Housing, Divided

Good afternoon. This is the Final NOTUS newsletter for March 12, 2026. You can get it in your inbox every day by signing up here — it’s free!

The Latest

An attacker armed with a rifle is dead after ramming his vehicle into a Michigan synagogue. One security guard was injured, but none of the synagogue’s staff nor the children at its early childhood center were injured, The Associated Press reports.

• The FBI is investigating an unrelated shooting today at Old Dominion University in Virginia as an act of terrorism, CNN reports.

A bipartisan housing bill passed in the Senate — but it could still face hurdles in the House. The bill, known as the 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act, passed 89-10 and is the first major housing regulation to pass through the chamber in more than a decade.

• The bill aims to make housing more affordable by barring institutional investors from buying single-family homes and removing regulations to speed up housing development, among other things.

• But it dropped some key provisions from the House-passed package. The bill does not include a provision to deregulate community banks, nor a permanent ban on central bank digital currency. NOTUS reported yesterday that House Republicans have felt shut out of negotiations.

Iran will not allow passage through the Strait of Hormuz, Mojtaba Khamenei said in his first public remarks as Iran’s supreme leader. He also vowed to attack U.S. bases in the region.

• According to an estimate by Trump administration officials, the first week of war cost approximately $11 billion, The New York Times reports.

• It’s not just gas prices — mortgage rates have jumped to above 6% this week, reflecting market anxiety over the war.

The Hill

More congressional Republicans are making anti-Muslim statements. Sen. Tommy Tuberville, who is running for governor of Alabama, is the latest to post anti-Muslim imagery on social media.

• When pressed by reporters Tuesday, Speaker Mike Johnson declined to condemn anti-Muslim remarks from House Republicans. Many congressional Republicans have individually condemned the remarks.

Yet another vote to fund the Department of Homeland Security failed nearly along party lines in the Senate today, as the partial shutdown approaches its second month. DHS employees will miss their first full paycheck this week since the shutdown began on Feb. 14, CNBC reports.

• Democrats offered to fund DHS agencies unrelated to immigration, but Republicans blocked the measure, instead offering a proposal to fund DHS for two weeks. Democrats didn’t bite.

• Airports are beginning to feel the effects. Denver International Airport made headlines when it asked for grocery and gas gift cards for TSA agents.

The Campaigns

Jim Clyburn is running for reelection, he announced this morning. He will almost certainly win in a South Carolina district that favors Democrats by 13 percentage points and without any public primary challengers.

• Clyburn, 85, was first elected to the House in 1992. But lest you think he’s slowing down: “It could be my last term, and it very well could not be,” he said.

Tech Tips

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Correction: Wednesday’s edition of this newsletter misstated the timing of the planned oil release. The International Energy Agency announced an agreement to release reserves yesterday.

Thank you for reading! Today’s newsletter was produced by Matt Berman 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.