SCOOP: The Trump administration is paying millions to quickly cover four enormous bronze horses with extra-thick 23.75 karat gold leaf. The money for the rush job is coming from National Park Service funds. In total, I found ~$100 mil spent on new DC beautification projects.

Top lawyer at the Dept. of Health and Human Services bought a bunch of stock in Corning Inc. www.notus.org/money/hhs-of... The rub? Corning is a major contractor for HHS. And ethics officials flagged the trade as not in compliance with the lawyer's ethics agreement. I spoke with said lawyer:

NEW: For 9 months, Trump has claimed a "license to kill" that experts in the law of war + human rights describe as even scarier than his escalations with Iran Now his boat strikes - which have killed >190 - face a moment of truth that could spur a bigger reckoning over Trump's use of military force

New from me @notus.com: The Trump admin gave Phil Alito, Sam Alito's son, a political appointee job as a Treasury Dept lawyer in 2025. The judge never disclosed it during the tariff case. Now the fight over the Treasury's J6 slush fund could reach the high court too. www.notus.org/us-news/samu...

New from me @notus.com: We just revealed the White House has been brainstorming with prosecutors and even *the postmaster general himself* on how to restrict mail-in ballots and enforce federal voter lists. The government hasn't admitted to that in court. www.notus.org/trump-white-...

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...

Rep. French Hill's political committees got $54,250 from the Mortgage Bankers Association PAC in just two and a half weeks after the Senate passed a competing version of the French-led housing bill that included a provision it opposes. NEW on @notus.com www.notus.org/republicans-...

SCOOP: Sen. Cory Booker's campaign bank account got hacked. www.notus.org/money/cory-b...

Absolutely wild exclusive from @taylorgiorno.bsky.social of @notus.com about an alleged embezzlement that’s turned a prominent union inside out but hasn’t been known until now. www.notus.org/money/seafar...

The daughter of the Seafarers International Union president has been accused of embezzling large sums of money from the union’s two PACs. It's the latest in a string of high-profile theft allegations against treasurers of political committees. NEW on @notus.com www.notus.org/money/seafar...

Defense industry executives and PACs pumped millions into the campaigns of lawmakers in key regulatory positions (and competitive races) amid the U.S. war with Iran NEW from @bueninvierno.bsky.social www.notus.org/defense/mili...

On May 1, 2025, the Federal Election Commission entered what agency brass expected to be a relatively short work stoppage. One year later, the agency still doesn't have enough commissioners to conduct high-level business. w/ @davelevinthal.com on @notus.com www.notus.org/campaigns/tr...

NEW: Trump's new nominee for Surgeon General, Nicole Saphier, has criticized vaccine and mask mandates. "It’s time to ‘let’ anyone who wants to move on from the pandemic do so," she wrote in 2022. More on Saphier's nomination here: www.notus.org/healthcare/t...

NEW: House Dems are planning ethics changes if they win the majority in 2026 Desaulnier and Morelle, from Ethics and Admin, directed their staff to come up with ideas McGovern, from Rules, says ethics reform would be in next Congress' rules package: "We need to do better" notus.org/congress/dem...

NEW 🚗: General Motors reported spending more money on federal lobbying during Q1 2026 than during any single quarter ever — by a lot, according to new federal lobbying disclosures reviewed by @taylorgiorno.bsky.social of @notus.com www.notus.org/money/genera...

NEW: General Motors reported spending nearly $11.4 million on federal lobbying expenses during Q1 🚗 It was one of just four entities to spend more than $10 million on federal lobbying last quarter (the others were the Chamber of Commerce, NAR & PhRMA) www.notus.org/money/genera...

The person from Chemours is toxicologist Shawn Gannon. @taylorgiorno.bsky.social previously reported that Chemours used Gannon's research on PFOA to push against EPA's "forever chemicals" regulations.

Who's funding the AI industry's Public First super PAC? New FEC docs don't give many clues. The super PAC reported raising $1.5 million. Michael Cohen of the University of California gave $500K The rest came from Public First Action, a 501(c)(4) #darkmoney group that doesn't disclose its donors

Somewhere at OpenAI or Google is a documented record of AI image prompts from the White House. And if you have access to those, boy do I want to hear from you. Signal: JosePagliery.46

NEW: A makeover for Leonard Leo's "dark money" operation Some scoopy stuff in there: - The Concord Fund dissolved in VA in January - The Lexington Fund gave $1M to RAGA last year - The Yorktown Fund popped up in December www.notus.org/money/leonar...

A top trade assn CEO is creating “toxic” workplace, according to anonymous letters to the board and sources interviewed by @notus.com. The Investment Company Institute called the allegations "patently false." Inside the "crisis of confidence" at ICI www.notus.org/money/invest...

The Trump administration views DACA recipients as deportable as any undocumented immigrant. For my latest, I talked to immigrants without permanent legal status who entered the country as children and spent months in ICE detention. www.notus.org/immigration/...

SCOOP: The Pentagon failed to warn ships carrying supplies for the US military before starting the war in Iran. The ships got stuck in the Persian Gulf. They’re still stuck. And for a month, they were stuck w/ a group of college students — merchant marine cadets.

NEW: Inside the "Crisis of Confidence" at the Investment Company Institute CEO Eric Pan has created "toxic" work environment, according to anonymous letters to the ICI board & interviews w/ five sources. ICI called the allegations "patently false." www.notus.org/money/invest...

🚨 Bombshell report w/ tons of exclusive details about the state of affairs inside the Investment Company Institute, the powerful trade association repping the trillion-dollar asset management industry’s interest in Washington. From @taylorgiorno.bsky.social @notus.com: www.notus.org/money/invest...

Last summer, @oriana.bsky.social and I wrote about the dark money network fueling the post-Roe fight to restrict access to abortion pills. Check it out on @notus.com: www.notus.org/money/dark-m...

NEWS: A federal judge ordered the FDA to provide concrete details of its review of abortion pills, which the agency has so far kept under wraps The FDA has 6 months to file a status report on its mifepristone review, including how long it'll take www.notus.org/courts/feder...

NEW: Rep. Kelly Morrison (D-Minn.) is the latest member of Congress to violate the STOCK Act, as she was months late disclosing eight personal financial trades together worth seven figures. In @notus.com: www.notus.org/congress/kel...

Top Democrats hoping a favorable political climate swoops them back into power this year are increasingly rattled about something: a growing — and unprecedented — Republican cash advantage. Via @alexroarty.bsky.social and @taylorgiorno.bsky.social of @notus.com: www.notus.org/2026-electio...

Democrats are increasingly rattled about the GOP's financial edge ahead of the '26 midterms. -- their deficit might be as much as a half-billion dollars On the fly in the ointment for Ds in an election they otherwise are feeling good about. w/@taylorgiorno.bsky.social www.notus.org/2026-electio...

🚨 Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-Calif.) personally peddled the services of his politics-focused startup company to fellow lawmakers and Democratic staff, in possible violation of House Ethics rules, @bueninvierno.bsky.social of @notus.com is reporting. www.notus.org/democrats/de...

The Trump administration is simultaneously trying to 1: Exempt offshore oil from protecting the whales. 2: Stop offshore wind in order to protect the whales.

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...

New York has the lowest rate of homeownership rate in the US. But 24 of the 28 lawmakers in NY's congressional delegation own or have owned a home — a notable divide within a state at the epicenter of the national debate around rising home prices. NEW in @notus.com: www.notus.org/capitol-gain...

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/...

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

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:

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...

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...

🚨 @notus.com has sued the Trump administration in federal court for failing to release USAID records requested through a Freedom of Information Act request. www.notus.org/about-us/pre...

SCOOP: Sen. Elizabeth Warren shepherded a major housing bill through the Senate — it’s now at risk of tanking in the House Sources say she has boxed House Democrats out of negotiations, which is imperiling its support in the lower chamber www.notus.org/housing/eliz...

NEW: Democratic primary turnout continued to surge Tuesday, part of a trend in higher turnout in these races than what the party saw in '22 and '24 The new wave of voters could complicate the party's primaries -- but is also giving some Dems hope for November www.notus.org/2026-electio...

HOW FEDERAL LAWMAKERS GET RICH 💰 Reporter @taylorgiorno.bsky.social of @notus.com jaws with @jimlokay.com of Fox 5 DC about our new Capitol Gains project that reveals the way members of Congress pad their personal portfolios. Watch: www.fox5dc.com/video/fmc-ky...

ETHICS AGREEMENT: Sen. Markwayne Mullin pledges to divest of several dozen stocks if he becomes homeland security secretary. Details and document from @taylorgiorno.bsky.social of @notus.com. www.notus.org/trump-white-...

NEW: Markwayne Mullin promised to sell of his stocks if he's confirmed as homeland security secretary His stock portfolio — and the wealth it's generated for him — sparked conflict-of-interest concerns in the leadup to his confirmation hearing Wednesday www.notus.org/trump-white-...

Mullin says FEMA should be ‘restructured’ and that he’ll end Noem’s controversial $100K expense reviews thehill.com/policy/energ...

The Department of Transportation’s top highways official purchased between $30,002 and $100,000 worth of stock in a Singaporean company that provides transportation services, including ride hailing and food delivery. www.notus.org/money/transp...

Some Democrats are worried that the heavy spending increase ahead of Illinois’ Tuesday primary could become a new normal nationwide. https://www.notus.org/2026-election/illinois-democratic-primaries-outside-money-ai-aipac

Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.) is a leading advocate for banning members of Congress from trading stock. She also just violated the existing Stop Trading on Congressional Knowledge Act by improperly disclosing a stock sale in 2023. New in @notus.com: www.notus.org/congress/pra...

Members of Congress are overwhelmingly rich. But just how rich are they? For Capitol Gains, @notus.com dives into how lawmakers make their money — and explores how a group of mostly multimillionaires makes policy that affects millions. www.notus.org/capitol-gains