President Biden and his campaign have spent the past several weeks courting a particularly skeptical group of voters: Democrats.
Why it matters: His targeted appeals to the Democratic base reveal a campaign that's currently more focused on energizing — or reclaiming — its core supporters than on making overtures to swing voters.
The Supreme Court appears poised to hand former President Trump a much-needed win in his strategy of delaying his legal troubles past the election
Why it matters: The high court seemed reluctant to fully resolve the question of presidential immunity, increasing Trump's odds that the Jan. 6 case does not conclude before the election.
Former President Trump on Thursday doubled down on his claim that the deadly 2017 rally in Charlottesville, Virginia was a "peanut" compared to the current pro-Palestinian protests occurring across the country.
Why it matters: This is not the first time Trump has downplayed the severity of the Charlottesville rally, in which hundreds of white nationalists marched through the town's streets and a driver plowed into a crowd of counter-protesters, killing one.
Several leading House progressives took to college campuses on Thursday to show their support for pro-Palestinian demonstrators who have disrupted universities across the country.
Why it matters: At least ten pro-Israel lawmakers have gone to Columbia University this week to blast protesters and the college's administration over alleged antisemitic incidents.
The University of Southern California said on Thursday that it will cancel its main stage commencement ceremony after nearly 100 people were arrested on campus during a pro-Palestinian protest.
Why it matters: USC is the first known major university to cancel a graduation ceremony over the demonstrations, potentially opening the door for other schools with campus protests to follow suit.
The House of Representatives' top lawyer is warning members that they "should rarely, if ever" block accounts on social media, Axios has learned.
Why it matters: The new guidance comes in response to a pair of recent Supreme Court rulings that laid out circumstances in which it is unconstitutional for public officials to block their social media detractors.
The anti-war protests and subsequent arrests at Columbia University have led to several other campus-based student protests across the country.
Axios' Russell Contreras reports dozens of demonstrations from Berkeley to the University of New Mexico have sprung up calling for a ceasefire in Gaza and for universities to divest in any Israel-connected investments.
As former President Trump returned to a Manhattan courtroom Thursday for his historic criminal trial, U.S. Supreme Court arguments over his presidential immunity claim went on without him present, and a series of developments in other federal and state cases cropped up in the background.
Why it matters: Trump's legal team has sought delays in his four criminal cases as he seeks a second term. In the meantime, the justice system will determine how much money he owes and occasionally where he is required to be.
A federal judge on Thursday rejected former President Trump's request to strike $83.3 million in damages he was ordered him to pay to writer E. Jean Carroll for defamation.
The big picture: Trump has made several attempts to appealandreduce the judgment and push back its enforcement deadline.
Why it matters: House Judiciary Chair Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) has threatened contempt charges against Attorney General Merrick Garland over not releasing the audio.
Kim Kardashian, known for her reality TV stardom and business pursuits, has been expanding her influence in recent years into another arena: criminal justice activism.
Why it matters: Kardashian has now taken the cause to the White House during an election year multiple times.
Former President Trump seems likely to win at least a partial victory from the Supreme Court in his effort to avoid prosecution for his role in Jan. 6.
Why it matters: The court heard more than two hours of oral arguments today over Trump's assertion that former presidents cannot be prosecuted, even after leaving office, for actions they took while in office.
Thirteen U.S. House members are jumping in a fight to help Black descendants of enslaved people once owned by members of the Muscogee (Creek) Nation get full tribal membership.
The big picture: Muscogee (Creek) Nation Freedmen are the latest group to seek full tribal membership amid a racial reckoning among Indigenous tribes that sometimes clashes with tribal sovereignty.
GOP lawmakers who identify as Reagan Republicans are applauding right-wing media outlets' attacks on Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.), arguing the shift in tone could help them in their fight against populism.
Why it matters: While Greene has taken heat from some allies, she still has a number of prominent voices taking aim at Speaker Mike Johnson.
Donald Trump this week received around 36 million more shares in the parent company of Truth Social, thanks to a generous earnout provision.
By the numbers: That gives him around 115 million total shares, or a 65% ownership stake, which were valued at $4.1 billion as of Wednesday's market close.
Reality television star and businesswoman Kim Kardashian will join Vice President Kamala Harris at the White House on Thursday for a roundtable discussion on criminal justice reform, a White House official told Axios.
Why it matters: In an election year, Kardashian's star power will help highlight the dozens of people to whom President Biden has granted clemency for non-violent drug offenses — similar to her outspoken support for some of former President Trump's reforms.
Pro-Palestinian protests at Columbia University have inspired other encampments and demonstrations against the war in Gaza on campuses across the U.S. this week.
Driving the news: Hundreds of people were detained at protests at several colleges on Wednesday as universities cracked down on demonstrators, sparking First Amendment concerns.
A surge of Democratic voters cast write-in ballots in Pennsylvania's presidential primary on Tuesday, a potential warning for President Biden over his handling of the Israel-Hamas war.
Why it matters: Biden's stance on the war has hurt his support among Arab and Muslim American voters, whose large population in Pennsylvania could be essential to winning the key swing state in November.
Driving the news: More than 36,000 Democratic voters cast write-in votes in the presidential primary in seven of the most populous counties in the state, including Philadelphia and Allegheny counties, per county election websites.
The numbers far surpass write-in totals from the 2020 Democratic primary in those counties — about 14,200.
Statewide write-in vote totals won't be available for weeks, a spokesperson for the Department of State tells Axios.
The caveat: Pennsylvania doesn't offer voters an "uncommitted" option on the ballot, unlike in other states.
The result: We don't immediately know what voters wrote as election officials continue tallying votes.
Meanwhile, Democratic presidential candidate Dean Phillips took nearly 7% of the statewide vote, or about 69,000 votes, per the state's election website.
Zoom out: Biden has faced protest votes in several other primaries, including Wisconsin and Michigan, over his handling of the war that began with the Oct. 7 Hamas attack on Israel.
State of play: Pennsylvania's Muslim voters numbered about 168,000 in 2020, per a report from the national nonprofit Emgage.
By the numbers: The following are write-in votes cast in the presidential Democratic primary as of Wednesday compared to those in the 2020 primary, per county election websites.
What they're saying: Rabiul Chowdhury, chair of the Pennsylvania chapter of Abandon Biden, a national organization operating in more than 20 states, tells Axios that the group's write-in campaign against Biden signaled the loss of all support for the president.
"We'll abandon Biden in the primary and we'll abandon him in the fall as well," he said.
Half of Americans — including 42% of Democrats — say they'd support mass deportations of undocumented immigrants, according to a new Axios Vibes survey by The Harris Poll.
And 30% of Democrats — as well as 46% of Republicans — now say they'd end birthright citizenship, something guaranteed under the 14th Amendment of the Constitution.
Why it matters: Americans are open to former President Trump's harshest immigration plans, spurred on by a record surge of illegal border crossings and a relentless messaging war waged by Republicans.
There's more on the line on Thursday at the Supreme Court than in any other court date former President Trump has had — for him, for the office of the presidency, and most of all, for the court itself.
Why it matters: The court's ultimate decision has the power to make or break Trump, and the court as an institution.
A trio of recent polls shows that Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s independent candidacy may be hurting former President Trump more than President Biden.
Why it matters: President Biden says his pollingnumbers are moving in the right direction. They look even better when the latest results for Robert F. Kennedy Jr. are factored in.
The Biden campaign is in talks with former President Obama about appearing with President Biden at a star-studded Los Angeles fundraiser in mid-June, according to people familiar with the plan.
George Clooney and Jeffrey Katzenberg are being lined up as hosts, the sources said.
ChatGPT maker OpenAI wants you to see AI as the next "critical infrastructure" — and veteran political hand Chris Lehane is the firm's new face for this message.
Why it matters: OpenAI aims to showcase how its tech helps "everyday people" and can tackle big challenges in health care, education and climate, Lehane said.
He spoke with Axios in an exclusive first interview in his new role at OpenAI as vice president of public works.
