Today’s notice: Republicans, with the wind at their backs. All the issues colliding in Nebraska’s 2nd Congressional District. “Project Freedom Plus.” The GOP’s gas price hell. And: What’s the deal with TrumpIRA.gov?

THE LATEST

What comes next after the 2026 vibe shift? A very senior Republican strategist described to us how the coming months could play out after two pivotal court rulings turbocharged Republican redistricting efforts: “A couple more states redistricting in a way that’s helpful for us, move into the summer with America 250, and a midterm convention at some point,” the strategist explained. “I think we’ve got some good touch points to kind of keep that momentum rolling.”

Now is the summer of our Diss Content, basically. More on that America 250 thing: The idea is Democrats will publicly fracture over how (or even whether) to celebrate the nation’s birthday while Republicans universally and guiltlessly wrap themselves in the flag.

“We will make sure that people are aware of the fact that we are the party of patriotism and love of country, and the Democrats are just, I mean, there’s polling to support me on this,” a second Republican strategist said. “They are not proud to be Americans. It’s very obvious, and they can’t help themselves.”

But Democrats are more concerned with other things at the moment. NOTUS’ Kadia Goba met with a Democratic strategist right after the Virginia Supreme Court struck down a new congressional map approved by voters recently. She reports the strategist said it was the first time they had doubts about whether the party could flip control of the House come November.

It’s not a universal take by any means. Other than district lines, Republicans are squinting to find good news ahead, Democrats say. Gas prices remain on the rise and Donald Trump’s poll numbers remain very bad. “It’s not just that he’s unpopular. It’s that he’s really unpopular and he’s starting to show cracks with Republicans,” a senior Democrat told NOTUS’ Alex Roarty. “And where this can get truly ugly for them is we have a turnout differential.”

Democrats point to huge fundraising numbers they’ve put up after the U.S. Supreme Court severely weakened the Voting Rights Act, and a generally accepted take that the brazen partisan gerrymandering of majority-Black districts expected in the South should energize turnout.

But maybe that’s looking at the wrong momentum. The same Democrat who told Alex the goose is all but cooked for the GOP this year says Democrats have a lot of new problems to wrestle with now. Just one is how to keep its multi-racial coalition together in an era when there are fewer Black Democratic lawmakers because they can’t get elected from the redrawn South.

Open tabs: Acting CDC Director Responds to Criticism Over Government’s Hantavirus Response (NOTUS); US intelligence-gathering flights are surging off Cuba (CNN); Lawyers for the global elite aren’t buying Trump’s gold card visa (WaPo); Putin Says War in Ukraine Is ‘Coming to an End’ (NOTUS)

From Nebraska

Primary preview. Wow, there really is a lot going on in the Democratic primary for Nebraska’s 2nd Congressional District, NOTUS’ Elena Schneider reports. A half-dozen outside groups and candidates’ campaigns are dumping more than $7 million into the primary pitting first-time candidate Denise Powell against state Sen. John Cavanaugh.

Among the (many) issues here: Israel and 2028. Powell’s supporters also warn that a Cavanaugh win would tilt the state’s unicameral legislature enough to make it easy for Republicans to realize Trump’s 2024 dream of eliminating the one electoral vote Nebraska routinely gives to Democrats.

From the White House

‘Project Freedom Plus.’ That’s how Trump pitched a relaunch of the short-lived military operation to open the Strait of Hormuz, which he said was likely to restart this week barring a breakthrough in peace negotiations. Judging by Trump’s response to Iran’s latest offer — “TOTALLY UNACCEPTABLE!” — the operation appears likely to resume.

It remains unclear exactly what the “plus” part of the mission would entail, though Trumpworld officials quickly hit the airwaves to back the idea and offer their own interpretations.

“The plus part in my opinion would envision more international partners and limited kinetic activity,” Sen. Lindsey Graham wrote in a post on X.

Trump is heading to China this week to meet with President Xi Jinping, and a senior administration official said Trump plans to push for the country’s help in maintaining safe passage for commercial ships through the strait.

From the campaign trail

The GOP’s gas price hell. “I can’t with a straight face come up with anything better,” a Republican operative admitted to NOTUS as candidates who blamed Democrats in 2024 for higher prices at the pump are now trying to shrug off their own battle with the rising cost of gas. NOTUS’ Daniella Diaz and Al Weaver report on the about-face and Republican messaging around it — namely that the hikes are temporary (which Joe Biden tried) or that they’re worth it because the unpopular war in Iran is actually, a great idea.

First on NOTUS: Alex Bores’ first TV ad. The former Palantir employee turned Palantir enemy is spending $1.2 million on a bio spot in the ginormous Democratic primary for New York’s 12th Congressional District. NOTUS’ Samuel Larreal has the first look at the spot, which emphasizes his position as AI industry enemy No. 1.

From the Hill

Exclusive: America’s allies want more weapons. We’re not the only country worried about the state of its weapons stockpiles as the wars in Ukraine and Iran rage on. A coalition of 28 nations known as the Defense Memorandum of Understanding Attachés Group is pushing Congress to loosen U.S. arms export restrictions and scale back oversight of foreign arms sales, NOTUS’ Joe Gould reports.

In a letter to both the Senate and House armed services committees, the group warns that slow replenishment times are “undermining deterrence.”

NEW ON NOTUS

“It’s not really creating anything new.” That’s how Trent Von Ahsen, a retirement management adviser at the Iowa wealth firm Cedar Point Capital Partners, described TrumpIRA.gov, the White House website launching in 2027 to connect Americans to low-cost retirement account offers.

NOTUS’ Jade Lozada spoke to a number of financial experts who said they weren’t expecting much in the way of new products from the initiative — other than Trump’s name being on it.

More: Pirro: Lobbyist Who Embezzled $1M Should Get No More Than 24 Months, by Taylor Giorno

House Republicans Started Negotiating Housing. Developers Opened Their Wallets. By Taylor Giorno and Raymond Fernández

NOT US

• After 20 years, the Prince of Petworth still reigns in Washington, by Liam Scott for The Washington Post
  
• Sean Duffy returns to reality TV roots, sparking criticism and questions, by Julia Benbrook for CNN
  
• The DOGE-ing of the Humanities Is Being Reversed, by Kelsey Ables and Janay Kingsberry for The Atlantic

WEEK AHEAD

Tuesday

• Nebraska and West Virginia hold primary elections.
  
• FBI Director Kash Patel appears at a Senate Appropriations Committee hearing.
  
• Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Dan Caine, the chair of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, appear at appropriations committee hearings in the House and Senate.

Wednesday

• Trump’s visit to China begins.
  
• FDA Commissioner Martin Makary appears at a Senate Appropriations hearing.
  
• Recent verdicts against social media companies are the subject of a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing.

Thursday

• Supreme Court rulings are expected.
  
• Education Secretary Linda McMahon appears before the House Education Committee.

Friday

• Trump’s visit to China ends.
  
• Fed Chair Jerome Powell’s term expires.

Saturday

• Louisiana primary Election Day for all contests except House races, which have been suspended for redistricting.
  
• Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear is the keynote speaker at the New Hampshire Democratic Party convention.

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