Photo illustration by Emma Spainhoward with photograph by Getty Images.
Good morning. We’ll warm up a bit today, with a high around 59, though breezes and gusts are still with us. A low near 39 overnight. The Wizards visit Houston tonight. You can find me on Bluesky, I’m @abeaujon.87 on Signal, and there’s a link to my email address below. I won’t be with you tomorrow, so Kate Corliss will take care of your early-morning roundup needs.
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I can’t stop listening to:
Geese, “Au Pays du Cocaine.” This buzzy bandplays 9:30 tonight withDove Ellis. The show is sold out.
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 likely to end today, 43 days after it began. The House of Representatives will finally return to work, and federal workers will follow. Senate Democrats failed to achieve their goal of forcing Republicans to extend Obamacare subsidies, prompting fury from their base—but now President Trump and his party will own what happens next. (Washington Post) Trump still “has nothing much to show on the issue, beyond a vague plan to send money directly to policyholders.”(NYT) There’s not enough meat on that bone for the idea to proceed, Democrats say. (Politico) Trump is likely to get involved in health-care-cost negotiations. (Politico) Senate Majority Leader John Thune says Republicans may offer a one-year extension of the credits in exchange for stripping abortion protections available to some Obamacare plan holders in some states. Democrats say that’s a nonstarter—but they also said they wouldn’t vote to reopen the government unless the GOP agreed to extend the subsidies. (NBC News) Meanwhile, the US Supreme Court “extended a freeze on a federal judge’s ruling that would require the Trump administration to fully fund the SNAP food program in November.”(NBC News) In the House, Speaker Mike Johnson will finally swear in Democratic representative-elect Adelita Grijalva, who won her seat seven weeks ago. (NYT) We interviewed Grijalva last month. (Washingtonian) Some of Johnson’s Republican colleagues are driving back to DC—one, Derrick Van Orden of Wisconsin, is taking his motorcycle—purportedly to avoid flight delays, but maybe a little for the social media clout. (NOTUS)
The cost: Canceled flights, paused consumer spending, vaporized economic activity—the shutdown “will leave a lasting mark”on the US economy. (AP) Economists now have to figure out “how much any recent economic damage was a temporary shutdown effect, or a sign of bigger problems.”(WSJ)
Trump’s war on Chicago: Federal agents who’ve conducted a crackdown on immigration in Chicago over the past two months are likely to leave just as snow has arrived in the Windy City. (ICE can’t handle snow?) But they may be back in the spring with four times as many personnel. (Chicago Sun-Times) ICE agents “pointed rifles at bystanders and tried to break down doors”at a Chicago-area apartment building last week. They were unable to use force to open at least one door, though, because it opened outward. (Chicago Tribune) In a post early Tuesday, Trump claimed he needed to send troops to Chicago, because “murder and crime”were causing vacancies at the “Miracle Mile Shopping Center,”which does not exist. (Daily Beast) In a somewhat confusing parallel message, the Department of Homeland Security touted decreases in crime as the reason it was pulling back its forces. (NBC News)
Administration perambulation: The United Kingdom has stopped sharing intelligence about drug trafficking operations in the Caribbean with the US because it views the administration’s frequent strikes on small boats as illegal. (CNN) Colombia will also suspend intelligence sharing with the US. (NBC News) The USS Gerald Ford moved into the Caribbean yesterday, which will allow the Navy more resources to target small boats. (NYT) Premature social media posts, politically inspired firings, and personal travel on a private government plane—recently, to the you-can’t-make-this-stuff-up destination of Texas’s Boondoggle Ranch—have trained an unwelcome spotlight on Kash Patel‘s tenure as FBI director. (WSJ) Trump wants to open the California coast to oil drilling. (Washington Post) “Fannie Mae watchdogs who were removed from their jobs had been probing if Trump appointee Bill Pulte had improperly obtained mortgage records of key Democratic officials, including New York Attorney General Letitia James.”(WSJ) The administration claims it’s unlawful to fund the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau via the Federal Reserve, which likely signals the end of the agency. (Politico) Jack Schlossberg announced he’ll run for Congress, so get ready to see the word “scion”a lot. (NYT)
Recently on Washingtonian dot com:
• Are streateries history? Many restaurants plan to tear down the Covid-era structures later this month when new rules go into effect.
• When she was a Metrobus driver, Joy Kenley nurtured Sam Mencimer‘s childhood fascination with Metro. After he got an engineering job at WMATA post college, Mencimer reconnected with his mentor, who now manages a Metrorail station.
• I spoke with Richard Bell about his fascinating new book about the American Revolution’s surprising effects on the rest of the world.
Local news links:
• Kalorama resident Barack Obama surprised veterans on an honor flight when they arrived in DC yesterday. (CBS News)
• Metro plans to roll out its “Tap. Ride. Go.” system on buses by the middle of this month. (WTOP)
• A CSX train collided with a vehicle at a Bladensburg crossing yesterday. (DC News Now)
• Old Glory DC, the local professional rugby team, will play at George Mason University next season. (WUSA9)
Wednesday’s event picks:
• Michelle Obama discusses her new book, “The Look,”with Wesley Morris at Sixth &I.
• Paula Vogel‘s Broadway hit “The Mother Play: A Play in Five Evictions”opens at Studio Theatre.
• Samara Joy performs at the Warner Theatre.
See more picks from Briana Thomas, who writes our Things to Do newsletter.
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.