The Department of Defense is invoking national security concerns to try to exempt the oil industry from protecting endangered whales in the Gulf of Mexico. https://www.notus.org/climate-environment/pentagon-god-squad-cut-protections-endangered-whales-gulf-of-mexico

Dive deeper into wealth in Congress in @notus.com's Capitol Gains project, a months-long team effort to shed light on the finances of lawmakers whose work shapes the lives of millions of Americans every day www.notus.org/capitol-gains

New: Sens. Elizabeth Warren and Patty Murray are joining forces to establish the “Child Care for America” working group, the latest Democratic push to make child care affordable and accessible, according to plans shared exclusively with NOTUS. www.notus.org/congress/pro...

NEWS: Pete Hegseth is invoking "national security" to exempt the oil industry in the Gulf of Mexico from having to follow endangered species laws. There are only ~50 Rice's whales left in the Gulf. They are at risk of extinction.

New York has the lowest homeownership rate in the country, with just over half the state’s residents reporting owning a home in 2024. At least 24 of New York’s 28-member congressional delegation, however, own or have owned a home. www.notus.org/capitol-gain...

Despite filing House campaign paperwork, Mary Peltola made little effort in 2025 to recapture her former House seat while eyeing a Senate run. But a @notus.com review of FEC records indicates her old House committee kept spending big on hotels, planes and food www.notus.org/2026-electio...

In the newsletter: - DHS funding negotiations unravel - Mary Peltola’s spending spree - Josh Hawley’s abortion pill lead balloon - Plus: The latest installment in our Capitol Gains series https://www.notus.org/newsletters/dhs-talks-derail

Sens. Elizabeth Warren and Patty Murray are joining forces to establish the “Child Care for America” working group with the goal of making child care affordable and accessible, according to plans shared exclusively with NOTUS. www.notus.org/congress/pro...

Sen. Josh Hawley introduced a bill to ban mifepristone at the federal level. Republicans don’t want to address it ahead of November. www.notus.org/republicans/...

Josh Hawley's bill to ban mifepristone put the spotlight back on an issue Republicans try to avoid on an election year: abortion Lawler said he won't support the bill Evans said he's "cautious of issues like that" Valadao said Republicans should focus on the economy www.notus.org/republicans/...

A top Trump housing official tried, again, to bring a criminal case against NY AG Letitia James. https://www.notus.org/trump-white-house/bill-pulte-criminal-case-letitia-james-trump

Democratic Rep. Seth Moulton is banning his staff from gambling on prediction markets like Kalshi and Polymarket. https://www.notus.org/congress/seth-moulton-democrat-bans-staff-gambling-prediction-markets-kalshi-polymarket

Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act is set to expire on April 20, and a coalition of Democrats and Republicans have opposed a clean extension. https://www.notus.org/whitehouse/trump-fisa-privacy-congress-extension-surveillance-spy-powers

A top Republican congressman aired his grievances with the Trump administration publicly, chastising the Pentagon for failing to give lawmakers adequate information about its plans for the war with Iran. https://www.notus.org/defense/mike-rogers-republican-trump-congress-iran-briefing-war

Senate Majority Leader John Thune said there’s “no point” responding to an offer from Democrats to fund DHS, which Republicans labeled as “absurd.” https://www.notus.org/congress/dhs-shutdown-negotiations-republicans-democrats-trump-ice

Sen. Bernie Sanders and Rep. AOC want Congress to take immediate action to stop the spread of data centers key to AI, which Sanders called “literally an existential threat to the existence of the human race.” www.notus.org/technology/b...

“This is a dire situation,” acting TSA Administrator Ha Nguyen McNeill said. A top TSA official warned that it is increasingly likely some airports could close. https://www.notus.org/congress/top-tsa-official-ha-nguyen-mcneill-airport-closures-line-arrival-time

The Trump administration is giving ICE $464.5 million to buy 10 airplanes for its deportation fleet. https://www.notus.org/immigration/ice-deportation-fleet-10-planes-omb

scoop: The Trump administration gave ICE $465 million to buy ten planes for its deportation flights, including two gulfstream G650s more commonly used as private jets

Democrats say that FEMA Associate Administrator Gregg Phillips, who has a history of being an election denier and a record of claiming that he has been teleported, isn’t qualified for the job. https://www.notus.org/trump-white-house/fema-official-teleportation-claims

NEWS: In a meeting with CDC staff, Jay Bhattacharya said he and RFK Jr. have disagreed on "scientific matters" and that the new CDC director nominee will be announced tomorrow:

CDC acting Director Jay Bhattacharya told agency staff he has had “scientific” disagreements with Health Secretary RFK Jr. https://www.notus.org/health-science/cdc-acting-director-jay-bhattacharya-scientific-disagreements-rfk-jr

House progressives blasted the Trump administration’s reported $200 billion funding plan for the war in Iran. “Not one more cent for this reckless, illegal war,” Rep. Greg Casar said. https://www.notus.org/defense/house-progressives-200-billion-iran-war-funding-plan

The Trump administration is waiving ethanol restrictions on gas through the summer in an attempt to alleviate rising gas prices. https://www.notus.org/energy/trump-administration-waives-ethanol-restrictions-gas-prices

Some of the people DHS has publicized as the “worst of the worst” in its apprehension database were extradited to the U.S. https://www.notus.org/immigration/dhs-worst-of-the-worst-list-extradited-prisoners-apprehended

As President Trump and the GOP push for the SAVE America Act’s passage, Senator James Lankford says changing the filibuster would be detrimental to the Senate and the country. https://www.notus.org/senate/lankford-save-america-act-filibuster

Immigrant children are currently spending nearly 200 days on average in shelters or foster care, more than twice the number of days they spent in Office of Refugee Resettlement custody during the peak of family separations in Trump’s first term. www.notus.org/immigration/...

In the newsletter: - Selling the DHS shutdown deal - Republicans back Trump’s troop deployments - Citizens whose families have been swept up in deportation sweeps go to the Hill - And: Flying while elected. https://www.notus.org/newsletters/lawmakers-get-airline-perks

Republicans say that officially, they don’t know which of the two Dem candidates running for Senate in Iowa they prefer to face in a general. Their actions suggest otherwise. My story on the not-so-subtle GOP effort to elevate Zach Wahls in the Iowa Dem primary www.notus.org/2026-electio...

NOTUS’ @oriana.bsky.social joins @cspanwj.bsky.social to break down the ongoing negotiations to end the DHS partial shutdown.

In interviews, social media posts and even polls of the other party’s primary, Republicans in Iowa and Washington have attempted to elevate the candidacy of Democratic state Sen. Zach Wahls. https://www.notus.org/2026-election/zach-wahls-iowa-senate-primary-republicans

AIPAC is looking for a new general counsel and director of political operations, according to a confidential recruiting document obtained by NOTUS. https://www.notus.org/2026-election/aipac-political-director-hiring-lobbying-money-israel

More than 2,000 immigrant children are in the Office of Refugee Resettlement custody, spending nearly 200 days in shelters or foster care on average. www.notus.org/immigration/...

SCOOP: AIPAC is quietly searching for a new general counsel and director of political operations, according to private communications reviewed by @notus.com. Philip Friedman, who's had the role for 30+ years, is retiring. www.notus.org/2026-electio...

Meet Some of the Families Swept Up in Trump’s Deportation Campaign https://www.notus.org/immigration/trumps-deportation-campaign-democrats-event-families

Senate Republicans are largely backing the Pentagon’s decision to send additional troops to the Middle East, but not boots on the ground. “I hope and pray that they don’t have to put a single person on the ground,” said Sen. Thom Tillis. www.notus.org/defense/sena...

“I think it’s hard to do that,” Republican Sen. Rick Scott said of a second reconciliation bill more broadly. “I just don’t see how you get the SAVE America Act done with it.” https://www.notus.org/congress/senate-republicans-face-uphill-climb-to-enact-trumps-voting-bill

The Supreme Court appeared to be open to letting the Trump administration block asylum seekers at the southern U.S. border with Mexico.

Trump has picked a self-professed “alpha male” social media influencer to serve as the country’s so-called “brand ambassador.”

House Republicans are furious about how many Democratic priorities have been included in the housing bill. And their Democratic counterparts say Sen. Elizabeth Warren shut them out of the process. https://www.notus.org/housing/elizabeth-warren-housing-bill-negotiations

Jackson Lahmeyer, an Oklahoma pastor who has hosted the Trump family and allies for political events at his churches, is running for Congress. https://www.notus.org/campaigns/pastors-for-trump-founder-jackson-lahmeyer-is-running-for-congress-oklahoma

Minnesota officials sued the federal government for allegedly impeding the state’s investigation into the killings of Renee Good and Alex Pretti — and the shooting of Julio Cesar Sosa-Celis — by federal agents. www.notus.org/courts/minne...

Secretary of State Marco Rubio spent hours testifying at a Florida trial about getting dragged into shadow diplomacy with Venezuela. https://www.notus.org/courts/marco-rubio-david-rivera-trial-testimony

On July 11, 2017, Marco Rubio delivered a speech on the Senate floor outlining his vision for a post-socialist Venezuela. But his intended audience wasn’t the American public. It was actually tailored for Nicolás Maduro and nervous Venezuelan leadership. @notus.com: www.notus.org/courts/marco...

CAPITOL GAINS: Financial disclosures from New York’s congressional delegation show gaps between members’ public positions on lawmakers’ stock trading and how they have made their wealth. https://www.notus.org/capitol-gains/new-york-delegation-net-worth-stocks

Sen. Elizabeth Warren sent a list of questions to MrBeast on Monday about his company’s plans to promote cryptocurrency to his audience of preteens. https://www.notus.org/money/elizabeth-warren-questions-mrbeast-new-youth-cryptocurrency-app

In the latest episode of On NOTUS, Oklahoma Sen. James Lankford said allowing a simple majority vote on legislation would have “long-term repercussions” for the United States. https://www.notus.org/senate/lankford-save-america-act-filibuster

The Trump administration must bring a DACA recipient it deported to Mexico back to the U.S. within seven days, a federal judge ordered Tuesday. https://www.notus.org/immigration/judge-orders-return-daca-recipient-maria-de-jesus-estrada-juarez

In the newsletter: - Mullin gets a new job, and possibly a new funding stream for that job - Marco Rubio, character witness - And: Everybody wants a housing bill but nobody wants the housing bill https://www.notus.org/newsletters/meet-the-new-boss

Gov. Janet Mills’ campaign unveiled a second ad targeting Graham Platner’s online history. https://www.notus.org/2026-election/janet-mills-graham-platners-comments-ad-maine-senate