The Texas House reached quorum Monday after dozens of Democrats who left the state in protest of a new congressional map returned to Austin.
Why it matters: Texas Republicans are expected to move quickly to pass the map, which could create as many as five additional U.S. House districts favorable to their party before the 2026 midterms.
President Trump called Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday while Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and seven European leaders were gathered in the White House, two sources familiar with the call tell Axios
Why it matters:Trump said earlier Monday that Putin was expecting a call from him after the talks concluded. Trump said he hoped to quickly arrange a trilateral summit involving both Putin and Zelensky, but Putin has yet to agree to that idea.
House Oversight Chair James Comer (R-Ky.) announced that the Justice Department had informed him it will begin sharing documents related to its Jeffrey Epstein probe with Congress on Friday.
Why it matters: The Epstein case has become a flashpoint within the GOP — and, despite President Trump's efforts to shut down the issue, Congress isn't letting it go.
Americans dodged a big tax hike when Congress passed the "big, beautiful bill," making permanent the tax cuts of President Trump's first term — and adding on a bunch more.
Why it matters: Tax cuts free up money for folks to spend on other things — which could be dearly needed next year as wages still haven't caught up with inflation and tariffs threaten to push costs up further.
President Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky took questions at the White House on Monday in the same setting as their disastrous blowup in February, but with a much friendlier tone.
Why it matters: While it was all smiles for the camera, it was a tense few days in the lead-up to Monday's meeting, with Trump questioning Zelensky's willingness to make peace and Ukrainian officials worrying that Russian President Vladimir Putin manipulated Trump during their summit in Alaska.
President Trump on Monday pledged to end mail-in voting, calling it a "fraud," and said he would sign an executive order "to help bring HONESTY to the 2026 Midterm Elections."
Why it matters: While he shifted his tune before the 2024 election to promote absentee voting, Trump has long railed against mail-in voting — and he's back to singing that song. In harmony with him, Trump recently claimed on Fox News, is Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Conservative cable network Newsmax has settled a defamation lawsuit brought by voting-machine company Dominion Voting Systems over the airing of 2020 election lies, the company said in a regulatory filing Monday. It will pay $67 million over the next two fiscal years.
Why it matters: It's the second major defamation lawsuit the company has settled following allegations that it aired falsehoods related to the 2020 election.
After Zelensky's last meeting with the White House — which ended abruptly — both President Trump and Vice President JD Vance accused the Ukrainian president of disrespect.
Why it matters: Nearly six months of the Russia-Ukraine war have passed since that meeting, with Trump and Zelensky disagreeing on key points of the peace negotiations ahead of their meeting later today.
The big picture: Just a weekend separates President Trump's fruitless summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Monday's high-stakes White House meeting with Zelensky and his European allies. But in just days, the tides have shifted.
When President Trump issued his executive order on alt assets in 401(k) plans, one of the people cheering most loudly was Abdul Al-Asaad, CEO of a fintech startup called Basic Capital.
Driving the news: Basic Capital, which lets workers use private credit to leverage their 401(k) accounts, today is announcing $25 million in Series A funding led by Forerunner and Lux Capital.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio was all over TV on Sunday with a consistent message: Don't expect new U.S energy sanctions against Russia anytime soon, but never say never.
Why it matters: Fresh penalties could raise oil prices while putting new pressure on Russia's massive fossil fuel export revenue.
The White House asked Ukrainian officials if President Volodymyr Zelensky will wear a suit to his meeting with President Trump in the Oval Office on Monday, two sources with direct knowledge tell Axios.
Why it matters: Zelensky's outfit became an issue ahead of his previous Oval Office meeting with Trump in March, which exploded into a diplomatic fiasco.
Homicides in Indianapolis fell by nearly 30% in the first six months of 2025 compared to the same period last year, new national crime data shows.
Why it matters: Indy's drop is consistent with many of the nation's large and midsize cities, reinforcing a broader decline in violent crime since the pandemic surge.
Forget about a ceasefire right now. President Trump's sole short-term goal for his Russia-Ukraine diplomacy, advisers say, is to get the countries' leaders face-to-face to talk peace.
"Everything else is foreplay," a Trump adviser tells Axios. "Everything is to get to that moment for peace."
Why it matters: Trump was heavily criticized for abruptly abandoning his demand for a ceasefire from Russian President Vladimir Putin during their Alaska summit on Friday.
Inflation is running above the Federal Reserve's 2% target, consumers are still spending, the labor market is slowing — all dividing economists over whether to cut interest rates. But it's not stopping investors from pricing cuts in.
Why it matters: The Fed, the White House and the financial markets all hope to control interest rates. Investors may have the upper hand.
Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer is taking a gamble that other potential 2028 Democratic presidential contenders are not: that party voters might reward her — or at least not punish her — for working with President Trump.
Why it matters: Whitmer's approach is a sharp break from other prominent Democrats such as California Gov. Gavin Newsom and Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker, who are defining themselves as anti-Trump warriors.
The Trump administration is undermining — or has stopped collecting — key, once-nonpartisan data that kept the public informed about the state of the nation.
Why it matters: From Congress to city halls to boardrooms, critical decisions rely on accurate government data and public trust in that data. Without it, leaders risk making costly mistakes that could affect millions.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky announced late Sunday he's arrived in Washington, D.C., on the eve of his key White House meeting, as President Trump pushes to an end of the Russia-Ukraine war.
The big picture: Zelensky made clear in his posts to social media ahead of the meeting that other European leaders will also attend that while they "all share a strong desire to end this war quickly and reliably," he won't cede territory to Russia.
President Trump on Sunday shared a "peace letter" from first lady Melania Trump that Fox News Digital first reported he had "hand-delivered" to Russian leader Vladimir Putin during their summit in Alaska last week.
Why it matters: Kyiv has accused Putin's forces of committing genocide by forcibly moving an estimated 20,000-35,000 Ukrainian children to Russia or Russian-occupied territory in Ukraine since February 2022.
