Good morning. This is The Washington Sun Metro newsletter for Sept. 16, 2026. You can get it in your inbox every day by signing up here — it’s free!
In today’s newsletter: Opening statements in the Trayon White trial, the Spirit’s soccer moms and a new addition to the National Zoo.
Capital Weather’s Daily Digit: 8/10. They can’t all be perfect 10s like yesterday, but today is perfectly nice even if several degrees warmer. Read the full forecast.
THE LATEST
Trending
It was either a case of “brazen bribery,” or one built on an untrustworthy informant who “needed a get-out-of-jail card.”
Those were the two divergent arguments made by prosecutors and defense attorneys Tuesday during the first day of Ward 8 council member Trayon White’s trial on federal bribery charges, reports The Washington Sun’s Jenny Gathright.
For the prosecution, the case is simple: White accepted envelopes full of cash from D.C. businessman Allieu Kamara in exchange for promises to help him keep and land more lucrative contracts with the city. Prosecutor John Crabb Jr. says White was “selling his office as a D.C. Council member” for a North Carolina real estate venture he hoped to get in on — and because “it’s really expensive to see girls and have fun.”
For the defense, though, the only simple truth is that White was set up by the government, which relied on Kamara — who defense attorney Warren Gary Kohlman called “corrupt to the bone.” He also contended that even if White pocketed the cash, he didn’t do anything official to help Kamara. “If there is no quid pro quo … it is not bribery,” he argued.
The trial also provided deeper insights into White himself, a three-term lawmaker raised in Ward 8. In videos shown to jurors of White and Kamara discussing businesses in a car, White shared how the stresses of his job and his repeated exposure to death had driven him to therapy.
Also in the courtroom were family, friends and other supporters of White’s, there in solidarity. “Good luck,” one supporter told a grateful White in the court hallway. “We love you. The whole city loves you.” At the same time and mere blocks away, his council colleagues were kicking back into session — without him, for now.
White’s trial is expected to last two weeks. While he’s not expected to testify, he did share his thoughts in an Instagram post after court ended for the day: “Still standing tall. Love y’all.”
DEEP DIVE
Andi Sullivan, Ashley Hatch and Aubrey Kingsbury are the longest-tenured members of the Washington Spirit, weathering nine seasons of change together on the NWSL team’s roster. They’re now experiencing one more big change together: All are first-time mothers.
They’re part of a baby boom on the Spirit, joined by veteran defender Casey Krueger, who gave birth to her second child this year. Their babies have become familiar presences both at the team training facility and on the road, writes The Sun’s Emma Baccellieri. Thanks to an NWSL policy allowing players to designate a child care provider who can travel with the team, new mothers in the league do not have to make tough choices between playing and parenting. They can instead simply integrate their new lives into their old ones.
It has been a transformative benefit for the mothers and a source of delight for their teammates, some of whom jokingly refer to the team’s “emotional support babies.” It’s also been a unique experience for the children themselves, who are getting doted on by other players, meeting all sorts of soccer icons and traveling the country.
FROM THE DISTRICT
The Kennedy Center Board of Trustees voted Tuesday to temporarily shutter the institution’s main building after repeated requests by President Donald Trump, who claims the performing arts center “is in a virtual state of collapse,” The Sun’s Jenna Monnin reports.
It’s unclear whether the renovation — expected to cost $250 million — will happen. Trump said the construction would not proceed unless he is allowed to add his name to the building, a response to a federal court ruling earlier Tuesday that blocked the board from affixing his name to the building without congressional approval, The Sun’s Angie Orellana Hernandez reports.
Howard University has begun a national search for its 19th president, who will helm the school at a fraught moment. Howard made headlines this summer over its decision to unenroll 502 incoming freshmen — though at least 200 were ultimately reinstated.
More D.C. families are struggling to put food on the table than at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, due to the climbing cost of living and cuts to federal assistance, reports The Sun’s Kendall Staton.
A new lawsuit claims that D.C. jail staff did nothing when a person incarcerated in the mental health unit set a series of fires that allegedly caused others lasting respiratory damage and psychological distress, The Washington Post reports.
The National Zoo will soon be home to the only Arabian leopards outside of the Arabian Peninsula, Axios D.C. reports. The zoo broke ground yesterday on a $51.6 million habitat for the critically endangered cats, which are expected to arrive in D.C. in 2028 for a 2029 exhibit opening.
A legal battle over the National Guard’s presence in D.C. is playing out in South Carolina. The Post and Courier newspaper reports that the state’s Supreme Court heard arguments Tuesday in a lawsuit filed by the state chapter of the ACLU, which argued that Republican Gov. Henry McMaster unlawfully deployed South Carolina troops to D.C. at Trump’s behest. There are currently 3,120 National Guard troops in D.C. from 19 states; South Carolina is contributing only 20 as of this week.
PLAN YOUR WEEKEND
For salseros and salseras: Salsa Dancing on the Waterfront at The Wharf, Thursdays through Oct. 8.
For the Odyssey-obsessed: Gods, Goddesses and Lotus Eaters: A Hirshhorn Odyssey, Friday.
For city lovers: H Street Festival, Saturday.
For more info on this weekend’s events, read our weekly culture calendar here.
SPORTS
The Mystics will play a game tomorrow for the first time in 20 days, following a rare midseason hiatus around the FIBA World Cup. The Sun’s Alex Schiffer reports that all three Washington players who took part in the international tournament — Sonia Citron, Kiki Iriafen and Alicia Florez — will suit up Thursday and play without restrictions. The Mystics, sitting seventh in the WNBA standings with four regular-season games remaining, will look to regain some momentum after winning five of their final seven games before the break.
Caps star Alex Ovechkin is drawing blowback on social media this week after appearing in a campaign ad for the United Russia party in support of President Vladimir Putin, Schiffer reports. Celebrity chef José Andrés, a Caps fan, called it a “sad day for my beloved DC team.”
What to Watch Today
MLB: Nationals vs. Phillies, 6:45 p.m. (MLB.TV)
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The newsletter was produced by Jaden Amos, Michael Errigo and Nikie Johnson.
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