Afternoon Sun: Back That Press Up

Good afternoon. This is the Afternoon Sun newsletter for Sept. 24, 2026. You can get it in your inbox every day by signing up here — it’s free!

THE LATEST

The Senate voted down a House-passed resolution meant to curb Trump’s war powers, even as frustration with the nearly seven-month war spills into the midterm campaign.

• GOP Sens. Thom Tillis, Rand Paul, Susan Collins and Lisa Murkowski voted in favor, while Democratic Sen. John Fetterman voted against.

They’re back: CNN, MS NOW and Politico journalists can now access the White House grounds after a federal judge lifted Donald Trump’s ban in an overnight ruling.

THE ADMINISTRATION

The NSA told lawmakers that it is spending billions in taxpayer funds this year evaluating and testing advanced AI models.

Heidi Overton avoided sharing her personal views on vaccines, abortion medication and birth control, instead citing FDA policy when being grilled by senators during her confirmation hearing today.

Eight people aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln attempted suicide while serving as part of the ship’s record-breaking deployment, including two recorded “man overboard” incidents, though none of them died, the Navy revealed.

Google recently removed a digital campaign ad from a Trump-aligned super PAC because it failed to disclose AI usage in violation of the platform’s rules.

Chinese President Xi Jinping opened his White House visit with a subtle shot at America’s hesitancy to welcome business from his country.

THE HILL

Lawmakers are demanding answers after F-35 components were diverted to Hong Kong, wondering how parts from the military’s most advanced fighter jet ended up in territory controlled by China.

The Senate is focused on passing the Protect College Sports Act, meaning the upper chamber likely won’t tackle the country’s most pressing issue — affordability — before Election Day.

• When asked if the Ratepayer Protection Act would be the crux of an affordability message before the midterms, John Thune said the data center bill is “front-and-center on that list” among “a couple” of other good candidates.

A new report about Alaska Senate candidate Mary Peltola’s anger toward staff members has Democrats asking themselves: Should we tolerate that?

THE COURTS

Democratic Party leadership and campaign committees filed a suit against DHS over the threat of sending federal agents to polling places for Election Day.

An appeals court appeared open to arguments that the actions that led to the conviction of former Sen. Bob Menendez (D-New Jersey) were protected legislative activity, Politico reports.

THE STATES

Wisconsin Republican Tom Tiffany’s team barred a Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reporter from entering an event, citing “multiple negative headlines” about his gubernatorial campaign.

OLD AS THE HILL

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.