Good afternoon. This is the Final NOTUS newsletter for June 5, 2026. You can get it in your inbox every day by signing up here — it’s free!
THE LATEST
Donald Trump says he supports the efforts of Bill Pulte, his controversial pick for acting director of national intelligence, to make steep cuts to the intelligence community, saying the number of people working in those jobs has been “way too high for way too long.”
A federal judge struck down the sweeping immigration freeze implemented by the Trump administration following the shooting of two National Guard troops deployed to D.C. last November.
Trending
John J. McConnell Jr., a U.S. district judge in Rhode Island, ruled that the freeze “placed the lives of countless individuals on hold — solely by virtue of their countries of birth.” The New York Times called the ruling “searing.”
A good jobs report for the White House set Trumpworld social media accounts buzzing. “Thanks to Trumponomics the U.S. economy is hotter than the New York Knicks!,” Trump ally Stephen Moore posted.
The numbers: Total nonfarm payroll employment increased by 172,000 in May, the BLS said. The figure is “far above the Dow Jones consensus estimate for 80,000,” CNBC reported.
The caveats: “Wage growth slowed from 3.6% in April to 3.4% in May. That leaves it further below the latest inflation reading of 3.8%,” the FT reported, “suggesting that real wages are shrinking.”
THE HILL
The “Department of War” rebrand could become permanent. The House Armed Services Committee voted late last night to pass a sweeping defense policy bill authorizing $1.15 trillion in military programs, and it included a proposal to change the name of the Department of Defense to Trump’s preferred descriptor.
THE STATES
Ballot counting is still continuing in California, and the latest numbers show that Republican reality TV star Spencer Pratt is locked in a close race with progressive Los Angeles City Council member Nithya Raman over who will take on Mayor Karen Bass in the general election.
Reality check: Even if he does make it out of the jungle primary, the cold, hard math of the Los Angeles electorate makes a Pratt administration nearly impossible, Maeve Reston writes for NOTUS. California elections data expert Paul Mitchell told Maeve: “It’s like he’s the best rapper in a country bar.”
THE DISTRICT
The race to become D.C.’s House delegate, a job with basically no real power, is now the most expensive on record with $2.5 million spent and more than $3 million raised, NOTUS’ Taylor Giorno reports. These figures may not wow the jaded veterans of our billion-dollar-campaign era, but remember, the latest Board of Elections figures found there are just 363,162 people registered to vote in the closed Democratic primary.
CALIFORNIA LOVE
A happy Dunk on California Week to all who celebrate.
Not afraid to say I love California for many reasons: The beautiful vistas, Disneyland (I don't actually love it but the wife and kid do, and that's enough), my brother lives there. But most of all, I love CA because its counting of ballots makes Nevada's look super-fast.
— Jon Ralston (@RalstonReports) June 5, 2026
Thank you for reading! Today’s newsletter was produced by Kate Nocera and Andrew Burton. If you liked it, please forward it to a friend. If someone shared it with you, please subscribe — it’s free! Got a tip or comments to share? Email us at finalnotus@notus.com.
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