The Democratic National Committee on Wednesday sent a cease-and-desist letter alleging a super PAC is "exploiting the goodwill of Democratic voters for personal profit."
Why it matters: It's part of the DNC's larger campaign to root out PACs and super PACs that raise money in the name of the Democratic Party, but often don't invest a lot of their money in Democratic candidates.
The Supreme Court on Wednesday seemed open to weakening, or even killing, a key part of the Voting Rights Act.
Why it matters: The high court could limit Section 2 of the landmark 1965 law, which has historically preserved and expanded the political power of Black Americans.
President Trump said Wednesday he authorized the CIA to secretly conduct operations in Venezuela, including possible strikes against drug cartels.
Why it matters: The announcement follows rising tensions with Venezuela's authoritarian leader, Nicolás Maduro, as the U.S. military targets boats allegedly carrying drugs.
Nearly every Pentagon reporter from almost every major media outlet in America turned in their press badges Thursday, after refusing to endorse the Defense Department's new rules that they say would make it impossible to do their jobs independently.
Key Senate Republicans pressed U.S. trade representative Jamieson Greer about struggling soybean farmers as President Trump moves forward with a bailout for Argentina.
Why it matters: Trump's now-$40-billion bailout for Argentina is exacerbating GOP trade war fears.
The Supreme Court seemed inclined Wednesday to at least chip away at — and maybe to fully scrap — a key tenet of the Voting Rights Act.
The big picture: The court's conservative majority questioned whether some efforts to increase the voting power of Black people and other minority populations might be unconstitutional.
MAGA voices are heralding the newly minted ceasefire and hostage deal in Gaza as a victory not just for President Trump, but for the America First cause.
Why it matters: For MAGA, Monday's historic images are the best argument yet against opponents who cast their movement as a medley of blundering isolationists incapable of getting a complex foreign policy win.
Trump administration officials and Republican lawmakers are escalating blame for the government shutdown on Saturday's No Kings protests.
Why it matters: The Trump administration has used the funding gap to gut agencies it labels "Democrat" and is now blaming protesters even as Republicans control Congress and the White House.
The White House threatened to fire thousands more federal employees Wednesday, and rolled out new hiring standards for those who'll replace them — then a judge issued an order complicating the whole process.
Why it matters: President Trump is using the government shutdown to further his push to completely upend the federal workforce.
The largest federation of labor unions representing nearly 15 million Americans launched the first comprehensive agenda for a future fueled by "worker-centered" artificial intelligenceon Wednesday, promoting what they say are benefits for everyone, "not just tech billionaires and corporate shareholders."
Why it matters: Deemed the "Workers First Initiative on AI," the federation warns of the looming worker bloodbath many leaders in AI have predicted, and proposes a list of principles that would protect workers rights if implemented.
House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.), pressed about the protective order a judge granted against Rep. Cory Mills (R-Fla.), urged reporters to "talk about something serious" instead.
Why it matters: A Florida judge on Tuesday issued the order after a former girlfriend accused Mills of threatening to release sexually explicit photos and videos of her — allegations that add to a pattern of reported domestic violence accusations against the Florida Republican.
Vice President JD Vance and members of the Trump family will join Turning Point USA's campus tour, the group announced Wednesday.
Why it matters: The announcement underscores the alliance between TPUSA and MAGA heavy hitters as the group moves forward after founder Charlie Kirk's assassination last month.
The U.S. Border Patrol shared — then later deleted — a reel on its Instagram page using lyrics from a Michael Jackson song that featured an antisemitic slur.
The big picture: Government social media pages under Trump 2.0 increasingly draw from right-wingmeme pages,using racist language and xenophobic tropes to drive engagement.
The U.S. is working on a multibillion-dollar rescue plan for Argentina funded by the private sector, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent told a group of reporters on Wednesday.
Why it matters: Bessent said the $20 billion facility — aimed at shoring up Argentina's debt market — would work alongside the Trump administration's measures announced last week.
U.S. banking regulators have given conditional approval to a new digital bank co-founded by Palmer Luckey and backed by Peter Thiel.
Why it matters: The swift approval for Erebor — only four months after its application for a banking charter was submitted — illustrates the Trump administration's light touch on banking regulation.
MAGA influencers raged against "The View" this week as host Alyssa Farah Griffin breaks her promise to wear a MAGA hat on air.
The big picture: Though MAGA figures have long criticized "The View" — especially after it hired Griffin, a former aide to President Trump, as the show's lone conservative voice — they've seen the possibility of her wearing a MAGA hat as a potential cultural win.
Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) accused his Democratic colleagues of "storming" his office after dozens marched to his Capitol suite Tuesday night demanding he swear in Rep.-elect Adelita Grijalva (D-Ariz.).
Why it matters: Tensions have gotten high on Capitol Hill as the government shutdown enters its third week, even as Johnson has moved to keep lawmakers out of town for the last month.
U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer said that China's plans for harsh export controls risk violating a trade pact struck earlier this year, as Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent warned "they can't be trusted."
Why it matters: The Trump administration is signaling a new flare in the U.S.-China trade war, with higher import taxes on the horizon without a new truce in tensions.
The Associated Press will provide its U.S. election results data to ABC News, CBS News, NBC News, Fox News and CNN on election night, the not-for-profit news organization said Wednesday.
Why it matters: The 2026 midterms and 2028 presidential election will be the first time since 2016 that all of the major broadcast networks, and most of the major cable networks, will use the same data vendor to inform their election coverage.
There is a "clever and generous" bailout coming for farmers as soon as the government shutdown ends, National Economic Council director Kevin Hassett said at an Axios News Shapers event on Wednesday.
Why it matters: The trade war has crushed the farm community, especially soybean farmers, who've seen their top export market — China — close completely.
Families across Israel — and beyond — have waited for more than 700 days for the return of their loved ones whose remains are still held in Gaza.
The big picture: Under the ceasefire agreement, Hamas is required to hand over the bodies of more than two dozen deceased hostages. However, they have claimed they don't know where all the remains are, setting the stage for the first test of the fragile peace deal, Axios' Barak Ravid reports.
CINCINNATI — GE Aerospace CEO Larry Culp announced at an Axios event on Tuesday that the GE Aerospace Foundation is launching a $30-million, five-year workforce skills training program aimed at helping revitalize U.S. manufacturing.
Why it matters: It's part of the global aerospace giant's effort to close the gap between the number of manufacturing jobs that employers are creating in America, and the workers who have the necessary skills.
Democrats in Congress say President Trump's methods for paying military service members and funding food stamps for vulnerable communities are clearly illegal. But they're not keen to fight him on it.
Why it matters: It's a rare instance where Trump is going mostly unchallenged as he ignores Congress' constitutional role in controlling federal spending.
Democrat Richard Ojeda has raised nearly $1.2 million in his long-shot bid to unseat National Republican Congressional Committee chair Richard Hudson (R-N.C.), Axios has learned.
Why it matters: It's an eye-popping sum for a non-incumbent Democrat challenging a senior Republican in a solidly conservative seat.
The most expensive political ad campaign of the year is being run by the Department of Homeland Security.
Why it matters: DHS disputes that its ads are political. But it has spent at least $51 million this year on ads thanking President Trump for securing the border, according to AdImpact.
Racist language allegedly used by leaders of Young Republican groups in leaked chats drew widespread condemnation from both sides of the political aisle Tuesday and prompted the national youth organization to demand the resignations of those involved.
The big picture: Young Republican leaders exchanged over seven months more than 28,000 offensive messages with racist, sexist, antisemitic and violent language and praise for Hitler in chats on Telegram, Politico reported Tuesday.
The planned transfer of downtown Miami land for President Trump's future presidential library was temporarily blocked by a Florida judge on Tuesday.
The big picture: Marvin Dunn, a Miami historian and activist, filed a lawsuit saying the public should have been more involved in the process that saw Miami-Dade College transfer ownership of the 2.63-acre property that has an estimated value of $67 million to the state, which donated it for Florida's first presidential library.
Sen. Jon Husted (R-Ohio) has won the backing of International Union of Operating Engineers Local 66, giving him his third labor endorsement from a group that supported former Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio) in 2024.
Why it matters: Both candidates are courting the labor vote in the 2026 Ohio Senate race as if their political lives depend on it.
