A federal commission has approved the design concept for the 250-foot triumphal arch that President Donald Trump wants to build at Memorial Circle.
The U.S. Commission of Fine Arts voted to approve the concept at its meeting today (Thursday). Its members, all appointed by Trump, will review an updated design before taking a final vote at a future meeting.
The Trump administration has submitted detailed architectural plans for a proposed 250-foot triumphal arch at Memorial Circle, drawing strong pushback from Arlington’s congressman.
The 12-page filing, prepared by Harrison Design and submitted by the Department of the Interior, was posted today (Friday) to the website of the U.S. Commission of Fine Arts ahead of the panel’s meeting next Wednesday. It marks the first time the administration has formally filed plans for the project, which Trump has spent months teasing on social media and in the Oval Office, according to the Washington Post.
Rep. Don Beyer (D-VA) is calling on House Speaker Mike Johnson to immediately reconvene Congress and hold a vote on a War Powers Resolution as President Trump escalates threats against Iran, warning today (Tuesday) that a “whole civilization will die tonight” if a deal is not reached.
Beyer, whose 8th District includes Arlington, described Trump’s threats as “sick” and “murderous” and accused Republicans of enabling what he called “an immoral and unwell man willing to wield it recklessly.”
Virginia’s attorney general plans to challenge an executive order by President Donald Trump that would add more restrictions and federal oversight to mail voting.
Attorney General Jay Jones (D) has indicated plans to join top elections officials in states like Oregon and Arizona, who pledged to mount legal opposition to the executive order within minutes of Trump signing it — arguing that the president was illegally encroaching on the right of states to run elections.
Thousands took to Arlington’s highway overpasses and streets Saturday as part of the third nationwide “No Kings” day of demonstrations against the Trump administration.
Advocacy group We of Action Virginia organized two of the day’s main Arlington events: a morning “Bridge Brigade” that stationed protesters on about 20 overpasses across I-395, I-66 and Route 50, and an afternoon “Hands Across Arlington” that lined Glebe Road from S. Glebe Road near Shirlington to N. Glebe Road at Walker Chapel.
Another wave of “No Kings” protests will be taking place along several high-visibility areas in Arlington on Saturday.
They’re part of over 3,000 similar events happening around the country on the same day, protesting the Trump administration and its tactics. Culminating in a large afternoon protest along an eight-mile stretch of Glebe Road, the actions will follow similar demonstrations last June and October.
Historic preservation work began today (Thursday) on several structures and memorials near Arlington National Cemetery, resulting in lane closures on Washington Blvd and GW Parkway.
Through mid to late May, the National Park Service will be cleaning the Boundary Channel Bridge, repairing deteriorating mortar and conducting restoration work on the Seabees Memorial, the United Spanish War Veterans Memorial and the structural bases of the nearby eagle statues.
Arlington’s congressman and both of Virginia’s U.S. senators condemned today’s military strikes on Iran, calling the attack unconstitutional and demanding that Congress reconvene.
The U.S. and Israel launched a major attack on Iran overnight, with strikes hitting areas across the country including around the offices of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in Tehran. President Donald Trump, in a video announcing “major combat operations,” called on Iranians to “seize control of your destiny” by rising up against their government.
Virginia Gov. Abigail Spanberger delivered a Democratic response to President Donald Trump’s State of the Union address yesterday (Tuesday), questioning whether the president was improving affordability and keeping Americans safe.
Spanberger took aim at Trump’s policies including tariffs, the One Big Beautiful Bill passed by Congress, federal immigration enforcement tied to the deaths of two Americans, federal workforce reductions through DOGE, withholding of the Epstein files, and the threat of a war with Iran.
Arlington officials say they’re taking action behind the scenes to be ready for any possible surge in immigration enforcement locally.
“We have to be prepared,” Arlington County Board member Julius “JD” Spain, Sr., said at the Board’s Feb. 21 meeting. “We don’t want what happened in other parts of our nation to happen here, but if it does happen, we need to be prepared.”
Rep. Don Beyer (D-Va.) is celebrating a U.S. Supreme Court decision striking down tariffs imposed by President Trump.
Beyer, who chairs the New Democrat Coalition Trade & Tariffs Task Force, has been sharply critical of the tariffs and has called for the high court to find them illegal.
An Arlington native and former federal prosecutor who investigated President Donald Trump is running for Congress.
J.P. Cooney — who served as a top deputy for special counsel Jack Smith’s office in two criminal prosecutions against Trump, before the president fired him in January 2025 — announced his candidacy today (Wednesday).
