Good morning. This is The Washington Sun Metro Newsletter for Nov. 3, 2026. You can get it in your inbox every day by signing up here — it’s free!
In today’s newsletter: What’s next for JLG, the council’s at-large vacancy and Tom Sietsema’s favorite fast food.
Capital Weather’s Daily Digit — 7/10. A few showers, but we could probably use some rain. Still plenty warm for November. Read the full forecast.
THE LATEST
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The celebrations have ended and now the real work begins.
That’s both the message and a reality for D.C. mayor-elect Janeese Lewis George, who’s coming off of Tuesday’s resounding victory with a sobering task ahead of her: running a city facing significant challenges.
Lewis George’s ambitious platform — which includes cheaper child care, more housing and much more — is running headfirst into an expected budget deficit for the next fiscal year that could exceed $800 million. She’ll be tasked with finding money for social programs she has long championed, while at the same time typing to advance her own initiatives.
That harsh fiscal reality may push Lewis George to focus on smaller goals, like improving city services, The Washington Sun’s Martin Austermuhle reports. “We will pick up the trash, plow the snow, eliminate the rats and make it easier to open a small business and easier to keep it open,” she told supporters on Tuesday night. (Never underestimate the impact of taking on rats.)
At least she’ll have a friendly Congress to work with, avoiding the aggressive Republican interference into D.C.’s local affairs that the city has experienced over the last two years. And that Democratic control could bring quick dividends for D.C. by way of lifting certain prohibitions on how the city can spend its own money, including on legalizing recreational marijuana and subsidizing abortions for low-income women.
The unpredictable factor will be President Donald Trump. There’s already been friction between the two, and Lewis George’s brand was partly built on standing up to him more than she said Mayor Muriel Bowser did. If Trump feels like he’s lost control elsewhere, he may exercise it where we’ve already seen it most: in renovating D.C. Still, Lewis George says she’s open to working with him where there’s a shared benefit for the city; her team says they’ve already reached out to set up a meeting.
The JLG machinery has kicked into high gear already. As The Sun’s Michael Brice-Saddler reports, on Wednesday she announced the transition team that will lead her through the two-month sprint before her inauguration in January.
FROM THE DISTRICT
“There ain’t no certainty here,” a folksy D.C. Council Chair Phil Mendelson told The Sun when asked what’s come of the political drama involving the vacant at-large council seat once occupied by Robert White. As The Sun’s Metro team reported Tuesday, At-Large council member Christina Henderson has made a play for the seat, but the D.C. Democratic Party counters that only it has the legal right to appoint an interim replacement.
Sleep through Tuesday’s results? If you’re feeling out of the loop, or just want a round-up of the DMV’s pivotal races, The Sun’s Kendall Staton has you covered.
Speaking of electoral representation… D.C. youths want some. Young members of a local nonprofit are hoping to create a new youth governing council in the District that could weigh in on legislation brought before the D.C. Council, The Sun’s Shamira Muhammad reports.
Clearing the rough: Trump administration officials are expected to file a brief by 5 p.m. today explaining why they can’t disclose when tree removals or a links-style golf design were first added to the proposal for the redevelopment of East Potomac, The Sun’s Justice Covert reports.
U.S. District Judge Ana Reyes ordered the Justice Department to explain itself in an Oct. 30 hearing after Associate Attorney General Stanley Woodward told Reyes an Interior Department official had “put pen to paper” for the proposal weeks before it was sent to the National Capital Planning Commission — a marked change from what he had told the court on Oct. 19 about the timing of the project.
A D.C. man was arrested for pretending to shoot at National Guard troops with a “finger gun” this week, The Washington Post reports. He was charged with “threats in a menacing manner” and assaulting a police officer. It’s been a tense year between D.C. residents and Guard members, whose presence here is normalized for some but still frequent cause for protest and ongoing litigation.
FROM MARYLAND
The public outcry over data center development in Calvert County this past year is a
microcosm of a larger movement found in communities across the country. Those debates might just be a catalyst for rejuvenating local civic life, Anusha Mathur writes for Washington Sun Perspectives.
Running it back: Rep. Jamie Raskin is poised to become the first Marylander to chair the U.S. House Judiciary Committee in nearly 200 years, and he’s not afraid to pursue another impeachment of Trump, The Baltimore Banner reports.
TALK TO TOM
Tom Sietsema is back answering your questions about the D.C. dining scene. Submit your questions here.
Do you have a favorite fast-food meal?
Regular readers know the crisp-golden answer to this one: I have a soft spot for Popeyes (spicy) fried chicken, which I gravitate to on holidays, specifically New Year’s Eve, and whenever I’m celebrating something. Indeed, my colleagues trotted out Popeyes at my farewell party at The Washington Post last year (with champagne instead of my usual Coke to wash back the pleasure).
Much of the appeal of fast food is consistency. Popeyes chicken, which originated in Louisiana in 1972, is reliably crunchy, juicy and peppery (in the case of the spicy version). The fresh-tasting coleslaw and soothing red beans and rice are my picks among the sides, along with the obligatory flaky biscuits — albeit only when they’re warm.
The only other fast food that comes close to that affection is the Filet-O-Fish from McDonald’s, something I indulge in once a year or so.
In the full Q&A: protocol for talking on the phone in a restaurant, the Phoenix food scene and holiday restaurant picks
SPORTS
One major reason why the Spirit have a playoff game this weekend? Trinity Rodman has turned in the best and healthiest season of her career, The Sun’s Emma Baccellieri reports. The 24-year-old forward has started every match, producing 12 goals and eight assists. Steady and seasoned, she’s also taken on a bigger leadership role.
“I’m very happy and very proud, to be honest,” coach Adrián González said recently. “She’s been working very, very hard behind the scenes … being more resilient, and also, I think, being more mature.”
The Commanders’ injury woes continue. Coach Dan Quinn said on Wednesday that defensive tackles Daron Payne (foot) and Javon Kinlaw (knee) and running back Jeremy McNichols (foot) are all likely out for the season. In corresponding moves, the team elevated defensive tackle Ricky Barber from the practice squad and claimed former back Robert Henry Jr. off waivers.
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The newsletter was produced by Jaden Amos, Michael Errigo and Gaby Morera Di Núbila.
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