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In today’s newsletter: Iran is using the ceasefire to recover buried weapons and rebuild its military capability. The House passes a bill to reopen the Department of Homeland Security without new funding for ICE or Border Patrol. And Steve Kornacki previews the Kentucky Derby.
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Here’s what to know today.
Iran is taking advantage of the ceasefire to dig out weapons it hid underground or that were buried beneath rubble from American and Israeli airstrikes, sources told NBC News.
The regime wants to quickly reconstitute its drone and missile capabilities so it can launch attacks across the Middle East if President Donald Trump resumes military operations, according to a U.S. official and two other people familiar with the matter.
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Iran has only accelerated efforts to retrieve its munitions in recent days as the potential for the war to resume increases with peace negotiations at an apparent impasse, the sources said.
Experts and congressional aides have said that Iran was likely able to preserve some of its arsenal by deploying decoys and dispersing weapons around the country. Before the war, the regime buried or otherwise concealed the rest of its missiles and launchers, according to two of the sources.
Here’s what else we know.
The U.S. has pursued many terrorism suspects over the years. But in the case of a Colorado man charged in a fatal, anti-Semitic firebombing, the Trump administration’s efforts to detain and deport the suspect’s former wife and children stood out.
We had been following the months-long detention of Hayam El Gamal and her five children in Dilley, Texas. Their situation became urgent when El Gamal was rushed to an emergency room as her health deteriorated and amid questions over the conditions at the detention facility.
We were at the hearing last week in San Antonio when a federal judge ordered that the government release the family. So when they were released, re-detained, put on a plane and almost deported less than 48 hours later, we decided to give readers a behind-the-scenes look at how the dizzying events took place, including details that haven’t been shared before by the family’s attorneys.
— Suzanne Gamboa, national reporter
The House approved a Senate-passed bill that would fund much of the Department of Homeland Security, ending the record 75-day shutdown of the sprawling federal agency.
Will there be reforms at ICE and BPD post-shutdown?
Trump signed the measure into law yesterday, funding agencies such as FEMA, the Coast Guard, TSA and the Secret Service through the end of September.
It does not provide new funding for ICE or Border Patrol, which Republicans will try to pass on their own using a separate budget resolution. The resolution instructs congressional committees to draft legislation and authorize $70 billion to pay for the law enforcement agencies for roughly the next three years.
Read the full story here.
There’s no other horse race in the country like the Kentucky Derby — especially when it comes to wagering. With 20 horses running and all of America watching, massive sums of money are being bet in all directions.
The 152nd Derby won’t feature a heavy, singular favorite. Several horses come in with dazzling performances to their names. Others have shown flashes of brilliance or loom as long-shot upsets. And some can potentially alter the outcome of the race with their running styles even if they have almost no shot of winning themselves.
From prep race success to trainer Bob Baffert’s resume, Steve Kornacki previews the biggest storylines and best bets.
This weekend, we’re going a little old school and swapping our one-off texts to loved ones with thoughtful handwritten notes. In addition to finding the best products to upgrade your stationery, our editors rounded up the best pens for left-handed people and spoke with crafting experts to find the best sewing machines for beginners (in case you wanted to send a handmade tote with your letter).
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