Tensions rise in two ceasefires in the Middle East. And, the Navy secretary ousted

Senate Republicans introduced a budget resolution Tuesday to fund immigration enforcement agencies. It's the first step in a lengthy budgetary process to end the partial shutdown of the Department of Homeland Security. After federal immigration agents killed two U.S. citizens in Minneapolis earlier this year, congressional Democrats said they would not fund Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Customs and Border Protection until significant reforms are made. Republicans plan to use a budget tool called reconciliation to fund the remaining DHS agencies, allowing them to proceed along party lines without Democratic support. The process can be complicated and lengthy. Here's a look at what's involved.

In their quest to regain control of Congress, Democratic candidates are outpacing Republicans in midterm fundraising for key House and Senate races. This enthusiasm comes even as the party grapples with record-low voter approval ratings. But Republican-aligned committees have a massive cash advantage over Democrats. GOP committees and super PACs are sitting on hundreds of millions of dollars in reserves. Trump's MAGA Inc. super PAC holds nearly $350 million in cash, which could influence what his last two years in office look like — if he decides to use it. Here are four charts that illustrate the current political landscape surrounding control of the House and Senate.

Deep dive

A flag featuring Donald Trump waves amid a small group of his supporters near Mar-a-Lago in May 2024 in Palm Beach, Fla. Alon Skuy/Getty Images

Alon Skuy/Getty Images

The Trump administration is arguing that a nearly 50-year-old law requiring the preservation of presidential records is unconstitutional. Historians are taking legal action, warning that the fate of millions of papers and electronic messages is at stake — not only for Trump's second term, but also for future presidents and people who want to understand them.

• ➡️ The origin of the PRA dates back to July 1974, when the Supreme Court ordered President Richard Nixon to turn over White House recordings. When Nixon left office, Congress passed a law putting Nixon's presidential papers in the custody of the National Archives. In 1978, Congress acted again to apply that law to future presidents.
• ➡️ Trump's Justice Department says the PRA is unconstitutional because it violates the separation of powers.
• ➡️ The American Historical Association last week asked a federal judge to block government employees from discarding presidential materials.
• ➡️ White House spokeswoman Abigail Jackson said in a written statement that staff members will receive training on document preservation. However, lawyers for the historical association and watchdog group American Oversight noted that this training seems to exclude the country's top leaders, Trump and Vice President Vance.
• ➡️ Historians use presidential documents to understand key moments in history, such as the Cuban Missile Crisis of 1962. Columbia University history professor Matthew Connelly questions whether targeting orders and other operations could remain secret forever if Trump's interpretation of the PRA prevails.

Picture show

Title: ICE Arrests at New York Court Credit: © Carol Guzy, ZUMA Press, iWitness, for Miami Herald Caption: ​​Distraught girls cling to their father, Luis, as ICE detains him following an immigration hearing. Luis served as the sole breadwinner for his family. New York City, New York, United States, 26 August 2025. Story: In 2025, shifts in US immigration policy transformed courthouses into focal points for mass deportation efforts by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). Masked ICE agents detained undocumented migrants immediately following their hearings, often leading to deeply traumatic family separations. These aggressive tactics, coupled with severely overcrowded and unsanitary conditions at the 10th-floor holding facility in the Jacob K. Javits Federal Building in New York, prompted fierce public protests, class-action lawsuits, and the arrest of local elected officials demanding accountability. Carol Guzy/ZUMA Press, iWitness for Miami Herald

Carol Guzy/ZUMA Press, iWitness for Miami Herald

An image of a family being separated by Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents has been named World Press Photo's 2026 Photo of the Year. Separated by ICE was captured by four-time Pulitzer Prize winner Carol Guzy, ZUMA Press, iWitness, for the Miami Herald. The photograph captures a moment inside one of the few U.S. federal buildings that allowed photographers access. In a single hallway, Guzy and others showed up day after day, determined to document the unfolding events. Executive director of World Press Photo, Joumana El Zein Khoury, said the image " shows the inconsolable grief of children losing their father in a place built for justice." Guzy spoke with Morning Edition about the photo, which is part of a larger body of work, and the story's global significance. Read what she had to say on the topic and see more of the images from Ice Arrests at New York Court.

3 things to know before you go

Grey Henson stars in the musical Bigfoot! Marc J. Franklin

Marc J. Franklin

1. Bigfoot is experiencing a renaissance. The mysterious and elusive creature is popping up everywhere, from low-budget horror films and festivals around the country to a critically acclaimed musical. There has even been a wave of alleged sightings in northeast Ohio recently.
2. Researchers have found that an experimental gene therapy appears safe and highly effective for restoring hearing in individuals born with a rare form of deafness.
3. In this week's Far-Flung Postcard, reporter Betsy Joles takes readers to her favorite park in Pakistan's capital city. Haunted Hill Park is within walking distance of where inconclusive Iran-U.S. peace talks took place this month.

This newsletter was edited by Suzanne Nuyen.