Four Republican senators helped Democrats pass a resolution Wednesday that would effectively repeal President Trump's tariffs on Canada.
Why it matters: The vote shows how deeply concerned some Republicans are about Trump's tariff policies, just as he rolls out even steeper tariffs on U.S. imports.
President Trump unveiled tariffs of at least 10% Wednesday on virtually the entire world, with one notable exception: Russia.
The intrigue: Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt told Axios Wednesday that Russia was left off because U.S. sanctions already "preclude any meaningful trade." However, the U.S. still trades more with Russia than with countries like Mauritius or Brunei that did make Trump's tariffs list.
The Trump administration is moving forward with a plan to close a trade loophole that previously allowed cheap goods from China to avoid tariffs.
Why it matters: Packages valued at less than $800 have enjoyed the "de minimis" exemption from added duties, which has enabled foreign online retailers like Temu and Shein to sell super cheap items to American consumers.
The big picture: The former presidential candidate spoke about policy for more than 25 hours — in contrast to past such speeches that relied on stunts to keep the timer ticking.
President Trumpannounced a baseline 10% tariff on U.S. imports, with steeper reciprocal levies on goods from a slew of other nations, including Europe, Japan and China.
Why it matters: Trump's announcement ends the free-trade era that has defined global commerce for decades — a move that risks higher consumer prices and economic damage.
House Democrats attempted multiple amendments to a stablecoin bill Wednesday morning that would prevent the president and other government officials from having a financial interest in a dollar-backed digital asset.
Why it matters: In the middle of negotiations on what would be the first piece of U.S. crypto legislation, the Trump-affiliated World Liberty Financial announced its own stablecoin product — triggering conflict-of-interest concerns and risking a partisan split.
A second wave of buyout offers has gone out to federal workers inside some agencies, including Transportation, GSA and the Housing department, Axios has learned.
Why it matters: The context for these offers, sent to at least five agencies, has shifted radically since the initial "Fork in the Road" email went out in February — employees have been through the fire over the past month, laid off, forced out or embroiled in court fights to keep their jobs.
Senate Budget Chairman Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) unveiled a new budget resolution Wednesday that outlines a sweeping package to raise the debt ceiling and tackle President Trump's tax, border, defense and energy priorities.
Why it matters: Hill leaders hope the third time is a charm. Graham's compromise package blends separate versions passed by the House and Senate earlier this year.
Rep. Brad Sherman (D-Calif.) is the latest House Democrat facing a younger primary insurgent — in this case, his 37-year-old former aide.
Why it matters: The challenge to Sherman, 70, comes as Democrats are bracing for a deluge of primary fights driven by grassroots anger towards the party establishment.
The federal judge who ordered the Trump administration last month to reinstate thousands of fired federal workers issued a ruling Tuesday narrowing the scope of his order.
Why it matters: The new ruling scales back what was a significant rebuke of the Trump administration's efforts to radically reshape the federal government via mass firings and gutting agencies.
Division and a lack of direction had seemingly defined Democrats in the early days of Trump's second term, but Tuesday offered a blue-tinted glimmer of victory.
The big picture: A record-shattering marathon speech on the Senate floor against the MAGA agenda, public House GOP disarray and a state Supreme Court win could be an elevator for the party amid fears they've plummeted to their deepest hole in nearly half a century.
Intra-party concerns over optics and messaging are threatening support for a Senate Democrat's resolution to overturn President Trump's tariffs on Canada, Axios has learned.
Why it matters: The resolution, offered by Sen. Tim Kaine (D-Va.), is a rare shot for Democrats to peel off GOP votes and deal a major political blow to Trump's tariff policies.
Disgruntled Americans are using their wallets, votesand voices to send Elon Musk a message in a string of business and political losses for the world's richest man.
Why it matters: Musk's time as the chainsaw-wielding head of DOGE has made him the face of several controversial Trump administration policies, turning him into a target for protests and public backlash.
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) is introducing a bill Tuesday to establish security training for members of President Trump's White House personnel, Axios has learned.
Why it matters: Schumer and Senate Democrats are trying to continue to pummel Trump and Republicans for the Signalgate scandal that rocked the White House last month.
The big picture: The move comes after Adams aligned himself with the White House and the DOJ requested that his case be dismissed. Top federal prosecutorsresigned rather than withdraw the indictment, resisting political pressure from others in the Trump administration.
President Trump's social media company on Wednesday filed papers with securities regulators that would allow Trump's trust to sell almost 115 million shares of the company's stock.
Why it matters: Truth Social may be hoping for a halo from Newsmax, the conservative media company that went public Monday and saw its stock rise from $10 to $233 in two days.
Former Costa Rican President and Nobel laureate Óscar Arias Sánchez said Tuesday that the United States had revoked his visa to enter the country.
The big picture: Arias, a Trump critic who won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1987 for a peace plan to end civil wars in Central America, joins a list of dozens of foreign nationals who have had their visas suspended as the administration targets those it deems have "hostile attitudes" toward the U.S.
Daniel Arrigg Koh, a former senior aide in the Biden White House, is launching a new media venture — starting with a podcast, "The People's Cabinet" — to help alleviate Democrats' shortfall in new media.
Why it matters: Koh says the podcast is inspired by the "shadow cabinet" in the U.K. and other countries, to provide "an inspiring, alternative vision for our country's future, while giving listeners the tools to persuade the people Democrats need to win again."
Judge Susan Crawford won a hotly contested Wisconsin Supreme Court election Tuesday, scoring a crucial victory for Democrats in what became the most expensive court race in U.S. history.
Why it matters: Crawford's decisive win preserves the state high court's liberal majority and sends a powerful rebuke to President Trump and the MAGA movement ahead of the 2026 midterms.
Suspected gang members deported by the U.S. are inspected at El Salvador's megaprison. Photo: El Salvador Presidential Press Office via Getty Images
Joe Rogan, the podcaster MAGAworld can't ignore, warned his listeners about "people who are not criminals ... getting lassoed up and deported and sent to El Salvador prisons."
Why it matters: As the Trump administration "has rushed to carry out deportations as quickly as possible, making mistakes and raising concerns about due process along the way, the [right's] unified front in favor of President Trump's immigration purge is beginning to crack," the New York Times notes.
Some Canadians are ditching their winter homes in the U.S. as tensions between the two countries simmer.
Why it matters: President Trump's tariffs and taunts may be the last straw for snowbirds who are already finding it more expensive to live south of the border, real estate agents say.
Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-Ill.), the top Democrat on the House's China Select Committee, raised an astonishing $3 million in the first three months of 2025, Axios has learned.
Why it matters: The Illinois Democrat has amassed a $19 million war chest amid speculation that he may run for Senate next year if Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) retires.
The White House is so frustrated by the lack of clear and fast communications by Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s agency that it has set up a parallel press shop, five top Trump administration sources tell Axios.
Driving the news: The problem surfaced in February, after it took two days for the Health and Human Services Department to acknowledge — by tweet — that a West Texas child had become the first person to die in the measles outbreak.
The new consensus among business owners and economists is that President Trump's colossal trade announcement Wednesday is just the start, not the end, of global economic uncertainty.
Why it matters: Many once hoped the much-hyped reciprocal tariff announcement would settle worldwide economic confusion.
Republicans lost a Wisconsin state Supreme Court race Tuesday evening, a warning sign for President Trump and the MAGA agenda ahead of 2026.
Why it matters: The GOP also survived a late scare in a Florida special election. But losing in Wisconsin — letting Democrats keep their 4-3 court majority — has major ramifications for voting and abortion rights, along with future House redistricting.
Susan Crawford, a Democratic-backed judge, beat back a well-funded Republican candidate to secure a seat on Wisconsin's Supreme Court on Tuesday night, according to AP.
Why it matters: Crawford'swinis a rebuke to President Trump and billionaire Elon Musk, who poured millions into the race — and it will maintain the court's liberal tilt in a key swing state.
Sen. Cory Booker (D-N.J.) opened up on surpassing South Carolina segregationist Sen. Strom Thurmond's record for the longest Senate speech during an appearance Tuesday on MSNBC after speaking for 25 hours and four minutes.
The big picture: Thurmond, who later joined the Republican Party, was a Democrat when he spoke for 24 hours and 18 minutes against the Civil Rights Act of 1957.
U.S. tourists and permanent residents from around the world have been arrested, detained and deported under the Trump administration's immigration crackdown.
Why it matters: The recent high-profile detentions and deportations demonstrate an escalation in tactics from immigration officials accused of targeting some for their political stances or involvement.
First lady Melania Trump honored eight women from around the world she said "instigate progress for all of humanity" at an awards ceremony with Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Tuesday.
The big picture: "These extraordinary women illuminate the transformative power of love in shaping our world," she said at the 19th annual International Women of Courage awards ceremony, which the State Department says honors women "who have demonstrated exceptional courage, strength, and leadership — often at great personal risk and sacrifice."
Florida's departing chief financial officer fended off a Democratic rival Tuesday to win the U.S. House seat previously held by GOP firebrand Matt Gaetz, according to AP.
Why it matters: Jimmy Patronis' victory helps shore up the GOP's narrow House minority, even if his defeat of a lesser-known opponent in a safe Republican district was widely expected.
In a closed-door meeting on Monday night, President Trump's top economic advisers promised GOP senators they would show their work on how they plan to deliver 3% GDP growth to help lower the cost of the "one big, beautiful bill."
Why it matters: The promise of a booming economy, even if it includes some shock therapy, is central to Trump's overall theory on how businesses and individuals can receive tax cuts while deficits simultaneously can be reduced.
Sen. Cory Booker (D-N.J.) now holds the record for the longest Senate speech ever: 25 hours and four minutes.
Why it matters: Booker's marathon speech stands out as one of the starkest acts of defiance by Democrats in their resistance to the second Trump administration.
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) came out swinging Tuesday against Mike Waltz over a report the White House national security adviser used Gmail to discuss highly sensitive matters.
