President Trump claimed on Tuesday that the U.S. would be "virtually defenseless" against other nations if the Supreme Court strikes down a slew of tariffs.
Why it matters: Trump's comments come just one day before the highest court will hear oral arguments challenging the legality of a key part of his economic agenda.
A federal judge on Tuesday said he'd need another day to rule on reforming conditions at the federal immigration processing facility in Broadview, a suburb of Chicago.
Why it matters: Accountability and transparency questions about the windowless facility have driven high-profile demonstrations by non-violent protesters and failed attempts by members of Congress to enter for months.
The FBI Agents Association issued a scathing rebuke against Director Kash Patel on Tuesday, calling his recent firings and reinstatements of several agents "erratic and arbitrary retribution."
Why it matters: The association — which represents 14,000 agents, including over 90% of all active agents — joined a long list of federal personnel condemning the Justice Departments' ongoing personnel purge as the administration seeks to target President Trump'sperceived enemies.
The House Freedom Caucus unanimously backed a year-long continuing resolution Tuesday, just as the Senate looks poised to move on a short-term measure to end the 35-day government shutdown.
Why it matters: Leaders in both the House and Senate are pushing for a CR into next year, likely January. A year-long CR would be loathed by appropriators, who want a shorter measure to allow for passage of full-year spending bills
Former Vice President Dick Cheney was at the center of foreign policy debates in every Republican administration from Gerald Ford to George W. Bush, but virtually no one in today's GOP would openly associate themselves with his worldview.
The big picture:Cheney, who died Monday at 84, will be remembered as one of the driving forces behind the decision to invade Iraq in 2003. He continued to insist the invasion was "the right thing to do" as recently as 2018, but a vanishingly small number of active politicians from either party agree.
CBS News' sit-down interview with President Trump Sunday night drew a whopping 13.2 million viewers, according to preliminary Nielsen data shared with Axios by a CBS source familiar with the figures.
Why it matters: It marks the highest-rated "60 Minutes" episode since Jan. 10, 2021.
A majority of voters blame President Trump for rising prices, according to a recent poll, marking a possible midterm warning sign for Republicans.
The big picture: The cost of living is top of mind for Americans one year out from the 2026 election, which is set to serve as a major referendum on Trump's second-term agenda.
President Trump said food benefits will only get paid once the shutdown ends, in a post on Truth Social Tuesday morning.
Why it matters: The post appears to defy two federal courts that ruled last week the White House must pay at least partial Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits even in a shutdown.
President Trump's Truth Social demands to end the filibuster are just a hint of his coming rampage if Senate Republicans hold out against him, advisers tell Axios.
Why it matters: Most Senate Republicans have no interest in nuking the filibuster. But Trump's frustration is the first clear sign that the shutdown, which becomes a record on Wednesday, is getting to him.
Why it matters: Frontrunner Zohran Mamdani (D) has led former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo in recent opinion polls in the closely watched contest. A win for Mamdani, a Democratic socialist, would signal a generational and ideological shift that could reverberate beyond the Big Apple.
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) on Tuesday signaled he is willing to walk back his pre-shutdown demand for an "ironclad" deal on Affordable Care Act subsidies in exchange for funding the government.
Why it matters: It is the latest sign of a breakthrough as bipartisan Senate negotiations around ending the shutdown show signs of momentum.
Election results will roll in at different times tonight and into tomorrow as key races unfold across the country.
Why it matters: Tuesday night's elections are expected to be a referendum on President Trump's first few months in office and a potential sign of what's to come in the 2026 midterms.
The Department of Transportation may shut down airspace in parts of the country next week if the government shutdown doesn't end, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said on Tuesday.
Why it matters: Duffy has alluded to shutting down or limiting flights multiple times, but this is the first time he's publicly set a deadline on his claims, potentially applying pressure toward a shutdown resolution.
President Trump attacked Jewish supporters of Democratic New York City mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani on Tuesday, calling them "stupid" in a last-minute push to influence Election Day turnout.
Why it matters: Trump has a history of insulting Jewish Democrats for their beliefs, making comments that some civil rights groups allege are antisemitic.
Election officials across the U.S. are heading into their first votes in years without the level of federal support they've come to rely on.
The big picture: Federal agencies monitored both cyber and physical threats to elections over the past decade and built trust with local election officials.
Former Vice President Dick Cheney, 84, died Monday from complications of pneumonia and cardiac and vascular disease, his family announced.
The big picture: Cheney, who served under former President George W. Bush, redefined the role of vice president into one of the most powerful in Washington.
From a Republican stalwart who redefined the vice presidency to an outspoken MAGA opponent, Dick Cheney's impact on American politics spanned decades.
The big picture: A polarizing force in the "war on terror," he expanded the reach of his office in the wake of the country's deadliest terrorist attack and helped drive the costly, unpopular Iraq War built on faulty intelligence.
Layoffs are never a painless exercise, but the Trump administration's effort to fire federal workers while the government is shut down is driving confusion and chaos beyond a typical termination, court filings show.
Why it matters: Documents from a federal court case challenging shutdown firings detail an unusual mess in the latest setback for federal workers this year.
The contours of a three-legged plan to end the government shutdown came into sharper focus on Monday, senators and aides told Axios.
Why it matters: Two of the plan's three pillars — a vote on Affordable Care Act tax credits and a new short-term funding bill — include significant question marks. But the optimism was unmistakable.
Jake Sullivan, President Biden's national security adviser, and his former deputy Jon Finer will be out Friday with a new weekly show — "The Long Game" — to "bring the President's Daily Brief to podcast form."
Why it matters: The video podcast, published by Vox Media, draws on the duo's decades of experience shaping U.S. foreign policy under Presidents Biden and Obama.
Bill Gates on Monday night defended criticism from all sides about his controversial memo calling for a shift to prioritizing human welfare in climate debates.
Why it matters: Gates' response to the widespread and polarizing reactions to his own shifting positions shows the high stakes of this debate and his influence as a major funder of both climate and public health initiatives.
Homicide rates continued to decline in major U.S. cities — by more than 40% in some communities — during the first nine months of the year, according to new data reviewed by Axios.
Why it matters: President Trump has sent, or threatened to send, National Guard troops to what he calls "hellhole" cities to fight escalating crime. But the latest numbers show homicides in several of those cities — namely D.C., Memphis, Chicago and Portland, Ore. — are dropping dramatically.
President Trump endorsed Andrew Cuomo in the New York City mayor's race and urged New Yorkers not to vote for front-runner Zohran Mamdani in a post on Monday — the eve of the NYC general election.
What he's saying: "A vote for [Republican candidate] Curtis Sliwa (who looks much better without the beret!) is a vote for Mamdani," Trump said on Truth Social. "Whether you personally like Andrew Cuomo or not, you really have no choice. You must vote for him, and hope he does a fantastic job. He is capable of it, Mamdani is not!"
A tense moment from President Trump's "60 Minutes" interview involving questioning on crypto corruption accusations that was cut from the show has been revealed in the full transcript that CBS published online.
Why it matters: The segment that was edited out of both the 28-minute show that aired Sunday and the extended version prompted Democrats to suggest that the FCC should investigate the cut for possible "news distortion" — a nod to Trump's since-settled lawsuit over the show's editing of an interview with then-Vice President Harris.
