As Congress stares down a budget deadline and multiple crises overseas, some House Republicans have focused their efforts on trying to impeach President Biden and his officials.
Why it matters: Impeachment has emerged as the House GOP's cudgel of choice against the Biden administration as they struggle to secure policy wins in spending negotiations.
Temperatures aren't expected to crack 0°F in Des Moines during caucus day on Monday, and "life-threatening blizzard conditions" over the weekend could make any final campaign stops all but impossible.
Why it matters: Turnout is always the x-factor in elections, but that's particularly true at the Iowa caucuses. In some rural precincts, as few as 10 people can make a big difference.
A group of Harvard students is suing the university for "a bastion of rampant anti-Jewish hatred and harassment. "
Driving the news: The students claim the university has violated Title VI, selectively enforced its policies to avoid protecting Jewish students from harassment and hired professors who support anti-Jewish violence, per the complaint filed Wednesday.
A group of rebellious right-wing House Republicans is pressing Speaker Mike Johnson to renegotiate the terms of his spending deal with Senate Democrats, and threatening his job if he doesn't comply.
Former President Trump attended the closing arguments on Thursday in his New York civil fraud trial where he and his lawyers derided the case as a "political agenda."
Why it matters: Any penalties given to Trump in the case are likely to come by the end of the month, and could include steep financial punishments or inhibit his ability to do business in New York.
Why it matters: The proliferation of Mexican restaurants — once staples only of the Southwest and parts of the Midwest — highlights the growing influence of Mexican Americans on U.S. culture and the effects of increased migration from Mexico over the last 30 years.
The Department of Defense's Office of Inspector General will review procedures related to Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin's recent hospitalization and determine whether they are sufficient for such cases going forward.
Why it matters: The secrecy surrounding Austin's hospitalization spurred days of controversy and calls for his resignation from members of bothparties.
Why it matters: The news comes one day after the House Homeland Security Committee launched impeachment proceedings against the secretary — an effort that has been brewing for years as the GOP has made the border one of their top political issues.
Senate Majority Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) on Thursday teed up a Senate vote on legislation to extend federal spending past the Jan. 19 funding deadline.
Why it matters: The move puts pressure on House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) to act to avoid a government shutdown despite his past pledges not to pass another stopgap and growing rebelliousness from his right flank.
The New York judge presiding over former President Trump's $370 million civil fraud trial received a threat at his house hours before closing arguments were set to begin on Thursday, a court spokesperson confirmed.
Driving the news: "We've had layers of security protocols in place since the onset of the proceedings. They will continue," Al Baker, a spokesperson for the New York court system said.
Renters are among the most likely to describe their current financial situation as poor, while homeowners have a rosier take, according to the Axios Vibes survey by The Harris Poll.
Why it matters: Americans who rent their home have been through the wringer over the past few years, dealing with double-digit rent increases, while soaring home prices and mortgage rates pushed homeownership increasingly out of reach.
The GOP campaign arm focused on House races is already dumping millions of dollars into swing districts, pushing for volunteers to be on the ground and door-knocking early as they try to save their majority.
Why it matters: In spite of former President Trump's alarm over absentee ballots in 2020, Republicans have come to terms with the national pivot toward early voting. And they're trying to limit what they view as a Democratic advantage there.
Republicans, rural residents, renters, women and singles disproportionately feel like they're in a big fat funk financially, our debut Axios Vibes survey by The Harris Poll reveals.
Why it matters: It's not what voters see — the economy's improving with rising wages and low unemployment. It's how they feel that could tank President Biden in November.
Hunter Biden's surprise appearance at a House hearing on Wednesday was a closely held secret, set up by his team to show he's willing to publicly testify before Congress — and tweak Republicans who say he's not cooperative.
Why it matters: Hunter's team didn't loop in White House aides about his plans — the latest example of the president's son taking control of his legal defense, three people familiar with the matter told Axios.
House Republican hardliners' revolt against a party-line vote on Wednesday kicked off a flurry of speculation on Capitol Hill about whether Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) is at risk of a removal effort just months into the job.
Why it matters: The ouster of former Speaker Kevin McCarthy in October ground the House to a total halt for three weeks as Republicans cycled through three nominees before finally settling on the relatively unknown and untested Johnson.
Former President Trump's two highest polling challengers chose to bring their fiercest attacks against him yet on the same day that former Gov. Chris Christie ended his anti-Trump campaign.
The big picture: The CNN debate in Des Moines, Iowa, stood out because the candidates repeatedly hit Republican presidential frontrunner Trump rather than just attacking each other, as has been the case in most of the previous debates.
Former UN ambassador Nikki Haley denounced 2024 rival Gov. Ron DeSantis for his feud with Disney during a heated Republican presidential debate on Wednesday night.
Driving the news: "When they went and criticized him, he got thin-skinned and suddenly started to fight back," said Haley at the CNN debate in Des Moines, Iowa, in reference to the DeSantis administration's response to Disney publicly criticizing Florida's Parental Rights in Education law, which critics refer to as "Don't Say Gay."
As former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie dropped out of the 2024 presidential race Wednesday, he continued to take digs at the Republican frontrunner and his onetime ally, former President Trump.
The big picture: Christie throughout his campaign tried to position himself as the clear alternative to the Trumpism he once supported.
Republicans in the Ohio House of Representatives voted Wednesday to override a governor's veto and enact a bill curtailing transgender rights.
Why it matters: The Senate is expected to also vote to override, meaning minors will be prohibited from receiving gender-affirming care and transgender athletes will be restricted from playing on girls' and women's K-12 and college sports teams.
The first 10 days of 2024 have pulled back the curtain on the core incentive animating the House GOP's election-year agenda: Don't do anything that could potentially rescue President Biden's dreadful approval rating.
Why it matters: Every opposition party strives to be a thorn in the side of the administration in power. But Trump-allied Republicans in Congress appear to be taking their role a step further, stifling any hint of bipartisan compromise while actively pushing to impeach Biden and his top officials.
