‘Back to God and Country — Immediately!’

Good afternoon. This is the Final NOTUS newsletter for February 3, 2026. You can get it in your inbox every day by signing up here — it’s free!

The Latest

The shutdown is over — for now. The House approved and the president signed the Senate’s spending package this afternoon, buying lawmakers exactly 10 days to strike a deal on reforms to immigration enforcement. John Thune says that’s “an impossibility.”

• Chuck Schumer wants tighter warrant requirements, an end to roving patrols and a prohibition against federal agents wearing masks — and he says those reforms have to come through Congress because nobody can trust Donald Trump or Kristi Noem to do it themselves.
• Mike Johnson has already rejected two of Schumer’s three demands — and he says sanctuary cities “must be a part of” any discussions.

Jeanine Pirro walked back her threat to arrest anyone with a gun in D.C. after blowback from Republicans and other Second Amendment aficionados.

• Pirro on Monday: “You bring a gun into this District, count on going to jail. I don’t care if you have a license in another district, and I don’t care if you’re a law-abiding gun owner somewhere else.”
• Pirro today: “I am a proud supporter of the Second Amendment. We are focused on individuals who are unlawfully carrying guns and will continue building on that momentum to keep our communities safe.”

U.S. forces shot down an Iranian drone that “aggressively approached” the USS Abraham Lincoln in the Arabian Sea.

Police arrested Jill Biden’s ex-husband on murder charges. Jill Biden and William Stevenson divorced in 1975 — 51 years ago and two years before she married Joe Biden.

The Hill

The ‘Gang of Eight’ will review a whistleblower complaint against Tulsi Gabbard. The Wall Street Journal says the complaint is “so highly classified” that its release could cause “grave damage to national security.” Gabbard’s spokesperson says it’s a “nothingburger.”

Bill and Hillary Clinton agreed to be deposed by the House Oversight Committee on Feb. 26 and Feb. 27, ending — for now — threats to hold them in contempt of Congress.

The Administration

When Trump said he wanted to ‘nationalize’ elections, Karoline Leavitt said he just meant he supports a bill that would require people to show a passport or birth certificate before they register to vote.

• “The president believes in the United States Constitution,” Leavitt said. “However, he believes there has obviously been a lot of fraud and irregularities that have taken place in American elections.”

The administration told a federal judge not to pause work on Trump’s ballroom because doing so would prolong the “unsightly excavation,” which “is, in and of itself, a hazard and complicates Secret Service operations.”

The Pentagon threatened to withdraw support for Scouting America — the organization formerly known as the Boy Scouts — unless it stops embracing “DEI and other social justice, gender-fluid ideological stances.”

• “Scouting America remains far from perfect, but they have firmly committed to a return to core principles,” Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell wrote. “Back to God and country—immediately!”

Department of Corrections

The Guardian has posted a correction on its review of “Melania”:

Screenshot of The Guardian

Thank you for reading! Today’s newsletter was produced by Matt Berman and Andrew Burton. If you liked it, please forward it to a friend. If someone shared it with you, please subscribe — it’s free! Got a tip or comments to share? Email us at finalnotus@notus.com.