Today’s notice: What we learned from last night’s primaries. The Gang of Eight heard about the Air Force One switcheroo the same way you did. Pressuring DHS over Corey Lewandowski. The VA is bringing down its claims backlog, but there’s a catch. And: From Ecuador, what happened after a man got deported.
THE LATEST
There are clear takeaways from last night, the last major primary night before the November midterms. One: Democratic primary voters are increasingly uninterested in older candidates — Rep. John Larson (D-Connecticut), 78, was handily defeated by 47-year-old Luke Bronin, the former mayor of Hartford.
Two: Donald Trump’s endorsement has its limits. Sen. Darline Graham is headed to a runoff with Rep. Ralph Norman (R-South Carolina) in the Republican primary for the Senate seat recently held by Graham’s late brother, despite Trump backing her appointment and her election bid. And Mike Lindell lost the Republican gubernatorial primary in Minnesota to Lisa Demuth despite the president’s support.
Trending
Three: In general, it remains very difficult to predict just what the heck is going on! Minnesota’s Democratic Senate primary, which was predicted to be very close in the polls, was in fact not at all close — progressive candidate Peggy Flanagan blew out centrist Angie Craig by double digits.
The Democratic gubernatorial primary in Wisconsin was another nail-biter in a year full of them. Progressive Francesca Hong did not win in the landslide many predicted. In fact, she lost to establishment-backed David Crowley. This was an outcome exactly zero public polls predicted.
Open tabs: Amanda Janoo wins Vermont’s Democratic governor primary (VTDigger); Hunter Biden Is Now Everywhere. What Does He Want? (WSJ) Inside Trump’s college sports lobbying push (Semafor); Federal Employees Can Use TikTok Again (NOTUS); A rally involving Max Miller was canceled over threats, but local police say they never heard about them (Cleveland.com)
From the White House
Gang of Eight Democrats say they weren’t briefed on Air Force One decoy scheme: “Nope” was all Rep. Jim Himes (D-Connecticut), the top Democrat on the House’s intelligence committee, texted NOTUS’ Kadia Goba when she asked. The office of Sen. Mark Warner (D-Virginia), Himes’ upper chamber counterpart, also said he never received a briefing. Some Republican members of the Gang of Eight didn’t respond to requests for comment. Senate Republican Leader John Thune declined to comment.
Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer said in a statement that he also had not been briefed (he’s a Gang of Eight member, too). “It is unacceptable that Congress was kept in the dark and instead learned about this serious threat through press reports,” Schumer said.
Trump confirmed to reporters last night that he switched planes at the behest of the Secret Service and the military. “I just follow what they like to do,” the president said, NOTUS’ Ben T.N. Mause reports.
There were a number of stories yesterday on what was normal about the plane swap in Turkey, and on what wasn’t. The latest came from The New York Times: With Trump Secretly Evacuated, Imperiled Air Force One Became a Flying Decoy.
From the Hill
Democrat presses DHS for answers on Corey Lewandowski: Sen. Maggie Hassan (D-New Hampshire) has an open probe into the former top aide to former Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem. Lewandowski has come under bipartisan scrutiny for the way his team handled federal contracts worth big money while Noem was in charge. Noem’s replacement at DHS, Markwayne Mullin, and the new guy in charge of contracts at the department, Under Secretary for Management Brian Cavanaugh, have publicly committed to reviewing the Lewandowski era. Last night, Hassan told Cavanaugh in a letter that she wants to see some results from that review by Sept. 1.
THE BIG ONE
What it’s like to be deported: NOTUS’ Jose Pagliery has been communicating for months with a 44-year-old Cuban man named Rogelio Bolufé, who was arrested in Miami last August and shuffled through the detention infrastructure — “Alligator Alcatraz” and many places like it — before being shipped to Guayaquil, Ecuador, in June. Bolufé is one of thousands of people set to be deported to third countries under administration policy.
His is a surreal tale. He alleges the U.S. did not send him with his Cuban passport, and instead gave him false Ecuadorian documents on the tarmac when he arrived. But those were taken by Ecuadorian officials. And so, 30 minutes into his new life, this was his circumstance, as Jose writes it: The U.S. government had ditched Bolufé in a foreign country with no money, no cell phone and no passport. His drab prison uniform, disheveled hair and two-month scraggly beard made him unapproachable.
The place he was sent to is extremely dangerous, and local government help has not been forthcoming. “In reality, I’m quite alone here,” Bolufé said.
The details of how he has put a meager life together are fascinating, but Jose’s in-depth look at inside the deportation system and his reporting on the apparent false promise of welcoming third countries for American deportees is truly remarkable.
The Department of Homeland Security says Bolufé has dual citizenship in Ecuador, which he denies. DHS denied Bolufé’s allegations of mistreatment in federal detention. “Being in detention is a choice,” a department spokesperson said. “The United States is offering illegal aliens $2,600 and a free flight to self-deport now.”
NOTUS METRO
Sign up for our local newsletter, written by Martin Austermuhle and Zara Norman.
Local news: Inside a D.C. Courthouse Pushed to Its Limit Under Trump, by Jenny Gathright
Sports desk: Venerated D.C.-area sports columnist Thomas Boswell’s NOTUS debut: This Powerhouse Nats Offense Is a Terrible Thing to Waste
ON NOTUS PODCAST
From your favorite podcast app: On today’s episode of On NOTUS, Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-Oregon) says Congress must act to limit President Trump’s powers. “If we think of the Constitution as a house, we’ve got holes in the roof, we’ve got termites in the walls, we’ve got crumbling foundation, and we better repair it all,” he told NOTUS’ Igor Bobic. Merkley also discussed socialism versus progressivism and his plans if he becomes chair of the Senate Budget Committee.
NEW ON NOTUS
“Egregious” mistakes: Internal Veterans Affairs data obtained by NOTUS’ Eric Katz backs up fears that the department is denying veteran claims to move quickly on them. The result, according to a broad swath of sources Eric talked to, is an increase in errors. Veterans Affairs Secretary Doug Collins has touted his department’s progress in slashing its claims backlog.
“At the end of the day, the number one thing is making the numbers, making the secretary look good, because if you don’t there’s going to be a problem,” one Veterans Benefits Administration employee said. “Everyone is afraid.”
A VA spokesperson said internal metrics show accuracy rates increasing.
More: Democrats Are Building Their Opposition to the Protect College Sports Act, by Jesse Dougherty
Ex-Biden Officials Are Planning How to Build Back the Government Post-DOGE, by Natalie Alms
Trump Administration to End Federal Funding for Gender-Affirming Care for Children, by Marissa Martinez
NOT US
- How Iran Adapted Its Attacks as U.S. War Munitions Dwindled, by Eric Schmitt and Helene Cooper for The New York Times
- The AI industry won a primary fight. Now its target is inspiring lawmakers nationwide. By Brendan Bordelon for Politico
- They’re making record profits, but oil companies still won’t ‘drill, baby, drill,’ by Austin Corona for Grist
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 and Andrew Burton. Photo by Nam Y. Huh/AP.
Authors
