Gavelanche

Good afternoon. This is the Final NOTUS newsletter for June 30, 2026. You can get it in your inbox every day by signing up here — it’s free!

THE LATEST

The House is set to go home after today’s vote series, kicking off their July 4 recess early. Mike Johnson’s $1.3 trillion defense policy bill gamble failed earlier today after more than a dozen GOP members tanked the measure mostly over SAVE America Act frustrations.

The Supreme Court struck down Donald Trump’s executive order revoking birthright citizenship from some people in a 6-3 decision — a major blow to the president’s attempt to bypass the 14th Amendment.

• Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson criticized fellow justice Clarence Thomas’ dissent (which came in at 91 pages) in her concurring opinion, highlighting the longstanding divide between the court’s two Black members.
• “You could say that’s a textualist, originalist view. However, I do think this has been grossly abused in recent years,” Mike Johnson said in his initial thoughts, groaning as a reporter read the decision. “You can amend the Constitution to fix that.”

On its final day, the court also axed longstanding limits on how much party committees can spend in coordination with candidates and upheld two state laws banning trans athletes from participating in female sports.

• Justices will consider whether assault weapons bans violate the Second Amendment in the fall.
• NPR inaccurately announced Justice Samuel Alito’s retirement before quickly retracting it, setting off a furor after the rulings were released this morning.

THE HILL

The House is expected to vote this evening on a resolution from Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Kentucky) to produce a report on Ethics Committee sexual harassment settlements.

Rep. Tom Kean Jr. (R-New Jersey) says a severe case of depression caused his monthslong absence from Congress.

• “When I first informed the public that I was dealing with a medical issue, I was still trying to understand what was happening myself. When I said I hope to return in a matter of weeks, I believed it,” he said in a short floor speech.

THE ADMINISTRATION

The Trump administration will freeze federal funding for New York’s Medicaid Control Unit because the state has not secured enough criminal indictments, an official wrote.

A power struggle inside Tehran is threatening U.S.-Iran peace talks.

The FDA will allow Zyn nicotine pouches to be marketed as less harmful to human health than cigarettes.

THE STATES

Courts blocked the DOJ from accessing state voter rolls for the 10th time, this time in New Hampshire.

The federal control board that oversees Puerto Rico’s finances announced a $3 billion settlement in an attempt to restructure more than $10 billion in debt held by the territory’s power company.

The plan to transform downtown D.C. for Trump’s July Fourth show and rally includes tighter security than ever before – and a fireworks show starting two hours later than usual.

THE BAND’S ALL HERE

Thank you for reading! Today’s newsletter was produced by Kelly Poe and Erik Schutz. If you liked it, please forward it to a friend. If someone shared it with you, please sign up — it’s free! Got a tip or comments to share? Email us at finalnotus@notus.com.