Afternoon Sun: Schmitt Happens

Good afternoon. This is the Afternoon Sun newsletter for Sept. 29, 2026. You can get it in your inbox every day by signing up here — it’s free!

THE LATEST

The Supreme Court again backed the administration’s deportation of migrants to countries where they have no ties, allowing DHS to continue the removals without advance notice.

The Trump administration is preparing to automatically enroll every American child in a Trump Account before the midterms — aiming to increase the impact of a program that has struggled with low take-up.

CBP got $20 million for a “media campaign.” Lawmakers are pointing to the apportionment as an unauthorized use of funds — claiming the administration went around Congress to pay for a set of controversial Donald Trump campaign ads.

THE ADMINISTRATION

The White House’s America.gov launch felt more like an Apple keynote, including a slide deck that made direct reference to Steve Jobs’ product announcements, The Sun’s Mara Hoplamazian and Natalie Alms report.

• Marco Rubio revealed a new passport design, set to launch in 2028. The new documents — affixed with a larger eagle and “more gold” — would arrive in a special white box that resembles iPhone packaging.

• And the AI-driven government website? It’s live. Sort of.

A second senior prosecutor has resigned from his role investigating what Trump says is a multiyear conspiracy plot by former government officials to undermine his first term.

Congress’ watchdog arm says it cannot find assurances that DOGE properly handled Americans’ data.

• The GAO also found that the administration’s recent $800 million “pocket rescission” violates Congress’ constitutional control over government spending.

Scoop: The Pentagon has obligated nearly all of the $400 million set aside for Ukraine, a senior member of the Senate defense appropriations panel confirmed today, one day before the money was set to expire.

THE HILL

GOP Sen. Eric Schmitt leaned on his experience as a former Missouri attorney general as he laid out questions for former DOJ special counsel Jack Smith at a Senate hearing — with no idea he was about to flub his gotcha moment.

Senate Republicans blocked a Democratic effort to overturn a Trump administration rule they say will make it harder for people to enroll in Affordable Care Act health insurance plans and raise costs.

Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah) blocked a bipartisan bill that would have prohibited the destruction of any national memorial honoring a U.S. president — a measure meant to protect the Kennedy Center from a full demolition — without congressional approval.

THE COURTS

CNN, MS NOW and Politico urged a federal judge to extend his order blocking Trump from banning their journalists from the White House grounds.

Federal prosecutors in Texas announced assault charges against a Venezuelan delivery driver who was shot in the back by immigration enforcement agents on Sunday.

A federal judge blocked the Trump administration’s authority to withhold some federal counterterrorism funding from states that don’t meet its election administration demands.

NO LOVE FOR DYSON DANIELS

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