Black and Latino Americans are reporting record levels of alienation and pessimism about the nation's direction, as President Trump tightens his focus on immigration enforcement and civil rights rollbacks, per a new poll.
Why it matters: More Latinos and Black voters supported Trump in 2024 than in his two previous presidential runs, but early into his second term the sense of exclusion has deepened among communities of color.
Sen. Bernie Sanders believes Kamala Harris lost last year's election because she was scared of offending big businesses and corporations, he said in a new interview for "The Axios Show."
"I think it's very hard to say that Kamala Harris ran a campaign that spoke to the needs of the working class and was prepared to take on corporate greed and the oligarchs," Sanders said.
Why it matters: It's the latest salvo in the fight within the Democratic Party over why Donald Trump won in 2024 and what Democrats should do going forward.
The world's largest aircraft carrier, the USS Gerald R. Ford, has been deployed to the waters off Latin America just hours after Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth confirmed a tenth U.S. strike against a vessel allegedly carrying drugs.
The big picture: According to chief Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell, the carrier and its accompanying carrier air wing is traveling to the U.S. Southern Command's "area of responsibility."
House lawmakers have met and voted just 87 days so far in 2025, fewer than every non-election year over the last two decades except 2021, when a global pandemic forced Americans to socially distance and stay home.
Why it matters: House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) has turned distance into a governing tool, keeping lawmakers out of D.C. when tensions flare or policy stalls.
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) on Fridayendorsed Zohran Mamdani for New York City mayor after months of declining to weigh in on the race.
Why it matters: Jeffries' foot dragging created a rift between him and his left flank, with some progressive members privately grumbling and several Democratic candidates even citing it as their reason for not supporting him as leader.
The Department of Homeland Security has identified Liberia as the latest country willing to accept Kilmar Abrego Garcia for deportation, according to a Friday court filing.
The big picture: It's the Trump administration's latest effort to deport the Maryland resident — who was mistakenly sent to El Salvador and held in the country's CECOT mega-prison earlier this year — despite a 2019 court order barring his removal there.
The DOJ previously tried deporting Abrego Garcia to Uganda, Eswatini and Ghana, but none of the countries agreed to take him.
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) on Friday shrugged off Axios' reporting that New York City Council member Chi Ossé is considering a primary challenge against him.
What they're saying: "If you ask me a serious question, I'll give you a serious answer," Jeffries told Axios when asked about Ossé during a brief interview at the U.S. Capitol.
The Treasury Department imposed sanctions Friday on Colombian President Gustavo Petro, along with his wife and son, as well as the country's interior minister.
Why it matters: The U.S. is quickly escalating its fight with Colombia, days after President Trump threatened tariffs and military action against the country.
About 658,000 civilian employees at the Departments of Defense, Health and Human Services and Veterans Affairs missed their first full paycheck on Friday, markingthe latest grim milestone of the government shutdown that has no end in sight.
Why it matters: In a year of mass layoffs, the shutdown's furloughs and now missed pay are another low for beleaguered federal workers.
The Agriculture Department says it can't use contingency funds to pay for food stamps during the government shutdown — and that states won't be reimbursed if they cover the expenses on their own, according to a new memo obtained by Axios.
Why it matters: Starting next month, about 42 million low-income people won't get Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits if Congress doesn't agree to a deal to fund and reopen government.
New York Attorney General Letitia James pleaded not guilty on Friday morning to federal bank fraud charges.
Why it matters: President Trump publicly demanded James' prosecution, and went as far as pressuring a federal prosecutor to leave his job after he refused to pursue charges. James has called the case "baseless" and motivated by political retribution over the civil fraud case she brought against Trump.
Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) said his office is "going to get involved" with billionaire sports owners making games unaffordable for many families, during a conversation with Axios' Alex Thompson on the fourth episode of "The Axios Show."
Sanders didn't explain further, and spokesperson Anna Bahr declined to comment when asked.
Whatever political opposition existed around restricting drug prices through government intervention — and there was quite a lot not so long ago — seems to have largely disappeared.
BHP, operator of the world's largest copper mine, sees a bright future for AI improving the industry — but cautions that it's early days, a top executive tells Axios.
Why it matters: BHP Americas President Brandon Craig's comments show how the huge, capital-intensive sector hopes to harness AI amid rising demand for key commodities.
Sen. Bernie Sanders blasted AIPAC and Israel's right-wing government, accusing the powerful pro-Israel lobbying group of using billionaires' money to silence U.S. progressives and shield Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu over the war in Gaza.
"What makes AIPAC unique is that they're [an] oligarchy by billionaires ... who fight to maintain the status quo," Sanders (I-Vt.) tells Axios' Alex Thompson on "The Axios Show."
Why it matters: The criticism by Sanders, one of the U.S. Senate's most prominent Jewish voices, reflects a deepening split in the Democratic Partyover U.S. support for Israel — and the divide between the party's establishment and progressives like Sanders.
Good news:U.S. tech companies are attacking the AI race like a modern Manhattan Project — spending unfathomable money and time to beat China to superintelligence.
Bad news: The U.S. government, even if it weren't shut down, is doing nothing to prepare Americans for the coming, in some areas already-unfolding, economic and jobs shock.
Why it matters: The gap between the AI giants, employees and investors and ordinary Americans is growing by the month. This gap, if it persists, will increasingly define American political debate in the coming months and years.
Inside the room: Sanders told Axios' Alex Thompson that President Trump's political success and 2024 victory stem from his understanding that voters are unhappy with the status quo — which Democrats have failed to connect with Americans on.
Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) thinks the government should break up OpenAI, he told Axios' Alex Thompson on "The Axios Show."
Why it matters: OpenAI is making a bid for total tech supremacy with new products like its web browser and social media app, bringing it closer to the same antitrust territory that has haunted Microsoft and Google for decades.
Government employees around the world are using generative AI mostly for content creation and analysis, per new data shared first with Axios.
The big picture: Apolitical, a global network for government employees, analyzed hundreds of AI projects from nine countries: Australia, Denmark, Finland, Germany, Netherlands, Singapore, South Korea, the U.K. and the U.S.
Joe Lonsdale, one of President Trump's loudest and richest supporters, spoke out against yesterday's pardon of crypto billionaire Changpeng "CZ" Zhao, who had been convicted of violating anti-money laundering laws and sentenced to four months in prison.
Why it matters: The call is coming from inside the MAGA house, which is unusual on its own, and reflects quieter complaints about the Trump family's crypto empire.
Senate Democrats are moving to officially condemn President Trump's pardon of Changpeng Zhao, better known as CZ, the founder of crypto exchange Binance, Axios has learned.
Why it matters: Some Senate Republicans have already criticized the pardon, with Democrats eyeing rare bipartisan pushback against the White House.
After protesters got within a few feet of President Trump at a D.C. restaurant last month, his team was so alarmed it had a tense talk with Secret Service officials about Trump's security, Axios has learned.
Trump rarely makes such unannounced appearances in D.C., but top advisers say the Sept. 9 incident at Joe's, a seafood restaurant near the White House, has made surprise pop-ins by Trump much less likely.
They also remain suspicious about how protesters from the group Code Pink knew he would be at the restaurant that night.
Why it matters: The episode illustrates how Trump's security remains a major — and especially sensitive — concern 15 months after he narrowly escaped an assassination attempt while campaigning in Butler, Pa.
A D.C. man filed a lawsuit Thursday claiming he was detained for playing Darth Vader's theme from the "Star Wars" while protesting National Guard troops patrolling the city during President Trump's crime crackdown.
The big picture: The American Civil Liberties Union filed the suit on behalf of Sam O'Hara against four Metropolitan Police Department officers and a member of the Ohio National Guard seeking damages for alleged First and Fourth Amendment violations, false arrest/imprisonment; battery.
Former President Reagan's foundation said Thursday night it's "reviewing legal options" after Canada's Ontario provincial government "created an ad campaign against tariffs "using selective audio and video" of a 1987 address by the late president.
Why it matters: The announcement prompted President Trump to abruptly terminate all trade talks with Canadian officials and accuse Canada of trying to interfere in a case challenging his tariffs that's before the U.S. Supreme Court.
President Trump said he's ended trade talks with Canada over a TV ad that's running in the province of Ontario, which he claimed "fraudulently" featured the late President Reagan "speaking negatively" about tariffs.
The big picture: Trump accused Canadian officials of trying to interfere in a legal challenge to his tariffs that's before the U.S. Supreme Court with the anti-tariffs ad that Reagan's foundation said misrepresented a 1987 address on free trade by the former president. The foundation said it's reviewing its legal options.
Major airports in New York, D.C., New Jersey and Texas were hit by flight delays and ground stops due to air traffic control staffing issues on Thursday as the government shutdown lingered into a 23rd day.
The big picture: The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) issued ground stops for LaGuardia, Houston Bush, Newark and Reagan airports amid Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy's warning that air traffic controllers will miss paychecks next week due to the ongoing government shutdown.
Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine.) is getting more air support during the government shutdown, with a new $250,000 digital ad buy from a 501(c)(4) aligned with Senate Majority Whip John Barrasso (R-Wyo.).
Why it matters: The latest pro-Collins campaign comes as Maine Democrats are engaged in the early stages of a tough primary between Gov. Janet Mills and Graham Platner.
The White House is using a government web page to troll Democrats including former President Obama, as President Trump faces backlash over the demolition of the East Wing for his $300 million ballroom project.
The big picture: Officials added a "Major Events Timeline" to the "about the White House" page featuring sections that appear to mock Obama and former Presidents Clinton and Biden, and speculate about cocaine found at the White House in 2023.
