Good morning. Sunny and cool with a high around 66. A low near 45 overnight. 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:
Shudder to Think, “X-French Tee Shirt.” Shudder were one of the best bands to emerge from DC in the ’90s, and this stuffed tune will demonstrate (or remind you) why. Their reunion show Saturday at Black Cat is sold out, but I might just hang out in the alley and try to listen anyway. See you back there?
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 nearly three weeks old. Congressional Republicans and President Trump are still singing from the same hymnal. Combined with similar cohesion from the Democrats, the GOP’s simpatico “augurs no quick end to what is approaching one of the longest shutdowns in history.” (Politico) Some Democrats argue that the November 1 start of open enrollment will allow them an off-ramp: At that point, they say, Republicans will own big jumps in insurance premiums. (Punchbowl News) GOP members are “eyeing a bipartisan end-of-year health care push that could pair a conservative overhaul of the expiring subsidies with modest proposals” to change Obamacare, a program “they have railed against for more than a decade but has now taken root with their own constituents.” (Politico) Some Republicans are nervous about Trump’s end runs around Congress to keep troops paid. (Politico) Meanwhile, off the Hill: Advocates for national parks, which remain largely open, say lightly supervised visitors could cause lasting damage. (Government Executive) FEMA staffers rallied outside the agency Friday, objecting to the administration’s cuts to the agency. (Federal News Network) Federal courts are almost out of money. (Axios) The administration is “doubling down on its plans to keep paying some frontline federal law enforcement employees during the government shutdown, while many civilian government workers risk missing their first full paycheck” later this week. (Federal News Network) Almost half of the Americans polled say they’ve begun to notice “tangible impacts” from the shutdown. (Partnership for Public Service)
Kings things: Millions rallied against the Trump administration at “No Kings” protests around the US Saturday. (CNN) Organizers said events “were scheduled at roughly 2,600 sites across all 50 states.” (NYT) In response, the White House posted an AI video that showed Trump, wearing a crown and flying a plane, dumping poop on protesters. (NYT) In an unfortunate coincidence, the US military accidentally peppered a California highway with shrapnel Saturday during an event Vice President JD Vance and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth attended at Camp Pendleton. The White House had insisted on an unusual live-fire exercise for the event, which honored the Marine Corps’s 250th anniversary, and said the highway shouldn’t be closed. (Los Angeles Times) More than 200,000 people turned out in DC. (GW Hatchet) Many protesters said they weren’t thrilled with how Democratic leaders have handled Trump’s second term. (NBC News) Federal agents in Oregon fired tear gas and other crowd control munitions at a subsequent protest outside an ICE facility in Portland, where people in inflatable animal costumes “could be seen choking on the fumes.” (Oregon Public Broadcasting) Trump claimed the turnout nationwide was “very small.” (The Hill)
In Chicago: Neighbors in the Chicago suburb of Mount Pleasant interrupted a federal immigration action, jeering and whistling at ICE agents until they vamoosed. (Chicago Tribune) Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson called for a general strike when he addressed a Chicago No Kings march. (HuffPost) An ICE raid on a troubled Chicago building swept up dozens of US citizens, who were zip-tied and marched out of the building at gunpoint. (NYT)
In the Caribbean: The US destroyed another small boat and killed those aboard, claiming the vessel was involved in drug smuggling. (NYT) Trump said he would yank aid to Colombia after its president, Gustavo Petro, accused him of “murdering an innocent fisherman” in a previous attack. (NYT) The administration said over the weekend that it would return two people who survived one attack last week—Trump called them “terrorists”—to Ecuador and Colombia. (Politico) The administration’s claims about the boats do not typically line up with what people on the ground say is happening. (Washington Post)
Administration perambulation: Secretary of State Marco Rubio agreed to return to El Salvador MS-13 informants “who threatened to expose” deals their gang had made with the administration of President Nayib Bukele. Bukele asked for their return in exchange for the country allowing the US to deport Venezuelan immigrants to a notorious prison there. (Washington Post) In Florida, the US Secret Service said it had discovered a hunting stand with a sightline to where Trump often deplanes at Palm Beach. (NBC News) George Santos hit the talk-show circuit Sunday, two days after Trump sprang the disgraced former Republican congressman from prison. (NYT) Federal prosecutors want to muscle James Comey‘s lawyer Patrick Fitzgerald off his case, saying he has a conflict of interest. (Politico) DOJ whistleblower Erez Reuveni said he got fired “after refusing to sign a brief in the mistaken deportation case of Kilmar Abrego Garcia.” (CBS News) The Coast Guard bought two private jets for the use of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and other department leaders. “It was not immediately clear where the funding for the jets came from.” (NYT) Trump’s claims that he can spend tariff revenue as he sees fit ignore the fact that “the White House has extremely limited power to direct those funds without congressional direction.” (Politico) Andrew Thornebrooke, a reporter for the Epoch Times, resigned after his right-wing outlet signed the Pentagon’s new media rules. (NYT) Nearly half of Americans now worry about whether they could find a job in Trump’s economy. (AP)
The best thing I ate last week, by Ann Limpert:
The hottest table in town right now? Maison, the Paris-inspired Adams Morgan wine bar/restaurant from the team behind Lutece. The salon-like brownstone space—formerly Habana Village—is gorgeous, with zebra carpeting, Deco-cool chrome sconces, and lush green marble. And while the menu is built for grazing and mostly comprised of small plates (sadly, the much-hyped eel croquettes were sold out on my visit), my favorite dish of the night ate more like an entree: an elegant roast chicken with brioche-and-green-garlic stuffing. (1834 Columbia Road, NW.)
Recently on Washingtonian dot com:
• “[C]omfortable theater has never been Studio’s thing”: David Muse reflects on his decision to step down as Studio Theatre’s artistic director in 2027.
• The owners of Millie’s say the owners of Balos have ripped off Millie’s style for a new spot they’re opening on Long Island.
• Here’s a cheat sheet to the Washington Spirit’s 2025 season. Playoff tickets go on sale Wednesday.
• Some date ideas for Halloween.
Local news links:
• Good heavens, that was a rough Commanders game yesterday. Jayden Daniels got injured and Dallas won 44-22. (Washington Post)
• We could see higher-than-usual winter temperatures, a NOAA report says. (NYT)
• ICE says it arrested an MS-13 gang leader in Alexandria, though local and Interpol records don’t line up with an agency press release. (ALXnow)
• Police in Alexandria are looking for “three masked individuals” who tried to break into a house last week. (WTOP)
• Employees at a Barracks Row restaurant were assaulted after they got into an argument, sparking a brawl. Police arrested four people. (NBC4 Washington)
• A GOP watch party for last week’s Virginia attorney general debate “descended into physical violence.” Arlington GOP chair Matthew Hurtt said those at fault were people who organized a star-crossed pro-Trump event at the Kennedy Center, which Hurtt had criticized. (ARLnow)
• Moesha Gardener of North Bethesda faces charges of making false statements to officials. Police say she texted her husband an AI-generated image of a man sleeping on their couch as a prank; he called 911. (NBC4 Washington)
• The Dupont Circle fountain…is on? (PoPville)
We’re seeking nominations for our 500 Most Influential People list. Get ‘em to us by December 5!
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.
