Axios

Elon Musk called Thursday for retired air traffic controllers to consider returning to work amid staffing shortages — but a federal law means doing so isn't so simple.

The big picture: Hiring shortages have long plagued air traffic controllers in already stressful roles overseeing critical airspace, but the job is under more scrutiny following a deadly midair collision at Reagan National Airport and several other close calls between aircraft at other U.S. airports.

Former Rep. Lori Chavez-DeRemer's nomination to serve as Labor Secretary advanced to the Senate floor Thursday with Democratic support.

Why it matters: Chavez-DeRemer is the first Trump Cabinet nominee who has had to rely on Democratic support to clear committee consideration after Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) voted no.

Andrew and Tristan Tate, prominent right-wing influencers, returned to the U.S. Thursday after Romanian prosecutors lifted travel restrictions on the brothers.

Why it matters: The brothers are dual U.S.-U.K. citizens, but their return stateside is sure to be controversial given the legal cases against them, which include rape and human trafficking charges. They have denied any wrongdoing.

The Trump administration gave an exclusive briefing Thursday to more than a dozen conservative influencers about files it plans to make public about the late financier and child sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

Why it matters: The meeting illustrated how the Trump administration is circumventing the mainstream media and instead working with pro-MAGA social media figures to release information.

Democrats are tasking Sen. Elissa Slotkin (D-Mich.) with delivering their response to President Trump's joint address to Congress on Tuesday.

Why it matters: It's a role usually reserved for a rising star in the party that's out of power.

Leading a federal agency is an around-the-clock, full-time job, but several top Trump administration officials have picked up side hustles: leading other federal agencies at the same time.

Why it matters: At least four officials have juggled leadership posts at multiple agencies or organizations at once. Several of those have also been targeted for deep budget and staffing cuts at the direction of the White House and its Department of Government Efficiency.

Private prison company CoreCivic has inked a deal with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to expand detention capacity for immigrants at four of its prisons.

Why it matters: ICE is holding more than 40,000 immigrants in detention at over 100 locations across the country and will need vastly more bed space under President Trump's mass deportation plan.

The quality of global democracies hit an all-time low in 2024, and the U.S. continues to be seen as a "flawed democracy," according to the Economist Intelligence Unit's annual Global Democracy Index report.

The big picture: More than one-third of the world population now lives under authoritarian rule, according to the index.

President Trump is widening the scope of goods and nations that might face tariffs — a growing list of plans closely tracked by financial markets, CEOs and consumers.

• Here is a list of the White House's tariff orders and when those import taxes might take effect.

Why it matters: The tariffs could jolt the global trading system and stoke tensions with allies and adversaries. Few tariffs have been implemented so far, though the risk alone is weighing on U.S. businesses and shoppers.

The U.S. will raise tariffs on China another 10% on Tuesday, citing the flow of illegal drugs into the country, President Trump said.

Why it matters: It's an escalation of the growing tariff war with one of the largest U.S. trading partners.

Federal employees are anxious, frightened and doing less work as they deal with rolling shocks from DOGE and the White House, with the latest coming yesterday, when agencies were ordered to prepare for large-scale job cuts.

Why it matters: Someone needs to operate the day-to-day functions of the federal government, even as Elon Musk tries to shrink it as much as possible.

Most politicians agree on three truths: We have a spending problem (too much), a tax problem (too high or too low), and a debt problem (way too much).

• Yet the typical response is: Make all three worse.

Spill, the social media platform built with a focus on culture, is inviting members to become investors.

Why it matters: The company says it's an effort to capitalize on a 282% spike in signups and a path to $1 million in annualized revenue by 2025.

The Trump administration's federal workforce purge may be jeopardizing VA research into suicide prevention, opioid addiction, prosthetics, cancer and other matters.

The big picture: The administration is refusing to extend VA researchers' three-year "Not to Exceed" term limits as is customary, and is instead dismissing staff, according to Sen. Patty Murray (D-Wash.).

Last week, President Trump threatened tariffs on pharmaceuticals if manufacturers don't relocate operations to the U.S. On Wednesday, the CEO of Eli Lilly stood with Trump's commerce secretary in Washington, D.C., to announce a $27 billion plan to build four manufacturing "mega-sites" in the U.S.

Why it matters: The commitment illustrates the dance much of Big Pharma is engaged in as it tries to make inroads with a new administration bent on reshoring business activity and reducing dependence on China.

Amazon founder and Washington Post owner Jeff Bezos last summer privately urged Donald Trump to pick Doug Burgum as Trump's vice president, saying he'd be an "excellent" choice.

Why it matters: Bezos' phone conversation with Trump in July — detailed in my forthcoming book, "Revenge: The Inside Story of Trump's Return to Power" — was a sign that Bezos was engaging with Trump on political issues months earlier than previously reported.

The Pentagon is moving to disqualify transgender service members from the military within 30 days, per a policy memorandum included in a Wednesday court filing.

The big picture: The memo that builds on existing Trump administration restrictions that target transgender troops states the military will consider granting waivers on a "case-by-case basis," but only if there's "a compelling government interest in retaining the service member that directly supports warfighting capabilities."

The Trump administration is axing 92% in foreign assistance-related grants to save nearly $60 billion as part of a budget cuts drive across all federal agencies, the State Department confirmed on Wednesday night.

The big picture: It plans to terminate nearly 10,000 contracts and grants given out by the State Department and U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), per a Wednesday court filing from administration attorneys.

The U.S. Supreme Court on Wednesday night temporarily paused a lower judge's order that would've required the Trump administration to restart $1.9 billion in foreign aid payments by midnight.

Why it matters: In the first case the Supreme Court has intervened in since the Trump administration moved to overhaul the federal government and make drastic budget cuts, Chief Justice John Roberts granted a stay and requested aid groups that sued the administration to respond by 12 noon Friday ET.

Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) will move Thursday on the Protection of Women and Girls in Sports Act — with a procedural vote planned for Monday, according to people familiar with the matter.

Why it matters: The bill, which would restrict transgender women from participating in women's school athletics programs, is a key priority for conservatives and could potentially divide the Democratic caucus.

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) is privately pushing Democrats to fill their guest lists next week with people affected by federal job cuts and the funding freeze.

The big picture: Senate Democrats are planning to bring guests to President Trump's joint speech to Congress whose backgrounds connect to the results from the president's first 100 days in office.

House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) won a game of brinksmanship with his own party on budget reconciliation. Now he's prepared to do the same with Democrats on government funding, lawmakers and aides tell us.

Why it matters: House Republicans are increasingly confident they can avoid a government shutdown without any Democratic support.

Hamas transferred to Israel the bodies of four hostages on Thursday morning local time as part of the Gaza ceasefire deal, the Israeli Prime Minister's Office said.

The big picture: The return of the bodies completes the release of 33 hostages as part of the first phase of the deal.