After Russia released an American prisoner, President Trump’s special envoy praised President Vladimir V. Putin as “a humanitarian.” Our White House and national security correspondent, David E. Sanger, describes how the release comes amid Mr. Trump’s broader shift toward Russia and away from Ukraine.

This quarter’s campaign finance report shows that the world’s richest man is the top political donor of this midterm election. Our reporter Theodore Schleifer explains how Elon Musk came back from a brief rift with President Trump and Republicans to become a central player in the party’s campaign to hold Congress.

Many election officials fear that the Trump administration is laying the groundwork to challenge the midterm results in November if they do not favor Republicans. Our White House correspondent Zolan Kanno-Youngs describes what the administration is doing.

Many unaccompanied minors are facing deportation hearings without a lawyer because of the Trump administration’s dispute with an organization that helps provide legal representation to thousands of migrant children. Our national reporter Jazmine Ulloa explains. Read more: https://nyti.ms/3TJaBEB