Good morning. This is The Washington Sun Metro newsletter for Sept. 21, 2026. You can get it in your inbox every day by signing up here — it’s free!
In today’s newsletter: A “crisis” for D.C’s courts, ammunition in Trump’s arch and an injured Jayden Daniels.
Capital Weather’s Daily Digit: 7/10. Hello 70s, goodbye 80s. Lots of clouds, maybe a passing shower. Read the full forecast.
THE LATEST
Trending
Lobbying is intensifying around what many say is a growing crisis in D.C.’s courts — and the significant role that Congress has had in creating it.
More than 300 groups and individuals in D.C. have written to the U.S. Senate, urging members to reverse a proposed 13% cut to the current year’s budget — which itself has remained flat for the last four years, even as civil and domestic case filings jumped 33% and criminal cases have spiked 160%.
“As the number of criminal prosecutions and civil matters rise even more sharply, the D.C. Courts are under severe strain to meet the needs of the District’s residents and visitors,” reads the letter, which was spearheaded by the D.C. Council for Court Excellence.
Unlike any other state-based court system, D.C.’s judiciary — composed of D.C. Superior Court and the D.C. Court of Appeals, akin to the city’s supreme court — are solely funded by Congress. The U.S. Senate also plays another critical role: It confirms presidential nominations for judgeship.
Persistent judicial vacancies were often the rallying cry for D.C. officials and advocates; they said that empty judgeships meant the gears of justice moved much more slowly, especially as caseloads increased. In August, the Senate acted on a number of pending nominations, giving the Court of Appeals its first full slate of judges in years.
Those same advocates are now pushing for increased funding for the 2027 fiscal year, which starts on Oct. 1. The chief judges of both Superior Court and the Court of Appeals have also made the appeal directly, writing in an August op-ed that “the D.C. courts have reached a fiscal breaking point.”
“Every arrest, hearing, mediation, and trial depends on a court system with enough people and resources to process cases fairly and on time. Adding judges while cutting the infrastructure that supports them would undermine the progress Congress just made,” said Misty Thomas Zaleski, executive director of the Council for Court Excellence.
Will Congress listen? The House is already gone and won’t return until after the November midterm elections, while the Senate will be out of town for almost all of October. Still, lawmakers face a December deadline to agree to a new federal budget for 2027, including funding for D.C.’s courts.
FROM THE COURTHOUSE
Council member Trayon White’s bribery trial could wrap up this week. The prosecutors and defense rested their respective cases on Friday.
White stands accused of accepting bribes from former government contractor Allieu Kamara, who during the summer of 2024 was acting as a government informant. The government alleges that White, in exchange for the money, promised to use his position as D.C. Council member to help steer more government grants toward Kamara’s companies, Life Deeds and District Services Management.
Some of the key witnesses on Friday included Office of Neighborhood Safety and Engagement Director Kwelli Sneed and former D.C. Attorney General Karl Racine. The Washington Sun’s Jenny Gathright reports that Sneed testified about a meeting White had with her in July 2024, but she said that while White did bring up Life Deeds, he never pressured her to renew the company’s government grants.
Racine said he had “absolutely no recollection” of White approaching him concerning pending litigation involving Life Deeds. That testimony was important because Kamara had previously testified about bribing White as he sought the council member’s help resolving a contract dispute.
Kevin Searby, one of White’s attorneys, told the judge on Friday that the government’s case was a “hot mess.” Prosecutors had not brought enough evidence to show that his client made any serious agreement with Kamara to influence government grants, he argued.
Prosecutors said that it doesn’t matter whether White actually took any significant steps to steer government contracts towards Kamara. All that matters, Assistant U.S. Attorney Rebecca Ross said, is that White agreed to do so — she argued the evidence shows he did.
The lawyers will meet today to hash out some remaining questions with Judge Rudolph Contreras, and the jury will return to court on Tuesday.
FROM THE DISTRICT
Just add water. The Smithsonian Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden installed a new sculpture last week: a 28-foot-tall pool by artist duo Elmgreen & Dragset. The sculpture garden will reopen Oct. 31 following a four-year renovation.
The Department of Defense has bought 2,000 unlimited, flat-rate “public service” Metro passes for D.C. National Guard members to be used through Jan. 31, 2029, according to a contract reviewed by The Sun. The benefit is available to all federal departments and agencies at a cost of $144 per month per participating employee.
President Donald Trump said his proposed arch between the Lincoln Memorial and Arlington National Cemetery would double as a “top grade military complex,” housing “large numbers” of drones and snipers while storing ammunition, the Associated Press reports. In an X post, Rep. Don Beyer (D-Virginia) called the idea “stupid, dangerous, and unworkable” given how close the arch would be to National Airport’s airspace.
Last week, an official in D.C.’s Historic Preservation Office called on Trump to scrap his arch for a smaller monument, The Sun’s Kendall Staton reports.
D.C.’s State Board of Education unanimously approved new graduation requirements last week, WUSA9 reports. The new standards add a financial literacy requirement, reduce community service hours and expand how world language credits are obtained. The board also approved an additional integrated math course.
Don’t expect to see a lot of happy faces in a D.C.-area airport. The region’s three airports each ranked below average in a new customer satisfaction survey from analytics company J.D. Power, Staton reports.
Former board members of the United States Institute of Peace filed an emergency plea to a federal court late Thursday to stop Trump’s name being affixed onto its headquarters, The Sun’s Angie Orellana Hernandez reports. It mirrors the ongoing legal battle at the Kennedy Center, where around 1,000 people showed up Friday to protest Trump’s reshaping of the storied arts hub, The Sun’s Torrie Herrington reports.
FROM VIRGINIA
Virginia Gov. Abigail Spanberger signed an executive order on Friday implementing a “data center accountability framework” that would ban the use of non-disclosure agreements that have made it harder for the public to follow proposed developments, expedite development of noise regulations, and direct a review of diesel and other backup generators used to power data centers, The Sun’s Taylor Giorno reports.
FROM MARYLAND
Montgomery County’s police chief abruptly resigned Friday after two years in the role, The Sun’s Justice Covert reports. Marc Yamada resigned just before the county inspector general released an investigation into alleged misconduct by an unnamed police department executive. County Executive Marc Elrich suggested it was Yamada, who previously faced whistleblower complaints about his use of funds on a trip to Las Vegas.
TRIVIA
Aside from John F. Kennedy, who is the only other president buried at Arlington National Cemetery?
- Theodore Roosevelt
- Ulysses S. Grant
- William Howard Taft
Email us your answer — the first reader who gets it right will receive a shout-out at the end of tomorrow’s newsletter.
SPORTS
Cowboys 37, Commanders 20: On the final play of the first half in Dallas, Washington lost its quarterback and its momentum. Trailing by a touchdown and facing a third-and-goal from Dallas’ 1-yard line, Jayden Daniels stumbled out of a snap and injured his left elbow in the fall. It’s the same elbow that kept him out for several games last season. Without him, Washington struggled to recalibrate in the second half of an ugly Week 2 loss.
- Martenzie Johnson breaks down Daniels’ injury and the moment that changed the game.
- Dave Sheinin writes about the larger impact of Sunday’s loss. Is Washington’s season over after two weeks?
- And Alex Schiffer rounds up the biggest Sunday storylines from the rest of the league.
The Mystics made a statement against Caitlin Clark and the Fever on Sunday, earning a 93-77 win in Indiana. Kiki Iriafen led the way with 21 points and 14 rebounds as Washington poured in 34 first-quarter points and never looked back.
The Sun is starting something new to cover high school sports. All-DMV is a collaboration between The Sun, Fox5 DC, NBC4 Washington and WTOP News, aimed at covering the D.C. area’s best high school athletes. Each week, The Sun’s Noah Ferguson will choose standout performers in football (Mondays), volleyball (Wednesdays) and boys and girls soccer (Fridays). This week’s football selections include a four-star Maryland commit and a sophomore star.
What to Watch Today
MLB: Nationals at Tigers, 6:40 p.m. (MLB.TV)
NFL: Giants at Rams, 8:15 p.m. (ESPN)
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