Afternoon Sun: All Is Not OK

Good afternoon. This is the Afternoon Sun newsletter for Sept. 23, 2026. You can get it in your inbox every day by signing up here — it’s free!

THE LATEST

Scoop: A fight over who can finish Markwayne Mullin’s Senate term is brewing in Oklahoma, The Washington Sun’s Reese Gorman reports. The acting senator, Alan Armstrong, and Mullin’s likely successor, Rep. Kevin Hern, disagree on when the handoff should take place: right after the election in November, or in January?

The Justice Department released a list of 13 stories that “threatened national security and/or spread falsehoods” in a court filing defending the White House’s ban on CNN, MS NOW and Politico.

• As of publication time, the government and the media companies’ legal teams are discussing the ban in front of a federal judge. The Trump administration is arguing the ban resulted from national security concerns, which the media outlets’ team disputes.

THE ADMINISTRATION

The White House denied that Trump is considering putting his name on Ford’s Theatre as part of his push to put his mark on the city.

The leading preservationist group fighting Trump’s ballroom project announced a $10 million legal defense fund.

• Trump clashed repeatedly with the ballroom’s first architect, who resigned last year after warning the president over building safety requirements like emergency exit routes, The Washington Post reported today. Trump reportedly told the architect that such codes don’t apply to the White House, saying, “I am the code.”

THE HILL

Democrats have been using “shadow hearings” to hone their message on ICE accountability, trying to recoup support after immigration issues hurt the party’s results badly in 2024.

THE STATES

Democratic Gov. Wes Moore signed an executive order imposing stricter data center regulations in Maryland.

WHAT ABOUT DIRKSEN?

Thank you for reading! Today’s newsletter was produced by Kelly Poe and Erik Schutz. If you liked it, please forward it to a friend. If someone shared it with you, please sign up — it’s free! Got a tip or comments to share? Email us at newsletters@washsun.com.