News & Politics

Afternoon Shots: November 5

What you need to know tonight.

Polls in Virgina close at 7 PM. If all those polls giving Democratic candidate Terry McAuliffe a big lead are accurate, it shouldn’t take long to call the race.

The National Zoo announced today that the panda cub will be named on December 1, 100 days after its birth and gave the public five names to choose from. Sadly, the Chinese words for “shutdown” and “furlough” are not options. [Capital Comment]

Washington Post opinion editor Fred Hiatt offered to quit. Jeff Bezos told him to stay. [National Journal]

DC Council member Vincent Orange proposes a ridiculous sports and entertainment complex, may also run for mayor. [Loose Lips]

The winning developers for Walter Reed could be heartbreaking for anyone hoping for a Wegmans supermarket. [Open House]

Despite Dan Snyder’s last-ditch lobbying effort, the DC City Council on Tuesday overwhelmingly approved a resolution urging the franchise to adopt a moniker that is not a racial slur. [Capital Comment]

Happy hour of the day: Arlington’s TNT Bar has a Balvenie scotch tasting for $25—perfect for washing back the bitter taste of an ugly gubernatorial election. [Best Bites]

Staff Writer

Benjamin Freed joined Washingtonian in August 2013 and covers politics, business, and media. He was previously the editor of DCist and has also written for Washington City Paper, the New York Times, the New Republic, Slate, and BuzzFeed. He lives in Adams Morgan.