President Trump's whirlwind of policy hauls kept spinning this week as he navigated international trade disputes, air strikes in Yemen and a ceasefire proposal for Ukraine.
Former Sen. Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona, a Democrat turned independent, is taking revenge on Democrats who criticized her longstanding push to keep the Senate filibuster.
Why it matters: This week's Democratic campaign to shut down the government called for using the filibuster, which some Democrats spent the last few years arguing shouldn't exist.
The most urgent divide within the Democratic Party is less ideological than tactical: if the Dems stand and fight on every front or pick their battles.
Why it matters: The split is epitomized by the feud over whether Democrats should have let the government shut down on Friday, but it's bigger than that. The base is bracing for a four-year political war against a power-hungry president, but their representatives aren't all in battle formation.
Adam Boehler, who oversaw unprecedented direct negotiations with Hamas on behalf of President Trump, has withdrawn his nomination for the position of special presidential envoy for hostage affairs, according to two White House officials.
The intrigue: A senior Trump administration official claimed that the move has been planned for two weeks and was intended to shift Boehler into a different presidential envoy position with a broader mandate but no need for Senate confirmation.
The quotes from House Democrats since Thursday sound a lot like what readers have gotten used to from House Republicans over the last 10 years.
Why it matters: Former Senate GOP leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) was a frequent target of attacks from his own party, just like Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) has been feeling this week.
Why it matters: Despite Trump's decisive November victory, he won't let go of his grievances over his federal criminal cases, which have been dismissed. He didn't announce any new policies in a more than hour-long speech.
Ten Senate Democrats joined with the Republican majority in voting to move forward with a stopgap spending bill Friday — clearing the path to avoid a government shutdown.
Why it matters: Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) is facing outrage from his party, including House leadership, over his decision to vote for the bill. Many Democrats wanted to force a shutdown to protest President Trump and Elon Musk's sweeping federal spending cuts.
The Department of Education said Friday it is investigating 45 colleges over allegations that they participated in "race-exclusionary practices."
Why it matters: It's the latest attempt by the Trump administration to crack down ondiversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) initiatives, which have been repeatedly targeted since Trump came into office.
David Sacks, the venture capitalist advising President Trump on crypto and AI policy, sold $85 million of crypto-related assets in order to satisfy government ethics rules, according to a White House memo.
Sacks' investment firm, Craft Ventures, divested another $115 million of crypto-related assets.
In his first remarks as prime minister of Canada on Friday, Mark Carney categorically shot down the notion that the U.S. would annex Canada as its 51st state.
Why it matters: Carney enters the role during a politically and economically volatile time for Canada, amid threats from the U.S., its closest ally and neighbor, during the Trump administration.
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) passed up several opportunities Friday to offer support for Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) ahead of a vote on funding the federal government.
Why it matters: Jeffries'caucus is in open rebellion against Schumer as House Democrats pressure Senate counterparts to defy their leader and vote against Republicans' stopgap spending measure.
House Democrats from across the party's ideological spectrum — united in their fury at Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) — are engaged in a campaign to get Senate Democrats to defy their leader.
Why it matters: House lawmakers feel that there is a glimmer of hope, however faint, that they can actually persuade their Senate counterparts to reject a Republican-led government spending bill.
A Columbia University student left the country after having a student visa cancelled and a second student was arrested for overstaying an expired visa, according to the Department of Homeland Security. Both students had participated in pro-Palestine protests.
Why it matters: The State Department is exercising a seldom-used power to remove legal immigrants connected to protests.
Volatile trade policy is getting all the media attention lately. But another risk to the growth outlook is also playing out — an end to the high immigration rates that were a feature of the U.S. economy in recent years.
Why it matters: Most economic policymakers say immigration helped loosen the tightest labor market in decades and eased inflation. Whatever your views on the policy, plummeting border crossings — paired with White House deportation plans — mean economic adjustment ahead.
President Trump said it "took 'guts' and courage" for Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) to agree not to stand in the way Friday of a Republican bill to avert a government shutdown at midnight.
Why it matters: Trump's public praise could further enrage some Democrats who have vied this week to block the short-term funding bill. A handful of Democrats will need to support the bill for it to advance.
BlackRock's landmark deal for two Panamanian ports is in danger of running aground, threatened by geopolitical forces outside of its control.
Driving the news: Panama's Maritime Authority requested all legal and financial documents involved in the sale, while China urged Hong Kong-based seller CK Hutchinson to "think twice" about a plan that it called a "betrayal."
Federal agents from the Department of Homeland Security raided two Columbia University dorm rooms Thursday night, the school said in a statement.
Why it matters: The news comes days after federal agents arrested Mahmoud Khalil, a Palestinian activist and Columbia University alumnus, allegedly for organizing pro-Palestinian activity on campus. Khalil has not been charged with a crime.
Third Way, the well-connected center-left Democratic think tank, today will launch an 18-month Signal Project, including polling, to identify Trump administration actions "that are most relevant to key voters and how best to frame those issues."
Why it matters: Anything "that seems performative will be tuned out or backfire," Third Way says. "It is a painful irony that while our very democracy is at stake, a focus on 'democracy' (and the trashing of democratic norms) simply won't save it."
Most Michigan swing voters in our latest Engagious/Sagofocus groups said that although they voted for President Trump in November, they have objections, frustrations and fears about his behavior since he returned to power.
Driving the news: Ten of 13 participants from this battleground, auto-industry state bordering Canada said what they're seeing isn't what they thought they were voting for — and they're worried Trump's approach may hurt their pocketbooks.
The agency charged with carrying out President Trump's mass deportation promises has warned Congress it is short a whopping $2 billion for this fiscal year, Axios has learned.
Why it matters: Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) repeatedly has faced significant budget shortfalls in recent years. Trump's immigration plans — which include deporting "millions" of unauthorized immigrants — would rack up costs even more.
Deprived of all levers of federal power, and with their party's popularity at rock bottom, some Democrats are taking a polarizing new tack: Engaging with the enemy.
Why it matters: Backlash against cultural elitism — and a reluctance to take risks — fueled the party's loss in 2024. Ambitious Democrats are reckoning with the need to reach beyond their base as they try to claw out of the wilderness.
Newsmax agreed to pay Smartmatic $40 million in the conservative cable network's settlement of the defamation lawsuit over the airing of 2020 election falsehoods, per a regulatory filing.
The big picture: The companies reached a settlement last September that includes the cash settlement "payable over time and the issuance of a five year cash exercise warrant to purchase 2,000 shares of Series B preferred stock at an exercise price of $5,000 per share," per the filing.
Lawyers for Mahmoud Khalil, a Columbia graduate and legal resident from Syria, are asking a federal judge to order U.S. immigration authorities to immediately release him and find his detention in violation of the First Amendment.
The big picture: Court documents filed late Thursday show that Khalil's lawyers intend to aggressively challenge the Trump administration's use of a rarely used law that gives the secretary of state the authority to revoke visas from foreigners deemed to be a threat.
House Democrats erupted into apoplexy Thursday night after Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) said he would support Republicans' stopgap government funding measure.
Why it matters: House Democrats feel like they "walked the plank," in the words of one member. They voted almost unanimously against the measure, only to watch Senate Democrats seemingly give it the green light.
The Trump administration must reinstate thousands of fired probationary federal workers, a judge said in a temporary restraining order on Thursday.
Why it matters: In the second such order to reinstate fired workers on Thursday, U.S. District Judge James Bredar ruled that the lawsuit brought by state attorneys general against 18 agencies was likely to succeed in showing the mass firings "were unlawful."
President Trump opened the door Thursday for Senate Republicans to find cost savings in Medicaid as they hunt for ways to pay for his border, defense and tax priorities, Axios has learned.
Why it matters: Trump has been emphatic that Medicaid benefits won't be "touched," but he endorsed looking for "waste, fraud and abuse" and even imposing new work requirements.
The fate of O Cinema's South Beach theater will be up for debate next week after the mayor proposed canceling its lease following the screening of an Oscar-winning documentary on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
Why it matters: Miami Beach Mayor Steven Meiner's response to the theater showing "No Other Land" — which some argue is a violation of the First Amendment — is the latest flashpoint in Miami Beach, where leaders have been accused of silencing pro-Palestinian voices.
Johns Hopkins University said Thursday it's axing more than 2,200 jobs in the U.S. and overseas due to the Trump administration ending over $800 million in USAID funding.
