John Brennan, who was CIA director under Obama, was referred to the Justice Department Tuesday by House Judiciary Chair Jim Jordan (R-Ohio), who accused him of lying to Congress about the Steele dossier.
Why it matters: The recommendation is a high-profile effort by House Republicans to prosecute a former intelligence official, aligning with President Trump's broader goals to legally target his political enemies.
Paul Ingrassia withdrew himself from consideration to serve as the head of the Office of the Special Counsel ahead of a scheduled Thursday hearing after several GOP senators warned they would vote against him.
Why it matters: Ingrassia's history of controversial statements — compounded by new reporting of racist text messages — even made some of President Trump's close allies on the Hill unwilling to back him.
Three bills designed to ramp up pressure on Russia are teed up to pass the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations on Wednesday, according to lawmakers and aides.
Why it matters: The committee action will coincide with a last-minute visit to Washington by NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, who will meet Wednesday with President Trump as well as key lawmakers.
Pentagon staffers will now need to get prior approval before sharing any information with Congress, according to a new memo from Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth and his deputy that Axios reviewed.
Democrats are escalating their pressure on House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) to seat Rep-elect Adelita Grijalva (D-Ariz.), with one group demanding he at least provide a timeline on when she will be sworn in, Axios has learned.
Why it matters: Democrats say the delay is beginning to seriously hurt Grijalva's constituents, with the Arizona attorney general's office following through on a threat to sue Johnson to try to force his hand.
Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes and U.S. Rep.-elect Adelita Grijalva sued the U.S. House on Tuesday over Speaker Mike Johnson's ongoing refusal to swear in Grijalva as the state's newest member of Congress.
Why it matters: Residents of the southern Arizona-based 7th Congressional District have been without representation since former U.S. Rep. Raúl Grijalva died in March after 22 years in office.
Elon Musk is publicly brawling with the Trump administration again — this time with Transportation Secretary and acting NASA Administrator Sean Duffy.
The big picture: Musk's criticisms came as Duffy suggested this week that Musk's SpaceX was behind on its obligations to send U.S. astronauts to the moon.
Before his reelection,Donald Trump wanted the Justice Department to pay him as much as $230 million in damages for past investigations — a demand that was going nowhere until Trump blurted out a vague reference to it last week, top officials tell Axios.
Now its fate is uncertain.
Why it matters: The New York Times, which first reported Trump's demand, pointed out that "any settlement might ultimately be approved by senior department officials who defended him or those in his orbit."
A Jan. 6 rioter who was pardoned by President Trump earlier this year is facing charges of plotting to assassinate House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.).
Zoom in: Christopher Moynihan allegedly said in text messages on Oct. 17 that he would target a speech Jeffries was scheduled to give in New York City, according to a criminal complaint filed in state court.
The sight of bulldozers smashing into the White House's East Wing — almost three weeks into a federal shutdown — is sending shockwaves among certain circles in Washington, with some wondering: Is this even allowed?
Why it matters: President Trump originally claimed his ballroom project wouldn't "interfere" with the current White House structure.
And the $250 million addition — which POTUS is funding — seems to be increasing in scope: Trump said it'll fit 999 people when it's finished by the end of his term, up from original estimates of 650.
NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte is scheduled to meet with President Trump at the White House on Wednesday,according to people familiar with the matter.
Why it matters: After Trump's "tough" meeting with Ukrainian President Zelensky last week, Rutte made preparations to travel to Washington to meet with Trump and members of Congress.
More than 40 Democratic senators, led by Sen. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) asked President Trump to "reinforce" his opposition to Israel annexing parts of the occupied West Bank, according to a letter obtained by Axios.
Why it matters: While Trump told Arab and Muslim leaders several weeks ago he will not allow Israel to annex parts of the West Bank, it was not part of his 20-point peace plan for ending the war in Gaza.
President Trump, long a fan of gold and ornate decorations, has decided to give the White House a grand Mar-a-Lago makeover, complete with a new palatial ballroom with a price tag north of $200 million.
Why it matters: As the White House faces backlash for remodeling the Executive Mansion in Trump's image, its worth noting that the Residence has been a work in progress for over 200 years.
Maine Democratic Senate candidate Graham Platner fended off allegations he harbors racist views aftera video revealed what appears to be a Nazi symbol tattooed on his chest.
Why it matters: Platner drew the backing of Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) as an anti-establishment outsider, but his campaign is already trying to clean up recently resurfaced Reddit posts where he espoused offensive views about Black people and sexual assault victims.
Kenny Loggins' slammed President Trump this week for using "Danger Zone" in an AI-generated video, becoming the latest artist to take issue with Trump using music without permission.
Why it matters: High-profile artists — like The White Stripes, Neil Young, Beyoncé, Foo Fighters and ABBA — have condemned Trump's use of their songs at his campaign rallies or in social media posts.
Union Pacific and Norfolk Southern both have set Nov. 14 for shareholder votes on their $85 billion megamerger, which would create the first U.S. railroad that runs coast-to-coast.
Why it matters: This is a precursor to broader industry consolidation.
President Trump's nominee to head the Office of Special Counsel is in jeopardy after Politico reported he told fellow Republicans in a text chain that he has a "Nazi streak" and that Martin Luther King Jr.'s holiday should be "tossed into the seventh circle of hell."
Why it matters: If enough Senate Republicans join Democrats in opposing Paul Ingrassia's embattled nomination, it could force Trump to withdraw it or face the prospect of an embarrassing defeat.
A veteran team of advocates and wonks is launching a group to win policy changes that make clean energy "the most affordable, reliable, and fastest way to power America's economy," the group exclusively tells Axios.
Why it matters: The group is made up of former top policy and advocacy staff at the Bill Gates-founded group Breakthrough Energy.
A bipartisan group of House lawmakers is urging President Trump to work with Congress on fixing the high-skilled immigration system instead of imposing a fee on new applicants.
Why it matters: The Trump administration's $100,000 fee for every new H1-B visa applicant is poised to hit small tech companies and startups hard, stifling competition and innovation in the U.S.
ABC News' Jonathan Karl reports in "Retribution: Donald Trump and the Campaign That Changed America," out next Tuesday, that Hunter Biden was furious with former President Obama for taking President Biden's hand to lead him off the stage at a Hollywood fundraiser last year.
Why it matters: The snippet went viral, reinforcing the impression that Biden was doddering.
Senate Democrats are launching an effort to repeal a portion of Republicans' budget law that exempts certain "orphan drugs" from Medicare price negotiations, citing estimates that the cost of the carve-out has ballooned.
Why it matters: The measure targets a provision that the biotech industry argues is important for innovation, but that Democrats say is actually a costly handout to major pharmaceutical companies.
MAGA is on a cancellation spree, targeting marquee entertainment and tech companies with boycotts over comments or content the right deems inappropriate or offensive.
Why it matters: The movement is on a crusade to "take back the culture" in a country it views as jolting to the left. Its ability to impose societal penalties on companies it views as pushing that drift will show how much heft the right's campaign has.
Graham Platner, the Maine Democratic Senate candidate backed by Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), wrote in 2020 that he had an "antifa supersoldier" label on his "armor," according to an archived post reviewed by Axios.
Democratic congressional candidates nationwide, feeding off voter fury, are raging against their leadership and vowing to be ruthless.
Why it matters: "I am not a 'when they go low, we go high' [person]. I'm not that kind of girl," Texas state Rep. Jolanda Jones, who is running in a November special election for a safely Democratic U.S. House seat, told Axios about dealing with Republicans.
The U.S. military has killed at least 32 people in seven strikes off the coast of Venezuela without telling Congress or the American people who was killed, or on what evidence.
The big picture: The U.S. is eight weeks into a military campaign in the Caribbean Sea with the twin aims of stopping drugs and, potentially, toppling Venezuelan dictator Nicolás Maduro.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is on a surveillance spending spree:
The agency is using much of its windfall from this summer's One Big Beautiful Bill Act to fund a major expansion of biometric identification, cellphone tracking and other electronic capabilities.
Why it matters: The megabill's $75 billion cash infusion for ICE was sold by Congress as a way to speed up hiring new agents and adding detention space. But ICE is also going big on surveillance.
In his quest to remove the National Guard from D.C. streets, Attorney General Brian Schwalb argues in a new court filing that it appears the troops plan to stay in the city through at least summer of 2026.
Why it matters: The White House hasn't said how long it wants to keep the roughly 2,500 National Guard members in D.C.
President Trump's push to deploy the National Guard across the U.S. as part of his anti-crime crackdown is being challenged in the courts by several Democrat-run cities that he's targeted.
Why it matters: Upcoming rulings could redefine the line between presidential power and state authority during public safety disputes.
The White House paused the judicial nomination of former Florida Deputy Attorney General John Guard due to his involvement with a charity linked to Gov. Ron DeSantis that's under criminal investigation, sources tell Axios.
Why it matters: The White House wants to fill the open judicial seat in the Middle District of Florida, but the sources say the administration doesn't want the headache now that Guard has been subpoenaed.
Sen. Ted Cruz's phone records were subpoenaed as part of then-special counsel Jack Smith's investigations into then-former President Trump, Axios has learned.
Why it matters: Congressional Republicans have demanded investigations over the news that former President Biden's Justice Department obtained and reviewed some lawmakers' call logs.
