Is Washington big enough for two Stars? A federal court may soon decide.

For months, the city has been gearing up for the launch of The Star, which is the name the political-news site NOTUS will adopt next month as it rebrands in a more general-interest direction. The publication owned by Politico founder Robert Allbritton has already announced a slew of new hires, including a small team to cover local D.C.

So it can’t have been welcome news when The New York Times reported yesterday that Dovid Efune, the publisher of the conservative New York Sun, has actually acquired the trademark Washington Star and plans to launch a publication with that name soon. (It’s already a Substack.) The Washington Star, of course, was the D.C. newspaper that died in 1981 — and had been owned by Allbritton’s father, which maybe explains why he didn't just go with The Bugle or some other litigation-proof name.

And now it looks like there will be a legal war to accompany the newspaper war. Before yesterday was out, The Washington Star filed a trademark suit against the plain-old Star in a Virginia federal court. They’re asking the court to keep The Star from using its new name, which is a problem since the site plans to relaunch next week.

Between the Freudian angle, the political angle, and the legal battle, this seems like a dishy story for local-news coverage — and, sure enough, my colleague Emma Uber filed her own report about the Star Wars last night. However enervating it may be to the antagonists, it seems like good news for the city: Competition brings out good stuff in journalism, as City Cast knows all too well since we’re trying to break news in the same market.

A few months ago, there was talk of Washington becoming a news desert. Now we’re talking about a newspaper war. Enjoy it.

Always Be Closing. With mail-in ballots already in voters’ hands, D.C.'s mayoral candidates are making their final pitches, Axios’ Cuneyt Dil reports. Janeese Lewis George is hitting affordability, Kenyan McDuffie public safety. Judging from their TV spots, it’s pretty clear who both candidates think they need to win over: Middle- and working-class Black D.C. voters. While you're at it, check out my interviews with Lewis George and McDuffie.

Springsteen Makes a Promise. The Bruce Springsteen concert at Nats Park Wednesday gave media-and-politics notables a chance to take part in a hallowed Beltway ritual: Posting on social media from the show. The Boss actually made news, though: He’ll be back in the DMV as part of the just-announced pre-election “Power to the People” festival at Merriweather Post Pavilion on October 3. Other artists include Foo Fighters, Joan Baez, Jack Black and The Linda Lindas.

Young M.C. Busts a Move. The not-so-impressive list of performers for the Great American State Fair became a lot less impressive over the course of yesterday: First, 1990s rap star Young M.C. dropped out of the show, saying he’d been unaware of the Trump connection. Then Morris Day, the onetime Prince associate, and Milli Vanilli, the duo in the 1988 lip-synching scandal, also said they wouldn’t be performing. The Commodores followed suit late in the day, and finally country singer Martina McBride said she was out, writing on social media that she’d falsely believed it would be a nonpartisan event. Vanilla Ice was still on board.

That Darn Trayon. The (not Washington) Star’s Martin Austermuhle flags that prosecutors have filed to introduce new evidence against D.C. Councilmember Trayon White, allegedly showing that a government contractor paid for White’s vacations in the Dominican Republic. White has pleaded not guilty. The long-delayed corruption trial could prove an embarrassment for the District, especially as Lewis George has called him a “mentor.”

National Guard Litigation. Some 26 mostly blue states filed an amicus brief this week against the National Guard deployment in D.C. Trump seems unmoved: At a cabinet meeting, he said they’re staying, adding: “They look great.”

Godzilla In Ward 2. The Washington Post profiles John Fredericks, the right-wing radio host running to chair D.C.’s Ward 2 Republican Party. The gig would mark something of a comedown for the “Godzilla of Truth” who has a multi-state radio audience. It may also roil D.C.’s tiny GOP: Chair Patrick Mara previously appointed Fredericks to the vacant Ward 2 role — but removed him over alleged misbehavior at a Republican National Committee meeting.

Finally: According to our maps, the CIA’s Langley headquarters is close to a number of banks just down Route 123. Maybe the agency should think about a safety-deposit box? Longtime officer David Rush has been accused of stealing 300 gold bars, worth about $40 million. Presumably the gold was meant to tempt foreign officials, not American ones. Arch quote from NBC’s report: “The case raises questions about the effectiveness of the federal government’s security vetting.” Ya think?