NOTUS

EXCLUSIVE: When Donald Trump said on Jan. 7 that he’d rename the Gulf of Mexico the “Gulf of America” upon retaking office, the idea seemed to spring from the deeper waters of Trump’s mind. But it hadn’t. Amid a flurry of media requests about Trump’s proposal, government officials at the U.S. Geological Survey scrambled to keep secret a failed effort in 2006 to rename the Gulf of Mexico the Gulf of America — seemingly to avoid exacerbating the situation already spiraling out of their control, according to internal records obtained by NOTUS via a Freedom of Information Act request. “No one needs to know this has come up before. At least right now,” U.S. Board on Geographic Names researcher Jennifer Runyon wrote on Jan. 7 in an internal text chat with colleagues. Runyon, who has regularly spoken to news outlets about how the United States names its geographic features, urged her colleagues to exercise caution about the George W. Bush-era renaming push, the source of which is unclear. “My advice is to keep this background on the lowdown, as it has no bearing on the current situation,” Runyon separately wrote to Shellie Zahniser, the U.S. Geological Survey’s executive secretary for domestic names. Full report, and all the documents, NOTUS: https://lnkd.in/g3q7J4kD

This week on NOTUS ??: ↘? The U.S. Chamber of Commerce’s influence with GOP allies has decreased in recent years, putting the lobbying giant in a tough spot to fight tariffs and push tax priorities at the start of a second Trump administration. https://lnkd.in/evvZJiTQ ↘? President Donald Trump’s executive orders targeting DEI and transgender people are upending organizing efforts for WorldPride Washington, D.C. 2025. NOTUS reached out to nearly 40 sponsors listed on the organization’s website to check if they were pulling their backing. Only five responded to reiterate their support for the event. https://lnkd.in/eNbQhdDJ ↘? The Trump administration fired roughly 20 NIH employees who worked on pathogen “lab leaks” prevention. https://lnkd.in/e3emBeVu ↘? California, home to more federal workers than any other state, is being hit particularly hard by DOGE cuts. The state’s national parks and reserves are facing staffing cuts, while its universities stand to lose millions in grants that support medical research. https://lnkd.in/egQEqaPW ↘? DOGE is terminating leases for two regional offices that help respond to oil spills and other catastrophic offshore drilling incidents. https://lnkd.in/eeEvn4CE ?? To get these stories and more in your inbox, subscribe to the NOTUS daily newsletter: https://lnkd.in/e7N6Wv6s

The trade war with Canada is now risking electricity blackouts in New York, Michigan, Minnesota, and other Northern states. In all the uproar over Ontario's 25% electricity tariff and Trump's angry response today, we're missing the biggest risk — the stability of the grid itself. I dug into the details for NOTUS.

NOTUS’ Jasmine Wright: “Does this administration still consider Canada to be a close ally?” Press Sec. Karoline Leavitt: “Canada is a neighbor, they are a partner. They have always been an ally. Perhaps they are becoming a competitor now...[Pres. Trump] believes Canadians will be better served economically, militarily, if they were to become the 51st state.”

NOTUS and the Allbritton Journalism Institute thank all who attended and tuned into Media and Democracy: Covering Trump 2.0, a conversation with top political journalists on the role of journalism in 2025 and beyond. ?? Watch the full discussion: https://lnkd.in/efePDsT9

This week on NOTUS ??: ↘? President Donald Trump and Elon Musk have been floating the idea of DOGE-funded stimulus checks. Republicans say the move could be “inflationary.” https://lnkd.in/evsrBX9r ↘? The Trump administration is backtracking on plans to close a Department of Energy office building in New Mexico that managed one of the country’s most crucial nuclear waste storage sites. https://lnkd.in/e5WAHBDT ↘? Rep. Richard Hudson, chair of the NRCC, had a bit of advice for his fellow GOP lawmakers: Stop holding in-person town halls. https://lnkd.in/evs5B2dW ↘? Democrats want to compete with Republicans who dominated podcasts and social media in 2024. Party leadership is experimenting with new approaches, such as inviting “new media voices” like content creator Brian Tyler Cohen to whip meetings. https://lnkd.in/entPHs2c ↘? As DOGE steamrolls its way through federal agencies, potential allies who agree there is need for reform feel disenfranchised and worse off. https://lnkd.in/eFuzSpyV ?? Explore these stories and more: https://www.notus.org/

So fortunate to be a colleague of Anna Kramer and the Allbritton Journalism Institute / NOTUS team. Earlier this week, Anna broke a story?about a planned DOGE lease termination that would have shut down a Department of Energy office in Carlsbad, New Mexico, "where at least 200 people work to supervise highly radioactive waste from the U.S.’s nuclear defense activities." Borrowing from Tara Golshan here, her story informed federal leaders that this was happening, led to the New Mexico Political Report?republishing?the story and doing their own follow-on reporting?that pressed New Mexico Democrats in Congress, and ultimately prompted officials to take action. The DOGE lease termination?has now been reversed. The lawmaker who represents this town,?Rep. Gabe Vasquez,?told Anna that her reporting was why this happened. #journalism

This week on NOTUS ??: ↘? Pres. Donald Trump has taken unprecedented steps to reshape the federal government. Will the Supreme Court let him? https://lnkd.in/e_HX7bkt ↘? The CDC has been quiet nationally on the measles outbreak. State and local public-health officials say their dealings with the agency have been business as usual. https://lnkd.in/edBx5kpC ↘? As DOGE comes for the Department of Defense, high-level leadership at the Pentagon is “trying to do their best” with very little information. https://lnkd.in/eVm_jxrb ↘? Elon Musk was a key player in the president’s first cabinet meeting despite not being an official member. https://lnkd.in/eiMHV-ya ↘? Utilizing the Congressional Review Act, Republicans are planning to break decades of precedent — and possibly the law — to stop California from banning new gas cars. https://lnkd.in/eJYSdSr5 ?? NOTUS and the Allbritton Journalism Institute are partnering with a group of local newsrooms around the country for the Washington Bureau Initiative. This partnership will give readers in local communities the reporting they need to understand what their elected representatives are doing in Congress — and how the actions taken by Congress, the White House and federal agencies are impacting their lives. Read more: https://lnkd.in/dus_MNy2 ?? To get these stories and more in your inbox, subscribe to the NOTUS daily newsletter: https://lnkd.in/e7N6Wv6s

NEW: Today, we announced The Washington Bureau Initiative, a new network with local newsrooms that will provide critical nonpartisan political reporting from D.C. The first local newsrooms joining NOTUS in this effort are: - Verite News New Orleans - Oklahoma Watch - San José Spotlight - NEWSWELL at Arizona State University (Times of San Diego, Stocktonia, Santa Barbara News-Press) - The Assembly from North Carolina Read more: https://lnkd.in/dus_MNy2

An important, co-bylined piece by Margaret Manto and Teresa Carr for NOTUS and Undark Magazine. "I know what Marxism is, and this was not that.”