MAGA influencers largely dismissed House Democrats' release of the birthday letter President Trump allegedly wrote for Jeffrey Epstein in 2003, claiming the signature is a forgery.
Why it matters: The reaction underscores how thoroughly many of Trump's allies have moved past the scandal surrounding Epstein, the disgraced financier and sex trafficker who died in prison in 2019.
Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.) is calling for a foreign policy refresh that seizes the mantle of reform from President Trump.
Why it matters: "There is no going back to the world of January 2025," she will say at the Council on Foreign Relations on Tuesday morning, according to excerpts obtained by Axios.
The Supreme Court on Monday lifted a federal judge's order requiring the Trump administration to stop Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) arrests without probable cause in Los Angeles.
Why it matters: The temporary restraining order allowing for sweeping ICE raids that critics say is "blatant racial profiling" to continue is a win for the administration as President Trump plans to escalate immigration enforcement in other Democrat-run cities, including Chicago and Boston.
Leading Senate Republicans circulated a beefed up discussion draft Friday night of a crypto trading regulatory bill, but the majority is still unclear what concessions will be needed to secure key Democratic votes, according to a Republican aide.
Why it matters: The Senate's market structure bill needs support from at least seven Democrats to move, even with unanimous support from Republicans.
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) announced Monday he is appointing Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-Calif.) as the ranking member of Republicans' new Jan. 6 subcommittee.
Why it matters: The choice of Swalwell, who has since the first Trump administration positioned himself as a vocal #Resistance figure, signifies that Democrats are taking a combative stance towards the panel.
Hundreds of thousands of poor Americans are poised to get their disability benefits cut, as the Trump administration moves to reverse a Biden-era change.
Why it matters: It would hurt low-income and disabled Americans at a time when inflation is driving up the cost of food and shelter; and further cuts to Medicaid and food benefits are on tap.
House Democrats on Monday publicly posted the doodle and note that they say President Trump left in a birthday book compiled for Jeffrey Epstein in 2003.
Why it matters: Trump has steadfastly denied writing the note or drawing the doodle and has sued the Wall Street Journal and other related entities for reporting its existence.
The House Oversight Committee received documents from Jeffrey Epstein's estate on Monday afternoon that include a "birthday book" to Epstein allegedly containing a doodle from President Trump.
Why it matters: The files could provide fresh details about Epstein's network and dealings, and the Oversight Committee is expected to release redacted versions to the public.
The Trump administration asked the Supreme Court on Monday to allow it to keep billions of dollars in foreign aid funding frozen, a lawyer for the plaintiffs confirmed to Axios.
The big picture: The emergency filing follows a federal judge's recentorder that the administration release the billions approved by Congress.
A federal appeals court on Monday upheld the $83.3 million judgment imposed on President Trump for his defamatory statements about writer E. Jean Carroll.
The big picture: The president has repeatedly challenged the verdict and is expected to turn to the Supreme Court to reverse a separate $5 million verdict in a civil suit where he was found liable for sexually abusing and defaming Carroll.
Chief Justice John Roberts on Monday stayed a lower court ruling that allowed Democratic FTC commissioner Rebecca Slaughter to come back to work.
Why it matters: Slaughter, the only Democrat at the FTC, will have to stop work once again after returning to the agency for a few days — and the Trump administration got a temporary win in its effort to set a new precedent for who the president can fire.
President Trump on Monday took aim at cinema superstar Tom Hanks and praised the U.S. Military Academy at West Point after its alumni association reportedly canceled an award ceremony recognizing the Hollywood icon.
Why it matters: Hanks, who was praised by the graduate group for his decades of support for veterans and service members, aligned himself with former President Biden's campaign and came under conservative fire this year after portraying a Trump supporter on Saturday Night Live.
The man charged with the attempted assassination of then-candidate Donald Trump will represent himself in his trial that begins Monday.
The big picture: Ryan Wesley Routh is also charged with four other counts, including firearms charges, stemming from the second alleged attempt to assassinate Trump during his 2024 presidential campaign.
Trymaine Lee's new book reframes gun violence not just as a crisis of safety, but as a crisis of memory, history and health.
Why it matters: A veteran journalist, Lee has long reported on the violence that scars Black communities. But in his new book, A Thousand Ways to Die, he turns the lens inward, using his own family's story — and his own body — to show how deep the wounds really go.
President Trump'svisit to the U.S. Open men's finals yesterday sparked massive security lines outside Arthur Ashe Stadium that delayed the match and forced some fans to miss the start of play.
State of play: Trump wasmetwith boos and pockets of cheering when he was shown on the big screen inside the 24,000-seat stadium.
Amid the MAGA meltdown over Cracker Barrel's (now-reversed) logo change, one post rose to the top like fat in gravy:
"In college, I worked at Cracker Barrel in Tallahassee. I even gave my life to Christ in their parking lot," Florida Congressman Byron Donalds wrote on X before lambasting the change as a "woke rebrand."
MAGA influencers are drawing repeated attention to violent attacks to elevate the issue of urban crime — and accuse mainstream media of under-covering shocking cases.
Shocking video of the fatal Aug. 22 knife attack on 23-year-old Iryna Zarutska on a light-rail car in Charlotte, North Carolina, dominated weekend conversation on Trump-friendly social media.
Axios is launching a video interview series this fall — where our top reporters and experts will talk to the biggest names shaping politics, media, business, tech and culture.
Why it matters: Too many interviews are boring or forgettable. We're cutting through the noise with direct, essential conversations to help you make sense of a world changing at breakneck speed.
