Livin’ on a Prayer

Good afternoon. This is your Final NOTUS for Feb. 5, 2026. Thanks for subscribing — and if you aren’t subscribed, you can sign up here. It’s free!

The Latest

Congress has 8 days to avoid a DHS shutdown, and the prospects are … bleak. Chuck Schumer and Hakeem Jeffries released a list of 10 reforms last night. John Thune called them “unrealistic” and stated the obvious: “We aren’t anywhere close to having any sort of an agreement.”

Donald Trump said he’s made religion ‘hot’ again. Speaking at the National Prayer Breakfast, the president said that church attendance and Bible sales are both up dramatically since he returned to office.

• Trump also defended Kristi Noem and Tulsi Gabbard, said Joe Biden “had no idea he was president,” complained about “Russia, Russia, Russia,” called Thomas Massie a “moron” and joshed with Mike Johnson about the speaker’s efforts to get him to pray over lunch.
• In an extended riff on DEI, Trump said everyone in the military now looks “like Tom Cruise, only bigger” because recruiters have started hiring based on “merit.”

The Trump administration will roll out TrumpRX tonight. Karoline Leavitt said the “state of the art” website will allow consumers to save money by purchasing low-cost prescription drugs.

The Hill

Elizabeth Warren asked Scott Bessent to promise that Trump won’t sue or prosecute Kevin Warsh if he doesn’t cut interest rates fast enough. Bessent declined to do so.

Elissa Slotkin said she won’t talk with federal prosecutors about the video in which she and other members of Congress said service members don’t have to obey illegal orders.

The Clintons say they want to testify in public about Jeffrey Epstein, pushing back on House Oversight Chair James Comer’s plan to depose them behind closed doors. Comer previously said that all the video and testimony would be made public.

• Comer also said his committee “is open” to questioning Bill Gates about his involvement with Epstein.

The Administration

OPM made it easier to fire senior government officials who don’t support Trump’s agenda. OPM Director Scott Kupor told The Wall Street Journal: “When conscientious objection becomes sabotage or trying to find ways to thwart the objectives of the administration — that is not allowed.”

The DOJ wants to make it easier to deport immigrants by automatically rejecting their immigration court appeals unless a majority of the judges on the Board of Immigration Appeals vote to hear their cases, NOTUS’ Jose Pagliery reports.

A Maryland man was charged with attempted murder after he allegedly showed up at Russ Vought’s house in a mask and gloves.

Marco Rubio is down a job. The law allowed him to be the acting head of the National Archives and Records Administration for 210 days, which have now passed.

Sign o’ The Times

Thank you for reading! Today’s newsletter was produced by Kate Nocera and Andrew Burton. If you like 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.