Good afternoon. This is the Final NOTUS newsletter for May 18, 2026. You can get it in your inbox every day by signing up here — it’s free!

THE LATEST

Donald Trump says he’s delaying another attack on Iran for “serious negotiations” that could lead to a deal. He said officials from Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates asked him to wait.

• “I have instructed Secretary of War, Pete Hegseth … to be prepared to go forward with a full, large scale assault of Iran, on a moment’s notice, in the event that an acceptable Deal is not reached,” Trump wrote on Truth Social.
• Iranian state-run media says the Trump administration proposed a waiver on sanctions affecting Iranian oil, one of Iran’s key demands.

• Meanwhile, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent is waiving sanctions to allow the purchase of seaborne Russian oil for another 30 days.

The president is eyeing putting a helipad on the South Lawn because Marine One is hard on the grass.

Trump dropped his $10 billion lawsuit against the IRS and the Treasury Department in exchange for a $1.766 billion defense fund for allies who allege they were mistreated by the Biden administration.

• Disclaimer: “Once the funds are deposited into the Designated Account, the United States has no liability whatsoever for the protection or safeguarding of those funds, regardless of … fraud or misuse.”

THE ADMINISTRATION

The Pentagon has paused a decades-old U.S.–Canada defense forum over security spending, as Prime Minister Mark Carney says the country will focus on building its own industry.

The EPA wants to rescind limits on four “forever chemicals” contaminating drinking water across the country — likely angering MAHA activists who have pushed for stricter regulations.

The U.S. has banned entry for travelers who have been to the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Uganda or South Sudan in the past 21 days over Ebola outbreak concerns. The travel ban will be in effect for at least 30 days.

State prosecutors charged an ICE agent with assault in connection to the shooting of a Venezuelan immigrant in Minneapolis. The agent faces a national warrant for his arrest.

THE HILL

Pete Hegseth is not violating the Hatch Act by stumping for Rep. Thomas Massie’s opponent, former Navy SEAL Ed Gallrein, the Pentagon says. The defense secretary was already in Kentucky as part of official duties and spoke at Gallrein’s rally in his “personal capacity,” according to an agency spokesperson.

THE COURTS

The Supreme Court punted on rulings related to Mississippi and North Dakota state legislative maps in an unsigned order today, giving the power back to lower courts and avoiding another major Voting Rights Act fight.

A jury tossed Elon Musk’s lawsuit against OpenAI because he took too long to sue in the first place.

THEM APPLES

Thank you for reading! Today’s newsletter was produced by Kelly Poe, Tim Grieve, 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.