Axios

House Democrats are introducing legislation that would require federal agencies to let members of Congress enter their buildings after being locked out of four federal headquarters last week.

Why it matters: The lawmakers see physical access as a crucial part of their congressional oversight into the Trump administration's efforts to weaken and shutter a slew of federal agencies.

Alexander Vinnik, the Russian co-founder of a bitcoin exchange, was handed over to Russian authorities in Moscow on Thursday after being repatriated as part of a prisoner swap that freed American teacher Marc Fogel, a U.S. official told Axios.

Why it matters: President Trump has hailed the exchange as a "fair deal" after panning past prisoner exchanges with Russia as imbalanced or otherwise poorly negotiated.

President Trump said Wednesday he's going to meet with Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin to discuss slicing all three countries' military budgets in half.

The big picture: Trump is looking to convince the U.S. adversaries to cut their defense spending while also getting them to commit to denuclearization.

Denver Public Schools this week is believed to be the first district in the nation to sue the Trump administration over immigration enforcement in schools — but it's likely not the last.

The latest: DPS officials have heard from "several" school districts that are interested in joining its lawsuit or pursuing similar action, spokesperson Scott Pribble told Axios Denver.

BRUSSELS -- NATO allies are in a state of anger, denial and despair after Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth effectively declared an end to America's role as the primary guarantor of European security, particularly over Ukraine.

• President Trump's surprise phone call with Vladimir Putin, just hours later, only added salt to the wound.

Why it matters: Europe has been bracing for this moment since the early days of Trump's 2024 campaign. That hasn't made it any less painful — or the future any less uncertain.

President Trump directed top trade officials to study retaliatory tariffs on global trading partners that have steep import duties on U.S. goods, a process that could take several weeks to complete.

Why it matters: It threatens a historic attack on global trade norms to address what Trump has deemed unfair imbalances, but also leaves room for the White House to strike deals that might ultimately avert tariffs.

Linda McMahon, President Trump's pick to head the Department of Education, floated lofty goals for the administration's mission to "return education to the states" Thursday at her confirmation hearing.

The big picture: But she gave few details on how she would balance Trump's vow to abolish the agency with preserving — and reorganizing — federal education programs.

Elon Musk and the State Department pushed back on reports Thursday that the agency was slated to purchase $400 million worth of armored Tesla Cybertrucks.

Why it matters: Musk, arguably the most powerful bureaucrat in the Trump administration, has faced mounting questions about his potential conflicts of interest while working inside the government.

Reps. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.) and Angie Craig (D-Minn.) are both being pushed to run for U.S. Senate in 2026 after Sen. Tina Smith (D-Minn.) said Thursday she doesn't plan to seek reelection, Axios has learned.

Why it matters: Both Omar, a member of the progressive "Squad," and Craig, the top Democrat on the House Agriculture Committee, would both likely enter the race with high name recognition.

Ukrainian President Volodomyr Zelensky told President Trump during a phone call on Wednesday that Russian President Vladimir Putin is only pretending to want to negotiate a peace deal because he is "afraid of you," a Ukrainian official and three other sources with knowledge of the call tell Axios.

Why it matters: Trump's phone calls with Putin and Zelensky on Wednesday launched his diplomatic effort to push for a deal to end the war in Ukraine, and raised concerns among some NATO allies that Trump might be backing Zelensky into a corner by pushing for talks while taking some of his likely demands off the table.

Federal workers who are spouses of some military and Foreign Service members are exempt from return to office policies, the Trump administration said on Wednesday.

Why it matters: The administration has used executive orders and buyouts to crack down remote employees as part of its broader overhaul of the federal workforce.

About 77,000 federal employees, or 3.2% of the workforce, accepted the Trump administration's buyout offer, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said on Thursday.

Why it matters: The administration fell short of its 5-10% target, which would have required hundreds of thousands of workers to opt in.

Over two-thirds of House Democrats signed a letter to President Trump urging him to retract his "dangerous" comments proposing the U.S. "take over" the Gaza strip, Axios has learned.

Why it matters: Trump's comments have drawn criticism from lawmakers in both parties, with even some Republicans groaning that it is unworkable and at odds with Trump's professed non-interventionist foreign policy.

The Senate confirmed Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to lead the Department of Health and Human Services on Thursday, voting largely along party lines.

Why it matters: The success of Kennedy's nomination — despite bipartisan concerns about his record opposing vaccines and other questions about past stances — demonstrates the degree to which Senate Republicans are willing to fall in line behind President Trump.

Sen. Tina Smith (D-Minn.) won't run for reelection in 2026, she announced Thursday.

Why it matters: This creates another open seat for Senate Democrats to defend as they try to retake the majority. Smith's seat is listed as "likely Dem" in the upcoming midterms by the Cook Political Report.

The Senate Judiciary Committee voted 12-10 along party lines Thursday to recommend Kash Patel's nomination to serve as FBI director.

Why it matters: The vote moves Patel a critical step closer to being confirmed to a role that's set to take on even more importance given President Trump's early focus on expanding the powers of law enforcement.

Linda McMahon, who once helmed World Wrestling Entertainment, will take her turn with the Senate Thursday as President Trump's pick to lead the Education Department.

Why it matters: Lawmakers will likely press McMahon on the president tapping her to lead an agency has repeatedly said he wants shut down.

Is Elon Musk's political profile and BFF status with President Trump hurting Tesla sales? Maybe — but it's complicated, analysts say.

Why it matters: Tesla is by far the U.S. EV sales leader and long the world's top seller (though it has recently been trading the lead with China's BYD).

The White House's latest moves to purge the civil service came late Tuesday via an executive order and an email blast to workers letting them know they were fired.

Why it matters: Legal experts say the moves are likely unlawful, workers complain they were sloppily handled, and the whole process runs the risk of doing long-term damage to critical workings of the federal government.

For the first time in recent history, the percentage of top-grossing films featuring female protagonists equaled the percentage of films with male protagonists, according to a pair of annual studies released yesterday, AP reports.

Why it matters: Movies like "Wicked," "Inside Out 2" and "The Substance" lifted Hollywood's theatrical releases to gender parity in leading roles in 2024.

President Trump and Elon Musk, arguably the two most unorthodox and influential American leaders of the 21st century, are practicing and fine-tuning a fused theory of governing power:

• Masculine maximalism.

Trump administration attempts to dismantle DEI initiatives are alarming public health researchers, who fear they could thwart efforts to reduce the outsized mortality rate for Black mothers in the U.S.

Why it matters: The pandemic put a spotlight on long-standing inequities in health care, including a pregnancy-related death rate for Black women that is more than three times the rate for white mothers. About 80% of these deaths are preventable.

President Trump's vow to deport "millions and millions" of unauthorized immigrants is meeting harsh reality — already stretching the limits of the government's resources, less than four weeks into the new administration.

Why it matters: A lack of funds, detention space, officers and infrastructure to handle arrested immigrants is frustrating many involved in the effort — and made goals such as 1 million deportations this year seem unrealistic.

The pause on the Trump administration's deferred resignation program was lifted by a federal judge on Wednesday.

Why it matters: It's a win for President Trump as he pushes to overhaul the civil service and make large-scale cuts to the federal workforce.

Attorney General Pam Bondi announced Wednesday that the Justice Department is suing New York state officials, including Gov. Kathy Hochul, for policies that allegedly limit cooperation with immigration authorities.

The big picture: Mass deportations were a central focus of President Trump's campaign, and aggressive immigration raids and detainments have marked his first few weeks in office.

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) met Wednesday to try to re-create the magic Democrats found in 2017, when they turned President Trump's original tax cuts into political poison for the GOP majorities.

Why it matters: Grassroots Democrats are demanding to see real action immediately. But top Democrats are eyeing a different date: November 2026.

Some 20 senators have their bags packed for the Munich Security Conference this weekend, but they are waiting on a final green light from Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) before heading to Andrews Air Force Base.

Why it matters: Thune has threatened to make the Senate work weekends before, but never with one of the year's most cherished CODELs hanging in the balance.