Federal workers say they are frustrated, scared and angry after the White House threatened to withhold their back pay once the government shutdown ends.
Why it matters: Many of these folks are living paycheck to paycheck and can't afford to simply not be paid. It's the latest blow to the country's largest workforce.
750,000 federal employees are on furlough — that is, they've been told not work during the shutdown and aren't getting paid. Others are working without pay.
Stronger Maine, a new super PAC supporting five-term Republican Sen. Susan Collins, is defending her response to the government shutdown with a new $250,000 ad buy this month, Axios has learned.
Why it matters: Thirteen months ahead of Election Day, Maine is emerging as ground zero for the shutdown blame game.
The AFL-CIO, the nation's largest labor federation, addressed a letter to members of the Senate Banking Committee Monday night opposing the Senate's draft legislation to create a regulatory framework for the trading of digital assets.
The big picture: Citing the "volatility of the assets class," the labor giant says it worries about the retirement funds of its millions of members if cryptocurrency were to become more common in portfolios.
Majority Whip John Barrasso (R-Wyo.) hyped the Senate's progress on confirming Trump nominees during a closed-door lunch on Tuesday.
Why it matters: Thanks to new rules through the "nuclear option," the Senate confirmed another big batch of nominees Tuesday evening — putting them ahead of tallies at the same point under the Biden and first Trump administrations.
Jay Jones, the Democratic nominee for attorney general in Virginia, has canceled a Thursday night fundraiser at the home of novelist David Baldacci, according to a person with the matter.
Why it matters: The scrubbed fundraiser is another indication that Jones' campaign is in crisis mode.
Maine Gov. Janet Mills is preparing as soon as next week to announce her campaign for the U.S. Senate, multiple sources told Axios — potentially in the middle of a government shutdown with no end in sight.
Why it matters: An announcement fromMills, a two-term popular governor, would mark another recruiting victory for Democratic leaders. But it also would set off another complicated Democratic primary pitting the party's establishment and progressive wings against each other.
The FBI has shut down a group tasked with investigating public corruption and fired several agents, FBI Director Kash Patel said Tuesday.
Why it matters: The firings come after a Monday report from Fox News that indicated agents had monitored communications from nearly a dozen Republican senators as part of former special counsel Jack Smith's investigation into President Trump's alleged efforts to overturn the 2020 election.
Members of Congress in both parties bristled Tuesday at a White House memo arguing that federal workers who have been furloughed as part of the government shutdown are not necessarily entitled to back pay.
Why it matters: The threat has had little apparent impact with its intended target — congressional Democrats — who expressed confidence that President Trump would ultimately lose any legal fight to deny shutdown pay.
The Trump administration has quietly ended support for a program that helped poor people access federal disability benefits — and prevented homelessness.
Why it matters: The cutback, enacted in August but little noticed at the time, is the latest in a series of hits to the poorest Americans from the administration.
President Trump called Democrats "insurrectionists" Tuesday and slammed the left for what he described as "kamikaze" attacks on America, invoking increasingly warlike rhetoric to describe the opposition party.
Why it matters: The president has repeatedly floated the idea of invoking the rarely used Insurrection Act to send federal troops to blue cities like Chicago and Portland without local approval.
The White House has found funding to keep afloat a food aid program that had been threatened by the government shutdown.
Why it matters: The Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children (also known as WIC) is relied upon by millions of low-income pregnant, postpartum and breastfeeding women and young children.
Attorney General Pam Bondi refused Tuesday to answer senators' questions about investigations into former FBI Director James Comey and convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
Why it matters: Bondi's Justice Department has been accused of shielding President Trump and targeting his political enemies.
A super PAC linked to Chuck Schumer is telling allies that it would be a "mistake to take the pressure off Republicans" because Democrats are winning the political fight over the government shutdown, according to a memo obtained by Axios.
Why it matters: The Senate minority leader's top allies see the shutdown as a critical opportunity to define the stakes of the 2026 midterms, which they think will be dominated by health care and rising prices.
Country music star Zach Bryan is facing backlash from fans and MAGA listeners over a new song snippet that criticizes Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
Why it matters: Bryan joins a chorus of artists and celebrities speaking out against President Trump's agenda and immigration policy.
Why it matters: The former officials, who served under both Republicans and Democrats, wrote that they could not ignore the "profound, immediate and unprecedented threat" of his policies.
Democratic gubernatorial candidate U.S. Sen. Michael Bennet is calling for a statewide ban on cellphones in Colorado classrooms, Axios Denver is first to report.
Why it matters: The proposal, released on Tuesday, is part of a broader policy agenda aimed at keeping children safe online.
Peter Scher — JPMorgan Chase vice chair, and longtime champion of Detroit's revitalization — announced Tuesday that he'll retire next spring.
Why it matters: Scher has been one of the closest and longest-serving advisers to JPMorgan Chase chair and CEO Jamie Dimon.
Dimon said in an internal note to employees that from the financial crisis to a huge Mid-Atlantic expansion, Scher has helped "navigate some of the most complex business, economic and geopolitical events of our time."
Why it matters: Trump's deployment of National Guard troops to several cities has been slowed or temporarily blocked by judges. The Insurrection Act would help him effectively bypass the court rulings by tapping authority scholars have warned is overly broad and ripe for misuse.
President Trump met Tuesday with his top national security team to discuss the progress of the Gaza negotiations before his envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner departed for Egypt, two sources with knowledge tell Axios.
Why it matters: Trump and his team are pushing hard for both Israel and Hamas to conclude their negotiations within days and agree on a deal that would free the remaining hostages and end a war that has now crossed the two-year mark.
Rep. Jared Golden (D-Maine) raised $1 million in the third quarter of 2025, with $1.65 million cash on hand at the beginning of October, according to his campaign.
Why it matters: Golden, who represents a district President Trump won by 10 percentage points in 2024 and frequently votes with him, is among the most vulnerable House Democratic incumbents.
Almost one in five U.S. homes — worth around $8 trillion — are at severe or extreme risk from hurricane wind damage, according to a Realtor.com analysis.
The analysis also found that roughly 6.1% of homes (worth around $3.4 trillion) are at severe or extreme risk of flood damage and 5.6% ($3.2 trillion) from fire.
Why it matters: Climate change is intensifying extreme weather — hiking home insurance premiums in especially storm-prone areas and driving some insurers to retreat.
A scandal over resurfaced texts from Virginia Democratic attorney general candidate Jay Jones has Democrats in a catch-22.
The big picture: A month before Election Day, pushing Jones off the ticket could fracture Democrats' chances in a pivotal statewide race seen as a bellwether for next year.
But standing by him risks reinforcing Republican attacks about double standards on political violence.
Furloughed federal workers aren't guaranteed compensation for their forced time off during the government shutdown, according to a draft White House memo described to Axios by three sources.
Why it matters: If the White House acts on that legal analysis, it would dramatically escalate President Trump's pressure on Senate Democrats to end the week-old shutdown by denying back pay to as many as 750,000 federal workers after the shutdown.
Flights at major U.S. airports were delayed amid staffing issues on Monday night, hours after Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy reported an uptick in air traffic controllers calling in sick since the government shutdown began.
Why it matters: The disruptions were affecting airports in the Los Angeles-area, Newark and Denver. But there are concerns the situation could escalate like during the 2019 shutdown, when severe strains on U.S. air travel helped push President Trump to end it after 35 days.
Napheesa Collier canceled her scheduled meeting with WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert due to what she sees as a "lack of accountability" in her recent statements to the media, the Minnesota Lynx star told Axios on Monday evening.
The latest: Collier said she opted out of speaking with Engelbert after the WNBA commissioner denied telling her in a private conversation last week that Caitlin Clark and other players should be "grateful" for the platform the league has given them.
President Trump announced the U.S. will take a 10% stake in Canadian minerals explorer Trilogy Metals and ordered the approval of a permit for a mining road in northwest Alaska.
Why it matters: Interior Secretary Doug Burgum told reporters the moves will unlock "all of the minerals that we need to win the AI arms race against China," which dominates in the processing of metals.
President Trump suggested Monday he may use the Insurrection Act if courts continue to bar him from deploying the National Guard to cities across the U.S.
Why it matters: Trump would be the first president in more than 60 years to use the 1807 Act that allows the deployment of U.S. troops to quell domestic unrest without state approval.
Congressional leadersare not talking to each other during this government shutdown, but they're being extra chatty on the airwaves — especially House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.).
Why it matters: Both sides are adamant the other party is to blame for the shutdown. Convincing the American public is the best leverage any leader can have for shutdown-ending negotiations.
Ohio gubernatorial candidate Vivek Ramaswamy on Tuesday plans to call on the GOP to embrace a less overtly belligerent and oppositional posture, Axios has learned.
Why it matters: Ramaswamy's approach is a sharp break from some prominent conservatives who, in the wake of conservative activist Charlie Kirk's assassination, have called for a clampdown on what they describe as a violent left.
House Speaker Mike Johnson's decision to keep his chamber on recess during the government shutdown is stalling a long-awaited vote on releasing the Jeffrey Epstein files.
Why it matters: The delay of Rep. Thomas Massie's (R-Ky.) discharge petition has fueled frustration among Democrats, and even some Republicans, who argue Johnson is keeping lawmakers out of town to avoid the politically charged vote.
