‘Me and the Ayatollah’

Good afternoon. This is the Final NOTUS newsletter for March 23, 2026. You can get it in your inbox every day by signing up here — it’s free!

THE LATEST

The U.S. is in the middle of “very good and very productive” negotiations with Iran over how to end the war, Donald Trump said this morning on Truth Social. But did anyone tell Iranian officials?

• “No negotiations have been held with the US, and fakenews is used to manipulate the financial and oil markets and escape the quagmire in which the US and Israel are trapped,” the speaker of the Iranian Parliament, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, wrote on X.
  
• When asked about who exactly Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner had been speaking to, Trump said, “People that I find to be very reasonable.”
  

Trump said he’d be open to a partnership in controlling the Strait of Hormuz, with “me and the ayatollah” in charge.

• But not that ayatollah: Trump also told reporters before departing Florida this morning that he did not consider newly minted Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei to be the country’s legitimate head of state.
  

What’s actually on Trump’s mind today: He took a tour of Elvis Presley’s Graceland estate during a visit to Memphis, Tennessee, where the president declared himself to be a huge fan of the “King of Rock ‘n’ Roll.”

• While there, Trump signed a guitar with a gold Sharpie and told reporters that his favorite Elvis song was “Hurt,” a deep-cut 1976 cover of R&B singer Roy Hamilton.

THE HILL

There’s no deal on DHS funding. Senate Majority Leader John Thune approached the president with an offer yesterday, Punchbowl reported. Republicans could support a deal that would fund DHS without funding ICE, which they then could attempt to handle later through reconciliation. Trump apparently balked at the idea.

• A White House official told Politico that negotiations would be on pause until the Senate confirmed Markwayne Mullin to lead DHS. A final confirmation vote is scheduled for later this evening.
  

An 87-year-old Maxine Waters wants to reclaim her role as chair of the House Financial Services Committee if Democrats retake the House in November.

• “I’m the one who popularized ‘reclaiming my time,’” she told Politico of her decision to hold on to power. “I don’t know who’s got more energy, more concern. And so, Maxine Waters seems to be doing alright.”

THE ADMINISTRATION

Invoices for the now-infamous DHS ad campaign that landed Kristi Noem in hot water show thousands of dollars spent on a horse rental, hair-and-makeup services and other vendors — including a $500 charge at a magic store in South Dakota.

• “This looks like waste, fraud, and abuse to me,” Sen. Peter Welch said in a statement about the findings.
  

Trump is swapping out the gray White House colonnade pavement for black granite, the New York Post reports, in an effort to better match the gold-framed presidential portraits that line the walkway. Construction reportedly began today.

The National Guard could be coming to an airport near you, Trump told reporters, if the plan for ICE agents to take over certain duties from TSA fails to alleviate rapidly ballooning wait times.

What could it cost? The Trump administration said it would pay close to $1 billion for French energy giant TotalEnergies to cancel a pair of offshore wind projects. The Interior Department said it’s part of a deal to get the firm to invest in oil and natural gas facilities in Texas.

WHEN YOU DIDN’T DO THE REQUIRED READING

Thank you for reading! Today’s newsletter was produced by Kate Nocera and Andrew Burton. If you liked it, please forward it to a friend. If someone shared it with you, please subscribe — it’s free! Got a tip or comments to share? Email us at finalnotus@notus.com.