In today’s newsletter: The Senate agrees to fund DHS, except ICE and Border Patrol, in bid to end the shutdown. A leading figure in Iranian politics emerges as a possible negotiator with the U.S. And a college basketball coach who is still top of his game at age 73.
Here’s what to know today.
Senate approves deal that would fund most of DHS, but not ICE
The Senate agreed unanimously early Friday to fund the Department of Homeland Security after a 40-day shutdown, but without funding for immigration enforcement and deportation operations.
The package was approved at 2:20 a.m by voice vote following a marathon session, hours after President Donald Trump announced that he would sign an order to immediately pay Transportation Security Administration officers.
The funding lapse has seen them go without pay, leading many to call out of work and causing extreme delays at airports.
The deal followed arduous bipartisan negotiations over the last six weeks. It is expected to have Trump’s support but faces an uncertain future in the House.
It would fund all of DHS except ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations and parts of Customs and Border Protection, which Democrats have refused to vote for without significant reforms to enforcement practices.
Read more about the dramatic bid to end the shutdown.
More politics news:
- A federal judge blocked the Trump administration from limiting Anthropic’s contracts with the federal government after the Defense Department labeled the AI company a “supply-chain risk to national security.”
- Trump’s signature will appear on paper currency, a first for a sitting president.
- Survivors of Jeffrey Epstein filed a class action lawsuit against the Trump administration and Google over the disclosure of personal information in the release of files related to the late sex offender over the last several months.
- Vice President JD Vance will convene the first White House anti-fraud task force meeting, an initiative aimed at reducing federal spending by identifying misuse of funds.
- Indicted Rep. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick, a Florida Democrat, faced a rare public ethics trial regarding charges that she stole millions in federal relief funds to bankroll her campaign.
Who’s talking with Trump? The hard-liners wielding power in Iran
Following the deaths of several of Iran’s top leaders, Trump said this week that talks are underway with the Islamic Republic — but a key question remains: Who exactly is Washington talking to?
That figure could be Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, the hard-line parliamentary speaker who has deep ties to the country’s powerful Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. The 64-year-old, one of Iran’s leading conservative figures, is a former commander who has held top political posts for more than 20 years. He is also a respected figure among regime loyalists who could be an effective point man in U.S. discussions, sources said.
Ghalibaf’s rise signals a shift toward the Revolutionary Guard’s more uncompromising elements effectively running the country.
Read more on how Iran’s new leaders could affect war talks.
Follow our live coverage of the war.
More Iran news:
- Iran’s “Tehran tollbooth” is forcing some oil tankers to pay millions to take a new route through the Strait of Hormuz.
- The Nasdaq moved into correction territory as the war continues to weigh on markets.
Suspect in Gilgo Beach serial killings expected to plead guilty, sources say
Rex Heuermann, the man charged with seven of the Gilgo Beach murders that gripped Long Island, New York, is expected to plead guilty next month, according to a source.
Heuermann, an architect known as a family man, was arrested in 2023 and initially charged with three counts of first-degree murder. The following year, he was charged with killing four more women.
Heuermann was arrested as police were investigating the deaths of at least 10 people, most of them female sex workers, whose remains were found during searches in 2010 and 2011 along Gilgo Beach. Police do not believe all those deaths are linked to the same person.
Heuermann had maintained his innocence and previously pleaded not guilty.
NBC Select: Le Creuset just launched a Mediterranean-inspired color
Beloved kitchen brand Le Creuset recently released a brand new colorway and it shares some unique similarities with the recently retired Caribbean collection. Meanwhile, Beyoncé’s hair care brand, Cécred, debuted a full line of styling products and Apple announced the new AirPods Max 2 with the same $549 price tag. Looking for more new products that launched this month? Our editors rounded up the March releases they can’t stop talking about.
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Read All About It
- A U.S. district judge rejected a request to dismiss drug trafficking charges against ousted Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro and his wife.
- The Oscars ceremony will move from Hollywood to downtown L.A. in 2029.
- The Kennedy Center will begin layoffs soon ahead of a planned two-year closure for renovations.
- “Every parent’s nightmare”: The president of a powerful teachers union blasted first lady Melania Trump’s comments that humanoid robot teachers could soon become central to children’s education.
- Singer FKA twigs is suing her ex-boyfriend Shia LaBeouf over an “unlawful” NDA from a 2020 sexual battery settlement.
Staff Pick: For St. John’s coach Rick Pitino, ‘age is just a number’
Rick Pitino has been a head basketball coach since 1978 and, at the age of 73, he could be retired or relaxing somewhere right now and nobody would question it. Instead, he led St. John’s to the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament and has made the Red Storm a legitimate contender to win the national championship.
Unlike some of his longtime rivals, Pitino is still going strong — and he’s doing it in the NIL era where players get paid and could transfer after every season. He’s forced to constantly rebuild his roster and spend his time off the court convincing wealthy alumni to donate so the program can lure and retain talent. So why is he still doing this and what does his family think? I spoke with his son, fellow coach Richard Pitino, to find out.
— Greg Rosenstein, sports editor
Thanks for reading today’s Morning Rundown. Today’s newsletter was curated for you by Marissa Martinez. If you’re a fan, please send a link to your family and friends. They can sign up here.