Good morning. Sunny with a high around 61 today. A low near 44 overnight. The Commanders visit Kansas City this evening. 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:
Jeff Tweedy, “Feel Free.” This song was a highlight of Tweedy’s set last night at the Lincoln Theatre. He plays the 9:30 Club tonight with Macie Stewart.
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: Day 27 of the government shutdown. There’s no end in sight. The US Department of Agriculture said Friday that it won’t use billions in contingency funds to cover food aid to Americans via the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, program. (Axios) The decision “is a reversal from the department’s earlier stance, according to a since-deleted copy of the USDA’s Sept. 30 shutdown plan.” (Government Executive) The agency posted a notice over the weekend saying aid would run out November 1 and blaming Democrats for the situation. (AP) A shortage of air traffic controllers, who must work unpaid through the shutdown, halted flights to LAX Sunday. (AP) Multiple pain points will surface when the calendar flips at the end of this week: Open enrollment for Obamacare plans will start November 1—and people will see how much their health insurance plans will go up without subsidies. The military is due to miss another paycheck. WIC benefits will run out. (Politico) The Pentagon accepted a $130 million gift from an unnamed “friend” of President Trump‘s to help pay troops—a sum that “would cover just a fraction of the billions needed for military paychecks.” (AP) Turns out the donor is Timothy Mellon. (NYT) Some exempt staffers at FDA missed a paycheck last week due to what a spokesperson called a “glitch.” (Federal News Network) Anxiety is building among federal employees over how they’ll pay their rent and mortgages next week—and how they’ll be able to afford to eat. (NYT) Employees stationed abroad can’t apply for unemployment, often have security clearances that would make taking temporary work impossible, and may face landlords and creditors who view the shutdown as not especially their problem. (Government Executive) World Central Kitchen will serve meals to feds and their families beginning today at Washington Canal Park. This web page will list each day’s location as the shutdown drags on. (World Central Kitchen)
Administration perambulation: Trump said over the weekend that he’d raise tariffs on Canadian goods by 10 percent because he was angry about that television ad. (WSJ) Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said the ad constituted “psy-ops” against the American people. (Fortune) China and the US, however, are close to a deal that could deescalate tariff threats, Bessent said. (ABC News) Bessent, who is worth $500 million, described himself as a “soybean farmer” who has “felt this pain” of Trump’s trade war. (Rolling Stone) US Senator Lindsey Graham of South Carolina floated the possibilities of “future potential military operations against Venezuela and Colombia” in a television appearance. (Politico) The US Forest Service has consolidated oversight of regional offices, meaning that “fewer staff will oversee larger expanses of land.” (NOTUS) Big law firms have avoided cases that challenge the administration’s policies during Trump’s second term, and smaller firms, and “In some cases, firms whose resources were stretched thin and whose lawyers became worn out have turned down clients facing life-changing issues tied to Trump’s policies.” (Washington Post) The US detained British journalist Sami Hamdi when he entered the US for a speaking tour. A Department of Homeland Security spokesperson said, “Those who support terrorism and undermine American national security will not be allowed to work or visit this country.” (The Guardian)
Recently on Washingtonian dot com:
• We asked three close observers of Virginia politics whether embattled candidate Jay Jones could still win.
Local news links:
• DC Council member Kenyan McDuffie plans a run for mayor, another suggestion that Mayor Muriel Bowser—with whom McDuffie is often aligned—won’t run for another term. (Axios D.C.)
• DC Delegate Eleanor Holmes Norton was scammed out of more than $4,000. A police report described Norton as having “early stages of dementia,” an assessment Norton’s office says the officer was “unqualified to make.” (NBC4 Washington)
• Twelve people were wounded in shootings Friday and Saturday in the District. (Washington Post)
• A man was shot and killed in Ashburn Saturday, apparently after his dog got into a fight with another dog. (NBC4 Washington)
• Michelin-starred DC restaurant Gravitas faces a tax lien of nearly $300,000. (WBJ)
• Both the winners of this weekend’s Marine Corps Marathon live in Virginia: Kyle King of Dumfries won the men’s race, and Tessa Barrett of Arlington won the women’s. (WTOP)
• Isaac Stein, a lawyer for the federal government, opened a hot dog stand called Shysters Dogs in June “as part of an art project,” but now that he’s furloughed, the business is taking off. The tube-steak vendor’s motto is “the only honest ripoff in DC.” (WUSA9)
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.
