Congressional leaders Tuesday unveiled legislation to keep the government funded until March 14, unleashing a mad dash to pass the bill by the end of the week.
Why it matters: House Speaker Mike Johnson's (R-La.) next challenge is to find a way to ram the bill through the chamber while facing heat from his right flank over his handling of the government funding negotiations.
With the dust not yet cleared on her unsuccessful bid to lead Democrats on the House Oversight Committee, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez's (D-N.Y.) colleagues are pitching her for another leadership bid in the near future.
Why it matters: The 35-year-old has transformed from a progressive bomb-thrower who openly sparred with former Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) into a member whose support extends to the Democratic establishment.
Luigi Mangione has been indicted by a New York grand jury on ten charges, including the first-degree murder of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, per court documents from the Manhattan district attorney's office.
The big picture: The 26-year-old suspect in the Dec. 4 killing was arrested last week in Pennsylvania after a days-long search.
President-elect Trump's lawyers claim they have evidence of misconduct by a juror in his New York hush money trial that should lead to the first ever felony conviction of a former U.S. president being tossed out.
The big picture: It's Trump's latest bid to overturn the conviction and was made public after the judge who oversaw the trial rejected his request to toss out the guilty verdict based on the Supreme Court's presidential immunity ruling.
The Biden administration said Tuesday it concluded that unrestricted liquefied natural gas exports will increase greenhouse gas emissions and cause gas prices to rise.
Why it matters: The long-awaited Energy Department study — which coincided with a controversial pause on issuing LNG export licenses — details potential harms of shipping out U.S. gas as exports have dramatically increased.
House Democrats on Tuesday elected Rep. Gerry Connolly (D-Va.) as the ranking member of the House Oversight Committee, according to multiple lawmakers familiar with the matter.
Why it matters: Trump and his incoming administration are promising immigration raids — even inside churches — as part of their mass deportation plan, and church leaders say that's already prompting some immigrants to go into hiding.
Rep. Angie Craig (D-Minn.) was elected Tuesday as the ranking member of the House Agriculture Committee, beating out two more senior members for the role.
Why it matters: The victory for Craig makes Rep. David Scott (D-Ga.) the latest in a string of septuagenarian committee leaders pushed out by younger Democratic colleagues.
News organizations are on high alert after President-elect Trump filed yet another defamation lawsuit on Monday — and vowed to continue suing new outlets and influencers over their coverage.
Why it matters: While there are political levers that Trump can pull to target media companies, harassment campaigns and lawsuits that drain companies of time, money, resources and trust are often easier and just as punitive.
President-elect Trump on Monday sued the Des Moines Register and its top pollster for"brazen election interference" and "fraud" over a poll the newspaper published showing him on track to lose Iowa in the 2024 presidential election, according to the complaint.
Why it matters: The new lawsuit is a part of Trump's broader effort to target media companies with legal action for coverage he believes is unfair.
This year is the most active for gunfire on school grounds since 2013, when Everytown for Gun Safety started tracking data.
The big picture: As the threat of gun violence has persistently grown, students often learn to prepare for an active shooter from teachers who had the same hide, fight and run mentality drilled into them as children.
Americans' confidence in the nation's courts and judicial systems has plummeted 24 percentage points in the past four years, sagging to a record low, per a new Gallup poll.
Why it matters: Not only does the decline make the U.S. an outlier among other wealthy nations, but it is one of the steepest drops Gallup has measured globally on this metric.
The New York judge overseeing President-elect Trump's hush money trial rejected his request to toss his guilty verdict due to the Supreme Court's ruling on presidential immunity.
Why it matters: While Trump's federal cases have crumbled after his election win, New York prosecutors have refused to bow after securing a historic conviction.
Many in the meatpacking industry were happy to see Donald Trump reelected — but are also fearful it won't be able to operate without the workers he may try to deport.
Why it matters: Meatpacking, more than almost any other industry in this country, relies on foreign-born labor, whether documented or not. It would face critical challenges if those workers disappeared due to mass deportations.
American Enterprise Institute scholar Norm Ornstein, a harsh critic of Republicans and President-elect Trump, will speak to House Democrats this week, Axios has learned.
Why it matters: The talk comes as Democrats are engaged in several fierce internal battles over who should represent them on key committees as they gear up to take on the Trump administration.
Interior Secretary Deb Haaland is quietly preparing to run for governor in New Mexico, setting up a potential Democratic showdown with Sen. Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.) in 2026, Axios has learned.
Why it matters: Haaland, a former New Mexico congresswoman, would attract national attention — and donors — for her bid to keep the governorship under Democratic control.
Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) is making a big opening bid in the 2025 tax battle, calling for the child tax credit to increase from a maximum of $2,000 to $5,000 per kid, Axios has learned.
Why it matters: Such aplan could cost $2 trillion to $3 trillion over 10 years. That complicates the math for incoming Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) and House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.), who have thin margins to extend President-elect Trump's signature tax bill.
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) is still contesting the race for House Oversight Committee ranking member despite losing a key vote Monday.
Why it matters: House Democrats' Steering and Policy Committee voted to recommend Rep. Gerry Connolly (D-Va.) for the role, but the full Democratic caucus still has to vote on whether to approve their pick.
