Today’s notice: What comes next after last night’s Senate vote. Slotkin weighs in on “Ogre-gate.” An uncomfortably timed pardon for Pennsylvania’s 7th. Wasserman Schultz’s redistricting problem. One woman’s quest to claw back Platner donations. And: federal workers vs. the EEOC.
THE LATEST
The Senate sent a message: We stand with Ukraine. By a vote of 86-12 last night, the Senate advanced a Russia sanctions package that was in part a tribute to the late Sen. Lindsey Graham, who had long championed the issue, and in part a strong rebuke of a movement to dial back U.S. support for Ukraine in the country’s long war countering Vladimir Putin’s invasion.
The bill had languished before Graham’s death, NOTUS’ Joe Gould and Hamed Ahmadi write, but got moving again in part due to a provision added by Graham’s replacement — his sister, Sen. Darline Graham (R-South Carolina). The new language would extend existing sanctions authority over Iran’s energy and weapons sectors through 2031, as demanded by Donald Trump.
Trending
Sanctions supporters say the cloture vote was all anyone needs to know about where the president stands now, despite his administration’s initial skepticism of ongoing support for Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. The Ukrainian leader watched the vote from the Senate gallery last night, calling it “a big signal to Europe, a big signal to Ukraine, big support of our people.”
It’s still, though, just a signal. The bill still needs final passage in the Senate and in the House, which isn’t back until Aug. 31 and where the sanctions measure’s chances are less than assured.
Some Democrats see the bill as a shadow endorsement of Trump’s tariff powers. “I don’t know that we have much evidence that he’s going to use it to do what we need him to do,” said Sen. Raphael Warnock (D-Georgia), one of those 12 “no” votes.
Plenty of people from MAGAworld remain skeptical of Ukraine, and are not interested in continuing support for the war. Yesterday, however, Politico reported on Trump ally Laura Loomer’s conversion to a Ukraine backer. But that high-profile shift may not be enough.
“The idea that there’s been some sea change in opinion amongst the base as it relates to Ukraine isn’t accurate,” a Republican strategist close to the White House told NOTUS’ Jasmine Wright. “The Republican establishment has always had Zelenskyy’s back. Hopefully they’ll learn how to have America’s before November.”
Open tabs: Federal Immigration Agents Called Latinos Racial Slurs While Conducting Stops, Video Shows (NOTUS); Senate Confirms Jay Clayton as Director of National Intelligence (NOTUS); ICE Arrests Surge at Airports, Opening New Front in Deportation Drive (NYT); US thwarts Iranian missile attack and launches strikes with Saudi Arabia against militias in Iraq (AP)
From the campaign trail
Elissa Slotkin comes off the sidelines in the Michigan primary. “All leaders should be thoughtful about their language and not use language about hurting people,” the Democratic senator from Michigan told NOTUS’ Igor Bobic when asked about the recent “Ogre-gate” controversy in the hotly contested Senate primary between Rep. Haley Stevens and Abdul El-Sayed. Slotkin is one of the few remaining Democratic electeds in the state not to take a side in the primary. Her language was couched but suggested she’s joining the chorus condemning El-Sayed for using the term, which some thought was aimed at Stevens. El-Sayed said it was actually about Sen. John Fetterman (D-Pennsylvania).
Department of Awkward Timing. On June 30, Republican megadonor Adam Kidan, a key figure in the Jack Abramoff fraud and lobbying scandal, donated $2,600 to the leadership PAC for Rep. Ryan Mackenzie (R-Pennsylvania). On July 3, Trump pardoned Kidan, wiping away a guilty plea to fraud charges and likely vacating significant restitution payments. NOTUS’ Avani Kalra reports that Mackenzie’s office said the congressman didn’t talk to the White House or Trump about the pardon before it happened, and declined to say whether he’ll keep the campaign donation.
Mackenzie might have just been the last stop on the donation gravy train. Kidan has been a prolific donor this cycle, particularly in Pennsylvania, giving to GOP Reps. Rob Bresnahan, Brian Fitzpatrick and Scott Perry.
Scenes from redistricting: Florida’s 20th. “The greatest civil rights threat that’s facing us today” is how rapper Luther “Uncle Luke” Campbell, formerly of 2 Live Crew, described Democratic Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz’s decision to run in the Fort Lauderdale district. Campbell is one of several Black candidates running in the district’s Democratic primary, and has assailed the veteran white congresswoman for jumping into a district that, until state Republicans redrew the lines this year, was majority Black. NOTUS’ Oriana González reports on how fears of diluted Black political power are playing out in the primary.
THE BIG ONE
Refund, please! There’s an effort afoot to help Graham Platner donors recoup their money to the now defunct Maine campaign. The only question is whether those who gave money will actually do it.
Activist and lawyer Cheyenne Hunt is deploying her organization, Reckoning Action, to mass text the donors directly and walk them through how to get their money back, NOTUS’ Oriana González reports. It’s a move Hunt took after seeing former Rep. Eric Swalwell use campaign funds to pay legal fees after multiple sexual assault allegations.
Automated texts were sent with this message: “If you donated to Graham Platner and feel betrayed, you’re not alone. You signed up to help elect a champion for freedom and equality and take back the Senate — not to fund a predator.” FEC reports showed Platner had $1.7 million in cash on hand at the end of last month.
NOTUS METRO
NOTUS has some of the best reporters covering D.C.-area news, sports and culture. Sign up for our local newsletter!
Sports desk: As Training Camp Begins, Commanders Say They Are ‘Happy’ With Receivers, by Martenzie Johnson
ON NOTUS PODCAST
From your favorite podcast app: On today’s episode of On NOTUS, Rep. Nanette Barragán (D-California) said Latino voters who backed Trump in 2024 have “buyer’s remorse.” “They’re looking at what’s happening and saying, ‘This is not what we voted for,’” Barragán told NOTUS’ Oriana González. Barragán also talked about her vote to end all U.S. aid to Israel, the future of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus and her recruiting pitch to former MLB players to bolster the Democratic lineup in the Congressional Baseball Game.
NOTUS PERSPECTIVES
Last week’s arrival of a new season of “King of the Hill” is good news for America, says Matt K. Lewis, because the show is a roadmap to a better conservatism.
NEW ON NOTUS
EEOC pauses class actions by employees against federal agencies. That’s the allegation from a new lawsuit filed by the American Federation of Government Employees, which has asked a judge to compel the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission to resume processing class-action complaints, NOTUS’ Eric Katz reports. The upshot of the pause is federal employees alleging sexual harassment or other forms of discrimination are currently blocked from collectively seeking relief, he writes.
The EEOC did not respond to a request for comment. Eric notes that Project 2025 suggested that the EEOC should no longer hear complaints from federal employees, and that those responsibilities should be transferred to the Merit Systems Protection Board.
More: Pentagon Plans to Rename South Carolina Base After Lindsey Graham, by Torrie Herrington
DHS Stats Chief Rips Trump’s ‘War on Immigrants’ in Blistering Resignation Letter, by Jenna Monnin
The DNC Lost Nearly $29,000 to an Email Scammer Posing as Ken Martin, by Dave Levinthal
Democrats Denounce FIFA Boss Infantino’s Plans to Sell Stakes in World Cup, by Jenna Monnin
NOT US
- How Trump’s “self-deportation” push has ramped up, by Brittany Gibson for Axios
- Dozens of States Tried to Roll Back Vaccine Laws. Here’s How They Fared. By Amy Schoenfeld Walker and Lily Boyce for The New York Times
- Trump and Democratic states clash in court over who’s too sick to work, by Alice Miranda Ollstein and Robert King for Politico
- Tim Scott’s Hunger Games, by Leigh Ann Caldwell for Puck
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.
The newsletter was produced by Thomas Burr, Brett Bachman and Andrew Burton. Photo by Francis Chung/POLITICO via AP Images.
Authors
