The Missouri Supreme Court upheld a new Republican-friendly congressional map in a series of rulings, dealing yet another blow to Democrats in the national redistricting fight.

Donald Trump will meet with Chinese President Xi Jinping as a wartime president looking for help to end the conflict in Iran from a country that purchases Iran’s sanctioned oil and has indirectly sent it weapons. https://www.notus.org/trump-white-house/trump-china-iran

Sen. John Cornyn has introduced legislation to rename a federal highway in honor of President Trump, a move that could be an effort to gain Trump’s coveted endorsement ahead of Texas’ May 26 Republican primary runoff.

The FBI now has a team of special agents that’s being internally referred to as the “payback squad” specifically put together to handle politically sensitive cases, according to four sources briefed on the matter who spoke to NOTUS on the condition of anonymity.

FBI Director Kash Patel lashed out at several Democrats during a Senate hearing after being confronted about recent reports claiming he has regularly drank to excess and mismanaged the bureau since taking it over last year.

The White House and party leaders are trying to sell lawmakers on security funding for President Trump’s planned White House ballroom. But there’s growing concern among Republican senators about the optics of approving the money ahead of midterm elections.

“The only thing that matters when I’m talking about Iran, they can’t have a nuclear weapon. I don’t think about Americans’ financial situation, I don’t think about anybody,” President Trump said. https://www.notus.org/economy/gas-prices-inflation-rise

Trump posted a fake quote from Sen. John Kennedy last night, which claimed that former President Obama was part of an illegal scheme to siphon off Obamacare money. “I didn't say that. I don't know the basis of it,” Kennedy told NOTUS. www.notus.org/donald-trump...

The DOJ unveiled charges related to the container ship crash that caused the 2024 collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore. https://www.notus.org/courts/doj-charges-baltimore-bridge-collapse

FDA Commissioner Marty Makary is resigning. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. asked Makary to resign over concerns about his ability to lead the agency, the official said.

President Trump posted a quote on Truth Social attributed to Sen. John Kennedy that claimed former President Barack Obama was part of an illegal Obamacare moneymaking scheme. The claim is baseless. What’s more, the quote isn’t even real.

A top EPA official overseeing the nation’s Office of Chemical Safety and Pollution Prevention bought oil, gas and power plant stocks and then quickly dumped them. https://www.notus.org/money/epa-official-energy-stocks

The Iran war has cost taxpayers an estimated $29 billion so far, the Pentagon’s top budget official told Congress. https://www.notus.org/defense/pentagon-iran-war-cost-29-billion

The consumer price index rose by 3.8% in April from the previous year, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. And the price of gas is up 28.4% year over year. https://www.notus.org/economy/gas-prices-inflation-rise

President Trump urged House Republicans on Monday night to pass a Senate housing package that includes a crackdown on Wall Street’s ability to purchase single-family homes. https://www.notus.org/housing/trump-house-republicans-senate-bill-road-to-housing-act-blackrock-single-family-home-purchase

New: Fears that the end of federal subsidies would dramatically impact the number of Americans insured through the HealthCare[.]gov marketplace appear to have been well founded. https://www.notus.org/newsletters/exclusive-aca-enrollment-numbers

A new report by House Judiciary Democrats says deporting criminal suspects prevents victims from getting justice and hands criminals without legal status “get-out-of-jail-free” cards. https://www.notus.org/congress/ice-mass-deportations-trump-administration-house-democrats-victims-criminal-justice

More than 1 in 5 people who enrolled in health insurance through HealthCare.gov during open enrollment and in the weeks immediately following were dropped from coverage for failing to pay their first month’s premium. www.notus.org/healthcare/a...

Hundreds of people are still donating to dormant political committees for Kari Lake and Tulsi Gabbard through what appears to be automated monthly payments. https://www.notus.org/money/tulsi-gabbard-kari-lake-political-committee-donations

In an exclusive memo shared with NOTUS, the New Democrat Coalition’s agenda includes targeting insider trading, prediction markets and cryptocurrency schemes. www.notus.org/congress/mod...

President Trump is returning to China nearly a decade after his first visit, with the shadow of the Iran war hanging over talks with President Xi Jinping. www.notus.org/trump-white-...

The Navy envisions buying 15 so-called “Trump-class” battleships over the next three decades, a number that is five times greater than previously disclosed, which would dramatically expand President Trump’s proposed “Golden Fleet.”

President Trump nominated ex-FEMA leader Cameron Hamilton to direct the organization once again, just over a year after he was ousted from the post.

Alabama can revert to a congressional map with only a single majority-Black district, the Supreme Court ruled today. The decision, based on the high court’s recent ruling on the Voting Rights Act, opens a path for Republicans to pick up an additional U.S. House seat.

Pennsylvania Supreme Court Justice David Wecht announced that he is leaving the Democratic Party, citing “hateful anti-Jewish invective and actions.”

Congress may not be giving President Trump his $1 billion for a new White House ballroom — and he can blame Republicans. Republican members, especially in the House, have been privately voicing their opposition to the funding both to the White House and House leaders, sources told NOTUS.

A D.C. nonprofit is suing the Trump administration seeking to halt the resurfacing being done at the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool.

💫 It's my first day at @notus.com / The Star! I took a break from the news cycle (+ put finishing touches on CROSSING THE RED LINE, on Biden/Gaza, publishing Sept 2026). Now I'm inspired by incredible new colleagues & excited for new stories. Tips: [email protected] / akbar.58 on Signal.

NEW: The same party that spent years pinning every penny increase at the pump on former President Joe Biden is now scrambling to explain why prices have surged to their highest level in years. www.notus.org/congress/rep...

DCCC Chair Suzan DelBene sat down with NOTUS’ Daniella Diaz to talk about the ongoing redistricting fight, the party’s midterm strategy and what Democrats will do if they win the majority in the House. https://open.spotify.com/show/0hcXZHYEUm9fRqYefcgpaw

The White House Correspondents’ Dinner shooting suspect pleads not guilty in federal court. https://www.notus.org/courts/whca-dinner-shooting-suspect-pleads-not-guilty

Acting CDC Director Jay Bhattacharya says there is no need for “public panic” over the hantavirus outbreak that began on a cruise ship. https://www.notus.org/health-science/hantavirus-cdc-us-reponse

A coalition representing 28 U.S. defense partners is urging lawmakers to make it easier for allied countries to build weapons with the U.S. and buy American arms. https://www.notus.org/defense/dmag-urges-congress-arm-sale-changes

What comes next after the 2026 vibe shift? A senior Republican strategist described to us how the coming months could play out after two pivotal court rulings turbocharged Republican redistricting efforts. https://www.notus.org/newsletters/republicans-summer-plan

Large financial institutions don’t yet know how exactly they are going to fit into President Trump’s newly announced website launching in 2027 to connect Americans to low-cost retirement account offers. notus.org/economy/trump-ira-gov-retirement-saving-plan-biden-obama

Gas prices have surged nearly 50% amid the U.S.-Israeli conflict with Iran. The response from congressional Republicans has been a study in spin. notus.org/congress/republicans-midterms-biden-trump-gas-prices-economy

Twin anxieties are dominating this Democratic primary election for a Nebraska House seat: whether a flood of outside money can swing a seat in Congress and whether that primary result could ultimately swing a presidential election. notus.org/2026-election/nebraska-democratic-primary-house-blue-dot

Acting CDC Director Jay Bhattacharya downplayed the severity of a hantavirus outbreak that began a cruise ship, comments that came the same day passengers were evacuated from the affected vessel onto Spain’s Canary Islands.

Russian President Vladimir Putin said over the weekend that he believes the war in Ukraine is “coming to an end,” his strongest statement to date about a potential peace deal.

CAPITOL GAINS: At least three of the four first-term lawmakers in Ohio’s delegation entered Congress as millionaires. https://www.notus.org/capitol-gains/ohio-congressional-delegation-wealth-assets-debt-money

President Trump over the weekend teased a potential relaunch of his short-lived military operation to open the Strait of Hormuz, dubbing the effort “Project Freedom Plus.”

Is a DCCC endorsement toxic? The Democrats who didn’t get one say so. https://www.notus.org/2026-election/dccc-endorsement-contested-primaries

Wisconsin lawmakers’ surge in their financial portfolios is primarily driven by real estate, retirement accounts and, in one case, a well-placed billboard, NOTUS’ analysis indicates. https://www.notus.org/capitol-gains/wisconsin-congressional-delegation-wealth-assets-debts

An internal audit found DHS apps with security vulnerabilities were downloaded publicly 375,000 times. https://www.notus.org/us-news/homeland-security-risked-cyberattacks-internal-watchdog-vulnerabilities-audit-biden-trump

Health Secretary RFK Jr. unveiled an initiative to reduce Americans’ reliance on antidepressants. https://www.notus.org/health-science/rfk-jr-unveils-plan-reduce-antidepressants

The Ethics Committee ultimately dismissed the case, even as some lawmakers expressed concern about Rep. Jim Costa’s alleged behavior, according to a source who was in the room during the deliberations. https://www.notus.org/congress/jim-costa-allegations-ethics-committee-investigation

Thousands of Americans with large outstanding child support payments may soon lose their passports. https://www.notus.org/trump-white-house/trump-administration-says-it-is-revoking-passports-on-an-unprecedented-scale

A representative for Tilman Fertitta, the U.S. ambassador to Italy, says his casino company investments “do not constitute a conflict” with government duties. https://www.notus.org/money/tilman-fertitta-gambling-stocks-ambassador-italy

Jeanine Pirro, the U.S. attorney for D.C., recommended that a lobbyist who admitted to embezzling more than $1 million from his employer’s political committee receive no more than 24 months in prison. https://www.notus.org/money/jeanine-pirro-jonas-murphy-sentencing-venture-capital-pac

NEW: Jeanine Pirro has recommended no more than 24 months in prison for a lobbyist who admitted to embezzling more than $1 million from his employer’s PAC. The now-former lobbyist, Jonas Murphy, said a “romantic relationship” prompted his crime. www.notus.org/money/jeanin...