Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.), who leads his party's messaging arm, has some simple advice for fellow GOP senators: Don't talk with reporters when you're walking to votes.
Why it matters: Cotton is one of a handful of senators who refuse to answer questions from congressional reportersin the Capitol hallways covering whatever is the biggest story of the day.
Call it curtness. Or call it message discipline. But it allows Cotton and taciturn colleagues to respond to questions on their own terms.
And it spares them from having to react to every utterance from President Trump.
These senators will give occasional interviews to the press or join Sunday shows, but they are less likely to show their cards on days when the president makes controversial news or the Senate makes moves.
Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.), who leads his party's messaging arm, has some simple advice for fellow GOP senators: Don't talk with reporters when you're walking to votes.
Why it matters: Cotton is one of a handful of senators who refuse to answer questions from congressional reportersin the Capitol hallways covering whatever is the biggest story of the day.
Harvard filed a federal lawsuit against the Trump administration on Monday, arguing that government overreach violated the university's constitutional rights.
The big picture: The Ivy League institution has rejected a litany of demands from the administration, resulting in a freeze on $2.2 billion in federal funds.
As many as 2,000 fired federal probationary workers who filed complaints with the Office of Special Counsel have had their cases dismissed as lacking merit, a source familiar with the dismissals tells Axios.
Why it matters: These workers are among the tens of thousands caught in limbo after being fired — followed by a series of court rulings reinstating them, and then staying those reinstatements.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth is battling a series of major setbacks that portray the Pentagon as an agency in deep turmoil — including a fresh bombshell report on his use of Signal and the brutal defection of a one-time close ally.
Why it matters: The new revelations raise questions about Hegseth's ability to run the nation's largest government agency and who's been privy to typically secret Defense Department communications.
A former Dallas bishopis in charge of the Catholic Church until a new pope is chosen.
Driving the news: Pope Francis, 88, died the day after attending Easter services at St. Peter's Basilica and weeks after he was released from an extended hospital stay for pneumonia.
Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem had her purse stolen from a D.C. restaurant, DHS officials confirmed in a media statement Monday.
State of play: The Homeland Security secretary's bag was snatched from near her feet at Shaw's Capital Burger restaurant on Sunday night, per CBS News.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth today, before the White House Easter Egg Roll. AP Photo/Alex Brandon
"He's doing a great job," President Trump said today when asked whether he still has confidence in Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth — after reports of a second Signal chat in which Hegseth shared sensitive military information.
Trump called worries over Hegseth's sharing of sensitive information "a waste of time."
💬 What they're saying: White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt doubled down, saying on X, "As the President said this morning, he stands strongly behind" Hegseth.
📉 Stocks fell again today. as President Trump continued to attack Fed Chair Jerome Powell. The S&P 500 was down roughly 2.4%. Go deeper.
🚫 As many as 2,000 fired federal probationary workers who filed complaints with the Office of Special Counsel have had their cases dismissed, Axios' Emily Peck scoops.
⚖️ Former Sen. Bob Menendez's wife was convicted of participating in the bribery conspiracy that ended his political career. Go deeper.
Why it matters: Trump's first international trip of his second term will be to the memorial service, where officials from across the world will gather in honor of the late pontiff.
Rep. Don Bacon (R-Neb.) on Monday became the first Republican member of Congress to openly indicate support for Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth's removal from office.
Why it matters: Hegseth is under fire for a series of scandals including the departures of several of his top officials at the Pentagon and new reporting about his use of Signal to discuss sensitive information.
The big picture: Hegseth is at the center of a bombshell report on his use of Signal, which has raised questions about his ability to run the nation's largest government agency.
The big picture: The Easter Bunny, members of Trump's family and multiple administration officials attended — including Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, who is working to repair the cracks left by a fresh bombshell report from the New York Times over his use of Signal.
The late Pope Francis' inclusive approach to LGBTQ+ people was historic, GLAAD, a leading LGBTQ+ rights organization, said.
The big picture: PopeFrancis, who died Monday at age 88, was a champion of LGBTQ+ rights and pushed the Catholic Church to be more welcoming of same-sex couples and transgender people.
Walgreens Boots Alliance agreed to pay $300 million to settle a case alleging company pharmacists knowingly dispensed millions of illegal opioid prescriptions over more than a decade and billed Medicare and other federal health care programs for them.
Why it matters: The settlement will allow Walgreens to "close all opioid related litigation" with federal, state, and local governments, it told Axios in a statement Monday.
Drew Maloney, the head of the American Investment Council, is leaving to serve as the next president and CEO of Edison Electric Institute, Axios has learned.
Why it matters: EEI, the trade association for investor-owned electric companies, is bracing for a potentially transformative time, as the industry works to provide power for AI data centers and EV charging stations.
Pope Francis' death at age 88 on Easter Monday has triggered mourning across the Catholic world, as tributes pour in from world leaders.
The big picture: The White House posted photos to X of President Trump and first lady Melania Trump's 2017 meeting with the pontiff and of Vance shaking hands with him on Easter Sunday, with the comment: "Rest in Peace, Pope Francis."
After House Republicans refused to allow Democrats to organize official congressional delegations to El Salvador, four of them are traveling to the Central American nation anyway, Axios has learned.
Why it matters: The lawmakers' offices said they will meet with officials at the U.S. embassy there to advocate for the release of Kilmar Armando Ábrego García and receive classified briefings.
Democrats are scrambling for a new identity. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez is racing to fill that vacuum with a party rooted in Sen. Bernie Sanders' left-wing populism.
Why it matters: Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) is drawing tens of thousands of people to her rallies with Sanders — even in red states. She's breaking her own fundraising records, and surging in early polling of potential 2028 presidential candidates.
Zoom out: Mourners were pouring into St Peters' Square in Vatican City on Monday morning to celebrate the legacy left by a pope who showed unwavering support for marginalized groups, inter-religion understanding, and a more inclusive church.
In his decade-plus tenure in the Vatican, Pope Francis, who died on Monday, advanced several progressive causes within the Catholic Churchfrom immigrant and LGBTQ+ rights to climate change and technology ethics.
Why it matters: His advocacy often clashed with the church's more conservative wing, particularly after the pontiff criticized conservative theologians' "suicidal attitude" toward social change.
