New York Gov. Kathy Hochul (D) said Thursday she won't exercise her power to remove NYC Mayor Eric Adams from office but she plans to instate strict guardrails on his administration.
The big picture: Hochul, an ally of Adams, had indicated earlier this week she was weighing the "serious step" of booting him from his position after a top Justice Department official requested federal prosecutors drop federal bribery and fraud charges against the indicted mayor.
Senate Democrats want to force Republicans to vote on mandating insurance coverage of IVF as part of a debate over the GOP's budget resolution, Axios has learned.
Why it matters: President Trump signed an executive order meant to expand access to IVF this week, but Democrats say the directive is toothless.
The Trump administration's mass federal employee layoffs can continue after a judge on Thursday declined that he had jurisdiction to pause the actions.
Why it matters: The judge referred the claims brought by labor unions, which could affect tens of thousands of workers, to the Federal Labor Relations Authority.
State Department officials won't participate in next week's meeting of the top UN climate science panel, sources familiarwith the matter told Axios.
Why it matters: AU.S. absence from the UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change meeting in Hangzhou, China, would leave the country out of conversations for the group's next influential reports.
President Trump said he's considering redistributing 20% of the money saved through Elon Musk's DOGE cuts to Americans.
Why it matters: It raises questions about the potential inflationary impact of a "DOGE dividend," while economists are still debating the effect of other direct payments under previous administrations.
Longtime Sen. Mitch McConnell's (R-Ky.) announcement Thursday that he will not seek reelection in 2026 has set off a furious scramble for the state's first vacant Senate seat in 15 years.
Why it matters: A large cohort of ambitious Kentucky Republicans has long been angling to succeed the 83-year-old former Senate GOP leader, who has held his seat since 1985.
The Trump administration is rolling back protections for Haitian migrants in the U.S., allowing hundreds of thousands of people to be targeted for deportations this summer, the Department of Homeland said Thursday.
The big picture: The move is a part of President Trump's vow to crack down on illegal immigration, and comes after he amplified baseless claims about the Haitian American community on the campaign trail.
The IRS started laying off employees on Thursday, just as tax season kicks into high gear.
Why it matters: The terminations, reportedly of 6,000 relatively new workers at the agency, are part of President Trump's broader purge of the federal workforce.
As corporate DEI efforts held up as turning points during 2020's summer of unrest vanish in the face of political pressure, Black community leaders are responding with their wallets.
Why it matters: For them, this moment is about proving that Black economic power isn't dependent on corporate permission.
Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum said Thursday that she will propose constitutional reforms to crack down on foreigners involved in gun smuggling in the country.
Why it matters: The move came after the U.S. State Department formally announced it has designated eight drug cartels — including six in Mexico — as global terrorist organizations that pose a threat to national security.
The Senate voted 51-49on Thursday to confirm Kash Patel, a mega-MAGA ally of President Trump, to serve as FBI director.
Why it matters: Patel wrote a book in 2023 that features a list of "deep state" officials to target. Democrats argued Patel would use the federal law enforcement agency to go after the president's perceived enemies.
The share of American adults who say they are part of the LGBTQ+ community continues to rise, according to new Gallup polling released Thursday.
The big picture: LGBTQ+ people — who today are estimated to make up some 9.3% of U.S. adults according to the Gallup poll — have been rocked by the Trump administration's unprecedented barrage of executive actions, threatening access to health care, military service and federal recognition.
Rep. Derrick Van Orden (R-Wis.) this week became the first House Republican to file articles of impeachment against a federal judge who has blocked President Trump in his efforts to upend the federal government.
Why it matters: The measure is an extreme long shot, but it signals a new willingness by congressional Republicans to use impeachment as a cudgel to help clear obstacles to Trump's agenda.
Vice President JD Vance touted the Trump administration's "breakneck pace" of its first month in office and made an appeal to young voters during remarks Thursday at the annual Conservative Political Action Conference.
Why it matters: Speaking before the conservative audience, Vance highlighted the administration's actions during the first month in office — and appealed to the voters who helped propel President Trump to victory in November.
Former Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.)will announce Thursday he will not seek reelection in 2026.
Why it matters: McConnell was the longest-serving Senate party leader in U.S. history and has become one of President Trump's GOP antagonists since the new administration began.
War-torn Ukraine sits on significant reserves of rare earth minerals critical to the world's most cutting-edge technologies.
Why it matters: The U.S. wants them — or else. Talks are ongoing after the Trump administration made a revised proposal for a minerals deal, Axios' Barak Ravid and Marc Caputo scooped.
President Trump has signed more than 75 executive orders, memos and proclamations during his first few weeks in office at a pace that surpasses his most recent predecessors'.
The big picture: The executive actions reflect much of Trump's rhetoric on the campaign trail: reducing diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives; cracking down on immigration; and formalizing "America First" foreign policy.
President Trump has repeatedly vowed to bring America into its "golden age," in part by ensuring that the gold kept in Fort Knox is still there.
The big picture: Ford Knox's tightly sealed U.S. Bullion Depository currently stores 147.3 million troy ounces in gold — or more than half of the Treasury's total supply, according to the U.S. Mint.
As Donald Trump pivots away from Europe and toward Russia, he's putting at risk the deepest and most important economic relationship in the world: that between the U.S. and Europe.
Why it matters: The U.S. economy has reaped enormous dividends from the way in which the U.S. government has provided a security guarantee to Europe. If that guarantee goes away, the dividends might, too.
President Trump's first month in office has exceeded the wildest dreams of his most loyal supporters, and the darkest nightmares of his fiercest detractors.
Why it matters: Both groups can agree: The America that Joe Biden left behind on Jan. 20 is no longer recognizable, erased in four frenetic weeks by an empowered, implacable and historically popular MAGA presidency.
With a compliant Republican-led Congress virtually in President Trump's pocket, the courts appear to be the main guardrail for his push to remake government and boost his presidential power.
Why it matters: Trump's most sweeping executive orders have drawn a series of legal challenges — which his administration has vowed to fight, even as it sends mixed signals over whether it will abide by court decisions.
Two primary targets of President Trump's executive orders have been transgender Americans and undocumented immigrants, deepening a climate of fear for both groups.
The big picture: Life is already changing for members of both communities, in ways big and small — with bigger changes likely coming.
President Trump signed an executive order Wednesday aimed at preventing undocumented immigrants from receiving federal benefits.
The big picture: The order that's part of the Trump administration's wider immigration crackdown directs federal departments and agencies to "identify all federally funded programs" that provide financial benefits to undocumented immigrants and take "corrective action," and to "enhance eligibility verification systems."
President Trump said he wants the federal government to run D.C., telling reporters late Wednesday that Mayor Muriel Bowser (D) is "not doing the job."
The big picture: Trump savaged the city on the campaign trail — making exaggerated claims of graffitied streets, rampant crime and urban mismanagement. Now, he's revived that rhetoric, after months of detente with Bowser.
The big picture: Lutnick's remarks on Fox News, which come as the IRS is reportedly poised to lay off thousands of workers, build on a pledge Trump made to create an "External Revenue Service" to oversee tariffs and other potential foreign revenue.
Sen. Jacky Rosen (D-Nev.) will lead a group of Democrats in introducing the Born in the USA Act this week, which would prevent any government funds from being used to enforce Trump's birthright citizenship order.
Why it matters: The bill is a notable opening shot from Rosen and Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.), who represent a purple state with a hefty Latino population. Rosen and Trump both won the state in 2024.
President Trump's direct criticisms of Volodymyr Zelensky have detonated on Capitol Hill, where Republicans are torn between their loyalty to their president versus honoring their promises to Ukraine.
"The president speaks for himself," Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) told reporters about Trump's latest comments.
Why it matters: In the past 24 hours, Trump called Zelensky "a dictator without elections," falsely accused Ukraine of starting the war with Russia and said it "could have made a deal" to end the fighting.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has ordered military officials to find $50 billion in budget cuts for fiscal year 2026 to be redirected to align with President Trump's priorities for the department, the Pentagon said Wednesday.
Why it matters: The review to identify offsets from the Biden administration's FY26 budget is set to overhaul Defense Department priorities, with a Pentagon official noting its mandate is border security, ending diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) programs and building Trump's planned Iron Dome missile defense shield.
