Pete Hegseth asks Congress for billions more in military funding. Ukrainian President Zelenskyy fires his commander in chief after major protests. And an Idaho teen’s death provides a glimpse into the effect that anti-trans laws have had on trans people in America.

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Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said he estimated the cost of the Iran war so far has totaled $37.5 billion, and he’s asked Congress for $67 billion more for the rest of the budget year. The new figures, which Hegseth revealed yesterday at a contentious Senate Appropriations Committee hearing, come as shipping through the Strait of Hormuz slows to a near standstill and as President Donald Trump pledged retaliation for the recent killings of three U.S. Service members.

Hegseth’s $37.5 billion figure is higher than the $30 billion figure presented to lawmakers earlier this month. Meanwhile, NBC News has reported that the Defense Department’s internal overall cost for the war so far is much higher: between $80 billion to $100 billion.

The $67 billion extra that Hegseth is requesting is in addition to the $891 billion that has been approved for the Pentagon through Sept. 30. Trump is separately requesting $1.5 trillion for the 2027 fiscal year, starting Oct. 1.

Senate Democrats clashed with the defense secretary over the lack of progress in a war that Trump has repeatedly claimed the U.S. has already won.

How Hegseth responded to Democrats’ questions.

With shipping through the crucial Strait of Hormuz increasingly throttled, Iran has also opened a new front in its campaign to pressure the global economy by disrupting another key trade route: the Red Sea. Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen announced a naval blockade of Saudi Arabia this week, a threat that had already appeared to slow traffic through the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, with multiple ships appearing to change course on Tuesday, according to MarineTraffic data. That strait is the gateway to the Red Sea on the opposite side of the Arabian Peninsula from the Strait of Hormuz, which had been a crucial alternative route for oil exports disrupted by the war.

The international benchmark Brent crude was up today more than 4% to around $95 a barrel.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy fired his military commander-in-chief, Oleksandr Syrskyi, days after his firing of Defense Minister Mykhailo Fedorov led to rare wartime protests on the streets of Kyiv. Fedorov’s firing last week came after public disagreements with Syrskyi, known as “The Butcher,” over military strategy. Zelenskyy did not give a reason for firing Fedorov, one of his closest allies, but said he was effectively left with a choice between the two men.

After spending the weekend speaking to other top commanders, Zelenskyy is now removing Syrskyi and replacing him with Mykhailo Drapatyi. It remains unclear whether Fedorov will remain in the government, though Zelenskyy met with him yesterday and offered a government position aimed at unifying the country’s technology sector.

Why protesters were furious after Fedorov’s firing.

Syrskyi said today that Ukraine had recaptured 270 sq miles of its territory this year, as he confirmed he was leaving the top military job.

Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said the cyclosporiasis outbreak that has sickened more than 6,500 people in Michigan alone was “under control,” even as health authorities continue the search for answers.

The FDA has linked the outbreak to shredded iceberg lettuce from a Taylor Farms facility in central Mexico. But Mexico’s health secretary, David Kershenobich, said that the country’s own investigation had not found evidence that the outbreak originated there. Kennedy, however, claims that officials have “identified the source of the outbreak” after performing “extensive forensics.”

The health secretary also responded to concerns that federal agencies were not conducting enough cyclospora surveillance.

After May Pollard died on a late-January morning, a detective asked her parents a question: Had anyone wanted to hurt her? “A lot of America,” her mother, Elyse Thorpe, answered.

Elyse’s emotional response came from the years of pain she had watched May endure since she came out as a transgender girl. She avoided eating or drinking at school for fear that she would need to go to the bathroom — and she panicked when she had to use the one for boys. She talked of hurting herself if she couldn’t start taking estrogen. She hated how state laws highlighted the only way she was different when she longed to fit in.

It was more than any kid should have to go through, and, at 16, May died by suicide.

Suicide is complex. It stems from a combination of causes, such as mental health conditions, and cannot be attributed to any one factor. But May’s life and death provide a glimpse into the tremendous and tragic effect that anti-trans laws and political rhetoric have had on trans people across America — especially kids. — Jo Yurcaba, national reporter

Lululemon’s summer sale may have wrapped up, but that doesn’t mean the savings are over. There are a number of items still discounted right now. Speaking of sales, the popular Lands’ End tote bag is 40% off for a limited time.

Josh Feldman is a platforms editor for NBC News.

Daniela Suarez is an NBC News intern.