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.