House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) is telling his members to bring guests to President Trump's address to Congress next month who have been negatively impacted by the administration, Axios has learned.
Why it matters: The March 4 address will be the first Trump has given to Congress since taking office — and it could make or break his efforts to pass a major fiscal package.
President Trump's executive order designedto expand access to invitro fertilization doesn't change U.S. law or policy and only begins to deliver on a campaign promise to make the treatment free or significantly cheaper.
Why it matters: The order shows the issue is still on the president's radar. It also could reopen a debate within his party over how expanding access to IVF squares with some anti-abortion advocates' beliefs.
The Elon Musk-led DOGE's latest update on an accounting of its cost-cutting measures to date raises more questions than answers: It didn't take long before at least one major error was identified in its receipts.
Why it matters: There is uncertainty about the accuracy of the self-reported audit that could, in theory, make DOGE's moves across the federal government more transparent.
President Trump plans to sign an executive order on Wednesday to eliminate, or dramatically diminish, a handful of federal advisory committees, according to administration officials.
Why it matters: The executive order, which the president plans to sign on Air Force One, will target organizations like the United States Institute of Peace and the Inter-American Foundation.
The Trump administration on Wednesday designated eight drug cartels — including MS-13 and the Sinaloa Cartel— as global terrorist organizations.
The big picture: The move comes after President Trump signed an executive order on his first day in office vowing to crack down on cartels for a "campaign of violence and terror."
Vice President Vance on Wednesday gave the green light to the Senate to keep moving on their budget resolution, even after President Trump endorsed House Speaker Johnson's (R-La.) "one, big beautiful bill."
Why it matters: Trump took Johnson's side in a morning social media post, sending Senate leadership into confusion. But the Senate is back on track to adopt a $300 billion budget resolution this week in case the House can't follow through.
Federal Reserve officials said shifts in trade and immigration policy are among the factors that could derail inflation progress, according to minutes from the central bank's latest policy meeting released on Wednesday.
Why it matters: After two years fighting inflation, progress on cooling prices has stalled. The policies at the heart of President Trump's economic agenda — high tariffs and a crackdown on undocumented immigration — could risk a more bleak inflation outlook.
Elon Musk plans to "check with" President Trump about a proposal to send Americans rebate checks with money saved through slash-and-burn DOGE cuts.
Why it matters: The proposal is for $5,000 "dividend" checks, a number that comes from Musk's original goal of saving the government $2 trillion via budget cuts.
More than a year since they almost came to blows, Teamsters President Sean O'Brien and Sen. Markwayne Mullin (R-Okla.) are friends.
Why it matters: Mullin touted his newly forged bond with O'Brien at a Wednesday Senate hearing for former Oregon Congresswoman Lori Chavez DeRemer, President Trump's Labor Secretary nominee.
New York City's Metropolitan Transit Authority (MTA) sued the U.S. Department of Transportation on Wednesday after the Trump administration moved to rescind federal approval for the city's controversial congestion pricing program, which just went into effect in January.
Why it matters: If the program is overturned, billions fewer dollars will go toward improving the city's public transit infrastructure.
President Trump's widespread federal layoffs have come for presidential libraries.
The latest: The Boston-based John F. Kennedy Presidential Library abruptly closed Tuesday afternoon, citing staff layoffs at the National Archives, which runs presidential libraries across the country.
Zoo Atlanta officials say they've started talks with China to bring back giant pandas to the city.
Driving the news: Zoo officials announced Wednesday that they were "engaging in dialogue" with China and would begin preliminary design work on a giant panda complex to prepare for the big ole goofy creatures' future — but yet to be determined — return.
President Trump gave his full endorsement to the House GOP's budget reconciliation plan on Wednesday, just a day after the Senate steamed ahead with its own $300 billion package.
Why it matters: This gives ammunition to House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.), who has threatened to ignore a Senate-passed bill while the House tries to pass its own version.
Cuts hit theNational Science Foundation on Tuesday, the latest in a string of terminations at top U.S. science agencies that conduct or support climate research.
Why it matters: Fears are growing within the scientific community that arbitrary firings of government scientists will set back U.S. leadership in a slew of fields.
President Trump's media group on Wednesday sued a Brazilian Supreme Court justice, alleging that he censored right-wing voices on social media platforms.
Why it matters: The lawsuit came just hours after charges against former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro, a Trump ally, were sent to Brazil's highest court.
Ed Martin is poised to be the new top prosecutor in D.C. — a MAGA true believer who dismissed Jan. 6 investigators and says he will be tougher on violent criminals in the city.
Why it matters: The U.S. Attorney for D.C. has a big portfolio: white collar and national security investigations, for example, but also nearly all street-level crime in the District.
Whether you admire — or abhor — President Trump's boundary-busting first month in office (today = Day 30), it's important to see with clear eyes what's truly stretching the law and shaking long-held traditions of White House occupants before him.
Why it matters: As we've written before, every "unprecedented" move becomes a new precedent for future presidents. Trump supporters should expect Democratic presidents in the future to use the same new tactics and legal interpretations against them. So understanding each move matters.
Why it matters: The job and funding cuts are now hitting GOP lawmakers' districts and states. There's also a larger conflict brewing over whether the administration can simply bypass Congress on these decisions.
Preliminary data show homicides in the nation's largest cities fell by 16% in 2024 from the previous year, and overall violent crime appears to have dropped as well.
Why it matters: Stats compiled by the Major Cities Chiefs Association (MCCA) suggest that the COVID-era crime wave all but evaporated during President Biden's final year in office, even as Donald Trump's claims that crime was rising became a key part of his winning election strategy.
President Trump and Elon Musk defended the DOGE-led overhaul of the federal workforce and agencies during an interview on Fox News' "Hannity" that aired on Tuesday night.
The big picture: The pair praised each other during the interview as they pushed back against Democrats' criticism of DOGE, Trump declared "inflation is back" and the president revealed how much X paid him to settle a lawsuit, while Fox News' Sean Hannity noted: " I feel like I'm interviewing two brothers."
Former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro was charged Tuesday over an alleged coup plot to overturn his 2022 election loss and accused of being involved in plans to kill his rival, President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.
The big picture: Prosecutor-General Paulo Gonet's office made the allegations in announcing the charges against 34 people — including the 69-year-old populist leader, who's denied any wrongdoing in the case and accused investigators of political persecution.
Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) handed President Trump his 17th Cabinet-level confirmation Tuesday night — tying President Obama's numbers at the same point of his first term.
Why it matters: From the beginning, Thune has promised to move quickly to confirm Trump officials, including threatening Friday and weekend votes. He's followed through.
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) plans to use this week's budget votes to force Republicans to choose between defending tax cuts for billionaires or defying President Trump and Elon Musk.
"It unifies Democrats from one end to the other. It is simple. It is easy to state. And it's true," Schumer told Axios.
Why it matters: After weeks of getting pummeled, Schumer is clearly relishing the prospect of changing the subject and forcing Republicans to play defense.
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