The Evening: Record shutdown ends

April 30, 2026

	By Matthew Cullen

Good evening. Here’s the latest at the end of Thursday.

House votes to end a record shutdown
Maine’s governor ends her Senate bid
Plus, the subway’s lost-and-found

The U.S. Capitol dome and multiple entrances.

Kenny Holston/The New York Times

The Homeland Security shutdown is finally ending

The House voted this afternoon to fund most of the Department of Homeland Security, putting an end to the agency’s record 76-day shutdown.

The funding lapse began in February as a bitter partisan fight over President Trump’s immigration crackdown. Democrats refused to give more money to ICE without changes in the administration’s enforcement strategy, while Republicans initially dismissed any bill that failed to include it. But for the last month, the agency has remained shuttered largely because of an intraparty dispute among Republicans. The party’s leaders in the House had to use a special maneuver today to steer around opposition from their own right flank.

Trump signed the bill this afternoon, resolving uncertainty over whether thousands of federal security workers would be paid next month.

In other news from Washington:

The president withdrew his nomination of Casey Means for surgeon general. Her confirmation was stalled amid opposition to her views on vaccines.
Corn crop estimates were significantly off last year, leading to questions about the reliability of Agriculture Department data.
Our 3-D model shows how Trump’s proposed triumphal arch would change the nation’s capital.

A large crowd of Iranian demonstrators, some holding Iranian flags and pictures of Surpeme Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei, fill an outdoor space.

A government-organized march in Tehran yesterday. Arash Khamooshi for The New York Times

Iran says it is planning for ongoing control of the strait

Iran’s Supreme Leader, who has not been seen in public since he was named to the role, released a rare and defiant statement today, saying that the U.S. had no place in the future of the Persian Gulf region.

He vowed that Iran would retain its nuclear capabilities, and made clear that Iran planned to manage the strategic Strait of Hormuz waterway going forward. As a result, negotiations to end the war appear likely to remain at an impasse.

The war has devastated Iran’s economy, and the Iranian currency, the rial, sunk to new lows against the dollar this week; we talked to Iranians about daily life in wartime. Oil prices hit a four-year high earlier today, before falling back.

In related news: Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said the administration believes the cease-fire deal with Iran paused the clock on the time it has to seek congressional authorization, which would otherwise expire tomorrow.

Janet Mills stands behind a lectern. Microphones are in the foreground, and an American flag is in the background.

Sophie Park for The New York Times

Maine’s governor bows out of a crucial Senate race

Janet Mills, the governor of Maine, said today that she was ending her campaign to challenge the state’s Republican senator, Susan Collins. She had been the preferred candidate of the party establishment in a tightly contested race that Democrats believe they must win to regain control of the chamber.

Mills said she no longer had the financial resources to compete against Graham Platner, a progressive political newcomer running as an economic populist. She did not endorse him.

In other politics news:

Louisiana will delay its House primaries, after the Supreme Court said the state’s congressional districts were unconstitutional.
Here’s how the Voting Rights act bolstered Black representation in the House, and how the Supreme Court’s decision might affect the next generation of political leaders.

A man in a blue vest looks toward a camera.

A photo of Jeffrey Epstein dated July 23, 2019. via Department of Justice

Epstein’s possible suicide note was hidden from public view

Weeks before Jeffrey Epstein died in 2019, he was found unresponsive with a strip of cloth around his neck. He survived the incident, but a cellmate said he had discovered a note that Epstein had written. The note said it was “time to say goodbye,” according to the cellmate, but it has remained locked up for the last seven years in a New York courthouse.

Today, lawyers for The Times petitioned the judge to unseal the note, which even the Justice Department said it had not seen.

More top news

Tech: On his third day of testimony in his lawsuit against OpenAI, Elon Musk was cross-examined by the company’s lawyers. Here’s what happened.
Art: The Venice Biennale’s prize jury resigned after a furor over a decision that would bar Israelis and Russians from award eligibility.
South America: The first commercial flight between the U.S. and Venezuela in seven years landed today. My colleagues were onboard.
Europe: A group calling itself Harakat Ashab al-Yamin al-Islamiyya has claimed responsibility for antisemitic attacks. Officials are investigating whether it has ties to Iran.
Environment: Wildfire risks have risen. The Forest Service has plans to close 57 labs that study them.
Education: We asked nearly 400 college and high school teachers how they’re dealing with A.I.’s encroachment on student writing. Many have moved to in-class, handwritten work.
Traffic: There are about 14,600 “super-speeders” in New York City. Gov. Kathy Hochul wants to require that they are assigned speed-limiting devices.
Housing: States are responding to a rise in high-profile squatting cases.

THE EVENING QUIZ

This question comes from a recent edition of the newsletter. Click an answer to see if you’re right. (The link is free.)

When King Charles III and Queen Camilla visited the White House, Trump showed them which animals that are kept there?

TIME TO UNWIND

Meryl Streep and Anne Hathaway, wearing sunglasses and suits, walk down a blue carpet.

Macall Polay/20th Century Studios

‘The Devil Wears Prada’ returns

Twenty years ago, Andy Sachs, a journalist played by Anne Hathaway, stepped into the office of the most fashionable devil in movie history, the magazine editor Miranda Priestly — played brilliantly by Meryl Streep. Now, the pair are facing off once again in “The Devil Wears Prada 2,” in theaters tomorrow. Read our review.

The occasion gives us all a chance to look back at the original, which our critic Maya Phillips and many others consider among their favorite films. Maya recalled some of the most memorable moments, including the famous sweater scene.

For more: Hathaway talked to my colleagues about her very busy year.

Footage of Ilana Glazer in a taxi and in street scenes, mugging for the camera.

Aundre Larrow for The New York Times

Now for Ilana Glazer’s next act

When Ilana Glazer was in her 20s, she used her comedy to teach a generation of young people that it was OK to mess up. Now 39, she is preparing for a new tour, with jokes that have evolved to embrace new aspects of her life, like marriage and motherhood. “I love getting older,” she says in the show. “I’m approaching the age I’ve always been: 40.”

Still, when Glazer sat down for an interview with my colleague Remy Tumin, she said she is still very much herself, even if she doesn’t smoke as much weed.

Four photos: A woman sits on a coffee table in a room with lots of art; a wooden coffee table with a vase with sunflowers and a vintage game; a wall decoration with postcards and photos; a mid-century modern credenza covered with art by a dining room table and chairs in a similar style.

Philip Cheung for The New York Times

Dinner table topics

Take a tour through the carefully curated home of the actress Constance Zimmer.
Can A.I. plan your trip? My colleague gave it a shot. (The chatbot forgot to pack socks and underwear).
Need a Kentucky Derby outfit? A millinery owner has advice for being on trend.
Icelanders love their pools. Just don’t tell the tourists.

WHAT TO DO TONIGHT

A cook pot full of penne and creamy chopped vegetables.

Christopher Testani for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Simon Andrews.