Tensions on Capitol Hill Iran summit and landmark decision on communications security: Morning Rundown

How the partial government shutdown affects more than just airports. It was heated during a meeting with lawmakers about the war in Iran. And it’s an AI-generated reality show with fruit that attracts social media viewers.

Here’s what you need to know today.

Long airport lines are the tip of the iceberg of DHS closures

The Senate it also failed to advance a bill that passed the House to fund the Department of Homeland Security while Republicans in the chamber rejected a counteroffer from Democrats. What appears to have been momentum at the beginning of this week to reach an agreement to open this door has subsided.

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Meanwhile, air travelers across the US must fight back long flight security lines amid a shortage of TSA workers, who have gone without pay for more than a month.

But the partial government shutdown affects more than just airports. Among other agencies suffering the effects of the shutdown:

→ FEMA’s Disaster Relief Fund is rapidly depleting, the agency says. If the fund runs out, FEMA will not be able to fund more disaster recovery efforts.

→ DHS’s Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency has scaled back or suspended its work to reduce system vulnerabilities over time and conduct ongoing audits, among other programs, said Nicholas Andersen, the agency’s acting and deputy director.

→ And the Coast Guard did not have enough money to work and pay its workers for 85 of the last 176 days. And it can’t pay more than 5,000 utility bills, “which puts us at risk of shutting down critical infrastructure,” said Adm. Thomas Allen, deputy commander of the Coast Guard.

Senate Majority Leader John Thune said he has not made a final decision on whether senators will go on their two-week break at the end of the week if there is no agreement.

More on the full scale of the DHS shutdown.

Other political news:

• Trump administration chief he committed two crimes against New York Attorney General Letitia James months after the DOJ failed three times to prosecute her.

• The Trump administration has admitted in court that it has by mistakenly relying on an ICE memo justifying detention in immigration courts.

• The White House you missed the deadline to appoint a new CDC director.

• First lady Melania Trump he walked alongside a humanoid robot at the White House and proposed an idea where robots could teach students about philosophy and art.

Controversies erupt during the House committee’s Iran briefing

Uncertainty over President Donald Trump’s Iran war strategy is causing frustration in Washington. Tensions flared yesterday as defense and intelligence officials briefed lawmakers on the House Armed Services Committee about the war, according to four congressional officials who attended the briefing and an attorney who was briefed later.

Republicans and Democrats are frustrated by the lack of clarity, with much of the frustration centered on the prospect of the US sending ground troops to Iran, the sources said. Officials could not provide details about the possibility of sending American troops but did not rule it out, and some lawyers who attended the meeting made it clear that they would not put their boots on the ground, sources said.

More on closed-door information with legislators.

About one month into the US-Israeli military campaign, Trump has not ruled out taking Kharg Island – or as he calls it, “small oil island.” It accounts for more than 90% of Iran’s oil exports and could become a war zone. Such an attack would be “one of the main objectives of the conflict” to destroy Iran’s economy, analysts said.

However, some experts warn that staying in the area will be a challenge.

More on the important role of Kharg Island in the war.

Israel said this morning it had killed an Iranian military commander, Alireza Tangsiri, adding that he was responsible for blocking the key oil trade route the Strait of Hormuz. Iran did not immediately confirm or deny the claim.

Follow the latest on the war in Iran on our live blog.

A landmark decision for social media security

Meta and YouTube were negligent in the design and operation of social media, a Los Angeles County Superior Court judge has found – a bellwether ruling in the first case to take tech giants to court over social media addiction. The companies failed to adequately warn users of the dangers of Meta’s Instagram and YouTube, which is owned by Google, a judge found. The plaintiff in the case, identified only by his initials KGM, was awarded $3 million in damages.

During the trial, KGM, now 20, testified that she wanted to stay on social media as a child, but her almost constant use of it contributed to depression, anxiety and physical disorders. Lawyers for Meta and YouTube have argued that their platforms are harmless and intentionally addictive.

The lawsuit was the first public action to hold the platforms accountable for allegedly causing addiction and mental health problems. In a joint statement, KGM’s lead counsel said the decision was a “historic moment” for thousands of children and their families.

Find out how the tech companies reacted to this decision.

NBC Select: Ulta’s 21 Days of Beauty sale ends today – get 50% off Cosrx, MAC and more before it’s gone

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Register for Choice newsletter for hands-on product reviews, expert shopping tips and a look at the best deals and sales each week.

read all about it

• An Iranian couple is like that mourning the loss of their newborn child. Trump’s travel ban, which alienates them, adds to the pain.

• The NTSB is investigating why there is a safety system on the runway failed to issue a warning before the crash between an Air Canada plane and a fire truck at LaGuardia Airport.

• ADHD medications such as Ritalin and Concerta may reduce the risk of psychosis given to young children, new research has found.

• Clones of Stumpy, a beloved cherry blossom tree in Washington, DC, they have bloomed for the first time.

Staff Selection: The AI ​​fruit drama on TikTok is too juicy to end

Have you ever seen a banana with a six pack? I wasn’t there this week, when the style and culture editor Saba Hamedy wrote about “Fruit Love Island,” a TikTok microdrama series featuring AI-generated fruit. He, like millions of others on social media, cannot look away. As a new parent with very little free time these days, I’m glad to discover that this subculture exists.

Believe it or not, “Fruit Love Island” is not the only AI fruit content making waves on the internet. There are many videos with unusual episodes with various fruits – apples, mangoes, oranges and more – and a riff on the popular youth show “The Summer I Turned Pretty” called “The Summer I Turned Fruity.” For more PG-inclined viewers, there are fruit and vegetable videos that share healthy eating tips and kitchen tricks.

But it’s not all sunshine and love triangles. Some users find “Fruit Love Island” “too crazy,” while others fear that artificial intelligence could ruin the entertainment industry. – Elizabeth Robinsonnewspaper editor

Thanks for reading today’s Morning Rundown. Today’s newsletter has been selected for you by Elizabeth Robinson and Rufina Chow. If you are a fan, please send the link to your family and friends. They can register here.