Today’s notice: What comes next after Saturday. The kids and cousins who want to run Maine. A strange turn of events for Rand Paul. Two Democratic senators, one state, two feelings about the shutdown. And: OK, fine, we put the Santos-for-Congress speculation in. Happy now?
THE LATEST
What we learned Saturday. A couple of takeaways from the nationwide “No Kings” rallies, reportedly among the most attended single-day protests in American history:
1. Democrats embrace optimism. The protests came amid the strongest opposition pushback to Trump 2.0 – the government shutdown. The party has found itself largely united for the first time in a long time, and NOTUS’ Emily Kennard reported that Democrats urged the gathered crowds to see “No Kings” as proof that the opposition party can oppose the president.
“[T]oday was an excellent reminder of what our community is capable of,” Rep. Sarah Elfreth posted, as images of huge, peaceful crowds filled social media feeds throughout the day.
The test for optimism starts Monday. Republicans have repeatedly expressed that Democrats will fracture and cut a shutdown deal after the protests end. If they are right, last weekend’s shining, happy Democratic coalition is in for a bumpy ride. And even if the Republicans are wrong, the NYC mayoral election is less than a month away and is sure to resurface the internal Democratic rifts that have characterized that race.
2. Leaders urged discipline in a difficult moment, and got it. The GOP and President Donald Trump cast the “No Kings” movement as part of a strain of violent, anti-democracy ideology they see as rampant in Democratic circles. They only stepped up that characterization as mainstream Democrats embraced the demonstrations and support swelled for them in the party’s center.
“Don’t give in to his provocations,” Gavin Newsom posted on X in response. “Our strength is in our unity and peace.” Protesters across the country largely did not create the viral moments of violence Republicans said they were expecting.
This is a test, too. “No Kings” is a highly organized movement with backing from some of the biggest names in Democratic politics. That it’s the kind of protest a senator would gladly show up to is all you need to know about its “radical” ideology. Whether the show of support has changed anything fundamental in Washington is another question.
Open Tabs: Rubio promised to betray U.S. informants to get El Salvador prison deal (WaPo); U.S. Is Repatriating Survivors of Its Strike on Suspected Drug Vessel (NYT); Portland police deploy ‘informants’ within ICE protest crowds to aid in arrests: Docs (The Oregonian); IRS files tax lien against Jim Justice (Politico)
From the campaign trail
The nepo-est single race of all time. Currently running for governor of Maine: Hannah Pingree (daughter of Rep. Chellie Pingree); Angus King III (son of Sen. Angus King); Jonathan Bush (a Bush – more specifically, cousin to Jeb and George.)
“It just seems like a very random coincidence,” Chellie Pingree told NOTUS’ Torrie Herrington. “We’re closer to retirement, and so our children are people who have had time to have experience, and so, sort of, it’s timing.”
From The Hill
End of the Rand Paul special relationship? Until last week, the senator pulled off what few Republicans have – crossing Trump very publicly yet still golfing with him. (For a look at how that usually goes, see Paul’s Kentucky colleague, Rep. Thomas Massie.) NOTUS’ Riley Rogerson and Em Luetkemeyer spoke with Paul and his colleagues about how the relationship works — and how Paul operates in a caucus generally more deferential to the president than he is.
Then, 48 hours after NOTUS spoke with Paul, Trump called him ‘a sick Wacko’ on Truth Social. On Sunday’s “Meet the Press,” Paul responded: “I’m still one of his best supporters if he’s willing to have it.” We’ll see if another golf outing follows.
From the shutdown
Same party, same state, different approaches. Democratic Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto repeatedly voted for the House-passed CR, as Republicans want, while Sen. Jacky Rosen stuck with the party’s majority and voted against it. NOTUS’ Ursula Perano talked to both Nevadans about this strange moment in their relationship. There were no critical words for each other, but they did expressed deep tactical disagreements.
“I just feel very strongly, a government shutdown, it costs money,” Masto said of her votes. “I wanted to avoid a possible shutdown, but I also would be hurting hardworking Nevadans, and at the same time, giving more power to this administration.”
“This is a hill worth standing on top of,” Rosen said of her votes. “If you don’t have your health, what do you have?”
NEW ON NOTUS
Another one runs afoul of the STOCK Act. Rep. Pat Ryan is an ardent, consistent supporter of banning members from trading individual stocks while in office. But Dave Levinthal reports for NOTUS that Ryan will also soon pay a $200 fine for violating existing rules about member trades by failing to properly disclose a sale of up to $50,000 worth of private stock shares in an AI company whose business includes government work.
Ryan’s response: His office said the Rep. invested in the business, which was led by a friend from West Point, more than a decade ago — before he entered Congress. The company was sold and “Pat didn’t have any option to not transfer his shares, any ability to weigh in on the sale, and was not even notified of the sale,” the spox said.
George Santos returns to Washington? Stranger things have happened. The former congressman — whose seven-year prison sentence for wire fraud and aggravated identity theft was commuted by Trump on Friday — said during a marathon tour of the Sunday shows that while he couldn’t rule out a return bid for his House seat someday, he has no plans to do so anytime soon.
“I’m not saying that I necessarily want to go to Congress,” Santos said on the “Fox & Friends” couch just hours after his release from Fairton federal prison in New Jersey. “But I’m not ruling it out. I’m 37 years old, I have time.”
More: Trump Posts Bizarre AI Video of Himself Bombing ‘No Kings’ Protesters With Brown Sludge, by Amelia Benavides-Colón
NRSC Uses Schumer Deepfake to Knock Dems on Shutdown, by Samuel Larreal
Trump Admin Plans More Layoffs — But Will Spare Union Employees for Now, by Anna Kramer
NOT US
- Russell Vought, Trump’s Shadow President, by Andy Kroll for ProPublica
- ‘It just seems so messy’: How Chris Wright went wrong with the White House, by Ben Lefebvre and Zack Colman for Politico
- Top admiral’s retirement sets off alarm bells over Caribbean boat strikes, by Ellen Mitchell for The Hill
WEEK AHEAD
Today: Australian PM Anthony Albanese is scheduled to visit the White House.
Tuesday: Senate votes are scheduled.
Wednesday: Another debate in the NYC mayoral race.
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