Lawmakers left Washington for a long weekend without resolving an impasse over much-criticized agency’s funding

The Department of Homeland Security has begun a partial shutdown, after funding for the much-criticized agency expired, with a range of services, including domestic flights and the US Coastguard, now vulnerable to disruption.

The shutdown was all but confirmed on Thursday, after the Senate failed to clear the 60-vote threshold needed to pass the DHS appropriations bill and lawmakers left Washington for a long weekend without resolving the impasse.

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© Photograph: Leah Millis/Reuters

© Photograph: Leah Millis/Reuters

© Photograph: Leah Millis/Reuters

The program was meant to help hospitals provide for poor patients by offering drug savings. But critics say a Texas company has turned it into a big business, driving up costs for patients and insurers.

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A crackdown on problems with fairness and safety is achieving results, including a big drop in the number of sick patients being passed over for transplants.

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Elon Musk, the world’s richest person, backed Nate Morris, a Republican businessman, in the primary race to succeed Senator Mitch McConnell in Kentucky.

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A video from Ken Paxton, a Republican primary challenger to Senator John Cornyn of Texas, depicted A.I.-generated imagery of the senator twirling with Jasmine Crockett, a Democratic Senate candidate.

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Despite many proposals, there is little consensus among governors, lawmakers and tech executives about exactly how much the companies behind data centers should pay for electricity.

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The top executive of the crypto exchange Coinbase scuttled a planned Senate committee vote on a major cryptocurrency bill after voicing his concerns, a sign of the company’s clout.

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That number could increase significantly as more consumers are faced with higher bills brought on by expiring premium subsidies.

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After the White House called for billions of dollars in funding reductions, senators and representatives said they wanted to safeguard and even boost funds for basic research.

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Democrats demanded information from seven top U.S. oil companies about any meetings with the Trump administration regarding plans to control Venezuela’s oil industry.

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The comment from Brendan Carr, a Republican, raised concerns from lawmakers about how President Trump might use the agency.

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Three Democrats are seeking information from tech firms about the growing energy use of data centers and the utility bills of individuals and other businesses.

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