Today\u2019s notice: NOTUS sits down with Mike Johnson. Examining the power of a Trump endorsement. Why Trump\u2019s endorsement of new coal mining hasn\u2019t resulted in much new mining. And: Exclusive polling on Americans\u2019 skepticism toward creating Skynet. <\/p>\n
THE LATEST<\/p>\n
What\u2019s on Mike Johnson\u2019s mind? The House speaker sat for an extended interview<\/a> this week for On NOTUS, our podcast hosted by Reese Gorman<\/a>. The conversation came at a challenging time for the razor-thin majority Johnson is in charge of corralling \u2014 the chances for major legislation seem dim, party infighting seems likely and a historically challenging midterm looms.<\/p>\n \u201cFear is not in my vocabulary,\u201d Johnson told Reese during the interview. Some moments that capture the uncomfortable political moment the speaker is in:<\/p>\n On the war in Iran and its impact on domestic affordability politics: \u201cThe mission is virtually accomplished now as it was defined.\u201d Donald Trump says \u201cthe same thing to us privately as he says publicly\u201d about the war\u2019s timeline, Johnson said. \u201cSo we think this gets resolved quickly, and then we get right back on track.\u201d<\/p>\n On how the politics of immigration enforcement has changed: \u201cLook, I think there\u2019s a recognition that there needed to be a change, a shift in strategy and implementation. And you\u2019re seeing that.\u201d<\/p>\n There will be further shifts if Republican Sen. Markwayne Mullin is confirmed to lead DHS, Johnson said. \u201cHe\u2019s a thoughtful guy. He\u2019s pragmatic. He will uphold the rule of law but do it in a way that recognizes the dignity of people.\u201d<\/p>\n On the president\u2019s bromance with Zohran Mamdani: \u201cLook, they\u2019re New Yorkers, OK?\u201d<\/p>\n On liking his midterm odds at a time when few others do: \u201cI have a very boring 90-minute slideshow I can show you, to show you all the reasons we\u2019re gonna win, OK?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIt boils down to a couple things,\u201d Johnson went on. He pointed to strategist Mark Penn\u2019s latest public polling<\/a> (conducted Feb. 25-26) that found a jump ball on the generic ballot. (Other public polling has found<\/a> a small but consistent Democratic lead.) Democrats \u201cdon\u2019t have a message,\u201d the speaker said. \u201cThe whole game plan for them is \u2018we hate Trump.\u2019 Well, great. That\u2019s not exactly an agenda to run on.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThe entire control of Congress, and thus the direction of the country, comes down to about 31 seats,\u201d Johnson said, citing a \u201csmall map\u201d due to redistricting. \u201cWe are putting lead on target.\u201d<\/p>\n Open tabs: Rescue effort under way as US military refueling plane crashes in Iraq<\/a> (Guardian); The Republican Who Wants to Banish His Own Constituents<\/a> (Atlantic); How the Pentagon Got Hooked on AI War Machines<\/a> (Bloomberg); Mullin departure creates \u2018House whisperer\u2019 vacancy for Senate GOP<\/a> (The Hill)<\/p>\n From the campaign trail<\/p>\n Still the primary clearer? Despite flagging approval ratings and term limits, a Trump endorsement is still the best tool Republican strategists insist there is when it comes to ending expensive primary fights, NOTUS\u2019 Torrence Banks reports<\/a>.<\/p>\n This is a reality few are willing to question. After Michael T. Lowry, a Republican pollster, released numbers<\/a> last month suggesting the endorsement of Sen. Katie Britt of Alabama carried more influence in the state, Britt was among the first to call it fake news. \u201cThere is nothing more powerful than a Trump endorsement,\u201d she told Torrence.<\/p>\n The entire GOP Senate primary in Texas remains about who can win<\/a> Trump\u2019s backing. Other races this cycle \u2014 the Republican Senate primary<\/a> in Louisiana, for one \u2014 are tests of how powerful his endorsement still is.<\/p>\n The thinking behind the faith in a Trump endorsement: \u201cTrump is trusted by a great many people that are Republican,\u201d Stan Barnes, a lobbyist and former Arizona state senator, explained. \u201cAnd it is so much easier to say \u2018what does Trump want?\u2019 as a Republican voter than it is to actually research the issue or to try to make up your own mind.\u201d<\/p>\n From the White House<\/p>\n Mining indifference: The Trump administration is offering up millions of acres of public lands for coal mining \u2014 but companies aren\u2019t placing bids, NOTUS\u2019 Shifra Dayak reports<\/a>. These failed auctions \u201care really an indicator that there\u2019s not much appetite for new coal, or the appetite is at prices that are so low as to be not worthwhile for the government to even consider them, which is extraordinary given the pro-coal policies of this administration,\u201d Seth Feaster, a coal industry analyst at the Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis, told Shifra.<\/p>\n Environmentalists blame a changing energy economy. \u201cThe coal operators in the West have secured a lot of leases. They have enough leases to keep their existing mines operating for probably at least a decade,\u201d Shiloh Hernandez, an attorney at Earthjustice, said. \u201cTo expand money past 10 years is a proposition that they don\u2019t see any market value for.\u201d<\/p>\n The industry blames Joe Biden. \u201cIt\u2019s important to recognize that the prior administration actively worked through anti-coal policies to erode all confidence in the longevity of the coal industry, and so it\u2019s no surprise that some of the initial sales reflected how challenging it has been for coal producers,\u201d Ashley Burke, a spox for the National Mining Association, said.<\/p>\n From the Hill<\/p>\n Iran determined to strike in U.S.? \u201cI think it\u2019s fair to say it\u2019s a higher risk now,\u201d Democratic Sen. Mark Kelly said yesterday, echoing fears from lawmakers that Iran-inspired domestic attacks might happen as a result of America\u2019s ongoing combat operations overseas. NOTUS\u2019 Hamed Ahmadi reports<\/a> that lawmakers on the Hill said they have not heard anything beyond public reporting that suggests a specific threat.<\/p>\n The strange case of an FBI alert about potential Iranian drone strikes in California fueled fears this week, even as the sourcing unraveled. It was based on a single unverified email tip shared through a law-enforcement intelligence network and did not identify specific targets, timing or a credible threat, Hamed writes. Karoline Leavitt posted<\/a>: \u201cTO BE CLEAR: No such threat from Iran to our homeland exists, and it never did.\u201d<\/p>\n From the future<\/p>\n First on NOTUS: Americans fear the killer AI robot. Most Americans doubt the Pentagon can use AI responsibly, a new poll<\/a> obtained exclusively by NOTUS\u2019 Samuel Larreal found. The survey, commissioned by Americans for Responsible Innovation, found that 61% of adults don\u2019t trust the government to use AI for surveillance without abuse, and over 70% of them think there should be human judgment over AI weapons.<\/p>\n Last month, the Pentagon designated<\/a> Anthropic as a supply-chain risk after a disagreement<\/a> over AI-powered surveillance and weapons. Since then, the Pentagon has faced mounting scrutiny<\/a> over its use of AI.<\/p>\n NEW ON NOTUS<\/p>\n Trump picks a replacement for Kari Lake: The president yesterday tapped a top State Department official, Sarah B. Rogers, to take over at the U.S. Agency for Global Media, just days after a federal judge ruled that Lake had been running the agency unlawfully.<\/p>\n In a post to X<\/a>, Lake called the judge \u201crotund\u201d and said she planned to continue serving as deputy CEO.<\/p>\n More: Chris Wright Says He\u2019ll Personally Review All DOE Communications After Oil Tanker Snafu<\/a>, by Amelia Benavides-Col\u00f3n<\/p>\n NOT US<\/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: NOTUS sits down with Mike Johnson. Examining the power of a Trump endorsement. 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