Democrats are increasingly losing faith in their party and its leaders — far outpacing Republicans who have doubts about the GOP, according to Pew Research Center data collected before the government shutdown.
The big picture: Democrats' party frustration has risen sharply in recent years, while Republicans' dissatisfaction has eased, underscoring levels of party confidence a year before the 2026 midterm elections.
Staffing shortages at major airports across the country has snarled air travel Sunday after air traffic controllers missed their first paychecks during the ongoing government shutdown.
The big picture: On Friday, the FAA said that nearly 80% of controllers were absent from New York-area facilities and that half of the busiest facilities faced shortages.And Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy warned Sunday that if the shutdown stretches on, it's only going to get worse.
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said the administration could green-light food assistance payouts by Wednesday, after federal courts ordered officials to tap into emergency funds to keep aid flowing.
The big picture: Even if the Trump administration complies with orders to ensure SNAP benefits are at least partially paid, it's still unclear when millions of families will actually receive their aid. And any relief would be a temporary fix under the ongoing government shutdown.
Some portions of the economy are already in a recession, and others could fall into one without more interest rate cuts, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said on CNN Sunday.
Why it matters: For as much as the economy is actually growing — close to 4% by some estimates — the administration continues to use the specter of economic weakness to lean on the Federal Reserve to cut more, faster.
President Trump's MAGA movement is increasingly at war with itself. The central issue: a purity test over MAGA inclusion.
Why it matters: The MAGA fight, ignited by ideological differences over Israel, pulls on a lot of -isms — nativism, antisemitism, racism, sexism and Trumpism.
Top Democrats in Tuesday'selections are moving away from campaigning on the idea of saving democracy, even as President Trump grows bolder about seizing power.
Why it matters: Party officials and strategists tell Axios they're course-correcting after being rejected in the 2024 presidential race by voters who cared more about high prices than Trump's impact on democratic norms.
As the Trump administration deploys creativeways to keep parts of the government open without congressional approval, it runs the risk of colliding again with a 150-year-old legal wall: the Antideficiency Act.
Why it matters: The law bars spending without appropriations and underscores Congress' constitutional control of the purse. Every attempt to stretch the law fuels the broader rise of executive power, the defining trait of Trump's second term.
Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa is planned to visit Washington on November 10 and is expected to meet President Trump at the White House, U.S. envoy to Syria Tom Barrack told Axios.
Why it matters: It will be the first-ever visit by a Syrian president to the White House and another key step in rebuilding U.S.-Syrian relations.
President Trump's political operation is digging into its massive war chest to bankroll a multimillion-dollar voter turnout effort in the final days of the New Jersey and Virginia governor races, Axios has learned.
Each state is getting a $1 million-plus microtargeting effort aimed at Trump supporters and other Republicans who usually skip off-year races.
Why it matters: The White House knows it's much harder to turn out pro-Trump voters and other Republicans when Trump himself isn't on the ballot.
The Democrats running for governor in Virginia and New Jersey have brought in scores of high-profile lawmakers and potential 2028 presidential contenders to campaign for them in the run-up to Tuesday's elections.
But they pointedly haven't invited progressive leaders Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) or Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.), who are two of the most popular figures among Democrats and attract big crowds across the country.
Why it matters: Former Rep. Abigail Spanberger (Virginia) and Rep. Mikie Sherrill (New Jersey) are betting that Sanders and Ocasio-Cortez would turn off independent voters even if they would rally Democrats.
The U.S. Mint has stopped making pennies and the fallout is already hitting cash registers, as stores run short on change.
Why it matters: Roughly 250 billion pennies are still out there — though the American Bankers Association says the issue isn't supply, but circulation, with many coins collecting dust in jars.
Socialism beats capitalism among U.S. college students, in a new Axios-Generation Lab poll.
67% of survey respondents say they hold a positive or neutral association with the word "socialism," compared with 40% with the word "capitalism."
Why it matters: Days before a nationally watched election that could make democratic socialist Zohran Mamdani New York City's next mayor, the survey reveals Gen Z's growing disillusionment with capitalism — fueled by high inflation, surging healthcare and housing costs, and the rising influence of billionaires in politics, tech and media.
The big picture: Millions of people expected to see their Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) delayed for November due to the government shutdown. But a judge's ruling Friday might have changed that.
