How the partial government shutdown is affecting more than just airports. Tensions flare during a briefing with lawmakers about the Iran war. And the AI-generated reality show starring fruit captivating social media audiences.

Here’s what to know today.

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

The Senate failed again to advance a House-passed bill to fund the Department of Homeland Security while Republicans in the chamber rejected a counteroffer from Democrats. What appears to have been a glimpse of momentum earlier this week to reach a deal to reopen the department has dwindled.

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Meanwhile, air travelers across the U.S. must contend with long airport security lines amid a shortage of TSA workers, who have now gone more than a month without pay.

But the partial government shutdown is affecting more than just airports. Among the other agencies enduring the consequences of a shutdown:

→ FEMA’s Disaster Relief Fund is rapidly depleting, the agency said. If the fund is depleted, FEMA will be unable to fund many disaster recovery efforts.

→ DHS’s Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency has scaled back or paused its work to reduce systemic risk over time and make proactive assessments, among other initiatives, said Nicholas Andersen, the agency’s acting and deputy director.

→ And the Coast Guard has not had enough funding to operate and pay its workers for 85 of the past 176 days. It also can’t pay over 5,000 utility accounts, “putting us in danger of widespread shutdowns to critical infrastructure,” said Adm. Thomas Allen, Coast Guard vice commandant.

Senate Majority Leader John Thune said he has not made a final decision about whether senators will leave for their two-week recess at the end of the week if there is no deal.

More on the full scale of the DHS shutdown.

More politics news:

• A Trump administration official made two criminal referrals against New York Attorney General Letitia James months after the DOJ failed three times to prosecute her.

• The Trump administration admitted in a court filing that it had erroneously relied on an ICE memo to justify arrests at immigration courthouses.

• The White House missed a deadline to nominate a new CDC director.

• First Lady Melania Trump walked side by side with a humanoid robot at the White House and pitched a vision in which robots could teach students about philosophy and art.

Tensions flare during Iran briefing for House committee

Uncertainty around President Donald Trump’s Iran war strategy is causing frustration in Washington. Tensions flared behind closed doors 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 a lawmaker who was briefed on it later.

Republicans and Democrats are frustrated about a lack of clarity, with much of the frustration centering on the prospect of the U.S. sending ground troops into Iran, the sources said. Officials could not provide details about the possibility of deploying U.S. troops but would not rule it out, and some lawmakers who attended the meeting made it clear that they would not support boots on the ground, the sources added.

More on the closed-door briefing with lawmakers.

Almost one month into the U.S.-Israel military campaign, Trump has not ruled out seizing Kharg Island — or as he calls it, the “little oil island.” It accounts for more than 90% of Iran’s oil exports and could become central to the war. Such an assault would be “one of the central missions of the conflict” to collapse Iran’s economy, analysts say.

However, other experts warn occupying the region would be challenging.

More on Kharg Island’s crucial role in the war.

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

Follow the latest on the Iran war in our liveblog.

A landmark verdict on social media safety

Meta and YouTube were negligent in the design or operation of their social media platforms, a Los Angeles County Superior Court jury found — a bellwether verdict in the first lawsuit to take the tech giants to trial for social media addiction. The companies failed to adequately warn users of the danger of Meta’s Instagram and YouTube, which is owned by Google, the jury found. The plaintiff in the case, identified by her initials K.G.M., was awarded $3 million in damages.

During the trial, K.G.M., who is now 20, testified that she wanted to constantly be on social media platforms when she was a teen, but her nearly nonstop use of them contributed to depression, anxiety and body dysmorphia. Attorneys for Meta and YouTube argued their platforms aren’t purposefully harmful and addictive.

The lawsuit was the first civil action seeking to hold the platforms accountable for allegedly causing addiction and mental health problems. In a joint statement, co-lead counsel for K.G.M. said the verdict is “a historic moment” for thousands of children and their families.

Find out how tech companies reacted to the verdict.

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

Beauty lovers, time’s almost out to save big during the Ulta sale. Until midnight tonight, you can get 50% off daily beauty deals during the 21 Days of Beauty Event, including editor-favorite brands like Estée Lauder and Lancome. Want more savings? Home Depot’s Spring Starts Sale is here, with deals up to 56% off, and tons of our 2026 Wellness Awards winners are on sale on Amazon.

Sign up to The Selection 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 mourning the loss of their newborn. Trump’s travel ban, which is keeping them apart, is adding to the pain.

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

• ADHD medication such as Ritalin and Concerta may lower the risk of psychosis when prescribed to younger children, a new study found.

• Clones of Stumpy, a scraggly, beloved cherry blossom tree in Washington, D.C., have flowered for the first time.

Staff Pick: The AI fruit drama on TikTok that’s too juicy to pass up

Ever seen a banana with a six pack? I hadn’t until this week, when trends and culture editor Saba Hamedy wrote about “Fruit Love Island,” the TikTok microdrama series starring AI-generated fruits. She, like millions of others on social media, can’t seem to look away. As a new parent with very little free time these days, I’m floored to find out this subculture exists.

Believe it or not, “Fruit Love Island” isn’t the only AI fruit content making waves online. There are plenty of videos with outlandish plots featuring various fruits — apples, mangoes, oranges and more — and a riff on the popular teen 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 the nutritional tips and kitchen hacks.

But it’s not all sunshine and love triangles. Some users find “Fruit Love Island” a little “too crazy,” while others fear generative AI could spoil the entertainment industry. — Elizabeth Robinson, newsletter editor

Thanks for reading today’s Morning Rundown. Today’s newsletter was curated for you by Elizabeth Robinson and Rufina Chow. If you’re a fan, please send a link to your family and friends. They can sign up here.