Good afternoon. This is the Final NOTUS newsletter for Aug. 18, 2026. You can get it in your inbox every day by signing up here — it’s free!
THE LATEST
Democrats are almost in an “open civil war,” Mike Johnson said while campaigning for Rep. Tom Barrett in Michigan today, calling the representative’s race one of the “top five” America is watching. The House speaker remained confident in Republicans’ ability to buck history and pick up House seats for the sitting president’s party.
- “I’m sad to say, this is not our father’s Democratic Party,” Johnson said, bashing Democrat William Lawrence.
Scoop: Rep. Buddy Carter (R-Georgia) has emerged as a candidate for the next FDA commissioner, Paige Winfield Cunningham and Taylor Giorno report. The licensed pharmacist lost his GOP Senate primary in May.