Passengers no longer need to take off their footwear while going through Transportation Security Administration checkpoints —effective immediately, Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem said on Tuesday.
The big picture: This is the first time in 19 years that general passengers can skip the TSA's footwear removal policy.
Christmas shoppers got a gift of sorts from the White House this week when the president pushed the tariff pause to August 1.
Why it matters: The shift should give retailers more time to stockpile most goods ahead of the holiday season, potentially pushing some tariff-related price increases to next year.
Tesla bull Dan Ives on Tuesday proposed a merger even more colorful than his clothes, when he sketched out a scenario whereby the carmaker could buy xAI.
Why it matters: This could create a viable rival to OpenAI and Big Tech incumbents like Meta and Microsoft, while combining two crown jewels of Elon Musk's empire.
The big picture: It's one of several airports rolling out the change, marking the first time in almost 20 years that general passengers can skip the Transportation Security Administration's footwear removal policy.
Copper prices notched record highs Tuesday after President Trump signaled plans to impose a 50% tariff on the commodity.
Why it matters: The price of copper figures into a wide variety of goods, including building construction, electronics, transportation equipment and industrial machinery.
The E.W. Scripps Company and Gray Media yesterday announced a small but significant deal to swap television stations in five local markets, forming rare duopoly ownership in several places.
🧪 Why it matters: The deal serves as a critical litmus test for understanding the resolve of FCC chair Brendan Carr around relaxing local broadcast ownership rules, Scripps president and CEO Adam Symson told Axios.
Between the lines: Broadcasters have gleefully awaited a major deregulatory blitz from President Trump's FCC that will allow more business-saving mergers, acquisitions and deals.
But some of those relaxed rules won't be realized until they're tested through deals like the one announced by Scripps and Gray.
Google recently added a tool to its ad manager that allows publishers to collect micropayments from readers as its AI overviews erode referral traffic.
Why it matters: Micropayments have historically struggled to gain traction in the U.S., but Google's new solution — now made available within its ad tech suite to thousands of publishers — could provide the scale necessary to make micropayments possible.
💳 Zoom in: Google's Offerwall tool can serve short ads and surveys to readers in exchange for access to publishers' content.
The tech giant said publishers can display custom options like newsletter sign-ups, single-visit micropayments or subscription enrollment.
President Trump on Friday suggested reports that he brokered a side deal with Paramount Global's future owners for millions of dollars' worth of public service announcements in support of conservative causes were accurate.
State of play: Paramount denies its settlement included PSAs "or anything related" to them, fueling confusion around who agreed to what exactly.
😬 Why it matters: Any sort of side deal guaranteeing PSAs in addition to the settlement would fuel angst within CBS' newsroom and the free press community, who believe that Paramount capitulated to President Trump in settling for the sake of getting its corporate merger done.
Kotaku's sale marks the latest in a slew of gaming site divestitures as publishers struggle to monetize.
Why it matters: That dearth of ad dollars reflects a broader paradox. Gaming commands massive attention butstill doesn't attract its fair share of ad investment.
Limited partners in private equity funds are usually reluctant to sell their positions at a loss, fearing reputational risk. The steeper the discount, the stronger the hesitation.
They're making a mistake, argues Joncarlo Mark, who used to lead PE investments for CalPERS and served as chair of the Institutional Limited Partners Association.
Sheinreportedly filed confidential IPO papers in Hong Kong, 18 months after filing to go public on the London Stock Exchange.
Why it matters: The fast-fashion giant is trying to pressure U.K. regulators into accepting reduced disclosures into its China labor practices, as the current requirement can't get Beijing's signoff.
President Trump orderedtheTreasury Department to take a hard line on the new budget law's phaseout of solar and wind credits.
Why it matters: His new executive order could make it even harder to access incentives under the law, which now requires projects to start construction within a year and begin operating by the end of 2027.
CNN last week quietly relaunched a new and improved version of its free ad-supported streaming channel called CNN Headlines, sources familiar with the effort told Axios.
Why it matters: The service, which is completely separate from CNN's cross-platform streamer launching this fall, gives the company more inventory to sell video advertising to a wider array of marketers.
More Northeastern teens are heading to the South for large state schools, with LSU seeing a nearly 500% increase in attendance from students in the Northeast between 2014 and 2023, an Axios data analysis shows.
Why it matters: It seems like everyone wants to be a Tiger.
Wall Street is trying to figure out winners and losers of the trade war as tensions heat up again, and it's looking for clues in the Federal Reserve's recent rate-hiking cycle.
Why it matters: As tariff policy continues to be murky, investors want to know which companies can survive regardless of where levies land. The winners and losers of rate hikes could provide that roadmap.
The TACO trade is resilient, despite the renewed double digit tariff rates that President Trump announced on Monday on several countries, including the 25% tariff on Japan and South Korea.
Why it matters: The options market is signaling what Axios said last week: Wall Street is not panicked about tariff policy.
Take a risk? The vast majority of chief financial officers say now is not the time, per a survey released by Deloitte Tuesday morning.
Why it matters: Tariff uncertainty is leaving companies in a holding pattern, even as the markets mostly ignore the back-and-forth on economic policy coming from the White House.
Elon Musk's push to form a new political party is fielding offers for help from Andrew Yang's Forward Party, the Libertarian Party and several consultants, Axios has learned.
"I'm in touch with Elon and his team, and I've said to them, 'Look, anyone who wants to challenge the duopoly has a friend in me,' " Yang said in an interview with Axios.
Why it matters: Musk has said he wants his America Party to be a political disruptor in the 2026 midterms — a likely outlet for the billionaire's push to cut the nation's runaway debt and boost sustainable energy.
Why it matters: The world's richest person enjoyed ballooning wealth in the early days of his alliance with the president, but their partnership has collapsed after Musk assailed Republican spending plans.
The Trump administration will remove Syria's Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) from its list of designated "Foreign Terrorist Organizations," effective Tuesday, Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced.
Why it matters: Rubio noted in his announcement Monday that the action is in line with President Trump's pledge in Saudi Arabia in May ahead of a meeting with HTS leader Ahmad al-Sharaa, Syria's former rebel leader-turned-interim president, "to deliver sanctions relief" to the war-torn country.
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