The Associated Press

Park Service quietly awards contracts to work on Trump’s revamp of East Potomac golf course

Published September 16, 2026 at 10:00PM

The East Potomac Park Golf Course and the Thomas Jefferson Memorial are seen from the Washington Monument, Tuesday, Sept. 1, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson)

The Trump administration has awarded contracts to begin work on President Donald Trump’s planned takeover of the East Potomac Golf Links in Washington, Democrats on the House Natural Resources Committee said Wednesday.

Rep. Jared Huffman of California, the panel’s top Democrat, revealed during a committee hearing that the National Park Service hired a civil engineering firm to begin work on the historic public golf course, without any public announcement or heads-up to Congress. A lawsuit challenging Trump’s plan to revamp the golf course argues that the administration’s redevelopment would violate the congressional act that created the park more than a century ago.

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Kennedy Center board reportedly votes to close over financial woes, Trump branding dispute

By The Associated Press

Published September 15, 2026 at 3:35PM

The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts as seen from the Washington Monument, Tuesday, Sept. 15, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais)

WASHINGTON (AP) — The board of the Kennedy Center voted Tuesday to close the facility amid financial issues and a dispute over putting President Donald Trump’s name on the iconic performing arts venue, according to people familiar with the matter.

Trump and Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick participated in the board meeting, according to one of the people. They spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss a private meeting. Lutnick’s wife, Allison, is a member of the Trump-appointed board.

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Pentagon 9/11 memorial breaking ground on its first visitor center

By ARLnow.com and The Associated Press

Published September 12, 2026 at 9:00AM

Service members unfurl a flag on the 25th anniversary over the portion of the Pentagon's west side that was struck by an airliner hijacked by terrorists, on Friday, Sept. 11, 2026, in Arlington Va. (AP Photo/John McDonnell

A $100 million visitor center breaks ground today at the Pentagon’s 9/11 memorial, the last of the three attack sites to get one.

The ceremony begins at 11 a.m. at the National 9/11 Pentagon Memorial, a day after the 25th anniversary of the attack that killed 184 people at the Pentagon and aboard American Airlines Flight 77. U.S. Sen. Mark Warner (D-Va.), who led the effort to secure $12 million in federal construction money for the project, is expected to attend.

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Del. Lopez ‘incredibly grateful’ as protections for Salvadoran immigrants hold fast

By Dan Egitto and The Associated Press

Published September 11, 2026 at 3:45PM

FILE - President Donald Trump greets El Salvador's President Nayib Bukele, left, at the Shield of the Americas Summit, March 7, 2026, at Trump National Doral Miami in Doral, Fla. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein, File)

Silence from the Trump administration on protections for immigrants from El Salvador has at least one Northern Virginia lawmaker breathing a sigh of relief.

A deadline to decide whether over 170,000 immigrants from El Salvador can remain protected from deportation passed this week without any public announcement. The Department of Homeland Security issued a statement saying it would make an announcement “at an appropriate time” and that Temporary Protected Status for El Salvador would stay in effect until then.

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Arlington County remembers 25 years since 9/11 terrorist attacks

By Dan Egitto and The Associated Press

Published September 11, 2026 at 10:00AM | Updated September 11, 2026 at 3:43PM

An American flag drapes over the Pentagon in remembrance of those killed on 9/11 (staff photo by Jay Westcott)

Today (Friday) marks 25 years since the terrorist attacks on Sept. 11, 2001, that left nearly 3,000 dead and altered the face of Arlington and the entire country.

Across the nation, the milestone anniversary brings memorial rituals — wreath-laying, flag-flying, moments of silence, vigils and readings of victims’ names — and volunteer projects in tribute to a day that about half of U.S. adults remember as the most historic event of their lifetime, according to a new poll.

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Arlington housing nonprofit says the math doesn’t work for the poorest renters

By ARLnow.com and The Associated Press

Published September 8, 2026 at 10:00AM

Wholey Legacy Homes, an affordable housing project from True Ground Housing Partners at 1300 N. Pierce Street, at its December 2025 ribbon cutting (staff photo by Dan Egitto)

Arlington-based True Ground Housing Partners says it can’t build apartments for the region’s poorest renters without a level of subsidy that doesn’t exist.

The nonprofit developer laid out the math for the Associated Press: a unit for those earning 60% of the area’s median income — nearly $70,000 a year — brings in $1,715 per month in rent. But after $1,575 in mortgage and operating expenses, only $140 is left.

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NEW: Excavation for Trump’s arch at Memorial Circle to begin within two weeks

By ARLnow.com and The Associated Press

Published September 3, 2026 at 7:30PM

Flags placed by workers are pictured in the Memorial Circle, where President Donald Trump has proposed building an arch to commemorate the United States' 250th anniversary, Friday, May 15, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin, File)

Excavation work is set to start over the next two weeks at Memorial Circle, where the Trump administration plans to build a towering, gilded arch between the Lincoln Memorial and Arlington National Cemetery.

The administration announced the timeline Thursday. The project is facing a lawsuit, and critics say it will disrupt historic sightlines in Washington, D.C.

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National Park Service backs Trump’s arch, despite its impact on Washington’s sightline

By The Associated Press

Published August 29, 2026 at 10:45AM

Visitors walk at the Great American State Fair with the triumphal arch model and the U.S. Capitol, in the background, Wednesday, July 8, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Mariam Zuhaib)

WASHINGTON (AP) — A new National Park Service report backs President Donald Trump’s proposed arch, despite what it says are adverse effects to the sightline between a host of iconic landmarks in Washington, including the Washington Monument and Lincoln and Jefferson memorials.

The report released Friday says the 250-foot-tall (76-meter) memorial arch is likely to disrupt the historical significance of dozens of sites near its planned location adjacent to Memorial Bridge.

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Controllers raised Marine One radio problems a week before DCA close call

By The Associated Press and ARLnow.com

Published August 27, 2026 at 5:30PM

President Donald Trump, left, walks from Marine One to board Air Force One, Friday, Aug. 21, 2026, at Joint Base Andrews, Md., en route to South Carolina. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)

Air traffic controllers and the pilots of President Donald Trump’s helicopter met to discuss radio problems one week before a jet was allowed to take off from Reagan National Airport just as Marine One lifted off from the White House.

Controllers had reported not receiving the standard three-minute warning call ahead of Marine One flights, and both sides agreed to an alternative in those instances — but that plan, to relay the radio call through someone else, was also unsuccessful on the day of the Aug. 4 incident, the National Transportation Safety Board’s preliminary report shows. The report was released Thursday.

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Beyer blasts Trump trade war with Canada

By ARLnow.com and The Associated Press

Published August 24, 2026 at 2:30PM

FILE - President Donald Trump and Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney meet in the Oval Office of the White House, Oct. 7, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci, File)

Rep. Don Beyer (D-Va.) says President Trump’s trade war with Canada is doing damage that may take years to undo — if it can be undone at all.

Trump threatened today to impose a 50% tariff on Canadian automobiles, auto parts and steel starting next year. That came days after the U.S. levied 50% tariffs Saturday on about $20 billion worth of Canadian goods.

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Kennedy Center board votes to restore Trump’s name and close for 2 years, challenging a judge’s order

By The Associated Press and ARLnow.com

Published August 13, 2026 at 5:15PM

The exterior of the Kennedy Center is seen, Friday, July 31, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)

The battle over the Kennedy Center’s future escalated Thursday as President Donald Trump’s allies on the board took new steps to commemorate him with physical changes to the iconic performing arts institution that could defy a federal court order.

During an hourslong meeting that was conducted virtually, the board voted to add Trump’s name to the building’s facade so it would read “The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts Restored and Renovated By President Donald J. Trump.” The plaza in front of the building would be named after Trump and most of the space at the venue would be closed for two years to allow for substantial renovations.

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FAA investigating why a plane was allowed to take off from DCA as Marine One approached

By The Associated Press and ARLnow.com

Published August 5, 2026 at 4:30PM | Updated August 5, 2026 at 7:51PM

Marine One, left, with President Donald Trump aboard, lifts off from the Ellipse, Tuesday, Aug. 4, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

The Federal Aviation Administration is investigating why a plane was allowed to take off as President Donald Trump’s helicopter was approaching Reagan National Airport.

The incident appears to be a violation of safety procedures put in place after last year’s midair collision over the Potomac River. It occurred Tuesday afternoon as Marine One left the White House for Andrews Air Force Base with the president aboard for the first leg of a West Coast trip.