Dan Newman

Now through this weekend, I'll donate $1 to @51st.news for each:
- person who reposts this post
- new follower @51st.news ws gets
- new follower @maustermuhle.bsky.social gets
- new follower @christurdisani.bsky.social gets
- new follower I get

And tag/DM me your donation = I'll match it 1:1.

🟢🟡🔴 The DC Chamber of Commerce cites several council members' "consistently progressive voting records" as justification for giving them "red" ratings in their annual Performance Scorecard. Simply saying that "progressive"="bad for business" is... a choice.

D.C. Council approves ranked-choice voting, rejects rollback of tipped wage law (for now) There was plenty of action on two of D.C.'s ballot initiatives.

Rich local political reporting like this is why it's important to help @51st.news hire @maustermuhle.bsky.social full time. Donate here: 51st.news/add-staff

Chinese Students Flocked to Central Illinois. Their Food Followed.

Ah, I miss Champaign. What a great feature in the NYT:

Ambitious Filipino Venture Exits H Street Chef Paolo Dungca’s short-lived tasting room Kayu will reopen in Dupont as he looks for a new space for his all-day cafe Hiraya

Glad that the Hiraya space on H St isn't staying dark:
"...he plans to transform Hiraya’s downstairs cafe into a dual destination for wagyu smash burgers, loaded fries, and chopped cheese (Double Up) and bubble teas (Auntea Boba). Look for breakfast burritos and coffee drinks in the morning."

“CarPlay Ultra… feels more like applying an iOS-styled WinAmp skin to the speedometer.”

Maybe my opinion will change if/when I see it IRL, but right, I totally share this first impression of the “new” CarPlay.

Why do commercial spaces sit vacant? Understanding “extend and pretend”

This is an excellent explainer of why "just lower the rent" isn't always possible for filling vacancies in commercial real estate: postsuburban.substack.com/p/why-do-com...

Mentioned in passing in this article about Alero opening at The 202 in NoMa is that they're also, allegedly, taking over Kitchen Cray space on H Street. (Deep link for DCPL card holders: www-bizjournals-com.dclibrary.idm.oclc.org/washington/n...) @popville.bsky.social

What is Instagram now? Read to the end for a good chart

"But Instagram [has] effectively become three different Twitters: Instagram Stories for the people you know, the grid for people you used to know (and their weddings and babies), and Reels for probing the profoundly upsetting psychic void at the heart of our country." @garbageday.email is the best.

My kiddo has been regularly asking to watch cat videos on Instagram lately. I think Instagram has noticed.

…Not mad at it.

Important Update from Indigo In light of rising cost and our commitment to honest, fair business practices, we want to keep you informed of a new policy that Indigo has adapted. A 15% service charge will be added to all dine-in and take out orders. This helps up continue providing quality service while ensuring our team is compensated fairly. To keep things simple and affordable for our guests, additional tipping is not expected or encouraged. We appreciate you continued support and understanidng. - The Team Indigo

Indigo has added a 15% service charge… but it replaces all expectation of tip (“additional tipping is not expected or encouraged”). If you’re going to do a service fee, this is the way to do it!
@popville.bsky.social

Headline from New York Times: "Trump Administration Live Updates: Judge Scolds Government for Doing ‘Nothing’ to Return Deported Man"

Ah, a scolding! Thank goodness, that'll do it.

(And if not, maybe the judge can issue a stern glare or a wag of the finger!)

Billboard for Coca-Cola reading “$59 billion contributed to the American economy” showing a picture of a Coca-Cola truck driving across the bridge.

DC advertisers, never change.

What has the world come to when f'ing Rand Paul is the voice of reason?!?

The only good thing about O’Hare.

what booker is doing right now is an example of what i mean when i say things like “we need more ambition right now.” there is room in american politics right now for people with ambition to take big stands and reap the rewards. he’s doing it!

Trump Reimagines the Kennedy Center: Elvis, ‘Cats’ and Babe Ruth (Gift Article) A recording of President Trump’s private remarks at a Kennedy Center board meeting shows that he mused about bestowing honors on dead celebrities and people from outside the arts.

Good lord.

Lady Gaga's Monster Return — Switched On Pop A tour through Lady Gaga's inspiration, imitation, and self references on Mayhem’s Museum of Brutality

Loved this episode of @switchedonpop.bsky.social digging deep into the references and influences of the new Lady Gaga album:

Presumably they'll (eventually) rename/number the concourses when they do tear down C/D (next decade)?

I know the world’s expensive, and airports are even more so, but $8 for a single Auntie Anne’s pretzel is objectively nuts. 🥨

Oh, I'm so excited for this. LOVED Season 1.

Enraging. Infuriating. If Senate Dems don't block this—and I doubt they will—this is going to fuck over the 700,000 of us who live in the nation's capital for no reason at all. It doesn't even save any federal dollars!

Searching for settings in all the wrong places Search and ye shall not find To say that it has been controversial every time Apple rejiggers Settings on any of their platforms is putting it mildly. It is evident that whatever iOS does with Sett…

Ah, this this this! Search in Settings is probably the most obnoxiously frustrating piece of iOS, mainly because it could easily be made so much better.

18F was doing exactly the type of work that DOGE claims to want – yet we were eliminated shortly after midnight. Read our letter to the American people:
18f.org

Bezos and the bad opinions brigade Plus, ticket relief for low-income drivers, why restaurant workers unionize, and more.

Please consider becoming a member of @51st.news to help them build a sustainable local newsroom for DC that doesn't suck:

The pettiness and cruelty of these decisions is appalling.

Please enter your DC Public Library Card or DC One Card number to access our online resources. Do not enter any spaces between numbers.

(Deep link for @dcpubliclibrary.bsky.social cardholders: www-bizjournals-com.dclibrary.idm.oclc.org/washington/n...)

Former Union Station leaseholder wants to stop $505M payout - Washington Business Journal Amtrak has agreed to pay $505 million for its Union Station takeover. Not so fast, Ashkenazy says.

Can someone explain to me how the former Union Station leaseholder—who lost their lease to their lender through foreclosure—has any standing to stop the eminent domain settlement between the lender and Amtrak? Is this just throwing spaghetti at the wall or is there something to this?

Voting for the Mayor Who Promised to Blow Up the City Doesn’t Mean I Approve of the Mayor Blowing Up the City It’s so easy to label people these days. From the way folks have been talking, you’d think everyone falls into two buckets: those who voted against...

"You know what? At least he is doing something. It may kill a lot of people. It may leave others without homes or jobs. But I respect a man of action, regardless of what that action is and whether or not it’s going to make things better or worse."