DHS Funding Deal, Major League Baseball, & Self-cleaning Fabric

News without the noise

Adam Rogers
March 25, 2026

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Senators are closing in on a deal to fund most of the Department of Homeland Security and end the shutdown that has left TSA workers unpaid and airports snarled. The proposal would restore funding for agencies like TSA while excluding key parts of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), the main sticking point in negotiations.
The standoff began in February after Democrats refused to approve funding without limits on the Trump administration’s deportation policies. As talks stalled, airport conditions deteriorated: more than 3,200 TSA workers missed shifts Monday, hundreds have quit, and hours-long security lines have spread across major hubs. The White House escalated tensions on Monday by deploying ICE officers to assist at checkpoints.
Negotiators are now working through final details, including restrictions on how immigration officers can operate, such as limits on redeployment and new transparency measures. Lawmakers from both parties signaled progress, but any agreement must still pass Congress.

The 2026 MLB season opens tonight when the New York Yankees face the San Francisco Giants on Netflix at 8 p.m. ET, with the full slate of 30 teams in action by Friday. The two-time defending champion Los Angeles Dodgers enter as heavy favorites to win a third straight World Series, a feat last accomplished by the Yankees from 1998 to 2000.
Dodger Star Shohei Ohtani returns as a full two-way player after limited pitching last year due to Tommy John surgery, and is chasing a third straight NL MVP. Their most dangerous challenger may be the Toronto Blue Jays, who lost last year's World Series to the Dodgers in seven games and responded by spending $337 million in free agency.
Pittsburgh's Paul Skenes, the reigning NL Cy Young winner, enters his age-24 season with a jaw-dropping 1.96 ERA through his first 55 career starts, one of the greatest starts to a pitching career in baseball history. The Yankees' Aaron Judge is the AL MVP favorite for a fourth time.

A neurosurgeon in Santiago, Panama, performed the first remote robotic surgery to remove a blood clot from a stroke patient in Panama City, 124 miles away. The surgeon removed the clot on the first attempt, restoring blood flow to the brain within minutes. The patient woke up speaking and showed significant recovery within hours.
Strokes kill more than 5 million people annually and disable another 5 million, according to the WHO. The vast majority of patients with severe strokes never receive treatment because specialist surgeons are concentrated in major medical centers — a problem that affects developing nations and the United States alike.
If vessels are reopened within two hours of a stroke, patients have a 90% chance of functional independence. That rate drops to 30% at six hours. The technology could bring specialist stroke care to underserved hospitals worldwide.

Investigators found that the fire truck that collided with an Air Canada jet at LaGuardia Sunday, killing two pilots, lacked a transponder that could have warned air traffic controllers of its position. (More)

The Pentagon is deploying 3,000 troops from the 82nd Airborne Division to the Middle East, adding to thousands of Marines already in the region. (More)

Minnesota sued the Trump administration Tuesday for withholding evidence tied to three federal officer shootings, including the deaths of Renee Good and Alex Pretti during an immigration crackdown. (More)

Pakistan ranked as the world's smoggiest country in 2025, with air pollution running 13 times above WHO safe levels, according to an annual report by Swiss firm IQAir. (More)

The European Union and Australia finalized a free trade deal, cutting tariffs on most goods, a pact expected to add $8 billion to Australia's economy and grow EU exports by a third. (More)

Pakistan offered to host nuclear talks between the US and Iran, with Vice President JD Vance possibly leading negotiations after Iran rejected Trump's original Middle East envoys. (More)

US stock markets closed lower on Tuesday (S&P -0.37%, Nasdaq -0.84%, Dow -0.18%) as oil prices resumed their climb. (More)

Puig Brands shares jumped 15% Tuesday after Estée Lauder confirmed merger talks, a deal that would unite brands like Clinique, Tom Ford Beauty, and Charlotte Tilbury under one company. (More)

United Airlines is adding more premium seats and fewer coach seats across its fleet, betting that high-end travelers spending up to $5,500 a flight will keep profits climbing. (More)

North Carolina fired basketball coach Hubert Davis Tuesday after the Tar Heels lost to 11-seed VCU in the first round of the NCAA tournament for the second straight year. (More)

Tickets for the NCAA Sweet 16 East Regional featuring Duke, UConn, and Rick Pitino's St. John's are averaging $644, the second-highest price ever for a regional. (More)

The NBA players union is pushing to abolish the 65-game award eligibility rule after Detroit's Cade Cunningham could miss All-NBA honors due to a collapsed lung injury. (More)

Zoo penguins age faster than wild ones because of easy food and less exercise, a finding researchers say has implications for how humans age in modern life. (More)

Scientists are studying dementia in dogs to help find treatments for humans, with early trials showing a drug called rapamycin may reduce brain inflammation linked to cognitive decline. (More)

Scientists filmed sperm whales headbutting each other for the first time, confirming what 19th-century whalers reported and what inspired Herman Melville to write Moby Dick. (More)

Self-cleaning fabric could render detergent obsolete.

Group of missing dogs goes viral for finding their way home.

See Greece’s peach blossoms in full bloom.

Mysterious posters around Paris appear to tease Celine Dion’s return.

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