. (NBC4 Washington) • Amazon agreed to pay more than $8 million to settle a lawsuit brought by Attorney General Brian Schwalb. The suit alleged Amazon excluded two Zip codes in DC—which happen to have a lot of Black residents—from speedy deliveries. (City Cast DC) • Charles Rucker pleaded guilty to killing three-year-old Honesty Cheadle in DC last July. Trump cited the toddler’s death when he declared a crime emergency in the District. Rucker will be sentenced in December. (Washington Post) • US Senator Jim Justice of West Virginia, who’s pondering a return to his old job as the state’s governor, sold a “massive stake” in the Greenbrier Resort to a New York hedge fund. (Washington Sun) • The Prince George’s County Council has awarded grants worth millions of dollars to an organization run by the best friend of Council Chair Krystal Oriadha. (NBC4 Washington) • OMG the flyovers. All these flyovers! Trump’s fascination with airborne displays of military might has landed hard on Washingtonians’ ears. (Mother Jones) • Prince Edward laid a wreath at George Washington‘s tomb at Mount Vernon yesterday. (Alexandria Living) • Police in Arlington charged an Annandale man with firing a gun while he was drunk and fishing on the Potomac. Whatever happened to freedom? (ARLnow) Weekend event picks: Friday: The Washington West Film Festival opens in Reston. Saturday: Bruce Springsteen, Foo Fighters, Tom Morello, and many more artists play the first-ever Power to the People festival at Merriweather Post Pavilion. Sunday: Take a whiskey walking tour in Mount Pleasant. See more lots more picks for the weekend from Briana Thomas, who writes our great Things to Do newsletter.The post Canoe Guy Vindicated, DoorDash Apologizes for Ticking Off DC Residents, and Holiday Market Season—Really!—Approaches first appeared on Washingtonian. ...read more read less