Since President Trump began his political career in 2015, the number of media and defamation lawsuits involving him or his businesses as either the plaintiff or defendant quadrupled compared to the prior three decades, according to an Axios analysis of public databases.
Why it matters: The growing volume shows how, since turning into a political figure, Trump has become bolder about using the courts in media and free speech cases.
Streaming TV companies including Samsung, LG, Vizio, Amazon, Google and Apple have removed TikTok from their smart TV systems and app stores, complying with the ban law that went into effect Jan. 19, an Axios investigation found.
Why it matters: While the public's focus has mostly been on mobile companies, the removal of the app across the streaming TV ecosystem shows that corporate America is mostly determined to follow the law, despite President Trump's executive order promising the ban won't be enforced for 75 days.
Elon Musk posted on X Friday that a staffer with his Department of Governmental Efficiency who resigned after racist social media posts were unearthed "will be brought back."
Why it matters: The White House swiftly announced Marko Elez's exit after the Wall Street Journal first reported on the blatantly racist posts, which included "normalize Indian hate" and "I was racist before it was cool." But Vice President Vance and Musk's online army both rallied behind Elez, and Musk has now declared that he'll be reinstated.
President Trump signed an executive order that temporarily freezes tariffs on low-cost packages from China.
Why it matters: The order reinstates the long-standing de minimisexception for such packages, which are typically valued below $800. This provides relief for consumers who would face higher costs on retail goods shipped from China.
Consumer sentiment fell across all political parties in early February, while expectations of higher inflation soared alongside tariff threats, according to a closely watched gauge from the University of Michigan.
Why it matters: Receding economic optimism, at least if prolonged, risks consumers holding back on the type of spending that has bolstered the economy.
The carried interest tax loophole is like a movie monster.
Politicians try to kill it every few years, only to get bloodied and then save themselves by letting it slink into the background.
The latest sequel arrived yesterday, with the White House telling House GOP leaders that it wants the loophole closed as part of upcoming tax negotiations.
Institutional Shareholder Services' (ISS) sided with companies nearly as much as shareholders during Cristiano Guerra's eight-year run at the helm of its special situations team, an Axios analysis shows.
Why it matters: The findings, as ISS prepares for Guerra to step aside, run counter to the narrative that the proxy adviser largely favors the investors that make up its client base.
Andrew Borek, the new head of ISS' influential special situations research team, brings a sharp pen and a keen legal eye to the role he's set to take on.
Why it matters: CEOs, board members, investors, and their advisers will be looking for clues on how he plans to steer the high profile team.
The job market kicked off 2025 with solid hiring: The economy added 143,000 jobs in January, while the unemployment rate dropped to 4%, the Labor Department said on Friday.
Why it matters: The pace of hiring cooled from the final months of 2024, but the labor market continues to be on solid footing, which has helped the economy defy slowdown fears.
Link Logistics, the logistics real estate company backed by Blackstone, has appointed Melissa Sachs as chief communications officer, the company first told Axios.
Why it matters: In this newly created position, Sachs will bring together the communication and marketing functions.
The party is over for U.S. sustainable fund managers, who saw record outflows from the asset class in 2024.
Why it matters: The outflows coincide with fund managers withdrawing from environmentally focused investor groups, opening the question of whether they're doing so because of increased political scrutiny, or just because the business isn't growing any more.
The independent federal agency in charge of enforcing workplace anti-discrimination laws is caught in a bind under President Trump.
Why it matters: The White House crackdown — on transgender people; diversity, equity, inclusion and accessibility; and the independence of federal agencies — all comes to a head at the the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.
The big picture: Watching the big game is on the rise with 65% of consumers planning to watch — up from 61% in 2024 — according to a Numerator survey of 1,000 U.S. consumers.
President Trump and Elon Musk's assault on government data is fueling concerns in business, academia, newsrooms and beyond that critical information about vital subjects may be unreliable — if it exists at all.
Why it matters: Everything from how we allocate Congressional seats to the weather app on your phone relies at least in part on accurate government data. If that data becomes unavailable or is seen as untrustworthy, it could have far-reaching consequences across politics, business, health and beyond.
The Trump administration is being sued over its move to dismantle the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), with unions representing workers in the lawsuit calling the action "unconstitutional and illegal."
The big picture: The lawsuit that was filed in federal court Thursday seeks to block efforts to place most of USAID's 10,000-strong global workforce on administrative leave by Friday night and restore currently frozen funding and operations.
Rep. Val Hoyle (D-Ore.) said Thursday she is leaving the Congressional DOGE Caucus due to Elon Musk's slash-and-burn tactics as the head of the Department of Government Efficiency.
Why it matters: It's the latest sign of rising Democratic frustration with Musk even from the centrist lawmakers who were most eager to work with him.
Two new pro-crypto PACs are launching this weekend, Axios has learned.
Why it matters: Both haveties to Sen. Cynthia Lummis (R-Wyo.), who is chairing the new Banking subcommittee on cryptocurrencies. It comes as President Trump promises to be "the most pro-crypto president" in history.
A federal judge signed an order on Thursday temporarily restricting the Elon Musk-headed Department of Government Efficiency's access to sensitive Treasury payment system information.
Why it matters: The order limits Treasury Department employees affiliated with DOGE to just two individuals with "read-only" access to the data. This comes in response to a lawsuit aiming at blocking DOGE's access to sensitive information.
