Samuel Larreal
@bueninvierno.bsky.social
Covering tech policy at NOTUS | Let’s chat on signal: samuellarreal.09 Cool people read notus.org
"The battle line has been drawn" on Virginia's data centers, which are doing damage control after state lawmakers passed a new energy consumption tax. Gov. Abigail Spanberger said it's "only the beginning.” NEW w/ @zaraleinorman.bsky.social & @bueninvierno.bsky.social www.notus.org/metro/northe...
‘The Battle Line Has Been Drawn’ Around Virginia’s Data Centers
Souring public sentiment led state lawmakers to grapple with how to regulate the industry and create a first-of-its-kind tax.
notus.org
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.
The Trump Administration Is Spending $5 Million to Coat Horse Statues in Gold
The Interior Department quickly gave nearly $100 million in contracts in a rush to beautify D.C.
notus.org
Read @bueninvierno.bsky.social and my latest on Trump’s stock purchases.
Samuel Larreal@bueninvierno.bsky.social · 3mo agoNEW: President Donald Trump bought and sold millions of dollars worth of stock in tech companies and government contractors including Nvidia and Palantir. Some of those trades overlapped with regulatory decisions that were favorable to these companies. www.notus.org/money/donald...
The White House sent us this statement on Trump’s stocks today, after originally referring our questions to the Trump Org.
Samuel Larreal@bueninvierno.bsky.social · 3mo agoNEW: President Donald Trump bought and sold millions of dollars worth of stock in tech companies and government contractors including Nvidia and Palantir. Some of those trades overlapped with regulatory decisions that were favorable to these companies. www.notus.org/money/donald...
NEW: President Donald Trump bought and sold millions of dollars worth of stock in tech companies and government contractors including Nvidia and Palantir. Some of those trades overlapped with regulatory decisions that were favorable to these companies. www.notus.org/money/donald...
Trump Bought Corporations’ Stock as His Administration Boosted Their Business
New federal disclosures indicate the president went on a stock-buying spree in early 2026.
notus.org
NEW: Progressives are taking a big swing at mobilizing AI-anxious voters, betting that concerns about data centers and job loss could win over young and working-class voters. "There’s an opening, but you’ve got to be aggressive," State Sen. Mallory McMorrow told me. www.notus.org/2026-electio...
Progressives Bet AI Anxiety Will Win Them Elections
Voters are worried about AI coming for their jobs. Progressives believe they have a solution.
notus.org
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...
Defense Contractors Pump Big Money Into Congressional Campaign Accounts Amid Iran War
Defense industry executives and PACs contributed millions to politics last quarter.
notus.org
I’ve been using Firefox as my main browser for the first time in over a decade because I got sick of Safari. I’d say it’s refreshing to see a solid, feature-rich browser get some love after Arc crashed and burned.
Thank you Birda, the birdwatching app, for blessing me with a non-AI, non-GLP-1 ad on YouTube. More of this, less scary and dystopic tech.
LLMs like Claude and ChatGPT are going to be major sources of information for voters in the '26 midterms. Most Republicans and Democrats have no idea what to do about that www.notus.org/2026-electio...
ChatGPT and Claude Will Be a Force in Elections. Nobody Knows What to Do About It.
Chatbots have already changed how voters get information. Political operatives just don’t know what they can do to change what the chatbots say.
notus.org
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...
The Republican Fundraising Advantage ‘Keeping Democrats Up at Night’
Midterms are often unkind to the party in power, but an unprecedented war chest amassed by President Donald Trump and his allies has Democrats on the back foot.
notus.org
NEW: Rep. Eric Swalwell repeatedly pitched the services of his AI startup to fellow lawmakers in possible violation of House Ethics rules, six Democratic sources told NOTUS. One of them told me Swalwell is “relentless” in promoting his company. www.notus.org/democrats/de...
Democrats Say Rep. Eric Swalwell Personally Pitched His Political AI Startup to Lawmakers
Getting a business pitch from Swalwell is "surprisingly universal," in some Democratic circles, one source told NOTUS.
notus.org
SCOOP from @bueninvierno.bsky.social: Rep. Eric Swalwell repeatedly peddled the services of his politics-focused startup company, Findraiser, to House Democrats — potentially violating House Ethics rules "He’s peddling the shit out of that thing," one source said www.notus.org/democrats/de...
Democrats Say Rep. Eric Swalwell Personally Pitched His Political AI Startup to Lawmakers
Getting a business pitch from Swalwell is "surprisingly universal," in some Democratic circles, one source told NOTUS.
notus.org
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/...
House Republicans Want to Stay Away From Josh Hawley’s Abortion Pill Ban
The senator put the spotlight back on abortion when he introduced a bill to ban mifepristone, but Republicans don’t want to address it ahead of November.
notus.org
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 Tells Staff He’s Had ‘Scientific’ Disagreements With RFK Jr.
In an internal meeting, Jay Bhattacharya spoke candidly about his relationship with Kennedy, expressed support for the measles vaccine and said his replacement is coming soon.
notus.org
NEW: “NOTUS found that a number of the individuals on DHS’s list weren’t living in American communities even before they were in prison,” @violetjira.bsky.social reports. “Instead, some were extradited to the U.S. by the DOJ and have never left federal custody.” www.notus.org/immigration/...
DHS Includes People Extradited to the U.S. and Serving Prison Time on ‘Worst of the Worst’ List
NOTUS found that some of the people the Department of Homeland Security touts in its apprehension database were apprehended abroad and brought to the U.S.
notus.org
ICYMI: Rep. Eric Swalwell has a side gig — and some of his political allies are pumping it full of money. Via @bueninvierno.bsky.social of @notus.com. www.notus.org/money/eric-s...
Eric Swalwell’s AI-Powered Political Startup Is Making Big Money From Democratic Allies
Swalwell’s own congressional and California gubernatorial committees have also spent thousands of dollars for his company’s services.
notus.org
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...
Rep. Eric Swalwell has an AI-powered political analytics startup. And Swalwell’s nascent company is making money from some familiar sources — other Democratic members of Congress. New from @bueninvierno.bsky.social of @notus.com: www.notus.org/money/eric-s...
Eric Swalwell’s AI-Powered Political Startup Is Making Big Money From Democratic Allies
Swalwell’s own congressional and California gubernatorial committees have also spent thousands of dollars for his company’s services.
notus.org
ICE and military contractor Palantir hires two new Democratic lobbyists. New from @bueninvierno.bsky.social of @notus.com: www.notus.org/money/palant...
Palantir Hires Two New Lobbyists With Democratic Party Ties
The defense and immigration contractor is investing millions in its government influence efforts.
notus.org
Ever wonder how members of Congress get and stay wealthy? Here’s a place to start: www.notus.org/capitol-gains
Capitol Gains
Members of Congress make decisions that profoundly affect the health and wealth of all Americans — from the richest to the poorest among us. These decisions can also influence lawmakers’ own financial...
notus.org
A political ad bonanza funded by some of America’s wealthiest and most controversial special interest groups has swamped four Democratic House primaries in the Chicago area --> w/@bueninvierno.bsky.social www.notus.org/2026-electio...
Outside Group Spending Is Overwhelming Democratic Primaries
Spending from groups affiliated with the AI industry and the Israel lobby in Chicago-area races has some Democrats panicked about the future.
notus.org
How is AI being used in the war with Iran? Doesn't appear key members of Congress have much of a clue, reports @bueninvierno.bsky.social of @notus.com. www.notus.org/defense/defe...
House Defense Committee Leaders Don’t Know How AI Is Being Used on Iran
“My plate is full already, I’m not looking for detail like that,” the House Armed Services Committee Chair told NOTUS.
notus.org
"Anyone's better than that dog murderer." FEMA staff are rejoicing at Kristi Noem's ouster. I've had folks asking me for months if I knew when she might get fired. That day is finally here, and they are delighted.
FEMA Staff Are Happy to See Kristi Noem Go
“Anyone is better than that dog murderer,” a longtime FEMA employee said.
notus.org
“We need to ban the word ‘agency.’ I’m a dog.” harpers.org/archive/2026...
Child’s Play, by Sam Kriss
Tech’s new generation and the end of thinking
harpers.org
Rep. Tom Suozzi (D-N.Y.) has quietly watched the value of his Palantir stock soar. This year, Suozzi voted to fund the Department of Homeland Security, which has done massive business with Palantir. From @bueninvierno.bsky.social of @notus.com: www.notus.org/money/tom-su...
Democratic Rep. Tom Suozzi Owned Palantir Stock While Voting to Fund Homeland Security
Palantir is doing huge business with the federal government as its share price soars.
notus.org
Some Republicans are increasingly baffled with Trump’s support of data centers. “It’s filling our acreage. It’s sucking all the good out of our state, and it’s all done by taxpayer dollars,” OK State Sen. Kendal Sacchieri, who supports a data center moratorium, said. www.notus.org/technology/t...
Trump Loves Data Centers. Many Republican Lawmakers Don’t.
Some state lawmakers are mulling legislation that would pause the construction of new data centers in their states altogether.
notus.org
At least 32 kids entered foster care in 2025 after immigration agents detained their parents. That includes four toddlers ages 1-3 in Vermont. Here’s my story on the patchy tracking of family separations through the foster care system. www.notus.org/immigration/...
Dozens of Kids Entered Foster Care After Immigration Agents Detained Their Parents
States are taking custody of kids separated from their parents in Trump's push for mass deportations. No one knows exactly how many.
notus.org
