It's easy to miss the big political picture in a week in which President Biden announced his re-election campaign and Republicans sound increasingly resigned to Donald Trump repeating as the GOP's presidential nominee.
Yes, but: Zoom out from the most eye-catching headlines, and Republicans showed clear signs of momentum — from the GOP's surprising unity on Capitol Hill to Senate Republicans' recruitment success to polls showing Trump running competitively against Biden.
Young Americans who grew up in an age of mass shootings feel anxious about the future — and nearly half say they've felt unsafe in the last month, according to a new poll from the Harvard Kennedy School Institute of Politics.
Why it matters: Those fears are mobilizing young people to vote in near-record numbers, says John Della Volpe, director of polling at the institute.
The American lawn has become the latest front-line issue in neighborhoods across the country: Some are shelling out to maintain lush greens while others forgo mowing and chemical treatments.
President Biden took several jabs at his age during his speech at the White House Correspondents' Association's annual dinner on Saturday, somewhat acknowledging one of the issues inserting itself into his 2024 campaign.
Why it matters: Though Biden was joking with the audience, his age is a concern for many voters and has been highlighted as a reason some would prefer the president not run for a second term.
A divide has opened between House and Senate Democrats over whether President Biden should negotiate a debt ceiling compromise with House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.), Axios has learned.
Why it matters: The public discordance between the two caucuses, at a time when Democrats want a united front against GOP efforts to slash government spending, appears to have party leaders spooked.
An overwhelming majority of American voters favor a wide variety of gun control measures and over half worry that they could be victims of gun violence, according to a Fox News poll out this week.
Why it matters: The first months of 2023 have already been marred by a spate of high-profile mass shootings — including in Monterey Park, California, Louisville, Kentucky and Nashville, Tennessee — and many Americans say they believe such shootings can be stopped if any effort was made to do so.
Artificial intelligence is already affecting the 2024 election in ways that could reshape how campaigns are run and how voters are informed — or misled.
Why it matters: There are no rules for using AI in politics. Operatives in both parties are tapping the technology to identify donors and voters more efficiently — and to create photos and videos that reveal the potential risks of "deepfake" messages that could fool voters.
Colorado Gov. Jared Polis (D) on Friday signed into law four major gun measures designed to make it harder to obtain firearms.
Why it matters: The new laws follow multiple high-profile shootings in Colorado in recent months, and represent the latest in a series of recent actions by states to restrict firearm access as gun violence grows.
