Axios

Conservative attorney Paul Clement argued to dismiss the charges against New York City Mayor Eric Adams with prejudice.

Why it matters: This marks a win for Adams, who likely wouldn't return to court over fraud and corruption allegations if the Justice Department dismisses his case with prejudice.

The Trump administration announced Friday it's immediately pulling about $400 million in federal grants and contracts from Columbia University.

The big picture: The administration cited the school's alleged "continued inaction in the face of persistent harassment of Jewish students."

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) and his leadership deputies said Friday they will not lend their support to the stopgap spending bill being proposed by Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.).

Why it matters: Democrats are holding out for language that will restrict President Trump and DOGE from being able to slash government programs already authorized and funded by Congress.

Nearly 100 U.S. immigration court professionals are resigning or retiring, on top of the around 30 immigration judges and senior staff recently fired by the Trump administration, a union for immigration judges said Friday.

Why it matters: The staff reduction will likely add to the historic backlog of cases and slow President Trump's mass deportation plan, even as he asks Congress for more resources.

President Trump on Friday threatened new sanctions and tariffs on Russia as he ramped up pressure on the Kremlin to agree to a ceasefire and peace settlement with Ukraine.

Why it matters: This is the first time since taking office that Trump has issued a public threat against Russia, after taking a softer line toward Vladimir Putin while hammering Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky.

The U.S. government plans to hold onto several digital currencies over time, but only one of them gets reserve status: bitcoin.

The big picture: As the recent executive order for a strategic bitcoin reserve suggests, the world's largest cryptocurrency is the highest priority for the Trump administration's overall cryptocurrency strategy, a senior White House official said hours before the start of Friday's crypto summit.

Science and technology aren't just essential for solving some of the world's biggest problems.

• They're also key to maintaining U.S. leadership in an increasingly competitive global landscape.

The U.S. economy added 151,000 jobs in February, while the unemployment rate ticked up to 4.1%, the Labor Department said on Friday.

Why it matters: The first full jobs report of the Trump era shows healthy hiring last month, defying other indicators that suggested trade uncertainty was weighing on the economy.

A South Carolina prisoner is set to be executed via firing squad on Friday, the first time the method has ever been used in the state.

The big picture: The execution of Brad Sigmon will also mark the first time in 15 years that an inmate in the U.S. has been put to death using a firing squad, AP reported.

President Trump said in a Truth Social post Thursday that he's directed Cabinet secretaries and his Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) to work together for "very precise" cuts of federal workers.

• "We say the 'scalpel' rather than the 'hatchet,'" Trump asserted — the opposite of the approach until now.

If there's one thing Elon Musk and Donald Trump have made clear: The U.S. is in its Big Boss Era.

Why it matters: Workers had a moment of empowerment in the wake of the pandemic — remember the Great Resignation? Summer of Strikes? Quiet Quitting? Well, forget it. That time is in the rearview.

• A slowing labor market, combined with a vocally pro-management, at times anti-worker White House is giving executives the chance to reclaim their vast power over working schlubs.

What's out: Work-life balance and flexibility. Unions. Diversity and inclusion.

• What's in: The office. Firing people who don't toe the line. Very long work hours.

"This is a boss's administration," says Aaron Sojourner, a labor economist with the W.E. Upjohn Institute for Employment Research.

• "You have a president who's made his mark as an employer," Sojourner points out. Trump's trademark Apprentice catchphrase was "you're fired!'"

And then there's Musk, a proponent of 80-hour work weeks, employing tough tactics honed at his companies, like the Fork in the Road email, to get the federal workforce in line.

• "You have the wealthiest man in the world, who is the CEO of multiple companies, taking a really strong hand in federal policy," says Sojourner.

Zoom out: The White House and Musk have been clear that they're suspicious of federal workers, especially those who worked remotely — they've suggested some were working two jobs, or spending their time golfing.

• Administration officials say fired workers weren't actually doing anything — something thousands have said isn't accurate.
• "Everybody's replaceable," Trump said back in January when asked about workers who take a "buyout" who might otherwise be considered necessary.

For the record: "President Trump is an accomplished business tycoon who spent decades building efficient and successful companies," White House spokesperson Anna Kelly said in a statement.

• "He knows that the real boss is the American taxpayer, and he will continue to demand the high level of dedication and excellence from all government employees that the American people deserve."

Between the lines: During his campaign, Trump made an explicit appeal to union voters. He's also nominated a pro-union Labor secretary, and has said he is pro-worker.

• Part of the stated reasoning behind his tariff push is to bring manufacturing back to the U.S. and create better-paying jobs.

Yes, but: Trump's unprecedented firing of a commissioner at the NLRB left the board without the quorum needed to adjudicate labor complaints. (A judge ruled Thursday one commissioner was fired illegally and should resume work.)

Zoom in: "Experts say what's happening is bigger than just the pendulum swinging back in employers' favor: Leaders in certain industries are trying to reclaim their cultures," is how Korn Ferry, a global consulting firm, puts it in a recent thought leadership piece.

• That culture, particularly in tech and finance, can be one of grueling overwork — particularly tough on those with caregiving roles at home (more likely to be women), or really anyone that seeks to have a life outside the office.
• In a leaked memo viewed by the New York Times, Google co-founder Sergey Brin recently extolled the virtue of the 60-hour work week as the "sweet spot" for productivity in its race to dominate the AI space.

The intrigue: Long gone are the days of the Great Resignation, when workers felt so empowered they could just up and quit their jobs, knowing something better was just around the corner.

• The quits rate — the share of workers who voluntarily leave their jobs each month — is well off where it was during the spree of 2021.

State of play: Those who have a job are somewhat safe at the moment, says Sojourner, the labor economist. (Except federal workers.)

• But the hiring rate is pretty soft and finding a job is harder — especially for knowledge workers. There has been talk of a white collar recession for almost a year now.
• With tens of thousands of highly educated former federal workers now hitting the job market, the fear is things get worse.

Where it stands: Here's what we know now about the labor market:

• The unemployment rate has been low, and is expected to have held steady at 4% in February.
• There are signs that layoffs are becoming more worrying. U.S. employers announced 172,017 job cuts in February, up more than 100% from the same month last year, per a tally from global outplacement firm Challenger, Gray & Christmas.

Stunning stat: Federal government jobs made up more than a third of those cuts — 62,242 jobs lost.

Donald Trump is building a reputation for himself as the flip-flopper in chief — the president who, after announcing a bold new policy today, is more than likely to reverse it tomorrow.

Why it matters: In a chaotic and unpredictable world, the federal government normally acts as a stabilizing force. Under Trump, it has become the primary driver of the chaos.

On the morning of the White House's first Digital Assets Summit Friday, Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D.-Mass.) sent a critical letter to David Sacks, the administration's crypto and AI czar, which she has shared with Axios exclusively.

The big picture: The deeper the federal government gets into supporting the blockchain industry, the more it's going to drive up values for existing holders, which raises conflict of interest questions for officials writing those policies, the senator contends.

A federal judge gave the Trump administration until 6pm Monday ET to make some outstanding foreign aid payments to USAID partners, per multiple reports on Thursday.

The big picture: U.S. District Judge Amir Ali's ruling during a case involving several nonprofits and aid groups including the AIDS Vaccine Advocacy Coalition and the Global Health Council comes one day after the U.S. Supreme Court declined to halt the lower court judge's order requiring the Trump administration to unfreeze some $1.9 billion in foreign aid payments.

A House Republican said Thursday he will force votes on kicking dozens of Democratic colleagues off of their committees for chanting and singing on the House floor over the objections of Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.).

Why it matters: The incident came in response to Republicans and nearly a dozen Democrats voting to censure Rep. Al Green (D-Texas) for disrupting President Trump's speech to Congress.

President Trump signed an executive order Thursday establishing a Strategic Bitcoin Reserve and a separate stockpile of other cryptocurrencies.

Why it matters: The "first crypto president" has committed the government to a long-term holding of the first and by far the largest cryptocurrency.

Senate Democrats want to leave the issue of trans athletes playing in women's sports to state and local governments.

Why it matters: Democrats privately admit they need a sharper response to counter Republican attacks on their support for transgender rights, especially when it involves sports.

Political forces are lining up behind legislation that would rein in regulators' abilities to pressure banks into denying services to legal but disfavored industries.

The big picture: The case that certain companies, particularly those in the crypto industry, were getting debanked by association looked improbable not so long ago. But mounting evidence to support the claims has brought the issue to the political forefront, and even acknowledged by the Fed chairman.

President Trump unlawfully fired Gwynne Wilcox, a Democratic member at the National Labor Relations Board, a federal judge ruled Thursday, ordering she can resume working.

Why it matters: It's a loss for the Trump administration, which has sought unprecedented control over federal agencies that have historically operated independently.