250 Problems

Today’s notice: A national state fair that may not have all the states. Republicans grumble over House absences. A deep dive on campaign embezzlement. Why farmers are upset. A “World Cup of chaos.” Plus: Two jobs for a senior Senate adviser from Ohio.

THE LATEST

States bail on Trump’s party: Six states told NOTUS that they won’t be officially participating in the “Great American State Fair” set to kick off on the National Mall in a couple weeks, and three more are still undecided on sending an official delegation to the increasingly political national birthday celebration.

The list of skippers: Connecticut, Illinois, Maine, Massachusetts, North Carolina and Oregon. The states on the fence: Maryland, Pennsylvania and Washington.

Is this the next headache for Freedom 250? NOTUS’ Sam Fortier, Jenna Monnin and Torrie Herrington have the details.

Remember, the organizing group is separate from America250, which Congress founded a decade ago. Freedom 250 is the Trump-created group responsible for this weekend’s UFC fight and similarly splashy events.

Why states are considering not coming: One thing is the cost. North Carolina figured the price of a pavilion to be at least $100,000, and that didn’t include the costs of staffing it. That would have blown a hole in the state’s budget for 250th celebrations.

“He invited all the states to participate and wants to charge us — charge us! — to put something on his exhibit, whatever he’s creating for Freedom 250,” Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey told a local radio show. “It’s just ridiculous.”

What happens now? “Whether represented by a governor’s office, a tourism board, or a beloved state company or organization, every community will be celebrated, and every American will see themselves in this once-in-a-generation event,” a Freedom 250 spokesperson said. The group promised “the full picture very soon.” The fair is set to kick off on June 25.

What that looks like: The Illinois pavilion will be run by the Peoria Riverfront Museum. “We don’t have any further information regarding who contacted them,” an official with the state’s tourism office told NOTUS.

Open tabs: US Launches New Wave of Strikes on Iran Over Stalled Talks (Bloomberg); GOP brings home sixth Congressional Baseball Game in a row (Roll Call); The DOGE Bros Want Another Shot (Atlantic); Mamdani was to meet with Colombia’s leader until Trump administration stepped in (WaPo)

From the Hill

Absence makes the colleagues grow angrier: NOTUS’ Paul Kane details the bad feelings House Republicans have for colleagues missing votes, which is creating drama for the razor-thin majority conference. Republican leadership has driven home the message in private that members need to focus on their day jobs first: voting in the House, Paul writes. But leaders are reluctant to call out members of their own party in public.

House Majority Whip Tom Emmer initially denied he said anything like this to his colleagues. But eventually he told Paul, “Everybody should be here.”

From the campaign trail

There’s probably embezzling going on in a campaign you like. Federal campaign finance regulators noticed an increase in political embezzlement cases in the mid-2000s, NOTUS’ Taylor Giorno and Dave Levinthal report. They have tried hard to give people tools to prevent it, but people have not seemed interested. Every month or two, another alleged political embezzlement scandal seems to materialize, Dave and Taylor write as part of a deep dive into the people taking money they’re not supposed to take.

“What’s frustrating about it is that with all this experience, it’s not getting less common,” longtime campaign finance attorney Dave Mason said.

From the fields

America’s farmers are being buffeted by inflation, tariffs and the knock-on effects of the war in Iran, NOTUS’ Jade Lozada writes. It is quotes like this one that have some political strategists planning for upsets in farm states: “It is the most difficult period of financial stress that modern agriculture has faced since the 1980s farm crisis. And I don’t get pushback on that,” John Hansen, president of the Nebraska Farmers Union, told her.

NOTUS METRO

Sign up for our new local newsletter. NOTUS has added some of the best reporters covering D.C.-area news, sports and culture. Sign up for the NOTUS Metro Newsletter now!

The U.S. welcomes the soccer world, sort of: World Cup fans from a handful of countries have had their travel halted by visa issues, while teams from Senegal and Uzbekistan (among others) have faced intense security after arriving in the U.S., NOTUS’ Jesse Dougherty reports, leaving enduring images of American officials patting down global soccer stars on the tarmac.

NOTUS PERSPECTIVES

The Trump administration is blaming Joe Biden for the screwworms currently infesting Texas cattle. Which, Dana Milbank argues today at NOTUS Perspectives, makes perfect sense — because it’s always Joe Biden’s fault.

NEW ON NOTUS

Working two jobs: One of Sen. Jon Husted’s (R-Ohio) top aides, Sean Dunn, also gets paid as a consultant to an Ohio lobbying firm, NOTUS’ Tyler Spence reports. An Ohio attorney formally asked the Senate Ethics Committee last month to investigate the situation. (The attorney did not respond to questions from NOTUS.)

“Mr. Dunn has been in regular contact with the Ethics Committee to ensure he has reported everything to their satisfaction,” a Husted spokesperson said.

“This basically just comes down to the fact that, like, firewalls are a myth. There’s just no way anyone can be both the general counsel to Sen. Husted and just a guy,” Jeff Hauser, executive director of the Revolving Door Project, said.

More: ‘Spoiled, Adulterated’ Food: Trump Golf Club Hit With Health Violations, by Dave Levinthal and Taylor Giorno

What Happens to Bill Pulte’s Job Running Housing Now? By Raymond Fernández

Republicans’ ActBlue Probe Could Derail Campaign Finance Reform, by Violet Jira

NOT US

• Inside the White House Freakout Over the Epstein Files, by Maggie Haberman and Jonathan Swan for The New York Times Magazine
• How Joyce Beatty Saved the Kennedy Center, by Sylvie McNamara for Washingtonian
• Chaos and infighting: Inside the implosion of Matt Mahan’s governor’s race, by Hannah Wiley for The San Francisco Standard
  

Thank you for reading! If you liked this edition of the NOTUS newsletter, please forward it to a friend. If this newsletter was shared with you, please sign up — it’s free! Have a tip? Email us at tips@notus.com. And as always, we’d love to hear your thoughts at newsletters@notus.com.