all else aside, $200 is an insultingly low attempted bribe in this economy!

New: Ahead of US Secretary of Education Linda McMahon’s visit to Oklahoma, her team specifically asked Oklahoma officials not to include state Superintendent Ryan Walters in any of the events, per sources. They feared he would be a distraction. notus.org/oklahoma/ryan-…

President Trump’s strategy of attacking the credibility of mail-in voting could end up hurting his own party. via Violet notus.org/trump-white-ho…

You're a digital director on the Hill. August recess is almost over and it's gotten a bit boring. You're cooking up the worst possible thing anyone can imagine.

US-Venezuela tensions rise as US warships arrive in Southern Caribbean reut.rs/4mLGKVm reut.rs/4mLGKVm

📺: Violet joins Caitlin Huey-Burns to discuss Trump’s unprecedented attempt to fire Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook. cbsnews.com/video/hhs-depu…

Vibe check: Sunny Friday morning at the White House where “My Heart Will Go On” by Celine Dion can be heard playing from *somewhere* as you approach the building.

NEW: Local leaders have observed a pattern and received reports of ICE targeting rideshare and delivery drivers in DC, with some even urging residents against ordering delivery. The companies that employ these drivers as contractors are staying silent. notus.org/policy/doordas…

From this morning's pool report: "POTUS seen ... Pool photog snaps pic of POTUS in white polo red MAGA hat black pants"

meanwhile, in beijing…

I have loved Google Docs for many years and was fiercely loyal to it but now it keeps interrupting my writing to try to tell me to use some little AI to do the writing I came to Google Docs to do on my own, as a human being. sad that we as a society can't have nice things anymore

Update: A spox for Mike Turner tells me the congressman "intended to vote no to table and submitted a correction immediately" However, the correction was submitted after the vote was gaveled, so the final tally — 215-207, with Turner and 4 other Rs joining Dems — won't change

When members of Congress die, they sometimes leave large amounts of campaign cash behind. And when they do, it is sometimes spent in most curious ways. Deep dive in ⁦NOTUS⁩ by ⁦Amelia Benavides-Colón⁩ and ⁦Violet⁩: notus.org/congress/dead-…

After going through campaign finance records for more than a dozen dead members of Congress, Violet and I found some irregularities. From funeral and medical expenses to payments to family, experts said these expenses are possible misuses of funds. notus.org/congress/dead-…

"What we are left with is a military strike conducted against suspects without due process, in the absence of any need for immediate self-defense..., without any congressional authorization and without any basis in international law." nytimes.com/2025/09/07/opi…

It was hard to miss the letter Donald Trump reportedly sent Jeffery Epstein for his 50th birthday. Most Republicans on Capitol Hill, however, pleaded ignorance. bit.ly/4nmqvxI

Tensions erupted on the House floor just now, following Charlie Kirk’s shooting earlier. After the chamber held a moment of silence, Rep. Lauren Boebert asked for someone to lead the chamber in prayer. Dem side erupts in objection, calling instead for the passage of gun laws.

NEW: ⁦NOTUS⁩ reporter ⁦Violet⁩ caught several more members of Congress violating financial transparency laws. Here’s what they had to say for themselves — and in two cases, not say. notus.org/congress/stock…

Five members of congress have violated federal ethics law by failing to submit their yearly financial disclosures on time. New from me in NOTUS notus.org/congress/stock…

Days after Russia’s alleged drone incursion into Poland, POTUS says he’s ready to place sanctions on Russia — if NATO nations stop buying Russian oil.