The National Rifle Association is expected to score its first big legislative win of the year this week, when the House votes on a concealed-carry bill that's likely to pass. It's the group's first major legislative priority to see action on the floor since President Trump took office, and it would show that the group still has clout on Capitol Hill after experiencing a series of unusual setbacks in the last few months.
Why it matters: The NRA is known for its political power, and it's rare for the group to lose a fight. Yet nearly one year into the Trump presidency, the majority of Americans are calling for stricter gun laws, there have been several high-profile mass shootings, and the candidates the NRA has endorsed in several special elections ended up losing.
A college education in the U.S. has become virtually impossible for the average American to afford without state or federal loans, grants, scholarships or support from family members. Meanwhile, tuition continues to increase, and the student's share of the cost has grown.
Note: State spending represents appropriations for higher education in each state per student enrolled full-time in a public university; The student share is net tuition as a proportion of total higher education revenues; Data for Illinois is not available and is not included the U.S. average; Dollar amounts are adjusted for inflation; Data: State Higher Education Executive Officers Association; Chart: Chris Canipe / Axios
President Trump said on Saturday that the final corporate tax rate may be 22%, above the 20% rate he had insisted on leading up to last night's Senate vote approving the bill, per the Wall Street Journal.
Why it matters, according to the Journal's Richard Rubin: "During Senate debate, Republican leaders beat back attempts to go above 20%, including calls from Sens. Marco Rubio (R., Fla.) and Mike Lee (R., Utah) to pay for a larger child tax credit and from Sen. Susan Collins (R., Maine) for her priorities."
Michael Flynn's guilty plea and agreement to cooperate with Bob Mueller's investigation was without doubt terrible news for President Trump and his inner circle: Flynn knows more than anyone about their dealings with Russia.
But, but, but: This doesn't necessarily mean Trump is in personal legal jeopardy, much less on the road to impeachment.
Democratic senators are taking to Twitter with their outrage on how Republicans are moving ahead with a massive tax bill without sharing the final text so they can each read the bill. The main offenses, per the Democrats: scribbled changes and hundreds of pages they can't read through tonight.
Our thought bubble: Tweaks to legislative language during floor debate is nothing new, and Democrats are highlighting written edits to draft language. But though both parties have rushed legislation when they're in power, it's not normal for a bill of this magnitude to be voted on so soon after being released.
Bottom line: 51 Republican senators said they'd vote for the bill before they'd seen changes worth hundreds of billions of dollars.
The Senate has passed its version of the GOP tax bill, but it still differs in some significant ways from the House version. That means the conference committee — which House aides unanimously insist is happening — will have real problems to resolve.
Be smart: A final tax bill isn't a done deal, but once members have put themselves on the record voting for the bill once, they're going to feel a lot of pressure to get to "yes" again.
President Trump is holding a rally in Pensacola, Florida next week, just miles from Alabama, Bloomberg reports. The rally will be four days before Alabama's special U.S. Senate election featuring Roy Moore and Doug Jones.
Why it matters: Steve Bannon plans to campaign for Republican Roy Moore next week as well. Trump's visit may draw more attention to Moore, who is under intense scrutiny for a number of sexual harassment allegations, without explicitly campaigning for him.
