The Trump administration directed states last week to "take immediate steps" to ensure households receive full November SNAP benefits, but it's taking a week or longer to actually do so, some state SNAP offices told Axios.
Why it matters: The shutdown's disruption to SNAP has created turmoil for the millions of Americans enrolled in the program, many of whom are still stuck waiting to access their delayed payments.
Forget retaliation: To cut tariffs President Trump imposed on their country, the Swiss sent a delegation of industry tycoons bearing gifts — a special Rolex desktop clock, a 1-kilogram personalized gold bar, and loads of flattery.
Why it matters: Trump loves such pampering, and the word's out among nations and companies seeking his favor. Tributes fit for a king — especially gold — catch his eyes and his heart.
President Trump on Friday directed the Justice Department to investigate Jeffrey Epstein's connections to a number of high-profile people but also set the largest bank in the U.S. in his crosshairs: JPMorgan Chase.
Why it matters: Trump's cited several names — including former President Clinton — that have come under scrutiny for their association with the convicted sex offender, on the heels of House Democrats releasing emails detailing the president's own links to Epstein.
The Transportation Department Friday killed a Biden-era proposal that would have required airlines to compensate passengers for flight delays or cancellations.
The big picture: The scrapped proposal, floated in December, would have required airlines to provide passengers with cash reimbursements, as well as amenities like food, lodging and transportation following significant flight delays.
Indiana won't pursue a new congressional map after all.
Why it matters: President Trump and the White House had put Indiana lawmakers under intense pressure to join the national mid-cycle redistricting war and give the GOP two additional seats in Congress.
A group of Jeffrey Epstein survivors is calling on Congress to release all files and documents related to the investigation into the convicted sex offender.
Why it matters:The letter comes as the House prepares a vote to force the release of the files from the Justice Department's investigation into Epstein, which President Tump has repeatedly called "a hoax."
Republicans are racing to avoid an upset in Tennessee, where Democrats hope President Trump's opposition to releasing the "Epstein files" will help them splinter the conservative vote in a special election on Dec. 2.
Why it matters: Trump won Tennessee's 7th congressional district by 22 percentage points in 2024. Losing the seat — vacated by former Rep. Mark Green — to Democrats would fuel expectations that the party is heading for a tough midterm election.
Convicted sex offender and Jeffrey Epstein co-conspirator Ghislaine Maxwell is planning to file a habeas corpus petition seeking review of her 20-year prison sentence.
The big picture: Maxwell's attorney, Leah Saffian said in a statement Friday that the petition presents new evidence unavailable during Maxwell's 2021 trial, that she claims would have "had a material impact on the trial's outcome."
Top Trump administration health officials came into office alleging that the Food and Drug Administration failed to follow the best science, operated in secrecy and was too beholden to industry.
Such accusations have, if anything, become more frequent since then.
Why it matters: Critics say some of the agency's recent actions have put its status as the world's most respected drug regulator at risk — undermining the administration's stated goals and making it less likely that people will have confidence in its future decisions.
"They made it seem like FDA was a problematic agency that people didn't trust and didn't have confidence in, and that just wasn't the case," said Raymond James analyst Chris Meekins, a health official in the first Trump administration.
"They've created an environment where there's increased uncertainty that's jeopardizing investment and future innovations for patients."
State of play: There has been a lot of FDA news in recent weeks, particularly around the departure of top drug regulator George Tidmarsh amid corruption charges. Tidmarsh has denied the allegations and blamed a toxic culture at the agency.
The common thread is nearly all of the actions have been criticized by experts, watchdog groups or even more traditional conservative allies as deviating from established regulatory or scientific processes, possibly at the risk of undermining public trust in the agency.
One of the recurring criticisms of the agency is that its decision-making has been inconsistent.
"There seems to be an interest in trying to get things done through the least amount of process," said one former FDA official. "All of those things lead to a public perception that the agency is making things up as it goes along."
The FDA has reasons for what it did in the past, and could justifiably be criticized for being being too slow and bureaucratic, said Robert Steinbrook,Health Research Group director at Public Citizen.
"But the underlying processes of reliance on robust clinical trials, usually more than one, and thoughtful internal and external process ... the very fact that you go through an open, public process of questioning and debate, that leads to better decisions," he said.
"The general approach of rushing things, of going first through media and op-eds and television before announcements are made, and to not start with the medical, the specific ... that just does not inspire confidence," Steinbrook added.
And inconsistency itself has been blamed for fostering a climate ofunpredictability for biotech investors and drug companies.
A recent Wall Street Journal editorial blasted the agency's handling of two rare disease drug candidates and accused it of having "arbitrary and shifting standards."
The other side: "No FDA in history has produced so much regulatory innovation in such a short span, or been as transparent with the public. Axios' corporate-funded slop was not built to keep up with the intellectual rigor that embodies today's FDA," HHS Assistant Secretary for Public Affairs Richard Danker said in a statement to Axios.
This is an extraordinarily delicate moment for America's central bank, as a seemingly routine decision — whether to cut interest rates next month — is exposing deep divides and a moment of flux in how the Federal Reserve operates.
The big picture: The immediate question is this: Should the Fed's policy committee cut rates for a third straight meeting in December to guard against further worsening of the job market, as a narrow majority of officials anticipated in September? Or is elevated inflation a more urgent concern?
A majority of U.S. adults oppose the U.S. military killing suspected drug traffickers without judicial process, according to a new Reuters/Ipsos poll released Friday.
Why it matters: The Trump administration has carried out months of extrajudicial killings of dozens of alleged "narco-terrorists" in the Caribbean and East Pacific Ocean. The strikes, which Congress has not authorized, have drawn bipartisan condemnation from lawmakers and Latin American leaders.
The average Seattle-area driver spent 87 hours stuck in traffic last year — a 10-hour increase from 2019, a new report finds.
Why it matters: The findings put some hard data behind a common feeling among many drivers: Traffic has been getting worse — or at least different —since the COVID-19 pandemic.
Artificial intelligence is rewriting the playbook for crime, from cheap deepfake scams and AI-written ransomware to mass identity hijacks and critical-infrastructure hacks.
Why it matters: This new class of AI-supercharged crime is putting lives and financial systems at risk. But police training, laws and cross-border tools aren't keeping up, futurists tell Axios.
Georgia swing voters in our latest Engagious/Sago focus groups expressed frustration with Democrats for dragging out a federal government shutdown only to end it without a guarantee from Republicans to offset rising health insurance premiums.
Why it matters: Even some voters who backed President Trump last November look to Democrats to protect health care affordability and the social safety net for lower-income Americans.
Vice President JD Vance told Fox News Thursday evening he'll talk with President Trump after the midterm elections about possibly running for president in 2028, but 2026 is his immediate focus.
Why it matters: Vance is a MAGA favorite for 2028 and early polls show he's a leading Republican primary candidate and is competitively placing in a hypothetical matchup with California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D), who's widely expected to run for president and who currently has a slight edge.
Why it matters: The Secret Handshake, the anonymous group behind the statue, made clear in a statement that they set up the protest piece because a House panel released thousands of emails this week on convicted sex offender Epstein, some of which referred to Trump.
The Trump administration is ramping up its engagements with Congress on foreign military sales and plans to provide more classified briefings on military operations, according to a person familiar with the matter.
Why it matters: The administration's moves come amid mounting frustration from lawmakers over a lack of briefings on alleged drug boat strikes and the slowdown in the approval process for foreign military sales.
A growing number of House Democrats are calling for Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) to step aside from leadership, with several telling Axios in exclusive interviews that he has overstayed his welcome.
Why it matters: Schumer is highly unlikely to heed their calls, but this represents Democrats' largest groundswell against one of their leaders since last year's effort to push then-President Biden off the presidential ticket.
Sen. John Fetterman (D-Pa.) was hospitalized Thursday in Pittsburgh after a heart issue caused him to fall and sustain minor facial injuries, his office said in a statement.
The big picture: Fetterman, who has a history of heart problems and suffered a stroke during his 2022 campaign, fell and hit his face during an early morning walk near his Braddock home after feeling light-headed, his spokesperson said.
Republican Sen. John Curtis of Utah says politicians should be louder about their climate progress.
Why it matters: The Conservative Climate Caucus founder'scomments offer a contrast to criticism from California Gov. Gavin Newsom and world leaders as the U.N. summit unfolds in Belém, Brazil.
