Resistance-minded House Democrats are pushing their colleagues to begin building the case against President Trump now in anticipation of a Day 1 impeachment vote if they retake the House, Axios' Andrew Solender writes from the Capitol.

• Why it matters: The mere existence of this movement shows how much pressure Dem lawmakers will face next January if they retake the House and/or Senate.

Rep. Delia Ramirez (D-Ill.) told Axios the party should "build up the case so that when we are in power in January, we've created the conditions ... we've done the fact-checking, we've done the shadow hearings, everything we need to be able to impeach" Trump.

• Rep. Yassamin Ansari (D-Ariz.) told Axios that if Democrats recapture the House, as history says is likely, "the push for impeachment is going to be overwhelming."

🪞 Flashback: In the immediate aftermath of the 2024 election, Democrats didn't even want to hear the word impeachment.

• "People ridiculed me," said Rep. Shri Thanedar (D-Mich.), who was the first Democrat to introduce articles of impeachment against Trump last year.
• When Rep. Al Green (D-Texas) forced a vote on impeaching Trump last June, 128 Democrats voted with Republicans to quash the effort, while just 78 voted to advance it.

🏛️ Things have changed drastically. When Green forced another vote to impeach Trump last December, his support went from 78 Democrats to 140.

• Another 47 Democrats voted "present," including House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) and his top deputies. Just 23 sided with Republicans.

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Axios' Marc Caputo spoke to 14 Florida lawmakers, lawyers and redistricting experts to unearth how Gov. Ron DeSantis plans to get around a state redistricting law.

Gov. Ron DeSantis has launched a quiet power play to evade Florida law and create more GOP-friendly seats in November.

• Why it matters: Partisan control of Congress could hinge on how — or whether — Florida legislators approve DeSantis' new map of U.S. House districts in a special session next Tuesday.

📣 DeSantis called lawmakers to Tallahassee in light of the nationwide redistricting battle that began when President Trump pressured Republican-led states to create more GOP-leaning House seats.

• After Virginia Democrats got voter approval for a plan to create up to four more Dem-leaning districts this week, DeSantis' effort in Florida became more urgent.
• If it fails, Trump's redistricting gambit could wind up being an advantage for Democrats.

🔎 Zoom in: Axios' interviews reveal how DeSantis could get around Florida's constitution, which expressly bans lawmakers from drawing districts with "the intent to favor or disfavor a political party or an incumbent."

• The key word: "intent." It's what opponents of DeSantis' strategy will need to prove in a trial court if, or when, the legislature passes his map.

DeSantis rejected lawmakers' calls to have an open process and draw the maps during the regular January lawmaking session.

• Instead, he's embarked on a plan to have his office redraw Florida's map, rush the plan through the Legislature — and try to run out the clock on Democratic court challenges as the state gears up for the Nov. 3 elections.

DeSantis' 3-tiered plan.

Axios Future of Defense author Colin Demarest channels the mood in the Pentagon after a series of high-level firings:

Breakfast meetings, happy hours and group chats across Washington are abuzz with the same question: Who gets axed next?

• The big picture: The ousters this month of U.S. Navy Secretary John Phelan and Army Chief of Staff Gen. Randy George, alongside two other service leaders, have intensified Pentagon palace intrigue.
• The nerves are particularly charged inside the building.

👋 At least 15 defense officials have abruptly left or been pushed out of their jobs under Trump 2.0.

• The exits, civilian and uniformed, result from clashing politics, policies and personalities.

"There's a lot of confusion and head-shaking," an administration official told Axios, describing the vibe this week. "It feels so much like petty, high-school or middle-school drama."

• "You have this pervasive: 'Oh my gosh, what is the next perceived slight that is going to upset the Mean Girls?'"

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Axios' Barak Ravid and Marc Caputo give a lens into a key Iran war development that could set the global economy back for months:

The U.S. and Iran are escalating their military standoff in the Strait of Hormuz, hardening the world's largest oil supply disruption into something closer to permanent.

• A second round of IRGC mine-laying this week, first reported by Axios, has drawn a "shoot and kill" order from President Trump and complicated any near-term path to reopening the waterway.
• Trump said last night that a pause in hostilities between Israel and Lebanon will be extended by three weeks.

🖼️ The big picture: Even if peace talks suddenly resume amid Trump's ceasefire, the Pentagon told House lawmakers this week it could take up to six months to clear the mines, according to The Washington Post (gift link).

A trio of headlines captures the rapid-fire crackdown on prediction market insider trading after a series of controversial trades:

1. An Army special forces soldier, who was part of the Nicolás Maduro raid, was charged with making $400,000 by betting on the leader's downfall. The 38-year-old, stationed at Fort Bragg, was involved in planning and executing the Jan. 3 raid, beginning Dec. 8. The indictment says the soldier made 13 bets related to Maduro being toppled by Jan. 31. Read the indictment.
2. Kalshi fined and suspended three political candidates for trading related to their own election races. Go deeper.
3. "State employees are the latest targets of prediction market insider trading bans." — Business Insider

💬 President Trump lamented yesterday that "the whole world, unfortunately, has become somewhat of a casino."

• 🎬 Go deeper: Kalshi founders told "The Axios Show" they expect the feds to probe bad actors on their platform. Watch the clip.

The Vatican is racing to build digital defenses for the AI era — and quietly positioning itself as a global referee of what's real, Axios' Russell Contreras writes.

• Why it matters: The Holy See is moving faster than most other legacy institutions to shape rules and guardrails in verifying reality, with urgency that's unfolding amid unusual geopolitical and digital clashes.

The Vatican has stepped up cybersecurity partnerships and AI oversight efforts, blending defense with diplomacy and ethics.

• It has implemented formal AI guidelines and monitoring structures inside Vatican City.

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In an election-year warning for Republicans and corporations alike, resounding majorities of midterm voters are laying blame for rising costs at their feet, according to a new survey from ROKK Solutions.

• The poll found that 73% blame Trump and his administration for rising prices. The same share also blames large corporations.

That sentiment extends beyond the traditional partisan fault lines: 57% of Republicans blame Trump and 55% blame congressional Republicans. Independents (78%) are hardest on big companies.

🔨 63% of those surveyed expressed support for increasing corporate taxes.

Explore the data.

Pittsburgh broke the all-time NFL Draft Round 1 attendance record last night with 320,000 fans on hand at Acrisure Stadium, topping Detroit's 275,000 in 2024, per the NFL.

• The Las Vegas Raiders picked Heisman Trophy-winning, national-champion quarterback Fernando Mendoza from Indiana University with the first pick.

Above: Wide receiver Carnell Tate of Ohio State crosses the stage to greet commissioner Roger Goodell after being drafted 4th by the Tennessee Titans.

• The surprise pick gives QB Cam Ward — last year's No. 1 overall pick — a top target.

Full list of first-round picks.