President Trump again targeted transgender people in a Wednesday executive order barring transgender women and girls from competing in girls' and women's sports.
The big picture: The executive order denies federal funds for schools that allowtrans women or girls to play in capacities corresponding with their gender identity, the latest in an onslaughtagainst gender and diversity.
President Trump signed an executive order Wednesday banning trans women and girls from participating in female sports in federally-funded schools, multipleoutlets reported.
Why it matters: Trump made attacks on trans people — and especially trans athletes — a major focus of his 2024 campaign.
President Trump is, as one analyst put it, "still reliably unreliable" on policy pursuits — and the herky jerkiness is giving companies whiplash in the early days of his second term.
Why it matters: Businesses prize certainty — so unpredictability can make it hard for them to plan.
Alex Bruesewitz — a pivotal media adviser to President Trump, known for pushing podcasts and other disruptive outlets during the campaign — will be a senior adviser to Never Surrender, Trump's new leadership PAC.
Why it matters: Bruesewitz, 27, overnight became one of the most influential political strategists in the U.S. The revelation of whether he'd "go inside" the White House has been eagerly awaited.
"We went where the people were," Bruesewitz told me. "All of the podcasters we teamed up with had massive unique, audiences."
Democratic lawmakers are raising alarms about the security implications of Elon Musk's DOGE team's potentially unsanctioned access to sensitive government databases.
Why it matters: Several questions remain about the legality of the Department of Government Efficiency's work, including whether the staffers had proper security clearances and if their work violated federal privacy laws.
A pair of House Democrats showed up uninvited to House Speaker Mike Johnson's (R-La.) office Wednesday to elbow into his meeting with Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent.
Why it matters: It is part of a growing trend of Democrats engaging in resistance acts aimed at showing supporters they are going above and beyond to counter the Trump administration.
Former Senate GOP leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) is "fine" and using a wheelchair to navigate the halls of the U.S. Capitol on Wednesday as a "precautionary measure" following his latest fall.
The executive branch will stop spending money on Politico subscriptions after paying millions of dollars to the news outlet last year, press secretary Karoline Leavitt said at a briefing Wednesday.
"I was made aware of the funding of USAID to media outlets, including Politico ... And I can confirm that the more than eight million taxpayer dollars that have gone to essentially subsidizing subscriptions to Politico on the American taxpayer's dime will no longer be happening," Leavitt said. "The DOGE team is working on canceling those payments now."
'This is a whole of government effort to ensure that we are going line by line when it comes to the federal government's books."
Why it matters: It's an easy political lever for the Trump administration to pull to undermine media without facing legal or regulatory hurdles.
Rep. Al Green (D-Texas) said Wednesday he plans to introduce articles of impeachment against President Trump after just two weeks of the new president's second term.
Why it matters: The effort is almost certain to fail, but it is the latest example of progressive Democrats trying to revive the anti-Trump resistance that helped sweep them into power during the last Trump administration.
House Democrats made an unsuccessful long-shot attempt Wednesday to subpoena billionaire Trump lieutenant Elon Musk to testify about his efforts to radically reshape the federal government.
Why it matters: It's a stark demonstration of the strict limits on Democrats' power to serve as a check on the Trump administration as the minority party in Congress.
Why it matters: The preliminary injunction means the president's effort to curb the constitutionally protected right to birthright citizenship cannot go into effect this month as planned unless a higher court rules on the case or it is resolved.
With their conference deadlocked, House Republicans are now considering a shorter time frame on tax cuts.
Why it matters: Extending the 2017 Trump-era tax cuts is a huge GOP priority on the Hill. But the price tag is complicating efforts to produce a "big, beautiful bill" on schedule.
Abortion clinics across the country face increased antagonism and threats of violence after President Trump's recent pardons emboldened anti-abortion protestors who now view the White House as an ally.
Why it matters: While Trump has repeatedly flip-flopped on abortion — most recently saying it should be decided by each state — Republicans are eyeing new restrictions on the most common form of medication abortion and rolling back the law that sent anti-abortion protestors to jail.
An ex-member of the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB), whom President Trump fired last month, filed a lawsuit Wednesday challenging her dismissal and asking a federal court to reinstate her to the board.
Why it matters: The lawsuit could make its way to the Supreme Court. If it does, it could serve as a test case in a bigger fight over agency independence, with implications for not only the labor board but also the Federal Reserve, SEC and other federal bodies.
If Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency succeeds in its efforts to seriously reduce federal employment, it would likely be enough to ding the overall U.S. labor market — but just create a little dent.
The big picture: Given the massive U.S. economy, even hundreds of thousands of people potentially losing their jobs isn't enough to significantly move the overall unemployment rate.
DOGE representatives at NOAA are combing through IT databases to find employees associated with DEI initiatives, according to a source familiar at the oceans and atmosphere agency.
Why it matters: How Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency handles NOAA's information resources and workforce is critical for Americans since the agency provides severe weather warnings, researches climate change, protects fisheries and more.
Educators are navigating an information bedlam as ICE arrests across the country have triggered heightened fear among the youngest generations and their families.
The big picture: After the Trump administration nixed a long-standing policy discouraging ICE enforcement in "sensitive" areas like schools and churches, educators have had to step up to soothe nerves among their school communities.
Rep. Lisa McClain (R-Mich.) told Axios' Hans Nichols on Wednesday that she doesn't think the House will vote on the budget resolution this week but is optimistic they will by Valentine's Day.
The Trump administration's widely criticized overhaul of the U.S. government's lead humanitarian aid agency has drawn some international praise — from Russia and Iran.
The U. S. Postal Service said Wednesday that it will continue to accept international mail and packages from China and Hong Kong, reversing a Tuesday announcement that it would halt the flow of inbound parcels from the areas.
The latest: The USPS in a statement Wednesday pointed to "new China tariffs," and said that it was working with Customs and Border Protection to implement an "efficient collection mechanism" for the taxes on imported goods.
Shavawn Simmons takes the fight against book bans personally, using her passion to fight censorship through literacy programs and Little Free Libraries.
The big picture: Simmons, a retired middle school teacher from Florida, grew up in a home filled with books and a deep appreciation for Black history, which her parents, both educators, instilled in her.
Now she's working to make sure kids throughout Georgia have access to books that reflect their communities and identities — regardless whether those books have been restricted in public libraries or schools.
Why it matters: There are two ways to view President Trump's epic, historic, shockingly unexpected declaration Tuesday evening that the U.S. should seize, control, develop and hold "a long-term ownership position" in war-destroyed Gaza.
Nearly every computer system draws a line between the right to look at files and the right to change them — but till now, the details barely mattered to most non-programmers.
The big picture: The early days of Trump's second administration — as Elon Musk and his Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) crew execute a hostile takeover of the federal government's digital infrastructure — are giving Washington a crash course in the importance of system permissions.
Why it matters: The directive pauses most programs at the agency that leads foreign aid programs and means the vast majority of overseas workers will return home within days, per the announcement and an email sent to staff that was seen by Axios.
The former Democratic senator approached Cotton and was deployed to help sway Sens. Todd Young (R-Ind.) and Susan Collins (R-Maine) into "yes" votes today, sources tell Axios.
Why it matters: Cotton, the hawkish Arkansan who is No. 3 in GOP leadership, worked all the angles on Gabbard.
The Senate voted Tuesday to confirm Pam Bondi as President Trump's Attorney General.
Why it matters: Trump now can install 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.
Elon Musk's newest role as "special government employee" could pose possible legal and ethical questions, experts say, raising concerns about the SpaceX and Tesla CEO's potential access to confidential information.
The big picture: Congressional Democrats have already been questioning why an unelected billionaire is linked to key decisions in the Trump administration.
A group of House and Senate Democrats protesting the Trump administration were denied entry Tuesday to the Treasury Department's headquarters.
Why it matters: It is the second time in two days Democrats have failed to gain access to a government agency that has been targeted by Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency.
/2025/02/05/1738787042556.gif?w=3840)
