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City Cast DC

Kaela Cote-Stemmermann

Welcome to our weekly D.C. mini crossword! The answers hinges on your knowledge of D.C. and local news. How fast can you complete it?

Samu Qureshi has dedicated 57 years, thousands of days, and hundreds of thousands of hours tracking items across the globe to amass the biggest collection of Washington Football memorabilia in existence. Things that others threw away long ago — team Coke bottle caps and Slim Jims boxes with players' portraits — Qureshi has devoutly kept.

He organizes his collection in what he calls “the museum” — a 5,000-square-foot basement in Bethesda packed to the brim with burgundy and gold that, to Qureshi, still isn’t big enough to display everything.

Now, Qureshi wants to sell the collection to the new team and establish a museum and hall of fame. But it’s easier said than done and preserving the past isn’t cheap.

These tensions play out in “The Custodian,” a 25-minute documentary that follows Qureshi’s quest to build his collection and secure its future, all while reconciling with the team's controversial history. The film is 

premiering on June 12 at Regal Gallery Place

. The annual documentary festival runs June 11–14 and features 64 films and 49 shorts from 32 countries at venues across the city. 

As one of the few films focused on the DMV, “The Custodian” explores a common nostalgia that will resonate with DMV football fans of all eras – but also shows how the sheer size of Qureshi’s collection weighs on him financially and strains his relationships.

The very first line of the film is his wife calling to say, “You’re running out of time on the financial front…liquidate, liquidate, liquidate.” Qureshi painfully admits that, to live the life he wants, the collection needs to go. 

Yet we also witness his deep reverence and attachment. He giddily shows guests around, pointing out old seat cushions from the team’s most iconic games, ad campaigns from the 1990s, letters written by former owner George Preston Marshall, and yes, even jockstraps. Over 25 former Washington Football players have visited, each leaving their autograph for the collection.

“It’s not just a man cave, I’m not just some average fanboy, it's really historic memorabilia,” Qureshi says.

The film also doesn’t shy away from addressing the problematic history of the Washington Football team back when it was known as the Redskins. Qureshi says he loved the logo back then. When Lauren Cordova of the Shoshone-Bannock people visited the museum, he called the logo "dignified" and "noble."

“That looks like a white guy to me, painted red, with a wig and some fake chicken feathers on there,” she replies. We watch as her questioning forces Qureshi to reconcile his nostalgia and love for the team with its problematic past, leading to tense silences and unresolved differences between them.

The film’s director, Khaula Haider Malik, told me she found Qureshi’s story by accident while searching for an RV on Facebook Marketplace. When the RV owner pitched a film about Qureshi, Malik was hooked.

“When I saw the museum, and witnessed the care that he put into collecting all of this stuff and organizing it in a proper museum format, I was just immediately compelled,” said Malik.

Two months later they started filming “The Custodian” with the RV owner as their producer.

“I really hope watching the film sparks conversations among people,” said Malik. “Our nostalgia is our nostalgia, even if sometimes it can be associated with problematic things, it doesn't discount your feelings.”

The film was also personal for director Malik. She and Qureshi are both DMV-born Pakistani Americans and their fathers worked together before they were even born. She was a diehard Washington Football fan who daydreamed about being the team's head coach as a kid. But, like many DMV football fans, had become cynical of the team because of its racist past.

“I was a dedicated and heartbroken fan for decades until I finally put my love of the game to rest, disillusioned by the sport and ashamed of my support of a team whose name disrespected an entire community,” said Malik. “This film is a process of [Qureshi] trying to release the burden of this history into the hands of the team’s owners, who need to accept the responsibility.”

Now in his 60s, Qureshi wants to pass along his collection so he can travel and spend time with his wife and friends. His dream is to have it publicly displayed in a team museum. Throughout the past year, Qureshi has been in conversations with several high-level Commanders officials about selling his collection. And while several owners, including Mitch Rales, have made public comments about wanting a Washington Football Hall of Fame, the deal remains in limbo.

Earlier this year, Qureshi’s landlord increased rent and he gave up the museum space. For now, with the exception of some of Qureshi’s favorite pieces, the collection is sitting in an unmarked storage unit while it waits for a permanent home.

“I spent my whole life archiving the team's history,” Qureshi said. "I just really would love it to be shared.”

This documentary short premiering at DC/DOX Festival explores a Washington Football fan's 57-year quest to preserve the team's history while reckoning with its racist legacy.

'The Custodian' Explores the Life of Washington Football's Biggest Superfan

D.C. food, culture, and everything worth your time. Sign up for Kaela Cote-Stemmermann's weekly newsletter covering everything weird and wonderful about D.C. — from events and restaurant openings to dating and internet trends.

DC Food & Drink

Food and Culture

Celebrations for America's 250th anniversary are about to begin in D.C. President Donald Trump has ordered a slew of events, from a UFC fight on the South Lawn and an IndyCar Grand Prix to the Great American State Fair (which is 

). But there are plenty of ways to celebrate the anniversary, far from the shadow of the White House.

We rounded up the best events, many of them hosted by local institutions, that celebrate D.C.’s contributions to American history. Whether you go for a historic bike tour or drop by one of the many chef collaborations, there is something for every type of Washingtonian.

Events begin June 3 and run through the end of July.

Block Party at the National Gallery of Art

Celebrate 250 years of American art and creativity at the 

. There will be interactive public art projects, local music, zine-making, sound baths, artist talks, food vendors, an outdoor chalk mural and more spread across the museum's campus.

Ice Cream Social and Art Workshop at the Anacostia Community Museum

Stop by this social on the way to your Fourth of July cookout. Get your fill of ice cream then join a 

 making legacy-inspired artworks that explore the roots and values that shape D.C.’s community.

USA at 250 Art Exhibit at Del Ray Artisans

See how local artists capture their view of 

“USA at 250” at this exhibit in Alexandria

. Artwork highlights the local landscapes, people, history, creativity, and resilience that shaped America. You can meet the curators and artists at an 

Colonial Coffeehouse Experience at Tudor Place

 is inspired by the colonial coffeehouses where gossip and revolutionary ideas brewed. Explore Tudor Place’s exhibits and learn how these institutions shaped and changed communities across the United States before heading to Dower House for coffee and a slice of pizza.

Doyle Bar is marking America’s birthday with a 

 that it’s calling a “liquid narrative of D.C.” Each cocktail is inspired by local cultural figures like Lady Bird Johnson, Duke Ellington, and Josephine Baker. Try the GoGo Swing, a bourbon and prosecco cocktail inspired by Chuck Brown.

D.C.’s restaurant association is kicking off 

 this month called EAT250 with more than 100 restaurants participating. Expect chef collab dinners, public talks, special menus, and interactive events that explore the traditions and cultural exchanges that define American cooking.

America 250 Music Performance Series in Eastern Market

Pack the picnic blankets! Every Friday in July there will be a 

 in Eastern Market Metro Park. Check out 

 on July 10, a local ensemble that plays video game and anime soundtracks or the DMV Music Academy steel pan ensemble on July 3.

Fashion and Jazz Celebration at the Library of Congress

Throughout June, the Library of Congress is 

 that pay tribute to 250 years of American fashion and jazz. Dance at a fashion-themed costume ball on June 11, listen to legendary jazz bassist Stanley Clarke on June 18, or slip on your favorite trainers for the sneaker party on June 25. Guests are encouraged to arrive dressed in clothes from their favorite era — think powdered wigs, hoop skirts, and streetwear.

District Vibes / American Pride Exhibit at MLK Library

Next time you’re at MLK Library, head to the main hall 

for this exhibit on how D.C. changed American culture

 from the football huddle to Marvin Gaye songs. Along with the main exhibit, neighborhood libraries will host their own exhibits, talks, readings, and films that all celebrate Washingtonian contributions to U.S. history.

 on their statewide tour. Expect two days of music, family activities, exhibits, tours, public art, educational programs, and more.

American Aspirations Exhibit at the Smithsonian Castle

 that explore how different generations have interpreted the Declaration of Independence. It celebrates the American experience while acknowledging we're still striving to live up to the ideals set forth during the country's founding 250 years ago.

America 250 Bike Ride on the Mount Vernon Trail

 along the Mount Vernon Trail. You’ll stop and visit five historical points along the Mount Vernon Trail including the Navy and Marine Memorial, Gravelly Point, and Daingerfield Island before looping back to the Columbia Island Marina. Pro tip: Grab an orange crush at Island Time, a marina-side dive bar, after your ride.

July Fourth Women's History Walk in Alexandria

this tour highlighting Alexandria’s heroines

 of the past. The tour will begin at the Alexandria Visitor Center, swing by a variety of historic sites in Old Town and end at the city’s historic Waterfront.

From exploring historic ships to dancing to local tunes, celebrate America’s birthday like a real Washingtonian. 

A Local’s Guide To America 250 in Washington D.C.

Find the best of everything that DC has to offer.

DC’s Best

DC's Best

Emma Uber

A federal judge has blocked political news site NOTUS from rebranding as 

Judge Rossie D. Alston Jr. granted a temporary restraining order in a trademark lawsuit brought by 

 against NOTUS, finding that readers are likely to be confused by the similar names.

In U.S. District Court on Tuesday, Alston ordered NOTUS to halt plans to unveil a new website Wednesday and also forbade the publication from advertising the rebrand until he determined whether a preliminary injunction would be appropriate. He stopped short of requiring NOTUS to remove all existing references to 

A hearing on the preliminary injunction is scheduled for July 22, court records show. A spokesperson for NOTUS did not immediately respond to a request for comment. 

 for trademark infringement, asking a judge to order NOTUS to stop using the name and pay damages. 

, led by Dovid Efune, the publisher of the conservative 

, said it had been planning its own launch.

At the crux of the lawsuit lies a single question: will the names cause confusion?

argues yes, citing news articles and social media posts that conflate 

launch with the revival of D.C.’s long-defunct conservative-leaning daily newspaper. NOTUS argues no, pointing to a survey it commissioned of consumers who read U.S. politics news. The survey found none of them thought 

. Plus, lawyers for NOTUS argued, “Star” has been used in hundreds of newspaper names dating back decades.

In court Tuesday, lawyers for each publication argued they had more to lose. Lawyers for NOTUS noted the publication had spent $1.3 million on pre-paid advertising through July, in addition to the millions of dollars already invested into the new website, sponsorships, advertisement and launch events. Attorneys for 

 claimed that allowing NOTUS to rebrand would kill the newspaper’s revival before it truly began.

“If you allow them to rebrand, we’re dead,” said Laurin Mills, a lawyer representing 

NOTUS, owned by D.C. media mogul Robert Allbritton, announced its plans to expand coverage and rebrand as 

 last month. Many figured that the name was an homage to his family’s former ownership of 

– a paper that stopped printing in 1981.

began posting articles on Substack weeks after NOTUS announced its expansion, ending a 45-year publishing drought. Lawyers for NOTUS seized on 

’s inactivity as evidence its claim to the trademark was weak, pointing out that 

 existed only as a single webpage with links to third-party reporting until after NOTUS announced its rebrand.

In a statement Tuesday, Efune welcomed the ruling and reinforced his commitment to resurrecting the newspaper as the ideological counterweight to left-leaning D.C. publications.

"This ruling reinforces our focus on what matters most: reviving a legendary American institution and returning a much needed voice in our nation's capital," the statement read. "We invite the public and especially disenfranchised readers in Washington and beyond to join us in this effort."

Court filings also offered an inside look into the communications between the two publications leading up to the legal battle.

A buyer on behalf of NOTUS first approached 

r on March 2, court records show, offering to purchase the trademark for $5,000. Robert Garson, an attorney for The Washington Star, replied that Efune valued the name at $10 million. (Garson represented President Donald Trump in an unsuccessful $50 million lawsuit against ex-

As negotiations continued, the buyer disclosed that she was working on behalf of Allbritton and explained his family connection to 

but added that he had already secured the rights to multiple other names the paper could use if unable to reach a deal. Ultimately, on March 24, court records show NOTUS offered $50,000 for the name. Efune rejected the offer.

Another NOTUS representative – this time the CEO of an Arlington-based private investment firm – reached out the next day, records show, requesting a meeting with Efune. In a declaration filed in court, Efune said he and the representative spoke about the two publications potentially partnering. The representative even proposed a name trade, Efune said: 

 — a name NOTUS had already applied to trademark.

But the deal once again fell apart as Efune remained insistent that the trademark was worth millions.

“We see great value in this historic title, both in terms of overall recognition in the market and also the specific strong and valuable brand identity going all the way back to 1850,” Efune wrote in an April 6 email included in court filings. “I’m sure you also know of its storied history as Ronald Reagan’s favorite newspaper. We genuinely view this value to be well into the millions…”

Ten days later, NOTUS announced its rebrand as 

Federal trademark records show NOTUS secured the rights to 

In a court filing, attorneys for NOTUS said the acronym, short for “News of the United States”, has proven inaccessible and distracting to the broader audience beyond political insiders the news organization is now trying to reach. 

 is the antidote for the confusion, the attorneys wrote, because “Star” has been associated with news organizations for over 100 years. Notably, the explanation of the name choice does not mention the Allbritton family’s ownership of the defunct 

“The name also fit NOTUS’ ethos, as THE STAR represents the ‘north star of journalism,’ which is to be non-partisan and accurate,” the attorneys wrote.

Correction: A previous version of this article included an incorrect figure comparing NOTUS's offer to Efune's assessed value. The article has been updated.

NOTUS was sued by the owner of The Washington Star for trademark infringement. 

News Site NOTUS Blocked from Rebranding as The Star for Now

Local News

Get the story that everyone in Washington is talking about.

D.C. Local News

Michael Schaffer

When the roster of artists slated to play the Great American State Fair was announced earlier this week, D.C.'s reaction was simple: Why couldn't we get A-List talent?

Two days later, the question has changed: Why couldn't we even keep D-List talent?

The first to bust a move was Young M.C., the rapper best known for the 1989 hit "Bust a Move.” 

"The artists were never told about any political involvement with the event,” 

 early Thursday, noting that SPIN had described the gig as "Trump-backed.”

More drop-outs followed. Morris Day, the longtime Prince collaborator who appeared in 1984's 

 that "contrary to the rumor, Morris Day & The Time will not be performing.” Milli Vanilli, the 1980s duo best remembered for a lip-synching scandal where it turned out they hadn't even sang their own song, declared that t

hey had never agreed to perform in the first place

The Commodores, the legendary 1970s soul act, 

: “Our music has always been our voice and we choose not to publicly affiliate with any single political party,” they wrote on social media.

The most painful hits came last. Country singer Martina McBride, who actually has fans in MAGA America, 

. “I was presented with the opportunity to perform at a nonpartisan event but that turned out to be misleading,” she wrote in a long, somber statement.

And then came Bret Michaels, singer of the 1980s hair-metal band Poison — and a one-time winner on 

. “Unfortunately, what was presented to us as a celebration of our country has evolved into something much more divisive than I agreed to be part of,” 

The internet has had a lot of fun with it, but the vibe may also feel familiar to Washingtonians: It’s not so different from what happened after Trump took over the Kennedy Center and acts started pulling out in order to not be associated with a once-neutral seeming institution that had now acquired a political charge.

Sure enough, Ric Grenell, who presided over the Kennedy Center during the artistic exodus, weighed in to slam McBride: “You’ve always been a woke lefty,” 

. In another post, he referred to the cancellations as “censorship.”

It’s not — though you can expect some political fireworks from one side or the other over Michaels’ claim that “concerns have been raised regarding the safety of my fans, band, crew, family, and myself, including threats that are completely unfounded and unforgivable.”

Artists have a right to associate with whatever political figure they want. But these particular artists’ choices are sad all the same. It used to be that playing at a big national institution like the Kennedy Center, or joining a National Mall festival designed to celebrate July 4, didn’t feel like linking arms with any political figure at all.

The Trump-era personalization of the capital’s symbolic core — the president was talking up his plans for the Mall even as the cancellations rolled in — has changed the dynamic so even hokey D.C. stuff now feels inextricably tied to the guy at 1600 Pennsylvania Ave.

That’s especially true for the Great American State Fair. Given that the festival is full of Make America Healthy Again content, it’s not hard to see why people would think of it as not just another bit of federal-city programming.

This change in the political valence of the Mall and its festivals, in the long run, is especially lousy for D.C. residents. We used to enjoy the benefits of capital-city events — sometimes with actual A-list stars — that you couldn't see in a regular American metropolis. Not these days.

Luckily, we can still see Vanilla Ice and Flo Rida, who as of this writing have not canceled.

Is Everyone Dropping Out of Trump’s Great American State Fair Concerts?

Locals have refused to call the iconic D.C. performing arts venue the “Trump Kennedy Center,” even after the board voted to add Trump’s name in December and changed the signs. Now, a judge says the renaming was against the law.

A federal judge on Friday ordered the removal of President Donald Trump’s name from the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts building and all official branding, ruling that the board acted unlawfully by renaming the institution without an act of Congress. In a 94-page opinion, U.S. District Judge Christopher Cooper also temporarily blocked the institution from closing for two years of renovations.

"The Kennedy Center's organic statute makes crystal clear that the Center is to be named for President Kennedy, and it cannot bear any other formal name or public memorial based on the Board's unilateral say-so,” wrote Cooper. “Congress gave the Kennedy Center its name, and only Congress can change it.”

As part of his ruling, Cooper ordered that all signage and online materials referring to the "Donald J. Trump and John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts," the "Trump Kennedy Center," or anything similar must be removed within 14 days.

Cooper also found that the institution’s board had been “derelict” in failing to consider the consequences to programming when shutting down the center and called the renovation plans “murky,” writing that none of the board members had enough information to decide whether the closure was necessary. Most performances have already been canceled in anticipation of the closure that was set to begin in July — plus, the center has struggled to 

 talent since Trump installed himself as chair of the board last year.

The ruling does not prevent the Kennedy Center's board from a future closure, but the judge said that it should only do so after the board has "sufficient information to make a considered, independent decision, taking account of its obligation to both maintain and operate a premiere arts venue and its solemn duty to memorialize a fallen President."

Roma Daravi, a spokesperson for the center, said it would appeal the decision. In a statement Friday, she said that the Trump administration remains committed to giving the center “an urgent and significant restoration.”

“We are confident that on appeal the court will uphold the Board’s will to recognize President Trump’s historic contributions to our nation’s cultural center,” she said. “With $257 million secured by President Trump and approved by Congress, the resources are in place and we remain committed to pursuing every lawful avenue to ensure the Trump Kennedy Center is restored as a national cultural landmark for all Americans to enjoy.”

In an email sent after the ruling, Daravi referred to herself as the “Trump Kennedy Center Vice President of Public Relations.”

In response to a request for comment, the White House referred to Trump's lengthy 

 Friday evening, in which he railed against Cooper and decried the center as in need of renovation. He also wrote he is going to be 'working with Congress to transfer this failing Institution back to them,' though Congress already possesses legal control of the center.

"Unless I am free to do what I do better than anyone else, bring this Institution back, physically, financially, and artistically, I have no interest in continuing what could only be a hopeless journey into “NEVER NEVER LAND.”"

The rulings mark a win for Rep. Joyce Beatty, a Democratic congresswoman and board member who in December sued her fellow trustees after they voted to rename the institution after Trump. She later broadened her lawsuit to contest the closure of the center altogether.

"Today's ruling rightly affirms that this administration's efforts to rename and close the Center have no basis in law," Beatty said in a statement. "The Kennedy Center is an institution that belongs to the American people, not to Donald Trump. He has desecrated this sacred memorial for his own vanity."

In a separate decision Friday, Cooper denied a similar challenge to the renovations brought by preservationist groups.

A lawsuit filed in March by a coalition of architectural and historic preservation organizations, including the DC Preservation League, argues the Trump administration has already caused historic harm to the building and must go through a federal review process before any more work can be done. The group alleges that the administration appears intent on “major aesthetic transformation” or maybe even total demolition of the arts center.

The government countered by saying the Kennedy Center is not a federal agency subject to those review requirements, and that the construction plans do not indicate an intention to demolish the arts center.

Cooper sided with the government, but said his position could change based on the scale of the renovations.

“If the work is, say, more transformative than present testimony suggests or requires permits that the center has yet to acknowledge or secure, the court’s legal analysis might look substantially different,” the judge wrote.

U.S. District Judge Christopher Cooper said the Kennedy Center’s board acted unlawfully by renaming the center without congressional approval. 


Trump’s Name Must be Removed from Kennedy Center, Judge Orders

The Stars may not be aligned for D.C. media mogul Robert Allbritton.

Last month, Allbritton’s political news site NOTUS announced it would expand its coverage and rebrand as 

 Many figured the name was an homage to his family’s former ownership of 

 – a paper that stopped printing in 1981. In 

 with the Columbia Journalism Review, Allbritton said replicating the full name of the paper would be too "backward looking.”

It may not have been quite so simple. According to a lawsuit filed in federal court Thursday, the name wasn’t Allbritton’s to use. According to the suit, NOTUS twice engaged in talks with The Washington Star Company to purchase the trademark, but were unable to reach an agreement. They went with a galaxy-inspired name anyway, just dropping the “Washington.”

Now, days before the planned relaunch, that decision is proving complicated.

was actually planning its own launch, led by Dovid Efune, the publisher of the conservative 

 began posting articles on Substack this month, ending a 45-year publishing drought weeks after NOTUS announced its expansion. Efune told the 

’s newsroom, soon. According to the lawsuit, having another company with Star in the name is bad for business.

The lawsuit claims the two newspaper names are confusingly similar and, since media executive Dovid Efune holds the trademark, a judge should order NOTUS to stop using the name and pay damages for infringing on 

’s relaunch had been “some years in the making.” Federal trademark records show that Efune has held the trademark since 2023. Interestingly, records show the trademark was filed by Robert Garson, one of President Donald Trump’s personal lawyers, who represented Trump in an unsuccessful $50 million lawsuit against ex-

In a statement to City Cast DC on Thursday, Allbritton said NOTUS plans to "vigorously defend against the claims.”

The plaintiffs say Washington is a one-star town.

 The Washington Star Is Suing The Star In a Very Confusing Media Battle

The answers hinges on your knowledge of D.C. and local news.

DC Life Hacks

City Cast DC Mini Crossword

Kaela Cote-Stemmermann

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