The Secret Service is already in New Orleans ahead of President Trump's visit for Super Bowl Sunday, New Orleans Police Chief Anne Kirkpatrick tells Axios exclusively.
Why it matters: Security was a top focus in the city after the New Year's Day terrorist attack, and now there will be an additional layer due to a presidential visit.
Sen. Tim Scott (R-S.C.) issued a stark warning to GOP incumbents on Tuesday: Pull your own weight in next year's midterm elections.
Why it matters: Scott, the chair of the National Republican Senatorial Committee, doesn't want to waste money dragging Republicans across the line in red states.
President Trump signed an executive order on Tuesday withdrawing the U.S. from the UN Human Rights Council and stopping funding to the UN Relief and Works Agency, which provides services to Palestinian refugees in the Middle East.
Why it matters: Trump had also pulled the United States from the Human Rights Council and UNRWA during his first term, which former President Biden reversed.
Senate GOP leaders plan to pitch President Trump at a Friday night dinner at Mar-a-Lago to stop waiting on "one big, beautiful bill" from the House — and pivot to the two-part plan, now.
Why it matters: With the House stalled on a major budget package, "there's an urgency to act and act now," Senate Majority Whip John Barrasso (R-Wyo.) told Axios in an exclusive interview.
Advocates in Oklahoma have announced a new plan seeking reparations, preservation and economic development for Tulsa Race Massacre survivors and their descendants.
Why it matters: Details for Project Greenwood, which was named for Tulsa's once thriving Black economic hub, were unveiled a month after the outgoing Biden administration's Justice Department concluded "no avenue for prosecution exists" for the crimes carried out during the 1921 massacre.
President Trump on Tuesday cited inaccurate figures of autism diagnoses as a reason why the Senate should confirm Robert F Kennedy Jr., his controversial pick to lead the Department of Health and Human Services.
Why it matters: Kennedy, a long-time anti-vaccine advocate who survived a closely watched committee confirmation vote Tuesday, has been a leading proponent of a debunked theory linking autism and vaccines.
The Senate Intelligence Committee narrowly approved Tulsi Gabbard on Tuesday to be President Trump's Director of National Intelligence, voting along party lines.
Why it matters: Gabbard has proved to be one of Trump's most controversial nominees. With both Sens. Susan Collins (R-Me.) and Todd Young (R-Ind.) sitting on the panel, her ability to get through the committee was at times in question.
Nine FBI agents filed suit on Tuesday seeking to prevent President Trump's Justice Department from compiling a list of the agents who investigated Jan. 6 cases.
Why it matters: The FBI officials, who remained anonymous in the suit, wrote they feared lists of agents who worked on such cases could be made public, "thus placing themselves and their families in immediate danger of retribution by the now pardoned and at-large Jan. 6 convicted felons."
Senate Democrats are privately eyeing delays on all Trump nominees as retaliation for his restructuring of USAID, Axios has learned.
Why it matters: This would go beyond the "blanket hold" that Sen. Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii) has placed on State Department nominees. Democrats are furious at Trump's actions, and want to signal a strong response.
When President Trump signed an executive order on Monday calling for the creation of a U.S. sovereign wealth fund, it contradicted years of conservative thought.
The big picture: Trump wants the ability to invest public resources, using the type of fund that is more commonly deployed by countries with huge surpluses (frequently due to oil wealth) that need to be directed somewhere productive.
President Trump plans to attend Super Bowl LIX in New Orleans on Sunday, the White House confirmed to Axios.
Why it matters: Prior sitting presidents have participated in events surrounding the Super Bowl, but it's rare for a president to attend the game itself.
Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s bid to lead the Department of Health and Human Services narrowly cleared a critical hurdle Tuesday when the Senate Finance Committee voted along party lines to recommend his confirmation.
Why it matters: The success of Kennedy's nomination has been far from assured, especially after Kennedy flubbed basics on Medicare and Medicaid, backtracked on past vaccine and abortion stances and was vague about how closely he'd hew to President Trump's policies during his confirmation hearings.
Director of National Intelligencenominee Tulsi Gabbard has wind in her sails ahead of Tuesday's Senate Intel Committee vote.
Why it matters: Sens. Susan Collins (R-Maine) and Todd Young (R-Ind.) announced their support for Gabbard ahead of the vote. The two were considered the crucial swing votes at the committee level.
About 20,000 federal workers have accepted the "buyout" offer put forward by the Trump administration last week, a senior administration official tells Axios.
Why it matters: It's a significant number of people — about 1% of the federal workforce — but still substantially less than the White House's target of 5% to 10%.
Scale AI CEO and founder Alexandr Wang is heading to Washington Tuesday and Wednesday for meetings with lawmakers and Trump administration officials to discuss China's AI threat to America, sources confirmed to Axios.
Why it matters: Wang made global headlines last month when he said DeepSeek, an open-source AI model that was built with barely any capital, showed that China has caught up with the U.S. in AI.
Benjamin Netanyahu will enter the Oval Office on Tuesday afternoon for a second-chance meeting with President Trump, an opportunity for the Israeli prime minister to reset their frosty alliance and map out relations for the coming years.
Why it matters: Although they buried the hatchet during the presidential campaign, Netanyahu will seek to avoid reminding Trump why he developed an extremely negative attitude toward him during his first term.
Donald Trump's immigration crackdown isn't just about making arrests. It's about choreography, photo ops, wardrobe changes and tough talk — all designed to discourage undocumented people from wanting to be in the U.S.
Why it matters: The underbelly of Trump's immigration strategy is, as one White House official told Axios, "the visuals" — showing force and creating a sense of urgency through viral videos and photos of top officials at the border and on raids.
President Trump and Elon Musk promised to break Washington. No one thought it would look this easy.
Why it matters: Trump 2.0 has already laid waste to democratic norms, precedents and even some laws. Paralyzed by the breadth of disruption, many of the president's demoralized critics have been left sputtering: "He can't do that."
Joe Biden has left Washington, but he still seems to be living rent-free in Donald Trump's mind.
Why it matters: Trump has brought his grievance-laden playbook against Biden to the White House and frequently derides his Democratic rival — in speeches, executive orders, off-the-cuff comments and social media posts.
President Trump and many Republicans are steadfastly defending Robert F. Kennedy Jr. as Trump's pick to lead Health and Human Services. But some MAGA loyalists aren't convinced — they're wary of the influence of Kennedy's closest adviser, a longtime Democratic activist.
Driving the news: For weeks, conservative-leaning groups, activists and policy groups have been privately sharing links to Kennedy aide Stefanie Spear's past social media and blog posts that show her support for Democratic causes, three people familiar with the messages tell Axios.
El Salvador's president has offered to "house in his jails dangerous American criminals" and accept deportees of any nationality, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Monday night.
Why it matters: Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele's offer is "the most unprecedented and extraordinary migratory agreement anywhere in the world," per remarks by Rubio that the State Department released.
China's government announced tariffs on U.S. imports including coal and liquefied natural gas in retaliation for Trump administration measures targeting its products.
The big picture: China's finance ministry announced the measures in response to 10% tariffs on Chinese products imposed by President Trump's administration, which took effect Tuesday.
Greenland's government is pushing a bill to ban foreign political donations ahead of its election after the Trump administration doubled down on its push to acquire the autonomous territory that's part of the Danish kingdom.
Three federal employees' unions are suing the Trump administration in an attempt to stop the Treasury from sharing confidential data with the Elon Musk-run Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).
Why it matters: The lawsuit that was filed in D.C. federal court Monday alleges Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent allowed DOGE representatives access to the Bureau of the Fiscal Service, which manages the U.S. government's accounting, central payment systems and public debt.
Senate appropriators are putting President Trump and Elon Musk on notice that their threats to rewire Washington can have broader consequences, especially on funding the government by March 14.
Why it matters: Trump is a master at minting bargaining chips. But Senate appropriators know something about leverage and bending the federal government to their will.
Democrats are bowing to grassroots pressure and unleashing a wave of angry spectacles to show they are doing something to fight the Trump administration's stunning attempts to reshape the federal government.
Why it matters: "I think what you're hearing ... from people is: We just can't do things as usual. We can't be like, 'Oh let's let the long arc of a congressional session happen as we hope to stop Elon Musk and Donald Trump,'" a senior House Democrat told Axios.
The Senate voted 52-46 Monday to limit debate on Pam Bondi's nomination for Attorney General.
Why it matters: President Trump is now on the cusp of installing a loyalist in the nation's highest law enforcement role, empowering a MAGA overhaul of the Justice Department that could include investigating his political enemies.
