Newsletters https://www.washingtonsun.com/newsletters Newsletters en-US Thu, 22 Oct 2026 20:52:05 GMT Afternoon Sun: ‘Hitting Pay Dirt’ https://www.washingtonsun.com/afternoon-sun-newsletter/hitting-pay-dirt-10-22-2026 Marissa Martinez Thu, 22 Oct 2026 20:52:05 GMT https://www.washingtonsun.com/afternoon-sun-newsletter/hitting-pay-dirt-10-22-2026 Trump
President Donald Trump listens Ohio GOP gubernatorial candidate Vivek Ramaswamy speaks at a campaign rally in Youngstown, Ohio. (Gene J. Puskar/AP)
Good afternoon. This is the Afternoon Sun newsletter for Oct. 22, 2026. You can get it in your inbox every day by signing up here — it’s free!

THE LATEST

A federal labor agency accused the Department of Health and Human Services of using AI to draft a document that contained “a fictitious citation.”

  • It wouldn’t be the first time the department ran into trouble with the citations.
Calley Means, a senior adviser to Robert F. Kennedy Jr., resigned from the Trump administration over frustrations that the Make America Healthy Again agenda had stalled, The Wall Street Journal first reported.





THE ADMINISTRATION

Construction on Donald Trump’s arch could start in two weeks if the plans get final approval from a federal commission — one that the president recently stacked with his own appointees.

The State Department ordered some nonessential U.S. diplomatic staff and their family members stationed in Saudi Arabia to depart the region following escalating attacks from Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi rebel group.

Federal agents were spotted outside polling locations in two Florida counties this week during early voting, a presence that local election officials say is intimidating and illegal.





THE CAMPAIGN TRAIL

Ohio Republican Gov. Mike DeWine denounced a controversial ad featuring the estranged mother of Democratic gubernatorial candidate Amy Acton. But Trump enthusiastically defended Acton’s Republican rival, Vivek Ramaswamy, saying on Truth Social that he thought the ad was “so good!”

  • “Who wouldn’t use such an Ad?” Trump wrote. “I would, it’s called, ‘hitting pay dirt.’”




THE HILL

Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minnesota) said she is moving out of her D.C. home after federal agents raided the residence earlier this month.





THE COURTS

Federal authorities charged Virginia state Sen. L. Louise Lucas in a sprawling public corruption case that includes fraud and racketeering accusations involving a cannabis business she co-owns.

Trump will have to sit for a deposition in his $10 billion defamation suit against the BBC by Dec. 11, a federal judge ruled today.

Rep. Joyce Beatty (D-Ohio) is asking a federal judge to force the Trump administration to turn over communications about the president’s management of the Kennedy Center, arguing that executive privilege should not shield his decisions as the institution’s chair because the storied performing arts center is not a part of the executive branch.





SURVEY SAYS…

https://x.com/igorbobic/status/2113244439548432531?s=20




Thank you for reading! Today’s newsletter was produced by Kelly Poe and Gaby Morera Di Núbila. If you liked it, 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 newsletters@washsun.com.
]]> The Washington Sun Metro: Fine, We’ll Talk About Parking Tickets https://www.washingtonsun.com/metro-newsletter/fine-well-talk-about-parking-tickets-10-22-2026 Martin Austermuhle, Zara Norman Thu, 22 Oct 2026 10:31:00 GMT https://www.washingtonsun.com/metro-newsletter/fine-well-talk-about-parking-tickets-10-22-2026 NYC Parking Ticket
If there’s one thing most people in D.C. agree on, it’s that parking and traffic tickets are plentiful — and plenty expensive. (Julia Weeks/AP)
Good morning. This is The Washington Sun Metro newsletter for Oct. 22, 2026. You can get it in your inbox every day by signing up here — it’s free!

 In today’s newsletter: Parking fines, how to power RFK and the Wizards’ season opener. 

Capital Weather’s Daily Digit — 9/10. Clouds are again hard to find. A bit breezy, with highs in the 60s to near 70 feeling a touch cool in the shade. Read the full forecast.





THE LATEST

If there’s one thing most people in D.C. agree on, it’s that parking and traffic tickets are plentiful — and plenty expensive.

Some D.C. lawmakers seem to be listening, The Washington Sun’s Martin Austermuhle reports. This month, there’s been a flurry of proposals to reduce fines associated with the tickets handed out by parking enforcement officers and the city’s many traffic cameras.

Cut the fines in half is one idea that At-Large council member Robert White floated with his colleagues, specifically targeting parking tickets. (In 2025, D.C. gave out more than a million of them; average fine: roughly $59.) This week, Ward 8 council member Trayon White advocated for getting rid of the policy that doubles any unpaid fine after 30 days.

“We can hold motorists accountable without financially devastating them,” he said.

But making tickets cheaper for drivers would be costly for D.C. The revenue from parking and traffic fines is factored into the city’s annual budget, so reducing any of those fines would require lawmakers to offset the loss. “It’s hard to justify cutting tickets in half when we’re cutting education programs and food assistance,” Ward 5 council member Zachary Parker said this month.

How does D.C.’s likely next mayor, who campaigned on making the city more affordable, feel about losing a big source of revenue just as the city faces leaner budgets?

“We have to balance affordability and the conversation around enforcement and accountability,” Janeese Lewis George told The Sun. “It’s a nuanced conversation.”





FROM THE DISTRICT

No natural gas power plant is planned as part of the new $3.8 billion RFK Stadium project, officials said Wednesday. The Sun’s Will Hofmann reports that the clarification came after a coalition of advocacy and neighborhood organizations held a press conference opposing a natural gas power plant at the site.

According to a spokesperson for the RFK Project Management Office, “there is no need for, nor will there be, a natural gas-fired power plant.” A Washington Commanders team official said the stadium would use some natural gas to make its 2030 opening date, but only for cooking and heating.

D.C. is expanding a truancy reduction initiative to include every public high school in Wards 7 and 8 starting next school year, The Sun’s Kendall Staton reports. The program, which was piloted in 2024 and has since expanded to 10 schools across four wards, aims to reduce the number of school days that students miss.

If you can’t do the Lime, you won’t do the crime? Lime has banned nearly 1,000 accounts it flagged as belonging to underage users, or those allowing riders under 18 to use their accounts, in just under four weeks, the company announced Wednesday. D.C. has seen a rise in Lime’s e-bikes and scooters being used as getaway vehicles from crime scenes, with police sharing that in some instances the suspects have been underage.

A man accused of shooting and injuring a National Guard member outside a Capitol Hill bar last weekend will be prosecuted in federal court, U.S. Attorney for D.C. Jeanine Pirro announced yesterday.

Upon reflection, the Justice Department’s inspector general won’t investigate how the case of the ex-Olympian canoeist wrongly accused of intentionally damaging the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool was handled, The Associated Press reports.

The Nov. 3 election looms, but D.C. has already cast a decisive vote in one critical race: to name the National Zoo’s new red panda cub Dolly, after the country music legend. The name was far and away D.C.’s favorite, winning 65% of the more than 20,000 votes cast, the zoo wrote in a Facebook post.

New zoo red panda (1400x934, AR: 1.50)




FROM MARYLAND

The mother of Kanaiyah Ward, who died by suicide last year while in state custody, filed a lawsuit against Maryland Gov. Wes Moore, the Marriott hotel company and more than a dozen others this week, The Sun’s Jenny Gathright reports.

The suit alleges that the parties failed to protect the 16-year-old, who overdosed on pills while staying at the Residence Inn where the state had placed her. Maryland officials took swift action in the aftermath of Ward’s death, removing all foster children from hotel placements within weeks. But the lawsuit alleges that the state could, and should, have taken such action before the tragedy.

A recent Montgomery County Public Schools graduate filed a federal complaint alleging that the school system failed to mitigate years of antisemitic harassment against him, The Sun’s Yasmeen Khan reports.





FROM VIRGINIA

The Arlington County Board is suing the Trump administration over allegedly authorizing armed federal agents to be present at polling places during the midterm elections, The Sun’s Justice Covert reports.

The complaint accuses the Department of Homeland Security and Justice Department of crafting policies that allow armed federal officers, including FBI and ICE agents, to carry out civil and immigration law enforcement operations at election sites.





TALK TO TOM


Tom Sietsema is back answering your questions about the D.C. dining scene. Submit your questions here. 

Since the Washington National Opera is performing at DAR Constitution Hall, I am looking for dining recommendations nearby.

Let me suggest you sup pre-performance at Rasika West End for modern Indian cooking, Old Ebbitt Grill near the Treasury Building for solid American fare (and great oysters) or Casa Teresa near Farragut Square for very good Spanish. The more rustic the dish at Casa Teresa, the more I’m inclined to try it. Go, then, for the coarse pork sausages with navy beans, and the golden chicken croquettes, based on the chef’s mother’s recipe.

The recommended venues are about 10, seven and five minutes away by car, respectively.

In the full Q&A: Wine pouring etiquette, squid ink and a fancy Filet-O-Fish. 





SPORTS

The Wizards are 1-0. Washington opened its season with a 128-116 win over the Bucks at Capital One on Wednesday night. Anthony Davis looked healthy and motivated in his Wizards debut, leading the way with 34 points and 12 rebounds. As The Sun’s Alex Schiffer writes, the veteran forward even earned a few “MVP” chants from a giddy home crowd.

The Mike Locksley era has officially come to an end at Maryland. The school announced Wednesday that it is parting ways with its football coach after eight seasons, The Sun’s Alex Schiffer reports. Locksley, a DMV native and celebrated recruiter, led the Terps to three bowl wins but had struggled mightily in recent seasons, losing 18 of Maryland’s last 20 Big Ten games.

It’s Happy Time, people! Happy 25th birthday to Pardon the Interruption, ESPN’s beloved weekday talk show featuring former Washington Post columnists Michael Wilbon and Tony Kornheiser. The pair are just as fiery as ever — this week, Wilbon labeled Commanders coach Dan Quinn “inept” and Jayden Daniels “clueless” after Washington’s loss to the 49ers on “Monday Night Football.”

What to Watch Today

NFL: Patriots at Bears, 8:15 p.m. (Prime Video)





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.

The newsletter was produced by Jaden Amos, Michael Errigo and Nikie Johnson.]]> Morning Sun: Action, Everywhere https://www.washingtonsun.com/newsletters/action-everywhere Evan McMorris-Santoro, Jasmine Wright, Manuela Silva Thu, 22 Oct 2026 10:00:00 GMT https://www.washingtonsun.com/newsletters/action-everywhere Election 2026 Michigan Senate
Democrat Abdul El-Sayed shakes hands with Republican Mike Rogers after last night’s Senate debate. (Robin Buckson/Detroit News via AP)
Today’s notice: The latest on the battleground map. How you voted in 2016 may determine if you get a promotion at the State Department. Lowering expectations for the lame-duck session. White House ramps up attacks on the press. Questioning the self-deportation numbers. And: We traveled to Michigan to see if Democrats can speak MAHA. 

THE MAP

We’re in the thick of the midterms now. What to know, and where:

Michigan: Democrat Abdul El-Sayed and Republican Mike Rogers had one more debate last night to make their cases in this razor-thin race. Rogers again drew associations between El-Sayed and the Muslim Brotherhood, a move El-Sayed called “shameful.”

El-Sayed again called Rogers “a sock puppet” for Donald Trump. “I’ll be for good, and won’t be for what’s bad for Michigan,” Rogers said.

Kansas: Republican Sen. Roger Marshall debated Adam Hamilton, whose campaign is threatening to be the first successful Democratic Senate bid in the state in nearly a century. Exchange of the night: “The real problem with the cost of diesel in particular is, No. 1, the Ukraine war, and because the diesel production has gone down,” Marshall said.

“Nobody believes that,” Hamilton shot back.

South Carolina: Sen. Darline Graham has been one of the most uniformly pro-Trump Republicans in these high-profile races and appeared with the president at a rally at Clemson last night. Trump called Democrat Annie Andrews a transphobic slur and told the crowd, “I predict Darline is going to be more important than all of you.”

Andrews counterprogrammed the president at a town hall in the Charleston area. Andrews sees Graham’s Trump hug as a liability: “I think his visit shows that Darline needs help,” Andrews told The Washington Sun’s Gavin J. Quinton at the event.

Texas: There are fresh signs Republicans are struggling to maintain their gains with the state’s large Hispanic electorate, The Sun’s Daniella Diaz reports. On the trail with Republican Rep. Monica De La Cruz in the all-important Rio Grande Valley, Daniella writes that De La Cruz did not say Trump’s name once at official events she held in her district. “What I’ve decided to do is to focus on my race and what I’m able to bring to the table,” she told Daniella.

Mississippi: Axios reported yesterday that Republicans are now saying what some Democrats have been saying for a while now: the Senate race here could be real. Trump’s coming Monday. “I just think it signals that something is amiss in this country if Donald Trump has to come to a state like Mississippi to campaign for a Republican running for office,” Rep. Bennie Thompson, the lone Democrat in the state’s congressional delegation, told The Sun’s Kadia Goba.

Minnesota: A reprieve from bad Senate news for Republicans is here, where polls remain tight and some race-raters say Republican nominee Michele Tafoya has a real shot against Democrat Peggy Flanagan, despite the overall blueness of the state. Flanagan spent yesterday batting down a Wall Street Journal story about her college career. The WSJ said she did not graduate Phi Beta Kappa, while the honors society said she, in fact, did.

Maine: Former Sen. Joe Manchin campaigned with Republican Sen. Susan Collins yesterday. “You have a gem. You have a national treasure,” the Democrat-turned-independent from West Virginia told Mainers.

Ohio: The state remains roiled by the ad of the cycle — Republican gubernatorial nominee Vivek Ramaswamy’s spot featuring the estranged mother of his Democratic opponent, Amy Acton. As a reminder, she’s estranged because of a harrowing story of child abuse and a mother who stayed with the alleged abuser. Team Ramaswamy is all in on this, while other Republicans in the state are cringing. “I would not have run that ad,” Sen. Jon Husted, in a tough race with former Sen. Sherrod Brown, told the AP.

Ohio man JD Vance is not taking that route. He mocked the outrage at a stop in the state yesterday. He said he was “disgusted” by Republicans who are trying to get distance from the Ramaswamy tactic (presumably, like Husted).

More: AIPAC Will Stop Endorsing Candidates, Focus on Super PAC Spending • 

Where Senate Democrats and Republicans’ Outside Allies Are Dramatically Shifting Money • Mallory McMorrow Wants Democrats to ‘Stop Looking at Polling’ 

FROM FOGGY BOTTOM


Scoop: How State’s political purge works. The State Department has asked some foreign service officials up for promotion who they voted for in the 2016, 2020 and 2024 presidential elections, The Sun’s Eric Katz reports. Note: Federal law directly prohibits federal officials from making personnel decisions on the basis of political affiliation.

A department spokesperson declined to comment on the voting history questions, but touted a requirement for fidelity. “Fidelity means upholding the Constitution and the law and executing policy with loyalty to the American people and their interests,” they said.

FROM THE HILL


An incredibly lame duck? Republicans in Congress are already fretting about the looming issue of fitting 10 pounds into a 5-pound sack in the session after the midterms, The Sun’s Al Weaver and Kadia Goba report. “It’ll certainly depend to some extent what the chamber breakdowns are gonna be after Jan. 3rd to see what kind of leverage each party has in these negotiations and maybe what’s punted to the next Congress,” a senior Senate GOP aide told The Sun.

FROM THE WHITE HOUSE


War on the press, again: The White House has warned Politico that it retract or correct recent stories or face unspecified consequences, Axios reported, mainly over the outlet’s coverage of chief of staff Susie Wiles.

Part II: The White House removed The Independent’s Andrew Feinberg from today’s pool, days after Trump called him a “sick person” in the Oval Office and its official rapid-response X account attacked him. WHCA President Jacqui Heinrich posted to X last night that cutting off a reporter because the president didn’t like the questions “is retaliation.”

FROM THE CAMPAIGN TRAIL


More signs MAHA voters could be up for grabs: The powerful political movement was championed by a Democrat who joined Trump’s Cabinet, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., and there are signs that some of its adherents are ready to jump out of the GOP. Natalie Fertig examines the phenomenon in Michigan, where health nut Abdul El-Sayed has tried to make MAHA inroads during his Senate run. But: He’s adamant about his support for vaccines. “If you’re going to say, ‘Hey, I support the MAHA movement,’ you’ve got to really support it wholeheartedly,” Tasha Schurgin, a longtime organizer with Michigan for Vaccine Choice, told Natalie.





PODCAST

Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Illinois) believes “there has to be some fundamental rules changes” to the Senate in the coming years.Listen to his conversation with our Paul Kane on this week’s episode of The Washington Sun Cast.

LISTEN ON: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | YouTube





PERSPECTIVES

Dana Milbank: “For the vice president, nothing is beyond the pale.”





NEW ON THE WASHINGTON SUN

The self-deportation figures are juiced? “It’s highly unlikely that 3 million total foreign-born [people] departed the United States in the first 18 months of the Trump administration, and even more unlikely that 3 million unauthorized immigrants departed during that time period,” Marc Rosenblum, the former executive director of the Office of Homeland Security Statistics, told The Sun’s Jackie Llanos. (Rosenblum resigned in July in blistering fashion, calling out the Trump administration’s “brazen corruption” in a public post.)

DHS did not respond to requests for comment.



More: Trump Administration Asks Supreme Court to Intervene in Big Bend Border Wall Case • DOJ Wants Judges Kicked Off of Immigration-Related Cases Over Crackdown Comments • FCC Chair Warns Broadcasters Not to Use ‘Fake Polls’





NOT US





Thank you for reading! If you liked this edition of The Washington Sun Newsletter, please forward it to a friend. If this newsletter was shared with you, please sign up — it’s free! Have a tip? Email us at tips@washsun.com. And as always, we’d love to hear your thoughts at newsletters@washsun.com.

The newsletter was produced by Thomas Burr and Andrew Burton.
]]> Afternoon Sun: ‘Stop Whining’ https://www.washingtonsun.com/afternoon-sun-newsletter/stop-whining-10-21-2026 Marissa Martinez Wed, 21 Oct 2026 21:08:42 GMT https://www.washingtonsun.com/afternoon-sun-newsletter/stop-whining-10-21-2026 Vance
JD Vance told Republicans to “stop whining” about a viral attack ad created by Ohio Republican gubernatorial candidate Vivek Ramaswamy’s campaign that featured his opponent’s estranged mother. (Jacquelyn Martin/AP)
Good afternoon. This is the Afternoon Sun newsletter for Oct. 21, 2026. You can get it in your inbox every day by signing up here — it’s free!

THE LATEST

The DNC flagged to a federal judge that a super PAC linked to Donald Trump paid to air a second ad produced by White House staff using taxpayer dollars — the latest development in the organization’s legal quest to stop the ads from airing.

JD Vance told Republicans to “stop whining” about a viral attack ad created by Ohio Republican gubernatorial candidate Vivek Ramaswamy’s campaign that featured his opponent’s estranged mother.

  • “I’ll be honest with you, whether the ad was appropriate or not is not really my concern,” Vance said at a press conference today.




THE ADMINISTRATION

Russia freed an American who had been jailed for more than four years on charges of fighting as a mercenary in Ukraine. U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff thanked Vladimir Putin for releasing Stephen Hubbard, calling the Russian leader a “humanitarian.”

The number of people enrolled in SNAP has decreased by 13% since last July, when Republicans expanded work requirements and tightened eligibility as part of a larger overhaul of the federal food assistance program.





THE CAMPAIGN TRAIL

The DCCC signed off on a $25 million line of credit — among the largest it’s ever opened — early last week as the party stretches to take advantage of an increasingly favorable electoral environment.

Neil Bush, brother of former President George W. Bush, said he voted for Texas Democratic Senate candidate James Talarico, breaking with his family’s Republican political dynasty.

Israel Defense Force soldiers detained New York congressional candidate Brad Lander while he was harvesting olives in the West Bank. The Democrat was briefly taken into custody.

For clues about Republicans’ tough House map, just look at this North Carolina district.





THE COURTS

The Supreme Court denied the Trump administration’s attempt to halt gender-affirming care for inmates in federal prison while a legal challenge plays out.

The DOJ’s inspector general declined to investigate the handling of ex-Olympian David Hearn’s criminal case after he was accused of vandalizing the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool.

The Arlington County Board sued the Trump administration to prohibit it from authorizing armed federal agents to be present at polling places during the midterm elections.





K STREET

Flock Safety hired two new lobbying firms and significantly increased its federal lobbying spending in recent months as backlash to its AI-powered vehicle-surveillance technology boiled over.

Some of America’s largest oil and gas companies have been sitting out the growing lobbying wars over Venezuela’s resources.





FIVE HOURS SEEMS OPTIMISTIC

https://x.com/grace_panetta/status/2112682607892979937




Thank you for reading! Today’s newsletter was produced by Kelly Poe and Jonann Brady. If you liked it, 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 newsletters@washsun.com.
]]> The Washington Sun Metro: The Long Way Home https://www.washingtonsun.com/metro-newsletter/the-long-way-home-10-21-2026 Martin Austermuhle, Zara Norman Wed, 21 Oct 2026 10:31:00 GMT https://www.washingtonsun.com/metro-newsletter/the-long-way-home-10-21-2026 Alex Graf newsletter
Alex Graf and his wife, Nina, are advocating for better accessibility across the city. (Kainaz Amaria/The Washington Sun)
Good morning. This is The Washington Sun Metro newsletter for Oct. 21, 2026. You can get it in your inbox every day by signing up here — it’s free!

In today’s newsletter: Wheelchair accessibility, the fate of “Trash Island” and a sign of life from the Commanders. 

Capital Weather’s Daily Digit — 9/10. A touch cooler means we may fall short of 70, but another full day of sun puts us back at the brink of a perfect score. Read the full forecast.




THE LATEST

Much of Alex Graf’s life is the same now as it was before he began using a wheelchair last summer. What’s vanished is his punctuality. Now, Graf can expect to be late — late to work meetings, late to physical therapy appointments, late getting home to his wife and two toddlers.

“Being disabled is hard, but it’s mostly on other people,” he said. “You're ceding the control of your own time, and you're ceding it to people who don't care, honestly. And not people, but systems.”

Graf has taken to Instagram to vent about the Metro elevator outages and long Uber wait times that often leave him stranded around D.C., but he’s hoping to turn that anger into action, The Washington Sun’s Zara Norman reports.

First, he’s pushing for Metro to announce when coming stations have an elevator outage. Though WMATA tracks that information online, it’s not always up to date. He’s also one of many disability advocates pushing for the D.C. Council to pass a bill that would require rideshare platforms to ensure wheelchair-accessible rides arrive in no more than 110% of the average wait time for standard ones, ban drivers from refusing service to disabled people and pay 10 cents per non-accessible ride into a fund that will purchase more wheelchair-accessible vehicles.

“We should not allow companies to operate in the District while offering one service to people who walk, and a lesser one to people who roll,” Graf testified at a Monday hearing. “These are some of the largest, most sophisticated companies in the world. They can solve this. They have done it in other cities, but only when they have been required to do so. Equal access is not a stretch goal. It should be the cost of doing business here.”

Uber sent an email to D.C. users on Tuesday urging them to oppose the bill, saying it could “significantly raise the cost” of trips, Zara reports. Ward 1 council member Brianne Nadeau, the bill’s author, called it “fearmongering.”

“As anyone who takes ride-hailing in D.C. and elsewhere knows, the cost of trips has already been jacked up by surge pricing and other opaque algorithms,” Nadeau said in a statement to The Sun. “If fares go up, the legislation isn’t the problem; rather it’s the business model that boosts profits at the expense of drivers and customers. Even after all this time, Uber still seems to think it shouldn’t be held accountable in the way that other industries are.”








FROM THE DISTRICT

Have you ever been to Trash Island? On Tuesday, President Donald Trump used the derisive moniker to refer to East Potomac Park, where he is pushing aggressively to renovate the existing golf course. Trump said it had been “badly managed for so many decades” and that his proposed rehab project would turn it into an “Island of Beauty and Success.” Critics, though, worry that many golfers will be priced out and runners and cyclists will lose a popular destination for workouts. The fate of East Potomac Park may rest with Judge Ana Reyes, whom The Washington Post profiled this week.

D.C. police have temporarily shuttered the Capitol Hill bar where a National Guard member was shot in a gunfight Sunday night, WTOP reports. D.C. law allows the police chief to close bars or restaurants for up to 96 hours if they deem there is an imminent threat to public safety.





FROM VIRGINIA

The Fairfax County police chief defended an officer who county executive Bryan Hill said treated him disrespectfully during a traffic stop last week, ABC 7 News reports.

Hill was pulled over for a license plate violation and was seen on body-cam footage asking the officer, “Did you hear who I told you I am?” after introducing himself. Hill also called Police Chief Kevin Davis to complain that the officer “had no idea who I was,” according to an email Davis sent to the deputy county executive. Hill later apologized in a statement, saying he contacted Davis to commend the officer’s professionalism.

A premium $125 million passenger terminal is coming to Washington Dulles International Airport, The Sun’s Kendall Staton reports. So-called VIPs will be able to enjoy some of the on-the-ground luxuries of flying private, even if they’re commercial passengers.





FROM MARYLAND

The Supreme Court will decide a case on the role race plays in Montgomery County Public Schools’ admissions policies, and how they are challenged in court, The Sun’s Domonique King reports.





PLAN YOUR WEEKEND


For roller skaters: “Late Skate” at Anacostia Park, Saturday.

For horse girls and boys: Kids’ Day at Washington International Horse Show, Saturday.

For Broadway buffs: “Fallen Angels” at various movie theaters, Sunday.

For more info on this weekend’s events, read our weekly culture calendar here.





SPORTS

Commanders AP - 26292860763786 (5347x3565, AR: 1.50)Things looked pretty bleak for the Commanders at halftime of Monday night’s meeting with the 49ers. Washington was down big, its slow start marked by miscues and mental mistakes. But, as The Sun’s Dave Sheinin writes, “it feels as if that second half changed everything.” The Commanders still lost, 23-17, but their late rally was inspiring enough to keep fans on the hook (and Dan Quinn on the sidelines).

Any potential turnaround will have to happen without Terry McLaurin, who will miss the rest of the season with a torn patellar tendon.

In more injury news: The Wizards will be without rookie AJ Dybantsa in tonight’s season opener against the Bucks, The Sun’s Justice Covert reports. The No. 1 overall pick is still working his way back from the ankle injury he suffered in last week’s preseason finale.

The Tampa Bay Rays are headed to the World Series, and that’s good news for Nats fans. Yes, you read that correctly — Washington’s new regime is filled with former Rays employees, and Tampa Bay’s data-driven culture has had a major impact on the Nats’ new approach. In fact, one coach told The Sun’s Jesse Dougherty that sometimes it feels like the Nats are trying to “out-Rays the Rays.”

What to Watch Today

NBA: Wizards vs. Bucks, 7 p.m. (Monumental)

MLS: D.C. United at Cincinnati, 7 p.m. (Apple TV)





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.

The newsletter was produced by Jaden Amos, Michael Errigo and Nikie Johnson.]]> Morning Sun: Trump’s Travels https://www.washingtonsun.com/newsletters/trumps-travels Evan McMorris-Santoro, Jasmine Wright, Manuela Silva Wed, 21 Oct 2026 10:01:00 GMT https://www.washingtonsun.com/newsletters/trumps-travels Trump
President Trump offered his greatest campaign hits during a rally in Greenville, North Carolina, last night. (Alex Brandon/AP)
Today’s notice: All the president’s tour dates. Scoop: State Dept. diplomats are being pushed out for having the wrong politics. First look at new Everytown-DGA spending. Exclusive look at House Democrats’ latest map expansion. A sobering poll about the state of our politics. About those planes Kristi Noem bought. And: Another STOCK Act violation. 





THE LATEST

What is the president doing? Republicans have all but written off North Carolina this cycle, with the smartest people in various war rooms pulling out money and sending it to candidates in other states who could use the help. Donald Trump is going a different route — he stumped in the state last night, using some of his precious remaining campaign time in a place his party is no longer buying ads.

Trump played the optimistic cheerleader, saying that his rally-after-rally, state-by-state effort will show the doubters that Republicans can still win. “I’m working like a dog, and I love being with you,” he said.

The Washington Sun’s Jasmine Wright was at the rally, which featured a giant, billowing American flag. Today she has a story with our Ben T.N. Mause about how Trump’s quixotic campaign choices are playing among the strategists in D.C. “He should stick to the White House; he should just stay there,” one Republican strategist said. “All he’s doing is hurting Republicans.”

Trump veterans see a plan to save the day in places where the GOP is floundering. “He identifies the way to do this is to get the base,” Steve Bannon told The Sun. “Not simply the vote, but to make the list for 10 people to get them out to start canvassing, calling the phone banks.”

While most Democrats give a big thumbs up to Trump’s travel schedule, loving every second that the unpopular president is in these states, there are some who see a method to this presidential GOTV push. With his approval rating in the 30s, there are truly challenging things for Trump, like wooing independents, and things that might be easier, like trying to wake up MAGA again. One Democratic operative said it was a smart strategy to focus on boosting turnout in Republican strongholds rather than risking alienating swing-state voters. It showed Trump is “reading the room,” they said.

How it sounded in Greenville: The president ran through his greatest hits — $5,000 checks! Immigrant crime! Sen. Jon Husted’s ass! — and some goodies for the North Carolina locals: Two new semiconductor plants, including a $1.5 billion investment from the “Department of War.”

The crowd, huddled on a chilly tarmac, seemed most enthusiastic about the ejection of a smattering of protestors, Jasmine reports, with some in MAGA hats saluting their exit with the double bird. NASCAR legend Richard Petty helped close out the rally, calling Trump the best driver the country has ever had and that it was time to help pick him the “best pit crew.”

More: Trump’s Super PACs Have Spent More Than $238M Since September • Justice Kagan Warns Supreme Court Rulings Are Fueling Polarization • Dick Durbin Wants to ‘Walk Out’ the Front Door After 44 Years in Congress • Social Security Fixes Millions of Records After Trump’s Fraud Claims Fade Away






FROM FOGGY BOTTOM 


Scoop: Ideological replacements of career diplomats. The State Department is aggressively trying to push out its most senior foreign service officers while recruiting and promoting new staff viewed as more politically loyal, The Sun’s Eric Katz reports. The department is asking senior diplomats to retire, demoting them and shrinking opportunities for them.

Senior leaders have increasingly leaned on the Ben Franklin Fellowship — a two-year-old Trump-aligned group of current and former State officials — to identify individuals to hire and promote. Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau is one of the Ben Franklin Fellows. Tommy Pigott, a department spokesperson, defended the moves: “Those bureaucrats who are complaining to the press prove the point that they shouldn’t have, and can’t be, trusted with sensitive information.”

FROM THE CAMPAIGN TRAIL


First on The Sun: New gun-safety group spending. Everytown for Gun Safety Action Fund and Victory Fund and the Democratic Governors Association are dropping another $3 million into digital ads for state-level races in Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada and Wisconsin as Democrats fight for governorships and trifecta control in these states, The Sun’s Elena Schneider tells us. The ad buys come on the heels of Michael Bloomberg’s announcement that he’d be pumping in $80 million into Democrats’ midterm efforts, including through the DGA and Everytown.

Exclusive: Democrats’ bullish predictions. The House Majority PAC told donors in a private memo shared with Elena that seats Trump won by up to 21 percentage points are now within margin-of-error range for a flip. More cash could help make those dreams come true, the memo outlines: “Our polling shows that Democrats can compete in these districts, but translating that potential into additional victories will require resources to reach voters and make the case against vulnerable Republicans in the final sprint to Election Day.”

Reminder: The stakes are very high this midterm. According to a new poll from Gallup out this morning, just 43% of adults say “the federal government is effective at making a positive impact on people’s lives.” That’s an 8 point drop from last year. The poll shows a 49-point gap between the share of Americans who believe the federal government has the power to make a difference and those who say it’s actually doing it. That ambivalence toward the idea that elected officials can actually do anything of note sets a high bar for whomever wins. Add restore faith in government ever accomplishing things to the long agenda for any incoming Congress.

More: Susan Collins’ New Strategy: Sounding a Lot Like Her Democratic Opponent • James Talarico Campaign to Super PACs: Highlight Anti-Paxton Republicans

FROM DHS


Scoop: Kristi Noem plane fleet update. The purchase of several aircraft by the Department of Homeland Security during the final days of the former secretary’s tenure is tied to an “ongoing criminal law enforcement investigation,” the department’s Privacy Office told The Sun’s Mark Alfred. The acknowledgement was made as part of the department’s denial of an Oct. 14 FOIA request, and post-publication of Mark’s story, DHS said the response was “sent in error.”





NEW ON THE WASHINGTON SUN

Stocking up on STOCK Act violations: Rep. Laurel Lee (R-Florida) has violated the STOCK Act’s disclosure deadline for the second time this year by failing to properly report her husband’s sale of up to $100,000 in Bank of America stock, The Sun’s Dave Levinthal tells us. During a congressional STOCK Act hearing last year, Lee said Congress should “seriously consider” an “outright prohibition” on stock trading by federal lawmakers and their immediate family. Lee’s office acknowledged a request for comment but didn’t otherwise respond.



More: Trump Administration Takes Another Swing at California’s Medicaid Program • Researchers Watched 3,500 Immigration Hearings. They Found a Dismantled System. • What Does it Mean for Data Centers to Pay a Fair Share?





NOT US





Thank you for reading! If you liked this edition of The Washington Sun Newsletter, please forward it to a friend. If this newsletter was shared with you, please sign up — it’s free! Have a tip? Email us at tips@washsun.com. And as always, we’d love to hear your thoughts at newsletters@washsun.com.

The newsletter was produced by Thomas Burr and Andrew Burton.]]> Afternoon Sun: Trump Change https://www.washingtonsun.com/afternoon-sun-newsletter/trump-change-10-20-2026 Marissa Martinez Tue, 20 Oct 2026 20:29:29 GMT https://www.washingtonsun.com/afternoon-sun-newsletter/trump-change-10-20-2026 Trump.money
President Donald Trump says he has spent more than $300 million so far on campaign initiatives like advertising and rallies. (Aaron M. Sprecher/AP)
Good afternoon. This is the Afternoon Sun newsletter for Oct. 20, 2026. You can get it in your inbox every day by signing up here — it’s free!

THE LATEST

Donald Trump says he has spent more than $300 million so far on campaign initiatives like advertising and rallies. His announcement came ahead of a major FEC filing deadline, though most October spending will not be reflected in today’s monthly disclosure.

  • Reporters heading into the Oval Office today also received a physical copy of the Truth Social post.
  • Trump already received an FEC complaint for calling the MAGA Inc. PAC funds “my money” — a quote based on a question from The Washington Sun’s Jasmine Wright earlier this fall.
Scoop: House Democrats are pouring money into three new congressional districts Trump won handily in 2024, pushing their party deeper into GOP territory in the final two weeks of the cycle, The Sun’s Elena Schneider reports.





THE ADMINISTRATION

Marco Rubio denied that the U.S. was deliberately withholding air defense missiles or intelligence from Ukraine, though he acknowledged that a shipment of Patriot interceptors purchased by European allies may be awaiting Pentagon approval.

The White House announced a new $25 million fraud tip program that would give Americans a cash reward for reporting suspected fraud.

  • Its first recipient: right-wing YouTuber Nick Shirley, whose viral December 2025 video resurfaced long-standing state and federal investigations into fraud at Somali-owned child care centers in Minnesota.
Trump announced $8 billion in relief for farmers facing record-high diesel prices during a Kansas rally — the administration’s second such attempt this month to aid the agriculture industry.

Trump’s FBI purge saved former GOP Sen. Lindsey Graham and Democratic Rep. James Clyburn from a bribery investigation, ProPublica reports.





THE CAMPAIGN TRAIL

A Cuban bakery in Florida became the target of a conservative boycott campaign this week after it hosted Hakeem Jeffries and Democratic congressional candidate Eliott Rodriguez.

An attack ad in the Ohio governor’s race began circulating on social media last night featuring the mother of Democratic candidate Amy Acton calling her daughter a liar. The two are estranged following allegations by Acton that a stepfather had sexually abused her as a child.

  • It’s unclear if the ad came from Vivek Ramaswamy’s campaign, but a spokesperson defended it this afternoon in the wake of considerable backlash: “We don’t know what happened between Amy and her mother … but we know that Amy Acton is a serial fabulist.” 
Michael Bloomberg is giving $80 million to Democrats in the final midterms stretch, more than half of it going to House races.

The Senate Majority PAC will spend $1.2 million on a new TV ad in Mississippi’s Senate race to boost Democratic nominee Scott Colom over incumbent Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith.





THE COURTS

The DOJ will be allowed to intervene in a citizen lawsuit against xAI’s data center in Mississippi but cannot throw the case out of court, a federal judge ruled.

CNN warned the DOJ that the network may pursue additional legal action if the Trump administration continues to ban the network’s journalists from traveling with the president aboard Air Force One.





MAKE MUTTONCHOPS, NOT WAR

https://x.com/BenSasse/status/2112602014735835244?s=20




Thank you for reading! Today’s newsletter was produced by Kelly Poe and Jonann Brady. If you liked it, 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 newsletters@washsun.com.]]> The Washington Sun Metro: Show Me the Money https://www.washingtonsun.com/metro-newsletter/show-me-the-money-10-20-2026 Martin Austermuhle, Will Hofmann, Zara Norman Tue, 20 Oct 2026 10:31:00 GMT https://www.washingtonsun.com/metro-newsletter/show-me-the-money-10-20-2026 Money.stacks
Whether D.C. imposes new taxes on its residents and businesses is still up in the air. (Matt Slocum/AP)
Good morning. This is The Washington Sun Metro newsletter for Oct. 20, 2026. You can get it in your inbox every day by signing up here — it’s free!

In today’s newsletter: A nine-hour D.C. Council hearing, a driverless Metro and the Commanders in prime time. 

Capital Weather’s Daily Digit — 9/10. Beautiful day on the way, but dry air with brisk breezes may trigger a few fall allergy sneezes. Full forecast from Capital Weather.





THE LATEST

Death and taxes are the only certainties in life. But whether D.C. imposes new taxes on its residents and businesses is still up in the air.

Last week the D.C. Council held a nine-hour hearing on a range of ideas to bring in more revenue, just as the city faces an economic and budget crunch that could threaten a variety of existing programs and services.

Despite a lively debate on everything from new taxes on capital gains to higher property levies for expensive homes that sit vacant most of the year, The Washington Sun’s Martin Austermuhle reports that lawmakers likely emerged from the hearing realizing that there’s no silver bullet to the city’s fiscal challenges over the next year.

Some proposed tax hikes could be imposed quickly, but may only produce enough revenue to close an existing budget gap. More expansive options could take years to implement while raising concerns about what signal it sends to skittish businesses, investors and people choosing where in the Washington region they should live.

More takeaways from the hearing: A new tax on law firms and lobbyists may sound fair in principle but complicated in reality, and soaking the rich is easy politics but may be counterproductive for a city whose economy needs every boost it can get.

If there was one thing that most people at the hearing agreed on, it’s that D.C. needs a better way to dig into spending and revenue.





DEEP DIVE

Metro’s driverless future: Speaking to a crowd of transit experts last week, WMATA’s general manager, Randy Clarke, addressed the Red Line modernization project, which is expected to fully automate the system’s busiest line at a cost of $1.6 billion, according to the Federal Transit Administration.

“Driverless Metro does not mean we won’t have staff,” Clarke said at the Mobility Forum, a weekly seminar led by MIT professor Jinhua Zhao. He added that Metro has plans to have a “staffing concept of operation” within a year and a half.

It’s just one of the ways the agency is relying on new technology to manage its operations, The Sun’s Will Hofmann reports.

With $2.1 million in funding from Google, MIT’s Transit Lab — led by Zhao — is set to partner with WMATA to build an “open-source agentic AI platform for public transportation monitoring, control, and rider communications.”

WMATA has seen the acceleration of AI as “required” to modernize its transit ecosystem, even recently modifying a contract with Replicant Solutions, an AI-driven customer service vendor, by $3 million. The expanded contract would reflect that a “greater volume of calls has shifted to the AI platform” replacing “more expensive human agent-handled calls,” Fifi Magosi, a WMATA vice president, said at the agency’s Oct. 8 meeting.





FROM THE DISTRICT

No such thing as a coincidence: The federal judge in the East Potomac case is not buying the Trump administration’s argument that its recent mass tree-cutting at the park is disconnected from the president’s recently announced plans for a new championship golf course on site, The Associated Press reports.

“There is no universe in which all of this coincidentally happened all at the same time,” U.S. District Judge Ana Reyes said during a Monday hearing.

Reyes previously ordered that the government halt all work at the park until at least next week. While President Donald Trump wrote Sunday on Truth Social that golf course architect Tom Fazio will begin the redevelopment on Nov. 15, the government’s lawyers said Monday that there “is not a contract” with Fazio or his company, The Sun’s Reese Gorman reports.

A National Guard member was shot in the leg late Sunday night while attempting to break up a fight near Capitol Hill’s Eastern Market, The Sun’s Kendall Staton reports.

The interim Metropolitan Police chief, Jeffery Carroll, said on Monday that a person was shot in the abdomen after firing their gun toward a group of seven or eight guard members responding to the fight. The suspected shooter and guard member were each transported to the hospital with injuries not considered life-threatening.

A fire destroyed the dining room of La Bonne Vache, a French bistro in Georgetown, on Sunday night, The Sun’s Justice Covert reports. The fire displaced two adults who lived above the restaurant.

The Justice Department is investigating whether D.C.’s Department of Corrections “engages in a pattern or practice of violating the constitutional rights” of people incarcerated in its facilities, Kendall reports. The announcement comes days after six people filed a lawsuit claiming they were repeatedly served food with dead mice and bugs while being held at the D.C. jail.

Betting on tech: Mayor Muriel Bowser announced she’ll support 112 local tech start-ups with more than $5 million in funding for training, networking and even (for some) free office space to grow D.C.’s tech economy. The mayor also released a report projecting that local tech jobs will increase by nearly 8% through 2028.

A recent wave of crime committed by teens has reignited debate over how to punish and rehabilitate young offenders, City Cast D.C. reports.





FROM VIRGINIA

Rep. Suhas Subramanyam’s office received an “envelope containing a suspicious substance,” according to a Monday news release. The Virginia lawmaker, who’s running for reelection in the state’s 10th Congressional District, denounced the letter as “political intimidation” that has “no place in our country.” His office joined a list of several congressional offices that received letters containing unknown substances.





FROM THE DINING ROOM

The most important meal of the day: Sun food correspondent Tom Sietsema ranked his five favorite breakfasts in the D.C. area, highlighting everything from a crab cake and eggs platter inside Eastern Market to a picture-perfect stack of pancakes in Arlington.





WHAT YOU GET WITH A GARAGE

DMV real estate NL (2048x1364, AR: 1.50)
This week’s real estate column looks at what buyers can get for less than $900,000 with a garage.




Where is this house listed? Click on your guess to see the answer:

  1. Maryland
  2. Virginia
  3. D.C.




SPORTS

49ers 23, Commanders 17: In a game of two very distinct halves, the Commanders came out flat but showed some fight after the break. Despite losing Terry McLaurin to a leg injury, the offense found a rhythm and Jayden Daniels threw two touchdowns to pull Washington within a score. But two late drives came up of the end zone, and the Commanders will head into their bye week at 1-4-1. The Sun’s Martenzie Johnson breaks down the good and the bad from Week 6.

The Wizards kick off a new season tomorrow, hosting the Bucks at Capital One. The Sun’s Alex Schiffer reports that outside expectations for the team are mixed this year, as many league sources and national media outlets aren’t sure how the team’s new veterans will work with its young core.

“They have to prove they can win,” one executive told The Sun. “Do the young guys know how to do that?”

One undeniable bright spot for Washington? No. 1 overall pick AJ Dybantsa. But Alex reports that the buzzy rookie may not suit up Wednesday as he’s still considered day-to-day with an ankle injury.

What to Watch Today

NHL: Capitals vs. Kings, 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, yesterday’s trivia answer was C) National Harbor. That is the new home of “The Awakening.” A special shout-out to Nancy Ward, who answered first.

The newsletter was produced by Jaden Amos, Andrew Burton and Michael Errigo.]]> Morning Sun: Words and Actions https://www.washingtonsun.com/newsletters/words-and-actions Evan McMorris-Santoro, Jasmine Wright, Manuela Silva Tue, 20 Oct 2026 10:01:00 GMT https://www.washingtonsun.com/newsletters/words-and-actions Congress Oversight
The subject line on a fundraising email from Rep. Robert Garcia was “Subpoena power.” (Rod Lamkey Jr./AP)
Today’s notice: Democrats’ investigations promise. The rising costs of MAGA merch. Who’s coming to Crooked Con. New McConnell-isms. Polymarket bets wrong. Don’t bet on House ethics reform this year.





THE LATEST

Promises, promises: “If Democrats win back the House, I’ll become Chairman — and I’ll have subpoena power,” Rep. Robert Garcia (D-California), the ranking member of the House Oversight Committee, said in an August small-dollar fundraising appeal. Gotta win first though, he went on, pleading for at least $5 with the promise of investigations galore to follow.

The Washington Sun’s Stephen Neukam pored over a plethora of fundraising emails to find that the promise to investigate Donald Trump’s administration, family deals and much, much more have been a huge part of the Democratic pitch for cash.

Stephen points out that the House Ethics Manual prohibits tying campaign contribution solicitations to actions taken or expected to be taken in a lawmaker’s official capacity. (“No comment,” said Tom Rust, staff director and chief counsel to the House Ethics Committee.)

There are also some political questions here: Leaning way into the party base’s dreams and fears is a time-honored part of grassroots fundraising. Just $5 and all your political enemies will be vanquished, allowing the light of truth to shine brightly for all time*.

(*all time = a year or so until the next cycle starts up.)

If Democrats do take control of the House, how much time should they devote to making good on that $5 promise? The Sun’s Alex Roarty reports on some exclusive polling from centrist Democratic group Third Way that suggests the answer is not that much. Some 27% of voters think Democrats “should prioritize investigating Trump for misconduct and impeaching the president if he has broken the law,” the poll found, while 68% said Democrats should “prioritize bringing down costs for the American people, not investigations and impeachment.”

But after firing up the base, what should Democrats actually do? “It’s not like if they don’t take any type of political advantage of this, the Republicans aren’t going to go, ‘Oh, this is really good oversight. We’re glad you’re doing this,’” Kurt Bardella, a senior comms guy for the Texas Democratic Party, told The Sun’s Manuela Silva. “Like, that’s not going to happen.”

Bardella is unique among Democrats in that he used to be the messaging guy for an orgy of House Republican Oversight investigations when he worked for Rep. Darrell Issa years ago. He said Issa also raised plenty of money with the GOP base off the promise of investigations, but he also remembers Issa not being singularly focused on Barack Obama. (Obama vets may remember this differently.) Bardella’s advice to Garcia: Investigate a lot of stuff, all over the place, to try to convince the public you’re not just in this for the fundraising dollars. “We went after so many things that weren’t partisan,” Bardella said. “Just good government shit.”

More: Trump’s $10B Suit Against the BBC Could Offer Jack Smith a Platform • North Carolina’s Mail-In Ballot Restrictions Will Remain Through the Midterms • Judge Says There’s ‘No Universe’ Where Tree Removal Isn’t Linked to Trump’s Golf Course Plans





FROM THE CAMPAIGN TRAIL


MAGA hat-flation: Trump’s iconic red hat embroidered with “Make America Great Again” sold for $25 on DonaldJTrump.com when he first ran for president in 2015. On Jan. 6, 2021, it cost $30. Today’s version for sale on The Trump Organization’s online storefront retails for $55 — a 120% increase from 2015. (The hat is $40 on the president’s political site.) The Sun’s Nicole Belcastro combed through many MAGA items for sale and has charts — charts! — showing similar price hikes through the years.

First on The Sun: Rep. Ilhan Omar to appear at Crooked Con. The rising Democratic confab, centered around the empire built by the Pod Save boys, is adding a flurry of new speakers to the roster today, representing the differing and often squabbling sides of the party. Omar, whom the Trump administration is looking into deporting, will be there from the party’s left, as will prominent voices from the Democratic center. Sen. Chris Murphy and Reps. Robert Garcia, Sara Jacobs and Yassamin Ansari are also among the electeds who have newly signed on. The whole thing kicks off in D.C. two days after the midterms, so Democrats will be either in a great mood … or a really, really terrible mood.

FROM THE PREDICTION MARKETS


They didn’t predict this? On Sept. 30, Polymarket began allowing trades on whether the seven men accused in the Cornell fraternity case would be criminally charged with a felony sex crime by January 2027. Cue the outrage anyone could have expected, and then the surprising pushback: “Markets bring better, unbiased information about important events, in contrast to the disinformation we’re all drowning in,” Polymarket told Front Office Sports of the haters. What comes next? If you bet the walkback, congratulations, you have been around the block a couple times.

After The Sun’s Jeff Stein asked for comment on the Cornell listing, Polymarket reversed and removed it as an option. The company declined to comment on the change, though.

Inevitable knife-twist: Kalshi, Polymarket’s main competitor, said in a statement that it would not have allowed bets on the outcome of the case.



FROM THE HILL


What irks Mitch McConnell about Trump: The AP’s Michael Tackett is out with an updated version of his McConnell biography in paperback, which includes new interviews with the senator from Kentucky. Trump “seems to be very approving of monetizing his influence,” McConnell told Tackett. The former Republican Senate leader “could not abide Trump being portrayed as Jesus in social media posts,” Tackett writes. McConnell also said the president is wrong to publicly criticize the Supreme Court: “I don’t know what he expected,” McConnell said, “... They don’t report to him.”

Bonus annoyance: “The Department of Defense is the name of the organization,” McConnell said of Trump’s Department of War.





NEW ON THE WASHINGTON SUN

Ethics reform stalls out: You may recall that, approximately a million years ago in news time, the resignations of Reps. Eric Swalwell and Tony Gonzales amid ugly sexual misconduct allegations involving staff were going to force ethics reform in the House. The Sun’s Oriana González reports that in the intervening time, momentum behind reform has gone the way of the dinosaur. The two women spearheading the push, Reps. Teresa Leger Fernández (D-New Mexico) and Kat Cammack (R-Florida), disagree slightly about their chances in the lame-duck session after the midterms. But Oriana reports that the feeling on the Hill is that there likely won’t be time for it.



More: Trump Administration Plans to Ban DeepSeek From Most Federal Agencies • Slotkin Said It Was a Call for Accountability. Conservatives Saw It as a Threat. • Trump Defends Waiving Russian Sanctions





NOT US





Thank you for reading! If you liked this edition of The Washington Sun Newsletter, please forward it to a friend. If this newsletter was shared with you, please sign up — it’s free! Have a tip? Email us at tips@washsun.com. And as always, we’d love to hear your thoughts at newsletters@washsun.com.

The newsletter was produced by Thomas Burr and Andrew Burton.]]> Afternoon Sun: Par for the Course https://www.washingtonsun.com/afternoon-sun-newsletter/par-for-the-course-10-19-2026 Brett Bachman Mon, 19 Oct 2026 18:58:26 GMT https://www.washingtonsun.com/afternoon-sun-newsletter/par-for-the-course-10-19-2026 East Potomac Tree Cutting
D.C. District Judge Ana Reyes sparred with Justice Department lawyers again today over President Donald Trump’s hostile takeover of the East Potomac Golf Links. (Lillian Bautista/The Washington Sun) Lillian Bautista/The Washington Sun
Good afternoon. This is the Afternoon Sun newsletter for Oct. 19, 2026. You can get it in your inbox every day by signing up here — it’s free!

THE LATEST

Donald Trump announced this morning that he plans to launch a women’s health task force to be led by none other than … Robert F. Kennedy Jr. (and Susie Wiles, who, as Trump pointed out, recently battled breast cancer).

D.C. District Judge Ana Reyes sparred with Justice Department lawyers again today over Trump’s hostile takeover of the East Potomac Golf Links, just hours after he called her a “crazed lunatic” in a post on social media.





THE ADMINISTRATION

The Trump administration arrested dozens of people in California who it claims registered to vote illegally, another major escalation in its quest to push the state into changing its voting rules.





THE COURTS

The Supreme Court this morning made a flurry of consequential decisions about what cases to take up this term.

The Democratic National Committee is asking a judge to stop a political ad paid for by MAGA Inc. from airing.

  • The DNC alleged in a court filing that White House staff helped to produce the ad — which is potentially a violation of a federal law that prevents political staff from performing campaign-related work.
Trump’s legal team is trying to stop former special counsel Jack Smith from testifying as part of the president’s defamation case against the BBC.





THE STATES

Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier has obtained an arrest warrant for former Cuban President Raúl Castro on a charge of conspiracy to commit first-degree murder.




AUDIENCE OF ONE

https://x.com/dylanmatt/status/2112115387143741769?s=20





Thank you for reading! Today’s newsletter was produced by Kelly Poe and Jonann Brady. If you liked it, 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 newsletters@washsun.com.]]>