Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent warned Speaker Mike Johnson on Friday to raise the debt ceiling by mid-July, in case the government's extraordinary measures run out while Congress is on its August vacation.
Why it matters: The new so-called X-date is slightly more urgent than the messaging of just a few days ago, when the head of the Congressional Budget Office reportedly projected the government's cash and extraordinary measures might last until early September.
A political organization associated with Senate Majority Whip John Barrasso is hosting a reception Monday night to celebrate the "sherpas" who helped Trump's Cabinet get confirmed by the Senate.
Why it matters: Trump's Cabinet was confirmed in record time and senators want to honor the aides and advisers who helped make it happen.
President Trump is half-heartedlyfloating the idea of raising taxes on rich people, creating a new tax bracket for those individuals earning more than $2.5. million.
Why it matters: This isn't as meaningful as it looks — the few high-income people it affects won't likely feel too much pain from the proposal, and other tax cuts under consideration would help offset any increase for them.
A trio of Republican senators came to the defense of their Democratic colleague John Fetterman on Friday, accusing the media of a smear campaign.
Why it matters: It's unusual to see this level of public defense for a member of the opposing party. But the GOP's distrust and distaste of the media is superseding political differences.
Stephen Miller, President Trump's top policy adviser, said Friday the White House is exploring the option of suspending habeas corpus, the constitutional provision that protects from unlawful detainment.
Why it matters: The move marks another escalation in the Trump administration's fight again the judicial branch as it tries to ramp up deportations of undocumented immigrants.
Fox News host Jeanine Pirro had been a longtime ally to President Trump before he tapped her Thursday to serve as interim U.S. Attorney for D.C. after pulling Ed Martin's nomination.
"Jeanine is incredibly well qualified for this position, and is considered one of the Top District Attorneys in the History of the State of New York," Trump wrote on Truth Social. "She is in a class by herself."
Here's what to know:
Who is Jeanine Pirro?
The big picture: Pirro has been a part of Fox News for almost two decades and was named a co-host of the "The Five" in 2022. She is a former judge and prosecutor who focused on domestic violence cases.
What is Pirro's relationship with Trump?
Pirro was an early supporter of Trump's 2016 campaign and defended him during the "Access Hollywood" tape scandal, in which he boasted about groping women.
Following Trump's loss to former President Biden in the 2020 election, Pirro promoted false election fraud claims involving voting machines, and was later named among other Fox News employees in the Dominion Voting Systems defamation lawsuit. Fox News settled the case with a $787.5 million payout and was required to acknowledge in a statement that it aired false claims about Dominion.
What did Pirro do at Fox News?
Pirro joined Fox News as a host in 2011, hosting a show for the network called "Justice with Judge Jeanine." "The Five" is frequently the highest-rated cable news program.
In addition to being cited in the Dominion Voting Systems case, Pirro was named as a defendant in a similar lawsuit from voting-tech vendor Smartmatic, which is ongoing.
In 2019, Pirro confirmed that Fox News suspended her for making Islamophobic remarks about Democratic Rep. Ilhan Omar (Minn.), who is Muslim.
Trump, during his first term as president, defended Pirro after her suspension.
Why was Martin's nomination pulled?
Catch up quick: Martin was a MAGA true believer whose leniency toward Jan. 6 Capitol rioters lost him vital Republican support in the Senate.
Trump told reporters Thursday morning in the Oval Office that Martin "wasn't getting the support."
The final blow came from Sen. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.) on Tuesday: "I have no tolerance for anybody who entered the building on Jan. 6," he told reporters.
During a controversial interim appointment, Martin demoted prosecutors who worked on Jan. 6 cases, pursued critics of Elon Musk's DOGE, and threatened Wikipedia over what he called "propaganda."
Trump instead made Martin an associate deputy attorney general and pardon attorney, where he will recommend pardons for defendants involved in the Capitol riot.
Pope Leo presides over his first Holy Mass with cardinals in the Sistine Chapel today. Photo: Francesco Sforza/Vatican Media via Vatican Pool/Getty Images
Cardinal Robert Prevost — now Pope Leo XIV — won over his colleagues in part by being the "least American" of the American cardinals, Axios' David Lawler reports.
He also benefitted from being an acolyte of Pope Francis' but not a "photocopy," and from his reputation as a good listener and quietly effective administrator, his fellow cardinals revealed today.
The mayor of Newark was arrested Friday outside an Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility where law enforcement scuffled with a group of protesters that included three House Democrats.
Why it matters: The Department of Homeland Security is alleging the lawmakers "stormed" the facility, a characterization the lawmakers' offices are disputing.
The U.S. and China have been trading jabs and flexing ahead of this weekend’s trade talks.
But with the fates of businesses, consumer products, and jobs hanging in the balance, the two global superpowers are locked in the world’s most expensive game of chicken.
Why it matters: The pain that has already reverberated from the sky-high tariff rates between the world’s two largest economies won’t fade quickly — even if they broker a deal this weekend.
The U.S. has recorded 1,000 measles cases across 30 states, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Friday.
Why it matters: Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has a long history of downplaying the benefits of vaccination and pushing alternate treatments, but in April he conceded vaccines were the "most effective way" to prevent measles.
The Library of Congress has acquired the photographs and manuscripts of Raúl Ruiz, a leading journalist in the Chicano Movement in Los Angeles during the 1960s and 1970s.
Why it matters: The acquisition was one of the last obtained underLibrarian of Congress Carla Hayden before President Trump fired her late Thursday.
Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth canceled his trip to Israel, which had been planned for Monday, in order to join President Trump on Air Force One for his trip to the Middle East, according to three Israeli and U.S. officials.
Why it matters: Trump inviting Hegseth to travel with him to the Middle East is a signal that the president continues to embrace his secretary of defense even amid the storms that have surrounded him over the last three months.
Senate Democrats are blaring the alarm on potential Republican cuts to two critical safety net programs in a new open letter to voters on Friday.
Why it matters: A group of 46 Senate Democrats said in the letter that funding for programs like Meals on Wheels, Head Start and others is on the chopping block for the GOP's budget reconciliation plans.
President Trump on Friday suggested possibly cutting tariffs on China to 80%, ahead of trade talks in Switzerland scheduled for Saturday.
Why it matters: Reducing the 145% levy to80% would still be higher than Trump's original reciprocal tariff on China, and also significantly more than early reports suggested was possible.
Former Supreme Court Justice David Souter died in his New Hampshire home on Thursday at 85, the Supreme Court said on Friday.
The big picture: Souter, appointed by former President George H.W. Bush in 1990, served until 2009. Though he was a appointed by a Republican, he often sided with the court's liberal bloc.
Markets cheered the new trade pact between the U.S. and U.K. on Thursday.
But the details show that trade war relief will only go so far, even as the de-escalation road map becomes clearer.
The big picture: The first significant trade accord of this Trump term affirms that the president is in dealmaking mode and wants to steer around the kinds of economic risks generated by his original announcement of large-scale reciprocal tariffs.
Pope Leo XIV — the first U.S.-born pontiff, who is of Spanish and Creole descent and served in Latin America — is uniquely positioned to help ease deep divisions between the country's white and Latino Catholics.
Why it matters: The new pope has been an outspoken defender of migrant rights, and his family's immigration story touches an issue that has split many U.S. Catholics along cultural and political lines.
Sen. John Fetterman has unnerved aides with his performance in office, with both current and former staff telling Axios that the Pennsylvania Democrat seems uninterested in the day-to-day duties of a senator.
Why it matters: Capitol Hill's private concerns over Fetterman exploded into public view over the past week, as longtime critics and former allies piled on with concerns about the senator.
President Trump's cash-flush political operation is out with its first ad buy — a major nationwide purchase aimed at pushing lawmakers to get behind his economic agenda.
Why it matters: Trump's $500 million-plus political machine is the most powerful force in American politics, and he's showing that he's willing to use it.
Pope Leo XIV is not only the first American to serve as Bishop of Rome, the City of New Orleans notes he also has "Creole of color roots" there.
The big picture: The 69-year-old newly elected pontiff's brother John Prevost told the New York Times from his Chicago home late Thursday this "discovery is just an additional reminder of how interwoven we are as Americans."
President Trump has fired Librarian of Congress Carla Hayden amid a purge of government employees he believes oppose his policies or promote diversity.
Why it matters: Hayden won praise for her focus on saving photos and documents about people of color, but had faced criticism from conservatives, accusing her of promoting children's books with "radical" content.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth is moving rapidly to ban transgender troops from the U.S. military, giving active-duty service members on Thursday 30 days and reservists 60 days to voluntarily leave or be forced out.
The big picture: The order that follows a U.S. Supreme Court ruling on Tuesday enabling the Trump administration's ban to take effect impacts about 1,000 service members, per a Pentagon statement.
A week ago, the GENIUS Act looked set to sail through the Senate with bipartisan support for regulating stablecoins. On Thursday, it stalled out — and the blame game is in full force.
Why it matters: Everyone will try to claim victory from this failure. They may all be right.
President Trump has been negotiating with himself on a millionaires' tax: He's for it at the $2.5 million level, after being against it at $1 million.
Why it matters: Negotiating with his own party may be easier. House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) will tell Trump on Friday that the House will deliver on the president's tax priorities, according to a congressional aide.
Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp is planning a White House sitdown with President Trump to get on the same page for supporting the best Republican candidate in the swing state's 2026 Senate race, sources tell Axios.
Why it matters: The race for the seat, held by Democratic Sen. Jon Ossoff, will be one of the nation's most competitive and most expensive because it's one of the best pickup opportunities for the GOP in a Trump-won state.
First lady Melania Trump paid tribute to former first lady Barbara Bush during a U.S. Postal Service stamp unveiling ceremony honoring President H.W. Bush's wife.
The big picture: Former President George W. Bush, whom the Washington Post notes never endorsed Trump during the Republican leader's presidential campaigns, was notably absent from the ceremony. However, her daughter, Dorothy Bush Koch, gave a speech at the event.
