🤔 The Kennedy Center supports DEI again?

What's CITY Talking About?

Senate Passes Bill To Stop $1B Cut To DC Budget

The Senate passed a bill Friday to avert a $1 billion hit to D.C.’s local budget. The bill came after intense lobbying by D.C. officials and residents protesting a congressional spending bill that would have forced D.C. to revert to its 2024 budget. The Senate bill still needs House approval. [Washington Post 🔒]

Could Rejoining Maryland Save DC?

US Congressman Jamie Raskin (MD-D) told us D.C. should consider rejoining Maryland to avoid the Trump administration’s city-level influence. For years, D.C. native (and former councilmember candidate) David Krucoff was the lonely champion of this cause. He explains why he thinks it’s a better option than D.C. statehood, even in calmer times. [City Cast DC 🎧]

Too Many Employees, Too Few Desks

Federal agencies are scrambling to find desks for their employees as they try to meet President Trump’s return-to-office mandate. IRS employees are reportedly working out of cafeterias and closets, while a new system meant to help employees find workspace is suggesting closed Subways and storage units. [Washington Post 🔒]

• At the same time, Trump’s downsizing effort includes plans to sell off a whole bunch of federal buildings in Southwest. [City Cast DC 🎧]

Kennedy Center's New DEI Stance

Kennedy Center employees are reporting confusion after the institution’s new president Richard Grenell, a Trump ally, sent an email promoting DEI. It was a response to Vice President JD Vance being booed at the National Symphony Orchestra. The email cited diversity as a strength and reprimanded intolerance of opposing political views. [Washington Post 🔒]

• A month since the reorg, we're still wondering: will the Kennedy Center survive Trump? [City Cast DC 🎧]

From Kabul to DC: How Shamim Popal Became One of DC's Best Restaurateurs

Chef Shamim Popal and her family fled Afghanistan when the Soviet Union invaded in the 1980s, eventually coming to D.C. in 1987. Despite having no formal culinary training, she and her husband opened a successful restaurant group, which includes Lutèce, Pascual, and Lapis, where Popal still runs the kitchen. She shared what it took to succeed in D.C.’s restaurant scene as a female immigrant and the dishes she is breaking fast with this Ramadan.

Culinary Style

Popal never expected to be a chef. In fact, she couldn’t even cook rice when she first left Afghanistan. But out of necessity, and not wanting her kids to be stuck eating dismal American fast food options, she grew a passion for it. Through endless phone calls with her mother-in-law, she mastered classic Afghan dishes and started experimenting with her own recipes. Eventually, her family convinced her to open her own restaurant — Lapis.

Popal herself eats a mainly plant-based diet, and prioritizes healthy, fresh ingredients that she would serve her family. “My main goal is to cook healthy,” says Popal. “I want to make sure that our guests come back again and again.” Her menu favorites include the Afghan dumplings, the lamb shank, and the spiced kabobs.

Bringing Afghan Ramadan Traditions To DC

Every year, Lapis serves a special menu during Ramadan. The dishes are based on the homecooked meals Popal enjoyed as a child living in Kabul before fleeing the war in the 80s. She makes Nask soup specifically for the holy month, with lentils, veggies, and herbs, because it’s comforting and packed with nutrients needed after fasting. “Whatever we eat at home, I offer to our guests,” says Popal. This includes traditions like starting with dates to break the fast and sipping doogh, a cucumber mint yogurt drink.

😋 Inside Scoop: Where In DC Is Popal Eating?

“Being a chef, I get so picky, because you can tell what is fresh and homemade,” said Popal. She gravitates towards Italian restaurants on her days off and gave a special shout out to the new Osteria Mozza in Georgetown.

What To Do