Good afternoon. This is the Final NOTUS newsletter for May 11, 2026. You can get it in your inbox every day by signing up here — it’s free!

THE LATEST

Affordability is the word of the day. President Donald Trump said he’s seeking to suspend the federal gas tax, an apparent acknowledgement that fuel prices are rising due to the war with Iran. The president told CBS News he would reintroduce the tax “when gas goes down,” later adding that it would be suspended “’till it’s appropriate.”

• A Congressional Research Service study from 2022 (when then-President Joe Biden suggested suspending the tax for three months) found that it is difficult to ensure the government actually passes those savings onto consumers. The federal tax is collected at the terminal or refinery — not at the time of a retail purchase at the pump.
• Currently, the tax is 18.4 cents per gallon for gas and 24.4 cents for diesel.

The White House is also trying to tackle record-high beef prices by temporarily reducing tariffs for beef-exporting nations, The Wall Street Journal reports.

• In addition, the administration is directing the Small Business Administration to increase loans and access to capital for American ranchers. Officials are also seeking to reduce some regulations for cattlemen to lower costs over time.

THE HILL

Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand is pushing the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to provide more regular updates on the potential spread of hantavirus and the federal government’s response, calling the lack of communication “deeply concerning” in a letter obtained exclusively by NOTUS’ Margaret Manto.

• When a reporter asked today why it took the CDC four days to issue an alert about the virus, Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said, “We have it under control and we’re not worried about it.” Trump interjected with, “They acted very quickly. I saw the alert, give me a break. They acted very, very quickly.”

The House Ethics Committee announced that its investigative subcommittee has authorized more than 20 subpoenas, collected thousands of documents and contacted dozens of people as part of its review of allegations against Rep. Cory Mills. The committee called the allegations “serious and complex.”

House Speaker Mike Johnson will address Senate Republicans at their weekly lunch tomorrow, Axios reports, amid growing friction between the two chambers over everything from ICE funding to the extension of a key section of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act.

THE ADMINISTRATION

A nonprofit filed a suit to halt Trump’s efforts to resurface the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool, arguing the president had not completed the required federal reviews before adding a blue color to the basin.

• Trump initially said the repairs would cost $1.8 million. The actual cost is more than seven times that after the Department of the Interior last week doubled the size of the contract, The New York Times reports. The government last month had awarded the Virginia firm tasked with the repairs a no-bid contract, citing the desire to complete the work before the country’s 250th birthday.

The White House Correspondents’ dinner shooting suspect pleaded not guilty in federal court today to all four charges against him, NOTUS’ Jenna Monnin reports.

Trump could be joined by a range of business and tech leaders during his China summit this week. Among those invited were Apple’s Tim Cook, Tesla/SpaceX’s Elon Musk, Meta’s Dina Powell McCormick and BlackRock’s Larry Fink, according to Bloomberg.

THE COURTS

The Supreme Court will allow Americans to access the abortion drug mifepristone through telehealth visits until at least Thursday, as the justices consider whether to allow restrictions on the widely used pill to take effect. A previous order temporarily allowing widespread access to the drug was set to expire tonight.

• Those seeking abortions can continue to request the drug through a pharmacy or by mail, without an in-person doctor’s visit.

BODYBUILDERS TAKE NOTE

Thank you for reading! Today’s newsletter was produced by Brett Bachman 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.