Afternoon Sun: Like Stockwork

Good afternoon. This is the Afternoon Sun newsletter for Sept. 30, 2026. You can get it in your inbox every day by signing up here — it’s free!

THE LATEST

Donald Trump said he struggles with finding the right balance on immigration enforcement in a rare admission during a Hispanic Heritage Month event at the White House today.

Senate Republicans are laying the groundwork to quickly extend the federal debt ceiling through the end of Trump’s term should they lose control of Congress, aiming to prevent Democrats from weaponizing the issue to later extract concessions.

On what is likely the chamber’s last voting day before recess, senators rejected the House-approved Stop Insider Trading Act, which would have banned federal lawmakers from trading individual stocks, in a 53-47 procedural vote.

• Many Democrats opposed a condition allowing lawmakers to keep stocks they already owned, as well as an attached provision requiring voters to present photo ID at polling stations.

• Senate Democrats also blocked the Ratepayer Protection Act, a data center-oriented affordability bill that Chuck Schumer called a “toothless” measure.

THE ADMINISTRATION

The Biden administration’s investments in the nation’s crumbling bridges expire today, leaving thousands of communities across the country in the lurch.

The Federal Reserve’s internal watchdog said the agency has broadly mismanaged an expansive building renovation project — but did not find any criminal violations, as alleged by Trump administration prosecutors.

Meta has been exploiting a tax break intended to support research and experimentation to finance AI data centers and avoid billions in taxes, The New York Times reported.

Anti-abortion leaders took shots this morning at Trump’s January comments urging Republicans to loosen their support for the Hyde Amendment, which prohibits federal money from being used directly on abortions, The Washington Sun’s Oriana González reports.

• John Mize, CEO of Americans United for Life, said that while he is “grateful” for the appointment of justices who overturned Roe v. Wade, “Hyde is not a bargaining chip; it is not a line item to trade and compromise. It is a principle.”

Top Justice Department officials filed a misconduct complaint against federal judges in Minnesota over comments they made to The New York Times related to the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown in the state.

THE HILL

Hakeem Jeffries said he expects to visit 15 to 20 different states in October ahead of the midterms.

Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-Tennessee) sued former special counsel Jack Smith for a symbolic $1 over his office’s subpoena for her phone records during its investigation into Trump’s efforts to overturn the 2020 election.

Kalshi has referred an investigation into trades made by former Republican Rep. Adam Kinzinger of Illinois to the Commodity Futures Trading Commission.

THE CAMPAIGN TRAIL

Texas Republican Ken Paxton reportedly told donors last week that his poll numbers fell after Trump’s midterm convention in Dallas, saying the situation was “not good” for his Senate campaign.

Senate candidate Troy Jackson apologized Wednesday for any “pain” caused by a comment the Maine Democrat made yesterday about Jewish residents’ views on the war in Gaza.

TRUE MISS

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.