Axios

Democratic voters prefer a populist message over one that focuses on an "abundance agenda," according to a new poll by Demand Progress.

Why it matters: Democrats are asking themselves some hard questions as they ponder how they lost the 2024 election — and consider how they might win in 2028.

President Trump's budget bill is about to meet the realities of the Senate, where the rules of reconciliation could help Democrats force changes to the bill.

Why it matters: Senate Republicans have been quietly working to ensure Trump's budget bill gets a clean bill of health from the Senate parliamentarian.

A federal judge on Tuesday struck down President Trump's executive order that targeted WilmerHale and criticized the top law firm for its association with former Russia investigation special counsel Robert Mueller.

Why it matters: It's a blow to Trump's push to target law firms that had employed or represented people he regards as critics and marks the third such ruling by a federal judge against the administration this month.

Two reality stars, a MAGA-aligned sheriff and a former nursing home executive with a well-connected mother recently joined the list of President Trump's clemency recipients.

The big picture: Though early in his second term, Trump's pardons mark a continuation of his first-term trend of granting clemency to political loyalists.

The Department of Defense has officially ended Elon Musk's "what did you do last week" emails, a Pentagon spokesperson said in a statement on Wednesday.

Why it matters: In the wake of Musk's short but consequential time leading DOGE, the move suggests elements of the government are starting to move on from some of his more controversial policies.

Only a few law firms chose to fight President Trump's threats in court — but those decisions are paying off.

Driving the news: A federal judge today blocked Trump's executive order targeting the firm WilmerHale over its relationship with former special counsel Robert Mueller.

President Trump has commuted the life sentence of former Chicago gang leader Larry Hoover, according to an official on background.

Why it matters: Hoover is serving a life sentence in a federal supermax prison in Colorado for operating a criminal enterprise.

President Trump nominated his former personal attorney Emil Bove to serve as a judge on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit on Wednesday.

The big picture: Trump has sought to exert the power of the executive branch over the judiciary, and appointing Bove — who represented him in several criminal cases — to a key federal appeals court seat could help the president's agenda.

A federal judge allowed a lawsuit accusing Elon Musk and the Department of Government Efficiency of illegally exerting power over government operations to move forward Tuesday.

The big picture: The suit filed by more than a dozen Democratic state attorneys general alleges the billionaire and DOGE violated the Constitution by accessing government data systems, terminating federal employees and canceling contracts at federal agencies.

A group linked to the Senate GOP's super PAC is running a series of ads in Las Vegas during the Bitcoin 2025 conference, while major politicians descend on the city to address fans of the oldest cryptocurrency.

Why it matters: It reflects a belief by the GOP that cryptocurrency is an issue that they can use to create a wedge with the Democrats, who, on balance, have been more reluctant to support the digital asset industry.

President Trump on Wednesday said he'd "take a look at" possible pardons for the men convicted in a plot to kidnap Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer (D), adding it seemed like a "railroad job."

The big picture: Trump's comments follow those from the Justice Department's pardon attorney, Ed Martin, who said on a recent podcast that "on the pardon front, we can't leave these guys behind" in reference to two men who are serving prison terms for acting as ringleaders in the conspiracy.

Vice President Vance addressed the Bitcoin 2025 conference in Las Vegas Wednesday, promising to eliminate aggressive regulation of the crypto industry and promote a pro-growth legal framework for stablecoins.

Why it matters: Last year then-candidate Donald Trump cemented the Bitcoin community's support for his re-election by becoming the first presidential candidate to appear at the world's largest Bitcoin-focused event.

The White House is planning to send a $9.4 billion rescissions package to Congress next Tuesday, giving lawmakers the opportunity to codify some of the potential cuts identified by DOGE, according to an administration official.

Why it matters: The White House wants a big public fight over funding for NPR, PBS and foreign aid. They are likely to get it.

The State Department on Tuesday warned citizens against any travel to Venezuela, where it says more U.S. nationals are currently wrongfully detained than in any other country.

The big picture: The department has ramped up its warnings to Americans not to travel to the South American country, urging citizens earlier this month to prepare a will if they plan to travel there.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and the wider Trump White House are providing "air cover" for the U.S. Army's ongoing vehicle-and-weapons upheaval, the service's top civilian told Axios.

Why it matters: System shocks are exactly that — a shock. Executing them requires support, especially at such a politically volatile moment.

• "Fundamentally, they just have a risk tolerance that doesn't match, I think, previous administrations," Secretary Dan Driscoll said at a live Axios event.

Dario Amodei — CEO of Anthropic, one of the world's most powerful creators of artificial intelligence — has a blunt, scary warning for the U.S. government and all of us:

• AI could wipe out half of all entry-level white-collar jobs — and spike unemployment to 10-20% in the next one to five years, Amodei told us in an interview from his San Francisco office.
• Amodei said AI companies and government need to stop "sugar-coating" what's coming: the possible mass elimination of jobs across technology, finance, law, consulting and other white-collar professions, especially entry-level gigs.

Intercepting missiles — hitting a bullet with a bullet — is difficult. Overcoming bureaucracy may be even harder.

The big picture: President Trump's Golden Dome, a continent's worth of 24/7 overhead defense, will be a jigsaw puzzle of ideas, authorities, personalities, contractors, procurements, production lines, users, fixers, technological leaps and diplomacy.

President Trump's imminent plans to issue a White House report promoting in vitro fertilization has spurred anti-abortion conservatives to call for new guardrails that could greatly limit the use of the treatment.

Why it matters: Medical groups and fertility clinics warn that such steps could not only mislead couples hoping to conceive but also undercut administration efforts to boost the birth rate.

In a tense meeting last week, top Trump aide Stephen Miller and Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem demanded that immigration agents seek to arrest 3,000 people a day, according to two sources familiar with the meeting.

Why it matters: The new target is triple the number of daily arrests that agents were making in the early days of Trump's term — and suggests the president's top immigration officials are full-steam ahead in pushing for mass deportations.

The Trump administration is halting student visa interviews and considering a social media vetting requirement as its immigration crackdown extends to people who want to study in the U.S.

Why it matters: The move would be a major escalation for the White House, which has already started monitoring immigrants' social media for antisemitism and has detained students for pro-Palestine campus activism.

Elon Musk said President Trump's "big, beautiful bill" "undermines" DOGE's cost-cutting, per an excerpt of CBS News' interview with the businessman that was released Tuesday.

Why it matters: Musk has been a key Trump ally during the president's second term after donating millions of dollars to his 2024 election campaign, leading efforts to reduce government spending until the Tesla CEO stepped back from DOGE after the EV firm's sales took a hit from his close ties to the administration.

Some Native American programs are exempt from President Trump's executive order targeting diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives, according to at least three federal agencies.

Why it matters: The U.S. federal government has several treaties with more than 500 tribal nations, and many involve promises based on race, culture, and equity with Native Americans and Alaska Natives.

President Trump claimed Tuesday Canadian officials were considering his proposal for Canada to contribute $61 billion toward his proposed "Golden Dome" missile defense shield versus paying nothing if it became the 51st U.S. state.

The big picture: Trump, who has repeatedly threatened Canadian sovereignty, made the comments soon after Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney outlined plans for closer defense ties with the European Union.