Good afternoon. This is the Afternoon Sun newsletter for Oct. 20, 2026. You can get it in your inbox every day by signing up here — it’s free!
THE LATEST
Donald Trump says he has spent more than $300 million so far on campaign initiatives like advertising and rallies. His announcement came ahead of a major FEC filing deadline, though most October spending will not be reflected in today’s monthly disclosure.
- Reporters heading into the Oval Office today also received a physical copy of the Truth Social post.
- Trump already received an FEC complaint for calling the MAGA Inc. PAC funds “my money” — a quote based on a question from The Washington Sun’s Jasmine Wright earlier this fall.
Scoop: House Democrats are pouring money into three new congressional districts Trump won handily in 2024, pushing their party deeper into GOP territory in the final two weeks of the cycle, The Sun’s Elena Schneider reports.
Trending
THE ADMINISTRATION
Marco Rubio denied that the U.S. was deliberately withholding air defense missiles or intelligence from Ukraine, though he acknowledged that a shipment of Patriot interceptors purchased by European allies may be awaiting Pentagon approval.
The White House announced a new $25 million fraud tip program that would give Americans a cash reward for reporting suspected fraud.
- Its first recipient: right-wing YouTuber Nick Shirley, whose viral December 2025 video resurfaced long-standing state and federal investigations into fraud at Somali-owned child care centers in Minnesota.
Trump announced $8 billion in relief for farmers facing record-high diesel prices during a Kansas rally — the administration’s second such attempt this month to aid the agriculture industry.
Trump’s FBI purge saved former GOP Sen. Lindsey Graham and Democratic Rep. James Clyburn from a bribery investigation, ProPublica reports.
THE CAMPAIGN TRAIL
A Cuban bakery in Florida became the target of a conservative boycott campaign this week after it hosted Hakeem Jeffries and Democratic congressional candidate Eliott Rodriguez.
An attack ad in the Ohio governor’s race began circulating on social media last night featuring the mother of Democratic candidate Amy Acton calling her daughter a liar. The two are estranged following allegations by Acton that a stepfather had sexually abused her as a child.
- It’s unclear if the ad came from Vivek Ramaswamy’s campaign, but a spokesperson defended it this afternoon in the wake of considerable backlash: “We don’t know what happened between Amy and her mother … but we know that Amy Acton is a serial fabulist.”
Michael Bloomberg is giving $80 million to Democrats in the final midterms stretch, more than half of it going to House races.
The Senate Majority PAC will spend $1.2 million on a new TV ad in Mississippi’s Senate race to boost Democratic nominee Scott Colom over incumbent Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith.
THE COURTS
The DOJ will be allowed to intervene in a citizen lawsuit against xAI’s data center in Mississippi but cannot throw the case out of court, a federal judge ruled.
CNN warned the DOJ that the network may pursue additional legal action if the Trump administration continues to ban the network’s journalists from traveling with the president aboard Air Force One.
MAKE MUTTONCHOPS, NOT WAR
When they say the Civil War was brother against brother, this is what I imagine it looked like—> https://t.co/tSwHIvFIrO
— Ben Sasse (@BenSasse) October 20, 2026
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.
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