One of the biggest unanswered questions about President Trump's $22.5 billion remake of Dulles Airport is how it'll be financed.

Why it matters: Industry experts say airlines could pass at least some of the project's costs on to travelers.

👀 One figure already stands out: the airport's projected cost per enplanement — the average cost airlines pay the airport for each departing passenger.

• Currently, Dulles' is around $10. But according to the renovation plan, acquired by D.C. travel writer Edward Russell, that figure jumps to $90.64 by project completion in 2035.
• "That would be astronomical. United complains about Newark, which is $27," says industry analyst Robert Mann. "It doesn't make any sense to me."
• Mann says airlines typically pass higher airport costs on to passengers, while high fees can steer budget carriers away.

United Airlines — Dulles' largest carrier and partner on the project — didn't comment.

• But Bloomberg writer Kriston Capps noted that United appears to be betting that the project stays on budget, passengers accept "higher prices," and increased traffic will eventually lower average costs.
• "If anything goes wrong," Capps wrote on X, "the consequences of cost overruns for DMV customers will be enormous."

State of play: Like other major U.S. airport projects, the main funding source will be municipal bonds issued by the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority, as United confirmed last week.

🤨 Yes, but: "Right now, they have been so vague about how they intend to finance this," Henry Harteveldt, founder of Atmosphere Research Group tells Axios. It's still unclear how much debt United, the other airlines or MWAA will ultimately shoulder.

Follow the money: MWAA doesn't rely on taxpayer money, and Harteveldt doesn't expect public dollars to pay for the terminals.

• But Mann notes that some public-private airport projects — like in New York and New Jersey — have ultimately used taxpayer funding.

🔎 Between the lines: Airlines could lead the charge to scale back the project's ambitions if costs climb.

• Every U.S. airport chief wants to replicate Singapore's extravagant airport, Harteveldt says. "And then they look at the bill."
• That could mean delaying some terminal buildouts or nixing flourishes like fountains or marble.
• "We can do without the angels singing from heaven," Harteveldt says. "That's happening right now in Chicago" for O'Hare's expansion.

What's ahead: An MWAA spokesperson says "more details will be developed and shared as the project moves forward," declining to answer further questions.

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If you're having a shoppy summer, there are new storefronts to check out in Washington — with more on the way.

Why it matters: You're doing your part to support the local economy, obviously.

State of play: Here are some new shops around town, as well as names to look out for.

Now open

👃 Le Labo | Union Market

A new outpost of the trendy perfume company is in town, joining its sister spot in Georgetown. (RIP to the Shaw location.)

🐣 Three Littles | Union Market

The local baby gear store has been around for a while, but it recently moved to a bigger outpost with more space for a wider offering of strollers, clothes, toys and more.

👙 Frankies Bikinis | Georgetown

The cool girl swimwear brand opened its first D.C. location earlier this year.

🧘 ALO | Bethesda Row

The trendy yoga clothing brand opened its inaugural Montgomery County store in May.

👕 Johnnie-O | Bethesda Row

Another May addition to Bethesda: This West Coast-inspired clothing brand with options for men, women and boys.

🤸 Beyond Yoga | Bethesda

Another trendy yoga brand! This opened earlier this year in Montgomery Mall — the group's first Maryland spot.

💎 Gorjana | Bethesda

The California-based minimalist jewelry brand opened a location at Montgomery Mall last month.

🔨 Twins Ace Hardware | National Landing

Another local outpost of the hardware store opened earlier this spring in the Crystal City area.

🛋️ Arhaus | One Loudoun

The furniture store opened an Ashburn outpost this past spring.

And what's coming soon...

🌊 The charges against the former Olympian accused of vandalizing the Reflecting Pool were dropped on Friday after federal prosecutors said contractors "botched" the job. (NYT)

• President Trump later blasted D.C. U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro over the decision. (Axios)

❌ The proposal to turn the HUD headquarters into a facility for people experiencing homelessness has died after the General Services Administration removed the building from its for-sale list. (Washington Business Journal)

🎾 The Mubadala D.C. Open men's and women's finals will take place today, after they were rescheduled due to rain yesterday. (Yahoo Sports)

🏟️ Maryland's Stadium Authority picked Lindsey Parker, the chief of staff to Mayor Bowser, as its next executive director. Parker's resume includes working on the RFK Stadium project and mixed-use D.C. development deals. (Washington Business Journal)

Pornhub is hoping to return to Virginians' web browsers and search histories by challenging the state's age verification rules for porn sites.

Why it matters: It's been three years since residents could directly access one of the biggest names in online pornography.

State of play: Pornhub sent a letter to more than 300 state leaders across the country last week — including Gov. Spanberger and Attorney General Jay Jones — asking for them to rethink or rescind laws that require adult website visitors to verify their age, Politico reports.

• The laws that exist now in roughly half of all states "demonstrably do not work" and effectively fail to shield the minors they were written to protect, plus they put "adults' personal data at risk," Pornhub wrote.

There are no similar restrictions in D.C. or Maryland.

Flashback: Under a Virginia law that went into effect in 2023, websites that publish content harmful to minors (i.e., porn) have to verify that users are 18 or older.

• In response, PornHub blocked access to its site in Virginia, calling the state's photo ID rules unworkable, as it's done in nearly every other state with similar laws.

Yes, but: There's little indication that state lawmakers have an appetite to revisit the law.

• State Sen. Bill Stanley, who sponsored Virginia's law and was a recipient of Pornhub's letter, told RadioIQ's Brad Kutner that he stands by the legislation.

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