The Trump administration initiated a trade investigation — and signaled more to come — that will likely result in new tariffs on global trading partners.
Why it matters: The White House is making good on its promise to reinstate the sweeping tariffs struck down by the Supreme Court.
Senate Democrats are drafting legislation to codify federal guardrails around the use of AI in fully autonomous weapons and domestic mass surveillance, Axios has learned.
Why it matters: The issue is at the heart of the Trump administration's standoff with Anthropic over the government's access to the company's AI models.
Between the lines: Used EVs cost less than preowned gas cars (most are priced below $30,000) and they're the most affordable cars to own, according to a University of Michigan study.
Why it matters: The fast-food giant has spent nearly two years trying to rebuild its affordability image after inflation-era price hikes eroded its reputation as a low-cost leader.
Perplexity used its first developer conference on Wednesday to announce new AI agent tools and software that can turn a spare computer into a locally controlled AI system similar to OpenClaw.
Why it matters: Perplexity — a company without its own frontier models — needs to justify why customers should pay it a monthly fee rather than go directly to OpenAI, Anthropic or Google.
Why it matters: Leaders highlighting the boycott's success pointed to Target's pledge to fulfill its 2021 commitment to invest $2 billion in Black-owned businesses, more than doubling the number of Black-owned brands on its shelves.
CEO optimism jumpedthis quarter — but America's top executives are split over how aggressively to hire, according to a new survey by the Business Roundtable, first seen by Axios.
Why it matters: The sentiment rebound is driven by a surge in plans to increase capital spending, as companies pile into an AI investment boom that has become a critical growth engine.
The International Energy Agency said Wednesday its member governments will jointly release up to 400 million barrels of oil from strategic stockpiles after the Iran war set off a chaotic spike in crude prices.
Why it matters: It would be the largest joint release in the history of IEA, which coordinates members' emergency responses to oil shocks.
The Consumer Price Index was steady in February, and a gauge that excludes food and energy costs held at the lowest in four years, the government said on Wednesday.
Why it matters: Inflation was stable last month, but new price pressures from the Iran war have since emerged — a fresh factor for consumer affordability concerns.
Swarm Aero raised $35 millionand plans to more than double its headcount by the end of the year.
The big picture: The California startup is developing what CEO Danny Goodman described to Axios as large, swarming drones capable of carrying missiles, electronic warfare payloads and cargo alike.
"We are not expendable, like a Switchblade or a one-way thing, and we're also not exquisite, like a B-2 or F-35," he said.
The American Dynamism Summit in Washington was open to the press for the first time this year.
It's a reflection of the defense-tech and reindustrialization moment.
The big picture: Founders are emerging as pop-culture characters. Weapons work is, overall, more digestible than it was years ago. Trump 2.0 officials want it known they pull no punches. And there's a sense — at least on social media — that factories are sexy again.
Watch TV, scroll social media or listen to politicians, and the verdict seems clear: Americans are hopelessly divided and increasingly hateful.
It's a ubiquitous, emphatic, verifiable ... lie.
Why it matters: Most Americans are too busy for social media, too normal for politics, too rational to tweet. They work, raise kids, coach Little League, go to a house of worship, mow their neighbor's lawn — and never post a word about any of it.
Google is quietly expanding its Pentagon work — and growing users faster than its rivals — while Anthropic and OpenAI publicly spar over conditions for Defense Department work.
Why it matters: Winning the AI race may depend on knowing when to stay out of scuffles.
