Several spots around the National Mall are getting glow-ups ahead of the 250th anniversary of America's founding next year.

The big picture: D.C. will go all out for the semiquincentennial (new vocab word alert!), with a lineup of exhibits, events and festivals planned surrounding the July 4 bash.

• Think: Displays of important national documents, including the 19th Amendment; a special National Museum of American History exhibit, with pieces such as Thomas Jefferson's desk; and a month-long celebration hosted by the Smithsonian.

Meanwhile, the National Park Service and the Trust for the National Mall are investing almost half a billion dollars in improvements to the Mall to get it ready for a big HBD.

Here are some of the projects in the works:

🚀 National Air and Space Museum: The museum's years-long renovation kicked off in 2018. The building's exterior is finished and eight exhibits are open, with five additional exhibition spaces expected to open this summer, says a museum spokesperson.

• Expect more galleries to open in time for the 250th celebration next year — which is also the museum's 50th anniversary.

Plus: The final design for the Bezos Learning Center is expected to be released this summer, with construction kicking off next year, per a spokesperson.

🏛️ Lincoln Memorial: The $69 million upgrade includes the addition of a 15,000-square-foot exhibit space under the building, new bathrooms and a bigger bookstore.

• While the memorial is still open to the public, construction will be finished by July 2026.

🌸 Tidal Basin: The $113 million project — the most expensive NPS has ever designed — will replace 6,800 feet of sinking seawalls and add larger walkways.

• To be finished by spring 2026, when new cherry trees will be planted, per NPS.

More glow-ups!

The D.C. Council voted yesterday to allow lawmakers and the mayor to hold secret meetings.

Why it matters: Despite concerns about government transparency, councilmembers voted to allow more closed-door meetings to discuss economic development projects, political strategizing in the Trump era, and difficult budget conversations.

Only two councilmembers voted against the bill, which was introduced as emergency legislation and would take effect immediately with Mayor Muriel Bowser's signature.

• Councilmember Charles Allen, who voted against the bill, unsuccessfully offered an amendment that would have narrowed what kinds of discussions could be held in private meetings. It failed four votes to eight.

Council Chair Phil Mendelson said the current Open Meetings law was too onerous on the council, which has in the past tried to have meetings on confidential topics like negotiations for the renovation of Capital One Arena.

• The new law will make it easier for councilmembers to have those closed-door meetings on a whim, whereas in the past they have faced scrutiny from the press and legal observers.

What's next: The change would stay in effect for up to 90 days under emergency legislation. The council is moving a permanent version, which is expected to include a public hearing.

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D.C. has the highest gender pay gap in the DMV, according to 2023 census data.

By the numbers: The median pay for D.C. working women in 2023 was about $15,500 less than for men, according to data from the Census Bureau's American Community Survey.

• In Maryland, the pay gap is closer to $11,000. In Virginia, it's under $15,000.

Yes, but: The District's median income is among the highest in the country, over $81,000 in 2023. Men made an average $91,000, and women over $75,000.

Zoom out: The pay gender gap has narrowed the U.S. over the past 20-odd years, according to Pew analysis. Last year, women earned an average of 85% of what men earned, compared to 81% in 2003.

A Salvadorian national legally living in Maryland was wrongly deported to a notorious El Salvador mega-prison. His wife, a U.S. citizen, is suing, but the Justice Department says there's little they can do to get him back. (Axios)

🚨 Unlicensed food trucks are fleecing customers (think $100 for ice creams) at popular D.C. tourist spots like the National Mall, city officials warn. While D.C. ups enforcement, officials recommend looking for transparent menus and "DLCP" verification stickers. (WTOP)

🏀 The University of Maryland has a new coach for Terps men's basketball: Buzz Williams, a "proven winner" coming from six seasons with Texas A&M. (Bleacher Report)

🗓️ Mark your calendar with our Event Board.

GWRCCC Earth Day 5k Walk & Green Expo at National Mall on April 19: Join them to celebrate Earth Day on the Nation Mall behind the U.S. Capitol. 5k Walk, exhibitors, alternative fuel vehicles, prizes and lots of fun for the entire family.

Hosting an event? Email [email protected].

Elon Musk's chainsaw-wielding tour of the federal bureaucracy as a special government employee will eventually come to a close, President Trump suggested to reporters this week.

The big picture: As Musk guides a team throughout a dramatic upheaval of federal agencies at a breakneck pace, he's on a tight timeline as a "special government employee." That designation means he is confined to 130 days of service during a one-year period.

Driving the news: "He's got a big company to run ... At some point he's going to be going back," Trump said of the richest man in the world Monday. "He wants to. I'd keep him as long as I could keep him."

• He added that the heads of agencies who worked with DOGE had "learned a lot," saying, "I think some of them may try to keep the DOGE people with them, but at a certain point ... it will end."
• Trump continued, "There will be a point at which the secretaries will be able to do this work."

Musk, in an interview alongside DOGE aides with Fox News' Bret Baier, said he expected to accomplish "most of the work required to reduce the deficit by $1 trillion" within the 130-day timeframe.

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