National Guard troops have the authority to make temporary arrests in certain conditions in Los Angeles' protests, Trump administration officials said Wednesday.
The U.S. will send take-it-or-leave-it trade offers to dozens of countries within the next two weeks, President Trump said Wednesday.
Why it matters: Trump is suggesting time is running out for nations to make trade deals, even as both he and his Treasury secretary indicate existing deadlines are also fungible.
David Hogg won't run again to be a DNC vice chair after his and Malcolm Kenyatta's elections were both vacated, a spokesperson confirmed to Axios.
Why it matters: The vote was based on a technical complaint, but it comes as Democrats have expressed fury with Hogg for simultaneously serving as a top party official while supporting congressional primary candidates.
House Republican Conference Chair Lisa McClain has a stern warning for her Senate colleagues on the House-passed Trump budget bill: "Touch very lightly" and don't force a conference process.
Why it matters: Senate Republicans are determined to put their mark on the "one big, beautiful bill." But the changes they're signaling would cross red lines for House GOP holdouts.
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) will fight to strike a provision making gun silencers more easily accessible from the GOP's "big, beautiful bill," Axios has learned.
Why it matters: The House-passed version of the bill removes silencers from the National Firearms Act, scrapping a $200 customer and manufacturer tax on firearm silencers and wiping out federal registration requirements.
House Democrats, incensed at being repeatedly denied access to ICE facilities, are warming to the idea of using the appropriations process to force policy changes at the agency if they retake Congress.
Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy on Wednesday named eight new members to serve on an influential federal vaccine advisory panel after firing all 17 of the committee's members.
Why it matters: While Kennedy posted on X that the new appointees are committed to evidence-based medicine, several have a history of expressing anti-vaccine sentiment or voicing concerns about COVID-19 or mRNA vaccines.
The Senate on Wednesday rejected a Democratic push to cancel over $3 billion worth of arms sales to Qatar and the United Arab Emirates.
Why it matters: The bid to ax the arms sales came in response to Qatar's offer to gift President Trump a $400 million plane and the UAE's billion-dollar cryptocurrency deal involving a company owned by the president.
Elon Musk's early morning tweet Wednesday saying he regretted going "too far" in criticizing President Trump came after a phone call with Trump late Monday, sources tell Axios.
Musk's effort to make amends began Friday, when he spoke by phone with White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles and Vice President Vance, three people familiar with the discussions said.
Why it matters: The calls signaled an effort by Musk to cool tensions with Trump after a week in which they'd feuded on social media, particularly over Musk's objections to Trump's signature tax and budget bill in Congress.
President Trump is seen around the world as a "strong" leader, but not one to be trusted, according to a Pew Research Center survey across 24 countries.
The big picture: Respondents tended to view the U.S. less favorably under Trump than they did under President Biden, with particularly striking drops in Mexico, Canada and Europe.
It is "highly likely" that tariffs will be delayed for countries involved in good-faith trade talks with the United States, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said on Wednesday.
Why it matters: Bessent's comments signal to the world — again — that U.S. tariff deadlines are fungible.
Protests in Los Angeles over federal immigration raids the past week have put the city at the center of nationwide unrest around the Trump administration's aggressive deportation push.
The big picture: LA is garnering national attention as a city in turmoil, with real and fake images of looting and vandalism, reports of standoffs between police and protesters and hundreds of arrests. But the demonstrations have been largely peaceful and limited to a small part of the expansive city.
All 12 members of the Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Board resigned on Tuesday, saying that the Trump administration "has usurped the authority of the Board" and denied a "substantial" number of its chosen recipients.
Why it matters: It's the latestexample of the Trump administration's attempts to reconfigure higher education anywhere that it has influence.
Khaby Lame, the world's most followed TikTok creator, was detained for overstaying a visa and granted voluntary departure from the U.S. this month, the Department of Homeland Security said.
The big picture: Lame's detention comes as the Trump administration enforces its crackdown on immigration and border security.
Meta reportedly is planning to invest around $14.8 billion for a 49% stake in Scale AI, with the startup's CEO to join a new AI lab that Mark Zuckerberg is personally staffing.
When the news broke yesterday, albeit still unconfirmed by either side, lots of commenters suggested that the unusual structure was to help Meta sidestep antitrust scrutiny.
A monthslong streak of cooler inflation trends continued in May, the Bureau of Labor Statistics said on Wednesday.
Why it matters: Many economists project that President Trump's tariffs will reignite inflation this year, but so far effects from the trade war are not apparent in official economic data.
A new business-backed group with GOP ties just launched a $2 million, three-week ad blitz to preserve IRA tax credits — and the framing is very Trump-y.
Why it matters: It comes during crunch time for hundreds of billions of dollars of tax incentives on the chopping block in the budget reconciliation fight.
Fresh projections add weight to a problem for President Trump's "drill baby drill" push — many companies won't follow along in this price and tariff landscape.
The big picture: A revised outlook from DOE's independent stats arm shows U.S. crude output sliding in the second half of 2025, and a small year-over-year drop in 2026.
President Trump on Wednesday said the newest trade deal with China would provide the U.S. the full necessary supplies of rare earth materials, and also permit visas for Chinese students.
Why it matters: The rare earths, crucial for hundreds of technology products, had become the sticking point that derailed the tariff truce the two countries struck in May.
It will cost less than $400 million to turn a luxury Qatari jet into President Trump's airborne command center, according to the U.S. Air Force.
Why it matters: That's far less than previous public estimates for the Air Force One conversion, which should account for counterintelligence sweeps and the installation of specialty communications gear, medical equipment, avionics and defensive countermeasures.
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent will tell House lawmakers this morning that the cost-cutting and layoffs at the Internal Revenue Service didn't lead to an expected decline in revenue, with April's and May's tax receipts coming in higher than last year.
Why it matters: More tax revenue gives the Treasury Department more time before it runs out of money and hits the debt limit.
Now comes a new test, literally 40 years in the making: How comfortable are Americans with deporting millions of immigrants who paid taxes, built families and committed no crimes after coming here illegally?
Elon Musk appeared to wave the white flag Wednesday in his extraordinary feud with President Trump, tweeting that he regrets some of his posts last week about the man he spent nearly $300 million to elect.
"They went too far," Musk acknowledged at 3:04 am ET.
Why it matters: The world's richest man and former special government employee went nuclear on Trump after a dispute over the "One, Big, Beautiful Bill," which Musk fears will add trillions to the deficit.
President Trump's MAGA allies are framing the Los Angeles protests as a once-in-a-generation opportunity to rewrite the rules of engagement with "the Resistance" — starting with the use of military force.
Why it matters: As National Guardsmen and Marines descend on L.A., the loudest voices in the MAGA media ecosystem are urging Trump to make an example out of anyone who stands in the way of mass deportations.
Troops deployed to Los Angeles. Paratroopers dropping from the sky before a partisan speech to troops at Fort Bragg. A military parade in D.C. that will coincide with the president's birthday.
Call it President Trump's Strongman Week. Trump is making a point of showing executive force at a level he only dreamed about during his first term.
Why it matters: Trump's swift militarized response Saturday to the Los Angeles protests marks a defining moment in his presidency, as he uses his military authority to juice his immigration crackdown and hammer Democrats — all with a mix of pomp and threats.
A curfew in downtown Los Angeles is in effect, after some 700 Marines arrived in LA Tuesday as part of the federal response to five days of fiery protests against Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) raids.
The big picture: Demonstrators across the U.S. are protesting the Trump administration's hardline immigration policies. While most rallies were peaceful, there were reports of standoffs between police and protesters in several cities — including in LA during the curfew.
Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass imposed a curfew in downtown LA on Tuesday during a fifth straight day of fiery protests against Immigration and Customs Enforcement raids.
The big picture: The curfew that will be in effect from 8pm Tuesday to 6am Wednesday local time comes as Bass moves to address looting and vandalism that have occurred during the protests and as the Trump administration and Democratic leaders are embroiled in a standoff over a response.
A federal appellate court issued a stay Tuesday night freezing a lower court's ruling that had invalidated most of President Trump's tariffs.
Why it matters: The ruling preserves, for now, Trump's sweeping efforts to reorder international trade, but will also prolong the uncertainty over their impact.
Current and former employees of Centers for Disease Control and Prevention are calling on Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to resign, warning that job cuts and proposed funding reductions will hurt the agency's ability to protect the public from future health outbreaks.
Why it matters: The Atlanta-based CDC has long been the unbiased hub Americans turn to for facts about health topics, including sexually transmitted infections, maternal and infant health and respiratory infections.
After two days of talks in London, the U.S. and China agreed late Tuesday on a "framework" to implement a trade deal struck last month, pending approval from both countries' leaders, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick said.
Why it matters: Progress on trade peace with China, particularly if it resolves the issue of crucial Chinese rare earth minerals exports, would be a boon to an economy and markets that have struggled for months with the impact of President Trump's tariff program.
Why it matters: Republicans are convinced they have a clear mandate to kick out hardened criminals and gang members. But differences are emerging on how aggressively ICE should deport workers, longtime residents and some people who've sought refuge from brutal regimes.
The White House wantsICE to arrest 3,000 people a day, and to dramatically boost their deportation numbers.
That could lead to moreworkplace raids.
Zoom in: Rep. David Valadao (R-Calif.) is urging Trump officials to "prioritize the removal of known criminals over the hardworking people who have lived peacefully in the Valley for years."
The White House provided Senate Republicans with raw numbers on how different elements of the "one big, beautiful bill" are playing with the public, insisting many of the proposals are 80-20 issues.
Why it matters: The detailed polling amounted to an argument for why senators should pass the bill — and then a roadmap on how to sell it.
But some proposals are massively more popular than others, it showed.
Between the lines: The poll largely focused on topics Republicans want to discuss, such as taxes and immigration.
Democrats will focus on the bill's other elements, like its deep cuts to Medicaid.
House Speaker Mike Johnsoncalled California Gov. Gavin Newsom an "accomplice" of violent protesters and said he should be "tarred and feathered."
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumerblasted the violent protests and said they "should never happen, full stop." He also blamed Trump for threatening "the bedrock of our democracy" by deploying troops to LA.
President Trump speaks to reporters outside a House Republican conference meeting at the U.S. Capitol on May 20, 2025. Photo: Tasos Katopodis/Getty Images.
Most congressional Republicans can be counted as allies to Trump, but within their ranks is a core group of loyalists trying to put Trump's face everywhere.
Trump train: Rep. Greg Steube (R-Fla.) would rename D.C.'s metrorail system the "Trump train."
"Trump Derangement Syndrome": Reps. Warren Davidson (R-Ohio) would have NIH "conduct or support research to advance the understanding of Trump Derangement Syndrome."
The White House provided Senate Republicans with the raw numbers on how the different elements of the "one big, beautiful bill" are playing with the public, insisting that many of the proposals are 80-20 issues.
Why it matters: The detailed polling amounted to an argument for why senators should pass the bill – and then a roadmap on how to sell it.
