In what some historians consider one of the best political speeches of the 20th century, former President Lyndon B. Johnson, 60 years ago this month, evoked memories of his former Mexican American students in Texas while urging Congress to pass the Voting Rights Act.
The big picture: As the nation marks the 60th anniversary of the historic march from Selma to Montgomery, many have forgotten the LBJ speech that made Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. cry and connected Latinos to the nation's civil rights struggle.
Major League Baseball has removed the word "diversity" from its MLB Careers home page in reaction to President Trump's executive order ending "equal opportunity" for people of color and women in recruiting.
Why it matters: MLB's retreat makes it the latest entity to pull back ondiversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) practices amid threats of legal action from the Trump administration.
A summit on battling antisemitism on college campuses is scheduled to begin Saturday in New York City amid a rise of antisemitic rhetoric and acts across the political spectrum.
Why it matters: The "Rise and Respond Global Student Summit Against Antisemitism" comes as President Trump threatens universities with funding cuts over antisemitism allegations, drawing criticism from free speech advocates.
President Trump has embarked on a systematic effort to unravel Lyndon B. Johnson's civil rights legacy, rolling back protections that have shaped American life for nearly six decades.
Why it matters: Backlash to the racial justice movement of 2020 has overshadowed a more fundamental, long-standing conservative goal: Turning back the clock on the sweeping societal changes of 1965.
Weeks into Trump 2.0, Equal Rights Amendment advocates see a bleak political landscape. Instead of focusing on the U.S. Constitution, many are zooming in on the states.
Columbia University agreed to some of the Trump administration's demands after some $400 million in federal grants and contracts were pulled from the university over allegations of antisemitism, per a university memo shared Friday.
The big picture: The agreement comes as the Trump administration's attack on higher education has led to lost jobs and grants and instilled much anxiety.
The Trump administration on Friday disbanded most of thecivil rights branch that oversees immigration within the Department of Homeland Security, multipleoutlets reported.
Why it matters: The Office for Civil Rights and Civil Liberties is charged with ensuring the Department of Homeland Security's activities protect individual rights and guarantee equal treatment under the law.
A federal judge slammed the Justice Department on Friday for rushing to invoke an 18th-century wartime law during the night last weekend, questioning whether it was done to accelerate deportations while skirting potential legal challenges.
The big picture: The high-stakes immigration case is testing the power of the executive versus the judiciary branches and could heavily influence President Trump's deportation agenda.
Democratic members of Congress, back home in their districts for the last week, have been encountering a level of anger and hostility that some see as reminiscent of the 2010 Tea Party wave.
Why it matters: The dynamic could spill over into 2026 primaries, lawmakers tell Axios, with the infuriated grassroots attempting to throw out House and Senate Democrats they see as unprepared to take on Trump.
Elon Musk met with the Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on Friday after President Trump and other officials denied reports that he was originally scheduled to receive a top-secret briefing for a potential war with China.
Why it matters: Some lawmakers and ethics experts have raised conflict of interest concerns about Musk's role as senior adviser to the president while his companies hold substantial government contracts — in particular SpaceX, which has deals with the Pentagon and NASA.
Management of special needs and nutrition programs, as well as student loans, will move from the Department of Education to other federal agencies, President Trump said on Friday.
Why it matters: Trump is delegating the Department of Education's responsibilities the day after signing an executive order aimed at shutting it down.
A federal judge in Colorado on Friday issued an order calling on Immigration and Customs Enforcement not to deport prominent local immigrant rights activist Jeanette Vizguerra.
State of play: The order calls on ICE and other Trump administration officials not to deport or move Vizguerra out of Colorado until her legal detention challenge is litigated, the Denver Post reports.
The U.S. Treasury Department has removed the cryptocurrency privacy tool Tornado Cash from the country's sanctions list.
Why it matters: TheEthereum-based smart contract has been a favorite tool for North Korean hackers and other bad actors to cover their tracks after stealing digital assets from exchanges and decentralized finance projects.
Editor's note: The Small Business Administration will handle the nation's student loan portfolio, President Trump announced Friday.
President Trumpsigned an executive order to close down the Department of Education on Thursday — an unprecedented move that presents big questions for student loan borrowers.
Why it matters: The department plays a key role in managing some $1.5 trillion in student debt for more than 40 million borrowers, and a vast majority of its budget is allocated to the agency that oversees the federal student loan system.
Senate Democrats are launching a new whistleblower portal for public and private workers to dish on how President Trump and DOGE are slashing the federal government.
Why it matters: Democrats hope whistleblowers will expose what they argue are the White House's illegal moves to unilaterally dismantle federal agencies and programs.
Boeing will spearhead development of the U.S. Air Force's futuristic fighter and drone coordinator, the F-47, following a secretive competition and fits and starts within the service.
Why it matters: The Next Generation Air Dominance (NGAD) effort is meant to succeed the F-22 and be a linchpin for collaborative combat aircraft (CCA). President Trump, the 47th president, claimed "the generals" picked the F-47 designation, calling it "a beautiful number."
Montgomery, Alabama, the final site of a crucial march from Selma, is set to celebrate the 60th anniversary of an event that culminated in one of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.'s greatest speeches and helped pass the Voting Rights Act.
Why it matters: The commemoration comes amid uncertainty about the future of voting rights, as President Trump dismantles Civil Rights protections and maligns diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives.
The America First Policy Institute — the think tank founded and staffed by Trump officials to advance his vision for the country — has written a new paper making the case against what it calls pharmaceutical "global freeloading" and outlining various policy measures to address it.
Why it matters: The policy paper — well-timed to the political moment and shared exclusively with Axios — signals that Trumpworld is serious about addressing the fact that the U.S. pays way more for prescription drugs than other countries.
A Supreme Court judge on Friday issued an injunction freezing the dismissal of the Shin Bet director until a hearing can be held on the matter, hours after Israel's cabinet voted unanimously to dismiss him.
Why it matters: The vote to fire Ronen Bar, the head of Israel's most powerful security agency, was unprecedented. No government in Israel's history has ever before sought to remove someone from the position.
The Trump administration's attacks on universities have come swiftly and forcefully: grants slashed, thousands of jobs cut and anxiety through the roof.
Why it matters: Universities produce a great deal of the scientific and technological research that drives America forward.
An expected travel ban by the Trump administration on more than three dozen countries could prevent some Major League Baseball players from Cuba and Venezuela from coming into — or leaving — the United States.
The big picture: President Trump could announce a travel ban as soon as Friday, under an executive order he issued on his first day in office.
Two months into his term, President Trump is growing more defiant, creative and ruthless in his pursuit of a central campaign promise: exacting revenge on his political enemies.
Why it matters: From Day One, Trump has delighted in settling scores through the stroke of his pen — breathing life into his MAGA mantra: "I am your retribution."
Tesla shares fell early Thursday after Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick used a TV appearance to urge Americans to buy stock in Elon Musk's car company.
Why it matters: Cabinet secretaries don't typically recommend individual stocks, much less those linked to the president's closest adviser.
Progressive "Squad" Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) and Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.) on Thursday joined the growing chorus of House Democrats blasting their Senate counterparts for allowing a Republican funding bill to pass.
Why it matters: Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) has become persona non-grata among House Democrats, with some even urging Ocasio-Cortez to primary him in 2028.
Elon Musk's political action committee is offering Wisconsin voters $100 to sign a petition expressing their opposition to "activist judges," a cause that President Trump is pressing as judges block or delay several parts of his agenda.
Why it matters: The move reflects how Musk is throwing his considerable wealth behind Trump's priorities — including an upcoming election in Wisconsin for a crucial seat on the state's Supreme Court.
The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee raised more money than its House rival and both Senate arms in February, translating grassroots anger into hard dollars to spend in 2026.
Why it matters: February fundraising numbers aren't predictive of who will win elections, but they do provide an early look at who is motivating their base.
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) is in survival mode, calling colleagues and reaching out to Democratic groups to address concerns about his leadership.
Why it matters: The goal is to show party activists he has the fire in his belly to stare down President Trump and Elon Musk.
