Oh you thought that was it on coverage? Nope! I've got a usual newsletter for you. Plenty of words, lots of great pictures, and some big reactions to Leicy Santos's extraordinary goal as I cover the Spirit's win Saturday night in North Carolina. im-curious-roey.beehiiv.com/p/im-curious...

Hey, I know that author! My first published bit of true freelance NWSL coverage: fresh reporting from North Carolina on the Courage's efforts to score lots of goals (and a bit on how that proved difficult against the Spirit on Saturday.) Read it and make sure to follow their great coverage!

Also shoutout to vintage Washingtonian’s wild “this is what my date with x person was like” era. They also had an early 1998 piece by a guy who went on a date with Monica Lewinsky just before the Clinton scandal broke. Guy’s name was Jake Tapper. washingtoncitypaper.com/article/2794...

Ever wonder what it was like to go on a date with Lindsey Graham? From this 1995 piece: “Where do you live in New York?” he asks. “Greenwich Village.” “Aren’t there a lot of communists there?” I look to see if he’s joking. I’m not sure. washingtonian.com/2013/06/14/f...

Lots of saves this week in the NWSL. Miller for Seattle and Moorhouse for Orlando both had 9. 6 each from Berger for Gotham and Anderson for Angel City. Last game tonight is Denver v Houston. Smith & Campbell are two of the top three in goals prevented this season. In short, expect more GK fun.

Proof of life from Mitch McConnell:

I am obligated to note that this stretch began the day after the adoption of a plastic coyote as a good luck charm. 8-1-0 in the era of José.

Happy Sunday! Here are some of the finest snaps 📸 I got from last night’s Spirit-Courage game

Wrote this yesterday but still relevant: “It’s a great idea on paper. But the perfect has become the enemy of the good. Instead, even as VAR has been increasingly used in soccer over the past decade, it has become a byword for long reviews and questionable officiating.” www.ms.now/opinion/worl...

BREAKING: Lindsey Graham has died at the age 71 due to a “brief and sudden illness.” www.washingtonpost.com/politics/202...

Age verification for social media is just a backdoor way of silencing progressives and members of disempowered groups. Just watch. Anything fascist meatheads don't like will magically become "pornography," even a link to an AMA report on gender affirming care discrimination in red states.

Missed this game and didn’t realize this until looking at the scoresheet but Anna Moorhouse made 9 saves tonight. In nerd stats: 1.56 xG for KC, 2.59 xGOT for them, and Moorhouse still kept a clean sheet. Best performance from her in a long, long time.

Uhhhhh….

This was perhaps the ultimate presidency-ending scandal when Joe Biden made the exact same, simple transposition mistake during what was otherwise a lengthy and detailed conversation about foreign affairs at a 2024 NATO summit.

Springfield, OH hate crime. Haitian father shot driving his kids to church. "They said he was going to give someone a ride and 'they just shot him. I don’t know why.'" Consequences of hate from our gov't. www.springfieldnewssun.com/local/crime/... @gregsargent.bsky.social @jimswift.bsky.social

Sen. Bernie Sanders on the Maine U.S. Senate race: “I have spoken with Graham Platner about the best path forward for Maine. In light of these very serious allegations, I have recommended that he step aside.”

Watching the World Cup like

This is accurate, but if my life is any lead, it means by 2030 they will be playing in DC

Too many people live here

Run on this! It's a real thing! People want to hang out IRL but hanging out IRL is too expensive.

It’s been six months since the killings of Renee Good and Alex Pretti. Here is how the federal government has stonewalled investigations, and how Minnesota law enforcement is attempting to push for accountability anyway

Between Haaland this afternoon and Jane Campbell's big saves for Houston Dash in DC on Friday, it's been a big weekend for soccer players who look like they are members of House Targeryen.

Boom! Newsletter's out. Highlights from a Friday night showdown in DC full of fireworks. Plus, Andi Sullivan shares about an adorable source of inspiration for her. And there are bubbles! You're gonna wanna read it, share it, and of course, subscribe! im-curious-roey.beehiiv.com/p/im-curious...

"Corruption is not bad. Corruption is only bad *if I'm not involved.*"

Direct hit from Dupont Circle.

We are roughly a month from entering year 2 of 700,000 Americans living under an illegal military occupation. In that time, their city landmarks have been decimated. Troops monitor their daily lives. And now, a few days of borderline noise torture followed by brutal air pollution. End it now.

As always, some of my favorite snaps (📸) from tonight's Washington Spirit game vs. Houston!

There were some good on-field pictures from tonight but none of them beat this one of @rpn10.bsky.social.

View from the end line was that I’m 97% sure that was meant to be a corner, but alas, a goal kick. They play on.

There are so, so many potential answers. Here's a group that I think reflects as many major aspects of American history as possible: Harriet Tubman Mark Twain Jim Thorpe Dolores Huerta

We are roughly a month from entering year 2 of 700,000 Americans living under an illegal military occupation. In that time, their city landmarks have been decimated. Troops monitor their daily lives. And now, a few days of borderline noise torture followed by brutal air pollution. End it now.

I don't think any American--regardless of party, despite fondness for aviation (which I share)--would enjoy being under the nonstop low-altitude, high-speed, incredible-volume of the Caligula overflights of our nation's capital right now. It feels and sounds like being under aerial attack.

As I leave my latest job (and maybe TV news altogether?), I had the chance to write about my first byline and offer some advice! Thanks as always to the inimitable @ryanbeckwith.bsky.social for offering the space and running this project! yourfirstbyline.substack.com/p/my-first-b...

For those of you who have never listened to Bob Uecker describe running into Anthrocon in Pittsburgh many years ago, get ready for 15 of the funniest minutes you’ve had in a long time. www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y6pI...

Malik Tillman's gem makes it 2-0 USA

Two U.S. goals means we officially are beating both Bosnia AND Herzegovina!!

Educated guess that could just be cope for Spirit fans but… I see clear justifications for them to push hard to keep Hal (nerd stats undervalue her so Spirit may make best offer), Leicy (return on ‘24 investment), & Andi (homegrown.) On others, the picture may be clearer after the new signings.

¡Qué linda!

Man, it's a hot one! 🌡️🔥 Good morning from Spirit training, where training has been moved up by an hour to avoid the worst of the heat. It's already 88°F a little after 10 am, feeling like 94°. High in Leesburg today will be 98°.

The whole project made a lot more sense as the Epstein story emerged. There's a clear link between this push for genital inspections for girls in sports, the protection of Epstein's buddies, and the Dobbs decision/50-year anti-Roe push. They want to control your body from cradle to grave.

I really believe James Talarico and some other Dems, like Jon Ossoff, are developing a new kind of moral language and politics for the era of Late Stage Trumpism. Case made below. (discussing work by @jenszalai.bsky.social) newrepublic.com/article/2125...

This is a grown woman making an empty accusation against a 15-year-old. I’m a big free speech guy but for the lawyers here, even if we deem Pepper-Jackson to be a public figure, doesn’t this meet most (if not all) elements for a defamation case?

Also mentioned, I believe, the phrase "blue collar."

Carter: "We've made 3 signings in the summer window." Details to come "when it's appropriate." (? from @annieelliott.bsky.social)

The ban is heinous for what it does to transgender athletes. But if you think cisgender girls and young women won’t be caught up in the fallout, too, you are woefully ignorant

It was never about sports. We’ve been telling you guys for years. Sports were a means to an end. And here we are.

Took some baseball photos this weekend in Baltimore! ⚾️ It was @orioles.com vs @nationals.com on Saturday in a Battle of the Beltways, but the squad from DC emerged with the curly W. Here’s how the pics came out:

An excellent piece, raising the point that maybe people *do* want their sports teams to stand for their fans and their communities. Plus it features my first-ever licensed photo! Give @thefrankiedlc.news a read and if you can, subscribe to their newsletter!