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