{"id":262,"date":"2026-06-08T13:09:47","date_gmt":"2026-06-08T13:09:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/modernhomejournals.com\/?p=262"},"modified":"2026-06-08T13:09:47","modified_gmt":"2026-06-08T13:09:47","slug":"trumps-other-job","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/modernhomejournals.com\/?p=262","title":{"rendered":"Trump’s Other Job"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Today\u2019s notice:<\/i><\/b> Donald Trump and Mike Johnson do the Spiderman pointing meme. What the DOJ is and isn\u2019t doing to get ready for the midterms. And: local and sports coverage, now on NOTUS!<\/i><\/p>\n

Read more It\u2019s Johnson\u2019s Gavel But Trump\u2019s House<\/a><\/p>\n

THE LATEST<\/b><\/h2>\n

The \u201celection integrity\u201d question.<\/b> Donald Trump<\/b>\u2019s Department of Justice has taken a series of interesting actions (and inactions) that have alarmed current and former prosecutors, causing them to question the agency\u2019s preparedness for the midterm elections, NOTUS\u2019 Jose Pagliery scoops.<\/u><\/span><\/p>\n

The DOJ has canceled election-integrity training sessions<\/b> for prosecutors and FBI agents. It has deleted a nearly 300-page guide to prosecuting election offenses. It has fired a majority of the lawyers in the Public Integrity section while also failing to replace the director of its Election Crimes Branch. Moreover, the DOJ has not taken the usual steps to establish a \u201ccommand center\u201d to monitor and address the typical emergencies that pop up around Election Day, sources tell Jose. That team would address things like voter intimidation and targeted disinformation.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s really concerning,\u201dsaid Ryan Crosswell<\/b>, a former public corruption prosecutor who recently ran for Congress as a Democrat. \u201cAnd this just feeds into the fear that rather than protect elections, the DOJ may try to interfere with them.\u201d<\/p>\n

The DOJ did not provide any answers to detailed questions <\/b>about the training cancellations and the election command center, but a department spokesperson said its top priorities are now \u201censuring the integrity of U.S. elections and protecting Americans against voting fraud and civil rights violations.\u201d<\/p>\n

Delayed results from California\u2019s primary election <\/b>have already <\/i>fueled conspiracies on the right \u2014 linking the (very long) time it takes to count mail-in-ballots in the (very) Democratic state to the idea that Democrats are cheating. Those theories have made it to Donald Trump<\/b>, who stormed out of an interview<\/u><\/span> with NBC\u2019s Kristen Welker on Sunday after she pushed the president to provide evidence of election rigging in California and, his longtime obsession, in 2020.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019re either crooked or you\u2019re stupid,\u201d Trump told Welker, claiming the lengthy vote-counting process is \u201ccheating on the election.\u201d<\/p>\n

Open tabs:<\/b> Trump Says He Never Promised No New Wars<\/u><\/span> (NYT); Iran fires missiles at Israel for first time since ceasefire<\/u><\/span> (Axios); Donald Trump, Knicks fan, heads back to New York to root on his team<\/u><\/span> (AP); US Supreme Court poised to rule on gun laws and transgender athletes<\/u><\/span> (Reuters)<\/p>\n

From the Hill<\/b><\/h2>\n

Remember, you don\u2019t have to be a member of the House to be the speaker. <\/b>A feature of Trump\u2019s second term has been a very narrow majority in the House of Representatives, making House Speaker Mike Johnson\u2019s difficult job even harder and forcing him to lean on Trump to twist arms.<\/p>\n

There\u2019s a running joke on the Hill <\/b>that Trump is actually running the House, and Trump is in on it too. In at least one meeting with Johnson and other lawmakers, Trump ribbed him over how often the president has to get his own members in line, NOTUS\u2019 Reese Gorman reports<\/u><\/span>.<\/p>\n

\u201cI have two jobs: being president and being speaker,\u201d<\/b> Trump has said. But it goes beyond that. According to two sources who spoke with Reese, there have been several instances when members seeking to bring legislation to the floor were directed by Johnson to obtain the administration\u2019s approval first.<\/p>\n

But not everyone thinks this is a problem.<\/b> One senior GOP aide said, \u201cIt stands to reason that the White House would have input into and help pass the legislative agenda that Republican House Members and the President ran on and that 77.3 million Americans voted for.\u201d<\/p>\n

From the campaign <\/b><\/h2>\n

At a town hall last night<\/b>, Senate candidate Graham Platner<\/b> said nothing about the allegations<\/u><\/span> that he intimidated some of the women he previously dated. His voters didn\u2019t either, Christa Dutton reports from Maine.<\/p>\n

Read more Mystics\u2019 Shakira Austin Is Now the Adult in the Room<\/a><\/p>\n

What was on their minds? Citizens United. Industrial salmon farming. Congressional committee assignments. What he thinks out-of-towners don\u2019t get.<\/p>\n

Some Democrats see Platner as a risk. Does Maine? \u201cMaybe if you\u2019re outside looking in,\u201d one voter said. They added: \u201cPeople in Maine know him, and those things are not important. Well, they\u2019re important, but what we need to focus on is what he proposes to do to make our lives better.\u201d<\/p>\n

New this morning in Texas: Dan Cogdell<\/b>, who was Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton<\/b>\u2019s defense attorney in both his impeachment trial and a long-running securities fraud case, has endorsed Democrat James Talarico<\/b>, NOTUS\u2019 Stephen Neukam reports<\/u><\/span>.<\/p>\n

NOTUS METRO<\/b><\/h2>\n

Our local news and sports coverage debuts today! Just as in-person early voting <\/i>begins<\/u><\/i><\/span>, we\u2019ve got interviews with both frontrunners in the rollicking contest for D.C. mayor. Plus, a look at this season\u2019s Nationals team and a profile of Mystics forward Shakira Austin. <\/i><\/p>\n

How to manage (and stand up to) Trump has been a top pitch<\/b> from Janeese Lewis George<\/u><\/b><\/span> and Kenyan McDuffie<\/u><\/b><\/span>, but so too are the perennial issues of affordability and public safety. While McDuffie has said Lewis George \u2014 a current councilmember and self-identified democratic socialist \u2014 can\u2019t be trusted to keep D.C. safe, she\u2019s managed to corner him on affordability concerns.<\/p>\n

Public safety and affordability are inextricably linked<\/b>, McDuffie tells NOTUS\u2019 Michael Brice Saddler. \u201cIt\u2019s challenging to get to some of the issues around affordability if people don\u2019t feel safe. Attracting new residents and new businesses is difficult in an environment where the competitiveness has been diminished in terms of quality of life in some people\u2019s eyes,\u201d McDuffie said.<\/p>\n

Is that pitch connecting with voters? Maybe not.<\/b> A recent Washington Post-Schar School poll<\/u><\/span> put Lewis George 11 points ahead among registered Democrats who are likely to vote. She tells NOTUS\u2019 Martin Austermuhle that D.C. residents are \u201cabsolutely\u201d ready for a democratic socialist mayor. \u201cI am a believer in sewer socialism, and that is making basic government services work for people. People have been crying out for the government to just have the basics work well. People are tired of hearing what the government can\u2019t do,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

From the NOTUS Sports desk. <\/b><\/h2>\n

The Nationals\u2019 man with a plan.<\/b> Paul Toboni<\/b>, the Nationals\u2019 new president of baseball operations, is asking fans for patience \u2014 but he seems to realize what a hard ask that is, he tells NOTUS\u2019 Jesse Dougherty.<\/u><\/span><\/p>\n

The Mystics\u2019 wisest 25-year-old. <\/b>Forward Shakira Austin <\/b>is emerging as a key leader as D.C.\u2019s WNBA team starts a season with one of the youngest rosters in the league, NOTUS\u2019 Dave Sheinin reports<\/u><\/span>.<\/p>\n

NEW ON NOTUS<\/b><\/h2>\n

Detainees say they experienced \u201cpsychological torture\u201d<\/b> at Delaney Hall, an ICE facility in Newark, New Jersey, at the center of daily protests, NOTUS\u2019 Jose Pagliery<\/u><\/span> reports. In lawsuits \u2014 more than 530 have been filed this year \u2014 detainees describe food deprivation, inadequate medical care and unsanitary living conditions. \u201cMy detention conditions violate basic standards of human dignity,\u201d one detainee wrote.<\/p>\n

NOT US<\/b><\/h2>\n