Alex Roarty

Trump Using Iran War to Pad His Political Committee Account A supporter who “stands with President Trump and our brave U. S. troops” should give money to Trump’s Never Surrender Inc. PAC, a new fundraising message states.

NEW: Trump is “asking every SINGLE Trump supporter who stands with President Trump and our brave U. S. troops” to signal their support for the Iran war — with a donation to his leadership PAC. www.notus.org/money/donald...

NIH Says It Will No Longer Recognize the Research Fellows’ Union NIH leadership said the union “should never have been certified,” in an email to the union’s leadership.

NEW: The NIH says it will no longer recognize a union of early-career researchers because it does not believe they are "employees" who are "employed in an agency."

"The NIH/UAW bargaining unit should never have been certified," NIH HR wrote.

www.notus.org/health-scien...

How James Talarico Won An Upset in Texas Talarico’s campaign was “highly professional but also very modern,” one Democratic strategist said. Rep. Jasmine Crockett’s campaign, he added, “was very modern but not very professional.”

Talarico ran a campaign. Jasmine Crockett ran a partial one (at best). Tonight's result might not be much more complicated than that.

On how Talarico overcame a 17-point deficit in December and won the Texas Senate Democratic primary, w/ @daniellamicaela.bsky.social

www.notus.org/2026-electio...

RFK Jr.’s New Vaccine Committee Appointee Has Called to ‘#StopTheShots’ Angelina Farella, a Texas-based pediatrician, has also called the RSV vaccine an “utter failure.”

Angie Farella, a Texas-based pediatrician, has called the RSV vaccine an "utter failure" and said the COVID-19 vaccine is "not safe nor is it effective.” On Friday, RFK Jr. appointed her to the CDC's vaccine recommendation committee. New from me:
www.notus.org/health-scien...

DHS Is Depleting Disaster Funds in the Middle of an Agency Shutdown Democrats say that Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem is “manufacturing” a crisis to put pressure on them to end the agency shutdown.

NEW: Dems believe Kristi Noem is suddenly releasing huge amounts of disaster funds to pressure Dems into ending the DHS shutdown.

The sudden spending will dramatically lower our reserves for a catastrophe. Only way to refill them is to end the shutdown.

say what you will about the problems with contemporary polling, these folks ain't herding

Not everyone agrees it's a negative - including Massie himself. And diehard supporters *adore* him for his advocacy on it.

But a lot critics, including rank-and-file voters, say his interest is a distraction

“How do the Epstein files help me? In no way, shape or form. It doesn’t reduce taxes.”

Thomas Massie Is Testing Whether a Trump Nemesis Can Win a Republican Primary Thomas Massie has never been more influential, taking down foreign leaders with the Epstein files. But his independence from Trump could hurt him at home. “I'd call him a Judas,” his primary challenge...

Traveled to Kentucky. Spent time with Massie and his primary opponent, Ed Gallrein. Came away with the impression that rather than helping his campaign, Massie's advocacy over the Epstein files might be *hurting* his reelection bid w/GOP voters www.notus.org/2026-electio...

ICE Has Taken Over Democratic Primaries The Trump administration’s aggressive deportation tactics have flipped campaign strategies and refocused candidacies. “Everything changed,” one candidate said.

ICE is taking over Democratic primaries

www.notus.org/2026-electio...

Dozens of Kids Entered Foster Care After Immigration Agents Detained Their Parents States are taking custody of kids separated from their parents in Trump's push for mass deportations. No one knows exactly how many.

At least 32 kids entered foster care in 2025 after immigration agents detained their parents.

That includes four toddlers ages 1-3 in Vermont.

Here’s my story on the patchy tracking of family separations through the foster care system.
www.notus.org/immigration/...

Republicans Want Nothing to Do With Conservative Efforts to Ban Gay Marriage Trump has moved the Republican Party away from its decades-old opposition to same-sex marriage, and public support remains high.

NEW: Prominent conservative groups created a campaign to overturn Obergefell, the SCOTUS ruling that legalized gay marriage

Republicans don’t want anything to do with it

“I don’t think it’s a viable effort, legally, politically or otherwise,” one House R said
www.notus.org/republicans/...

Alex Roarty on X: "Crockett’s fundraising surge never came. She has been outspent roughly 19-to-1 on ads. And some Dems talking w/her campaign aren’t sure who exactly is running it. On the congresswoman’s unconventional campaign in Texas, and how it’s making allies anxious. https://t.co/T1xgmJMItO" / X Crockett’s fundraising surge never came. She has been outspent roughly 19-to-1 on ads. And some Dems talking w/her campaign aren’t sure who exactly is running it. On the congresswoman’s unconventional campaign in Texas, and how it’s making allies anxious. https://t.co/T1xgmJMItO

Crockett’s fundraising surge never came. She has been outspent roughly 19-to-1 on ads. And some Dems talking w/her campaign aren’t sure who exactly is running it.

On the congresswoman’s unconventional campaign in Texas, and how it’s making allies anxious

x.com/alex_roarty/...

The Complicated Politics of Jasmine Crockett’s Campaign Donations The liberal candidate in the Senate race in Texas received donations in the past from figures in the Trump-aligned crypto and defense industries.

new, with @daniellamicaela.bsky.social!

Since winning in 2022, the Crockett has won national acclaim among liberals for her critical commentary of Republicans. But her record, affiliations and campaign contributors tell a different story about her ideological POV

www.notus.org/2026-electio...

NEW with @alexroarty.bsky.social:

Rep. Jasmine Crockett’s affiliations and campaign contributors tell a unique story about her ideological point of view, one now under scrutiny in her closely watched primary with Texas state Rep. James Talarico.

www.notus.org/2026-electio...

U.S.-Backed West African Vaccine Study Draws Scrutiny From WHO, UNICEF Researchers said news reports about the study sparked concerns among international public health groups. “I’m not doing political research,” one researcher told NOTUS.

NEWS: The WHO and UNICEF are scrutinizing a CDC-backed study on the effects of the hepatitis B vaccine in Africa, researchers running the study told NOTUS. www.notus.org/health-scien...

Republicans Are Pushing Back on Trump’s Venezuela Plans Behind Closed Doors At a classified briefing last week, Republican lawmakers broke with the president.

SCOOP: Trump officials faced pushback from some House Republicans at last week's classified briefing on Venezuela

Huizenga said he has "no confidence" in Delcy Rodríguez

Baumgartner asked when the U.S. will work with opposition leaders, who Trump has sidelined
www.notus.org/republicans/...

I feel like "attention hacking" is most of politics now. The Minnesota aid fraud story is becoming a perfect example.

Recap: In 2022, the Biden DOJ filed the first charges against dozens of fraudsters, many of them Somali-American, who'd fleeced a state food aid program. (1/x)

New Democratic candidate poised to enter Maine’s ultra-competitive 2nd District congressional race Joe Baldacci’s entrance to the race will likely please some national Democrats, who have struggled to recruit a competitive candidate for the right-leaning district.

Maine's ultra-competitive 2nd Congressional District race is about to get a new competitor with a very familiar name — scoop from @alexroarty.bsky.social of @notus.com www.notus.org/2026-electio...

Sarah McBride Lobbied Some Republicans to Vote Against an Anti-Trans Bill When House Democrats suspected a few members in their caucus would support a bill criminalizing gender-affirming care for trans youth, McBride reached out to some Republicans who went on to oppose the...

SCOOP: House Democrats suspected a few in their caucus would support a bill criminalizing gender-affirming care for trans youth

So Sarah McBride reached out to Republicans

Four Rs — Fitzpatrick, Lawler, Kennedy, Evans — joined Dems in opposing the bill
www.notus.org/congress/mcb...

Former Sportscaster Michele Tafoya Considering Run for Senate in Minnesota Tafoya met with officials from the National Republican Senatorial Committee last week in Minnesota, according to a source.

Former Sportscaster Michele Tafoya Considering Run for Senate in Minnesota

www.notus.org/2026-electio...

Democrats Seize on Andy Ogles’ Posts that Forced Local Courthouse to Increase Security Ogles posted “we are at war” after blaming judges for the rape of a Nashville woman.

Vulnerable GOP Rep. Andy Ogles blamed local judges for a rape in Nashville and posted their names and photos online. The courthouse had to increase its security in response given the risk of violent reprisals.

The full story at @notus.com.

Stephen Miller Scored a Big Cash Bonus Before Joining Trump 2.0 America First Legal, a pro-Trump nonprofit, spent an extra $175,000 on Miller and more on fellow departing executive Gene Hamilton.

NEW: White House deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller scored a big cash bonus from America First Legal before joining the second Trump administration. www.notus.org/money/stephe...

Republican Matt Van Epps Wins Tennessee House Seat by Slim Margin His narrow victory means Republicans avoided a political catastrophe, staving off a defeat that would likely have sent panic through the House GOP.

New: Republican Matt Van Epps Wins Tennessee House Seat by Slim Margin

Bottom line: GOP avoids catastrophe, can be happy about late effort to juice turnout, but still eyeing a ~15-point shift from DT's in '24, which should further concerns about '26

www.notus.org/campaigns/re...

CDC Quietly Turned Off Its Vaccine Search Tool. It’s Not Clear When It’s Coming Back. “I have heard that they are planning to ‘update it’ and shudder to think what that will mean,” Demetre Daskalakis, a former member of CDC leadership, told NOTUS.

Vaccines.gov, the CDC's vaccination site search engine, got a MAHA makeover in June. Then it stopped working altogether.

New from me:

www.notus.org/health-scien...

A Year Out From the Midterms, Democrats Aren't Certain of a 2018 Repeat Trump’s approval ratings are low, and voters are frustrated. That doesn’t guarantee an easy election for Democrats.

Is 2026 going to be a 2018 redux? There's a raging debate about whether the current Trump midterm is going to be like the last one www.notus.org/2026-electio...

Haley Stevens' Campaign Is Underwhelming Democrats Democrats say the establishment favorite’s Michigan Senate campaign isn’t ready for primetime — and it could cost the party the general election.

Haley Stevens’ Campaign Is Underwhelming Democrats

Democrats say the establishment favorite’s Michigan Senate campaign isn’t ready for primetime — and it could cost the party the general election.

w/@daniellamicaela.bsky.social www.notus.org/2026-electio...

Democrats Say Federal Workers Don't Want Them to Cave. Their Union Says Otherwise. The largest union representing federal workers called for an end to the shutdown. It did little to convince Senate Democrats to support Republicans’ short-term funding bill.

New: The largest union of federal workers says Senate Democrats should support the GOP funding bill to end the shutdown

But Democrats say they don't *actually* mean that

"I work very closely with them," Sen. Tim Kaine said, "the AFGE would not want us to cut a deal"
www.notus.org/democrats/de...

Arizona Sues the House Over Johnson’s Failure to Swear In Adelita Grijalva The state’s attorney general, Kris Mayes, argued that Johnson is breaking the precedent he set in April when he swore in two Republican congressmen during a pro forma session.

BREAKING: Arizona has officially sued the House of Representatives over Mike Johnson's decision to not swear in Adelita Grijalva, who was elected in a special election one month ago
www.notus.org/house/adelit...

Republicans Go All In on Anti-Trans Messaging More than half of Republican ads in Virginia are focused on trans issues. Not everyone in the party thinks it’s the right political play.

57% of the ads from Republicans in the Virginia governor's race have focused on transgender issues.

Sign of things to come from the GOP in 2026. W/ @oriana.bsky.social www.notus.org/2025-electio...

Republicans Go All In on Anti-Trans Messaging More than half of Republican ads in Virginia are focused on trans issues. Not everyone in the party thinks it’s the right political play.

NEW: Republicans are going all in on anti-trans messaging in Virginia’s governor race, even more than Trump did in 2024

57% of their ads have focused on trans issues

It’s a blueprint for 2026 — but not all Republicans think it’s a good idea

w/ @alexroarty.bsky.social
www.notus.org/2025-electio...