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Shining a light on Washington. NOTUS is now The Washington Sun. washingtonsun.com Metro coverage: @washsunmetro.bsky.social Analysis, ideas and narratives: @washsunperspect.bsky.social

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The Washington Sun @washingtonsun.bsky.social · 20m
Republican Sen. Marsha Blackburn is seeking a symbolic sum of $1 in nominal damages from former special counsel Jack Smith. www.washingtonsun.com/congress/mars…
washingtonsun.com
Marsha Blackburn Sues Jack Smith for $1
The Tennessee Republican is seeking a symbolic sum in nominal damages from Smith.
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The Washington Sun @washingtonsun.bsky.social · 50m
A federal judge rejected key Trump administration arguments for keeping secret a DOJ memo used to justify its lethal boat strikes in the Caribbean and Pacific. www.washingtonsun.com/courts/judge-…
washingtonsun.com
Judge Rejects Trump Administration's Effort to Keep Its Boat Strike Memo Secret
The Justice Department has 14 days to turn over the memo for the judge to decide if part can be made public.
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The Washington Sun @washingtonsun.bsky.social · 1h
Attorneys for the man accused of being the 2021 D.C. pipe bomber say his autism played into a confession and should not be used against him. www.washingtonsun.com/courts/pipe-b…
washingtonsun.com
D.C. Pipe Bomber Suspect Challenges His Statements to the FBI
Attorneys for Brian Cole Jr. say his autism played into a confession and should not be used against him.
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The Washington Sun @washingtonsun.bsky.social · 1h
President Trump told the mostly Latino audience that enforcing his immigration policies has been “the hardest job” he’s had. www.washingtonsun.com/immigration/t…
washingtonsun.com
Trump Says the Fallout From His Immigration Crackdown Has Been ‘Tough’
The president told the mostly Latino audience that enforcing his immigration policies has been “the hardest job” he’s had.
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The Washington Sun @washingtonsun.bsky.social · 2h
Maine Senate candidate Troy Jackson apologized on Wednesday for any “pain” caused by a comment he made about Jewish residents’ views on the war in Gaza. www.washingtonsun.com/campaigns/tro…
washingtonsun.com
Troy Jackson Walks Back His Comment on Jewish Mainers Views on Gaza
The Democratic candidate for Senate said he had made a “generalization” about residents’ views.
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The Washington Sun @washingtonsun.bsky.social · 2h
The investigation stems from trades that former Rep. Adam Kinzinger made in December 2024, the month before he received a presidential pardon, according to a source familiar with the investigation. www.washingtonsun.com/money/adam-ki…
washingtonsun.com
Former Rep. Adam Kinzinger Under Investigation for Kalshi Trades
The Illinois Republican has not responded to the prediction market’s attempts to contact him about the probe, according to a source familiar with the investigation.
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The Washington Sun @washingtonsun.bsky.social · 3h
The Senate failed to advance a bill aimed at protecting electricity customers from new costs associated with data centers. www.washingtonsun.com/congress/sena…
washingtonsun.com
Senate Democrats Block Republicans’ Data Center Consumer Protection Bill
Sen. Martin Heinrich called the bill “all message and no substance.”
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The Washington Sun @washingtonsun.bsky.social · 3h
Senate Republicans are preparing to extend the debt ceiling through the end of President Trump’s term should they lose control of Congress this November. www.washingtonsun.com/congress/sena…
washingtonsun.com
Senate Republicans Are Preparing to Extend the Debt Ceiling Until 2029
Senate leaders are looking to remove a key point of leverage for Democrats in case of a divided government.
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The Washington Sun @washingtonsun.bsky.social · 4h
The Senate rejected the House-approved Stop Insider Trading Act that would have banned federal lawmakers from trading individual stocks. www.washingtonsun.com/congress/bill…
washingtonsun.com
Bill Banning Lawmakers From Trading Stocks Dies in the Senate
Democrats largely opposed the Republican-backed effort, citing loopholes and voter ID “poison pill.”
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The Washington Sun @washingtonsun.bsky.social · 5h
Leaked audio captures Ken Paxton criticizing Trump’s midterm convention. “Everybody’s numbers dropped,” the Texas Republican Senate nominee reportedly said. www.washingtonsun.com/campaigns/lea…
washingtonsun.com
Leaked Audio Captures Paxton Dumping on Trump’s Midterm Convention
“Everybody’s numbers dropped,” Paxton reportedly said at a private fundraiser.
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The Washington Sun Metro @washsunmetro.bsky.social · 5h
Happening now! Ask @tomsietsema.bsky.social anything in r/WashingtonDC.
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From the washingtondc community on Reddit: I’m Tom Sietsema, the James Beard award-winning food correspondent for The Washington Sun. AMA!
Explore this post and more from the washingtondc community
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The Washington Sun @washingtonsun.bsky.social · 6h
No one wants to be a poster child for data centers anymore, least of all Sen. Jon Husted. He will get a chance to avert that fate with a vote to pass a largely symbolic bill aimed at protecting consumers from the facilities.
washingtonsun.com
Republicans Confront a Data Center ‘Shitstorm’ in the Midterms
They hope a vote in the Senate Wednesday on a Jon Husted bill will provide an umbrella.
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The Washington Sun @washingtonsun.bsky.social · 7h
“Who knew Jack Smith was a Caitlin Clark fan?” Sen. Eric Schmitt is brushing off his viral mix-up with former special counsel Jack Smith during a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing Tuesday.
washingtonsun.com
Sen. Eric Schmitt Downplays Viral Jack Smith Hearing Gaffe
“Who knew Jack Smith was a Caitlin Clark fan?” Schmitt told CNN on Tuesday.
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The Washington Sun @washingtonsun.bsky.social · 7h
Because of legal battles over district lines, some of Missouri's voters will cast a ballot in a different district in November than they did in the primary.
washingtonsun.com
Missouri Is a Nightmare Come True for Redistricting Opponents
Because of legal battles over district lines, some of the state’s voters will cast a ballot in a different district in November than they did in the primary.
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The Washington Sun @washingtonsun.bsky.social · 8h
Democrats appear closer than ever to winning the House majority, and Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries’ is already working to corral — and connect with — a growing chorus of progressive dissenters.
washingtonsun.com
How Hakeem Jeffries Is Courting the Left
House Democratic leaders are trying to connect with a group of progressive candidates who have refused to support Hakeem Jeffries’ speaker bid, sources told The Washington Sun.
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The Washington Sun Metro @washsunmetro.bsky.social · 9h
In today’s newsletter: 🏛️ Trayon’s next steps 🤔 A reckoning for DCHA 🏀 And why the Mystics won’t play at Cap One today
washingtonsun.com
The Washington Sun Metro: Trayon, Take Two
https://www.washingtonsun.com
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The Washington Sun @washingtonsun.bsky.social · 9h
Today’s notice: 🤖 Data centers’ day in the Senate 🗣️ Inside Jeffries’ effort to turn his Democratic haters 📢 And: At the MAHA Summit
washingtonsun.com
Republicans Make Their AI Move
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The Washington Sun @washingtonsun.bsky.social · 10h
The DOJ’s Office of the Inspector General “declined further action” on an undisclosed matter involving Attorney General Todd Blanche’s cryptocurrency trades, according to a new federal financial disclosure document reviewed by The Washington Sun.
washingtonsun.com
DOJ Inspector General ‘Declined Further Action’ on Todd Blanche Cryptocurrency Matter
The attorney general has faced questions over scuttling crypto investigations while invested in Bitcoin and Ethereum.
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The Washington Sun @washingtonsun.bsky.social · 20h
ICE plans to hire 5,000 employees before year’s end to bolster President Trump’s deportation campaign, even as thousands of earlier recruits await background checks.
washingtonsun.com
ICE to Launch Another 5,000-Person Recruitment Surge This Year
The expansion would boost ICE’s workforce by about 17%.
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The Washington Sun @washingtonsun.bsky.social · 21h
It’s common for busy government officials to pop into a D.C. event, give their speech, and leave. That wasn’t the case at Tuesday’s MAHA summit, where senior Trump administration officials mingled for hours with health and wellness industry officials and MAHA activists.
washingtonsun.com
A Biological Age Test and Russell Brand: How Trump Officials Spent a Day With MAHA
Many media outlets were denied entry. But Russell Brand was there. And Bryan Johnson was leading biological age tests.
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The Washington Sun @washingtonsun.bsky.social · 22h
A federal appeals court refused to reverse a federal judge’s decision to punish President Trump and his lawyers for engaging in “bad faith” conduct and collusion in the president’s lawsuit, and subsequent out-of-court agreement, over an IRS contractor leaking his tax returns.
washingtonsun.com
Appeals Court Rejects Trump Effort to Stay Sanctions in IRS Lawsuit
Three appellate judges sided with a lower court’s finding that the president colluded with the IRS and the Treasury Department.
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The Washington Sun @washingtonsun.bsky.social · 22h
Some federal appeals court judges signaled they were open to restarting a contempt probe into whether senior officials deliberately defied a judicial order last year on deportation flights to El Salvador. www.washingtonsun.com/judges-restar…
washingtonsun.com
Some Judges Sound Open to Restarting Contempt Probe in El Salvador Deportation Case
An appeals court heard oral arguments Tuesday over Judge James Boasberg’s review of whether Trump administration officials defied his court order.
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The Washington Sun @washingtonsun.bsky.social · 23h
Lithuania’s prime minister said that the country is “ready to pay the bill” for a permanent installation of U.S. troops. www.washingtonsun.com/foreign-polic…
washingtonsun.com
Lithuania ‘Ready’ to Foot the Bill to Permanently Host U.S. Troops, Prime Minister Says
President Trump has previously called for allies to pay the full cost of hosting U.S. troops abroad, with extra fees tacked on.
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The Washington Sun @washingtonsun.bsky.social · 23h
President Trump said the U.S. will allow tech companies to “self-regulate” their AI models. www.washingtonsun.com/whitehouse/tr…
washingtonsun.com
Trump Says the AI Industry Will ‘Self-Police’ Under a New Accord
The “morally binding” agreement seeks to help U.S. companies outpace China and adversaries without government regulation.
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The Washington Sun @washingtonsun.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
A new ethics disclosure shows Karoline Leavitt’s family investments included stock in Trump’s social media company, defense contractors, oil companies and tech giants. www.washingtonsun.com/money/karolin…
washingtonsun.com
Karoline Leavitt Discloses Family Investments in Trump Media and Tesla
An ethics document shows the former press secretary’s family holdings contain Trump’s social media company, defense contractors, oil companies and tech giants.
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The Washington Sun @washingtonsun.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
The artist who sings the song “Love Me” is threatening legal action against the White House after the Trump administration began using the song in a taxpayer-funded ad promoting the president. www.washingtonsun.com/whitehouse/tr…
washingtonsun.com
‘Love Me’ Artist Threatens Legal Action Over Taxpayer-Funded Trump Ad
The artist publicly objected after the ad began airing last week, saying he “would never authorize my music to be used for ANY political agenda or campaign.”
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The Washington Sun @washingtonsun.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
Republicans blocked the measure, which would have terminated Trump administration changes to the ACA marketplace. www.washingtonsun.com/congress/sena…
washingtonsun.com
Senate Democrats Force an Uncomfortable Vote on Health Care Costs
Republicans blocked the measure, which would have terminated Trump administration changes to the ACA marketplace.
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Dave Levinthal @davelevinthal.com · 29/09/2026
NEW: During her time in public service, WH press secretary Karoline Leavitt’s private family investments included stock in: 🇺🇸 Trump’s social media company 🪖 Defense contractors 🛢️ Oil companies 🤖 Tech giants 🔌 Tesla In @washingtonsun.bsky.social: www.washingtonsun.com/money/karoli...
washingtonsun.com
Karoline Leavitt Discloses Family Investments in Trump Media and Tesla
An ethics document shows the former press secretary’s family holdings contain Trump’s social media company, defense contractors, oil companies and tech giants.
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The Washington Sun @washingtonsun.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
The Supreme Court again backed the Trump administration’s removal of migrants to countries where they have no ties, allowing DHS to continue the deportations without advance notice. www.washingtonsun.com/courts/suprem…
washingtonsun.com
Supreme Court Allows Trump to Continue Third-Country Deportation Push
The justices agreed to hear arguments over the speedy deportation policy in December.
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The Washington Sun @washingtonsun.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
The GAO says the Trump administration’s $800 million “pocket rescission” violates Congress’ constitutional control over government spending. www.washingtonsun.com/congress/cong…
washingtonsun.com
Congressional Watchdog Says Trump’s ‘Pocket Rescissions’ Violate the Law
The GAO has the power to sue the Trump administration over the Impoundment Control Act.
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The Washington Sun @washingtonsun.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
The Trump administration is preparing to automatically enroll every American child in a Trump Account before the midterm elections. www.washingtonsun.com/whitehouse/tr…
washingtonsun.com
Trump Is Preparing to Auto-Enroll Every Child in a Trump Account
Few Americans have set up Trump Accounts on their own.
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Anna Kramer @annackramer.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
On Sept. 19th, OMB gave Customs and Border Protection $20 million. The next day, CBP awarded an ad company a contract for $20 million for a “national media campaign.” On Sept. 23rd, Trump ads start running on national tv as "paid for by U.S. government."
washingtonsun.com
CBP Got $20 Million for a ‘Media Campaign.’ Lawmakers Say It Was a Misuse of Funds.
The administration started running Trump-focused national ads that have come under ethical scrutiny for using taxpayer funds.
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The Washington Sun @washingtonsun.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
Lawmakers are pointing to CBP’s $20 million apportionment as an unauthorized use of taxpayer funds, claiming the Trump administration went around Congress to pay for an illegal ad campaign. www.washingtonsun.com/whitehouse/cb…
washingtonsun.com
CBP Got $20 Million for a ‘Media Campaign.’ Lawmakers Say It Was a Misuse of Funds.
The administration started running Trump-focused national ads that have come under ethical scrutiny for using taxpayer funds.
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The Washington Sun @washingtonsun.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
The Pentagon has obligated nearly all of the $400 million in aid Congress provided for Ukraine, one day before the money was set to expire. www.washingtonsun.com/congress/lawm…
washingtonsun.com
Lawmaker Says the Pentagon Has Obligated Ukraine Aid Just Ahead of Its Expiration Date
Defense officials informed Sen. Chris Coons that 99.8% of the funding has been committed before the fiscal year ends.
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The Washington Sun @washingtonsun.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
Sen. Eric Schmitt’s Hawks-Hawkeyes flub overshadowed Republicans’ attempts at the Senate Judiciary Committee hearing to grill Jack Smith over the probe that led to criminal charges against Donald Trump. www.washingtonsun.com/congress/hawk…
washingtonsun.com
Hawks or Hawkeyes? Senator Flubs His Jack Smith Gotcha Moment
The posterboard was prepared, the questions were asked, but the game was wrong.
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Natalie Alms @almsnatalie.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
NEW: Americans will be able to use a new AI to apply for a passport, enroll in Medicare and look at government jobs — eventually. Services like these won’t be functional until 2027, though the administration rolled out America. gov with fanfare Tuesday. www.washingtonsun.com/whitehouse/t...
washingtonsun.com
Trump Heralds a Government AI Bot That Won't Be Fully Functional Until 2027
Some administration officials previously said they hoped America.gov could be a big win ahead of the midterms.
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The Washington Sun @washingtonsun.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
Americans will be able to use the website to apply for a passport, enroll in Medicare and look at government jobs — eventually. Services like these won’t be functional until 2027. www.washingtonsun.com/whitehouse/tr…
washingtonsun.com
Trump Heralds a Government AI Bot That Won't Be Fully Functional Until 2027
Some administration officials previously said they hoped America.gov could be a big win ahead of the midterms.
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The Washington Sun @washingtonsun.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
The GAO says it cannot find assurances that DOGE properly handled Americans’ data. www.washingtonsun.com/agencies/doge…
washingtonsun.com
Congress’ Watchdog Arm Is Not Assured That DOGE Protected Americans’ Data
Several federal agencies did not answer the congressional auditor’s questions about data security.
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The Washington Sun @washingtonsun.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
CNN, MS NOW and Politico urged a federal judge on Monday to extend his order blocking President Donald Trump from banning their journalists from the White House grounds.
washingtonsun.com
Media Outlets Urge a Judge to Keep Blocking Trump's White House Ban
CNN, MS NOW and Politico say the White House has continued to “unpredictably and inconsistently” implement Trump’s policy even after a federal judge temporarily blocked it.
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The Washington Sun Metro @washsunmetro.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
What happens after graduation for students of D.C.’s schools? What about students who don’t graduate? The Office of the Deputy Mayor for Education and the Office of Education Through Employment Pathways (ETEP) launched a dashboard that offers a first of its kind look into those questions.
washingtonsun.com
New Database Tracks the Education Outcomes of D.C. Students
The dashboard tracks wage, career, higher education and equity information for former students of D.C. schools.
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The Washington Sun Metro @washsunmetro.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
In today’s newsletter: ⚖️ A mistrial for Trayon White 🛴 Lime-assisted crime ⚾ And what to make of the Nationals’ season
washingtonsun.com
The Washington Sun Metro: ‘Redeemed Again'
https://www.washingtonsun.com
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The Washington Sun Metro @washsunmetro.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
Three arcade-game cabinets surrounding a plaque mocking President Donald Trump’s Greenland ambitions sprang up on the National Mall on Monday morning, allowing visitors a chance to play “Operation Epic Furious: Nuuk ’Em All.”
washingtonsun.com
Arcade-Game Display Mocking Trump’s Greenland Ambitions Pops Up in D.C.
Secret Handshake, the group behind the display, expects the installation to stay up at the National Mall for several days.
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The Washington Sun Metro @washsunmetro.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
D.C. continues to struggle in cracking down on the use of a getaway car for the modern age: Lime scooters, which police say have recently been used by criminals fleeing the scene in a spate of crimes including shootings, an attempted robbery and a fatal stabbing.
washingtonsun.com
D.C. Is Seeing the Rise of a New Kind of Getaway Vehicle: E-Scooters
Lime has denounced the use of its electric scooters and bikes to help suspects flee the scene in recent crimes.
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The Washington Sun Metro @washsunmetro.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah) blocked a bipartisan bill that would have prohibited the destruction of any national memorial honoring a U.S. president — a measure meant to protect the Kennedy Center from a full demolition — without congressional approval.
washingtonsun.com
Lone Republican Senator Derails a Bill to Prevent Demolition of the Kennedy Center
Sen. Mike Lee blocked a bill that would have prohibited the demolition of any national memorial honoring a U.S. president.
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The Washington Sun Metro @washsunmetro.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
The Washington Sun’s Tom Sietsema is hosting an AMA on r/WashingtonDC tomorrow at 12 p.m. ET. Bring your questions!
reddit.com
From the washingtondc community on Reddit: I’m Tom Sietsema, the James Beard award-winning food correspondent for The Washington Sun. AMA!
Explore this post and more from the washingtondc community
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The Washington Sun @washingtonsun.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
Senate Republicans are preparing to depart Washington at the end of the week without approving President Trump’s request for $350 billion in defense funds, leaving the Pentagon to confront how much of its spending plan can fit into the regular budget.
washingtonsun.com
Senate Republicans Are Leaving Trump's $350 Billion Defense Boost in Limbo
“We have to just make the case to every single Republican and as many Democrats as will listen,” said Sen. Kevin Cramer.
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The Washington Sun @washingtonsun.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
The IRS tried to turn more than a thousand HR and IT staffers into tax processors. That failed. Now they’re being assigned to a team that remains a mystery.
washingtonsun.com
The IRS Is Reshuffling Staff Without Telling Them Why
The tax agency tried to turn more than a thousand HR and IT staffers into tax processors. That failed. Now they're being assigned to a team that remains a mystery.
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The Washington Sun @washingtonsun.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
Today’s notice: 🧐 A scoop about chaos at the IRS 🫏 How battleground Democrats talk about trans rights now 🔒 And: A follow-up to our scoop from last year about Lindsey Halligan’s security detail
washingtonsun.com
Believing the Polls
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Oriana González @oriana.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
NEW: Some Dems are adopting anti-trans rhetoric in their campaigns While Republicans learn they can’t rely on it to win like they did in 2024 Inside how each party is navigating trans issues in 2026 — in ways they never have before w/ @alexroarty.bsky.social www.washingtonsun.com/campaigns/re...
washingtonsun.com
Republicans' Trans Attack Ads Aren’t Hitting the Same Way This Year
A potent 2024 message risks falling flat, with Democrats adjusting and the economy overpowering.
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The Washington Sun @washingtonsun.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
Republicans in tight races are hammering Democrats on transgender policy and praying a message that worked so well in the 2024 election can save them this November. The problem is that even if their attack is the same, a lot else has changed.
washingtonsun.com
Republicans' Trans Attack Ads Aren’t Hitting the Same Way This Year
A potent 2024 message risks falling flat, with Democrats adjusting and the economy overpowering.
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