House Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-La.) has been discussing 2025 plans with former President Trump and House conservatives to tackle GOP priorities in the event the party sweeps the majority in both chambers and the White House next fall, he told Axios in an interview.
Why it matters: Scalise said he and the presumptive GOP nominee talked about using budget reconciliation — which allows the majority party to get around the need for 60 Senate votes to pass legislation — to get policy issues including tax cuts and potentially energy policy over the finish line.
Sen. Rick Scott (R-Fla.) jumped into the race for Senate Republican leader on Wednesday night and asked his colleagues for their support, Axios has learned.
Why it matters: Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) will step down from the position next year, setting up a fight over who will lead the party in the chamber.
Former UN Ambassador and GOP presidential candidate Nikki Haley said Wednesday that she will vote for former President Trump in November, a shake-up to the 2024 race.
Why it matters: Haley's nod could give Trump a boost as he's repeatedly struggled to court her voters in recent GOP primaries, even after she suspended her presidential campaign.
The Democratic establishment is finding vindication in what its members see as key wins over progressives in Tuesday night's Oregon primaries.
Why it matters: It's part of an ongoing battle between Democrats' two main ideological factions that has seen centrist and pro-Israel groups attempt to oust several members of the progressive "Squad."
New swing-state polling has revealed a rare — and alarming — consensus: Roughly equal shares of Republicans, Democrats and independents believe violence could plague the 2024 election.
Why it matters: Former President Trump and his allies have already signaled they will not accept the results of the election if they believe it's "unfair," reviving the type of rhetoric that helped incite the Jan. 6 Capitol riot.
Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) on Wednesday backed fellow lawmakers' call for the Defense Department to allow Ukraine to use U.S.-provided weapons on military targets within Russian territory
Why it matters: The Biden administration banned the use of U.S.-made weapons to strike inside Russia in an effort to keep the conflict from escalating, but some have criticized the embargo for restricting Ukraine's ability to effectively defense itself.
The U.S. Capitol Police said Wednesday that they recovered two vials of blood sent to the Republican National Committee headquarters, just blocks from the Capitol building.
Why it matters: The police investigation into the vials caused a brief stir on Capitol Hill, with law enforcement cordoning off the area and shutting down roads around the office.
Why it matters: This latest round of forgiveness will erase $7.7 billion in outstanding loan balances, bringing the total student debt relief approved by the Biden administration to $167 billion.
Republican California State Assembly member Vince Fong won a special election on Tuesday to serve the rest of former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy's term in Congress.
Why it matters: McCarthy, who endorsed Fong, left Congress at the end of last year after becoming the first speaker to be ousted in over a century.
Democrats are grappling with whether their opposition to the International Criminal Court's decision to seek arrest warrants against Israeli officials translates into support for congressional retaliation.
Why it matters: House Republicans say they genuinely want to draft a sanctions bill that can garner significant bipartisan support and become law.
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) is planning to zero in on reproductive rights next month — potentially forcing Republicans to take tough votes on issues such as contraception and in vitro fertilization.
Why it matters: The move is meant to tap into the potency of abortion rights as a voter-turnout generator for Democrats five months from Election Day. It's timed to roughlycoincide with the two-year anniversary of the U.S. Supreme Court ruling overturning Roe v. Wade, on June 24.
The Republican chair of a House committee is threatening to subpoena former White House press secretary Jen Psaki if she doesn't schedule an interview with the panel for its probe into the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan, according to a letter obtained by Axios.
Why it matters: The Foreign Affairs Committee is expected to release a report this summer on the Biden administration's chaotic exit from Afghanistan in 2021 that left 13 U.S. soldiers dead — and damaged the president's standing in public opinion polls.
The Democratic National Committee is launching a "Trump's MAGA Veepstakes" project to paint all of former President Trump's VP contenders as extreme on denying the results of the 2020 election and on abortion among other policy issues.
Why it matters: As dozens of Trump's potential vice presidential picks do their best to distinguish themselves in the lead up to Trump's selection, Democrats plan to lump them together as "all the same" in terms of backing an "ultra-MAGA" policy agenda, DNC officials tell Axios.
Speaker Mike Johnson's (R-La.) deputy chief of staff for communications Raj Shah is gearing up to leave his position, with the former Trump deputy press secretary expected to leave before the end of the summer, Axios has learned.
Why it matters: Shah has served as a key link to Trump allies as the Louisiana Republican has faced threats to his gavel from conservative hardliners.
The FBI in a statement on Tuesday said that their search at former President Trump's Mar-a-Lago residence followed standard protocol, which "includes a standard policy statement limiting the use of deadly force."
Why it matters: The statement was a response to a Truth Social post from Trump earlier in the day that inflamed his conservative allies and included misleading claims about President Biden's Justice Department.
The Biden campaign is hammering former President Trump for reposting a video that referred to "the creation of a unified Reich" — a term associated with Nazi Germany — if he's elected in November.
A Trump campaign spokesperson said the now-deleted video was "created by a random account online and reposted by a staffer who clearly did not see the word."
Why it matters: Trump has been accused of echoing the language of dictators and fascists throughout the 2024 campaign. President Biden has made it his mission to convince voters that Trump is a threat to democracy.
Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito is facing blowback in Congress over reporting that an upside-down flag — a symbol of the "Stop the Steal" movement — hung outside his home in the aftermath of the Jan. 6 attack.
Why it matters: Even some Republicans are criticizing Alito, with Democrats going so far as to demand his recusal from Jan. 6-related cases and even censure.
