Mr. Mendelson goes to the Hill

1 big thing — Town Talker: Mr. Mendelson goes to the Hill

On the job hunt? 

2. Zoom in: 👴🏻 Mendo's influence

Phil Mendelson close-up picture of his face in his office

Old 9:30 Club replica is coming soon to D.C.

3. Punk is(n't) dead

4. Around the Beltway: State of the unions

Illustration of a text-message balloon that looks like the Washington D.C. flag, with the stars fading in and out like a text-message waiting animation.

☀️ Today's weather: Sunny with highs in the upper 50s. Enjoy it!

📍Situational awareness: NFL commissioner Roger Goodell says that if Dan Snyder sells the Washington Commanders before an investigation into the organization's conduct is finished, the league is "committed to releasing the findings" to the public anyway. 

Snyder has received two bids for the team, per anonymous sources who spoke to AP and ESPN.

Today's newsletter is 969 words — a 4-minute read.

Today's newsletter was edited by Fadel Allassan and copy edited by Patricia Guadalupe.

Washington D.C.

A daily look at the most significant and interesting stories affecting Washington, DC. Written by Chelsea Cirruzzo, Cuneyt Dil and Paige Hopkins.

Axios D.C.

There's angst over D.C. crime in the sports capital

1 big thing: 🥊 Angst in the sports capital

Ted Leonsis stands outside Capital One Arena

2. 🌸 Pic du jour: Blooming, but not yet peaking

Mayor Bowser proposes bus service cuts

3. ✂️ Bus cuts

4. Around the Beltway: Pay your way!

Illustration of a DC Metro station with a train passing through.

A new career is waiting for you

5. The Weekender: Kites, plays and soccer

Illustration of the Lincoln Memorial wearing pink sunglasses and a lei made of cherry blossom flowers.

🌧 Today's weather: Rainy and windy with highs in the mid-70s.

🏛 Sen. Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.), Rep. Mike Gallagher (R-Wis.), and White House Office of Science and Technology Policy Director Arati Prabhakar join the mainstage speaker lineup for Axios’ second annual What’s Next Summit on Wednesday, March 29! Watch LIVE here.

Today's newsletter is 952 words — a 3.5-minute read.

🍦 One buck scoops: New York-based ice cream shop Van Leeuwen, known for fresh ingredients and wild flavors like ranch and mac and cheese, will open a new Union Market location today. Get $1 scoops between noon and 4pm.

Today's newsletter was edited by Fadel Allassan and copy edited by Bill Kole.

Downtown D.C.'s new pro gaming venue

1 big thing: 🎮 Downtown’s new game

The entrance to District E at Gallery Place.

Take your career to the next level

Why D.C. smelled like smoke Monday

2. 👃 About that smell ...

A National Weather Service tweet that says smoke smell may be linked to a wildfire in eastern North Carolina

3. Around the Beltway: Red bottoms

Illustration of a bass drum, a snare drum, a conga drum and a hi-hat, playing. 

4. 🇺🇸 Headed for new life

5. Ⓜ️ Stat du jour: 345,000

⛅ Today's weather: Partly sunny with highs in the mid-50s. 

🔮 Axios’ second-annual What’s Next Summit is happening all day tomorrow, March 29, starting at 8:10am! Check out our day-of agenda featuring interviews with music producer Timbaland, Sen. Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.), Whole Foods Market CEO Jason Buechel, and more. Register here to livestream the event.

Today's newsletter is 751 words — a 3-minute read.

🌸 In 1910, our beloved cherry blossoms were burned. 

That's right—the first batch of blossoms sent from Tokyo were reported to be diseased and it was deemed necessary to burn 2,000 of them, the Library of Congress says. 

Despite some embarrassment for both the U.S. and Japan, Tokyo sent a new batch in 1912, letting us visit them for peak bloom today.

Your guide to Nats Park in 2023

1 big thing: ⚾️ 2023 Nats Park cheat sheet

2. Speed pitch

How to score the cheap seats at Nationals Park

3. How to score the cheap seats

4. Around the Beltway: In the Elite Eight

Illustration of a blue crab carrying a jumbo slice of pizza.

Is a new job in your future? 

New, longer hours for D.C.'s big rec centers

5.🤸‍♀️ Rec center hours go up

A person kicks a soccer ball on a turf field with the Edgewood Recreation Center building in the background

6. 🪁 1 pic to go

Happy Monday! We have a special baseball edition for you today! ⚾ 

🌧 Today's weather:  Showers likely, mainly between 8am and 5pm. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 60.  

Today's newsletter is 974 words — a 3.5-minute read.

⚽️ Congratulations to the Washington Spirit for winning their home opener yesterday!

Today's newsletter was edited by Fadel Allassan and copy edited by David Chiu.

1 big thing: 🌟 The museum must-see of 2023

A museum exhibit with a mostly red and orange background. In the foreground is a superhero suit wore by Black Panther in a glass case.

2. 🚀 Museum red carpet 

D.C.'s new football team is the Defenders

3. 🏈 Your new football team

Thefts of Kias and Hyundais are up in D.C.

4. Kia and Hyundai thefts up

New jobs to check out

5. ✈️ Around the Beltway: Ease on down the runway

Illustration of the Axios logo growing a cherry blossom branch.

Today's weather: Rain 😩 with more of the same tomorrow. On the bright side, Sunday will be sunny and warm.

🪁 Situational awareness: The National Cherry Blossom Kite Festival has been moved to Sunday from 10am-4pm in front of the Washington Monument.

🌸 Happy Peak Bloom! The National Park Service announced that we officially reached the spring milestone yesterday afternoon.

Today's newsletter is 943 words — a 3.5-minute read.

🌸 Chelsea is showing family around for blossom szn.

👟 Cuneyt is curious after reading about D.C.'s long obsession with New Balance sneakers: When did the city's Nike Foamposite era begin?

Editor’s note: The first item in yesterday's newsletter has been clarified to show that Monumental is paying for a 20% increase in off-duty D.C. officers this season.

D.C.'s long obsession with New Balance sneakers

Over a year ago, when Republicans were still raring to retake the House, they began plotting their investigations. Among their targets were Hunter Biden, COVID-19 origins … and D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser.

Not on their minds then: Phil Mendelson, the mild-mannered, mustachioed 70-year-old chair of the progressively minded D.C. Council.

Why it matters: The House GOP is going deeper into D.C. affairs than in decades, turning the nation’s capital into their punching bag for all things gone wrong in urban America. Mendelson is the man in the middle.

Driving the news: Mendelson on Wednesday will stare up at James Comer of Kentucky and his colleagues on the House Oversight Committee. For roughly four hours, they plan to scrutinize the District over crime, pandemic-era school shutdowns, and city finances.

Comer has dubbed the hearing the “Overdue Oversight of the Capital City: Part I,” hinting at further inquisitions. A GOP push to overturn police reforms in D.C. is likely to advance in committee shortly after.

Not invited: Mayor Bowser, who has been in rare agreement with Republicans over policing and crime.

Catch up quick: Republicans portrayed the D.C. Council as soft on crime when earlier this month they blocked its reform of the criminal code.

Mendelson tried to forestall the embarrassment of Democrats and President Biden joining to overturn a D.C. law with a Hail Mary attempt to withdraw the reform bill. But Congress ignored that maneuver. (For his part, Mendelson still believes the bill was removed, and he called Biden’s signature “moot.”)

Meet Mendo: The withdrawal blunder was an uncharacteristic misstep for the process-obsessed Mendelson. Behind the scenes, he's described as deliberative and shrewd.

But unusual for a person who holds the second-most powerful position in local politics, he lacks a kitchen cabinet of political advisers — at a time when wise counsel is sorely needed to battle the Hill. “I recognize the fatal flaw in not seeking advice,” he told me in an interview.

Over several years, one of Mendelson’s advisers in times of war and peace was his ex, Ana Harvey, head of the Greater Washington Hispanic Chamber of Commerce and a former D.C. official. But Mendelson says Harvey “broke up with me in November.” (Harvey confirmed the breakup.)

What they’re saying: “The last month has certainly been his worst in office,” says Gregory McCarthy, an ex-adviser to former Mayor Anthony Williams, a technocrat who steered D.C. out of its last great clash with Capitol Hill in the 1990s.

“It’s up to Phil to quell all the angst and trepidation about where the city is going,” McCarthy added.

Zoom in: Mendelson has immense sway over how the city spends money.

As a transactional leader, his politics over eleven years as council chair has waffled between fiscal restraint and liberal desires, like wanting to make D.C. the first major U.S. city to have free buses — a battle being waged against the mayor.

Mendelson and the originator of the free transit idea, council member Charles Allen, want to find over $40 million annually to eliminate Metrobus fares in D.C. Bowser has panned the idea, and the city’s chief financial officer, Glen Lee, said the city’s declining economy meant funding for it had dried up — a judgment that Mendelson and Allen are fighting.

When it comes to development, Mendelson errs on the side of moderation. He insists on no new football stadium at RFK, a position endorsed by neighbors who would despise the traffic. The stalled revitalization of the 190-acre site has agonized the mayor and D.C. Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton.

Mendelson wants Congress to bar a future sports stadium from being built on the federally owned land before it is transferred to the District.

The irony: Mendelson wants Congress to intervene.

Between the lines: A top criticism of Mendelson I’ve heard is that he lacks a sweeping vision. That’s partly confirmed by his answer for how to revive downtown: “I think we need to pursue a short-term strategy, not a long-term strategy,” he told me.

He wants to improve “the perception of public safety downtown” and create more activities, “whether it’s theaters at night or it’s BBQ festivals during the day.”

Bowser, by contrast, wants more construction to welcome 15,000 new residents by 2028.

In a peculiarity for the leader of any elected body, Mendelson has lorded over public schools oversight, dismantling a standalone education committee in 2021 to take it under his purview. (My review of 50 state legislatures found that separate committees focused on education exist in all of them.)

Advocates say his office is like a de facto school board, fielding complaints from parents and activists who are angry about campus budget cuts or, say, unsolved HVAC repairs (there are plenty to go around).

The intrigue: Politically, Mendelson is at war with one-time ally council member and former D.C. Mayor Vincent Gray. Mendelson stripped much of Gray’s powers as Health Committee chair after Gray suffered a stroke. Mendelson said he acted after fellow council members expressed concern about Gray’s ability to work. Gray alleged discrimination, filing a human rights complaint.

The bottom line: Mendelson has one of the trickiest budgets since the Great Recession to deal with over the next month, as city revenues decline and the mayor proposes cuts to council priorities.

💬 Town Talker is a weekly column on local politics and power. Drop me a line about the talk of the town: cuneyt@axios.com

Phil Mendelson is the man in the middle of House Republicans' move to turn D.C. into a punching bag.

Phil Mendelson is confronting Congress. Photo: Astrid Riecken/The Washington Post via Getty Images

Washington, D.C.

Town Talker

Over a year ago, when Republicans were still raring to retake the House, they began plotting their investigations. Among their <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="targets" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/2022/03/01/house-gop-investigations-hunter-biden-covid" data-vars-content-id="2e7b1233-0c6f-4e97-9fcb-f06d276b86c7" data-vars-headline="Mr. Mendelson goes to the Hill" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/2022/03/01/house-gop-investigations-hunter-biden-covid" target="_self">targets</a> were Hunter Biden, COVID-19 origins … and D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser.Not on their minds then: Phil Mendelson, the mild-mannered, mustachioed 70-year-old chair of the progressively minded D.C. Council.Why it matters: The House GOP is going deeper into D.C. affairs than in decades, turning the nation’s capital into their punching bag for all things gone wrong in urban America. Mendelson is the man in the middle.

Politics

Inside Washington’s pro sports world, there’s angst over crime. It’s leading Capital One Arena’s owners to beef up security, and businesses around Nationals Park to hire new patrol officers.

Why it matters: The District’s sports arenas are magnets for tens of thousands of Washingtonians and suburbanites, especially when there’s little other reason to be downtown — even if the Wiz are floundering and star players flee the Nats.

What I’m hearing: Ted Leonsis, who is in charge of the Monumental Sports & Entertainment group that owns the Wizards and Capitals, has expressed displeasure with the safety and quality of life surrounding Capital One Arena, according to an insider who spoke to him about it late last year and requested anonymity to describe a private conversation.

Police data shows there were 80 more incidents of overall crime within 1,000 feet of Capital One Arena over the past two years compared with 2019 to 2021. That includes more robberies and crimes with a gun. Last November, a double shooting occurred after a concert.

Be smart: Before panicking, it’s good to note that crime in D.C. is down overall. But businesses are increasingly worried that clusters of violence, and a public perception of disorder, are damaging Washington’s recovery.

Monumental Sports is investing in 20% more off-duty D.C. police officers around the arena this season, spokesperson told Axios.

They’re also building a new security operations center at the arena, have gotten approval from the city for traffic barriers on F Street and hired more security directors.

Behind the scenes: Monumental’s representatives earlier this month met with council members and the Downtown D.C. Business Improvement District, a group funded by a levy on local businesses.

The area’s council member, Brooke Pinto, says she’s been "working for many months" to "improve the situation around the arena," including ensuring a "robust police presence" and social services.

Gerren Price, the head of the Downtown BID, says he’s aware of Monumental’s concerns and wants a "path to reimagining what the city’s downtown can be, including safe, welcoming, and well-managed public spaces."

Between the lines: Leonsis and Monumental haven’t gone public with their concerns.

As one person outside the worlds of sports and government put it to me, a real estate agent wouldn’t complain about crime surrounding their home listing.

Monumental also wouldn’t want to bite the hand that feeds it, lest it poison ties with Mayor Muriel Bowser. (At Bowser’s budget unveiling on Wednesday, Council member Kenyan McDuffie channeled the concerns of the biz community when he prodded Bowser to address crime downtown. The mayor noted she needs to balance police resources across the city, including in areas seeing a spike in murders, and called on the BIDs to step up.)

Down around Nationals Park, crime has dropped. But a high-profile targeted killing outside the stadium led to a "heated discussion" in November between merchants and community leaders at Silver Diner, said the restaurant chain’s founder, Bob Giaimo.

A ringleader of sorts, Giaimo worked with landlords, shopowners and the Capitol Riverfront BID to collect $275,000 to hire off-duty Metropolitan Police Department officers to patrol N and Half streets SE.

The officers began posting about a month ago. Walkie-talkies were given to shopkeepers and building concierges to directly reach the cops. "They become embedded in the community," says Michael Stevens, head of the BID.

"I would say to Leonsis, look at what we’re doing," says Giaimo, calling it a model for community policing. "He can do it, too."

💬 Nats Park opening day is next Thursday. Town Talker is a weekly column on local politics. Drop me a line about what your friends are chatting about: cuneyt@axios.com

Editor’s note: This story has been clarified to show that Monumental is paying for a 20% increase in off-duty D.C. officers this season.

Businesses are increasingly worried that clusters of violence, and a public perception of disorder, are damaging Washington’s recovery.

Ted Leonsis (left) leads Monumental Sports. Photo: Scott Taetsch/Getty Images

Inside Washington’s pro sports world, there’s angst over crime. It’s leading Capital One Arena’s owners to beef up security, and businesses around Nationals Park to hire new patrol officers.Why it matters: The District’s sports arenas are magnets for tens of thousands of Washingtonians and suburbanites, especially when there’s little other reason to be downtown — even if the Wiz are floundering and star players flee the Nats.

News

Back in ancient times, Washington was known as a football town with a team that played in Super Bowls. These days, you gotta go to Audi Field — not FedEx Field in Maryland — to find what’s being called the "best fanbase" in a league.

We’re talking about the Defenders, not the Commanders. They wear red and white uniforms and play in what’s called the XFL — and their fans have been rocking the 20,000-seater stadium in Buzzard Point.

And we should mention: They’re undefeated!

When it comes to the Defenders, everyone’s talking about the Beer Snake — made out of hundreds of cups of beer that are stacked on top of one another after fans gulp down their beverages.

A Beer Snake in the wild. Photo: Scott Taetsch/Getty Images

Tickets at Audi Field start at $18 for Monday’s matchup with the Houston Roughnecks. It will be live on ESPN2.

The big picture: The 10-team XFL was founded by Vince McMahon, the creator of WWE wrestling, before it shut down because of financial woes during the pandemic. In 2020, Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson bought the league for about $15 million with private equity firm RedBird Capital Partners and Dany Garcia.

The season runs until May, and four teams advance to the playoffs to crown a champion.

State of play: The Defenders are the best team in the league with five wins so far. The team beat the St. Louis Battlehawks 28-20 last weekend.

Who to watch: Since his debut, quarterback D’Eriq King has befuddled defenses with his running skills, rushing for five touchdowns. The 25-year-old played college ball at the University of Houston and the University of Miami.

Photo: Jonathan Newton/The Washington Post via Getty Images

Back in ancient times, Washington was known as a football town with a team that played in Super Bowls. These days, you gotta go to Audi Field — not FedEx Field in Maryland — to find what’s being called the &quot;<a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="best fanbase" data-vars-click-url="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g7Tt_NeN5ks" data-vars-content-id="877581a2-f503-4ea1-b03d-b1192edf49af" data-vars-headline="D.C.&#x27;s new football team is the Defenders" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g7Tt_NeN5ks" target="_blank">best fanbase</a>&quot; in a league.<ul><li>We’re talking about the Defenders, not the Commanders. They wear red and white uniforms and play in what’s called the XFL — and their fans have been rocking the 20,000-seater stadium in Buzzard Point.</li></ul>

Sports

Eight big D.C. recreation centers start extended hours today.

Why it matters: Your neighborhood rec center may have a dance studio, splash park, basketball court and fitness center — free to use for D.C. residents.

What’s happening: Weekday hours are extending from eight to 15 hours, and Saturday hours are doubling from four to eight hours. At the following sites, new weekday hours are 6am to 9pm and Saturday hours are 9am to 5pm:

Columbia Heights Community Center (1480 Girard St. NW)

Emery Heights Community Center (5701 Georgia Ave. NW)

Turkey Thicket Recreation Center (1100 Michigan Ave. NE)

Edgewood Recreation Center (301 Franklin St. NE)

Deanwood Community Center (1350 49th St. NE)

Kenilworth Recreation Center (4321 Ord St. NE)

Rosedale Recreation Center (1701 Gales St. NE)

Barry Farm Recreation Center (1230 Sumner Rd. SE)

What’s next: In April, hours will expand at 37 additional rec centers.

Weekday hours are extending from eight to 15 hours at the locations.

Edgewood is one of the rec centers going extended hours. Photo: Craig Hudson for The Washington Post via Getty Images

Eight big D.C. recreation centers start extended hours today.Why it matters: Your neighborhood rec center may have a dance studio, splash park, basketball court and fitness center — free to use for D.C. residents.

Things to Do

A burning smell across the D.C. region Monday was linked to a large wildfire in Eastern North Carolina.

Driving the news: Washingtonians started noticing haze and a smokey smell outside, leading fire departments region-wide to assure the public that no large fires were occurring in the area.

Fire department and National Weather Service officials said it may be due to wind patterns bringing smoke from hundreds of miles away.

The wildfire covered 5,200 acres and was 34% contained as of Sunday, local media reported.

Two elementary school students in Alexandria were not feeling well due to the smoke, the Washington Post reported.

💨 Flashback: In 2021, wildfire smoke from California reached the East Coast.

Washingtonians started noticing haze and a smokey smell outside.

A burning smell across the D.C. region Monday was linked to a large wildfire in Eastern North Carolina.Driving the news: Washingtonians started noticing haze and a smokey smell outside, leading fire departments region-wide to assure the public that no large fires were occurring in the area.

Cuneyt Dil

Stories

Mr. Mendelson goes to the Hill

Why D.C. smelled like smoke Monday

New, longer hours for D.C.'s big rec centers

D.C.'s new football team is the Defenders

There's angst over D.C. crime in the sports capital

Newsletter editions

👴🏻 Mendo on the Hill

🎮 Ultimate gaming hub

⚾️ It's ball time

👀 Afrofuturism on display

🏟️ Arena crime safeguards