Afternoon Sun: Get Even Stevens

Good afternoon. This is the Afternoon Sun newsletter for Nov. 2, 2026. You can get it in your inbox every day by signing up here — it’s free!

THE LATEST

Democrats are facing a dilemma — what to do about Rep. Haley Stevens after her stunning defection in Michigan’s Senate race.

• Hakeem Jeffries said Democrats “will have a discussion about appropriate next steps” after the House returns next week. Two House Democrats told The Washington Sun that there is interest in pursuing consequences for Stevens.
• Michigan’s Democratic Party chair told The Sun that Stevens had not renewed her membership with the state’s branch of the party.

Meanwhile, a senior Democratic consultant came into possession of a save-the-date for Stevens’ wedding to Jason Turkish, a donor-turned-fiancé who also recently announced that he would be voting for Rogers, The Sun’s Alex Roarty reports. The timing struck the consultant as ... odd.

Abdul El-Sayed’s campaign reported an eye-popping fundraising haul of $2.4 million yesterday following Stevens’ endorsement swap, including more than 29,000 first-time donors.

THE ADMINISTRATION

Federal agents working on a task force in D.C. have been instructed to stay away from polling places. The directive was issued after at least two sightings of National Guard troops and other federal agents near local polling sites.

Paul Anka, David Foster, Andy Garcia, David Mamet and Barbara Mandrell will receive the 2026 Kennedy Center Honors, even as Donald Trump’s overhaul of the institution pushes the annual ceremony to a new venue.

THE CAMPAIGN TRAIL

Trump closed out his 2026 midterms season touting his overhaul of the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool. Notably absent: Much talk about the midterms.

Candidates — especially Republicans — deployed AI-generated ads in exponentially greater numbers than just two years ago.

Trump hasn’t spent a penny of his 10-figure wealth to boost fellow Republicans this cycle.

THE COURTS

The head of the FBI’s Chicago field office filed a lawsuit today alleging he was scapegoated for the “politically motivated prosecutions” of anti-ICE protesters who came to be known as the “Broadview Six.”

• The case was ultimately dropped in May after the feds admitted to significant “errors.”

The Department of Justice has asked the Supreme Court to force California to segregate ballots from voters that it alleges — erroneously, at least according to one analysis by an immigrant rights’ group — are noncitizens.

A federal judge tossed a criminal complaint against two former FBI officials accused of falsely downplaying their knowledge of a laptop the Justice Department says belonged to Hunter Biden.

ANYBODY KNOW HOW TROY WAS BORN?

Thank you for reading! Today’s newsletter was produced by Kelly Poe and Jonann Brady. 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.