President Trump on Tuesday pledged the government would continue its guarantees for mortgage giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, even as it moves toward possibly giving up control of the companies.
Why it matters: Trump's promise may soothe long-standing nerves about what might happen to mortgage rates in a world where Fannie and Freddie no longer had government backstops.
President Trump will issue pardons for reality television stars Todd and Julie Chrisley, the White House announced on Tuesday.
The big picture: The Chrisleys, who starred on "Chrisley Knows Best" documenting their lavish lifestyle, were convicted of tax evasion and bank fraud in 2022.
Investors will be seeking signs Wednesday of how President Trump's trade war is affecting Nvidia when the AI chip giant reports earnings in the afternoon.
Why it matters: With U.S. export restrictions for AI chips tightening, Nvidia finds itself in a revenue pickle — trying to maintain as much business as possible in China while appeasing the American government.
Executives at major media outlets are reportedly instructing their newsrooms to temper their coverage of President Trump and his administration amid growing fears of political retribution.
Why it matters: President Trump may not have the political power to pass laws that hurt the press, but his threats of regulatory scrutiny and private lawsuits have proven just as damaging in silencing his critics.
Trump Media & Technology Group, the publicly traded parent company of President Trump's social media platform, said Tuesday it is raising $2.5 billion to buy bitcoin.
Why it matters: It's the latest of several crypto strategies by businesses linked to President Trump — moves that have drawn congressional criticism and slowed progress on digital-asset legislation.
NPR with several of its local affiliates on Tuesday said it sued the Trump administration, challenging President Trump's executive order seeking to cease all federal funding to NPR and PBS.
Why it matters: Republicans have recently been targeting the portion of NPR's and PBS's funding that is Congressionally-appropriated.
Nielsen, the established television measurement company, has struck a new multiyear deal with the WNBA alongside the NBA to measure its television viewership across traditional TV and streaming, a source confirmed to Axios.
Why it matters: It's the largest commercial measurement deal that Nielsen has ever struck with a women's sports league.
Sens. Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.) and Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), both members of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, on Tuesday penned joint letters to Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem urging them to protect and prioritize the safety of journalists affiliated with U.S. government-funded international broadcasters, according to copies of the letters obtained by Axios.
Why it matters: The Trump administration is currently entangled in several messy legal battles over its efforts to dismantle broadcasters under the U.S. Agency for Global Media.
The U.S. Steel saga is entering its ludicrous era, more than 17 months after the Pittsburgh-based company agreed to be acquired by Japan's Nippon Steel for around $15 billion.
Why it matters: None of this is working the way it's supposed to, and the chaos has opened the door for potential impropriety.
Tencent of China is acquiring a 9.7% stake in listed South Korean music firm SM Entertainment Co. from K-pop agency Hybe for around $177 million, according to a securities disclosure.
Why it matters: This is the latest indication that mainland China plans to lift its unofficial ban on K-pop and other forms of Korean entertainment
Why it matters: The data shows how closely consumers tie their economic confidence to Trump's trade war, with concerns about personal finances, inflation and employment prospects receding when tariff tensions appear to be cooling.
The Energy Department's order to keep a Michigan coal plant running this summer is short in duration but could signal bigger battles to come.
State of play: Secretary Chris Wright on Friday demanded that Midwest grid operators and utility Consumers Energy keep the J.H. Campbell plant online until at least Aug. 21.
A Japanese company is using AI to bridge trade, language and culture gaps — one solution for a world where historic bonds are loosening, but consumer demand is as strong as ever.
Why it matters: If it works, it's a potential model for small businesses and creators around the world to access the U.S. market at a time of growing obstacles to international commerce.
Advanced robots don't necessarily need to look like C3PO from "Star Wars" or George Jetson's maid Rosie, despite all the hype over humanoids from Wall Street and Big Tech.
In fact, some of the biggest skeptics about human-shaped robots come from within the robotics industry itself.
Why it matters: Robots are meant to take over dirty, dangerous and dull tasks — not to replace humans, who are still the most sophisticated machines of all.
While the tech industry floors the pedal on AI, the U.S. public would be happy to hit the brakes.
Stunning stat: More than three-quarters of Americans (77%) want companies to create AI slowly and get it right the first time, even if that delays breakthroughs, the 2025 Axios Harris 100 poll found.
The FBI is stepping up efforts to investigate two high-profile cases that occurred during the Biden era, Bureau deputy director Dan Bongino announced on Sunday.
The big picture: The cases concern the 2023 discovery of cocaine at the White House and a 2022 leaked draft on the Supreme Court's landmark Dobbs ruling ahead of its overturning of Roe v. Wade abortion protections, per Bongino's post to X.
