Officials at the department and the White House are in the middle of a messy and complicated debate over how to respond to President Trump’s lawsuit demanding $10 billion from the I.R.S.

© Tierney L. Cross/The New York Times

Here’s a crash course on what’s coming up next.

© Robert F. Bukaty/Associated Press; Sophie Park for The New York Times

With Congress in recess, much of the Homeland Security Department remains without money because of the impasse on Capitol Hill, even as airport security workers are to begin getting paid.

© Kenny Holston/The New York Times

A runoff election in two months sets up a fight between an incumbent who some say is not conservative enough and a challenger trying to shed scandals.

© Desiree Rios for The New York Times

Republicans’ attacks on Islam are shameful and full of lies.

Is saying “like” and “sort of” the equivalent of verbal bubble wrap? John McWhorter, an Opinion writer and a linguistics professor at Columbia, argues yes, because they soften the sharp edges of what we really mean. He explains the larger implications of the language we might not even realize we’re using.