Elon Musk said Monday DOGE's staff are "pretty much" in every government department and he's looking to roughly double the number on the cost-cutting team he's the face of.
Why it matters: The Trump administration's DOGE-driven mass firings of federal workers have faced multiple legal challenges and resistance from some Republican lawmakers who are facing the impacts the department's cuts will have on their constituents and states.
The Senate handily confirmed former Rep. Lori Chavez-DeRemer on Monday to serve as President Trump's Labor secretary in a 67-32 vote.
Why it matters: Trump's choice of Chavez-DeRemer, whose father was a Teamsters member, for the role underscores his efforts to chip away at Democrats' decades-old coalition with organized labor.
The Department of Education announced Monday it's investigating 60 colleges and universities over allegations of antisemitic harassment and discrimination.
The big picture: The warning comes after President Trump threatened last week to pull federal funding from colleges he accused of allowing "illegal protests" on campus.
Los Angeles County's top prosecutor announced Monday thathe opposesresentencing Lyle and Erik Menendez, the brothers who were convicted of killing their parents in 1989.
The big picture: The move upends expectations for the brothers' release and marks a reversal from the previous district attorney's recommendation last fall to resentence the pair for murder, making them eligible for parole.
Not many people can laugh off losing $16 billion in a day — but then again, it's different when it comes to Elon Musk,
Why it matters: The world's richest man seemed unfazed about the 15% decline in Tesla's stock Monday, a plunge that led the worst market day of the year.
What they're saying: Confronted with a litany of recent bad news headlines in a Fox Business interview, Musk shrugged it off with a chuckle: "But look on the bright side! Always look on the bright side of life!"
Monty Python fans will, of course, recall the reference to the closing song of "Life of Brian."
Catch up quick: It's been a tough few days for Musk.
Last Thursday, SpaceX's Starship rocket exploded minutes after launch from Texas, the second such mishap this year.
Friday, the New York Times reported President Trump was moving toward limiting Musk's previously free-ranging power after outrage from top Republicans.
On Saturday, the "Tesla Takedown" movement fanned out nationwide at the company's showrooms, including in Manhattan, where hundreds protested.
On Monday, Tesla shares plunged, leaving the company the worst-performing stock on the S&P 500 this year.
Meanwhile, his social media platform X also went down Monday due to a purported cyberattack.
The intrigue: Musk pointed to foreign actors in the X outage.
"We're not sure exactly what happened but there was a massive cyberattack to try to bring down the X system, with IP addresses originating in the Ukraine area," Musk said.
Asked how he was running all of his other businesses while also dealing with DOGE's slash-and-burn government restructuring, Musk paused and said "with great difficulty."
The Human Rights Campaign and other LGBTQ+ advocacy groups called on the Democratic Party "to do more" to stand up for LGBTQ+ rights in a letter viewed first by Axios, as a widening rift within the party grows over its stances on rights it's long sought to protect.
Why it matters: The party's progressive wing is calling on leaders to stand firm with the LGBTQ+ community under repeated attacks from the Trump administration. Some top Democrats have drifted rightward in an apparent attempt to make sense of the 2024 election losses.
House Democratic leaders are urging their members to oppose the stopgap spending bill Republicans plan to bring to the floor on Tuesday, according to aides and lawmakers. This raises the likelihood that the government could shut down on March 14.
Why it matters: Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y) is trying to impose party unity ahead of a showdown with Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.), even if it opens Democrats to charges they played a role in shutting down the government.
Michelle Obama is now a video podcaster. The former first lady announced Monday thather new show, "IMO," will be hosted by her and her brother, Craig Robinson.
The big picture: Since Barack Obama left the White House, he and Michelle have become new media figures, producing Oscar-winning films and podcasts, writing books and narrating documentaries.
The Supreme Court on Monday agreed to hear a challenge to Colorado's law banning conversion therapy aimed at young people.
The big picture: The high court's eventual decision could deal a major setback to the LGBTQ+ community, which the executive branch has already targeted with an executive order blitz that undermines protections and quality of life for transgender people.
In another sign of congressional pushback on cuts to NOAA, Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) asked the Commerce Department for detailed information on how the top federal weather, climate and oceans agency has been affected.
Why it matters: The letter to Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick — provided first to Axios — puts pressure on the department to defend the layoffs' legality based on existing laws and recent court rulings.
Anyone who thinks President Trump's mesmerizing hold over the GOP will slip if his poll numbers slide is missing one of his biggest innovations in American politics:
The creation of a cash-flush political operation that hasraked in around a half-billion dollars — about the same amount the GOP's House and Senate campaign arms spent during the entirety of the last midterm campaign.
The country's 47.8 million immigrants paid nearly $652 billion in taxes in 2023, per a recent analysis, with undocumented immigrants paying nearly $90 billion of that total.
Why it matters: The numbers underscore how immigrants, both documented and otherwise, contribute to the U.S. economy and government services, even as the Trump administration looks to increase mass detention and deportation.
A former U.S. Senate staffer is launching an AI startup aimed at helping government offices streamline their work, Axios has learned.
Why it matters: Government agencies have been increasingly looking to AI to help tackle thorny administrative problems that have saddled the public sector with a reputation as low-tech and sluggish.
Some Democrats are starting to publicly second-guess the party's stances on transgender rights and DEI programs — positions they've long embraced on principle, but now see as potential political liabilities.
Why it matters: The issues are creating a divide among some of the most powerful people in the party, including California Gov. Gavin Newsom and a few others widely seen as potential 2028 candidates for president.
Hundreds of people rallied at the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma, Alabama, to mark 60 years since "Bloody Sunday," when authorities beat peaceful protesters who were marching against race discrimination in voting.
Canada's ruling Liberals elected a new party leader in Ottawa, Canada, on Sunday who will serve as the nation's next prime minister, replacing the outgoing Justin Trudeau.
Why it matters: Liberal Party members' vote for Mark Carney, former governor of the Banks of Canada and England, comes as the Liberals are experiencing a polling boost amid widespread opposition to President Trump's U.S. policies targeting its northern neighbor.
Pro-Palestinian activist and Columbia University alumnus Mahmoud Khalil was arrested Saturday by immigration authorities, his lawyer confirmed to Axios.
The big picture: Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents told Khalil that his student visa had been revoked before his arrest.
However, Khalil is a legal permanent resident and not in the U.S. on a student visa, attorney Amy Greer said in a statement.
President Trump told reporters on Air Force One on Sunday that the U.S. is close to lifting the pause on intelligence sharing with Ukraine.
Why it matters: The pause that mostly focused on intelligence sharing regarding offensive operations against Russia created significant difficulties for the Ukrainian military.
