Good afternoon. This is the Final NOTUS newsletter for Sept. 8, 2026. You can get it in your inbox every day by signing up here — it’s free!
THE LATEST
Scoop: The Trump administration is planning a major shake-up at the National Park Service and will tell officials to “avoid categorical promises” about layoffs, according to internal planning documents obtained by NOTUS.
- The nation’s 430 park units would operate dramatically differently under the proposed plan, with bigger parks given control over small ones.
- The Interior Department hasn’t yet notified Congress of its intention to reorganize, which it is legally obligated to do before implementation.
Smithsonian chief Lonnie Bunch III will retire at the end of this year. He told The New York Times the decision wasn’t due to pressure from the White House, but that the back-and-forth over how American history should be told did take a toll on him.