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Trump Says He Had ‘Nothing to Do With’ the Raid on Ilhan Omar’s Home

Mara Hoplamazian — Mon, 12 Oct 2026 22:17:53 GMT

“I think she’s a terrible person, but that’s really up to the DOJ, I have nothing to do with it,” Trump said. (Julia Demaree Nikhinson/AP)

President Donald Trump told reporters Monday afternoon he had nothing to do with the raid on the home of Rep. Ilhan Omar conducted by the Department of Homeland Security.

“I understand that they’re looking at her very carefully. I’ve always found her to be totally crooked, personally, but that has nothing to do with me,” Trump said, calling Omar’s native Somalia a “non-country.”

“I think she’s a terrible person, but that’s really up to the DOJ, I have nothing to do with it,” he said.

The Justice Department said the early-morning raid on her D.C. home was executed by Homeland Security Investigations based on a warrant signed by a judge. The search relates to an ongoing criminal investigation, the agency said, without providing further details.

Within 60 days of an election, the Justice Department generally avoids taking action against political figures, although it is not forbidden from doing so.

Omar, a Democrat who is up for reelection in Minnesota’s 5th Congressional District, called the raid an “attempt to target political enemies and weaponize law enforcement.”

House Democrats accused the Trump administration of abusing its power, calling the search “deeply disturbing.”

Trump has long criticized Omar, spreading the claim popular in right-wing circles that she married her brother as part of an immigration scheme. No federal agency has produced evidence that supports that accusation, and Omar has denied it, calling the claims “disgusting lies.”

In January, the president said the Justice Department and Congress were investigating Omar’s finances, claiming she was worth more than $44 million.

Financial disclosures from earlier this year show the congresswoman reported less than $15,000 in a savings account, less than $15,000 in each of four retirement accounts, and between $15,001 and $50,000 in the Minnesota State Retirement System.

Republican-Aligned Super PAC Buys Ads in the Wrong Portland

Mara Hoplamazian — Mon, 12 Oct 2026 21:57:32 GMT

The mix-up attracted social media attention over the weekend from Oregonians, who were served an ad that focused on Troy Jackson’s votes in Maine’s state Senate. Jackson is running to replace Republican Sen. Susan Collins (pictured) in Maine. (J. Scott Applewhite/AP)

A super PAC that supports Republican candidates confirmed its media vendor mistakenly sent ads attacking Troy Jackson, a Democratic Senate candidate, to Portland, Oregon, instead of Portland, Maine.

A spokesperson for Defending Main Street said in a statement that its media vendor, the 1903 Group, mistakenly placed roughly $25,000 in digital advertising in the Portland, Oregon, media market over the past week — on the opposite side of the country from Maine, where Jackson is running to oust Republican Sen. Susan Collins.

“The error was identified, the ads were immediately stopped and corrected, and the vendor is refunding Defending Main Street the full amount of the misplaced spend. No donor funds will be lost as a result of the vendor’s error,” the spokesperson said.

The 1903 Group said the issue was “100% a Cross Screen Media error,” referring to a company within the group. The company said it stopped the incorrect campaign, got the ads into the correct Portland market and refunded the cost of the ads that aired in the wrong market.

The mix-up, first reported by The Intercept, attracted social media attention over the weekend from Oregonians, who were served an ad that focused on Jackson’s votes in Maine’s state Senate in favor of increases to sales, gas, property and income taxes, calling him “Taxin’ Troy Jackson.”

Dan Gottlieb, a spokesperson for the Jackson campaign, used the opportunity to hit Collins back.

“Susan Collins’ allies are so out of touch with Maine, they can’t even find it on a map. Good luck convincing Mainers you know what’s best for them when you don’t know which Portland they live in,” he said.

Trump’s Taxpayer-Funded Ads Kept Running After a Court Ordered Him to Stop

Mara Hoplamazian — Mon, 12 Oct 2026 21:42:54 GMT

The White House told The Washington Sun that the Department of Homeland Security did not receive notice from the court in time to cancel the ads that ran Sunday evening, which was the final day the ads paid for by the government would run. (Alex Brandon/AP)

The Trump administration appears to have continued running campaign-style ads funded by taxpayer dollars after a federal judge ordered them to stop over the weekend.

The spots aired on “60 Minutes,” “ABC World News Tonight” and “America’s Funniest Home Videos" on Sunday night into Monday morning, The Washington Post first reported.

Groups that sued the Trump administration over the ads, including the advocacy organization Common Cause, told the court Monday afternoon that the ads ran in over 400 slots after 7 p.m. Sunday, when the judge’s order to cancel the ads took effect.

The White House told The Washington Sun that the Department of Homeland Security did not receive notice from the court in time to cancel the ads that ran Sunday evening, which was the final day the ads paid for by the government would run.

One of the ads, “Final Battle,” is very similar to one used during President Donald Trump’s 2024 campaign. It features black-and-white footage of Trump walking down a hallway and recordings of statements he has made about “communists, Marxists and fascists” and the “fake news media.” Court filings estimate the Trump administration spent more than $9 million on that ad alone.

Another, titled “Maduro,” features images of former Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro in handcuffs, and statements from administration officials about the U.S. operation to capture him.

Common Cause and other groups told the court they were not asking to hold the Trump administration in contempt over the violation of the court’s deadline, but they did request a status conference to discuss next steps. The Trump administration is required to file a report on its compliance Monday evening.

The groups suing over the ads argue that the use of taxpayer dollars violates restrictions on government funds being used for propaganda.

In a hearing over the weekend, lawyers for the Trump administration did not deny that the advertisements were paid for by taxpayer funds that were originally appropriated for border security, technology and screening, though they did argue that the issue was moot and the court lacked the authority to hear the case.

Trump has characterized paying for ads with taxpayer dollars as “a rather standard thing to do,” and said on social media that he considers them to be “a positive promotion for our Great U.S.A.”

But going forward, he said, the ads will be paid for with money he raised for MAGA Inc., a super PAC founded in 2022.

Afternoon Sun: Stumped

Brett Bachman — Mon, 12 Oct 2026 20:07:18 GMT

Mon, 12 Oct 2026 20:07:18 GMT https://www.washingtonsun.com/afternoon-sun-newsletter/afternoon-sun-stumped

A golfer walks past the stump of a large tree at the East Potomac Golf Links. (Mark Schiefelbein/AP)

Good afternoon. Here’s what you need to know.

THE LATEST

Federal agents searched the D.C. home of Rep. Ilhan Omar this morning as part of an unspecified criminal investigation, a highly unusual move this close to an election.

Omar and other Democrats accused the Trump administration of abusing its power.
“Make no mistake: this is an attempt to target political enemies and weaponize federal law enforcement,” Omar said. “I will not be silenced.”

THE ADMINISTRATION

Donald Trump is headed to Youngstown, Ohio, tonight to rally for GOP candidates. And he’s not the only one pitching in for Republicans in the crucial swing state: Crypto-affiliated super PAC Fairshake has dropped more than $2.5 million already this week in an attempt to take down Democratic Senate hopeful Sherrod Brown.

Happy Columbus Day: The White House celebrated the holiday by creating a new AI-filled website: “Sail On. Columbus Day is back.”

THE CAMPAIGN TRAIL

Elon Musk is now the largest known donor in this year’s midterm elections, doling out more than $276 million over the past several months in an attempt to save Republicans from losing their majorities in Congress.

THE HILL

If that effort fails, Speaker Mike Johnson said over the weekend that he plans to remain his party’s House leader.

"If, heaven forbid, we lost the majority, I would expect my colleagues would call upon me to continue to lead the conference in divided government,” he told CBS’s Robert Costa.

THE COURTS

The Trump administration cut down hundreds of trees at the East Potomac Golf Course in D.C. over the weekend, enraging a federal judge on Monday and leading her to order the Interior Department to put down its saws. The judge had previously ordered officials to notify the court before performing any construction on the site.

“I do not know how I could have made it any plainer I did not want what happened to happen,” District Judge Judge Ana C. Reyes said, adding that the incident had “cost the government all of its credibility” in the case.

Another judge ordered the Trump administration to stop airing its controversial taxpayer-funded ad campaign, which critics have called “propaganda.”

But at least two of the ads aired after the court’s Sunday evening deadline, according to AdImpact data cited by The Washington Post.

SPELL CHECK IS FREE

https://x.com/daveweigel/status/2109314641017086300?s=20Thank you for reading! Today’s newsletter was produced by Elise Foley and Nikie Johnson. 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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U.S. Archbishop Says Catholic Soldiers Should Not Serve on Hegseth’s Firing Squad

The Associated Press — Mon, 12 Oct 2026 19:10:29 GMT

Military Services Archbishop Timothy Broglio described the execution as contrary to the teachings of the church. (Stephanie Scarbrough/AP)

Archbishop Timothy Broglio, who oversees the Catholic Church’s pastoral services to Catholics in the U.S. military, is condemning the proposed livestream of the firing squad execution of Nidal Hasan.

Broglio, in a statement Monday, also stipulated that any Catholic soldier assigned to the U.S. Army firing squad should ask to be excused from that duty, which he described as contrary to the teachings of the church. He joins other Catholic leaders in speaking out against the death penalty and the livestream plans.

Hasan, an Army psychiatrist convicted of killing 13 people in 2009 at Fort Hood in Texas, is scheduled to be executed by firing squad on Dec. 3.

Broglio recalled that he presided over the funeral of Michael Grant Cahill, the only civilian killed in that attack.

The crime committed by Hasan "was heinous, but does exposing the public to his execution serve any purpose?" Broglio asked.

“The US military generally enjoys a good reputation in the world,” Broglio added. “Is there really a value to throwing them in the same boat with terrorists by broadcasting the image of the execution of a man in a wheelchair to the whole world?"

Elon Musk Is the Biggest Known Donor in the Midterms

The Associated Press — Mon, 12 Oct 2026 16:58:30 GMT

President Donald Trump presented Elon Musk with the National Medal of Science last week. Julia Demaree Nikhinson/AP

By Jill Colvin

Elon Musk, the world's only trillionaire, has quietly become the biggest known donor in this year's midterm elections, doling out more than $276 million since July to try to save Republican majorities in Congress.

The numbers, first reported by the New York Times ahead of this week's federal filing deadline, were confirmed by Andrew Romeo, a spokesperson for Musk's super PAC.

The money includes $158 million given to the Senate Leadership Fund, the main super PAC supporting Republican Senate candidates, one of the largest known political donations in American history, according to the Times.

Another $76 million went to America PAC, a Musk super PAC, which has once again built out a major turnout operation like the one it used to help elect President Donald Trump by knocking on doors in 2024.

Musk also provided $10 million to Lone Star Liberty PAC, a group that supports the Republican nominee for Senate in Texas, Ken Paxton. The race has been a major focus of Musk's efforts.

It's a dramatic turnaround since last May, when Musk said he intended to cut back on future political spending. “I think I’ve done enough," he said at the time.

Despite the cash infusion, Musk has generally kept a lower profile than in 2024, when he appeared on stage next to Trump at rallies, and in the early days of the president's second term, when he led the Department of Government Efficiency.

He had a falling out with Trump while leaving his government post, but the two have since reconciled. Trump presented Musk with the National Medal of Science last week.

Musk's net worth has fluctuated around the trillion-dollar line this year based on changes in stock prices, but he topped $1 trillion again last week according to Forbes magazine.

Republican have a gaping financial advantage over their Democratic counterparts — a disparity that has been a rare bright spot for a party that is bracing for major potential losses amid deep voter frustration over the president's performance, stubbornly high prices and the unpopular war with Iran.

They have been using the money to blanket the airwaves in the race's final stretch.

“These robust investments have allowed the G.O.P. apparatus to get its message out so Republicans can have a fighting chance to defy history," Romeo told the Times.

Democrats responded to the news by accusing Republicans of using vast amounts of cash to mask their shortcomings.

“Republicans are hoping to buy these elections, injecting tens of millions into races to try and outrun their unpopular candidates, unpopular president, and unpopular economy,” said Lauren French, a spokesperson for Democrats' Senate Majority PAC.

Democrats Say the Search of Ilhan Omar’s Home Is a ‘Disturbing’ Abuse of Power

Mara Hoplamazian — Mon, 12 Oct 2026 16:20:32 GMT

Rep. Ilhan Omar said the search was an “attempt to target political enemies and weaponize federal law enforcement.” (J. Scott Applewhite/AP)

Rep. Ilhan Omar and other House Democrats accused the Trump administration of abusing its power by searching her home on Monday, just weeks before the midterm elections.

Homeland Security Investigations agents searched Omar’s home in Washington, D.C., early Monday as part of a criminal investigation.

At noon, Omar posted on social media that she was “ok.”

“Make no mistake: this is an attempt to target political enemies and weaponize federal law enforcement. For ten years, Trump has targeted me with baseless lies and smear campaigns. This is just the latest escalation in his campaign of political intimidation,” she said.

“I will not be silenced,” she added.

House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries, Whip Katherine Clark and Caucus Chair Pete Aguilar called the search “deeply disturbing” and said it raised questions about the “continued corrupt weaponization of the federal government against Donald Trump’s adversaries.”

“For years, Donald Trump and far-right extremists have relentlessly targeted Congresswoman Omar with vile personal attacks and baseless accusations. Now, less than 30 days until the midterm election, his violent mass deportation machine has descended upon the home of a duly elected Member of Congress and her family,” the Democratic leaders said in a statement.

A search of this kind is highly unusual this close to an election, and multiple other Democrats came to Omar’s defense.

“It is no accident that this raid comes three weeks before an election where Rep. Omar is on the ballot,” New York Rep. Yvette Clarke posted. “This is part of the fascist playbook to rile up his supporters in advance of the midterms.”

Illinois Rep. Jesús “Chuy” García called the raid on Omar’s home “an extreme abuse of power and an escalation of a years-long campaign against her.”

“Trump should not be allowed to politicize the federal government against elected officials,” he wrote.

Trump has frequently criticized Omar, including spreading the idea that she had married her brother to conduct immigration fraud. No federal agency has produced evidence of those claims, and Omar, who was born in Somalia and immigrated to the U.S. as a child, has called them “disgusting lies.”

Her office has not responded to a request for comment on the search.

White House border czar Tom Homan said last month that Omar was subject to an “ongoing criminal investigation,” and he told Fox News on Monday that a search warrant had been executed in an investigation led by the Justice Department.

“There is an investigation, a warrant was served,” he said, adding that he “didn’t want to get ahead of Todd Blanche.”

Rep. Delia Ramirez (D-Illinois) called the search an effort to “target and persecute” Omar.

“We must strip them of their weapons. We must dismantle DHS. I stand in solidarity with Omar and every member of our community persecuted by the Trump administration,” she wrote on social media.

Wisconsin Rep. Gwen Moore wrote that the Trump administration was continuing to “demolish democratic norms and abuse the power of the federal government” by searching Omar’s home.

In a direct-to-camera video posted on social media, Rep. Ro Khanna urged Americans to “stand up and speak out.”

“It is simply chilling that they are targeting political opponents in this way, and it is disturbing that they are targeting Muslim Americans and a Muslim American woman legislator,” the California Democrat said.

This article has been updated with additional comments.

Judge Says the Government Lost ‘Its Credibility’ by Cutting Down East Potomac Trees

Mara Hoplamazian, Reese Gorman, Todd Ruger — Mon, 12 Oct 2026 14:26:51 GMT

Lawyers for the government said Monday that about 430 trees have been cut down at the golf course. (Nathan Howard/AP)

A federal judge ordered the Interior Department on Monday to temporarily stop cutting down trees at the East Potomac Golf Course and explain why it cut down hundreds over the weekend.

In a heated four-hour hearing, Judge Ana C. Reyes said she was “thoroughly unamused” that officials gave notice at 4:55 p.m. Friday — minutes before courts closed for the holiday weekend — that the National Park Service would begin razing trees the next day.

“I do not know how I could have made it any plainer I did not want what happened to happen,” she said, adding that the incident had “cost the government all of its credibility” in the case.

Reyes extended a temporary restraining order to block any more trees from being cut down before 2 p.m. Tuesday, and said the government must give 72 hours’ notice for any work on East Potomac Golf Links.

She said she wants a senior official at the Interior Department to testify under oath so she can figure out “whether or not I've been lied to.” Reyes vowed to hold contempt hearings if her order is violated by “two seconds.”

“Because we are talking now with potential multiple misrepresentations to the court,” Reyes said, adding that “the only reason” she wasn’t moving to contempt proceedings was that she had not made a formal order previously, a decision she said she is now “regretting.”

The judge had previously told the government that it needed to notify the court before taking irreversible action on renovation and construction.

After alerting the court of its plans on Friday, the government began cutting down trees on Saturday, including healthy and mature oaks and maples, according to an emergency motion filed Sunday by the D.C. Preservation League.

The Trump administration told the group's lawyers over the weekend that the operation was proceeding faster than anticipated, and that 529 trees had been destroyed Saturday and hundreds more would be cut down imminently, the D.C. Preservation League filing states.

On Monday, lawyers for the government said approximately 430 trees have been cut down so far, and there are plans to cut about 299 more.

“On what universe did anyone in your office think that was acceptable?” Reyes asked the government.

“Your honor, we did our best,” a government attorney replied, before the judge interjected.

“No you did not do your best! You did your absolute worst,” she said.

Reyes spent the majority of the hearing trying to get to the bottom of who gave the order to take down the trees and when it was given.

She summoned Kevin Griess, the superintendent of National Mall and Memorial Parks, who told the court in a declaration filed Friday that the trees do not contribute to the historic landscape and were being removed as part of an older rehabilitation project.

"No healthy trees that are contributing to the historical golf course (such as healthy, historic cherry trees) will be removed as part of this project," Griess said in that filing.

Greiss testified Monday that the decision was made last Wednesday to move forward with the tree maintenance. Reyes pressed him to say who gave that order, then summoned that official — Frank Lands, a National Parks Service deputy director — to testify, which he did from a parked car.

Lands told the court that Gregory Wischer, the deputy chief of staff for the Interior Department, gave him the order Oct. 5 to go ahead with the tree removal.

Wischer is overseeing the East Potomac Golf Links renovation for the Department of Interior, according to a source familiar with the efforts.

Reyes attempted to call Wischer to testify Monday, but government lawyers said they were unable to contact him on the federal holiday.

“Someone is going to be under oath explaining that to me,” she said, referring to the urgency of the tree cutting, “because this is totally, totally beyond the pale.”

White House deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller publicly objected to Reyes’ order.

“I missed the part of the Constitutional Convention that put federal judges in charge of golf course maintenance,” Miller posted on X. “The Left is endlessly enraged that, after allowing DC to decay for decades, the Trump Administration is making it safe, clean and beautiful.”

This article has been updated with additional comments from the hearing.

Federal Agents Search Rep. Ilhan Omar’s D.C. Home

Elise Foley, Mara Hoplamazian — Mon, 12 Oct 2026 12:50:29 GMT

President Donald Trump has spread claims that Rep. Ilhan Omar was involved in immigration fraud. (Francis Chung/Politico via AP)

Federal agents searched the home of Rep. Ilhan Omar on Monday morning as part of a criminal investigation — a highly unusual move this close to an election.

In a statement, the Justice Department said the search was executed by Homeland Security Investigations, part of the Department of Homeland Security, based on a warrant signed by a judge.

“This enforcement action is part of an ongoing federal criminal investigation,” the agency said.

“There is an investigation, a warrant was served,” White House border czar Tom Homan said Monday on Fox News. He declined to give more details, saying he “didn’t want to get ahead of Todd Blanche,” the attorney general.

President Donald Trump told reporters Monday afternoon that he was aware the Department of Justice was looking into Omar but said he wasn’t involved in the case.

“I think she’s a terrible person. But that’s really up to the DOJ, I have nothing to do with it.”

The Justice Department typically avoids taking public action against political figures within 60 days of an election, although it is not explicitly forbidden from doing so.

Omar posted Monday that she was “ok.”

“Make no mistake: this is an attempt to target political enemies and weaponize federal law enforcement. For ten years, Trump has targeted me with baseless lies and smear campaigns. This is just the latest escalation in his campaign of political intimidation,” she said. “I will not be silenced.”

Omar is a frequent critic of the president and a frequent subject of his ire. He has spread the claim, often from right-wing circles, that Omar married her brother as part of an immigration scheme.

“I believe she married her brother, which is totally illegal,” Trump said at a rally in May. “It’s a lovely couple, actually, but it’s a little bit on the illegal side.”

Omar, who is Somali and immigrated to the U.S. as a child, has called the claims “disgusting lies.”

Independent fact-checkers have found no documentation that Omar married her brother, and no federal law enforcement agency has produced evidence.

Homan alluded to the rumors when he said last month that Omar was subject to an “ongoing criminal investigation.”

“If someone committed an immigration violation, if someone committed marriage fraud or anything like that, regardless if they’re a congressman or not, no one's above the law,” Homan said at the time. “So, I’ll leave it at that. We’ll let HSI, Homeland Security Investigations, continue the investigation."

Rep. Yvette Clarke (D-New York), who chairs the Congressional Black Caucus, decried the search as an “abuse of power.”

“It is no accident that this raid comes three weeks before an election where Rep. Omar is on the ballot,” Clarke posted on X.

This article has been updated with comments from Rep. Ilhan Omar, the Department of Justice and White House border czar Tom Homan.

The Washington Sun Metro: Guarding D.C.’s Election

Martin Austermuhle, Zara Norman — Mon, 12 Oct 2026 10:31:00 GMT

Mon, 12 Oct 2026 10:31:00 GMT https://www.washingtonsun.com/metro-newsletter/guarding-d-c-s-election-10-11-2026

Early voting centers opened on June 8 and are scattered throughout D.C. (Kainaz Amaria/The Washington Sun)

Good morning. This is The Washington Sun Metro newsletter for Oct. 12, 2026. You can get it in your inbox every day by signing up here — it’s free!

In today’s newsletter: The Guard at the ballot box, water (!) in the reflecting pool and a Commanders game with no winner.

Capital Weather’s Daily Digit — 6/10. A murky start but a winning finish, as clouds clear and sunshine returns. Highs near 70 are just right. Full forecast from Capital Weather.

THE LATEST

D.C. election officials have a simple message for the National Guard: Please don’t stand in front of our ballot drop boxes.

The plea from the city’s election board followed an uproar over footage circulating on social media that showed National Guard troops standing next to a ballot drop box in Foggy Bottom on Thursday, reports The Washington Sun’s Martin Austermuhle.

Federal law generally prohibits soldiers from being deployed around polling places, and the National Guard was quick to apologize for what officials said was an innocent mistake.

“JTF-DC service members are directed not to monitor or secure polling locations,” said a Guard official in a statement, referencing the Joint Task Force that coordinates the deployment of 2,800 troops around D.C. at President Donald Trump’s order. “JTF-DC … remains fully committed to conducting its missions professionally, lawfully, and with respect for the public’s constitutional rights.”

The outrage over the incident in part reflects ongoing anxiety around the Guard’s deployment in D.C. Residents and officials have already asked the Guard to stop operating around schools, over fears that kids will be frightened or that families won’t even send them to class. On Nov. 5 a D.C. Council committee will hold a public hearing on residents’ experiences with the Guard.

There are also persistent concerns with the Trump administration’s threats to deploy federal agents around polling places ahead of the critical November midterm elections, and Trump’s repeated criticisms of mail voting — which is widely used in D.C.

Voting has started in D.C., with 55 ballot drop boxes now open across the city. A weeklong period of in-person early voting starts Oct. 26.

DEEP DIVE

Reflecting pool water (4032x3024, AR: 1.33)

Water began pouring into the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool this weekend, days after Trump said the attraction would be refilled. A National Park Service sign posted on the pool’s wraparound fencing notified pedestrians of the “final touches” being implemented, noting: “As part of the normal refilling process, the water may temporarily appear cloudy before clearing.”

Marcus, a German visitor and senior executive defense adviser who withheld his last name to speak candidly, said he was not impressed by the sights.

“Everything I see is fenced,” Marcus told The Sun’s Michelle Del Rey on Saturday. “This is fenced; the White House is fenced.”

“What’s wrong here?” he added. “It’s supposed to be a democracy where everybody can walk around.”

FROM THE DISTRICT

A senior D.C. official was killed in a scooter crash on Capitol Hill last Friday night, The Sun’s Martin Austermuhle reports. Talib Shakir, who was 50, served as the director of the Mayor’s Office of Returning Citizen Affairs, helping formerly incarcerated residents reintegrate back into society. It was an experience he knew well: He served 25 years in federal prison on a homicide conviction, and was released in 2019. “Talib made the most of his second chance and dedicated himself to helping others do the same,” said Mayor Muriel Bowser’s office in a statement.

The National Park Service began removing hundreds of trees that “do not contribute to the historic landscape” from East Potomac Park on Saturday as part of the Trump administration’s renovation efforts, The Associated Press reports. A total of 169 trees were slated for removal Saturday, but more than 500 are being targeted, according to a Friday court filing.

D.C.'s educators are preparing to return to the bargaining table. The Washington Teachers’ Union held two community conversations last week in order to collect feedback ahead of a new contract campaign, The Sun’s Shamira Muhammad reports. In a meeting for Wards 1 and 2, teachers and community members bemoaned the district’s testing heavy calendar. Educators in Ward 8 wanted to see alternatives for DCPS’s teacher evaluation system, IMPACT, which many believed was being “weaponized” against them. A draft report for the contract is expected in November. The current terms expire Sept. 30, 2028.

Capitol Hill Books sells books. That may sound obvious. Yet, about once a day, the store fields an angry call from someone looking to speak with their lawmaker, The Sun’s Ellie Silverman reports.

FROM VIRGINIA

Arch enemies: Arlington County is suing to stop the construction of Trump’s proposed Triumphal Arch, arguing the administration failed to complete a legally required environmental review process before barreling ahead with the development, The Sun’s Kendall Staton reports.

FROM MARYLAND

School’s out: Sidwell Friends’ lower school campus in Bethesda, valued at just over $8 million in January, is being offered for sale, The Washington Business Journal reports.

TRIVIA

What was the first presidential election D.C. residents were able to vote in?

1934
1964
1994

Email us the answer — the first reader who gets it right gets a shout out. The answer will be at the end of the newsletter tomorrow.

SPORTS

Dan Quinn AP - 26284754734903 (5963x3976, AR: 1.50)

Commanders 27, Giants 27: Well, that was a weird one. In a roller coaster game, Washington squandered a two-score lead and one final chance at victory when Jayden Daniels failed to stop the clock in the final seconds of overtime. The Commanders were well within field goal range but out of timeouts, meaning they could only watch as the clock hit zero on a frustrating divisional draw.

The Sun’s Martenzie Johnson breaks down all the action (and postgame reaction), while Dave Sheinin takes a closer look at the stunning final sequence that cost them a chance to win the game.

The Capitals split their games this weekend, beating the Rangers on Friday and then falling to the Kraken on Sunday. New additions Boone Jenner and Jordan Kyrou both scored their first goals for the team. They were joined on the score sheet for the first time this year by Alex Ovechkin, who got one right in front of the net on Sunday for Career Goal No. 930, for those counting at home. (The 9:30 Club sure was.)

The latest group of All-DMV football players of the week includes a bell-cow back from Madison and a lockdown corner from Eastern. See all of Noah Ferguson’s selections here.

What to Watch Today

NFL: Bills at Rams, 8:15 p.m. (ESPN)

Thank you for reading! If you liked this newsletter, 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 metro@washsun.com.

The newsletter was produced by Jaden Amos, Michael Errigo and Gaby Morera Di Núbila.]]>

Morning Sun: Still Running With Trump

Evan McMorris-Santoro, Jasmine Wright, Manuela Silva, Jenna Monnin — Mon, 12 Oct 2026 10:00:00 GMT

Mon, 12 Oct 2026 10:00:00 GMT https://www.washingtonsun.com/newsletters/still-running-with-trump

(Meg Kinnard/AP)

Today’s notice: Live from South Carolina. Mike Rounds scrubs the president’s name from his campaign website. A look at state ballot initiatives. Mike Johnson and Hakeem Jeffries on the trail. Democrats’ favorite northern neighbor. And: Florida’s confusing stock trading disclosure law.

THE LATEST

In South Carolina, Republicans still believe in Donald Trump. At least one very prominent one, Sen. Darline Graham, does. At the one (and Graham says, only) debate of the general election fight with Democratic nominee Annie Andrews last night, Graham defended the Iran war and praised ICE — two areas where other Republicans under pressure are trying to put as much distance as they can between themselves and the president.

We were in Columbia for the debate last night. The race has drawn more attention with national Republicans almost ceding Georgia and North Carolina. Andrews is trying to be the next southern Democratic hero, and is pressing all the buttons other red-to-purple state Democrats are vigorously mashing right now. She is focused on prices: “cut taxes, cut costs, cut waste” read the campaign signs waved by her supporters ahead of the debate.

She’s also selling herself as an independent, and not the kind of Democrat from Blue America. She’s against Medicare for All, for example. On the debate stage, she took offense when Graham tried to tie her to socialism. After the debate, Andrews told reporters in the spin room she did not want any national Democrat to come to South Carolina and campaign for her.

Graham has no such qualms about her party’s national leader. After the debate, spokesperson T.W. Arrighi told The Washington Sun “I don’t think you’ll ever see” Graham looking for distance from Trump. Why? “South Carolina is still Trump Country,” he told us.

Other Republicans continue to think differently about Trump. In South Dakota, Sen. Mike Rounds appears to be the latest member of his party to scour references to Trump from his campaign’s website, The Sun’s Jenna Monnin reports.

In an archived version of his site, text underneath the “ROUNDS FOR SENATE” banner previously read, “Mike is endorsed by President Trump and is working for South Dakota every single day.” The line on the current homepage appears to have nixed the nod to the president. A large “ENDORSED BY PRESIDENT TRUMP” banner is now noticeably absent from the bottom of the site, and several references to Trump have been scrubbed from Rounds’ issues page.

Rounds’ campaign did not respond to a request for comment. But like Graham, he is feeling the heat amid a difficult moment for the incumbent party — recent polling shows independent candidate Brian Bengs potentially too close for Republicans’ comfort. The difference is, while Rounds is running away from Trump, Graham isn’t.

More: Federal Judge Orders Trump Administration to End Promotional Ads • Bill Gates Warns of ‘Grim Possibilities’ Without More Control Over AI • Trump Declares That Russia and Ukraine Have Agreed to an ‘Energy Ceasefire’

FROM THE STATES

If at first you don’t succeed: Congressional Republicans did not pass the SAVE Act but voters in some states will face a question at the ballot box about whether they want to require voter ID going forward. The Sun’s Manuela Silva dug into more than 100 state ballot initiatives across the country and found a voter ID question in California, Nevada, Arizona, North Carolina and Ohio.

It’s a “70% issue, and yet our politicians can’t get their shit together to get it done,” California State Assemblymember Carl DeMaio, a Republican pushing the voter ID initiative, told Manuela. “We have to go to a ballot measure because politicians have failed us on both sides of the aisle on this important issue.”

FROM THE CAMPAIGN TRAIL

Department of Faint Praise: The top two House leaders, Speaker Mike Johson and Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, are very active on the midterm trail this cycle despite public polling showing that voter anger toward Washington is near all-time highs, The Sun’s Paul Kane writes. Lucky for the leaders, they’re flying under the radar — or as Paul puts it, they simply lack the menace and notoriety in the public imagination to serve as political villains for ad makers in each party. Democrats want to talk about Trump, sparing Johnson from ads. Republicans want to talk about New Yorkers, but not Jeffries — Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Mayor Zohran Mamdani make better villains.

Blame Hug Canada: How Democrats in northern states sound this month: “If you want somebody that's going to fight to repair the relationship with Ontario and Quebec, my campaign is for you,” Blake Gendebien, the party’s nominee in New York’s 21st Congressional District, told The Sun’s Raymond Fernández.

FROM THE WHITE HOUSE

It's the first day on the job for Katie Zacharia, Trump’s new White House press secretary whom the president says “has been with me, in spirit, from the very beginning.” Get ready for Zacharia’s test drive in the briefing room Tuesday at 9:30 a.m.

More: Trump Weighs Firing U.S. Ambassador to Greece After Reports of Misconduct

NEW ON THE WASHINGTON SUN

Florida tries and fails at political stock trade transparency: A new state law requiring all federal candidates to declare whether they plan to trade stocks while in office has confused many candidates and left many questions unanswered, The Sun’s Jenna Monnin reports. A candidate can check the box indicating they don’t plan to trade as long as their investment activity is conducted through trust or something similar.

That means a candidate can check no even if they do plan to continue trading through something like a mutual fund. Or, check yes out of concern that trades will be made in their name without their control.

That kinda defeats the purpose. Republican Ryan Elijah and Democrat Eliott Rodriguez, both candidates for Congress, checked the box saying they do plan to trade stocks in office — but both told Jenna they actually do not plan to. Elijah said his campaign had “zero guidance” on how to comply with Florida’s new stock trade disclosure law. He has a retirement account he doesn’t directly manage. Does that count? “Full disclosure, I probably wish I would’ve just checked ‘no,’ but I still think it’s the most honest answer to check ‘yes,’” he said.

More: Expect to See More Political Ads for Candidates You Can’t Vote For • Trump Administration Plans $65 Million Exhibit at Saudi Arabia’s ‘Expo 2030’ • Six Senators Call for Trump to Reverse Course on Russia Diesel Purchase

NOT US

America’s Elected Officials Are Living in Fear, by Nick Corasaniti for The New York Times
What Is John Fetterman Doing, by Sam Janesch for The Philadelphia Inquirer
How Trump aide Natalie Harp’s family broke apart — and polarized, by Terrence McCoy for The Washington Post
The Crew of Virtually Unknown Donors Powering the Rise of the New Left, by Maggie Severns, Anthony DeBarros and Kara Dapena for The Wall Street Journal

WEEK AHEAD

Today

Columbus Day/Indigenous Peoples' Day.

Trump holds a rally in Youngstown, Ohio.

Tuesday

Trump holds a rally in Wasilla, Alaska.

Maine Senate debate between Republican Sen. Susan Collins and Democrat Troy Jackson.

Georgia Senate debate between Democratic Sen. Jon Ossoff and Republican Rep. Mike Collins.Iowa's Senate debate between Republican Rep. Ashley Hinson and Democrat Josh Turek.

Wednesday

Iowa gubernatorial debate between Republican Zach Lahn and Democrat Rob Sand.

Monthly Consumer Price Index released.

Thursday

Maine Senate debate between Susan Collins and Jackson.

Alaska Senate debate between Republican Sen. Dan Sullivan and Democrat Mary Peltola.

Maine 2nd Congressional District debate between Republican Paul LePage and Democrat Matt Dunlap.

FEC quarterly deadline.

Saturday

JD Vance participates in a CBS town hall in Michigan.

Thank you for reading! If you liked this edition of The Washington Sun Newsletter, please forward it to a friend. If this newsletter was shared with you, please sign up — it’s free! Have a tip? Email us at tips@washsun.com. And as always, we’d love to hear your thoughts at newsletters@washsun.com.

The newsletter was produced by Thomas Burr and Gaby Morera Di Núbila.
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Johnson and Jeffries Are Just Bland Enough to Hit the Campaign Trail

Paul Kane — Mon, 12 Oct 2026 09:21:00 GMT

House Speaker Mike Johnson speaks during a campaign event for vulnerable Republican Rep. David Valadao. (Jae C. Hong/AP)

With voter anger toward Washington near all-time highs, congressional leaders might be expected to hide out until after Election Day to avoid giving their candidates any sense of establishment support.

Instead, some leaders are fanning out across the nation and appearing in public to try to boost candidates in the key races. House Speaker Mike Johnson trekked across the Northeast and Midwest last week to appear with Republicans in a handful of battlegrounds.

And over the weekend House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries jumped from North Jersey into the Philadelphia suburbs to boost a pair of challengers facing popular Republicans with longtime brands in their districts.

This fall is not playing out like the “Fire Pelosi” wave of 2010, when a sign with that motto hung outside the walls of the Republican National Committee for the final seven months before those midterm elections.

The House speaker at the time, Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-California), became the face of Republican campaigns and starred in what her advisers estimated to be $50 million worth of negative ads — similar to how Democrats in the mid- to late 1990s made then-Speaker Newt Gingrich of Georgia a recurring image in their campaigns against Republican candidates.

This era’s congressional leaders simply lack the menace and notoriety in the public imagination to serve as political villains for ad makers in each party.

For Democrats, President Donald Trump is the larger-than-life figure who animates their liberal base, not Senate Majority Leader John Thune.

“The Republican Party is so defined by Trump that Mike Johnson and John Thune have not become high-profile figures,” said Nathan Gonzales, editor and publisher of Inside Elections, an independent political analysis publication.

Despite almost four years as Democratic leader, Jeffries does not draw nearly as much attention from the conservative political media machine as do Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-New York) and New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani.

“If Republicans are looking for a big-city liberal to demonize — even one from New York City — they have two higher-profile options in AOC and Mamdani,” Gonzales told The Washington Sun.

Polling on the favorability of these congressional leaders is not as plentiful as it is for presidents and those who have run for president, but it bears out the idea that they do not have large profiles among voters, particularly among the small percentage of independents who decide late in campaigns and tend to determine the outcomes of close races.

In early September, Marquette University’s polling outfit tested all four leaders, including Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, who has been in the spotlight the longest and, not surprisingly, is the least popular of the so-called Big Four.

Only 20% of all adults have a favorable impression of Schumer, while 54% hold an unfavorable impression, with close to a third of Americans expressing very unfavorable views of the Democrat. His own party’s voters have soured on him: Just 32% of Democrats hold Schumer in a favorable light, while 44% view him unfavorably.

The other leaders have relatively better standings. Johnson draws strong favorability among Republicans, with a split of 49% to 17%, while 68% of Democrats view him unfavorably. Almost half of independents don’t know enough about him to hold a view of the speaker.

Almost 40% of all adults have no view of Jeffries, while 21% have a favorable image of the Democratic leader and 40% view him unfavorably.

Thune, who is not even two years into the post of majority leader, is the most unknown of the quartet, with 53% of adults saying they do not know enough about him to offer an opinion.

This anonymity, plus Trump’s omnipresence in politics, makes it easier for Johnson and Thune to parachute into battleground spots without turning it into a bad story for the candidates on the receiving end.

“Even though Democrats don't like Johnson and Thune, they don't really generate the same anger among base Democratic voters compared to Trump,” Gonzales said.

So, last week, Thune dropped into Minnesota to stump with former sports broadcaster Michele Tafoya, the Republican nominee who is a long shot to win the seat of retiring Democratic Sen. Tina Smith.

He said the quiet part out loud, about how his presence there was meant to signal to Republican donors that they should support Tafoya’s campaign. “Obviously, translating that into financial resources and support coming here is something we hope to see happen,” Thune told local reporters.

In Bucks County, just north of Philadelphia, Jeffries appeared alongside the popular Democratic governor, Josh Shapiro, both of them trying to raise the profile of Bob Harvie, who is challenging Republican Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick.

Despite the slight Democratic lean of Pennsylvania’s 1st Congressional District — Trump has narrowly lost it three straight times — Fitzpatrick has regularly won by large margins. With Shapiro cruising to reelection, Democrats hope Saturday’s event draws attention to Harvie’s underfunded campaign.

“A vote for the current congressman is a vote for the status quo. It's a vote for more of the same. But a vote for Bob Harvie is a vote for dramatic change,” told the crowd at a middle school in Yardley.

Johnson’s swing through four Pennsylvania battlegrounds included only a private stop with Fitzpatrick, who recently told The Sun that he doesn’t consider himself a member of the Republican Party anymore.

Otherwise, Johnson barnstormed across the state, drawing out local press to cover events that might otherwise get skipped if it was just Republican Rep. Rob Bresnahan at a contracting services garage in Hazelton.

“He's got a big target on his back because he's very, very good at what he does,” Johnson said of Bresnahan to a local TV station.

The same day, he appeared in the Lehigh Valley touting Rep. Ryan Mackenzie, whose reelection bid is growing increasingly difficult.

"He's very, very effective at what he does, and he has a passion that is contagious," Johnson told local reporters.

Pelosi could not take this approach back in 2010, and in the ensuing years she was a sporadic presence at public events in swing districts. By mid-October 2010, only 29% of voters had a favorable view of the House speaker, and 56% had an unfavorable image of her, according to Gallup. Almost 60% of independent voters viewed her unfavorably.

The first woman to become speaker, she had a net favorable image her first term in the office, but then Republicans turned their political machine against her.

Democrats lost a net total of 63 seats in those midterms and remained in the minority until the 2018 elections, when then-Speaker Paul Ryan of Wisconsin took a mixed approach to stumping for candidates.

Ryan did a whirlwind tour of a dozen key districts in the final couple weeks of the campaign, but some events were closed-door to avoid drawing attention to the Republican candidate being tied to an unpopular congressional leader.

He left Congress at the end of 2018 with a net favorability rating of negative 16%, just three years after starting off with a positive rating of 13%, Gallup found.

Johnson, who is less well known than Ryan or Pelosi, has more freedom to move about these days than did those two former speakers.

Democrats did issue a statement denouncing the swing-district Republicans for campaigning with Johnson.

“The best way to shake up a broken Washington is for Pennsylvanians to vote these bums out,” said Eli Cousin, spokesman for the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee.

But they have no plans to hang a “FIRE JOHNSON” sign outside their office.

Democratic Candidates in Northern States Are Hammering Home Trump's Tariffs

Raymond Fernández — Mon, 12 Oct 2026 09:13:00 GMT

Democratic candidates running in battleground states and districts are directly tying their Republican opponents to what they describe as unnecessary policies that are hurting voters already struggling with the price of groceries and fuel. (Jose Luis Magana/AP) Jose Luis Magana/AP

Democrats are using the U.S.-Canada trade dispute as an opportunity to appeal to voters and industries that have direct economic ties to Canada in competitive districts.

The trade war has translated into higher costs that are front of mind for voters. And it has put Republicans on the defensive — at times they have even taken the rare step of breaking with President Donald Trump over his pursuit of the tariffs.

“If you want somebody that's going to fight to repair the relationship with Ontario and Quebec, my campaign is for you,” Democratic candidate Blake Gendebien, who is running in New York’s 21st Congressional District, which borders Canada, told The Washington Sun.

Gendebien is running against Republican Anthony Constantino for the open seat currently held by Republican Rep. Elise Stefanik, and the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee moved Gendebien to its “red to blue” program last week. On Friday, a new poll by the Siena Research Institute found Gendebien ahead of Constantino by 4 percentage points in the district, within the margin of error.

The same day, the president visited upstate New York, where he appeared alongside the Republican gubernatorial candidate Bruce Blakeman and asked voters to support Republicans in a slate of House races, including Constantino’s.

In part because of the Trump administration’s tariffs, Democrats are seeing pickup opportunities in places that normally would be considered more of a long shot.

“New York 21 is a seat that Republicans shouldn't have to worry about, but there's a very real possibility that it will flip to the Democrats, and reason number one will be Trump's attacks on Canada,” Jim Kessler, the executive vice president for policy at Third Way, told The Sun.

In a statement to The Sun, Constantino defended the administration’s policies and position on Canada.

“President Trump is fighting to even the scales for the American people and make life better for everybody involved,” Constantino said. “I look forward to going to DC and helping bring the negotiations to a speedy conclusion.”

Gendebien and other Democratic candidates running in battleground states and districts are using positions like those to directly tie their Republican opponents to what they describe as unnecessary policies that are hurting voters already struggling with the price of groceries and fuel.

After trade negotiations collapsed late in the summer, the U.S. ramped up pressure on Canada. It announced 50% tariffs on certain Canadian goods worth billions of dollars in August, imposed a ban on Canadian imports of nearly $1 billion, and threatened a 50% auto tariff.

A Washington Post poll conducted in early September found that more than 60% of likely voters in Michigan oppose 50% tariffs on Canadian imports.

Republican Rep. Tom Barrett, who is in a competitive race for reelection in Michigan’s 7th Congressional District, has distanced himself from the president on issues such as the war with Iran. But his campaign is downplaying the effect of the Canada trade dispute on his race.

“I've seen plenty of polling that people don't like this fight with Canada, including Republicans, the overwhelming majority of Republicans, but it doesn't seem to be revealing itself as an issue in polling, or just in our interactions with people,” Jason Cabel Roe, a senior campaign adviser for Barrett’s campaign, told The Sun.

But Barrett’s opponent, Democrat William Lawrence, has incorporated Canada, the auto industry and tariffs into his economic message to voters.

“[Rep. Barrett] does whatever the president says, and the president is unqualified to set our tariff policy, but Tom Barrett can't admit that,” Lawrence told The Sun. “He votes in lockstep with the president every single time it matters, and we're all paying the price.”

Christina Hines, the Democrat running in Michigan’s competitive 10th Congressional District, told The Sun in an interview that in this year’s Labor Day parade celebrations in the state, workers waved the Canadian flag and held signs in solidarity.

“It's having real implications for people at their kitchen tables. The price of everything is increasing because of these tariffs,” Hines told The Sun.

“Those 50% tariffs on autos could decimate our industry, and the Trump administration has already handicapped the auto industry as much as it possibly could,” she added.

Her opponent, Republican Michael Bouchard, did not respond to The Sun’s request for comment.

In a statement to The Sun, the White House defended the administration’s position on the tariffs, arguing that Canada rejected “the most generous trade deal of any of America’s trading partners.”

“President Trump pledged to put always American workers, farmers, and businesses first and he has delivered by leveling the playing field for Americans,” Taylor Rogers, a spokesperson for the White House, said in a statement.

The dispute has also been a major issue in Michigan’s Senate race, where Democratic nominee Abdul El-Sayed is running against former Rep. Mike Rogers, the Republican candidate.

“You're hearing somebody who has cheerled — again — a Canadian tariff policy that we are paying $5,600 a year for,” El-Sayed said of Rogers at a debate last Thursday. “The reason he's flip-flopping has nothing to do with policy. It has nothing to do with your costs. It has everything to do with his sagging poll numbers."

Rogers' campaign, through a spokesperson last week, acknowledged that the campaign has heard some voter concerns on tariffs.

“Just because they say that we're a rubber stamp for Trump's [trade] war doesn't make it true,” Abby Ronson, a campaign operative for Rogers, told The Sun.

Last Wednesday in a political advertisement, Rogers walked back his previous position defending Trump’s tariffs as necessary “when countries cheat American workers.”

“Prices are too high and Canada is not our enemy. We need to end the tariff war — now,” Rogers said in the video.

“I would like to see the deal made,” Rogers reiterated when pressed on the issue at the debate.

In Maine, the dispute is one of the clearest examples of a Republican breaking from the White House.

“Senator Collins opposes the Canadian tariffs and she has voted against them repeatedly,” a spokesperson for Republican Sen. Susan Collins said in a statement.

Troy Jackson, the Democrat running to replace Collins, continues to tie the senator’s campaign to the administration’s policies.

“Troy spent most of his life working along the Canadian border, so he knows how important this relationship is to Maine’s economy, and he sees Trump’s tariffs for what they are: a tax on Maine families and small businesses,” Dan Gottlieb, a spokesperson for the Jackson campaign, told The Sun.

Ballot Initiatives Are Tackling the Issues Congress Didn't

Manuela Silva — Mon, 12 Oct 2026 09:12:00 GMT

Arizona voters will be asked in November to amend the state’s constitution to require voter ID. (Ross D. Franklin/AP)

Voters in several states will get the chance to do what congressional Republicans tried and failed to do: approve a measure to require voter ID at the polls.

Ballot initiatives to require voter ID await voters in California, Nevada, Arizona, North Carolina and Ohio, as do scores of other issues that will be decided on Election Day. Voters in some states will weigh in on redistricting, tax measures, marijuana regulations and traffic cameras. In Idaho, a state question will ask voters to choose the state’s official firearm.

Across the country, state lawmakers have put on the ballot the issues federal lawmakers haven’t taken up from either side of the aisle, according to a Washington Sun analysis of over 100 state ballot questions across the country.

“There’s a central playbook where D.C. funnels down into the states these various initiatives and ballot measures to achieve policy goals that they can’t achieve on the federal level,” said Randy Keating, a Democratic City Council member in Tempe, Arizona, who is fighting against the states’ voter ID requirement measure.

California State Assemblymember Carl DeMaio, a Republican working in support of his state’s voter ID ballot item, said the measures are popping up right now because of low public confidence in elections, not a coordinated push.

The reason for a ballot measure is political inaction, DeMaio said, pointing to polling figures that show strong support for stricter voter ID laws.

It’s a “70% issue, and yet our politicians can’t get their shit together to get it done,” DeMaio said of strengthening voter ID laws. “We have to go to a ballot measure because politicians have failed us on both sides of the aisle on this important issue.”

The same thing is happening across the country on other issues. In more than 10 states, voters will be presented propositions on how their states handle taxes. Colorado, Missouri and Maryland voters will be asked about redistricting. And voters in Colorado, Nebraska and Washington will confront constitutional amendments that, if approved, would ban transgender student athletes from playing on sports teams that align with their gender identity.

Logan Casey, the director of policy research at the nonprofit Movement Advancement Project, said that some ballot measures reflect a “tactical shift” in how to push policies otherwise unlikely to pass in those states’ legislatures.

Casey pointed to Colorado and Washington as examples. The two states, which largely vote for Democrats, have ballot measures targeting transgender students’ participation in sports — policies that have failed to pass through the states’ legislatures in prior years.

“Those are two states that have had sports bans and other anti-trans bills introduced many years in a row, but have never been successful advancing through the legislature,” Casey said. “So there, the motivation is ‘Well, maybe we can get these policies enacted if we take it to the ballot box directly.’”

In states where the measures are popular or already implemented, redundant ballot measures could be a way for proponents to turn out voters in a midterm year; midterms tend to have lower turnout rates.

“It’s a bit of a different tactic, where they presumably are wanting to keep this issue front of mind for voters because they perceive it to be a winning electoral strategy or a wedge issue for them to use to turn out their own voters in a consequential midterm year,” Casey said.

Keating, the Tempe council member, said he thinks Arizona’s ballot measure on voter ID is in part meant to motivate Republican voters.

“What we're seeing here is definitely a ploy to get the base of turnout for an unpopular president in, frankly, what is a terrible political environment for his party,” Keating said.

Similar ballot measures in different states are sometimes coordinated, said Mary-Beth Moylan, a law professor at the University of the Pacific who focuses on ballot measures. People see the measures as a way to get directly involved in a national political conversation, she said, but the measures require outsized spending and efforts.

“I do think people view the initiative process as a way to enter the national political discussion,” Moylan said. “I also think there are very organized big-money groups that cross state lines that are promoting particular ideas.”

All-DMV High School Football Players of Week 7

Noah Ferguson — Mon, 12 Oct 2026 09:05:00 GMT

Running back Will Smoot was the offensive spark Madison needed in a 20-6 victory over Westfield Friday. (Courtesy Nick Stojanovich/Lakevale Studios)

This story is part of The Washington Sun’s All-DMV coverage. All-DMV is a new collaboration between The Sun, Fox 5 DC, NBC4 Washington and WTOP News, aimed at covering the D.C. area’s best high school athletes. You can find past players of the week and more information about All-DMV here.

This past weekend of local high school football was marked by statement victories. From The St. James stunning a national power in Virginia to Seneca Valley breaking a decade-long drought against a crosstown rival, this week’s crop of All-DMV Players of the Week showed up in big moments. Here’s who stood out in Week 7:

Kash Carter, Junior, Quarterback, The St. James

The St. James earned a program-defining victory this weekend, knocking off national powerhouse St. Frances Academy, 28-20. St. Frances entered the matchup ranked second in the nation by MaxPreps and was in the midst of a 13-game winning streak spanning two seasons.

Carter threw for three touchdowns in the win, an impressive encore to his five-touchdown showing against IMG Academy last week. Carter’s efficient play has helped catalyze The St. James’ ascendance, a rapid rise that has brought national buzz to the D.C. area.

Zeke Hubbard, Senior, Defensive Back, Eastern

Before Friday’s matchup against rival Theodore Roosevelt, Hubbard scribbled the letters “POTY” on a black strip of tape that he stuck to his face. The acronym, short for “Player of the Year,” was intended as a message to the rest of the D.C. Interscholastic Athletic Association.

“These are the games I’m built for,” Hubbard told Eastern coach Roman Morris before the game.

Hubbard backed up that statement with a sterling defensive performance as the Ramblers earned a comeback 20-12 win over the Roughriders. The senior didn’t allow a catch to Roosevelt’s top target and was the driving force behind a second half comeback that gave Eastern its fourth straight victory and third in league play.

Khamarion Imes, Senior, Athlete, Seneca Valley

For the first time in over a decade, Seneca Valley won the “Battle of Germantown” against neighboring rival Northwest. Imes, who rotates between punter, kick returner, free safety, wide receiver and running back for the Eagles, accumulated more than 200 all-purpose yards and three rushing touchdowns in Friday’s 31-28 victory.

“He’s just a leader on the field with his play, he takes the slack off of a lot of the other players to play relaxed and play free,” Seneca Valley coach Quintin Cosby said. “Just a phenomenal ball player.”

Chace Irvin, Junior, Wide Receiver, DeMatha

Irvin produced two jaw-dropping plays in DeMatha’s 35-0 shutout win over Washington Catholic Athletic Conference rival Good Counsel on Friday. The first came in the opening quarter, when the junior reeled in a leaping one-handed touchdown snag from quarterback Tristan Sabb.

Later in the game, with DeMatha pinned deep in its own territory, Sabb found Irvin streaking across the middle. He took it 89 yards to the end zone as the Stags put a running clock on the Falcons.

Will Smoot, Senior, Running Back, Madison

Smoot made his season debut last week for Madison against Virginia Class 6 contender Westfield and quickly made his mark. The senior rushed for 167 yards and a touchdown on 20 carries as the Warhawks downed the Bulldogs, 20-6, for their fifth straight victory.

“Will is one of the really explosive guys that we have on our team,” Madison coach Justin Counts said. “We just know that if we execute and we make a hole for him, we’ve got an opportunity to score a touchdown every time he touches the ball.”

Florida's Stock Trading Disclosure Law Is Majorly Confusing Candidates

Jenna Monnin — Mon, 12 Oct 2026 09:01:00 GMT

Congressional candidates Ryan Elijah and Eliott Rodriguez are among many Florida politicos who've been affected by a new Florida law concerning stock trade disclosures. (Courtesy Ryan Elijah campaign, Marta Lavandier/AP)

Earlier this year, Florida state lawmakers did something uncommon: They passed a law requiring all candidates for federal office to publicly declare whether they’d personally trade stocks if elected to Congress.

The Florida law addressed a growing concern, among liberal and conservative voters alike, that some elected federal officials are financially conflicted or, even worse, making public decisions that benefit their private stock portfolios. Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis signed the measure into law this April and personally championed it.

But the murky language in the new Florida statute appears to have spurred confusion among 2026 congressional candidates — with some even filling out their disclosure form incorrectly in a seemingly earnest effort to be fully transparent, a Washington Sun analysis of state records indicates.

Republican Ryan Elijah and Democrat Eliott Rodriguez both checked the box indicating they do plan to trade stocks if elected to Congress. But they told The Washington Sun they actually have no intention of trading individual stocks.

Elijah said he filled out the form in the interest of “full transparency” because he didn’t know how his retirement account, which holds stocks, would be managed. The Orlando-area Republican amended his federal personal financial disclosure in September after facing an ethics complaint for failing to itemize assets in his retirement accounts, according to Florida Politics.

“Full disclosure, I probably wish I would’ve just checked ‘no,’ but I still think it's the most honest answer to check ‘yes,’” Elijah told The Sun.

Elijah said his campaign had “zero guidance” on how to comply with Florida’s new stock trade disclosure law. And neither the law nor the questions on the declaration form address how candidates should respond if a family member will be the one making trades.

Elijah earned the support of Republican Reps. Anna Paulina Luna and Mike Haridopolos — vocal supporters of a measure to ban stock trading by members of Congress — in his successful primary bid to unseat embattled Republican Rep. Cory Mills. Elijah said they know he “was checking that box for transparency, and I'm fully with them on banning insider trading.”

Rodriguez, a Miami-area Democrat, also has no plans to trade individual stocks and is “fully committed to stopping the incessant and unpatriotic insider trading,” said his campaign spokesperson, Fernand Amandi. But like Elijah, Rodriguez checked the Florida disclosure box indicating he does plan to trade if elected.

Rodriguez has a financial adviser who makes financial trades on his behalf, and his advisers do not trade individual stocks as a “matter of practice,” Amandi told The Sun.

“Mr. Rodriguez has almost exclusively owned ETFs and mutual funds in his personal accounts but has traded very small amounts of individual stocks in the past,” Amandi said.

Florida’s push for transparency comes as restrictions on congressional stock trading remain wildly popular for Americans on both sides of the political aisle. But Congress has continued to reject bills banning or restricting the practice, including a measure the Senate killed in September — it had passed the House — when Democrats balked at a voter identification provision.

The confusing language in the new Florida law allows two congressional candidates who may have materially different stock trading plans to make the same declaration. Here’s how it’s supposed to work: A candidate can check the box indicating they don’t plan to trade as long as their investment activity is conducted through “a trust or similar mechanism which strictly limits his or her ability to influence or exercise control over decisions regarding the management of assets.”

That means they can check the “no” box even if they plan to trade or keep trading through specific arrangements. These could include pooled investments, such as mutual or private equity funds, in which they have no control over individual investment decisions. They could also include discretionary investment accounts that, in theory, give an adviser the authority to make trades without the client’s prior approval.

Of Florida’s 55 congressional nominees across both parties, three Republicans — Elijah and Reps. Randy Fine and Scott Franklin — and three Democrats — Rodrigez, L.J. Holloway and Rep. Lois Frankel — checked the box indicating they intend to trade stocks if elected to Congress.
Randy Fine AP-21139621329468 (3600x2400, AR: 1.50)Florida’s new stock disclosure law includes another requirement for congressional candidates: Anyone who has previously held federal office is also required to affirm whether they’ve traded stocks in the past.

Of the three sitting lawmakers who checked the box indicating they do plan to trade if elected, Fine reported that he had not previously made any trades while in federal office, while Franklin and Frankel reported that they had. Financial transparency is an area where Florida’s congressional delegation has historically struggled.

This decade, many have violated the disclosure provisions of the Stop Trading on Congressional Knowledge Act — a 2012 federal law that requires members of Congress to disclose certain transactions and cracks down on insider trading. Under the STOCK Act — unlike Florida’s law — even if an investment adviser or account manager made the trade on behalf of the member of Congress, it’s the lawmaker who’s responsible for filing a disclosure covering transactions over $1,000.

Both Franklin and Frankel have run afoul of the STOCK Act by filing late disclosures after the 45-day required reporting window.

Franklin “has used a professional investment adviser to manage his investments since before he was elected to Congress,” Melissa Kelly, a spokesperson for the Republican congressman told The Sun. She said he “only learns of transactions after they have occurred, when they are reported to him for purposes of complying with House financial disclosure requirements.”

Similarly, Frankel “does not personally trade individual stocks,” said a spokesperson for the Democratic congresswoman who declined to be identified by name in this story. “The bulk of her investments are held in mutual funds and ETFs where decisions regarding the purchase and sale of individual securities are made by professional fund managers, not by Rep. Frankel.”

Fine is the only sitting member of Congress who appears to have opened the door to trading stocks despite not having any previously reported activity while in Congress — though his financial disclosures show he holds a retirement portfolio containing individual stocks.

Both Fine and Holloway did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Other sitting members of Florida’s congressional delegation indicated they do not plan to trade stocks if elected this cycle but reported on their Florida form that they had previously done so, including Republican Reps. Brian Mast, Jimmy Patronis and Gus Bilirakis and Democratic Reps. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, Jared Moskowitz and Kathy Castor.
AP 25301575600177 (4077x2718, AR: 1.50)Wasserman Schultz told The Sun she does not personally trade stocks. A broker handles a “small retirement account” for her, she said.

“I’m not involved in the market decisions that the broker makes independently. It started at about $11,000 and isn't much larger now,” Wasserman Schultz said in a statement. “In prior years, I had to disclose any stocks or assets my kids held, which were also made independently.”

Castor did not share details about how she traded stocks in the past when asked by The Sun, but she noted that she “broke with my party to ban Congressional stock trading.”

“That legislation was the first step and we must go much further to root out corruption,” Castor said. “To me, public service is a public trust, and I would never violate the trust my neighbors place in me.”

Mast, Wasserman Schultz, Moskowitz, Castor and Bilirakis have each violated the STOCK Act by failing to disclose personal financial trades on time. Patronis does not appear to have ever filed a transaction report on any trades, so it’s unclear why he indicated that he had traded in federal office in the past.

“We have followed all previous rules and voted to support the Stop Insider Trading Act,” Patronis’ office told The Sun in a statement.

Some lawmakers reported on their Florida form that they had not previously traded stocks, but they have reported investment activity under the STOCK Act.

Republican Reps. Maria Elvira Salazar, John Rutherford, Greg Steube and Laurel Lee all indicated they do not plan to trade stocks and have not directly traded or controlled trades they reported in the past. Salazar, Rutherford, Steube and Lee have also filed late disclosures under the federal law.
Maria Salazar (5723x3815, AR: 1.50)Other candidates who currently serve in Congress — including Haridopolos, Luna, Republican Reps. Kat Cammack, Aaron Bean, Mario Diaz-Balart and Carlos Gimenez, and Democratic Reps. Darren Soto and Maxwell Frost — indicated on their Florida forms that they do not plan to trade stocks if elected and that they had not in the past. Luna and Diaz-Balart have filed reports under the STOCK ACT while in Congress.

Among other Florida congressional candidates who aren’t currently serving in Congress and haven’t been previously mentioned, 11 Republicans and 20 Democrats indicated that they do not plan to trade stocks if elected.

On the Senate side, Republican Sen. Ashley Moody indicated she does not plan to trade stocks in the future, but she disclosed that she had previously made trades. Democratic Senate nominee Angie Nixon also reported that she does not plan to trade stocks if elected.

As a member of the Senate, Moody has voted in favor of Republican-backed federal legislation — the Stop Insider Trading Act — that could have restricted stock trading for lawmakers. Nixon has called for an all-out ban with “no loopholes.”

Most federal and state laws governing stock trades for candidates have retroactive requirements for politicians to report their activity — not their plans to trade — but Florida’s law sought to get ahead of the curve. But not every candidate, especially first-time office seekers, has the means to get advice from an expert on how to fill out their form.

“Delegating discretion to a financial adviser is a common excuse, but does not strictly limit a candidate’s ability to influence decisions over stock trades as the form asks” — as clients can technically still fire or change their management relationship with the person working for them, said Tavan Pechet, an adviser with experience working with ultra-high-net-worth families and advises congressional offices from both parties on legislation to restrict members’ stock trading.

“The form appropriately seeks to differentiate between a candidate having no legal ability to influence investment decisions, and a candidate merely promising not to call an adviser and profit when they can," Pechet said.

“The new Florida form may be well intentioned — and it’s hard for a short question to be precise — but for any candidate who might invest in the equity markets, it’s not always clear which box to check” Pechet said. “What you subjectively ‘intend’ to do may be hard to answer even if you want to be honest, and impossible to police if you just want to get elected.”

Pechet said that “adding two short words to the form could remove some uncertainty: ask about intent to trade ‘individual’ stocks in a manner other than through a ‘blind’ trust,” as the latter is specifically set up to limit one’s influence over their own assets.

“I might advise any candidates who intend to participate at all in the equity markets to err on the side of caution by answering yes regardless of their intended investments,” Pechet said. “And if candidates want to deny an intent to trade stocks, they could probably find a loophole to support that answer too. Either way, the new rule may not provide much useful information to voters.”

Capitals Fall to Kraken, 5-3, Despite Ovechkin's First Goal

The Associated Press — Mon, 12 Oct 2026 01:35:00 GMT

Alex Ovechkin scored his first goal of the season in Sunday's loss to the Kraken. (Nathan Howard/AP)

Jared McCann broke a tie with 5:27 left and the Seattle Kraken overcame NHL career leader Alex Ovechkin's first goal of the season to beat the Washington Capitals 5-3 on Sunday night.

Jordan Eberle, Frederick Gaudreau, Kaapo Kakko and Ryan Winterton also scored to help the Kraken improve to 4-2-0. Joey Daccord stopped 33 shots.

On the deciding goal, McCann cut to the middle and beat goalie Logan Thompson on a quick shot. Ryan Winterton iced it with 2:40 left.

Jordan Kyrou and Boone Jenner also scored for Washington as the Capitals dropped to 3-2-0. Thompson made 22 saves.

After back-to-back penalty kills, Seattle got off to a quick start, with Kakko sneaking in a rebound just 6:06 minutes into the game.

The Capitals responded with two goals in a 5:06 span. First, Kyrou buried a cross-ice feed from Cole Hutson for his first with Washington. Then, after a strong forecheck and forced turnover from brothers Aliaksei and Ilya Protas, Ovechkin got the puck alone in front and sniped a quick shot past Daccord for his 930th NHL goal.

After Eberle tied it with 10 seconds left in the first, the Kraken pulled ahead 3-2 with 6:36 to go in the second when Gaudreau slid a backhander past Thompson. The Capitals tied it 46 seconds into the third, with Jenner scoring off this own rebound.

What, Exactly, Happened at the End of the Commanders’ Disastrous Tie?

Dave Sheinin — Mon, 12 Oct 2026 01:27:00 GMT

After a calamitous final sequence, the Commanders turned to generalities and platitudes. (Stephanie Scarbrough/AP)

As soon as the clock hit zero, Dan Quinn ripped the headset off his backwards-ballcapped head and spiked it to the turf, in much the same way a well-prepared quarterback of a well-coached team might be expected to do with the football, when his team is out of timeouts and well within range of a game-winning field goal in the final, ticking seconds of a critical NFL game.

Whatever it was that happened at the inexplicable, chaotic end of the Washington Commanders’ 27-27 tie against the New York Giants, the one thing that didn’t happen is the one thing that was supposed to happen — quarterback Jayden Daniels spiking the ball, stopping the clock and setting up what would have been a 41-yard field goal for the overtime win.

And because that didn’t happen — and because, instead, Daniels tried to run another play, was tackled for no gain, then watched helplessly as the final seconds ticked off the clock — Quinn, the Commanders’ head coach, endured a lonely and halting journey from the field to the tunnel that leads to the Commanders’ locker room, as Northwest Stadium filled with a hazy mist cut with shocked disbelief.

He walked with a slight limp and his hands on his head, alone. At the 25-yard line, Quinn suddenly stopped and stood for a good, long while, hands on his hips, staring out at the spot where this Commanders season very well may have expired a few moments earlier.

“When the time [runs out],” Quinn would say, “it’s not a good feeling, knowing this moment is going to slip through our fingers.”

In the aftermath of the meltdown that cost the Commanders a desperately needed win against a division rival, there was much said about accountability and resilience, with a healthy dose of frustration mixed in. Daniels repeated some version of the same line — “We have to be better” — no fewer than six times. Terry McLaurin said bluntly: “That can’t happen.” Quinn said several times he was the one at fault.

“The right call is obviously to [spike] it and don’t put ourselves in that spot,” Quinn said. “That’s my responsibility, no one else’s…. It stings today, bad. You don’t get those moments back.”

What was missing was any satisfactory explanation for what, exactly, had gone wrong at the disastrous end of the game. Instead, the principals talked around it in generalities and platitudes, leaving gaping holes to be filled with conjecture.

“We’ve got to be better at situational football,” Daniels said. “It starts with everybody, from the top down. But ultimately it’s on me. We’ve just got to be better.”

Asked directly whether he was aware the Commanders were out of timeouts, and thus had no way to stop the clock from ticking down to 0:00, Daniels gave an answer that was open to interpretation.

“Yeah,” he said, in a way that made that word sound more like an interjection than an affirmative, “we’ve just got to communicate that. That’s the whole thing. It starts with me communicating to everybody in the huddle. And I think everybody would say that from the top down.”

When Quinn was asked directly whether Daniels knew the team was out of timeouts, he said, “I haven’t spoken to him. But like I said, this falls on me.”

As for those above Quinn in the organizational hierarchy — a group that includes general manager Adam Peters and majority owner Josh Harris — the only public statement came from Magic Johnson, a minority owner, who posted on X: “I’m in total disbelief my Commanders had such terrible clock management in today’s overtime game against the Giants. All we had to do was kick the field goal and we would have won the game!”

It is hard to overstate how important Sunday’s game was for the Commanders. A win would have left them at 2-3 and a game out of first place in the imminently winnable NFC East, with a game in hand against the first-place Giants in case of a tiebreaker. A loss would have sent them to San Francisco next Monday night at 1-4 — and 0-3 in the division — and may have all but ended the competitive portion of their season.

At 1-3-1, the Commanders are neither finished nor well-positioned for a playoff run. But the fact is, they have just three wins in their last 17 games, dating to October 2025. Quinn may not get fired over Sunday’s debacle (which also saw the Commanders blow a 14-point lead in the final eight minutes of regulation), but it is the kind of embarrassment that, historically, has gotten head coaches fired. At the very least, the next week is likely to be filled with rampant speculation to that effect. Quinn may want to avoid sports-talk radio for the next few days.

Endings such as the one the Commanders authored on Sunday can make it challenging for a coach to hold a locker room together. Asked how the Commanders can possibly move forward after Sunday, he said, “We will. They’ve been through a lot already in five games. The locker room — this is a tough team. … They are equipped to absolutely dig in and get rolling.”

Late Sunday afternoon, Quinn got an uncomfortable taste of the fan base’s disillusionment. After Peters, the GM, came upon Quinn standing in disbelief at the 25-yard line, still staring out at the field, they walked off the field together in silence. In Section 108, the fans in the seats just above the tunnel stood and booed. Some of them held their arms out wide, palms up: the universal gesture for, “What the hell was that?”

Quinn kept walking and eventually disappeared into the tunnel, never looking up.

Trump Weighs Firing U.S. Ambassador to Greece After Reports of Misconduct

The Associated Press — Mon, 12 Oct 2026 00:03:30 GMT

U.S. Ambassador to Greece Kimberly Guilfoyle is under fire for conduct before and during her tenure. (Tom Williams/CQ Roll Call via AP)

By Matthew Lee

President Donald Trump and Secretary of State Marco Rubio are considering firing U.S. Ambassador to Greece Kimberly Guilfoyle after a series of reports alleging she has engaged in improper and possibly illegal conduct before and during her tenure in Athens.

A senior U.S. official said Sunday that Trump and Rubio are “extremely pissed off” by Guilfoyle’s reported conduct and would likely decide on what action to take this week after Monday’s Columbus Day holiday.

The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss internal deliberations, said Rubio had been particularly angry, not least because he visited Athens just last week and Guilfoyle attended most, if not all, of his events and greeted him on his arrival with a bear hug as the allegations swirled.

In a series of stories, The Wall Street Journal has reported questionable conduct by Guilfoyle, including an alleged threat to a host country official, accepting improper gifts and services and offering to use her influence inside the administration in return for the payment of a large credit card bill.

Guilfoyle has not addressed the reports directly, although her lawyer has said she did nothing wrong and the U.S. Embassy in Athens has tacitly expressed support for her.

After defending Guilfoyle following the first report, Rubio has declined to comment publicly on the growing allegations. On Wednesday, Rubio said: “Our ambassador has been a strong ambassador here.”

But after another report appeared late Wednesday, Rubio on Thursday before leaving Athens berated journalists for asking about the allegations, saying he didn’t know if they were true and that he would not respond if he could not confirm them.

“You guys walk around thinking that because some source told you something and you reported it, it’s the gospel. It’s not the gospel. It’s not the gospel for me. That’s not the way we do things,” Rubio said at the foot of his plane as Guilfoyle, who was there to see him depart, looked on.

The official said that Rubio had grown increasingly frustrated as the reports multiplied.

A second U.S official, who also spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss personnel matters, said the State Department’s inspector general is looking into the allegations, which first began surfacing in the Journal late last month and have since multiplied.

The second official could not say if a formal IG probe had begun. Inspectors general often conduct informal inquiries into complaints against staffers and many times those inquiries do not result in a full-on investigation, which can result in disciplinary action up to and including dismissal.

The State Department has declined to comment on a potential IG investigation.

The top two Democrats on the House Foreign Affairs and Senate Foreign Relations committees, Rep. Gregory Meeks of New York and Sen. Jeanne Shaheen of New Hampshire, as well as the ranking member on the House Committee for Oversight and Government Reform, Robert Garcia, D-Calif., have already called for an investigation into Guilfoyle.

Since late September, the Journal has detailed numerous accounts of questionable conduct by Guilfoyle. Its first report said that she had told guests at a reception that the U.S. could undermine the Greek government if it chose to, promoted the business interests of one particular Greek construction and energy company, and allowed its lobbyist into private diplomatic meetings.

While Rubio was in Athens, the Journal reported — citing text messages — that Guilfoyle had asked a Trump donor and supporter to pay a $100,000 credit card bill just before her confirmation hearing, promising him access to administration officials if he did.

The Journal then reported that Guilfoyle had been enraged about not being invited to a Greek-themed event at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, earlier this year and demanded to attend while boasting about luxury travel to France with energy company executives.

Another report, from the British tabloid The Daily Mail, said that Guilfoyle had alienated staff at the U.S. Embassy in Athens and had pushed the bounds of behavior appropriate for the top representative of the U.S. government to Greece.

Guilfoyle is a former Fox News Channel host and California prosecutor who was once engaged to Trump’s son Donald Jr.

Federal Judge Orders Trump Administration to End Promotional Ads

Jenna Monnin — Sun, 11 Oct 2026 22:18:50 GMT

The White House has compared the ads to PSAs run under former presidents. (George Walker IV/AP)

A federal judge has ordered the Trump administration to halt its taxpayer-funded TV ads that closely mirrored campaign rhetoric ahead of the midterms.

Judge Jennifer L. Rochon of the Southern District of New York blocked the administration's use of the $20 million in taxpayer dollars to “fund the development, creation, and/or airing of the advertisements.”

“Defendants shall cancel or cause to be cancelled any slot, placement, reservation, or arrangement for the airing or dissemination of the challenged advertisements, including those placements for the evening of October 11, 2026,” Rochon, a Biden appointee, wrote in the order.

Rochon’s order barring the ads will remain in effect for two weeks.

The Department of Homeland Security, which has used its funds to buy airtime, argued in a court filing Saturday that the ads aren’t scheduled beyond Sunday and the administration has not sought any additional media buys. However, Common Cause, a nonpartisan watchdog group that sued the Trump administration over the TV ads, called on Rochon to intervene.

“Beyond their soon-to-be-cessation argument, Defendants offer no guarantee that the ads will not continue beyond today,” Common Cause said in its filing Sunday. “They acknowledge that the contract with the ad agency runs until September 2027.”

Rochon also stayed the contract between the ad firm, LMD Agency, and the Department of Homeland Security. In the Saturday court filing, DHS said that U.S. Customs and Border Protection had issued $20 million to the LMD Agency under a “blanket purchase agreement” but noted the transaction “only funded the airing of preexisting media.”

President Donald Trump has faced public scrutiny and several legal challenges to his administration’s use of up to $20 million in taxpayer funds to run ads ahead of the midterm elections, many of which seem like campaign spots.

Common Cause filed a lawsuit against DHS on Wednesday requesting a temporary restraining order blocking the ads from airing while the legal challenge proceeds. The group also requested an order from the court to bar the government from taking any further action on the ad campaign.

“We are pleased the court acted swiftly to prevent more taxpayer dollars from being used for such blatantly unlawful political propaganda,” Democracy Forward, which is part of the legal team representing the plaintiffs alongside Common Cause, said in a statement. “There is no legal justification — and no precedent — for the president to use the machinery of the government and funds set aside by Congress for other uses to influence electoral outcomes that further his own agenda.”

Rochon ordered the decision to be sent to the ad agency immediately, though it was unclear if there was enough time to remove the ads already scheduled

The Trump administration is facing two additional lawsuits from the Democratic National Committee and Democratic Party of Wisconsin concerning the ads. The legal challenges take specific issue with Trump running the ads to promote his agenda, and effectively the Republican Party’s, weeks away from the midterms.

The ads feature stylized edits of the president and other Cabinet officials, with one spot echoing Republican rhetoric on the dangers of communism and another promoting U.S. missile strikes on Iran. Earlier this month, CNN reported at least a dozen ads had been created. Each of the previously aired spots contain a disclaimer reading “Paid for by the U.S. Government.”

In the Saturday court filing, DHS said that U.S. Customs and Border Protection had issued $20 million to the ad firm LMD Agency under a “blanket purchase agreement” but noted the transaction “only funded the airing of preexisting media.”

Holly C. Mehringer, the acting DHS chief financial officer, said in a court affidavit that the department used approximately $19 million for the contract with LMD Agency, leaving potentially around $1 million on the table. Mehringer asserted that DHS will not make any additional media buys past Sunday and any leftover funds “will be de-obligated,” but Common Cause remained unconvinced.

“Considering that Defendants state they will continue to run the ads today, the vague statement that DHS currently has no current ‘plans’ to use the remaining $1,000,000 — which has not been de-obligated and remains available — rings hollow. So too does the limited vow not to use ‘any similar contracts’ to air these ads going forward,” attorneys for the watchdog group wrote.

Congress allocated billions through the “one big, beautiful bill” to DHS for “commemorating efforts and events related to border security.” Initially, the department had only budgeted $1 million for this category, but the White House Office of Management and Budget added the $20 million to the item on Sept. 19. The ads began airing days later on Sept. 23.

The ads have drawn scrutiny from Republican and Democratic lawmakers, who raised questions about whether it is legal to use taxpayer funds for ad campaigns.

In an emailed statement sent to The Washington Sun on Tuesday, the White House characterized the TV-spots as “Presidential Public service announcements” and said they “are nothing new,” citing ad campaigns run by former presidents George W. Bush, Barack Obama and Joe Biden. Those spots were focused on government-run programs like Obama’s Affordable Care Act.

Trump announced last week on Truth Social that he plans to pay for the ads himself with the help of the money he raised through his super PAC, MAGA Inc — a move that may be illegal under federal campaign finance laws that prohibit a president from directing the spending decisions of a super PAC.

The White House later confirmed that Trump only plans to pay for the ads going forward, and he does not plan to reimburse the government for the millions already spent on the media buys.

This article was updated to reflect the judge’s ruling.

The Commanders Run Out of Time in a Stunning Tie With the Giants

Martenzie Johnson — Sun, 11 Oct 2026 21:17:34 GMT

Commanders coach Dan Quinn leaves the field after a 27-27 tie with New York. (Nick Wass/AP)

The Commanders escaped the jaws of defeat Sunday against the Giants, but it wasn’t enough to earn them a win as Washington was forced to settle for a stunning 27-27 tie.

Quarterback Jayden Daniels took a sack with eight seconds left in overtime and his team out of timeouts, leaving Washington unable to attempt what could have been a game-winning field goal.

The game had reached the extra period only after Washington blew a 27-13 lead with just over 11 minutes remaining in the fourth quarter. At one point in overtime, it appeared New York was on the brink of a win but a Cam Skattebo fumble on Washington’s 24-yard line gave the Commanders one final chance. Washington put a drive together, but the game ended with Washington on New York’s 24-yard line and kicker Drew Stevens still on the sideline.

“We have to stop the clock. We have to know the situation. We have to relay that as an offense,” Daniels said. “It starts with everyone, top down. Ultimately, it’s on me.”

https://x.com/NFL/status/2109385104955224226

Daniels, in his first game back since dislocating his elbow in Week 2, looked every bit like the quarterback who led Washington to the NFC championship just two seasons ago. He threw for 199 yards and ran for another 103, including rushing touchdowns of 38 and 26 yards. But his stellar return performance was capped by the disastrous final play.

On the other side of the ball, Washington’s defense fell apart in the second half for the second time in as many weeks after stifling the Giants’ offense for the majority of the afternoon. The Giants, led by quarterback Jameis Winston’s 326 passing yards, scored touchdowns on their final three series in regulation to help erase the 14-point deficit.

Washington allowed an eight-play, 67-yard drive on New York’s second possession of overtime, highlighted by safety Jeremy Reaves dropping an interception on the drive’s first play and the Giants making two big third-down conversions. It looked to be fatal, but on a first-and-10 Skattebo had the ball ripped out by defensive tackle Daron Payne.

“At that point, it was like, ‘OK, we got to win this football game,’” Daniels said.

Moment that mattered

But the Commanders did not win the football game.

With just under two minutes left in overtime, Washington marched into field goal range. After a two-yard run from Rachaad White, Daniels took the final snap with 14 seconds left in the game. He seemed to look at tight end Ben Sinnott in the flat, but instead chose to cradle the ball and search for space on the ground. Washington never ran another play.

“It sucks,” Daniels said. “As a competitor, you always come in and you want to win. … You put in so much work, so much time. Me personally, I put up a lot of time into recovery and rehab and to get back to the situation. So obviously you want to go out there and win.”

The biggest question coming out of the game was whether or not Daniels and the offense knew they were out of timeouts before the final play. After taking the sack, Daniels laid on the ground for two seconds before jolting up, seemingly struck by the realization he needed to spike the ball.

https://x.com/NFL/status/2109385396270637267

Quinn said that the two options on the play were a quick throw to the outside or throwing the ball away to stop the clock.

Everyone involved chalked the blunder up to a lack of communication, which has been a persistent issue for the Commanders this season.

“Yeah, we just got to communicate that,” Daniels said.

Even the Giants were taken aback by how things unfolded.

“I saw the clock winding down, it was like two, three seconds left. I'm like ‘Alright, they gonna get a snap,’” Giants linebacker Abdul Carter said. “Then I saw they were still laying on the ground. I was like, ‘Oh, game over.’”

Quinn said the fault was his for putting his offense in that position in the first place. Had the team stopped the clock after White’s two-yard carry, it would have put Stevens, who hit a 40-yarder earlier in the game, in line for a 42-yard field goal.

“We don't need to gain more,” Quinn said. “Let's go win it right here”

The positives

Daniels looked plenty fresh despite missing the last two games. He was accurate (68% completion rate) on the day, but most importantly he didn’t appear hesitant while sporting the black brace on his left arm. Early in the second quarter, he took off for an 11-yard scramble, but rather than slide to avoid contact he lowered his shoulder right into safety Tyler Nubin.

“Wasn’t even thinking about it,” Daniels said of his brace. “I was just playing football.”

After Commanders tight ends combined for just 65 yards through the first four games, Washington made it a point to target that group early on Sunday. Two of the first three plays of the game went to Chig Okonkwo, who gained 23 yards on two catches. He finished with four receptions for 60 yards.

On the other side of the ball, the Commanders defense looked a bit shaky to start, allowing two third-down conversions on the first drive. But they quickly settled in, allowing just 45 yards and three points over the next five possessions.

It was a collective effort, best illustrated in the second quarter when linebacker K’Lavon Chaisson strip-sacked Winston. As the Giants quarterback went to recover the ball, defensive lineman Deatrich Wise — back from a yearlong absence due to a torn quad — knocked Winston out of the way, leaving the ball for defensive tackle Tim Settle to recover.

Then, of course, there was Payne’s strip of Skattebo when it seemed that New York had all but won the game.

“We just practice having your arm be an extension as you tackle,” Payne said. “So, I just punched the ball out just like practice, and it came out.”

https://x.com/NFL/status/2109383798907605159

The negatives

As has been the case all season, the offense was often stagnant and let down by penalties. While Washington was able to march 69 yards down the field for a touchdown in just four plays on the first drive, it didn’t maintain that momentum.

The next two drives totaled -12 yards due to sacks and near-constant pressure. On the ensuing drive, Washington had a first-and-goal from New York’s 9-yard line, but back-to-back false starts pushed the offense back 10 yards and the Commanders settled for a field goal.

Speaking of miscues, the Commanders defense collapsed in the second half — again. For the second week in a row, the defense could not maintain their intensity from one half to another. After limiting the Giants to 171 yards and 13 points through the first three quarters, New York gained 146 yards and scored the final 14 points of regulation to force overtime.

Postgame

While ties are technically better than losses, this result seemed to sting more than the three losses this season. Quinn said he was gutted for his players, and his demeanor waffled between anger, disgust and sorrow throughout his press conference. Daniels’ voice cracked a few times when talking about the final play, while other players appeared visibly sad after letting the game slip away from them. Everyone — most notably Daniels — took accountability, and no one pointed a finger. Well, no one on the roster.

Different players described the tie in different ways, none of them positive:

Daniels: “Shit. Excuse my language. It’s not a win, so not really feeling that one.”
Payne: “It definitely doesn't feel like a win.”
Quinn: “Leaving tonight with a tie feels like a loss.”
McLaurin: “A tie is never good enough.”

Bill Gates Warns of 'Grim Possibilities' Without More Control Over AI

Jenna Monnin — Sun, 11 Oct 2026 18:57:25 GMT

Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates said AI is more dangerous than cars, planes and drugs, all of which have safeguards. (Jose Luis Magana/AP)

Microsoft co-founder and philanthropist Bill Gates issued a pointed warning about the immediate risks of AI, saying the industry should focus on how “bad people” can use the technology rather than the far-off danger of developers losing control of their models.

“The real danger right now is not the AI's getting out of control. We need to work on that, but that's years away in terms of the big impact that might have,” Gates said Sunday on CNN’s “State of the Union.” “It's really bad people using AI, particularly an AI where you can take out all the safeguards.”

The tech industry pioneer said that cyberattacks and bioterrorism are some of the greatest threats that individuals with malicious intent could pose if they have access to advanced models without adequate controls. Many companies have internal guardrails on their models, “but right now you're allowed to take all those safeguards out,” Gates said.

During his address to the United Nations Security Council on Sept. 23, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman previously warned that in an effort to pace the industry, tech companies must not risk falling “into the trap of doomerism” and instead find a “middle path.”

When asked by CNN’s Jake Tapper if he believed that he was falling into the trap Altman described, Gates said he agreed with Altman’s push for a middle ground but stood firm in his call for more safeguards on the industry.

“Compared to cars or planes or drugs — all things that I think we're pleased that we have significant regulatory capability to try and keep people safe — this is more dangerous than any of those, and so you know, there are some grim possibilities if we don't maintain control,” Gates said.

Gates said that AI’s negative impact has been “overblown,” but he added that “all responsible AI leaders, including Sam Altman, including [Anthropic’s] Dario Amodei, they are telling the world this is very concerning.”

AI development is largely unregulated by the U.S. government, and many of the industry’s top leaders have called on Congress and President Donald Trump to step in to put checks on the emerging field.

Public scrutiny on the industry sharply amplified following dire warnings from researchers and engineers this summer claiming the unregulated competition between tech companies to develop the most advanced model posed a threat to the human race.

Trump has largely rebuffed the calls to institute guardrails on AI, saying that his presidency is the only safeguard the industry needs while deeming the urgent warnings a “hoax.” Trump has repeatedly claimed that China, the U.S. biggest competitor in AI development, is benefiting from the public concern over the safety risks posed by the models.

“WHOEVER WINS AI, WINS!” Trump wrote Sept. 14 on Truth Social. “We are leading China, and all others, and will continue to do so.”

Trump and House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-Louisiana) met with tech industry leaders at the White House on Sept. 29 and announced an accord, signed by several AI leaders, that opened the door to government regulation but largely rested on companies “self-policing.”

Amodei, Google CEO Sundar Pichai, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg, OpenAI President Greg Brockman, Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang and xAI founder Elon Musk among others signed the accord with Trump.

Gates, who has no management role in Microsoft, which operates its own Copilot AI tool through a partnership with Atlman’s OpenAI, was not present at the meeting — though he told CNN he has “heard from a number of politicians” since sharing his concerns publicly and he still hopes to speak with Trump.

“The more time that's spent on this, the better, because we are not yet where we need to be,” Gates said.

Six Senators Call for Trump to Reverse Course on Russia Diesel Purchase

The Associated Press — Sun, 11 Oct 2026 17:50:53 GMT

President Donald Trump said the U.S. would buy diesel from Russia to lower prices in America. (Alex Brandon/AP)

By Kevin Freking

A bipartisan group of six senators on Sunday called for President Donald Trump's administration to “immediately reverse course” on a plan to purchase diesel from Russia as part of an effort to lower high fuel prices.

Trump shocked lawmakers when he announced on social media Friday that he struck a deal with Russian President Vladimir Putin in a phone call. He said Russia will immediately supply more than 300,000 tons of diesel to the American and global market, followed by an additional 500,000 tons in November and 1 million tons “immediately thereafter.” Russia will deliver an additional 3 million tons “within a short period of time” after that, he wrote.

Four Republican senators and two Democratic senators signed onto the statement released Sunday in protesting the deal. They said the administration failed to consult with Congress or submit any explanation to justify its decision as required by statute.

“The United States should not provide Putin with a financial lifeline while Russia continues to kill Ukrainian civilians. The Administration must immediately reverse course," they wrote.

The Republican senators who signed onto the statement are Sens. Susan Collins of Maine, Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, Thom Tillis of North Carolina and John Curtis of Utah. The Democratic senators are Sens. Jeanne Shaheen of New Hampshire and Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut.

Tillis, in an interview that aired Sunday on NBC’s “Meet the Press,” said there's a legitimate case for saying the president is not following the law if the administration goes through with its diesel purchase plan.

“We were very clear that Russia is the aggressor. Russia is the one who can end this war by backing out of territory that they occupied,” Tillis said.

Trump's announcement came just a few weeks after Congress passed legislation that directed Trump to impose substantial tariffs on the top importers of Russian oil or natural gas, with an exception for countries that import less than 15% of Russia’s natural gas exports and have taken significant steps to reduce those imports.

The congressional effort was aimed at cutting the flow of money Russia receives from oil and gas sales to finance its war against Ukraine.

The lawmakers also noted that Congress explicitly banned Russia energy imports in 2022 to prevent the United States from financing the war.

“Congress was clear: the U.S. should not import oil from Russia until it ends its aggression against Ukraine and ceases threats against our NATO Allies,” the six lawmakers wrote in their statement. “President Trump’s decision to allow Russian diesel imports to the U.S. runs directly counter to that law."

Sen. John Barrasso, R-Wyo., said Trump is focused on reducing the cost of energy when asked whether the president's action would be in violation of U.S. law.

“The president is balancing and has to make tough decisions,” Barrasso said on CBS's “Face the Nation.”

He also encouraged Trump to enforce the sanctions law that Congress passed last month.

“This is just another point of leverage for the president to use against Putin in an effort to get a long-term solution in that part of the world,” Barrasso said.

Trump has recently sought to blame record U.S. diesel prices on Ukraine rather than the U.S.-led war in Iran, which has elevated world energy prices.

Trump Declares That Russia and Ukraine Have Agreed to an ‘Energy Ceasefire’

Jenna Monnin — Sun, 11 Oct 2026 17:25:26 GMT

Diesel prices are at a record high amid the U.S.-Israeli war with Iran. (David Zalubowski/AP)

President Donald Trump said Russia and Ukraine have agreed to an “energy ceasefire,” a truce that could significantly impact the ongoing conflict as attacks on energy infrastructure remain a central component of both countries’ war efforts.

“Effective immediately, there is an ENERGY CEASEFIRE in the War between Russia and Ukraine. Both parties have agreed. Do not break it!” Trump wrote Sunday on Truth Social.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy told Axios that Trump’s energy ceasefire announcement “was news for me.”

“But if Russians agree to an energy ceasefire, Ukraine will agree,” Zelenskyy added.

Hours after Trump’s announcement, Russia struck a Ukrainian power plant in the eastern Ukrainian city of Kharkiv, according to ABC News.

The White House referred The Washington Sun to the president’s Truth Social post when asked for a comment.

Since the start of the four-year-long war, Russia has been targeting Ukraine’s heating and electricity facilities while Ukraine has launched attacks on Russia’s oil refineries.

Trump has criticized Zelenskyy for the impact of Ukraine’s strikes on Russia’s diesel fuel refineries, a move that has further exacerbated the global fuel supply already constrained by the U.S. war with Iran.

“We told him, do whatever you want, but don't hit the diesel fuel because there's a big problem, big shortage. And what does he do? He goes and hits the diesel fuel,” Trump told reporters on Friday.

“He better damn well stop!” Trump added.

Several Republicans have called for an end to the war with the midterms approaching and rising fuel prices putting pressure on the U.S. farming industry.

Zelenskyy, in an interview with ABC’s “This Week,” hit back against Trump and others who have blamed him for the continuing war with Russia and the impact on the global energy supply.

“Because it's more difficult to stop Putin than to pressure others. Because it's more simple to speak about the prices and connect it with Ukraine,” Zelenskyy said Sunday. “When everybody in the world understands because of the war in the Middle East, the prices are rising.”

Trump announced on Friday that the U.S. had struck a deal with Russian President Vladimir Putin to “immediately” send hundreds of thousands of tons of diesel fuel to the American marketplace.

The president said that between the Russian diesel deal and the U.S.’s “TOTAL CONTROL of the Strait of Hormuz” — a key waterway for the flow of the global oil supply located in the Middle East — that diesel prices for American consumers will be “COMING DOWN, IN RECORD NUMBERS, AND FAST!”

“Russia will immediately supply over 300,000 Tons of Diesel Fuel to the American and Global Marketplace, another 500,000 Tons during the month of November, and 1,000,000 Tons immediately thereafter. Additionally, based on the condition of their Diesel Refineries, Russia will then deliver, within a short period of time, 3,000,000 Tons of Diesel Fuel,” Trump wrote Friday on Truth Social.

The initial shipment of 300,000 tons, which would be about 2.25 million barrels of oil, would equal less than a day of U.S. oil usage, with America consuming approximately 20.6 million barrels of petroleum per day according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration.

Striking a deal with Russia for their oil appears to be a departure from Trump’s previous position on the issue. In September 2025, Trump called on NATO countries to stop buying Russian oil and put 50% to 100% tariffs on China for its purchases of the Russian energy source.

“It greatly weakens your negotiating position, and bargaining power, over Russia,” Trump wrote on Truth Social at the time, in a post addressed to the NATO nations.

Congress also just passed a new law, named after the late Sen. Lindsey Graham, that would sanction the biggest countries buying oil from Russia.

This story has been updated with information about the Russian strike on a Ukrainian power plant.

Trump Administration Plans $65 Million Exhibit at Saudi Arabia’s ‘Expo 2030’

Mark Alfred — Sun, 11 Oct 2026 16:15:09 GMT

The Trump administration’s plans include emphasizing America’s “bilateral relationship with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.” (Alex Brandon/AP)

The State Department is laying the groundwork for its exhibit at Expo 2030, the latest in a series of global gatherings that occur every five years. Host nation Saudi Arabia expects 197 nations to participate in the six-month-long world’s fair-style event.

The United States’ exhibit in Riyadh is expected to cost between $55 and $65 million and will deliver a “multisensory celebration of American excellence,” per previously unreported documents obtained by The Washington Sun.

“U.S. pavilions at World Expos are public and commercial diplomacy platforms for engaging foreign audiences, promoting American values and prosperity, advancing U.S. bilateral and regional goals, and showcasing American culture and technology,” reads a request for information document recently posted to a federal contracting website.

The event, the document says, “offers the United States Government an opportunity to inform and inspire foreign audiences about the United States, its people, values, and foreign policies, and to promote U.S. economic and commercial interests.”

The request for information document is broadly similar to the one sent out ahead of Expo 2025, which took place in Osaka, Japan.

But the Trump administration put its mark on the plans. A reference to the multinational Kigali Amendment aimed at curbing emissions does not appear in the Expo 2030 plan as it had in the 2025 document.

Nor does a line stating that the “USA Pavilion is nonpolitical and nonpartisan in nature, of the highest possible quality, and balanced and representative of the diversity of American political, social, and cultural life.”

Added to the Expo 2030 document is the listed objective that the exhibit “demonstrate America’s value as a champion of, and trusted partner in, preserving cultural heritage and ecology.”

“Particular emphasis will be placed on our bilateral relationship with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia,” the document says. “This goal centers regional audiences, establishing the American legacy of constructive engagement and partnership in the region.”

The State Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The DOJ Is Investigating Networks that Halted White House Pool Coverage

The Associated Press — Sun, 11 Oct 2026 01:51:40 GMT

Last month's developments marked an extraordinary escalation in Trump’s efforts to restrict news reporters and outlets that he finds insufficiently supportive. (Francis Chung/POLITICO/AP)

By Alanna Durkin Richer and Amy Taxin

The Department of Justice is investigating whether the decision of the White House television press pool to halt coverage of President Donald Trump last month violated antitrust law, an agency spokesperson said Saturday.

Emily Covington, a spokesperson for the department, said group boycotts among business competitors might violate U.S. law.

“The Antitrust Division is simply investigating to determine whether these news organizations have violated the antitrust laws,” she said.

The announcement came after the television pool of five broadcasters last month ceased presidential coverage after the administration barred CNN, MS NOW and Politico from the White House.

Messages were sent late Saturday to the five outlets seeking comment: ABC, CBS, CNN, FOX and NBC.

The White House press pool, which is a rotating cast of news outlets that covers the president, has become a proxy for the wider fight over whether the president, or anyone, can control the content of news reports — a type of free speech, pillar of American democracy.

Last month's developments marked an extraordinary escalation in Trump’s efforts to restrict news reporters and outlets that he finds insufficiently supportive.

CNN, MS NOW and Politico sued over the days-long ban. It was lifted after a judge handed the three news organizations a reprieve, which is in place until Tuesday.

Television pool coverage of the White House has also resumed.

Jose Zamora, the Committee to Protect Journalists' regional director of the Americas, on Saturday criticized the administration's decision to investigate.

“The government should not use antitrust investigations to intimidate news outlets defending press access,” Zamora said on X. “The public’s right to know depends on that access.”

D.C. Official Who Worked With Formerly Incarcerated Residents Dies in Scooter Crash

Martin Austermuhle — Sat, 10 Oct 2026 22:34:24 GMT

Lillian Bautista/The Washington Sun

Talib Shakir, who led a city office that worked with formerly incarcerated residents transitioning to life after prison, was killed in a scooter crash on Capitol Hill Friday night.

Shakir was 50.

“Through his work in public service, most recently leading the Mayor’s Office of Returning Citizen Affairs, Talib was committed to creating opportunities for D.C. residents,” Mayor Muriel Bowser’s office wrote in a statement Saturday afternoon. “We are so grateful for the energy and love he poured into doing just that for the city where he was born, raised, and served.”

According to the Metropolitan Police Department, Shakir was riding an electric scooter Friday night when he collided with another scooter rider at the intersection of 8th Street and Pennsylvania Avenue SE in Eastern Market. Shakir was unconscious and not breathing after the crash and was pronounced dead at a local hospital. The other victim, a woman, was released from the hospital.

Shakir served 25 years in federal prison after being convicted of murder in D.C. in 1993, returning to the city in February 2019. Before assuming leadership of the government office that coordinates efforts to reintegrate former prisoners into civilian life in D.C., Shakir served as deputy director of community relations for the Mayor’s Office of Community Relations and Services.

Shakir recently published a book about his experience, titled “From Cell Block to City Hall: How Lived Experience Becomes the Most Powerful Policy Tool in America.”

“Talib made the most of his second chance and dedicated himself to helping others do the same,” Bowser’s office wrote Saturday. “He loved to mentor young people and prove to them that their city believes in them.”

Each year, anywhere from 2,000 to 2,500 offenders return to D.C. after completing prison sentences, according to the D.C. Criminal Justice Coordinating Council, and roughly two-thirds commit crime again. City officials say inadequate job opportunities and low housing availability are among the most pressing challenges returning citizens face.

“I am heartbroken,” Tomás Talamante, Bowser’s chief of staff, wrote on social media. “Talib was truly one of the kindest, selfless people I have ever met. I am so thankful our paths crossed.”

As of Oct. 10, 33 people have died in traffic crashes on D.C. roads this year — higher than the 17 from the same time period in 2025 but on par with the average over the last three years. The district has seen a recent spate of crashes and fatalities involving electric bikes and scooters, though, including two deaths in September — one of which resulted from a crash between two cyclists.

Electric scooters — including the rentable Lime scooters that are popular in D.C. — have also drawn recent criticism over people using them as getaway vehicles after crimes, or teens crowding sidewalks while riding them in the city.

NPS Could Remove Over 500 Trees for Trump’s Planned Golf Course Renovation

The Associated Press — Sat, 10 Oct 2026 20:51:40 GMT

Turning the park into an upscale golf course will mean costlier fees and a likely loss of public space. (Nathan Howard/AP)

By Matthew Daly

WASHINGTON (AP) — The National Park Service has begun a new round of tree-cutting at a historic golf course near the National Mall as the Trump administration proceeds with a plan to renovate the East Potomac Golf Links into a championship-level course.

More than 500 trees “that do not contribute to the historic landscape will be removed” as part of the rehabilitation project, the National Park Service said in a court filing Friday. “No healthy trees that are contributing features of the historical golf course” — including historic cherry trees — will be removed as part of the project, the park service said.

A total of 169 trees will be removed starting Saturday, with another 90 trees slated for removal later, the agency said.

The tree removals come as President Donald Trump has moved to turn the course into a world-class golf venue — part of his grand vision for Washington, D.C., where he has torn down storied structures, remade or renamed others and deployed the National Guard for more than a year.

Some residents fear the planned changes to the golf course — where Trump has visited with a cabinet member, a well-known golf course architect and blueprints — risk altering the character of a place that has served Washingtonians of all income levels for more than a century. Turning the park into an upscale golf course will mean costlier fees and a likely loss of public space.

"The National Park Service is finally implementing a 7-year-old plan to address tree overgrowth at East Potomac Golf Course,'' the Interior Department said in a statement Saturday. The department oversees the park service and other agencies that manage federal lands.

The renovation work will include selective tree and vegetation work to restore the course, the Interior Department said, adding that the work is intended to “help restore the course’s historic character and reopen views toward landmarks, including the Washington Monument, National War College, Potomac River and Washington Channel."

The park service “recognizes the importance of trees to the park and its visitors. This carefully planned work is part of our required stewardship of the park,” the statement said.

The golf course will remain open to the public throughout the renovation effort, although individual holes may temporarily close while work is underway, the agency said.

The 106-year-old public course has been embroiled in a lawsuit since February. Plaintiffs including the DC Preservation League say the Trump administration’s reconstruction would violate the congressional act that created the park in 1897. The group sought an emergency stop-work order this spring because of concerns that work was expected to begin immediately on the course.

Trump, an avid golfer, has posted about the course on social media, “When completed, this Course will have the ability to host Major Golf Tournaments, including The U.S. Open, The Ryder Cup, The PGA Championship, and other top PGA Tour events,” he wrote in late June.

It’s unclear when the course could host any major tournaments, as locations are chosen several years ahead of the events.

Trump Blames Zelenskyy for High American Diesel Prices

Michelle Del Rey — Sat, 10 Oct 2026 18:28:56 GMT

The president blamed Ukraine’s attacks on Russian refineries as a contributing factor to increasing diesel prices. (Julia Demaree Nikhinson/AP)

President Donald Trump urged Ukrainian citizens to replace Volodymyr Zelenskyy, saying he has not done enough to “make a deal” to end the war with Russia and bring down diesel prices.

The president blamed Ukraine’s attacks on Russian refineries as a contributing factor to increasing diesel prices, telling reporters outside the White House on Saturday: “I think it’s time for Ukraine to get a new president.”

Fuel costs have widely gone up in association with the U.S.’s war in Iran, which has prompted Iranian attacks on refineries in the Persian Gulf and restricted traffic through the Strait of Hormuz, a key transportation waterway.

Trump on Friday announced a deal to buy Russian diesel to ease U.S. fuel prices before the midterms, prompting harsh criticism from Zelenskyy. A day later, Russia began a series of strikes that hit Kyiv as well as the country’s Zaporizhzhia region.

Zelenskyy told Axios on Friday that he was blindsided by the deal, later saying it signaled to Russia that it was “apparently permissible” to keep attacking Ukraine.

“Gifts to Putin will not bring peace or any benefit to the civilized world,” Zelenskyy wrote on X on Friday. “Russia will ‘repay’ the diesel with further terror and perfidy.”

Trump, who has had a volatile relationship with Zelenskyy, said the Ukrainian leader “chooses not to” end the war, adding that Zelenskyy “better damn well stop” targeting refineries. Russia supplies a large portion of the world’s diesel supply, which Trump said has been negatively affected by the strikes.

“He wants to make problems for the world; he wants to make problems for our farmers, our ranchers, with diesel fuel,” Trump said Saturday.

Federal Judge Blocks DOJ From Accessing State Voter Rolls

Michelle Del Rey — Sat, 10 Oct 2026 17:06:13 GMT

The department sought information to find people who could have unlawfully cast a ballot, a sweep of information that includes voters’ full names, dates of birth, residential addresses, driver’s license numbers or partial Social Security numbers. (Julia Demaree Nikhinson/AP)

A federal judge has blocked the Justice Department from accessing state voter rolls to find noncitizen voters and bar them from casting ballots.

Shortly after President Donald Trump authorized the attorney general to contact states for information on suspected election law violations in March 2025, the DOJ began requesting complete and unredacted copies of states’ computerized voter registration lists. The department has filed dozens of lawsuits in attempts to compel enforcement — all of which have been blocked or dismissed by other district courts so far, with a handful of decisions outstanding.

In a decision late Friday, U.S. District Judge Sparkle L. Sooknanan said the department was violating several federal laws that govern how agencies collect and control personal data, writing that the policy “flies in the face of duly enacted laws designed to protect Americans.”

The department sought information to find people who could have unlawfully cast a ballot, a sweep of information that includes voters’ full names, dates of birth, residential addresses, driver’s license numbers or partial Social Security numbers.

The DOJ contacted 49 states and D.C., asking state officials to agree to “clean” their logs within 45 days. At least 18 states turned over their rolls, providing information that the DOJ then shared with the Department of Homeland Security to verify voters’ immigration and citizenship status — assuring states that the data would be treated in compliance with the federal Privacy Act.

Sooknanan’s ruling means noncooperative states that sued the government after the directive, as well as the 18 that did comply, no longer have to share their data with federal agencies. DHS and the DOJ can no longer use federal databases to cross-reference rolls they already obtained from the compliant states.

“The challenged policy represents the federal government’s attempt to decide who gets to vote. But Congress has left that authority where our Constitution has always placed it: with the states,” Sooknanan, a Biden appointee, wrote.

The judge’s decision doesn’t bar the federal government from taking lawful steps to support states’ efforts to maintain accurate voter rolls, nor does it prevent states from maintaining their own voter rolls.

The federal government is expected to seek a stay pending a wider appeal. The DOJ told The Washington Sun it was reviewing the ruling.

The Supreme Court in September cleared the way for states to use the federal government’s overhauled immigration database to purge noncitizens on their own before the midterms, siding with DHS in an unsigned decision after Sooknanan had ordered the system shut down in June. That modified database contained information, including Social Security numbers, in what Sooknanan ruled was also a violation of privacy laws.

The September ruling could come up in a future government appeal of Friday’s ruling.