Emily Kennard

‘No Way’: Trumpworld Won’t Help Madison Cawthorn Attempt a Political Comeback The scandal-ridden former North Carolina lawmaker has launched a run for a House seat in Florida.

Former North Carolina Rep. Madison Cawthorn is attempting a political comeback — this time in an open House seat in Florida — but he shouldn’t expect any help from those in President Donald Trump’s orbit.
www.notus.org/2026-electio...

Trump’s Directive on ‘Organized Political Violence’ Could Lead to Increased Surveillance of His Critics The president issued a directive that could make dissent riskier for people and nonprofits.

Former national security officials and constitutional law experts warn that President Donald Trump’s directive on “domestic terrorism and organized political violence” could lead to government surveillance of people who simply disagree with him
www.notus.org/policy/trump...

Republicans Try Work-Arounds to In-Person Town Halls Back home, many of their constituents are eager to look lawmakers “in the face, eye to eye.”

To town hall or not at all is the question for Republicans this recess. As strategists urge caution, some are going ahead.

Rep. Rich McCormick told me that since his earlier this year "got ambushed," his future ones will have "strict rules" and ID checks.
www.notus.org/republicans/...

The 2 reporters did a short Q&A on their RFK/MAHA story, and it’s great!

(Via a @notusreports.bsky.social email, h/t @ddiamond.bsky.social)

Three Out of Four of Congress’ Dentists Agree: Fluoride Should Stay in Drinking Water Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has called for states to remove fluoride from their water, claiming it’s dangerous despite evidence that it improves oral health outcomes. Some Republican medica...

Some Republican lawmakers don't agree with Health Secretary RFK Jr.'s calls for states to stop fluoridating water.

I talked to GOP former medical professionals in Congress — including four dentists, all of whom are House Republicans — about fluoride.

www.notus.org/congress/con...

The Fight Against Bird Flu Is Bumping Up Against the Hazy Reality of the New CDC State health departments are giving mixed signals on what they’ve heard from the Trump administration on H5N1, with some officials and experts concerned about a lack of communication.

CDC officials “have been told very clearly to curtail some of their communications,” one state epidemiologist told me. “But in the meantime, us states aren’t going to just sit back and be at the mercy of this. We’re going to take it into our own hands.”
www.notus.org/policy/bird-...

House Republicans' Big Open Secret: They're Voting by 'Proxy' All the Time GOP lawmakers told NOTUS it’s common for colleagues to hand each other their voting cards for convenience. "That's voting by proxy," Rep. Anna Paulina Luna said.

GOP leadership has repeatedly shot down proposals to let new parents in Congress vote remotely, but multiple House Republicans told us they see lawmakers vote on one another's behalf — which is, according to the House rules, still proxy voting
w/ @byrdinator.bsky.social www.notus.org/house/republ...

House Republicans Celebrate Trump Firing Public Servants as a Win Against the ‘Deep State’ GOP lawmakers told NOTUS the president faces opposition within his own branch. But they are cheering on his success in forcing public servants out.

Republican lawmakers are excited about Trump's prospects in his war against the "deep state," and they told me he's already making significant headway by firing career public servants. www.notus.org/house/house-...

White House Press Secretary’s Campaign Took Illegal Donations From Businesses — And Hasn’t Returned the Money “This stuff is campaign finance 101. You don’t take freebies,” one campaign finance expert told NOTUS.

WH press secretary Karoline Leavitt revealed in new campaign filings she hasn’t refunded business donations she wasn’t supposed to accept during her failed 2022 congressional campaign.

The FEC has questioned the campaign at least 8 times about illegal donations.

www.notus.org/whitehouse/w...

Trump Administration Rescinds Freeze on Federal Aid The temporary pause on federal grants and loans, which was halted by a federal judge before going into effect on Tuesday, caused widespread confusion across the country.

The Trump administration's OMB just said never mind about that Monday night memo, which could have frozen an unclear amount of federal fund disbursements and was temporarily blocked by a federal judge just minutes before taking effect Tuesday. www.notus.org/whitehouse/t...

Republicans From States Reliant on Federal Funding Are Lining Up Behind Trump Aid Freeze As states struggled to figure out the scale of the anticipated federal aid freeze, Republicans in Congress supported the Trump administration’s efforts to review federal aid disbursements.

As the White House spent Tuesday trying to walk back the scope of its memo freezing federal aid, many Republican senators said the panic was overblown — even ones representing states with budgets heavily reliant on federal funds. www.notus.org/policy/repub...

Yes, Headlights Are Brighter. No, Congress Isn’t Doing Anything About It. An online organizing effort has raised overly bright headlights to members of Congress. But their advocacy hasn’t gained much momentum on Capitol Hill.

Yes, headlights are brighter. No, Congress isn’t doing anything about it. www.notus.org/congress/hea...

Trump Says He Won’t Sign a Federal Abortion Ban. His Administration Has Ways to Restrict Abortion Anyway. Cabinet secretaries at practically every agency can change rules and policies that will have broad implications for abortion access.

NEW: Trump says he doesn’t want to sign a national abortion ban into law, but his cabinet picks are expected to get rid of several federal policies aimed at protecting abortion rights.

Here is how the Trump administration will be restricting access:
www.notus.org/trump-transi...

Republicans’ Anti-Trans Attacks Have Left Democrats Flat-Footed “It’s like when Republicans were on abortion in 2022, they don’t want to talk about it because they look at it as a losing issue," one conservative advocate said.

NEW: Republicans say they found their winning electoral issue: Anti-trans attacks.

And the attacks have left Democrats flat-footed.

“It just simply could be the case that it’s a losing issue for Democrats,” one House Democrat said.

w/ @alexroarty.bsky.social
www.notus.org/2026-electio...

Republicans Are Skeptical of Trump’s Idea to Privatize the Postal Service Trump said last week that privatizing the U.S. Postal Service is “not the worst idea” he’s heard, but some Republican lawmakers told NOTUS that it’s not that simple for their rural constituents.

What might hold back USPS privatization? Some Republicans’ rural constituencies, which rely on the Postal Service.
www.notus.org/congress/rep...

Democrats Want HHS to ‘Double Down’ on Preventing the Spread of Bird Flu in Ag Workers A letter from Democratic lawmakers on the House Oversight Committee signals a more aggressive posture from Capitol Hill in stopping the spread of bird flu, especially among undocumented agricultural w...

Exclusive: Democratic lawmakers on the House Oversight Committee are seeking information from the Department of the Health and Human Services about its efforts to engage agricultural workers in containing and monitoring the bird flu outbreak.
www.notus.org/house/democr...

Democrats’ Next Debate: What Makes a Good Democrat Now? Arguments about the future of the party will eventually result in money being thrown at real human beings who Democrats will need to actually win elections.

Some Democratic strategists "grumble that the party has only recruited candidates who neatly align with the views of the party’s socially liberal college-educated voter bloc."

with @evanmcs.bsky.social, on Ds re-examining what kind of candidates they recruit www.notus.org/democrats/fu...

Trump’s Immigration Crackdown Could Make It Harder to Contain the Bird Flu Outbreak Threats of mass deportation might further discourage farmworkers from seeking testing and care for the current bird flu outbreak.

“If we can’t protect those people, we’re all fucked,” Elizabeth Strater, a United Farm Workers spokesperson, said about dairy workers. “If they get tested, they are gambling. And because they are afraid to get tested, the rest of us are gambling right now.” www.notus.org/policy/trump...

One Major Obstacle to Trump’s Mass Deportation Promise: Local Law Enforcement “I’m not gonna let the government tell me what to do in my job,” one Trump-supporting sheriff told NOTUS.

NEW from @caseyrmurray.bsky.social on what Trump's "mass deportation" actually looks like if Republicans don't agree on who should be targeted, have very little to say on how they would fund it, and local law enforcement says it can't do more than it's already doing.

www.notus.org/trump-transi...

Republicans Are All In on Trump’s New Trade War Higher prices are just weakness leaving the economy, according to Trump and his allies.

On the coming trade war: www.notus.org/trump-transi...

Trump Vowed to Take Over D.C., House Republicans Might Try to Make It a Reality Rep. Andrew Clyde told NOTUS he’s introducing a bill next Congress to change the Home Rule Act. It wouldn’t be the city’s first power struggle with federal lawmakers.

“We have a lot of constitutional responsibilities. This is one of them. And we need to take it seriously,” Rep. Andrew Clyde told NOTUS.

House Republicans might try to strip power from D.C.’s government.
www.notus.org/house/trump-...

Congress Is Behind on the Bird Flu Outbreak Public health experts’ warnings have gone almost completely unnoticed in the Capitol. “Is there a big one?” one senator said about the rise in cases.

I asked 19 lawmakers about the nation's worst-ever bird flu outbreak. Few said they've been keeping up with it.
But increasing human cases and egg shortages might bring it to Congress' attention soon:
www.notus.org/congress/con...