In Washington, three weddings (whew!) and a shutdown

Couples in Washington whose marriage plans were thwarted by the partial government shutdown have gotten a break, thanks to the action of Mayor Muriel Bowser and the city council.

The city’s Marriage Bureau had been deemed “nonessential” and shuttered as part of the thorny standoff between President Donald Trump and congressional Democrats. But on Friday, Bowser signed an emergency measure authorising city officials to validate marriages in the absence of the Marriage Bureau.

“They can shut down the US government, but they cannot shut down love in the District of Columbia,” City Council member Brandon Todd said.