Axios

President Trump issued an executive order on Tuesday attempting to ban federal funding or support for youth gender-affirming care.

The big picture: The policy is the administration's latest in a series of attacks against transgender people in the U.S.

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt defended the Trump administration's temporary pause on some federal spending as Democrats sounded the alarm about programs like Medicaid going dark.

The big picture: The freeze, which a federal judge halted Tuesday, would not effect programs like Social Security, Medicare, and welfare benefits, Leavitt said.

Republican Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders said Tuesday that Arkansas will seek federal approval to require Medicaid recipients to work or volunteer to keep their benefits.

Why it matters: About 220,000 Arkansans receive Medicaid benefits, at an annual cost of $2.2 billion, she said.

Newly released guidelines suggest a wide range of federal employees could lose employment protections under President Trump's new Schedule F.

Why it matters: The memo, released Monday by the Office of Personnel and Management (OPM), indicates that the Trump team is looking to reclassify thousands of federal employees and strip them of legal protections from political firings, legal experts say.

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt confirmed immigrant rights groups' fears that the Trump administration sees all undocumented immigrants as "criminals" and isn't just seeking to deport those who commit violent acts.

Driving the news: In her first White House briefing, Leavitt falsely labeled all 3,500 immigrants arrested for suspicion of being in the country illegally "criminals." Being in the country illegally is a civil violation, not a criminal one, and the individuals who were arrested have not been convicted of a crime.

Democrats in Congress are gearing up for a pitched public battle with President Trump over his move to temporarily pause federal grant, loan and financial assistance programs.

Why it matters: The freeze, which Democrats argue is both illegal and deeply harmful, is already becoming a cornerstone of Democratic messaging strategy against the Trump administration.

Senate Democrats blocked a bill sanctioning the International Criminal Court on Tuesday after Republicans rejected changes addressing their concerns.

Why it matters: The vote is a show of unity from Senate Democrats and is their first concrete action since President Trump's inauguration to thwart the GOP agenda.

The Republican National Committee and Chris LaCivita, President Trump's former co-campaign manager, have readied a defamation lawsuit against The Daily Beast, demanding a full retraction and apology over an October 2024 article that originally suggested LaCivita was paid $22 million by the Trump campaign, sources told Axios.

State of play: The parties have been going back and forth for months over the matter. While The Daily Beast has made efforts to address the concerns, including deleting a segment of its podcast last week that referenced an incorrect figure from its original story, the RNC and LaCivita don't think it has done enough to offset the damages they claim the original article drove, per the sources.

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt on Tuesday defended President Trump's firings of at least a dozen agency inspectors general, saying Supreme Court precedent allows him the broad power to fire federal employees.

The big picture: The legality of the ousters last week has been questioned by Democrats and even by some Republicans.

Senate Democrats are expected to block a bill sanctioning the ICC on Tuesday, a show of Democratic unity after a week of internal dissent.

Why it matters: If Democrats follow this, this stonewalling is their first concrete action since President Trump's inauguration to thwart the GOP agenda.

Caroline Kennedy on Tuesday urged senators to reject her cousin's nomination to head the Department of Health and Human Services, saying Robert F. Kennedy Jr. "preys on the desperation of parents of sick children."

Why it matters: Caroline Kennedy's critique, laid out in a letter to senators a day before RFK Jr's confirmation hearings begin, could shore up Democratic opposition to his nomination.

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt took on a combative tone with the media at her first press briefing Tuesday, vowing to hold them accountable for telling the truth.

Why it matters: Tuesday's press briefing offered the first glimpse of how the new Trump administration plans to shape its relationship to the media as it presses forward with revamping the federal government.

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt started her first press briefing by announcing that the mysterious drones that caused alarm in New Jersey and across the northeast late last year had been cleared by the Federal Aviation Administration.

Why it matters: "This was not the enemy," Leavitt said, noting that the message came directly from President Trump after a briefing on the matter in the Oval Office.

Sen. Gary Peters' (D-Mich.) shock announcement Tuesday that he will not run for reelection has U.S. House members from Michigan in both parties sizing up potential runs for his seat.

Why it matters: The race could get crowded fast, with former Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg also taking a "serious look" at running.

Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) is planning to hold an early hearing on the booming name, image, and likeness (NIL) industry as he seeks to pass a federal law to standardize NIL rules, sources told Axios.

Why it matters: Federal regulations have a better chance of moving in Congress now that Cruz, their top proponent, chairs the powerful Senate Commerce Committee.

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt has her briefing room debut Tuesday.

Why it matters: Leavitt, who served as the Trump campaign's national press secretary, is the youngest White House press secretary in U.S. history.

Former Rep. Sean Duffy (R-Wis.) was confirmed Tuesday as President Trump's Secretary of Transportation.

Why it matters: The former Fox News contributor and reality star will be in charge of handling the nation's air, rail and supply-chain issues.

The White House fired the three Democratic members of a top independent intelligence review board, according to a statement from the agency on Monday.

Why it matters: The firings leave the board with just one Republican member and without a quorum as it prepares to advise Congress on an upcoming debate over whether to keep a controversial surveillance program intact.

President Trump yesterday said that Microsoft is among those in talks to acquire TikTok, or at least enough of TikTok that it would be allowed to continue operating in the U.S.

Why it matters: This new divestiture dance is beginning to feel like an imitation of what we saw five years ago.

The Trump administration has directed agencies to suspend all federal grants and loans starting at close of business Tuesday.

Why it matters: The new administration is showing signs — in its unilateral actions and legislative strategy — that it is more serious about fiscal austerity than the last time President Trump was in office.

California officials pushed back on President Trump's claim that the U.S. military "turned on the water" as the state recovers from deadly wildfires.

Why it matters: Trump has clashed with California Gov. Gavin Newsom over the state's response to the Los Angeles-area fires, and previously threatened to withhold federal aid if the state doesn't agree to the president's demands.

President Trump fired acting chair of the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB), Democrat Gwynne Wilcox late Monday night, she told Axios. He also fired the general counsel of the labor board, Jennifer Abruzzo, a strong advocate for unionization.

The big picture: Together the dismissals signal a broad purge at the nation's labor regulator, which had been an exceptionally strong ally to workers and unions over the past four years.

Google announced it will change the names of the Gulf of Mexico and Denali to the Gulf of America and Mount McKinley, respectively, on Google Maps following President Trump's executive order to rename them.

Why it matters: There's been confusion and tension among journalists, map makers and government agencies over embracing the name changes.

Sen. Gary Peters (D-Mich.) is retiring, opening up a battleground Senate seat in the 2026 midterms.

Why it matters: It's a stunning announcement for a senator who led Democrats' Senate campaigns two cycles in a row. And it's an opening for Republicans in a state President Trump won in November.

Former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg is "taking a serious look" at running for the Michigan senate seat left open by the surprise retirement of Sen. Gary Peters, Axios has learned.

Why it matters: Buttigieg would bring his national fundraising network to what is expected to be one of the most expensive Senate races in the country.

The Trump administration temporarily paused federal grant, loan and other financial assistance programs, effective 5 p.m. ET Tuesday.

Why it matters: The suspension will provide the administration with time to review agency programs and determine the best uses of funding for those programs consistent with the law and Trump's priorities, says a White House Office of Management and Budget memo, via Reuters.

President Trump signed an order Monday calling on the Pentagon to formulate a new policy that would target transgender service members.

Why it matters: The order is not yet an outright ban on transgender service members, but it paves the way for one.

The gap in average life expectancy between Black and white Americans shrank significantly in the decades before the COVID-19 pandemic, though there was wide variation between states, new findings from the Urban Institute show.

Why it matters: It's one more data point that suggests who you are and where you live in the United States is a major determinant of health — and how long one can expect to live.

Fewer than half of U.S. adults in a new poll trust health recommendations from President Trump and his picks to lead federal health policy, but Republicans are about as likely to trust them as they are their own doctors.

Why it matters: Democrats, independents and Republicans have all lost trust in medical professionals and government health agencies over the past 18 months.

The Trump administration has already moved to end the recognition of transgender people by the federal government. But even more consequential policies may be on the way that focus on blocking federal funds for any transgender care.

Why it matters: The strategy could resemble the one abortion foes used to get the Hyde Amendment enacted and tracks with the principles laid out in the Heritage Foundation's Project 2025, advocates say.

President Trump has been threatening friend and foe alike with the foreign policy equivalent of a two-by-four. Colombia's president found that out the hard way over the weekend when he tried to stop U.S. military flights carrying deportees back to Colombia.

• "F--k around and find out," one top White House official summed up Monday.

Why it matters: Trump's world view revolves around showing strength, a carrot-and-stick approach that usually is short on rewards and long on threats. But it's showing some results — at least in Latin America, where Trump is determined to boost U.S. influence.

A coalition of U.S. and Canadian Jewish groups say they will leave X, the social media formerly known as Twitter, after seeing a rise in "toxic speech" on the platform and owner Elon Musk reposting antisemitic and xenophobic content.

Why it matters: The announcement Monday came as the world marked International Holocaust Remembrance Day. and days after Musk gave what scholars and rights groups said was a Hitlergruß, or Nazi salute.

President Trump reinstated members of the military who were dismissed because they refused to receive the COVID vaccine in an executive order late Monday.

Why it matters: The order reverses the dismissals by the Biden administration, restoring thousands of service members to their previous rank and providing them with back pay and benefits.

ICE announced Monday a multi-agency immigration clampdown resulted in 1,179 arrests in a single day — the biggest number since President Trump took office a week ago.

Why it matters: The Trump administration is stepping up efforts targeting undocumented immigrants in cities across the U.S. — and it's resulted in at least 3,552 arrests since Thursday, per figures posted to Immigration and Customs Enforcement's X account.

House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) and President Trump appeared to take different stances Monday on China's artificial intelligence developments.

Why it matters: Interest in Chinese company DeepSeek's rapid advancements in AI sent U.S. tech stocks tumbling on Monday, as the mobile app climbed to no.1 on Apple's rankings of free iPhone apps.

Former Interior Secretary Deb Haaland is taking concrete steps to run for governor of New Mexico with a formal announcement expected in the coming weeks, Axios has learned.

Why it matters: Haaland, a former House lawmaker, is quietly working to consolidate support for a statewide bid.

Leading House Democrats are weighing legal, investigative and legislative options to respond to President Trump's firing of at least a dozen agency inspectors general last week, Axios has learned.

Why it matters: The ousters — the legality of which have been questioned even by some Republicans — present the first major test of congressional Democrats' ability to counter Trump while in the minority.

The GOP is ready to force Democrats into another tough and divisive vote on immigration, just a week after Congress passed the Laken Riley Act.

Driving the news: Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) and Rep. Stephanie Bice (R-Okla.) will reintroduce a bill on Tuesday to impose harsher penalties on migrants who try to illegally recross into the U.S. after being removed.