Good afternoon. This is the Final NOTUS newsletter for Aug. 31, 2026. You can get it in your inbox every day by signing up here — it’s free!
THE LATEST
The Supreme Court will allow construction of the White House ballroom to continue. An unsigned opinion ruled that the National Trust for Historic Preservation does not have the legal right to challenge the project, adding that if construction was stopped, national security would be harmed.
President Donald Trump vowed to strike back against Iran after hostilities roared back into action between the two countries over the weekend, telling Fox News this morning, “We’re going to hit them hard.”
Trending
Kalshi handed disgraced former Rep. George Santos its first-ever lifetime ban after he placed wagers on his attendance at Trump’s State of the Union address this year.
- Santos lashed out at the prediction market company in a social media diatribe, calling Kalshi “an unserious company.”
- Another Republican, North Carolina congressional candidate Laurie Buckhout, was also handed a three-year suspension from the platform this morning over allegations that she placed bets related to her own campaign.
THE ADMINISTRATION
The president declared his love for data centers despite a growing bipartisan backlash against new construction of the resource-intensive projects, saying that any communities that oppose them are destined to become “backwards and poor.”
The Trump administration is shutting down 270 truck-driving schools, alleging that many of the programs granted commercial drivers’ licenses to undocumented immigrants.
- During a press conference, Sean Duffy and Markwayne Mullin blamed the Biden administration for failing to conduct oversight of the trucking industry.
Pentagon employees can now use two new AI tools: OpenAI’s ChatGPT Mil and SpaceXAI’s Grok for Government.
THE HILL
Sen. Ted Budd addressed recent criticism leveled by MAGA figureheads online, disputing the idea that presiding over a routine “pro forma” session of the Senate amounted to “treason” because it could stall or block recess appointments for Trump’s nominees.
- The North Carolina Republican called the claim “as ridiculous as it is false.”
THE COURTS
The GOP’s national campaign arms want to buy television ads at a cheaper rate and are taking their case all the way to the Supreme Court.
- The emergency appeal filed by the NRCC and NRSC comes after a federal appeals court ruled that candidates — and not independent groups — were eligible for discounted ad rates under an obscure 1971 law that the Trump-era FCC is trying to walk back.
THE WORLD
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez blamed Russia and Israel for spreading misleading information about a recent migration crisis in Ceuta, a Spanish territory in Africa.
- The situation sparked a number of comments from Trump and many of his top advisers.
HERE WE GO AGAIN
https://x.com/ReporterOriana/status/2094415432375505337
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