The midterms

Trump's approval rose a point, to 32 percent.

A Reuters/Ipsos poll that closed Monday put him at 32 percent, up from last week's record low. Democrats lead the generic ballot, 47 to 36. This photograph is Sunday on the South Lawn, not the poll, and not Texas.

The states

South Carolina's Senate race is inside a point.

A New York Times/Siena poll released Wednesday found Senator Darline Graham leading Dr. Annie Andrews by less than one point. Minnesota's Democratic lead is 14. Florida's Republican lead is 6. This photograph is not the poll.

Diplomacy

Witkoff shook Putin's hand, and Hubbard is free.

At Constantine Palace in St. Petersburg, the ninth meeting, Putin said the American held since 2022 was at the airport to fly home with the envoy. No peace deal was announced.

Ukraine

Four missiles hit Kyiv's Southern Bridge.

A Ukrainian military source told Reuters the Pivdennyi Bridge was hit overnight by four Iskander missiles. The mayor put 1 billion hryvnias on water crossings. This desk is not adding a death toll. The photograph is Monday night's rescuers, not the deck.

Markets

Oil rose before New York. Saudi did not confirm a strike.

As of 1:40 a.m. GMT, Brent was $115.36 and West Texas Intermediate was $101.12. The Houthis said they hit Saudi Arabia's biggest refinery. Saudi authorities did not confirm it. This is not a settlement. The photograph is June 22 in the Strait of Hormuz.

Space

Four astronauts splashed down off California.

SpaceX brought Jessica Meir, Jack Hathaway, Sophie Adenot, and Andrey Fedyaev home on Thursday after eight months. They had gone up in February to replace a crew sent home when a NASA astronaut fell ill.

Video · Associated Press

The arsenal

Ukraine’s drones still run on Chinese parts.

Magnets, motors, chips, sensors and battery cells still come from China, a dozen makers told the Associated Press. Switching to Western parts could raise the cost by 60 percent and cut production by as much.

Mexico

Trudy is a tropical storm, and the warnings are down.

At 8 a.m. Mountain time the center was about 190 miles west-southwest of Cabo Corrientes, with winds near 60 mph. No coastal watches or warnings were in effect. The National Hurricane Center said it should become post-tropical by early Tuesday.