The Trump administration must take steps to return a Maryland resident who was mistakenly deported from the U.S., the Supreme Court ruled on Thursday.
The big picture: The Trump administration fought a lower court order to return Kilmar Armando Abrego Garcia, a Salvadorian national who the government erroneously deported, arguing the judge's order imposed on the president's foreign policy powers.
The cohort of House members eyeing higher offices keeps expanding, with at least 40 lawmakers now actively running or considering bids for Senate and governor.
Why it matters: The dynamic could complicate things for both Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) and Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) as they try to maximize attendance to thwart each others' plans.
The Department of Homeland Security offered a brief two-page memo as its evidence in the case against Columbia University alumnus Mahmoud Khalil ahead of Friday's hearing that will likely decide if the detained legal permanent resident is deported from the U.S.
The big picture: The memo from Secretary of State Marco Rubio leaned heavily on the U.S.' right to remove noncitizens whose presence in the country would "compromise a compelling U.S. foreign policy interest."
The Trump administration can move forward with its plan to require undocumented immigrants to register with the federal government, a federal judge ruled Thursday.
The big picture: The rule, which goes into effect Friday,will require undocumented immigrants age 14 or older to provide their fingerprints or face a fine or even imprisonment.
President Trump speaks at a Cabinet meeting today. Photo: Brendan Smialowski/AFP via Getty Images
🇮🇱 President Trump said during a Cabinet meeting today that "we are getting closer" to a deal to free the remaining hostages in Gaza and re-establish a ceasefire. Go deeper.
🏛️ The House passed a budget resolution that paves the way for a hulking fiscal bill, including $4 trillion in tax cuts. Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) quelled a significant GOP revolt to get the measure passed, by a final vote of 216-214. Go deeper.
✈️ Several members of Congress from the New York metro area were ushered off a flight Thursday after another plane clipped its wing while taxiing at Washington Reagan National Airport. Go deeper.
Special guest Mike Myers, cast members Heidi Gardner, Marcello Hernández, musical guests Brandi Carlile and Elton John, and host Jack Black on stage during last weekend's SNL. Photo: Will Heath/NBC via Getty Images
A British version of "Saturday Night Live" is set to debut next year, featuring the same basic format — including celebrity hosts and musical guests — as the American show.
Lorne Michaels will be its executive producer.
South Korea is the only other country with its own "SNL," per NBC. Efforts to launch the show in France, Italy and Japan were a bust.
Iran is considering proposing during talks with the U.S. that the two countries work on an interim nuclear agreement before pursuing negotiations over a comprehensive deal, a European diplomat and a source familiar with the issue told Axios.
Why it matters: President Trump has set a two-month deadline for negotiations with Iran on a new nuclear deal — and in the meantime ordered a build up of U.S. military forces in the Middle East as another option if diplomacy fails.
More than half a dozen members of Congress from the New York metro area were ushered off a flight Thursday after another plane clipped its wing while taxiing at Washington Reagan National Airport.
Sam Bregman, a district attorney and father of Red Sox and former Astros third baseman Alex Bregman, will run for governor in New Mexico.
Why it matters: Bregman made the decision official Thursday, which means he will face former Interior Secretary Deb Haaland in the state's Democratic primary in a closely watched 2026 race.
The GOP's Senate campaign arm delivered a blunt warning to Republicans on Thursday: Democrats are about to swamp you in cash.
Why it matters: Senate Republicans were caught flat-footed in states like Nebraska in 2024. They don't want a repeat of that scare in 2026, when they know Democrats will have the edge on fundraising and enthusiasm.
Top Senate Democrats plan to unveil legislation that would provide an emergency $200 monthly increase in Social Security benefits through the end of the year, Axios has learned.
Why it matters: It's the party's latest effort to highlight the Trump administration's tariff policies and now-scrapped DOGE-driven plans for service reductions to the popular benefits program.
The House passed a bill Thursday requiring voters to provide documentary proof of citizenship when they register to vote which has triggered alarm bells among voting and civil rights organizations.
The big picture: The Safeguard American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) Act aims to restrict noncitizen voting in federal elections — which is exceptionally rare and illegal. But voting rights advocates warn it could risk disenfranchising U.S. citizens who don't have proof of citizenship easily accessible.
Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier announced Thursday that his office is charging Ryan Routh with attempted first-degree murder for his alleged assassination attempt of President Trump last fall.
The big picture: Routh allegedly pointed a gun through the tree line at Trump's West Palm Beach golf course while the then-Republican presidential nominee was playing a round.
House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) on Thursday overcame a sizable revolt of his members and passed a budget resolution that was endorsed by President Trump.
Why it matters: It puts Republican leaders one critical step closer to being able to pass a hulking fiscal bill that includes $4 trillion in tax cuts and a $5 trillion debt ceiling increase.
Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.) said Thursday she will seek reelection to her House seat rather than run to replace retiring Sen. Tina Smith (D-Minn.).
Why it matters: The "Squad" progressive would have easily been the most nationally prominent candidate in a race that is already set to be crowded with big names.
Democrats are bashing President Trump for sharing market advice with his Truth Social followers Wednesday hours before announcing a 90-day pause on most of his sweeping tariffs, elevating calls for a ban on congressional stock trading.
Why it matters: The badly bruised market soared on Wednesday following Trump's freeze on the historic levies — leaving some critics questioning who benefitted from the market mayhem.
Russia on Thursday released Ksenia Karelina, a dual Russian-American citizen, as part of a prisoner exchange deal with the U.S., Secretary of State Marco Rubio said in a statement.
Why it matters: This is the second major prisoner deal between the U.S. and Russia since President Trump took office.
House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) told reporters Thursday morning that he believes he has the votes to "finally" move forward with a blueprint for passing President Trump's one, big beautiful bill.
Why it matters: Johnson's announcement alongside Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.)came after a chaotic night in which he was forced to delay a vote on the budget resolution.
Inflation was notably cooler than expected in March: The overall Consumer Price Index dropped as energy prices plummeted, while the core measure that excludes food and energy rose just slightly.
Why it matters: Inflation moved down as President Trump began ratcheting up the global trade war last month — a relief after warnings that inflation progress had stalled out.
The European Union will hold off on about 21 billion euros of retaliatory duties against American exports after President Trump paused his tariff plans for 90 days.
Why it matters: It's another sign of cooling temperatures in what had been a rapidly escalating trade war between the U.S. and the rest of the world. Markets have begun bouncing back in response.
President Trump's boosters hailed his decision to pause tariff increases for countries around the world as a strategic masterstroke.
But few are buying the spin. Trump buckled under tremendous, mounting-by-the-minute pressure from CEOs ... friends ... GOP senators ... the markets ... and bond prices. Trump himself admits he blinked when "people were getting a little queasy" about the bond market.
President Trump's epic tariff retreat shows there is no grand strategy for revolutionizing global trade, and that he's governing — as he always has — through gut instinct.
Why it matters: Trump's allies see a genius at work. His critics see a madman steering the economy toward crisis. And Wall Street sees, for the first time in weeks, a president who is receptive to external pain.
Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.), a favorite of the party's grassroots, raised $8 million in the first quarter of the year, Axios has learned.
Why it matters: It is an eye-popping fundraising haul for a senator who doesn't face reelection for another five years. Instead, he says he is investing the money into organizing efforts.
MAGA media is gearing up to go to battle for Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton in his primary fight against mainstream Republican Sen. John Cornyn next year.
Why it matters: The Cornyn-Paxton race is emerging as an early proxy war between the establishment and Trump wings of the party, with some of the party's biggest bullhorns getting off the sidelines.
To make a manufacturing renaissance happen in America, President Trump needs three things to happen simultaneously:
The private sector needs to commit capital, in size and with confidence, to support a national campaign to build factories, ships and the like.
There needs to be a willing labor force for that construction — either American workers agreeing to take lower-wage construction jobs, or a reversal of the immigration crackdown that's straining the labor market.
All of the above needs to happen, nationally and in real time, without runaway inflation, as everyone seeks the same steel, lumber, workers, etc.
The big picture: No one can yet square that magical thinking with reality. Until they do, trillions of dollars in investments may be on hold.
President Trump said his sudden announcement to pause hard-hitting tariffs except on Chinese imports the day they took effect on Wednesday happened after he'd been thinking about the matter "for a few days."
The big picture: Trump's sweeping tariffs push sent stock markets spiralling and the president noted to reporters at the White House on Wednesday about his abrupt reversal the day they took effect that stocks had since surged.
U.S. officials will screen immigrants' social media accounts for antisemitic content as "grounds for denying" immigration benefit requests, the Trump administration announced in a policy that immediately went into effect Wednesday.
The big picture: The new rule that was criticized by free speech advocacy groups affects green card applicants, foreign students and immigrants "affiliated with educational institutions linked to antisemitic activity," per a U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services post.
President Trump has revoked the security clearances belonging to former CISA leader Chris Krebs and ex-DHS official Miles Taylor and ordered investigations into the work they did while in public service.
Why it matters: The move is the latest in Trump's full-throttle attack on his perceived political enemies.
FBI chief Kash Patel has been replaced as acting director of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives by Army Secretary Dan Driscoll, the ATF confirmed on Wednesday night.
The big picture: The Trump administration did not immediately give a reason for the unusual move to place a civilian military leader in charge of a federal law enforcement agency. Driscoll will continue to serve as Army secretary, per multiple reports.
The Senate has voted 52-44 to confirm former Securities and Exchange Commission member, Paul Atkins, to return to the body as its chair, through June 5, 2026.
Why it matters: Atkins is seen as in line with the Republican Party's philosophy of market regulation, particularly with regard to digital asset policy (an area in which his predecessor became a flashpoint).
The House fell into uncertain territory Wednesday evening after House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) pulled a scheduled vote on a key budget measure in the face of intractable right-wing opposition.
Why it matters: It is not clear what Johnson's next steps are, with the speaker conceding to reporters that a Thursday vote is not assured.
President Trump signed an executive order Wednesday to redefine the word "showerhead" in federal rules, which the White House said would "end the Obama-Biden war on water pressure and make America's showers great again."
The big picture: As part of the Obama administration's environmental measures, the Energy Department said that showerheads should not pour more than 2.5 gallons per minute, including all nozzles. Trump eased this rule during his first term after complaining that some showerheads don't adequately rinse his hair, but the Biden administration reinstated it.
Senate GOP leadership has rushed to show support for Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas) as he officially faces a serious primary challenge from state Attorney General Ken Paxton.
Why it matters: Cornyn has the GOP campaign operation and an enviable fundraising network on his side. The wild card will be where President Trump and key MAGA influencers land.
The Trump family's digital asset ventures are making some Republican lawmakers uneasy about long-awaited, bipartisan crypto legislation.
Why it matters: The White House is boosting stablecoin legislation just as World Liberty Financial, a company tied to the Trump family, is promising to launch such a token.
House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) delayed a scheduled vote on Republicans' budget resolution in the face of seemingly intractable opposition from fiscal hawks in his party.
Why it matters: It's a blow to Johnson and President Trump in their quest to pass a massive tax-cut package.
