Good morning. This is The Washington Sun Metro Newsletter for Nov. 10, 2026. You can get it in your inbox every day by signing up here — it’s free!
In today’s newsletter: D.C.’s newest council member, bird-watching at East Po and Rowdy Audi.
Capital Weather’s Daily Digit — 8/10. A cold start, but sunny skies and highs near 70 more than make up for it. Read the full forecast.
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Elected officials often stick around for way too long. D.C.’s newest council member won’t have that problem.
Jamal Holtz was sworn in as an interim at-large council member on Monday afternoon, taking the seat once occupied by Robert White before he was elected D.C. delegate to Congress. Holtz’s appointment by the D.C. Democratic Party followed a week of unexpected political drama, and the position is only temporary — should he want to finish off White’s term, he’d have to win over D.C. voters in a special election that has been scheduled for April 6.
But Holtz made one thing clear: He’s not long for the office.
The 28-year-old native Washingtonian — the “first Gen Z member of the council,” he touted — says he not only won’t run in the special election, but also plans to step aside once the D.C. Democratic Party has wrapped up a formal process to identify another interim council member who can serve until the special election.
That means Holtz could be a sitting D.C. lawmaker for as little as a few weeks, and at most a few months. An interim-interim council member, if you will. “I am here to serve during a period of transition,” he told a large crowd of well-wishers in the Wilson Building on Monday. “Whether you serve for one day or one decade, the seriousness of public service doesn’t change.”
This short of a tenure could well be a first for D.C. Past interim council members have served anywhere from three to six months. It also presages what will be an unsettled six months to come for White’s old seat: Holtz will be a placeholder ahead of the Democratic Party’s next appointee, who would then have to compete in the April special election should they want to stay in office.
Holtz’s planned brief stay on the council has already prompted questions. Does he get a staff? Chairman Phil Mendelson said that while someone serving only a few weeks might not, he also doesn’t want Holtz to go staffless — especially with three critical legislative sessions before the close of the year. Will he be ready for big votes? Holtz said that he’s brushing up, and that multiple people have sent him the music video for Schoolhouse Rock’s famous “How a Bill Becomes a Law.” “That one was in my head the entire weekend,” he joked.
Holtz conceded that the entire situation is “unusual,” but also spoke about being profoundly honored by the opportunity. “To represent the residents of the District will represent the honor of my lifetime,” he said.
DEEP DIVE
The birds and the tees: Much to the dismay of area bird lovers, the Trump administration’s planned redevelopment of East Potomac Golf Links would effectively take away the No. 1 birdwatching spot in and around the nation’s capital.
The Sun’s Justice Covert reports that bird-watchers have tracked 272 bird species at Hains Point — the southernmost tip of the island — which is more than at a dozen other locations across northern Virginia and southern Maryland, according to eBird, a global online database that lets users log bird locations.
But the Interior Department plans to expand the proposed golf course over Hains Point and relocate the recreational areas that bird-watchers enjoy to nearby sites such as West Potomac Park and the Tidal Basin.
While the legal battle over the proposal continues, bird-watchers worry the damage is already done, since the government has already removed hundreds of trees from the park.
Ahead of East Potomac Park’s scheduled closing for renovations by Sunday, local bird advocacy groups held morning walks around Hains Point every day during the last week of October. One of the walks’ leaders told The Sun that she couldn’t imagine what it would be like to lose access to the area.
“I can’t even put it in my head,” she said. “Like many, many others, we hope that does not happen. It’s almost like a bad dream, like it’s not really happening. It’s terrible. It’s awful.”
FROM THE DISTRICT
You can’t park there: The Secret Service arrested two people near the White House yesterday morning after a car crashed onto the sidewalk near Lafayette Square and a person jumped a security barrier, The Sun’s Kendall Staton reports.
Pumping the brakes: A bill to legalize Waymo and other self-driving cars in D.C. may be on the rocks with the D.C. Council. The Sun has learned that three key lawmakers on the transportation committee are opposed, which could prevent the bill from moving forward.
One of them, Ward 5 council member Zachary Parker, said in a social media post he supports the tech but wants to “take a few more months” to work with Mayor-elect Janeese Lewis George to address labor displacement and safety concerns. “We’ll have a stronger bill for it,” he wrote.
A hotly anticipated shipment of trash cans, namely the 96-gallon “supercans” most D.C. residents use for city trash collection, has finally landed after being on back order for months. The Department of Public Works received 1,200 cans yesterday and will get another 1,200 next month to meet customer demand, interim Director Chris Rodriguez said in a video shared with The Sun.
A statue lampooning President Donald Trump’s bone spurs — one of the reasons he received deferments during the Vietnam War — popped up on the National Mall days before Veterans Day, The Washington Post reports. It’s the latest installation mocking the president from self-described “anonymous art collective” Secret Handshake.
FROM VIRGINIA
Bah, humbug! One of Northern Virginia’s largest Christmas markets was canceled just days before it was due to open last weekend, WUSA9 reports. The venue, Dulles Town Center Expo, didn’t have the required permits. That’s left about 200 vendors waiting on refunds for booth fees and without revenue they were counting on headed into the holidays.
Dulles International Airport unveiled a new concourse yesterday, wrapping up a three-year construction project, WTOP reports. The 14 new gates, restaurants, expanded seating areas and new lounges will add needed capacity to an airport reporting record passenger growth. The first flight out of the newly minted Concourse E departs today.
WHAT YOU GET WITH WATER VIEWS
This week’s real estate column looks at what buyers can get for under $1 million with water views in the D.C. area.
Where is this house listed? Click on your guess to see the answer:
A. Maryland
B. Virginia
C. D.C.
SPORTS
Home field advantage: The Spirit left no doubt in a dominant 4-1 win Sunday in the NWSL quarterfinals. But away from the field, there was plenty of uncertainty about what comes next. For a short period, a scheduling conflict was set to move Washington’s semifinal meeting with Utah from Audi Field to Northwest Stadium in Landover. But, as The Sun’s Emma Baccellieri details, team officials were able to find a last-minute solution. Crisis averted, Audi is expected to get rowdy on Saturday at noon.
The Commanders are running out of time. Not only is Washington clinging to the very edge of the playoff picture after a frustrating home loss to the Rams, but it now faces a short week with a critical game against the Giants on “Thursday Night Football.” The Sun’s Martenzie Johnson takes a look at the biggest problems with Sunday’s performance and whether coach Dan Quinn’s team can find solutions ahead of a must-win matchup.
What to Watch Today
NCAAM: Georgetown vs. Delaware State, 6:30 p.m. (ESPN+)
NHL: Capitals at Senators, 7 p.m. (Monumental)
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. Finally, the answer to yesterday’s trivia question was A) Banned horse-drawn carriages from public streets. That was the objective of a failed D.C. ballot initiative in 1991. A special shout-out to Rebecca Crumlish, who answered first.
The newsletter was produced by Jaden Amos, Michael Errigo and Nikie Johnson.
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