Photo illustration by Emma Spainhoward with photograph by Getty Images.
Good morning. Gusts continue to pester, but we’ll see a high around 71 eventually today. Windy overnight, too, with a low near 46. The Capitals host St. Louis tonight, and the Wizards visit Boston. 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:
Saafewaay, “Price Gun.” I honor double coupons for the demented, grocery-store-obsessed punk from this DC band! They play Rhizome tonight with Gusher and Slot.
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:
Blue heaven: Democrats romped in Tuesday’s off-year elections. In Virginia, gubernatorial nominee Abigail Spanberger led a victorious ticket that saw Ghazala Hashmi win the lieutenant governorship and Dems built a large majority in the House of Delegates. Even embattled attorney general nominee Jay Jones won. (Washington Post) Here’s a look at some of the House districts they flipped. (Virginia Mercury) In New Jersey, Mikie Sherrill bested Republican Jack Ciattarelli. (WHYY) California’s Proposition 50 passed easily;it will allow the state to redistrict US House districts in favor of Democrats. (Los Angeles Times) And in New York City, Zohran Mamdani soundly beat back a centrist independent challenge from former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo to become Gotham’s next mayor. (NYT)
The takes: Democrats “didn’t just match the wins from eight years ago that had been a harbinger of a blue wave in the 2018 midterms — in several key races, they exceeded them.” (Politico) “The three major Democratic candidates on Tuesday all offered the kind of laser-sharp focus on affordability that many Democrats believe will form the start of a road map back to power.” (NYT) “One encouraging sign for Democrats: They appeared to fare far better with voters of color than they did in last year’s presidential election.” (Washington Post) Democrats are shifting “away from mourning broken norms and toward the politics of disruption.” (Politico)
Back to reality, or what counts as reality these days: The government shutdown is now officially the longest in US history. President Trump blamed the shutdown—which he also blames on Democrats—and the fact that he wasn’t on the ballot for Republicans’poor performance. That “could be seen as a sign that the president wants to cut a deal to end the shutdown quickly. Or it could supercharge his push for Republicans to end the filibuster.” (Punchbowl News) In the US Senate, “about a dozen Democrats now privately believe it’s time to reopen the government.” (Politico) Some senators say they’ve seen progress in negotiations to end the shutdown. (Government Executive) A deal may be taking shape. (Axios) The House Freedom Caucus remains a big question mark with regard to any deal. (Axios) It all really comes down to whether Trump will get involved in trying to end the shutdown. Analysis: ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ (Politico) Meanwhile: In notices to furloughed federal workers, the White House again dangled the prospect that it would block back pay, a move that would violate a law Trump himself signed. (Washington Post) White House spokesperson Karoline Leavitt framed back pay as a lever in negotiations, which it is not, because again, Trump signed a law that guarantees it. (Federal News Network) Trump also alarmed Republicans in Congress with threats to withhold SNAP benefits despite his administration agreeing that it would provide them. (Politico)
Administration perambulation: The Supreme Court will hear oral arguments today in a case that could determine the legality of most of Trump’s tariffs. (Politico) The administration is seriously considering military action in Venezuela. (NYT) The US conducted yet another military strike on a small boat it claimed was transporting drugs to the US. (NBC News) The FBI warned that criminals are impersonating ICE agents before committing major crimes. Could it have been a mistake to empower a largely masked and unaccountable national police force? Who can say. (Wired) The FBI “fired at least six agents who worked with Special Counsel Jack Smith, only to quickly restore employment Monday for some of them who are pursuing a high-priority public corruption investigation for DC US Attorney Jeanine Pirro.” (Bloomberg Law) Trump renominated Jared Isaacman to lead NASA, an appointment he yanked after he fell out with former pal Elon Musk. (NYT) The administration is negotiating with the makers of some weight-loss drugs to get GLP-1s covered by Medicare and some low-dose treatments to be sold for $149 a month. (WSJ) GOP senators pushed back on the nomination of Austin Dahmer to the Pentagon’s policy office, signaling a growing frustration between Hill hawks and Trump’s DOD. (Washington Post) A judge ordered the administration to restore sign-language interpreters to briefings. (Politico)
Make the most of that extra hour, by Daniella Byck:
Image by CatLane via Getty.
I’ve been trying to wake up earlier with no success for a while now, but this weekend something predictable yet thrilling occurred: When the clock slithered back an hour, I was able to set my alarm an hour early and actually get out of bed. Empowered by my newfound early-bird status, I’ve started making AM plans. Perhaps I’ll finally make it to a workout with fitness group November Project. The free workouts happen three times a week around town, kicking off at 6:30 AM. Last Friday’s cardio and bodyweight exercises took place at Congressional Cemetery, though I was still in my sleeping era, so I’ll have to wait for the next cool location. The majority of DC’s indoor pools open at 6 AM, so maybe it’s time to give Michael Phelps a run for his money. But honestly, I’ll probably use the extra time to hit up a breakfast spot that’s outside my typical morning radius such as Mount Pleasant taco shop La Tejana (open at 7:30 AM) and Flor, an Argentinian cafe and bookstore in Georgetown (open 7 AM on weekdays, 8 AM on weekends).
Recently on Washingtonian dot com:
• A rangy conversation with US Representative Ro Khanna of California, who is likely to run for President in 2028.
• A coalition of progressive organizations plans waves of anti-Trump protests starting today;organizers of one event Wednesday say they expect 10-20,000 people.
• Our monthly list of exclusive travel deals for Washingtonian readers includes a jaunt to Nashville.
Local news links:
More on Virginia: GOP gubernatorial nominee Winsome Earle-Sears continued to display her gift for unintentional messaging—on view in campaign ads that amplified Spanberger’s negative attacks on her and appearing at a lectern with a sign that read “Spanberger’s Sideshow”—in her concession speech by saying she’s “not going anywhere.” (Fox News) Lieutenant governor nominee John Reid‘s concession speech included a thank you to Earle-Sears and attorney general candidate Jason Miyares for “uniting with me in the last several weeks of this campaign,”which seems perhaps a bit pointed. (WSET) Miyares wished Jay Jones well. (VPM)
• Arguments in the trial of Sean Dunn, aka “Sandwich Guy,”began yesterday. US Customs and Border Patrol Agent Gregory Lairmore testified that Dunn’s airborne sub “kind of exploded all over my uniform.”Presented with a photo of an intact sandwich on the ground following the incident—which the Trump administration is prosecuting as misdemeanor assault after failing to convince a grand jury that it was a felony—Lairmore “maintained that he had ‘mustard and condiments on my uniform, and an onion hanging from my radio antenna that night.'” (Washington Post) Dunn was spotted in the courthouse cafeteria. He had soup. (Molly Roberts/X)
• A bomb threat briefly halted flights at National Airport yesterday. (NBC4 Washington)
• In perhaps the least surprising headline in this roundup, Democrats did well in Arlington last night, with Takis Karantonis poised for another term on the County Board. (ARLnow)
• The DC Council voted to reinstate a curfew for people under 18 following a rowdy Halloween. (WTOP)
• McClatchy will close its DC bureau. (Status)
• Isaac Stein, the IRS lawyer who has set up a successful hot dog stand during the shutdown, says he sold the shirt he was wearing to someone for $1,000. What on earth is going on. (PoPville)
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.