President Trump is hosting a White House dinner with the CEOs of financial giants like JPMorgan Chase and BlackRock on Wednesday night, per news reports.
Why it matters:Trump administration policies have so far been a boon for Wall Street, not so much for Main Street, as concerns mount over affordability, housing and jobs.
Catch up quick: Co-founders Guinevere de la Mare and Laura Gluhanich launched the Silent Book Club in San Francisco more than a decade ago.
What began as two friends reading at a bar has grown into more than 2,000 chapters in 62 countries. (Find your local chapter here.)
By the numbers: Eventbrite says silent book club events in the U.S. are up 44% from last year.
What they're saying: "It became this really lovely little escape pod where you could put down your devices, and you could focus on books and human interaction," de la Mare tells Axios.
Some of the biggest "Epstein files" fire-breathers from recent years were silent Wednesday after Democrats released a trove of new emails that included mentions of President Trump.
Why it matters: What started as a conspiracy-laden search for answers against the deep state has turned (for some) into a defensive posture to protect Trump from two of the right's biggest bogeymen — Democrats, and the media.
The White House is reportedly eyeing new limits on shareholder advisory services — and investors have recently tuned the services out on major votes.
Why it matters: Pressure is mounting on firms like Institutional Shareholder Services (ISS) and Glass Lewis, which have long played influential roles in stockholder votes on issues like executive pay, board seats and corporate resolutions.
The House will move to repeal a provision in the government funding package that allows senators to sue the government for up to $500,000 if their electronic records are obtained without their knowledge.
Why it matters: Senate GOP leadership was able to tuck the provision into the funding package they passed this week, but House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) indicated Wednesday that the House will act to reverse it.
District Judge Jeffrey Cummings on Wednesday afternoon ordered the release of at least 313 people detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement between June and early October.
Why it matters: This outcome, in response toa lawsuit filed by the ACLU of Illinois and the National Immigrant Justice Center, validates some of the recent accusations of ICE violations and could create a template for other legal action across the country.
President Trump has no plans to pardon Ghislaine Maxwell, the central figure in the Jeffrey Epstein case and convicted sex offender serving a 20-year prison sentence, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said Wednesday.
The big picture: The comment comes as Rep.-elect Adelita Grijalva's (D-Ariz.) is set to be sworn in Wednesday evening — coinciding with a House vote to end the government shutdown — which would give the petition to release the Epstein files enough signatures to set the bipartisan push in motion.
President Trump and his team have been working to get GOP Reps. Lauren Boebert (Colo.) and Nancy Mace (S.C.) to remove their names from a discharge petition that would force the release of the Jeffrey Epstein files, Axios has learned.
Why it matters: On Wednesday, the petition will hit the critical 218 signatures needed to force what would be a politically tough vote for House Republicans.
Fewer Republicans and independents approve of President Trump's management of the federal government than earlier in his term, according to an AP-NORC poll of 1,143 adults published Wednesday.
Why it matters: Trump and Republicans have blamed Democrats for the six-week long government shutdown. While a Senate-approved agreement to end the shutdown is poised for a House vote, U.S. adults are assigning fault to the GOP as well.
Congress is poised to pass a spending bill that will end the record-long government shutdown, but there's a catch: it includes a ban on many THC-infused products.
The big picture: A last-minute provision in the bill would re-criminalize many hemp-derived products, reversing their legalization in the 2018 Farm Bill.
Thousands of files related to the Jeffrey Epstein case were released online Wednesday — but there may still be more to come.
Why it matters: Files and documents surrounding the disgraced financier — including a batch that showed emails mentioning President Trump — have been at the center of political discourse all year.
Rep.-elect Adelita Grijalva's (D-Ariz.) long-awaited swearing-in Wednesday could set in motion a months-long bipartisan push to force a vote on releasing the Epstein files — but the bill is not likely to pass the GOP-led Senate.
The big picture: However, the measure has public opinion in its sails: Some three-quarters of Americans want the Epstein files released in full with victims' names removed.
House Democrats have landed on their plan of attack to try to salvage what they see as an inadequate deal to end the government shutdown: A discharge petition on extending their coveted Affordable Care Act tax credits.
Why it matters: The tactic is a long-shot — it will require Republican support that may not materialize — but Democrats see it as their last hope to force a House vote on the issue.
Even after the record-long federal government shutdown ends, flight delays will persist for at least a few days, if not longer.
The big picture: The Federal Aviation Administration started cutting 4% of air traffic at 40 "high-traffic" U.S. airports last week, with the number increasing to 6% on Tuesday and set to reach 10% on Friday.
House Democrats on Wednesday released emails from convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein discussing his relationship with President Trump, something the president has downplayed.
Why it matters: Trump's relationship with Epstein caused a rare break with some in his MAGA base over the summer, though the outrage tapered following the release of Epstein's birthday book.
The U.S. Mint is set to strike the last circulating penny Wednesday afternoon in Philadelphia, officially closing the book on the one-cent coin.
Why it matters: The fallout over the phasing out of penny production is already hitting cash registers across the country, as stores and restaurants run short on change.
A nonprofit linked to a Chuck Schumer-affiliated super PAC is spending $1 million on ads targeting 2026 Senate Republican candidates over looming health insurance premium increases.
Why it matters: Senate Democrats' government shutdown fight over health care costs is over. Now the party is trying to move that fight to the campaign trail.
Private equity once again has prevailed over U.S. antitrust regulators, as a federal judge ruled that GTCR can proceed with its $627 million takeover of medical coatings company Surmodics.
Pete Hegseth is right nowthe belle of the defense acquisitions ball.
Why it matters: The defense secretary's Friday speech — invoking Donald Rumsfeld; roasting the way the U.S. military assesses and purchases weapons; warning that companies unable to modernize will "fade away"; promising to put portions of the Pentagon on a "wartime footing" —was the antithesis of his Quantico rally just weeks ago.
A new digital awakening is unfolding in churches, where pastors and prayer apps are turning to artificial intelligence to reach worshippers, personalize sermons, and power chatbots that resemble God.
Why it matters: AI is helping some churches stay relevant in the face of shrinking staff, empty pews and growing online audiences. But the practice raises new questions about who, or what, is guiding the flock.
Too Good To Go is expanding its partnership with Whole Foods Market, offering a wider variety of discounted food bags at all of the chain's stores, the company exclusively told Axios.
Democrats have already laid the groundwork to not only rebound from their failure to win Affordable Care Act concessions in the government shutdown but hammer Republicans on health care costs far beyond the ACA markets.
Why it matters: In a political climate where pocketbook issues are front-and-center, Democrats think the more health care cost issues they can pin on Republicans, the better.
Pennsylvania Sen. John Fetterman in his new memoir criticizes his state's governor, Josh Shapiro, as too focused on "political ambition," arguing that Shapiro has taken a particularly harsh approach to criminal justice because of his aspirations.
Why it matters: Shapiro, a popular first-term Democrat, is facing reelection next year and is widely seen as a likely candidate for president in 2028.
U.S. and Saudi officials have been holding intense negotiations to finalize a broad set of agreements, including a defense pact, ahead of next week's White House visit by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (MBS), U.S. officials tell Axios.
Those meetings include a previously unreported visit by Jared Kushner to Riyadh over the weekend to meet MBS.
Why it matters: The planned Oval Office meeting with President Trump will be MBS' first visit to the U.S. since the 2018 murder of Jamal Khashoggi, which U.S. intelligence assessed he approved.
President Trump said in a Fox News interview that aired Tuesday evening H-1B skilled worker visas are necessary because "you don't have certain talents" in the U.S.
Why it matters: H-1B visas have divided MAGA world, with business leaders like Elon Musk saying they're vital to U.S. tech dominance, but Fox News' Laura Ingraham raised with Trump the concern that the scheme risks displacing American employees with foreign workers.
Global oil and gas demand is projected to keep rising through 2050 under nations' current policies despite growth in renewables and electric cars, the International Energy Agency said.
Why it matters:IEA's latest World Energy Outlook — released early Wednesday — could influence policymakers, C-suites, investors, academics and anyone else trying to understand where the energy mix might head.
Jack Schlossberg, President John F. Kennedy's only grandson, is running for Congress in New York — launching a campaign to replace retiring Rep. Jerry Nadler (D-N.Y.), he announced Tuesday.
The big picture: The writer and high-profile Democrat is set to join a crowded primary race after forming an exploratory committee in September on running for the New York U.S. congressional seat, with nonprofit CEO Liam Elkind and state Assemblyman Micah Lasher already announcing bids.
California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) criticized President Trump at COP30 on Tuesday for being absent from the UN summit in Belém, Brazil, and called his rejection of climate policy an "abomination."
The big picture: Newsom, who's expected to run for president in 2028, said during a ministerial meeting that he's "very mindful that the Trump administration has abandoned any sense of duty, responsibility or leadership as it relates to the issues that bring us all here together" at COP30.
House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) has finally set a date to swear in Rep-elect Adelita Grijalva (D-Ariz.), weeks after she was elected to her seat, his office announced Tuesday.
Why it matters: The development marks the end of a 50-day-long standoff between Johnson and Democrats, who accused the House speaker of dragging his feet to prevent a vote on releasing the Epstein files.
The Supreme Court on Tuesday extended an order allowing the Trump administration to temporarily block full payments of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program known as SNAP during the record shutdown.
Why it matters: The decision that continues the freeze of a lower court order for the administration to pay some 42 million Americans who rely on the program until 11:59p.m. Thursday comes as House members prepare to vote as early as Wednesday on a Senate-passed bill to reopen the government.
