The Transportation Security Administration's security protocols could be in for another shakeup — this time involving the long-standing limits on carry-on liquids.
The big picture: Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said TSA is looking to modify the liquid rule Wednesday at the Hill Nation Summit.
Janelle Stelson, a Pennsylvania Democrat who narrowly lost to Rep. Scott Perry (R-Pa.) in 2024, raised more than $500,000 in the first 48 hours since announcing for 2026, Axios has learned.
Why it matters: For a candidate essentially asking donors for a second chance, those are encouraging numbers.
Some Senate candidates aren't hitting the fundraising circuit as if their political lives depend on it.
Why it matters: Most battleground senators facing reelection this cycle put up seven-figure fundraising numbers last quarter. It's a testament to the power of incumbency, indicating their own desire to stay in office.
MAGA is recoiling at President Trump's increasingly personal attacks on his followers over Jeffrey Epstein, opening the most bitter divisions yet between the president and the GOP base.
Why it matters: MAGA has at times grumbled over Trump's handling of foreign affairs, immigration and other sporadic issues. But the president's growing irritation with his supporters' Epstein theories and his adamant insistence that they're illegitimate is widening the most significant rift yet.
A new proposal in Congress would stop federal immigration agents from detaining and possibly deporting U.S. citizens.
Why it matters: U.S. citizens aren't supposed to be arrested or detained unless agents allege they're breaking laws. But reports of citizens of Latino descent being detained — or stopped and asked to prove citizenship — are rippling through Latino communities nationwide.
President Trump on Wednesday bashed "PAST supporters" for their focus on what he called the "Jeffrey Epstein Hoax" amid ongoing scrutiny of his administration's handling of evidence in the notorious Epstein's case.
The big picture: Trump has urged his supporters, many of whom were rocked by his administration's conclusion that there was no evidence the disgraced financier was murdered or kept a "client list," to walk away from the controversy.
President Trump could be considering unprecedented moves to undermine Fed chair Jerome Powell, including a possible attempt to fire him for cause.
Why it matters: Trump expects Powell's successor to follow orders on lower interest rates, calling into question the central bank's longstanding political independence.
President Trump denied he was on the verge of firing Fed chair Jerome Powell, despite multiple news reports Wednesday suggesting he'd told congressional Republicans he was close to doing so.
Why it matters: Trump has the market on a knife's edge, waiting to see whether he throws out more than a century of central bank independence to get what he wants on interest rates.
Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) will defend the Federal Reserve in a speech on Wednesday, an unlikely ally for the Fed as it faces unprecedented attacks from the Trump administration.
Why it matters: Even one of Fed chair Jerome Powell's toughest, most consistent critics won't back the White House argument.
The rare support from the influential lawmaker, who is the top Democrat on the Senate Banking Committee, shows how the party will hit back at White House pressure to oust Powell.
Against the backdrop of the national Democratic Party targeting his seat, U.S. Rep. Andy Ogles turned in a paltry fundraising total.
Why it matters: Ogles figures to need a healthy sum in order to fend off challengers for his District 5 seat, which covers parts of Nashville and its surrounding suburbs, in 2026.
A dozen current and former federal employees detail how DOGE gutted their workplaces in a new audio series released Wednesday morning.
Why it matters: The testimonials are from folks who've worked inside agencies responsible for the health and safety of millions of Americans — including a scientist who studies hepatitis C at the CDC, an FAA employee who supports air traffic controllers and a VA worker who counsels veterans.
NATO's 5% spending commitment is a watershed moment for an alliance dogged by laggard investment outside the U.S. — if, that is, members actually fork over the trillions in long-term spending required to make it a reality.
Why it matters: At a time of weapons upheaval and global war, friends are precious.
Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s super PAC head co-hosted an organizing call for supporters and influencers last week, stirring speculation that Kennedy's positioning for a run at the White House in 2028.
Why it matters: Last Wednesday's Zoom call involving hundreds of RFK Jr. supporters was aimed at energizing his grassroots "Make America Healthy Again" movement and discussing ways to build enthusiasm for the Health and Human Services secretary.
House Democrats are introducing what is known as a discharge petition to try to force a vote on quashing President Trump's "Liberation Day" tariffs, Axios has learned.
Why it matters: The long-shot effort to kill the president's initial round of tariffs comes as he is unleashing a new slate targeting top allies including Japan, South Korea and Brazil.
Why it matters: Rep. Haley Stevens (D-Mich.) argued in a letter to DHS Secretary Kristi Noem that Fugate's role raises "troubling questions about whether DHS is taking the prevention of domestic terrorism seriously."
Imposing a single narrative on Tuesday's AI-energy summit with President Trump and top execs would feel fake and forced, but some wider themes emerged.
Why it matters: Big investments unveiled in Pittsburgh — plus C-suite and Cabinet wattage there — highlight how fueling data centers is a massive challenge and opportunity.
President Trump quickly dismissed a reporter's question Tuesday about whether Attorney General Pam Bondi had told him he was in the sex trafficker's files.
But Trump's relatively calm reaction stood in stark contrast to what happened inside the White House last week when a similar media inquiry put Trump's staff "in a tizzy" — and helped fuel mistrust between the Department of Justice and the FBI.
Why it matters: The fallout over the Epstein case continues to haunt Trump's team, 10 days after DOJ's about-face announcement that it wouldn't disclose any more details about Epstein, that he had no client list, and that he'd killed himself in prison and wasn't murdered.
The Trump administration deported five migrants from Cuba, Jamaica, Laos, Vietnam and Yemen to the tiny African nation of Eswatini on Tuesday, the Department of Homeland Security announced.
The big picture: The deportation flights came after the Supreme Court last month allowed the administration to resume deportations of migrants to third countries that were not their place of origin.
Senate Republicans narrowly won a vote Tuesday night to advance a measure to take back $9 billion in federal spending — including funds marked for PBS, NPR and foreign aid.
Why it matters: It is an early procedural vote, but the 51-50tally is a life-saving sign for the White House and GOP leadership, who are hoping to clinch the support needed to pass the bill by the Friday deadline.
President Trump on Tuesday suggested cost overruns in the Federal Reserve's headquarters renovation could be a fireable offense for Fed chair Jerome Powell.
Why it matters: The president and his administration want to be rid of Powell so they can install a chair who will follow Trump's dictate to lower interest rates.
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) is shocking some colleagues by fully embracing efforts to exploit divisions between President Trump and his MAGA base over the administration's handling of the Jeffrey Epstein files.
Why it matters: Amid demands from the liberal grassroots that Democrats take off the gloves with Trump, the Democratic leader has shifted from vowing not to swing at every pitch to adopting a "more is more" strategy.
Some 2,000 California National Guard members are being withdrawn from Los Angeles about a month after their deployment, the Pentagon announced Tuesday.
The big picture: The Trump administration mobilized more than 4,000 Guard troops and roughly 700 Marines in response to LA protests over federal immigration raids, despite objections from California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D).
