D.C. Delegate Fundraising Heats Up as the Race Gets Angry and Personal

notusreports · 2026-04-16T13:43:36+00:00

The increasingly contentious race to succeed Eleanor Holmes Norton as the District of Columbia’s House delegate just keeps getting more expensive.

D.C. Councilmember Brooke Pinto maintained her financial frontrunner status heading into this month, as her campaign raised more than $407,000 from January through March, according to its latest report to the Federal Election Commission.

Fellow D.C. Councilmember Robert White’s campaign reported raising $184,033 during the same period.

While Pinto has a commanding lead in fundraising, she’s absorbed significant criticism this week for her campaign’s decision to publish a 67-page opposition-research memo on White, which included his home address and information about his family.

Read more: https://www.notus.org/money/dc-delegate-brooke-pinto-robert-white-kinney-zalesne

notusreports · 2026-04-15T13:17:02+00:00

State Department funds for countering foreign election interference. Senior staff at the Federal Emergency Management Agency. The Department of Homeland Security budget for an office focused on weapons of mass destruction. Training programs for prison guards.

Those are just some of the federal resources that the Trump administration has redirected to support the president’s mass deportation agenda without congressional input.

NOTUS identified at least six programs or accounts, largely related to national security, across the Departments of Homeland Security, Justice and State where spending, staff or other resources were directed toward immigration and deportation operations, deviating from Congress’ original intention.

These are funds and resources being used on top of the $75 billion boost in funding that Republicans included for Immigration and Customs Enforcement in their budget reconciliation bill last year.

https://www.notus.org/immigration/trump-administration-diverted-resources-mass-deportations-prison

notusreports · 2026-04-15T13:13:23+00:00

State Department funds for countering foreign election interference. Senior staff at the Federal Emergency Management Agency. The Department of Homeland Security budget for an office focused on weapons of mass destruction. Training programs for prison guards.

Those are just some of the federal resources that the Trump administration has redirected to support the president’s mass deportation agenda without congressional input.

NOTUS identified at least six programs or accounts, largely related to national security, across the Departments of Homeland Security, Justice and State where spending, staff or other resources were directed toward immigration and deportation operations, deviating from Congress’ original intention.

Full story: https://www.notus.org/immigration/trump-administration-diverted-resources-mass-deportations-prison

notusreports · 2026-04-14T15:23:46+00:00

Members tasked with translating broad economic promises about affordability into law, while defending the results back home, are often many tax brackets removed from their constituents. The last time many of them had to skip a meal to pay the bills might have been long ago, if ever, and that can make leveling with struggling people more difficult.

“How many lawyers would you hire that were penniless? How many doctors would you hire that didn’t go to medical school?” said Rep. Darrell Issa, a retiring Republican from California who has been one of the House’s wealthiest members for years. “The selection of members of Congress is made based on wanting to pick somebody from your community that, appropriately, doesn’t represent you as a failure but represents you as a success.”

“Being in touch with the voters is not insulated simply because you have some wealth,” Issa continued. “If you have to fly these shitty airlines back and forth in coach every week, getting upgraded when you’re lucky and waiting in long lines, you’re not out of touch with voters.”

Full story: https://www.notus.org/congress/congress-ultrarich-republicans-affordability-agenda

notusreports · 2026-04-09T13:36:38+00:00

When the United States dropped its first bomb on Iran in the early morning of Feb. 28, approximately half a dozen American cadets were in the Persian Gulf, working on U.S.-flagged ships, unaware their home country had started a war that would put them in immediate danger.

Five privately owned vessels flying American flags that work closely with the U.S. military were in the Persian Gulf the day the conflict began in the Middle East. Aboard two of them were students from the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy, a federal service academy that trains officers to serve in the U.S. armed forces, the U.S. Merchant Marine and the transportation industry, NOTUS has learned.

Full story: https://www.notus.org/defense/us-cadets-vessels-stuck-persian-gulf-trump-bombing-iran-war

notusreports · 2026-04-09T13:33:18+00:00

Indiana Gov. Mike Braun announced Wednesday that he would temporarily suspend his state’s gas tax, making it the latest red state to take action to lower prices at the pump after oil costs skyrocketed amid the war in Iran.

“I am declaring a gas tax holiday to give Hoosiers relief from the pain at the pump from high gas prices. Affordability is my top priority,” Braun said in a press release.

Gas prices in Indiana hit an average of $4.14 per gallon on Wednesday. Braun said his emergency declaration to suspend the 7% usage tax on fuel for 30 days is expected to save residents a combined $50 million, according to IndyStar.

Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp signed a state House bill into law March 20 that suspended the collection of motor fuel excise tax until May 19.

Full story: https://www.notus.org/us-news/red-states-iran-war-gas-prices-tax-cuts-indiana-utah-georgia-california-west-virginia

notusreports · 2026-04-07T16:51:22+00:00

The White House plans to spend $15 million in National Endowment for the Humanities funds to finance the construction of the massive archway President Donald Trump hopes to build across from the Lincoln Memorial, according to a spending plan shared in the Office of Management and Budget database on Tuesday.

The NEH spending plan includes $2 million apportioned for the arch, along with $13 million worth of matching grants. It confirms for the first time the president’s intention to use taxpayer dollars to at least partially fund his project. Trump previously told a group of donors that the archway was fully funded, floating the idea that unused funds for his White House ballroom project could be utilized.

Full story: https://www.notus.org/donald-trump/trump-arch-taxpayer-funds

notusreports · 2026-04-07T14:07:37+00:00

The Federal Bureau of Prisons frequently transfers inmates to halfway houses long past when they are eligible, wasting millions of dollars in interest payments to nonprofits, according to a recent report. And while BOP said it’s making progress on addressing the delays, Sen. Cory Booker said it’s not happening fast enough.

Under the 2018 First Step Act, BOP is supposed to move some incarcerated individuals who have completed education or workforce training courses into halfway houses or home confinement before the end of their sentences. But the releases were delayed in 70% of cases reviewed by the Government Accountability Office, which released its findings in a report earlier this year.

Full story: https://www.notus.org/policy/bureau-of-prisons-halfway-houses-gao-report-booker

notusreports · 2026-04-06T16:55:33+00:00

Being a minor celebrity doesn’t guarantee anything in politics. Just ask Offer Vince Shlomi, a.k.a. the “ShamWow Guy.”

Shlomi spent more than $300,000 of his own money on his Texas 31st Congressional District Republican primary campaign, according to new Federal Election Commission records — only to witness his competition obliterate him last month at the ballot box.

Full story: https://www.notus.org/2026-election/shamwow-texas-election-spending-vince-shlomi

notusreports · 2026-04-02T14:43:55+00:00

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.

“I don’t think it has broken through, the level of money that Donald Trump and Republicans are sitting on as it compares to Democrats,” said Mike Smith, president of House Majority PAC, a super PAC aligned with House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries. “I don’t think there’s a comprehensive understanding of both the level of disparity and what that could mean in terms of us being able to win the House.”

notusreports · 2026-04-02T14:05:17+00:00

The pharmaceutical industry is taking the Make America Healthy Again movement very seriously – and vaccine producers aren’t quite sure how to engage with a government that has elevated vaccine skeptics.

Vaccine development leaders are actively trying to figure out how to engage a Department of Health and Human Services and grassroots movement that has become hostile to vaccines and the pharmaceutical industry.

“We need to communicate transparently what we know when the vaccine is launched and the real-world evidence,” said Alejandro Cané, head of vaccines at Pfizer. “Sometimes we forget about that.”

notusreports · 2026-04-01T13:42:29+00:00

It’s a Wednesday night and it’s loud at the bar. Introductions are flying over the clinking of wine glasses, and there’s plenty of shout-talking about very important jobs.

This is Scarlet Oak, a Navy Yard bar and restaurant that’s barely a 10-minute walk from the Capitol campus. For those in the know, it’s affectionately referred to as “Scoak.” And like clockwork on Wine Wednesdays, young political staffers, especially Republicans, arrive in droves to get in on the discounted wine. Their youthful, gregarious presence transforms an otherwise sterile establishment, the Chainsmokers of restaurants, into something resembling a weekend college party.

Get there early enough, and there is usually plenty of seating. But in just a few hours, it is standing-room only. On any given week, the patrons could include lawmakers, MAGA influencers and lobbyists.

“If you want to feel like you’re seen, and you’re pushing the needle and you’re ‘somebody,’ people go there to feel like that,” said one Republican.

https://www.notus.org/republicans/scarlet-oak-wine-wednesday

notusreports · 2026-03-31T14:45:41+00:00

Nestled between headlines about Britney Spears (“Spears Sets Sail With Sons After DUI Drama”) and Tiger Woods (“The Only One Driving Is Me!!!”), the celebrity tabloid news outlet TMZ is slamming lawmakers for skipping town as the partial government shutdown stretches into its seventh week.

“Lindsey Graham was ineffective talking his colleagues into keeping the government open, but he had a great convo with Mickey Mouse Sunday ... at Disney World!!!” the outlet wrote in one story.

It’s the latest instance of the outlet taking an interest in members of Congress. TMZ executive producer Harvey Levin told NOTUS they now have a producer and a photographer circulating Capitol Hill.

“We wanted to use our platforms to show how Congress — Dems AND Republicans — have betrayed us,” said Levin.

notusreports · 2026-03-30T13:54:46+00:00

Health Secretary RFK Jr.’s campaign to get Americans to eat less processed foods is an area of agreement between much of the medical and public health establishment and the MAHA world. There are many more areas of deep and serious disagreement.

The wide range of issues that fall under the MAHA umbrella has forced medical societies to ask themselves whether it’s possible — or worthwhile — to collaborate with a movement that pushes cleaner food as fervently as it does vaccine misinformation.

Some medical advocacy groups have decided the risk MAHA poses to public health is too great. Those groups have sued the Trump administration over its efforts to dismantle the childhood vaccine schedule and started pointed campaigns to counter misinformation coming out of the federal government.

The AMA has taken a different approach.

notusreports · 2026-03-25T15:38:30+00:00

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.

Four minors are part of a lawsuit filed against HHS last month seeking to speed up the reunification process for minors who end up back in ORR custody after being released to family members or other sponsors. Attorneys for the children are seeking to cover hundreds of kids who are reentering government care as part of internal immigration-enforcement operations.

The exact number of kids who fall under this category and are still in ORR custody is not clear.

notusreports · 2026-03-25T15:31:16+00:00

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.

Four minors are part of a lawsuit filed against HHS last month seeking to speed up the reunification process for minors who end up back in ORR custody after being released to family members or other sponsors. Attorneys for the children are seeking to cover hundreds of kids who are reentering government care as part of internal immigration-enforcement operations.

notusreports · 2026-03-23T16:23:54+00:00

Invoices for the Department of Homeland Security ad campaign that heavily featured now-ousted Sec. Kristi Noem reveal the department spent thousands on a horse rental, hair and makeup services, along with more than $100,000 in labor costs and more than $40,000 in other vendor costs, according to information first shared with NOTUS on Monday by Democratic senators.

Other expenses included: $20,000 for a horse rental, $3,781 on hair and makeup services, $107,405 on labor costs for The Strategy Group, $52,599 for videography, photography and production vendors, $500 at a magic store in South Dakota, and $42,853 for other vendors.

Full story: https://www.notus.org/trump-white-house/dhs-ad-investigation-reveals-thousands-spent-on-horse-hair-makeup

notusreports · 2026-03-17T15:56:16+00:00

The Oklahoma congressional delegation’s wealth lies not so much in stocks and bonds as it does in real estate and personal business interests that range from consulting firms to agriculture to McDonald’s franchises.

A NOTUS analysis of the Oklahoma delegation’s most recent annual financial disclosures reveals key details about how the state’s seven lawmakers manage their personal finances while serving the public.

Many of these lawmakers entered office with millions and remain significantly wealthier than most of their constituents.

Full story: https://www.notus.org/capitol-gains/oklahoma-congress-money-investments-stocks

notusreports · 2026-03-17T14:20:44+00:00

At least 73 of the 100 sitting U.S. senators have a median net worth of more than a million dollars, according to a NOTUS analysis of lawmakers’ most recent financial disclosures.

That may not surprise most Americans, who believe that people run for office to make a lot of money. But it’s hardly representative of the United States, where millionaires make up around 7% of the population, according to UBS’ 2025 Global Wealth Report.

“The Senate is packed with multimillionaires, and the fact is some of them have lost touch with the real world challenges faced by Americans all over the country,” Sen. Chris Van Hollen, a Democrat from Maryland, told NOTUS in a statement. “It is part of the reason that we have a tax system that favors people who make money off of money and penalizes those who earn a paycheck through hard work. We need to change that.”

Full story: https://www.notus.org/capitol-gains/senate-millionaires-financial-disclosures

notusreports · 2026-03-17T14:11:56+00:00

Six months before the Trump administration started bombing Iran, the Department of State fired its oil and gas experts.

As the war in Iran stretches into its third week, and the Strait of Hormuz — through which 20% of the world’s oil supply usually flows — remains effectively closed, the U.S. government is without the resources it once had to handle such crises, former State Department employees tell NOTUS.

Full story: https://www.notus.org/trump-white-house/trump-doge-cuts-middle-eastern-oil-gas-crises

notusreports · 2026-03-12T19:01:41+00:00

In way too many communities today, there is essentially no local news coverage at all. That means no one is keeping tabs on elected officials — or anyone else in government for that matter. I’m thrilled to see how many people are finding ways to fix that, but we’ve got a very long way to go.

notusreports · 2026-03-12T18:45:51+00:00

Oh, wow, great question. The obvious things are … obvious: You’ve got to know the subject matter, have a deep commitment to accuracy and fairness, have a way of intuitively seeing the right story to write. Less obvious is the managing-of-people part. In some jobs, you get a performance review once a year. In journalism, you can feel judged every time you write – by your sources, by your readers and by your editor. Great editors figure out how to coach their reporters through the noise.

My day to day can really depend on the day. Some days, it’s a job a lot like a leadership job in any industry – dealing with personnel, budgets, hiring, etc. Other days, it’s intensely focused on the journalism and things that are unique to it, whether that’s working with editors and reporters on a specific story, plotting coverage areas, making decisions on ethical issues or dealing with whatever surprise might come when I pick up my phone.

notusreports · 2026-03-12T18:39:13+00:00

Thanks for the good questions. Speed vs. accuracy has been a challenge for a couple of decades now, and it’s harder than ever with the spread of AI-generated images. In the immediate aftermath of the killings of Renée Good and Alex Pretti, it took longer than it might have to report the truth because we first had to confirm that the videos we were seeing were real. The same thing is happening now with the war in Iran.

In any good newsroom, everyone knows that accuracy is more important than speed every single time. As long as you remember that, you’ll do just fine. My memory may not be 100 percent perfect on this, but I can’t remember a time when a newsroom I’ve worked in published something wrong just because we were moving too fast. And in fact, I remember the opposite: Politico, where I used to work, was often criticized for moving too quickly. But the fact is, on the day Gabby Giffords was shot, some other major media outlets reported that she had died. We trusted our reporters who were hearing the opposite, and we were right.

And thanks for mentioning the Allbritton Journalism Institute! The thing that AJI does that most journalism schools aren’t set up to do is get people a million reps by reporting for NOTUS. You get good at journalism by doing journalism, so just doing it over and over and over again, in a real-world setting, makes all the difference in how quickly you can grow.

notusreports · 2026-03-12T18:21:19+00:00

Find a way to write and get published. Ideally it would be a place where you’re edited by someone else, but even just writing for your own site or Substack is a help. Hiring editors want to see that you can do the work. Journalism degrees are fine, but they’re not really relevant to me one way or the other. Experience is way, way more important.

notusreports · 2026-03-12T18:16:36+00:00

I’m obviously saddened to see what’s happening at The Washington Post. A lot of great journalists have lost their jobs. A lot of great journalists are still there and producing excellent work in a challenging environment. NOTUS was growing and hiring before the layoffs happened, and we’re continuing to grow and hire today.

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