Ahead of WHCD, I interviewed the biggest celebrities in town — the TMZ guys. -Yes, they’re trolling us -They’ve been starstruck by @AOC, surprised by @timburchett and impressed by @repscfigures -Best food they’ve found in DC? Just wait for the kicker www.politico.com/news/2026/04...
Inside TMZ’s Capitol Hill playbook
TMZ’s new, kind of troll-y Washington team says they want to provide factual information, from what bills are passing to who’s clogging the toilets in Congress.
politico.com
NEW: As Trump picks high-profile legal fights with prominent Democrats, more and more Dem lawmakers are taking out liability insurance in case they’re next “That’s just, unfortunately, the nature of the job,” one House Democrat said w/ @riley-rogerson.bsky.social www.notus.org/democrats/li...
Democratic Lawmakers Are Taking Out Liability Insurance As Trump Ramps Up Legal Threats
“That’s just, unfortunately, the nature of the job right now and it’s terrible,” one House Democrat told NOTUS. “It’s a terrible way to have to do this work.”
notus.org
NEW: After Trump mastered the ‘new media’ circuit in 2024, Dems are now catching up in embracing podcasts/social media Dem comms aren’t “an email blast from Mailchimp anymore,” one aide said An inside look at Dems’ new media strategy w/ @riley-rogerson.bsky.social www.notus.org/congress/dem...
Inside the Democratic Battle to Go Viral
“We’ve gone from addition to multiplication,” Sen. Cory Booker told NOTUS of Democrats’ social media presence. “We need to do string theory.”
notus.org
The DOGE subcommittee’s meeting this week is sounding like must-see TV. Here’s what you need to know about Dem attitudes, Connolly’s advice, Chairwoman MTG’s strategy, why Comer picked her etc. TLDR; “It’s gonna be a shit show,” Rep. Crockett said. www.notus.org/congress/law...
Lawmakers Prepare for Their Newest Partisan ‘Bar Fight’: The DOGE Subcommittee
“It’s gonna be a shit show,” Rep. Jasmine Crockett said.
notus.org
After Elon Musk called USAID “evil,” we rounded up some Republican senators’ connections to the agency. Here’s Sens. Lindsey Graham and Thom Tillis visiting a USAID project in Egypt circa 2016.
Trump’s most vocal GOP critics say they’re extinct in Congress, and no one is coming to fill their shoes. “It’s gone,” Mark Sanford told me of the GOP resistance to Trump. “It’s extinct.” www.notus.org/congress/tru...
Trump’s Old GOP Critics in Congress Worry No Republican Will Fill Their Shoes
“Those folks have been weeded out,” former Rep. Mark Sanford told NOTUS.
notus.org
Both Alaska Sens. Dan Sullivan and Lisa Murkowski prefer the Athabaskan name Denali over McKinley. www.adn.com/politics/202...
Trump wants to change the name of Denali back to Mount McKinley
Alaska’s two Republican U.S. senators, Lisa Murkowski and Dan Sullivan, immediately pushed back, saying they support the Koyukon Athabascan place name for the mountain long favored by many Alaskans.
adn.com
Republicans don’t want “American Carnage” from Trump’s inaugural address today. Instead they want his speech to be funny, off-script and full of “awesomeness.” www.notus.org/donald-trump...
Republicans Want Ad Libs, Not ‘American Carnage,’ in Trump’s Inaugural Address
“No matter what he says,” Rep. Eric Burlison told NOTUS, “I’m sure it will be funny.”
notus.org
Inside Senate Dems’ confirmation prep: - Schumer told Dems to push noms to explain how they plan to execute Trump campaign promises, per source - Dems laying groundwork for "we warned you" moments down the line - Sens grappling with being firm without reading overly partisan - Early attack lines
Today’s NOTUS Newsletter Line-Up: - @EvanMcS with H-1B backstory - A preview of an awesome Marco Rubio profile from @byrdinator - The latest on reconciliation ahead of Trump’s hill visit - An update on Dick Durbin’s pre-inauguration moves from me www.notus.org/newsletters/...
Some of This Has Happened Before
notus.org
Age and tenure, Dems told @notusreports.bsky.social, may no longer be a winning argument as the party tries to turn the page on older senior committee members AOC’s race against Gerry Connolly to become the top House Dem on Oversight will test if that’s true www.notus.org/congress/ale...
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez Wants to Be the Democratic Party’s Top Attack Dog
“She is strategic, surgical in her approach. She works very well with other members and our staff,” Rep. Ayanna Pressley said. “And at a time when people are looking for more diverse representatives a...
notus.org