Good morning. Sunny with a high around 70 today. A low near 49 overnight. The Wizards visit Charlotte this evening.  How well do you know the District? Play our 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 ema il address below. This roundup is available as a morning email newsletter. Sign up here. I can’t stop listening to Continuals, “Second Floor Tom.” The guitar that opens this song from the DC band’s recent album sounds so good. They play Rhizome tonight with Via Ferrata and Devin Ocampo Jerry Busher.  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 Anchored down US Attorney General Todd Blanche said his department was “doing our own research” with regard to a lawsuit it filed Friday. (CBS News) That action seeks to preemptively block certifying Alaska’s close US Senate race if GOP incumbent Dan S. Sullivan loses to former US Representative Mary Peltola in a ranked-choice field that also includes a candidate named Dan J. Sullivan. President Trump said he ordered up the court action. (NYT) The suit, whose animating argument one law professor called “one of the worst ones I’ve ever seen,” does not seem to have a rosy future in court. (Politico) Democrats asked for it to be dismissed Friday. (NBC News) Peltola was injured in a vehicular collision in Anchorage Saturday and rescheduled events planned for yesterday and today. (Washington Post) Voter city Trump called Democratic GOP US Senate nominee Abdul El-Sayed a “jihadist” during a rally for El-Sayed’s opponent, former US Representative Mike Rogers, in Port Huron, Michigan, Sunday. The President also complimented the posteriors of Nicki Minaj, who campaigned with him, and US Senator Jon Husted of Ohio. (NYT) Former President Obama visited the Mitten over the weekend and said that rather than draining the so-called “swamp” in DC, Trump had drained only the Reflecting Pool. (NBC News) Administration perambulation Iran has stepped up plans to attack US diplomatic personnel abroad, according to intelligence reports. (Axios) Former Trump pal Jeffrey Epstein has become a surprise part of messaging efforts by the Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen, who’ve stressed ties between Saudi Arabian officials and the deceased, disgraced financier. (NYT) Democrats plan more investigations into Epstein if they win power in next week’s midterm elections. (Bloomberg) Trump officials have floated ousted Hungarian strongman Viktor Orbán as the UN’s next secretary-general, and Russia and China appear to be on board with the idea, too. (WSJ) Catholic bishops said they regretted a visit to the White House after it released video of them praying with Trump. If only someone could have foreseen this administration politicizing a religious event! (AP) White House attorneys are toying with the idea of a mass pardon for junior staffers to shield them from congressional probes. (Washington Sun) An appeals court in California “appears poised to reject the Justice Department’s last-minute bid to force California election workers to set aside ballots the Trump administration claims may be cast by noncitizens.” (Politico) Trump attended the rehearsal dinner for Sean Hannity and Ainsley Earhardt at Mar-a-Lago on Friday. (Hill) Britt McHenry resigned as a US State Department press adviser following reports that she threw a drink at someone during an altercation at a Washington Wizards game. (ABC News) The Best Thing I Ordered Last Week, by Ann Limpert Photo by Ann Limpert. Our food team has been on the steakhouse beat for the past couple of months—stay tuned for December’s cover package—and I’ve sampled a lot of dirty martinis along the way. With the caveat that I like ’em really briny, my favorite so far has been the “freezer martini” at Bazaar Meat, José Andrés’s luxe mezzanine restaurant at the Waldorf-Astoria. Olive-oil-washing the vodka gives the drink some smoothness and body, but my favorite part is the sidecar of straight olive juice on the side, which you can mix in or sip as you go. Plus, there are even more olives to snack on. Recently on Washingtonian dot com • From a scenic train ride to a winery visit, here are seven ideas for spectacular fall activities. • This six-bedroom mid-century modern house in Forest Hills boasts floor-to-ceiling windows, lots of privacy, and terrific proximity to Rock Creek Park. • Local hosting mavens share their must-have tools for holiday festivities. Local news links • Bob Woodward will out “a parade of Washington insiders who leaked him classified information” in his new memoir out next month. (Washington Post) • The Baltimore punk band Turnstile played before 60,000 people at a free concert on the National Mall Saturday. Attendees donated $150,000 to deliver humanitarian aid in Gaza, Lebanon, and Sudan. (Washington Post) There are lots of great photos of the show out there, but I’m partial to those taken by Pat Graham. (Instagram) • José Andrés inserted himself into Initiative 86, the DC ballot measure that would ban foie gras. “So we are banning all meats? If Duck goes, all goes next?” the celebrity chef wrote. (City Cast DC) • Work trucks at East Potomac Park illegally covered their logos and license plates. (Washington Sun) • This summer’s DC Grand Prix is officially a one-off: There’s no local race on IndyCar’s schedule for next season. (NBC4 Washington) • Metro plans to run fully automated trains, perhaps by 2033, which is a good head start for making alternate arrangements if that prospect freaks you out. (AP) • Virginia’s Kyle King and Colorado’s Kaylee Slade won the men’s and women’s races, respectively, at Sunday’s Marine Corps Marathon. (ABC7) • The mother of a man who died in police custody in Alexandria last year sued the city and two cops over his death. (Alexandria Brief) • Reminder: The annual 17th Street High Heel Race will take place tomorrow. (Washington Blade) The post You May Not Want to Be in the Index of Bob Woodward’s New Book, Turnstile Rocked the Mall, and Britt McHenry Loses Government Job After Wizards Incident first appeared on Washingtonian. ...read more read less