Washington, DC

1. Shutdown meetings
2. Tariffs look shaky
3. Federal hiring overhaul
4. Nigeria’s DC scramble
5. Wolff vs. White House
6. US shuns COP30

PDB: Heritage Foundation chief says defending Carlson a ‘mistake’

Senate to vote on Venezuela war powers resolution … Trump meets with Central Asian leaders … FAA to cut 10% of flights at 40 US airports

A big day for the shutdown endgame

Day 37 of the government shutdown is an important one. Senate Democrats will hold a caucus lunch as they agonize over whether to accept a funding deal and a vote on reviving health care subsidies. “We will have a lot of conversations,” said Sen. Chris Coons, D-Del. “And we need to.” Republicans want an answer by the afternoon to figure out whether to cancel next week’s recess and grind out an end to the shutdown. “The idea is to try to move forward and get the government open,” said Senate Majority Whip John Barrasso. “They’re the ones that are holding it up.” Momentum toward a deal stalled after President Donald Trump acknowledged it’s hurting his party and called to end the filibuster — frustrating Republicans, Semafor’s Burgess Everett and Eleanor Mueller report. Today will determine whether that was a blip — or a big problem.

Trump’s tariff regime looks shaky

The White House faces the very real possibility of a Supreme Court reversal of Trump’s tariff regime, after justices — including those belonging to the conservative majority — appeared skeptical of the legal basis for the levies during oral arguments. Chief Justice John Roberts described the tariffs as an “imposition of taxes on Americans, and that has always been the core power of Congress,” while Justice Neil Gorsuch suggested the administration’s argument could lead to “the gradual but continual accretion of power in the executive branch and away from the people’s elected representatives.” The expedited ruling could come within weeks or months. “It’ll bring some clarity to the situation,” said Sen. Ron Johnson, R-Wis. The administration is publicly optimistic: A White House official said Trump “thought the hearing went well” while warning that a loss would “be devastating for our national and economic security.”

— Morgan Chalfant

Trump pushes reshape of federal hiring

The Trump administration is pushing ahead with its efforts to drastically reshape the US government by ordering agencies to create hiring committees by Nov. 17 to approve and fill open positions, Semafor’s Shelby Talcott scoops. A joint OMB-OPM memo, sent to departments on Wednesday morning, expands upon an executive order on federal hiring signed by Trump last month that set new requirements for hiring future federal civilian employees, including the formation of “strategic hiring committees” led by political appointees. Wednesday’s memo notes that such committees should have between five and nine members and be comprised largely of political hires, though career employees are allowed to join. The committees “must ensure that agency hiring is consistent with national interest, agency needs, and administration priorities,” the memo reads, underscoring Trump’s effort to assert stronger oversight of agency hiring.

Nigeria scrambles for US influence

Nigeria’s lack of a senior diplomatic presence in Washington under President Bola Tinubu has left the country vulnerable to Trump’s threats of military action over alleged Christian persecution, Semafor’s Yinka Adegoke and Alexander Onukwue report. Abuja has scrambled to appoint an ambassador to the US after two years without one, a push that is likely to take on added urgency as lawmakers like Sen. Tommy Tuberville, R-Ala., voice support for sending US troops into the West African nation. Meanwhile, regulatory filings show the Nigerian government has had little to no lobbyist representation in Washington since Tinubu took office in 2023; it’s been outspent by Biafra separatist groups who have focused on raising the issue of “Christian killings” on Capitol Hill. “This is not an era to be casual about your diplomacy in Washington,” said one former White House Africa director.

Media reporter goes after Melania

Journalist Michael Wolff has crowdfunded nearly half a million dollars to pursue a lawsuit against Melania Trump. The first lady threatened to sue Wolff, a longtime chronicler of both the Trumps and Jeffrey Epstein, for defamation over comments he made about her ties to and interactions with the late financier. Wolff sued her last month, alleging the Trumps were trying to suppress his reporting, and has said publicly he hopes to depose them. Wolff’s many fans and supporters have since raised some $440,000 for his legal fees. “Now that we have a war chest we can really let loose the dogs (of war),” Wolff told Semafor Wednesday. “The Trumps want to shut people up. Now we’ll make them talk.” The first lady did not immediately return a request for comment.

— Graph Massara

COP30 kicks off without Trump

Trump won’t join 53 other heads of state in Brazil today to kick off the COP30 climate summit, but will loom large over the gathering nonetheless. No senior US delegates will be present at the summit in the Amazonian city of Belém, with a White House official saying Trump is opting to “directly engage with leaders around the world on energy issues.” Some participants told Semafor they fear the lack of US leadership will let other countries off the hook on their climate ambitions, or that the administration will campaign behind the scenes for a weaker outcome. Yet many top carbon emitters are simply leaving the US behind, Rick Duke, the Biden administration’s deputy climate envoy, told Semafor: “The US sidelining of itself from the clean energy future is more severe and less strategic than it has ever been. It’s just a huge own-goal.”

After ending his mayoral campaign with a walk across the Brooklyn Bridge, Zohran Mamdani got a question that no candidate can prepare for. “Any response to President Trump saying he’s better looking than you?” journalist Timmy Facciola asked on Monday. Mamdani laughed. “My focus is on the cost of living crisis, bro,” he said. Thirty-six hours later, Mamdani became mayor-elect with more than 1 million votes — the first time that has happened since before the Beatles broke up. Democrats remain nervous about the implications of a Mamdani win for their lousy brand. But before Tuesday night, and a set of elections that went even better than Democrats had expected, Schumer’s party found a breezy answer for whether Mamdani helped or hurt them: He was focused on affordability, just like Abigail Spanberger in Virginia and Mikie Sherrill in New Jersey.

Beltway Newsletters

Punchbowl News: House Speaker Mike Johnson’s long-serving Director of House Operations, Derek Harley, is leaving to become the CEO of the Congressional Institute.

Playbook: President Trump is expected to formally announce a deal to slash the cost of weight loss drugs such as Wegovy today.

Axios: One person close to Trump hopes Tuesday’s election defeat will serve as a wake-up call for Republicans ahead of the 2026 midterms. “Sometimes, it’s good to touch the hot stove.”

WaPo: “If they don’t fund SNAP, don’t fund WIC, don’t fund housing vouchers — which are where we are headed for the whole country, not just New York — no state or city could make up the difference,” New York City comptroller Brad Lander said of Trump’s threat to withhold federal funding.

Congress

• Rep. Jared Golden, D-Maine, decided not to seek reelection.
• Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., “is telling people she wants to run for president in 2028.” — NOTUS

Outside the Beltway

• A man groped Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum on the street.
• Lina Khan, who served as FTC chair under the Biden administration, is co-chairing Zohran Mamdani’s transition team.

Inside the Beltway

• Heritage Foundation President Kevin Roberts apologized to the think tank’s staff for defending Tucker Carlson’s friendly interview with white supremacist Nick Fuentes, saying he “made a mistake.” — Washington Free Beacon

Campaigns

• Former DNC Vice Chair Michael Blake will attempt to primary Rep. Ritchie Torres, D-N.Y. — Politico
• California Republican members are making sense of their new electoral map, after voters approved Gov. Gavin Newsom’s Democratic redistricting measure. — Politico

Economy

• Private companies added 42,000 jobs last month, according to ADP, after two months of declines.

National Security

• The US military will power its bases using small nuclear reactors by 2028 in a bid to boost reliable electricity.

Transportation