Once More, With Feeling

Good afternoon. This is the Final NOTUS newsletter for March 17, 2026. You can get it in your inbox every day by signing up here — it’s free!

The Latest

Donald Trump faces his biggest defection yet over the war with Iran. Joe Kent, the director of the National Counterterrorism Center, resigned this morning in a huff, citing strenuous disagreements with the administration’s decision to launch another war in the Middle East.

• Who picked this guy? Well, Trump did. “I always thought he was weak on security,” the president said when asked about the news. “It’s a good thing that he’s out.”

Once again, in all caps: “WE DO NOT NEED THE HELP OF ANYONE!” Trump reiterated today about U.S. allies sitting on the sidelines while he struggles to keep shipping traffic flowing through the Strait of Hormuz. But it’s pretty obvious he would like some help. “I have never heard him so angry in my life,” Lindsey Graham said of the president’s attitude toward European allies.

• Yesterday, Trump said he’d rate his war talks with French President Emmanuel Macron an eight out of 10. “I think he’s going to help,” Trump added.
• Today, Trump scoffed when asked about Macron’s insistence that he would not assist in efforts to reopen the strait. “Well, he’ll be out of office very soon,” Trump said.

Israel reportedly killed two top Iranian military leaders this morning: security chief Ali Larijani and the head of the volunteer Basij forces, Gholamreza Soleimani.

The Administration

The devil is in the details: The White House this afternoon submitted another response to Democrats’ demands for reforms at DHS. The letter, obtained by NOTUS, is the first public list of concessions that the Trump administration has said it would make. Including:

• Expanding the use of body cameras by federal agents
• Limit immigration enforcement at sensitive locations like hospitals and schools
• “Adhere to current law that affords Congress oversight” of detention facilities, and increase oversight of those facilities by the DHS inspector general
• Force federal officers to wear visible identification and state their agency when carrying out their duties. Undercover officers would be exempt from these rules.
• Refrain from deporting U.S. citizens and only detain them for clear violations of the law

The Hill

Brace yourself for a bumpy ride. Senate Republicans have officially launched into debate on the SAVE America Act. It’s a process that could take days and last late into the night, but the legislation’s odds of passage appear slim as Democrats present a united front.

Pam Bondi’s subpoena is here. House Oversight Chair James Comer sent a subpoena to the attorney general for testimony on her handling of files related to Jeffrey Epstein. The committee is aiming for a deposition on April 14.

Senate Democrats have launched an inquiry into Trump’s handling of DACA. They want to know whether his administration is deliberately slow-walking renewals of deportation protections and work permits for immigrants under the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program. Sens. Catherine Cortez Masto and Dick Durbin are leading the effort, NOTUS’ Jackie Llanos reports.

The Courts

A rare rebuke from the Supreme Court: Chief Justice John Roberts spoke out against Trump and his supporters’ increasingly personal attacks against judges who rule against the administration, calling the development “dangerous” and a “problem.”

“Judges around the country work very hard to get it right, and if they don’t, their opinions are subject to criticism,” Roberts said at a Rice University event, in response to a question about attacks on the judiciary. “But personally directed hostility is dangerous, and it’s got to stop.”

I’ve Seen Enough

Buckle up for another evening of wildly premature speculation.

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.