No part of the new media ecosystem was more ascendant, more powerful and more influential in shaping public debate than MAGA was six short months ago, Jim VandeHei and Mike Allen write in a "Behind the Curtain" column.

• It helped elect President Trump to a second term, defend Trump, pressure and punish any Republican who didn't back Trump. MAGA was Trump, and Trump was full MAGA.

Why it matters: MAGA is now mired in conflict over Israel, white nationalism, purity tests and disputes among its biggest personalities.

• It's still overwhelmingly pro-Trump — but less relevant in shaping the president's agenda, and less capable of uniting to shape perception and dominate conversation on the right. These days, MAGA can spend more time eating its own than feasting on liberals or establishment Republicans.

🔭 The big picture: Many Americans are unaware of the fracturing because they don't watch Tucker Carlson videos, or listen to Ben Shapiro podcasts, or debate America First on Rumble or X. They see flickers of MAGA fires when the mainstream media picks up on feuds, notably Carlson vs. Shapiro over Israel and hate.

• But as Axios has shown in earlier deep dives, MAGA wholly dominates Republican media, much like Fox News and the National Review did at their apex.
• "MAGA was my idea — MAGA was nobody else's idea," Trump told Fox News' Laura Ingraham this past week. "I know what MAGA wants better than anybody else. And MAGA wants to see our country thrive."

With power and clout come turmoil, conflict and rivalry. In this case, it's unfolding over what it means to be truly America First when Trump, MAGA's titular and spiritual leader, focuses attention on Israel or Venezuela as working-class voters are hurting in America. Fights over this are spilling out, well, everywhere:

• Nick Fuentes and young white nationalists are rising in power, often saying racist and misogynistic things unapologetically.

💣 Trump's open warfare with Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.), who has pushed for releasing the Epstein files, reflects her America First purity over Trump fealty. In a long, bitter post Friday night, Trump called her "'Wacky' Marjorie" and said he's un-endorsing her. She replied: "I don't worship or serve Donald Trump. … I remain America First and America Only!!!" On Saturday, Trump called her "Marjorie 'Traitor' Green." She said that "a hot bed of threats against me are being fueled and egged on by the most powerful man in the world."

• MTG's rift with Trump signals a split between MAGA and America First. The two were mostly synonymous for years. But America Firsters like her now think MAGA indulges Trump too much on foreign engagement, especially Israel.
• "America First America Only!!" Greene posted on X Saturday. "AFAO!!!" She told NBC News this past week: "I'm America First, America Only. Hardcore."

🌐 Carlson and others are increasingly critical of Trump for supporting Israel so lavishly. They argue this is a massive distraction and total violation of America First principles.

• Steve Bannon and other MAGA personalities see working-class voters — the foot soldiers of their movement — getting slammed by the rich and powerful who spend a lot of time with Trump.
• Bannon told us Trump "knows his movement's base better than anyone — but a lot of his base feel [he's spending] too much time on Palestine and not enough on East Palestine," Ohio. Bannon pointed to a Charlie Kirk post from a month before his assassination, calling for "urgency" on six issues — all domestic and appealing to Gen Z.

⬇️ Column continues below.

There's a sense that MAGA's most powerful topic — free speech — seems a little fraudulent or fake now that its leader has power in Washington, Jim and Mike continue.

• "The most dispiriting fact of the last nine months is that huge proportions of the institutional Republican Party all kind of hate free speech every bit as much as the left does," Tucker Carlson told the N.Y. Times. "They are every bit as censorious as some blue-haired, menopausal Black Lives Matter activist. And I just didn't know that. And I'm disgusted. I feel betrayed. I take it personally."
• And there are accusations that people around Trump use the MAGA banner for personal profit. "During [a] recent visit in DC, the talk of everyone was how overt the corruption was," Mike Cernovich, one of the most powerful online MAGA voices, posted on X. "It's at levels you read about in history books. In nearly every department. Lots of, 'Do people just think Democrats will never win and they'll all get away with this?' "

🔎 Behind the scenes: Trump won as a champion of the working class but governs, and pals around with, the upper of the upper class. Trump's support of unfettered AI and H-1B visas — two of the top issues for his billionaire tech and investment friends — irritates MAGA purists. Bannon dismisses these friends as the "tech bros" and "corporatists." But those are the people often dining with Trump and bending his ear, shaping his mind.

• White House deputy press secretary Kush Desai said: "President Trump's one and only focus is doing what's best for the American people, and the only special interest guiding his decision-making is the best interest of the American people."

🔮 What we're watching: The MAGA mess isn't a huge problem yet for Trump because he commands extraordinary loyalty from its biggest personalities with the largest followings. He sits out the messiest fights and ignores the anti-Israel backlash.

• In some ways, it's a bigger problem for Vice President Vance, as he positions himself as the heir apparent. Vance, unlike Trump, is more chronically online and fluent in true MAGA. Fuentes, who criticized Trump in 2024, and Vance have gone at each other. And no successor can count on the fervency Trump engenders.
• Alex Pfeiffer, former White House deputy communications director for Trump, told us when asked about Vance: "Noise online is just that: noise. There will always be disagreements within the conservative movement. That's nothing new. Vice President Vance's job isn't to weigh in on the various feuds within the podcast circuit, but instead to help execute the President's agenda, which he has been deftly doing."

⏱️ What's next: Expect the MAGA conflict to widen this week.

1. Trump welcomes Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman to the White House on Tuesday.
2. The House plans to vote on releasing Epstein files, an issue that led to his breakup with Greene and rare disappointment from notable portions of his base.

The bottom line: MAGA remains powerful. But it's not the united force it was six months ago.

• Axios' Tal Axelrod and Marc Caputo contributed reporting ... Share this column.

Tim. Bob. Doug.

• On Wall Street, in Washington, in the halls of corporate America, they don't need last names. Everyone just knows: Apple CEO Tim Cook, Disney CEO Bob Iger, Walmart CEO Doug McMillon — all stars of the business set, and all preparing to leave the stage.

Why it matters: Some of the world's best-known leaders are leaving the next generation to sort out historic technological, political and economic changes, Axios managing editor for business Ben Berkowitz writes.

• And at a fraught moment for the American economy, an unusual number of globally iconic brands are getting new leadership — complicating what was already certain to be an uncertain 2026.

⚡ Walmart said Friday that McMillon, CEO since 2014, would step aside early next year in favor of long-time lieutenant John Furner.

• The Financial Times reported Friday night that Apple's board is accelerating plans to replace Cook, CEO since 2011, as early as next year.
• Disney is working toward replacing Iger as CEO (again) early next year, and he's been more vocal about the coming change in recent days, discussing his impending exit on a British podcast.

Keep reading.

Billy Bob Thornton's oilman in "Landman" mirrors a real-world confidence returning to the U.S. oil and gas industry.

• Why it matters: Tonight's premiere of the hit drama's second season — on Paramount+ — coincides with a supportive White House and rising public support for drilling after years of environmental backlash, Axios national energy correspondent Amy Harder writes.

🎬 "'Landman' reflects a pivot point of how the industry is viewed and the necessity of how it's seen by the American people," American Petroleum Institute President Mike Sommers told Axios in an exclusive interview.

• "We realized very fast that this was a very positive portrayal of the oil and gas industry."

More Americans across the ideological spectrum support offshore drilling and hydraulic fracturing today compared with 2020, according to Pew polling.

• Democratic politicians are also acknowledging fossil fuels — two from just last week: Gov. Josh Shapiro (D) of gas-rich Pennsylvania pulled out of a regional climate initiative, and New York Gov. Kathy Hochul (D) approved a contested natural gas pipeline.

"This kind of show is part of the Joe Rogan zeitgeist," says Dominic Boyer, a Rice University anthropologist. It's "where men can be men, out in the oil fields."

• Watch the trailer ... More on Season 2 ... Share this story.

Welcome to the world of the "forever layoff": Companies are increasingly making cuts year-round in small batches rather than big, sweeping firings.

• Why it matters: The smaller batches of layoffs let businesses make changes and shift strategies without attracting scrutiny — and they normalize layoffs as a typical part of work. But they still put people out of jobs and make workers super anxious, Axios' Emily Peck reports.

Small layoffs, of fewer than 50 employees, are now the most common type, according to Glassdoor's analysis of company announcements.

• These numbers likely understate the trend, since smaller firms don't have to report firings and not all states have strict reporting requirements.

Read on.

Above: In Charlotte yesterday, Rheba Hamilton says two workers were hanging Christmas lights in her front yard when two federal agents walked up. One tried to speak to the workers in Spanish, she said. They didn't respond, and the agents left in a minivan without making arrests, AP reports.

Federal officials confirmed that a surge of immigration enforcement began yesterday in North Carolina's largest city, with the Department of Homeland Security announcing Operation Charlotte's Web.

• Agents were seen making arrests in multiple locations.

⚜️ DHS also has New Orleans in its sights, Axios' Brittany Gibson reports.

• Go deeper.

Provo, Utah, is home to the country's fastest-growing entry-level wages, Axios' Alex Fitzpatrick writes from new Glassdoor data.

• Go deeper.

Premiering tonight at 8 p.m. ET on PBS: "The American Revolution," a 6-part, 12-hour documentary series on America's eight-year founding struggle. (Airs for six nights through Friday, and streams free at PBS.org and on the PBS App.)

• Directed by Ken Burns, Sarah Botstein and David Schmidt. Written by Geoffrey Ward.

"The 4K UHD [ultra-high-definition] presentation not only honors the artistry behind Burns's storytelling but also opens the door to a new generation of viewers who expect cinematic quality in their streaming experiences," PBS says.

• Voiceover actors range from Tom Hanks and Meryl Streep to Morgan Freeman and Laura Linney. Dozens of historians of all ages provide on-air commentary, including Pulitzer-winning military authority Rick Atkinson, plus top scholars on slavery (Vincent Brown), Native American history (Ned Blackhawk) and the British Empire (Maya Jasanoff).

Burns writes: "The American Revolution" presents "the story of the men and women of the Revolutionary generation, their humanity in victory and defeat, and the crisis that they lived through."

• "By weaving together accounts of American political leaders and their British counterparts with the perspectives of the so-called ordinary people who waged and witnessed war, 'The American Revolution' will be an expansive, evenhanded look at the virtues and the contradictions in the fight for independence and the birth of the United States."

📱Fun fact … Number of shots in the series that Ken Burns took on his iPhone: 29.

• Watch the trailer ... Read the release ... Official site (more video).