Please Don’t Take My Lake

Good afternoon. This is the Final NOTUS newsletter for Aug. 25, 2026. You can get it in your inbox every day by signing up here — it’s free!

THE LATEST

President Donald Trump announced the flag will be lowered to half-staff to honor Dolly Parton starting tonight at 6 p.m. The country singer died “peacefully” today in Nashville, her family announced.

THE ADMINISTRATION

Trump threatened to change Lake Ontario’s name to “Lake America” following collapsed trade negotiations between Canada and the U.S. this weekend.

The Secret Service is “aware” of a video published by Iranian state media that appears to threaten Trump’s son Barron.

Billionaire Stanley Druckenmiller’s Wall Street Journal op-ed criticizing Scott Bessent was written using AI.

• “AI is a fact of modern life,” WSJ’s editorial page editor said in a statement this afternoon. “In Stan Druckenmiller’s case, we have had a relationship with him for many years, and nobody can doubt that his op-ed is his genuine opinion.”

THE COURTS

The DOJ is pushing forward on Trump’s mail-in voting agenda.

The Kennedy Center could be “taken down” if renovation is halted, DOJ lawyers argued in a court filing. The ongoing court battle “almost guarantees” the building’s “eventual demise” before it needs to be dismantled, they wrote — potentially replaced by an outdoor amphitheater overlooking the Potomac River.

A federal judge rejected Ghislaine Maxwell’s attempt to vacate her conviction and sentence in connection to Jeffrey Epstein, calling her claims of constitutional violations “frivolous.”

Elon Musk won’t face charges for promising $1 million voter giveaways in Wisconsin because no jury would conclude it constituted election bribery, a county prosecutor announced.

THE CAMPAIGN TRAIL

Abdul El-Sayed has attempted to distance himself from Hasan Piker. But the left-wing streamer, who campaigned with El-Sayed this summer, faced a new wave of criticism from congressional Democrats today, including Sen. Elissa Slotkin and Rep. Hilary Scholten of Michigan.

• Democratic House nominee Jeremy Moss was set to endorse El-Sayed before Monday’s discourse derailed those plans, Semafor reported.

• “Insofar as there are disagreements about foreign policy, my hope is that folks understand where those disagreements align and also understand that that does not come at the cost of Jewish safety,” El-Sayed said during a news conference today meant to address a rise in Islamophobic rhetoric during the election.

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