Photo illustration by Emma Spainhoward with photograph by Getty Images.
Good morning. Early drizzle gives way to clouds, then sun, with a high around 63. Clear and gusty overnight, with a low near 44. The Wizards visit the Knicks tonight. You can find me on Bluesky, I’m @abeaujon.87 on Signal, and there’s a link to my email address below.
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I can’t stop listening to:
Of Monsters and Men, ”Little Talks.” The Icelandic popsters play the Anthem tonight with Arny Margret.
Take Washingtonian Today with you! I’ve made a playlist on Spotify and on Apple Music of my daily music recommendations this year.
Here’s some administration news you might have blocked out:
Shutshow: The government shutdown is 34 days old. It will almost certainly break the record set by the shutdown President Trump instigated in 2018. Marble Washington is at the dawn of a big week: voters in Virginia and New Jersey’s gubernatorial races, the New York mayoral race, and California’s redistricting ballot initiative will give some clues as to how Trump 2.0 is landing. (Everyday Washington would like the government reopened, pronto.) Federal judges ruled Friday that the federal government must revive emergency funding for food stamps, which the administration paused during the shutdown. (Government Executive) It’s not clear when that aid will begin to flow; Trump said Friday that November benefits would be delayed, and administration officials say “emergency funds alone are enough to provide only partial benefits.” (NYT) A judge ordered the administration to spell out its plan by noon today. (NBC News) Trump held a swanky gala over the weekend called “A Little Party Never Killed Nobody” at Mar-a-Lago as millions of Americans face food insecurity. The party was Great Gatsby-themed and guests wore 1920s apparel, just to make things easier on future historians. (USA Today)
Is a deal possible? I don’t know; I write a morning newsletter for a regional lifestyle publication. Maybe? Trump is back in the US after a jaunt through Asia. Democrats and Republicans appear to be talking a little. (Politico) Democrats said Trump needs to get involved to end the shutdown. (WSJ) On Sunday, Trump called Democrats “crazed lunatics” and “said he believes that Democrats will eventually capitulate and vote to end the shutdown.” (CBS News) The White House put up a MySpace parody over the weekend that mocks Democrats and places cartoon sombreros on the heads of Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries. (NBC News) Trump also renewed his call for the Senate to scrap the filibuster. Republicans were cool to the proposal when he floated it last week. (AP)
Pain: Meanwhile, the pain spreads. Government agencies sent new furlough notices over the weekend, as required by law because the shutdown is more than a month old. Unlike the notices sent at the outset of the impasse, though, these messages “no longer contained language assuring employees that back pay was guaranteed when the shutdown concluded.” (Government Executive) Air travel slowed down as air traffic controllers, who must work without pay, missed a paycheck. (Axios) Mike Schaffer has a good portrait of Ron Dunmore, an IT staffer at the Department of Agriculture who’s struggling through the shutdown and got his last, rather light, paycheck on October 11. (Politico)
Polls: Americans still blame Trump and Republicans for the shutdown. (NBC News) They are “increasingly voicing concern about the shutdown’s impact on the U.S. economy.” (CBS News) Two-thirds of the country says the US is on the wrong track. (ABC News) 49 percent of Americans “say that the best times of the country are behind them.” (Politico)
The war on blue cities: Lawyers for Carlos Jimenez, a US citizen in California, say ICE agents shot him from behind after he told them to “wrap up their stop of a car quickly because school-age children would soon gather there to take the bus.” A DHS spokesperson claimed Jimenez tried to run over officers. (Los Angeles Times) Video from Chicago shows a Border Patrol officer “repeatedly punching a man in the head while pinned to the ground.” (AP) In response to the administration’s immigration crackdown, Chicago-area residents have created “a type of zone defense that — activists say — has slowed down immigration agents and in some cases forced them to withdraw without making an arrest.” (Reuters) Sidney Reid wrote about her voyage through the federal justice system in DC after juries rejected feds’ claims that she injured an immigration officer’s hand while protesting the crackdown here. (MSNBC) A federal judge extended a ban on Trump deploying National Guard troops in Portland, Oregon. (AP)
Administration perambulation: Trump’s idea to restart nuclear testing will have to wait a bit, at least if he wants explosions (he always wants explosions). (Washington Post) George Tidmarsh, the head of FDA’s drug division, resigned Sunday “amid an investigation into criticism he aired publicly about a drug tied to a former business associate.” (NYT) Trump said he wouldn’t attend a Supreme Court hearing about the legality of his tariffs this week. (Politico) “The FBI forced out a senior official overseeing aviation shortly after Director Kash Patel grew outraged about revelations of his publicly-available jet logs indicating he’d flown to see his musician girlfriend perform.” (Bloomberg Law) The White House will restart tours next month, offering visitors an “updated route” now that Trump has demolished the East Wing to build a ballroom he plans to name after himself. (WTOP)
The best thing I ate last week, by Ann Limpert:
Photograph by Rey Lopez.
At Acqua Bistecca, Michael Mina’s new Italian steakhouse in the City Ridge development, our $400+ dinner for two came with a view of Wegmans (diners have to head to the grocery store to get their parking validated there anyway), a server hitting customers up for Google reviews, and a dining room punctuated with the lights of kids’ iPads. One dish that makes the dents in the vibe worth dealing with: the rolled lasagna. Yes, the many-layered spiral is cool-looking, but its construction has a payoff when it comes to flavor: pretty much each bite of the pasta is beautifully crisped at the edges (much like a corner piece of rectangular lasagna). Inside, there’s Swiss chard béchamel, fennel ricotta, and best of all, an Italian-sausage ragu with a serious kick. (14 Ridge Square, NW.)
A special exhibition you can catch this week, by Andrew Beaujon:
Photo courtesy of the Embassy of Australia.
Art by First Peoples in Australia makes up “All That Country Holds: Art From the Kimberley,” a fascinating exhibition at the Embassy of Australia that the general public can get in to see tomorrow from 5-7 PM. The art on view hails from an area the size of California. I was especially struck by works by Leah Rinjeewala Umbagai and John Prince Siddon when I took in a preview recently.
Recently on Washingtonian dot com:
• Lots of DC businesses and nonprofits are working to ease the shutdown’s pain for federal workers. You can help, too.
• We just updated our big guide to breakfast and brunch near Union Market.
• Here’s our ultimate guide to private schools in the area.
Local news links:
• Last night was a gruesome evening for Commanders fans: The team got walloped by the Seahawks and Jayden Daniels dislocated his left elbow. (He’s right-handed, but yikes.) (Washington Post)
• DC Mayor Muriel Bowser implemented a limited curfew over the weekend following a rowdy teen gathering in Navy Yard on Halloween. (WTOP)
• Six Flags America closed for good on Sunday. (DC News Now)
• Rick Ross performed at a big MAGA party in Dupont Circle. (Daily Mail)
We’re seeking nominations for our 500 Most Influential People list. Get ‘em to us by December 5!
Senior editor
Andrew Beaujon joined Washingtonian in late 2014. He was previously with the Poynter Institute, TBD.com, and Washington City Paper. He lives in Del Ray.