Yikes: MAGA prosecutor tries to connect with D.C. residents
Plus, D.C. budget in limbo, some fun solo dates around town, and more.
Hey everyone,
The weeks are not necessarily getting better, but they are getting brighter. Take a moment to feel some sunshine on your face today.
As for us at The 51st, we're hoping this newsletter adds something joyful or useful, however small, to your day. This week we've got a breakdown of new U.S. Attorney for D.C. Ed Martin's first public meeting with local residents. It was not easy for the Trump appointee ... you could say attendees didn't take kindly to his mentions of USAID in a forum ostensibly about D.C. public safety.
We've also got the latest on D.C.'s congressional budget fiasco and – in a new format for us – a civics roundup, where you can find a list of important local meetings and other ways to get involved in your neighborhood.
For some fun, the team also compiled a list of our favorite local places to go on a solo date. Maybe it'll help you with some weekend plans.
Ok, enough from me – read on!
–Natalie Delgadillo
Residents grill D.C.'s new MAGA prosecutor in first public meeting
They seemed cautiously open to Ed Martin's pledge to tamp down on gun crime, but less enthused by his takes on USAID.
House in no apparent rush to close D.C.'s $1.1 billion budget hole
Reminder: The House is responsible for blowing that hole in the budget in the first place.
51st dates: Solo edition
We've rounded up some of our favorite ways to spend time by ourselves in D.C. We know ... a brave suggestion amid the American Loneliness Crisis! But sometimes you end up alone, by choice or by circumstance. Here's how to make it fun.
Your weekly civics roundup
Welcome to our revamped Civics Roundup! We worried this was getting lost at the bottom of our Thursday newsletter, so we're giving it a new home that we hope will make it easier to share and use. Each week, we list some ways to get engaged in the city – whether that’s protesting, organizing with your neighbors, or testifying before your councilmembers.
ICYMI: Our Paid Family Leave explainer is now available in Spanish
Hannah Parker
Wash Rag
Where we highlight and discuss local gossip.
This week in: “That’s fun!” As a part of the promo-circuit for her upcoming album release, indie star Lucy Dacus had a photoshoot in Ben’s Chili Bowl for a Them Magazine profile. Turns out, Dacus, a Richmond native, frequented Ben’s when she was in D.C. playing some of her first shows. (She likes the milkshakes.) And another fun fact that matters to a very specific group of people: she and her bandmate/best friend/current girlfriend Julien Baker met at DC9.
And this week in: “That’s brain-meltingly dumb even for you!” Beetlejuice vaper Rep. Lauren Boebert wants to rename the District of Columbia to District of America, because she thinks the “C” in D.C. stands for Colombia the country, not Columbia like … Christopher Columbus.
Here's more news you may have missed this week:
- Federal agents attempted to arrest a healthcare worker at H.D. Cooke elementary School in Adams Morgan. [WJLA]
- The Kennedy Center laid off seven employees working on its "social impact" initiative, which provided outreach to underserved communities. [NPR]
- Senators pressed the FAA head on Thursday about missed warning signs before the deadly crash at DCA earlier this year. [The Post]
- The Capital Area Food Bank says Trump's USDA cuts could affect their services. [WBJ]
- Read about the priorities and challenges of an ANC commissioner who is also a resident in the D.C. Jail. [Prison Journalism Project]
- The Washington Spirit's general manager, Mark Krikorian, has stepped down from his post after his three-year contract ended. [ESPN]
- Take a gander at the fancy thermal baths, pools, and saunas apparently in store for the new "urban oasis" in the works at Poplar Point. [Axios DC]
- Local federal workers facing chaos thanks to DOGE are scrambling to fill gaps in childcare. [730 DC]
- D.C. ended its contract with the Human Rescue Alliance at the start of 2025, which meant it had to scramble to find homes for around 100 dogs in its care at the end of last year. [WCP]
- A guide to eating and drinking inside Nationals Park. [Washingtonian]
OK, that's all from us. Have a great weekend!
Natalie
