Good evening. Here’s the latest at the end of Tuesday.
Virginia’s vote is crucial in the fight for control of CongressLess than an hour after this newsletter arrives in your inbox, polls will close in a Virginia referendum on whether to allow Democrats to redraw the state’s congressional map. If the vote succeeds, Democrats will be expected to flip as many as four House seats held by Republicans. Opinion polls suggest voters are split. Virginia Democrats say they want to fight back in a rare mid-decade cartographic arms race that Texas Republicans started last year when, urged on by President Trump, they redrew their map. Virginia Republicans call it a power grab. Follow the results here, which could be pivotal in the national battle to win control of Congress in November’s midterm elections. Republicans have built a small advantage in the monthslong redistricting war and today’s vote in Virginia could essentially cancel that out. Republicans could still regain a slight edge if Florida pushes through a new map, as Gov. Ron DeSantis has promised. For more: These maps show how Republicans and Democrats are slicing up urban areas to gain a partisan advantage.
Trump extends Iran cease-fireJust hours before the two-week truce between the U.S. and Iran was set to expire, Trump announced that he was extending the cease-fire until Iran’s leaders “come up with a unified proposal.” Until then, the president said, the U.S. military would continue to blockade Iran’s ports in the Persian Gulf. Follow here for the latest updates. Earlier in the afternoon, my colleagues reported that Vice President JD Vance’s trip to Pakistan — where American and Iranian officials were expected to sit for a second round of negotiations — was put on hold because Iran’s leaders failed to respond to the Trump administration’s terms. Iranian officials, who are fearful of being burned by U.S. promises, said today that they have not yet decided whether to resume talks. For more:
Trump’s Fed chair pick vows not to do the president’s biddingKevin Warsh, Trump’s nominee to lead the Federal Reserve, sat for his confirmation hearing today on Capitol Hill. He faced sharp skepticism from Senate Democrats, who questioned his independence. Warsh, a former Fed governor, promised that he would not cut interest rates simply because the president wants to, adding that Trump had “never asked me to predetermine, commit, fix, decide on any interest rate decision.” In other Trump administration news:
Where are all these fireballs coming from?We live on a giant rock hurtling through space, so it’s not terribly unusual for space rocks to enter our atmosphere and turn into fireballs. But early this year, there was a significant increase in the number of meteors spotted over the U.S. and Europe. In the first three months of 2026, the American Meteor Society received twice as many reports as usual. The cosmic fireworks have caused a debate among NASA and other meteor experts, who disagree on what might explain the uptick. Want in on the fun? Watch the Lyrids meteor shower, which reaches its peak tonight. More top news
Zach Galifianakis wants us all to tend a gardenI thought it might be a comedy bit when I first heard that Zach Galifianakis, the “Hangover” actor, was hosting a show teaching children about the wonders of gardening. But Galifianakis, who grows fruits and vegetables at his home in rural Canada, genuinely loves gardening. The series is real, too; it premieres on Netflix tomorrow. During the show, Galifianakis still throws in a few jokes. But he says he is happiest when he is down and dirty. “All the gardens I visit, there’s always peace there,” he said. “When you see nature making sense, it’s really fulfilling.”
Wagyu has changedWhen Wagyu referred exclusively to mind-bendingly fatty beef imported from Japan, it was a delicacy that you might find at a high-end restaurant, but certainly not a grocery store. Now, Wagyu is seemingly everywhere. Its popularity coincided with an expansion of what the word “Wagyu” could mean. There is now lots of high-quality beef from the U.S. and Australia that claims to be Wagyu, and there are many scams as well. Our critic Tejal Rao explained what you are paying for when you order Wagyu.
Dinner table topics
Cook: Tasty, salty soft pretzels are easy to make at home. Watch “Funny Pages” or one of our other favorite under-the-radar streaming gems. Avoid rising baggage fees with these tips. Get inspired by our fashion photographer’s airy look of the week. Find a leather couch that will last. Test yourself: Take our quiz to see how well you know books from their film adaptations. Play: Here are today’s Connections, Wordle and Mini Crossword. |
