Axios

GOP senators are talking on the phone, lunching and hitting the green with President Trump as the White House ramps up pressure to pass its "big, beautiful bill" this weekend.

Why it matters: The stakes are high: Senators are staring down a weekend-long battle to pass Trump's marquee tax and spending cut measure, and the president has time and again relied on personal outreach to get legislation over the finish line.

Majority Leader John Thune wants to force an initial vote on the "big, beautiful bill" around 4pm ET — here is an update on the senators most likely to cause headaches.

Why it matters: Thune can only afford to lose three GOP senators and still manage to move forward with — and eventually pass — the bill, with a tie-breaking vote from Vice President JD Vance. It could be close.

The Trump administration's move to shutter the nation's largest job training program for low-income youth has been blocked — at least for now — by a federal judge.

Why it matters: Job Corps, which served over 29,000 students this year, has long been a lifeline for low-income youth — especially in underserved communities — offering job training, housing, and a path forward.

Former President Biden joined a steady stream of mourners who visited the Minnesota State Capitol Friday to pay their respects to slain former state House Speaker Melissa Hortman and her husband Mark.

The big picture: The influential Democratic legislator, who was shot and killed alongside her husband at her home in what officials have called a politically motivated assassination, was the first woman to lie in state in Minnesota.

Through silence or vocal support, House and Senate Republicans are backing an extraordinary set of new precedents for presidential power they may come to regret if and when Democrats seize those same powers.

Why it matters: New precedents are exhilarating when you're in power — and excruciating when you're not.

Zohran Mamdani's victory in New York City's Democratic mayoral primary triggered a wave of Islamophobic attacks — including from sitting members of Congress — that once might have disqualified the perpetrators from public office.

Why it matters: Openly racist rhetoric has become normalized at the highest levels of American politics.

A MAGA movement facing a historic rift over President Trump's Iran strikes is quickly stitching itself back together by turning its rage toward familiar enemies at home.

Why it matters: Trump's decision to strike three Iranian nuclear facilities last week — paired with fleeting talk of "regime change" — ignited some of the fiercest infighting within the "America First" base since the movement's inception a decade ago.

Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) is about to make GOP holdouts decide if they're really willing to torpedo President Trump's signature legislative agenda ahead of his July 4 deadline.

Why it matters: Each hard-fought deal at this point risks blowing up another. But leaders are getting ready to force holdouts' hands and get this thing done.

Republican Rep. Don Bacon of Nebraska will announce his retirement on Monday, two sources familiar with the matter said.

Why it matters: Bacon, who represents one of the most competitive districts in the country, was viewed as the GOP's best shot at keeping control of the key battleground seat.

The Senate on Friday rejected a resolution that would have blocked U.S. military action in Iran without authorization from Congress.

Why it matters: The vote is a win for the White House and a sign of how much leeway Republicans and some Democrats are willing to give President Trump to take unilateral military action against Tehran.

President Trump said Friday he halted plans to potentially ease sanctions on Iran after Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei downplayed the success of U.S. and Israeli airstrikes on Iran's nuclear program.

• Trump also claimed in a Truth Social posting that he saved Khamenei from a "VERY UGLY AND IGNOMINIOUS DEATH" by opposing Israeli plans to assassinate the Iranian leader.

Why it matters: Trump and his advisers had hoped Iran would agree to a meeting with the U.S. next week, in which the White House planned to offer incentives — including limited sanctions relief — to jumpstart negotiations.

The president of the University of Virginia, James Ryan, has resigned under pressure from the Trump administration, two people familiar with the matter said.

Why it matters: Ryan's resignation, confirmed by his resignation letter, comes after the Justice Department became convinced that Ryan was negotiating in "bad faith" on ending the school's DEI policies.

President Trump on Friday made clear that he won't pick a new Federal Reserve chair who won't cut interest rates.

Why it matters: It's the clearest signal to international markets yet that whoever runs the Fed next will be taking monetary policy cues directly from the Oval Office.

President Trump said on Friday that the U.S. would terminate trade discussions with Canada and assign a tariff rate on Canadian goods within the next week.

Why it matters: It is a fresh blow to the U.S.-Canadian economic relationship, which has come under historic strain since Trump took office.

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) on Friday said GOP calls to deport New York City mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani are "disgusting."

Why it matters: The Democratic establishment is in a meltdown over Mamdani being the party's nominee for New York City mayor, but its leadership is backing him up against GOP attacks.

Two immigrants rights organization suing over President Trump's birthright citizenship order recast their lawsuit as a class action following the Supreme Court's ruling Friday.

The big picture: The high court imposed new limits on lower courts' ability to freeze federal policies — specifically, Trump's effort to eliminate birthright citizenship in the U.S.

Kilmar Ábrego García asked a federal district judge on Friday to let him stay in jail in Tennessee to avoid being deported to an unknown "third country."

Why it matters: For weeks, Ábrego García's legal team has been fighting for his release, but a new court filing shows it is raising questions about the Trump administration's legal strategy.

House Republicans are seeking to hear from several top Biden White House officials, including former Chief of Staff Jeff Zients and former Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre, as part of their investigation into the ex-president's health.

Why it matters: House Oversight Chairman Jim Comer's move to expand the GOP probe into Biden's health — spurred in part by revelations from Alex Thompson and Jake Tapper's new book, "Original Sin — comes a year to the date after former President Biden's disastrous debate performance.

The Supreme Court's ruling on nationwide injunction clears the way for the Trump administration to pursue its goals on immigration and gender-affirming care.

Why it matters: Federal courts have imposed nationwide checks on many of the Trump administration's most contentious policies, but their power is now restricted.

California Gov. Gavin Newsom sued Fox News on Friday for $787 million, accusing the outlet of defamation in its reporting on a phone call between him and President Trump.

Why it matters: Newsom's demand for $787 million is nearly the same figure Fox News paid Dominion Voting Systems in 2023 to settle a defamation lawsuit over the network's coverage of the 2020 election.

House Democrats left a Friday morning briefing on Iran from Trump administration officials largely grumbling at what they described as "propaganda" and a "waste of time."

Why it matters: The briefing appears to have done little to alleviate the growing tension around the Trump administration largely keeping Congress in the dark about its actions and not seeking congressional authorization.

The Supreme Court on Friday imposed limits on lower courts' power to freeze federal policies — specifically, President Trump's effort to eliminate birthright citizenship in the U.S.

Why it matters: Trump's bid to eliminate the constitutionally guaranteed right for some is the centerpiece of his administration's sweeping immigration crackdown, in which he's previously defied the Supreme Court.

Amid Stagflation Watch 2025, the latest data dump shows a little more stag-, but no real sign of -flation.

Why it matters: Mainstream economic forecasts see the trade war leading to both higher prices and more sluggish growth.

• In May spending and income data out Friday morning, there is more reason to worry about the latter than the former.

State legislations can force porn websites to verify users' age, the Supreme Court ruled on Friday.

Why it matters: The 6-3 ruling has huge implications on online free speech that reach far beyond sexuality explicit websites.

Parents can opt their children out of school lessons with LGBTQ+ characters or themes, the Supreme Court ruled Friday.

The big picture: The ruling is a win for conservatives as schools have become a major partisan battleground.

The House and the White House are negotiating an offer to keep the House-passed $40,000 SALT cap increase but peg it to a shorter 5-year timeline in President Trump's "big, beautiful bill," Axios has learned.

Why it matters: That could move one of the bill's thorniest issues closer to being resolved. But House SALT holdouts and senators — who have almost no incentive to be generous on SALT — still need to agree.

The Supreme Court on Friday imposed new limits on lower courts' ability to freeze federal policies — specifically, President Trump's effort to eliminate birthright citizenship in the U.S.

Why it matters: Lower courts have issued dozens of orders freezing parts of Trump's agenda, and bipartisan criticism of such sweeping rulings has been building for years.

The Federal Reserve's preferred measure of inflation showed mild price gains in May, though consumer spending slumped and pay growth slowed.

Why it matters: President Trump's trade policies are having a limited effect on inflation so far, though Americans are easing spending after a run-up to get ahead of tariffs.

The Canadian government is demanding answers from the U.S. following the death of a Canadian citizen in immigration custody.

The big picture: The relationship between Canada and the U.S. has crumbled during President Trump's second term as he's sought to annex America's neighbor and started a trade war with a vital economic partner.

The New York Power Authority plans to approach the Energy Department's loan office about the state's new nuclear energy plans, president and CEO Justin Driscoll tells Axios.

Why it matters: The comments help reveal how the NYPA is thinking about options for launching the state's first reactor construction in decades.

Republicans in Georgia's state legislature — including a key ally of Gov. Brian Kemp — are pressing U.S. Senate leaders to preserve solar deployment and manufacturing credits.

Why it matters: The lobbying efforts show how GOP plans to pare back Inflation Reduction Act credits in budget reconciliation are roiling red-state developments.

The U.S. could have the balance of its important trade deals done by Labor Day, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said Friday.

Why it matters: That would be a softer deadline than the early July target President Trump set when he paused the sweeping global tariffs in April.

The Trump administration has moved to oust University of Virginia President James Ryan because of a disagreement over the institution's diversity policies.

Why it matters: President Trump has tried to assert control over U.S. higher education, focusing his ire on schools that he views as ideologically left-leaning. This marks the first time he has tried to remove a leader.

Nate Morris — a pro-Trump entrepreneur who founded a waste-disposal company worth $2 billion — joined the frenzied race to succeed retiring Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) with a cutting but lighthearted ad showing Morris riding on the back of a bouncing garbage truck.

• "Let's dump career politicians and take out the trash in Washington," Morris says as his "DC SWAMP CLEANUP SERVICES" truck pulls away.

The Supreme Court on Thursday curtailed low-income patients' rights to chose their health providers while giving conservative-led states a bigger opening to exclude Planned Parenthood affiliates from their Medicaid programs.

The big picture: The 6-3 decision by the court's conservative majority potentially adds more obstacles to care, on top of financial barriers or poor health, and comes as Congress debates major changes to Medicaid that could cause millions of people to lose health coverage.

The U.S. attacks on Iran's nuclear facilities Saturday have left American voters with contradictory feelings, a new poll finds:

1. A majority favored limited strikes, but nearly as many said they were worried about a widening war and Iran retaliating on U.S. soil.
2. Meanwhile, most viewed the U.S. attacks as a success — and are likely to back similar military action as a result.

Why it matters: The survey sheds light on Americans' nuanced views of war and rapidly evolving foreign policy.

Even as the stock market approaches an all-time high, there is a big dark cloud hovering over the economy: the housing market.

Why it matters: Home sales are hovering at historic lows, as economic uncertainty and high mortgage rates hold back buying.

Everybody has demands for Senate Majority Leader John Thune and the "big, beautiful bill" — none bigger than President Trump, who wants the bill on his desk a week from Friday.

Why it matters: Thune (R-S.D.) needs more time, but the list of GOP holdouts is growing by the hour, especially in the House.