The Washington Sun

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Today’s notice: 🗳️ The latest from the last week of the midterms 🍰 Plus: Out of the blue, we thought we’d look into political spending at The Cheesecake Factory 🪖 And: What more strikes on Iran would mean

The case lands back at a U.S. district court, which is set Tuesday to weigh a preliminary injunction on sequestering 20,000 ballots. https://www.washingtonsun.com/legal/9th-circuit-rejects-trump-administration-appeal-california-ballots-case

An Illinois man was charged Monday with mailing letters containing a white substance to four unnamed members of Congress, including a senator who received the message: “HAH enjoy the gift.” https://www.washingtonsun.com/legal/illinois-man-charged-white-powder-members-of-congress

Is the Cheesecake Factory really a restaurant for regular Americans? https://www.washingtonsun.com/policy/cheesecake-factory-obama-comments-trump-affordability

“He’s really grasping at straws,” one election law expert said, noting Trump has repeatedly questioned U.S. election integrity during his second term. https://www.washingtonsun.com/whitehouse/trump-promises-1-million-reward-voter-fraud

The DOJ hit former FBI Director James Comey with new criminal charges under the Espionage Act. https://www.washingtonsun.com/legal/justice-department-charges-comey-third-time

Ohio’s largest newspaper broke its no-endorsement policy to condemn Vivek Ramaswamy. https://www.washingtonsun.com/campaigns/cleveland-plain-dealer-ohio-newspaper-breaks-no-endorsement-policy-amy-acton-condemn-vivek-ramaswamy

A federal judge ordered the Trump administration to reinstate Maurene Comey, a daughter of former FBI director Jim Comey, who was fired from her role as a New York public corruption prosecutor last year. https://www.washingtonsun.com/legal/judge-reinstate-comeys-daughter

A Democratic justice in North Carolina is fending off a challenger to her state Supreme Court seat as Democrats try to keep leverage on the bench. https://www.washingtonsun.com/campaigns/supreme-court-north-carolina

Join Washington Sun reporters @marahop.bsky.social and @almsnatalie.bsky.social for an AMA on r/IAmA on Tuesday, October 27, at 12 p.m. ET where they’ll answer questions about data centers, how AI is changing the federal government and more. www.reddit.com/r/IAmA/comme...

Are you as big a fan of @kadiagoba.bsky.social, @pkcapitol.bsky.social, @reesegorman.bsky.social, @stephenneukam.bsky.social, Al Weaver, Avani Kalra as I am? Not to mention the legion of @washingtonsun.com beat reporters who also pull Hill news. You definitely want to subscribe to this.

Catholic leaders who were photographed praying with President Trump in the Oval Office said they felt “manipulated” and “exploited” by the photo op. https://www.washingtonsun.com/whitehouse/catholic-leaders-feel-manipulated-and-exploited-after-trumps-oval-office-photo-op

President Trump appeared to confirm that he is considering relocating the press from the White House in a 1,300-word post on Truth Social. https://www.washingtonsun.com/whitehouse/trump-thinking-about-booting-reporters-from-white-house-briefing-room-swimming-pool-bill-maher

Texas’ first post-Roe report showing how the state’s near-total abortion ban affected maternal mortality numbers will come after the midterms. https://www.washingtonsun.com/campaigns/first-post-roe-report-maternal-mortality-midterms

The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality has no remaining grant officers and has redirected millions in taxpayer dollars without telling Congress. https://www.washingtonsun.com/health/inside-trump-administration-health-care-research-office

In the newsletter: - More on Trump’s potential staff pardons - Jamie Raskin has a new Epstein report - And: MAGA’s evangelical coalition is fraying https://www.washingtonsun.com/newsletters/quiet-part-loudly

Introducing “The Stakeout,” a new afternoon newsletter helmed by Sun congressional reporters Igor Bobic and @oriana.bsky.social. Subscribe today: https://www.washingtonsun.com/congress-newsletter-sign-up

Is there a reason Alaska has so many Dans Sullivan? We approached the data systematically to find out. https://www.washingtonsun.com/national/dan-sullivan-dan-sullivan-alaska-data

The incoming Congressional Black Caucus chair says Democrats could subpoena Pentagon officials to investigate allegations of discrimination in military promotions under Pete Hegseth if they regain control of the House. www.washingtonsun.com/congress/heg...

Two likely 2028 candidates, JD Vance and Marco Rubio, are practicing Catholics, but their faith isn’t the political obstacle it was a generation ago. https://www.washingtonsun.com/campaigns/jd-vance-marco-rubio-catholicism-pope-evangelicals

The 9th Circuit Court of Appeals appeared skeptical of the Justice Department’s effort to compel California to set aside 20,000 mail-in ballots the Trump administration suspects may have been sent to noncitizens.

President Trump repeatedly called Abdul El-Sayed, the Democratic nominee for U.S. Senate from Michigan, a “jihadist” who should not be allowed in the halls of Congress unless he goes through metal detectors.

Former Rep. Mary Peltola, the Democratic U.S. Senate nominee for Alaska, and her family sustained minor injuries after a car crash Saturday night, prompting her campaign to reschedule two of the eight stops for her upcoming “Alaska Always Tour.”

“The Republicans’ Worst Senator, by far, Lisa Murkowski, of the Great State of Alaska." President Trump lashed out at Murkowski for speaking out against his administration’s push to refuse to certify the election results unless Republican Sen. Dan Sullivan wins the race in Alaska.

Evangelical Christians say they feel overlooked as Trump and his allies reach out to other groups, leading some to worry turnout could be a problem.

The Trump administration sent letters to county leaders in California Friday, demanding a voter roll review within 48 hours — despite local officials’ insistence that the timeline is too tight to complete the demands with less than two weeks remaining before Election Day.

The DSCC and candidate Mary Peltola’s campaign are concerned that Alaska officials won’t stand up to federal pressure after the DOJ filed a lawsuit this week that preemptively lays the groundwork to challenge the state’s Senate results.

Ukraine’s access to Starlink and Starshield satellite links has been restored to the speeds it had before restrictions that disrupted front-line operations for more than a week, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said.

Democrats have made accountability for Trump, his administration and family a central part of their midterms pitch. The fundraising tactic adds an ethical question to their promises.

New: White House attorneys are evaluating whether to issue mass pardons to junior staffers. https://www.washingtonsun.com/whitehouse/white-house-weighing-mass-pardons-for-junior-staff

A State Department press adviser was forced to resign after she was captured on video chucking a drink at a fan at a Washington Wizards game this week. https://www.washingtonsun.com/administration/state-department-britt-mchenry-resigns-washington-wizards-game

Former U.S. Ambassador to Greece Kimberly Guilfoyle disclosed sizable mortgage and boat loans among her personal liabilities, according to an unpublished federal ethics document obtained by The Washington Sun from the State Department. www.washingtonsun.com/influence/ki...

Researchers say that Melania Trump’s call for investment in women’s health research contradicts staffing and budget cuts at the nation’s health and research agencies. https://www.washingtonsun.com/health/researchers-melania-trump-womens-health-push

Two ex-FBI agents are arrested as the Hunter Biden laptop scandal returns. https://www.washingtonsun.com/legal/two-ex-fbi-agents-arrested-hunter-biden-laptop-scandal

Sen. Susan Collins said that she had convinced White House officials to exempt certain Canadian agricultural products from President Donald Trump’s tariffs. https://www.washingtonsun.com/economy/susan-collins-trump-administration-lift-tariffs-canada

In court filings, wind companies say the Defense Department has perpetuated delays on projects instead of restarting a review process they were ordered to resume. https://www.washingtonsun.com/energy-environment/pentagon-wind-projects-review-frozen-court-filings

“Costs are number one, two, three, four and five” on the to-do list, one Democratic operative said.

As the limits of where Democrats hope to win in 2026 creep further into reliably red territory, party operatives have been turning more often to a wedge issue that helped Donald Trump win in 2024 — disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein.

Pete Buttigieg endorsed an independent candidate for U.S. Senate in Montana over their Democratic opponent. https://www.washingtonsun.com/campaigns/pete-buttigieg-endorses-montana-independent-over-democrat-opponent-seth-bodnar

President Trump said Friday that he is no longer looking into the outside consulting work conducted by a pair of his top political advisers after they donated to his presidential library.

Why might the Rays relieve their ace Drew Rasmussen with 34-year-old journeyman Cam Booser? Why would the Brewers be happy if the Rays used as many left-handed hitters in their lineup as possible against Game 1 starter Jacob Misiorowski? Thomas Boswell explains some possible puzzlers.

President Trump continued to defend Republican gubernatorial nominee Vivek Ramaswamy’s ad that featured the estranged mother of his Democratic opponent, Amy Acton.

Rachel Worsham is the first female varsity football coach in Virginia history. Her Thomas Jefferson team is just as unique.

A group of veterans asked a federal judge for a preliminary injunction to halt construction of President Trump’s triumphal arch, which the administration says could begin as soon as Nov. 5.

It’s not easy to build housing in D.C. right now. But in a rare bright spot, developers have found a rock to cling to that could totally alter the makeup of downtown neighborhoods: a tax abatement program that incentivizes the conversion of vacant office space into housing.

A host of independents are in a battle to prove they are not merely off-label Democrats.

The White House said Friday that first lady Melania Trump secured a ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine in a small front-line southern city.

In a midterm election where the cost of living is far and away the most important issue, no pair of Democrats seems better positioned to tap into an electorate that is angry at billionaires and the political class than Sherrod Brown and Marcy Kaptur.

The federal government sued Alaska elections officials this week as part of an attempt to preemptively line up a challenge to the results should Republican Sen. Dan Sullivan lose his race.

Some voters say they’re worried that Trump might use the USPS to interfere in the election.