Today\u2019s notice: Who got outraged while watching TV this weekend. A ton of fresh reporting on the Texas Democratic Senate primary. Republicans reject a new conservative push to overturn Obergefell. Plus: New skepticism that a DHS funding deal can be cut. <\/p>\n
THE LATEST<\/p>\n
Weekend culture war. We got a contemporary political split-screen last night when more than five million people (if YouTube metrics are to be believed) tuned into Turning Point USA\u2019s MAGA-inflected alternative Super Bowl halftime show. That includes a number of Republican lawmakers: \u201cPatriots are taking the culture back in real time,\u201d Rep. William Timmons posted<\/a>, boasting TPUSA\u2019s viewership.<\/p>\n Bad Bunny\u2019s highly anticipated performance was notably light on political rhetoric. \u201cGod bless Am\u00e9rica,\u201d he said to close a show long on Puerto Rican pride and short on lyrics in English.<\/p>\n Trump would have liked subtitles. \u201cNobody understands a word this guy is saying, and the dancing is disgusting,\u201d he wrote<\/a> on Truth Social. \u201cThis \u2018Show\u2019 is just a \u2018slap in the face\u2019 to our Country.\u201d<\/p>\n At least one Republican approved: \u201cLove the halftime show which celebrates the wonderful Latino culture,\u201d former Ohio Gov. John Kasich wrote<\/a> on X. \u201cGreat pick and great show. Bad Bunny hit a grand slam home run!\u201d\u2019<\/p>\n It was a fitting end to a deeply divisive weekend of sports. The U.S. delegation was booed at the Olympics. The crowd was particularly ready to jeer JD Vance when he popped up on the big screen in Italy. \u201cAn unmistakable sign of Europe\u2019s rapidly dimming view on America,\u201d the Wall Street Journal reported<\/a>.<\/p>\n Trump also booed a U.S. Olympian. He singled out freestyle skier Hunter Hess, calling him \u201ca real loser.\u201d<\/a><\/p>\n What Hess said: \u201cIt brings up mixed emotions to represent the U.S. right now, I think. It\u2019s a little hard. There\u2019s obviously a lot going on that I\u2019m not the biggest fan of, and I think a lot of people aren\u2019t.\u201d He\u2019s hardly the only Olympian<\/a> expressing the sentiment.<\/p>\n Open tabs: For $1M, Donors to U.S.A. Birthday Group Offered Access to Trump<\/a> (NYT); MAGA push to erase Dem House seat triggers accusations of fraud and violence in Utah<\/a> (Politico); NSA detected foreign intelligence phone call about a person close to Trump<\/a> (The Guardian); US agency investigating if ABC\u2019s \u2018The View\u2019 violated equal time rules for political candidates<\/a> (Reuters)<\/p>\n From the White House<\/p>\n At what point does it become the Trump economy? \u201cI\u2019d say we\u2019re there now,\u201d Trump said during his big Super Bowl interview<\/a> with NBC News\u2019 Tom Llamas. \u201cI\u2019m very proud of it.\u201d<\/p>\n Other highlights: The president also suggested that he doesn\u2019t believe most of what he he \u201cre-Truths\u201d on his social media platform, doubled down on his recommendation that Republicans should \u201cnationalize\u201d elections<\/a> and said it was \u201cterrible\u201d that legendary coach Bill Belichick wasn\u2019t inducted to the Hall of Fame on the first ballot.<\/p>\n P.S. Remember that guy? The infamous DOGE coder Edward Coristine, AKA \u201cBig Balls,\u201d built TrumpRx. Mehmet Oz told CNN yesterday that Coristine is a \u201cwonderful engineer\u201d who worked with Joe Gebbia, the cofounder of Airbnb, to \u201cmake it work perfectly the first time.\u201d<\/p>\n From Texas<\/p>\n Political science experiment in Texas. That\u2019s how one Democratic strategist described the first major Democratic primary test of the 2026 calendar, pitting Rep. Jasmine Crockett against state Rep. James Talarico. <\/p>\n Early voting in Texas begins next week (!) and NOTUS\u2019 Alex Roarty has a lot of fresh reporting<\/a> on how this primary enters the homestretch. Things you should know:<\/p>\n The campaign styles couldn\u2019t be more different. Talarico earned establishment support from a viral Joe Rogan appearance and is raising and spending big money in the traditional fashion. Crockett was already viral and has not built out a traditional operation. She has still not put any TV ads on the air. \u201cWe reject the D.C. playbook of politics as usual,\u201d Karrol Rimal, Crockett\u2019s deputy campaign manager, said.<\/p>\n The homestretch dynamics are unexpected. Most observers thought Crockett\u2019s entrance would effectively sideline Talarico. But that\u2019s not what they\u2019re seeing now: \u201cI think there was an assumption that she was going to be this fundraising powerhouse and we haven\u2019t seen any evidence to that effect,\u201d an unaligned Democrat told Alex.<\/p>\n An eyebrow-raising number: Talarico\u2019s campaign has spent almost $4.9 million this year on the primary. Crockett\u2019s has spent $260,000.<\/p>\n It\u2019s a battle of fame vs. strategy. If Crockett wins, it\u2019s because she\u2019s so famous she doesn\u2019t need a normal campaign. \u201cI don\u2019t think she\u2019s putting together a particularly strong effort,\u201d one strategist said. \u201cAnd I don\u2019t think they\u2019re particularly interested in taking any advice on how to make things better.\u201d<\/p>\n If Talarico wins, it\u2019s because normal campaigns still have some tricks up their sleeve.<\/p>\n From the campaign trail<\/p>\n Republicans say they want nothing to do with overturning Obergefell. \u201cI don\u2019t think it\u2019s a viable effort, legally, politically or otherwise, to try to overturn that decision,\u201d GOP Rep. Nick LaLota said of a new well-funded conservative push to overturn the Supreme Court\u2019s marriage equality ruling. NOTUS\u2019 Oriana Gonz\u00e1lez reports<\/a> elected Republicans are giving the effort a wide berth because they are conscious of public polling supporting same-sex marriage and nervous about being distracted from the economy.<\/p>\n \u201cI understand that it is politically costly for lawmakers. This is risky, but we\u2019re going to do it first. We are going to make the case both in the culture and in the courtrooms,\u201d Katy Faust, founder of the group leading the new effort, told Oriana.<\/p>\n Democrats are feeling good about their chances against two embattled House Republicans: Reps. Cory Mills and Andy Ogles. They\u2019re emboldened by what they see as the pair\u2019s twin vulnerabilities: weak fundraising and ethics issues, NOTUS\u2019 Riley Rogerson and Oriana report<\/a>.<\/p>\n Republicans say they aren\u2019t concerned: \u201cThose are pretty safe seats, so we\u2019re not overly concerned, but [we\u2019ll] keep an eye on it,\u201d NRCC Chairman Richard Hudson told NOTUS. Neither Mills nor Ogles receive money from Mike Johnson\u2019s fundraising committee, Grow The Majority, which fundraises for vulnerable Republicans.<\/p>\n From your favorite podcast app<\/p>\n Democratic Rep. Joaquin Castro joins NOTUS\u2019 Reese Gorman<\/a> for a conversation about why he thinks ICE should be \u201cdisbanded\u201d and his trip to a Texas detention center to bring 5-year-old Liam Conejo Ramos \u2014 the boy in the bunny hat \u2014 and his father home. He also discusses his thoughts on the upcoming Senate race in Texas and what it\u2019s like being identical twins with another politician. Listen to the episode here<\/a>.<\/p>\n NEW ON NOTUS<\/p>\n All signs point to a partial government shutdown, according to Sen. John Fetterman. \u201cI absolutely would expect that it\u2019s going to shut down,\u201d the key moderate said<\/a> on Fox News\u2019 \u201cSunday Morning Futures,\u201d adding that he does not know where Democrats\u2019 red lines lie. Party leaders laid out 10 reforms for DHS last week, including restricting federal agents from wearing masks, mandating the use of body cameras and visible identification, as well as tightening warrant guidelines.<\/p>\n Hakeem Jeffries suggested yesterday that none of it is negotiable: \u201cIn our view, the ball is in the court right now of the Republicans,\u201d he said on CNN\u2019s \u201cState of the Union.\u201d<\/p>\n NOT USWEEK AHEAD<\/p>\n Tuesday: Top officials at ICE, CBP and USCIS are set to testify at a House DHS Committee hearing<\/a>.<\/p>\n Federal program fraud in Minnesota is the subject of a scheduled Senate Judiciary Committee hearing<\/a>.<\/p>\n Wednesday: Pam Bondi is scheduled to testify at a hearing<\/a> of the House Judiciary Committee.<\/p>\n Thursday: Last year\u2019s air crash at DCA is the subject of a hearing<\/a> set for the Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation.<\/p>\n The same top officials running the immigration enforcement surge from Tuesday\u2019s hearing in the House are set to testify at a Senate DHS Committee hearing<\/a>.<\/p>\n NOTUS LIVE EVENT<\/p>\n Join us this week at a NOTUS event<\/a>, Path to Power: A NOTUS Forum on America\u2019s Primaries, on Wednesday, February 11 in Washington, D.C. Featured speakers \u2014 Rep. Jake Auchincloss, Cook Political Report\u2019s Carrie Dann, the Brookings Institution\u2019s Elaine Kamarck, NOTUS reporter Alex Roarty, NOTUS White House correspondent Jasmine Wright, and more \u2014 to discuss big races and emerging candidates.<\/p>\n 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 subscribe<\/a> \u2014 it\u2019s free! Have a tip? Email us at tips@notus.org<\/a>. And as always, we\u2019d love to hear your thoughts at newsletters@notus.org<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Today\u2019s notice: Who got outraged while watching TV this weekend. 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