Mystery Political Theater

Good afternoon. This is the Final NOTUS newsletter for February 26, 2026. You can get it in your inbox every day by signing up here — it’s free!

The Latest

Zohran Mamdani brought props to his meeting with Donald Trump. The surprise meeting between the New York City mayor and the president — it was not on either’s public schedule — points to the open line of communication between the two.

• Trump was clearly taken with Mamdani the last time they met, and still is. Mamdani posted a photo of the president today grinning ear to ear with a faux Daily News front page, splashed with the headline: “TRUMP TO CITY: LET’S BUILD.”

Mamdani definitely has Trump’s ear. Columbia University said this morning that federal immigration agents misrepresented themselves to gain entry to a dorm where they then detained a student. Mamdani said he told Trump he was concerned about the incident, and soon after their meeting she was released.

The Hill

The closed-door deposition with Hillary Clinton regarding Jeffrey Epstein was briefly paused when Clinton spokesperson Nick Merrill said they wanted to find out how a photo from inside the room became public “and why possibly members of Congress are violating House rules.”

• It was not a hard mystery to solve. Right-wing influencer Benny Johnson, who posted the photo, said on X: “Photo provided by Rep. Lauren Boebert.”

• Rep. Robert Garcia, the Oversight Committee’s ranking member, told reporters that the Clintons wanted the hearing to be public in the first place and pushed for Bill Clinton’s time with the committee tomorrow be open to the press: “At the very minimum, they need to immediately release the full transcript, and we’re hopeful that tomorrow, for the former president, that the press will be allowed in.”

Clinton told lawmakers on Oversight that she does not recall meeting Epstein and that calling her in to testify was to “distract attention from President Trump’s actions and to cover them up despite legitimate calls for answers.”

Republicans on the committee appeared open to subpoenaing Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick.

The Administration

U.S. talks with Iran ended today without a deal and little in the way of details. Oman’s foreign minister, Badr al-Busaidi, said “significant progress” had been made, while Axios reported that a U.S. official said the talks were “positive.” A massive fleet of U.S. warships is still in the region, and Iranian state television says the country still plans to enrich uranium.

Trump’s solicitor general, D. John Sauer, asked the Supreme Court to let the administration end Temporary Protected Status for Syrians. Trump tried to end TPS for Syrians last year but was blocked by a lower court.

Got Milk?

Sure, I guess?

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