Happy Friday! I’m thrilled today because I have finally found the perfect use of the meme, “Sir, this is a Wendy’s.” Keep reading and you’ll see. Here are a few highlights today:

• Government funding talks hit a major snag Thursday when Senate conservatives demanded changes to a noncontroversial bill.
• Former President Trump will appear on NBC’s “Meet the Press” on Sunday.
• People on TikTok have been asking their partners how often they think about the Roman Empire, following a viral post. The answers are unexpected and hilarious.

I’m Cate Martel with a quick recap of the morning and what’s coming up. Send tips, commentary, feedback and cookie recipes to cmartel@digital-stage.thehill.com. Did someone forward this newsletter to you? Sign up here.  

The Hill’s Alexander Bolton and Aris Folley report that Senate conservatives demanded changes to a noncontroversial spending bill Thursday, bringing it to a screeching halt and sending off alarm bells over a potential government shutdown.

The worrisome divide: It’s not just the differences between Republicans and Democrats, but Republican leadership and some conservatives are at odds about how forcefully to push for spending cuts.

And the fun doesn’t stop there: On the other side of the Capitol, House Republicans forced GOP leaders to postpone a vote on a bill — and are refusing to move forward until Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calf.) agrees to demanding spending cuts.

Bolton and Folley have a useful read on where the talks stand.

“Skepticism is growing among House Republicans on the approval of more Ukraine funding as Congress faces its first test on America’s role in the war against Russia. The House could face a vote as soon as this month as the Senate looks to fold a Ukraine aid package into a continuing resolution that would push back the deadline for a potential government shutdown.” (The Hill)

^ IYKYK

Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-Colo.) was escorted out of a “Beetlejuice” performance in Denver last weekend after patron complaints of disturbances and vaping. (9News)

Watch the surveillance footage

Sen. Mitt Romney’s (R-Utah) decision to retire at the end of 2024 has set off a sprint among Utah Republicans who are eager to fill his seat.

Wow: “Utah GOP Chairman Robert Axson told The Hill that roughly 30 people have expressed interest over the last few months in running for Romney’s seat. Of those, he estimated a dozen are ‘seriously considering right now.’” (The Hill)

What will be interesting: Romney is popular in his state, but he was also the only Republican to vote to convict former President Trump on impeachment charges both times. Those votes are pretty unpopular within the Republican Party, so it’ll be interesting to see which brand of Republican will ultimately fills Romney’s seat.

The Hill’s Niall Stanage wrote an interesting column today on how COVID-19 being back in the news could have an impact on the Republican primary.

How is COVID back in the news?: “COVID hospitalizations have been rising at a rapid clip in the United States for about six weeks … The latest figures are close to a threefold increase from [hospitalizations in July]. This rise, in turn, led the CDC to recommend Tuesday that virtually everyone, with the exception of infants younger than 6 months, should get an updated vaccine.”

That’s where DeSantis comes in: “In particular, the issue is being weaponized by Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) as he seeks to make up lost ground against former President Trump … DeSantis pushed back hard Wednesday against the CDC recommendations, urging anyone under the age of 65 to not get vaccinated.”

DeSantis argued: That he would not let public health leaders “use healthy Floridians as guinea pigs for new booster shots that have not been proven to be safe or effective.” (The Hill)

So, yeah, we can see how this issue could explode in the GOP primary.

The House and Senate are out. President Biden is in Washington, D.C., and Vice President Harris is in Greensboro, N.C. (all times Eastern)

• 12:30 p.m.: Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-Fla.) speaks at the Concerned Women for America summit in Washington, D.C. 📺 Livestream
• 1 p.m.: White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre and national security adviser Jake Sullivan 📺 Livestream
• 2:30 p.m.: Harris speaks at North Carolina A&T University. Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Michael Regan and Terrence J will also speak. 📺 Livestream
• 6:25 p.m.: Biden leaves for Delaware.
• Sunday: Former President Trump appears on NBC’s “Meet the Press” for Kristen Welker’s first weekend as the host.
• Noon Monday: The House meets.
• 3 p.m. Monday: The Senate returns. 🗓️ Monday’s agenda

The Hill’s Rebecca Beitsch reports that “prosecutors in Delaware brought three gun-related charges against Hunter Biden on Thursday, with a grand jury indicting the president’s son after special counsel David Weiss said he would pursue charges following the evaporation of a plea deal.” (The Hill)

• ‘What Americans Think Of The Biden Impeachment Inquiry’: “Most aren’t convinced President Biden is implicated in his son’s wrongdoing.” (FiveThirtyEight)
• ‘Hunter Biden’s lawyer says gun statute unconstitutional, case will be dismissed’: (ABC News)
• ‘House Dems take aim at Hunter Biden to defend his dad’: (Politico)
• ‘The Truth About Hunter Biden’s Indictment’: “Long happy to trade on his famous name, the president’s son now reckons with the other side of his prominence.” (The Atlantic)

Former President Trump’s attorneys are calling for U.S. District Court Judge Tanya Chutkan to recuse herself from his election interference trial due to comments she has made in other Jan. 6 defendants’ sentencing.

For example: Trump’s lawyers accuse Chutkan of suggesting that Trump should be imprisoned.

But special counsel Jack Smith’s team urged Chutkan not to recuse herself: It is a long-shot bid, anyway. (The Hill)

Former President Trump said he is willing to testify that he did not ask a staffer to delete security footage, calling the allegation “false.”

^ This is from Trump’s Sunday interview on NBC’s “Meet the Press.”

(The Hill)

@KelseyMLoo posted on X, formerly known as Twitter: “I saw … something along the lines of ‘women have no idea how often the men in their lives think about the Roman Empire.’ So I asked my husband: ‘How often do you think about the Roman Empire?’ And without missing a beat he said ‘Every day.’ YALL! Why!?”

The post went viral, and people are now asking their partners how often they, too, think about the Roman Empire. The answers have been hilarious. Here are a few of my favorites:

• Here is one response — I am cackling: From @lydia_kyl
• And another — his reasoning is hilarious: From @kara_elizabth
• And another: From @lexnicoleta
• One man explained why he thought about it *twice* that day.
• And another: From @kirakosarin
• The Hill’s Sarakshi Rai posted, “I literally thought this was a joke, asked my husband how often he thinks about the Roman Empire and he said: ‘three to four times a week’. 🫠”

How often do you think about the Roman Empire? All the time, a normal amount or never? Let me know at cmartel@digital-stage.thehill.com! I may or may not share some of the best responses I get in Monday’s newsletter. 😉

🥑 Celebrate: Today is National Linguini Day! And even more importantly, Saturday is National Guacamole Day! 

🚙 Spotted at the DMV: CNN anchor Jake Tapper was spotted at the Georgetown DMV wearing a sports jersey with his name on the back. Photo from Overheard District

📚 ‘Lucy Score’s first book sold 35 copies. Now she has an instant bestseller.’: “The romance author talked about the epic success of her “Knockemout” series. (The Washington Post)

🍎 If you’re in a fall mood: Here is where to find apple cider doughnuts in the Washington, D.C., area, from Washingtonian.

To leave you on a happy note before the weekend, here are dogs with entirely different takes on life.