The Senate on Tuesday unanimously passed a bill to compel the Justice Department to release all files related to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, sending it to President Trump's desk.
Why it matters: Trump said Monday he would sign the bill, but the files still may not be released any time soon.
Only one Republican in Congress, Rep. Clay Higgins (R-La.,) voted against a bill Tuesday to release files about convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. His case: "I have been a principled 'NO' on this bill from the beginning."
Why it matters: Besides Higgins, the entire House GOP caucus joined President Trump in backing the petition to compel the Justice Department to release all its files on Epstein. The Senate unanimously passed the bill Tuesday evening.
President Trump said "a lot of people didn't like" journalist Jamal Khashoggi during a Tuesday meeting with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (MBS).
Why it matters: The 2018 murder of Khashoggi was among the reasons for heightened tension between the U.S. and Saudi Arabia during the Biden administration, which released a report in 2021 that concluded MBS approved the order to "capture or kill" the Saudi journalist.
Coinbase donated to President Trump's $300 million White House ballroom project as an appeal to the administration, Emilie Choi, the cryptocurrency exchange's president and COO, said at Axios' BFD event on Tuesday.
The big picture: Major companies including Google, Amazon, Palantir Technologies donated to the project, which critics have argued amounts to a pay-for-play relationship with the federal government.
The challenge: In less than six months, California is on track to lose nearly 18% of its refining capacity — the equivalent of almost one gallon out of every five produced in the state. That sharp drop stems from decades of policies promulgated by state officials who are increasingly hostile to critical energy infrastructure.
California already has the highest gasoline prices in the nation. Without real policy reform, today's prices may look cheap compared to what's ahead. At the end of the day, a shift in energy policies could reduce financial burdens on all Californians.
Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman (MBS) told President Trump that he is ready to work on the kingdom joining the Abraham Accords and normalizing relations with Israel, but only if any agreement provides a clear path for a Palestinian state.
Why it matters: While Trump and his advisers acknowledge the gaps between the Saudis and the Israelis are still wide, the White House told the Saudis it wanted to see some progress on this issue during the Trump-MBS meeting, U.S. officials said.
A group of nearly two dozen House Democrats voted with Republicans on Tuesday to pass a measure reprimanding Rep. Chuy García (D-Ill.) for effectively ensuring his chief of staff will be elected to replace him in Congress.
Why it matters: The measure led to considerable tension among House Democrats, with Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) and his team urging their members to oppose it.
The House voted nearly unanimously Tuesday to compel the Justice Department to release all of its files pertaining to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
Why it matters: Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) and President Trump's last-minute support marked a dramatic reversal after a months-long pressure campaign, but significant barriers remain to public release of the files.
Sequoia Capital's Roelof Botha said Elon Musk's SpaceX has a "bigger chance of being the most valuable company" than OpenAI during a sit-down interview at Axios' BFD event on Tuesday.
Why it matters: Botha's opinion can move markets and completely overthrows the prevailing view that OpenAI is the tech industry's most valuable player.
The Atlantic Council today launched the ReForge Commission, tasked with examining the industrial demands of modern warfare and building a blueprint for future manufacturing health and national security innovation.
Why it matters: Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said in a defense-acquisitions speech Nov. 7 that portions of the Pentagon must be on a wartime footing.
A panel of three federal judges on Tuesday temporarily blocked a new congressional map from going into effect in Texas, saying there is "substantial evidence" it is "racially gerrymandered."
Why it matters: Republicans were expected to pick up five GOP seats in the U.S. House from their newly drawn map in Texas, a move that sparked redistricting efforts in other states.
A new national poll from the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights shows Americans are deeply anxious about democracy, rising extremism and worsening race relations — offering one of the starkest portraits yet of a country on edge.
The big picture: The poll, conducted in early November, comes as civil-rights groups warn that federal and state rollbacks are weakening protections, erasing public data, and reshaping how race and equity are treated in government, schools and the workplace.
House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) is reversing course and throwing his support behind a petition to compel the Justice Department to release all its files on convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, Axios has learned.
Why it matters: The move is a remarkable pivot for Johnson, who had urged Republicans to reject the effort. President Trump's last-minute public endorsement made resistance untenable.
Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) urged the Senate Tuesday to pass a bipartisan measure forcing the Justice Department to release files related to the Jeffrey Epstein investigation, saying, "Don't muck it up."
The big picture: The comments come just ahead of a House vote to compel the files' release. The bill is expected to sail through the House, despite President Trump's prior attempts to quell the demands to release more evidence.
President Trump on Tuesday told Congress not to "waste" its time on an extension of enhanced Affordable Care Act subsidies, saying they would only enrich insurance companies.
Why it matters: Trump's Truth Social post takes a harder line against the subsidies at a time when some in Congress are still hoping for a bipartisan deal to extend them and head off a sharp increase in premium costs for millions of Americans.
What they're saying: Trump doubled down on his idea to send ACA subsidy money directly to consumers.
"THE ONLY HEALTHCARE I WILL SUPPORT OR APPROVE IS SENDING THE MONEY DIRECTLY BACK TO THE PEOPLE," Trump wrote.
He said people could "buy their own, much better, insurance" and Congress should not "waste your time and energy on anything else."
Between the lines: It's not clear how Trump's plan would work.
Some in Congress have floated using health savings accounts to help consumers pay out of pocket expenses.
But Trump referenced giving people money to buy health insurance, which is how the ACA marketplaces work.
One option could be allowing consumers to buy health plans with cheaper, skimpier coverage that don't comply with the ACA. Experts warn that such a move could destabilize the ACA markets.
The bottom line: Trump's post throws a wrench into efforts in Congress to extend the subsidies, which expire at the end of the year if lawmakers don't act.
Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) is urging Senate Democrats to unite behind an expansive health care proposal in the party's negotiations with Republicans to extend Affordable Care Act tax credits.
Why it matters: GOP leaders have promised Democrats a vote on the expiring tax credits next month as part of their deal to end the government shutdown.
Three startup CEOs are challenging the notion that nuclear waste is just something to bury.
Why it matters: Oklo's Jacob DeWitte, Curio's Ed McGinnis and SHINE Technologies' Greg Piefer are gaining attention from and influence with the Trump administration as well as other companies.
President Trump's promised $2,000 tariff checks would probably cost $450 billion but provide small boosts in both economic growth and employment, per a new analysis of the proposal.
Why it matters: At that price the dividend would wipe out more than a year's worth of tariff income, leaving nothing for the president's other promised uses of the money, like paying down debt and bailing out farmers.
It's too early to call President Trump a lame duck. But Congress is ready to clip his wings over the Epstein files.
Why it matters: Tuesday's expected House vote to release the files — over Trump's initial objections — will mark the first time this term that a GOP-led congressional chamber will so openly defy him.
Protests in Serbia last week over a planned Trump Tower in Belgrade were just the latest example of the president's business empire rubbing up against U.S. foreign policy.
Why it matters: Officially, the president has handed management of his real estate portfolio to his sons. But for some governments around the world, it may be hard to entirely separate Trump's business from Trump himself.
Eight Senate Democrats are urging a congressional watchdog to investigate federal housing finance regulator Bill Pulte for potentially misusing his authority to make criminal referrals against people they say are President Trump's "perceived political enemies."
The big picture: They're demanding a probe into Pulte's recent referrals of New York Attorney General Letitia James (D), Sen. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.), Federal Reserve Gov. Lisa Cook and Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-Calif.) to the Justice Department for alleged mortgage fraud, per the letter from Democrats including Banking Committee ranking member Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.).
A Tennessee court temporarily blocked the deployment of the National Guard to Memphis, Tenn., for a crime crackdown initiated by President Trump.
Why it matters: Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee (R) joined Trump at the White House in September as the president signed a memorandum on "restoring law and order in Memphis" — one of several Democrat-run cities he's singled out for crime crackdowns. But the Nashville-based court ruled that Lee's subsequent move to deploy troops was unlawful.
Congressional Progressive Caucus members are privately discussing introducing a retaliatory measure against Rep. Marie Gluesenkamp Perez (D-Wash.) over her efforts to rebuke Rep. Chuy García (D-Ill.), Axios has learned.
Why it matters: The move would escalate simmering tensions between Gluesenkamp Perez and her Democratic colleagues that some lawmakers say is ruining what they had hoped would be a week of unity.
The Trump administration on Monday plans to bring back a rule that would make it harder for immigrants deemed likely to rely on government benefits to gain permanent residency.
The big picture: The proposal, first reported by Politico, which would give DHS officers more discretion in assessing "fact-specific public charge inadmissibility determinations," such as an applicant's use of Medicaid or food assistance programs, was roundly criticized by immigrant advocacy groups.
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) signaled in an interview with Axios on Monday that she would not support New York City Council member Chi Ossé in a primary challenge against House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.).
Why it matters: Ocasio-Cortez is one of several high-profile progressives distancing from Ossé's potential run, arguing that it is a distraction from New York City Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani's victory.
Newly released files on former Treasury Secretary Larry Summers' ties to Jeffrey Epstein prompted the president emeritus and professor at Harvard University to announce Monday he's "stepping back from public commitments."
The big picture: Both Democrats and Republicans have called on organizations to sever ties with Summers after documents released by the House Oversight Committee showed email exchanges between the former Treasury secretary and sex offender Epstein — including one where the late financier called himself Summers' "wing man."
President Trump's stunning reversal on the "Epstein files" discharge petition has undercut months of work by Speaker Mike Johnson.
Why it matters: The Epstein issue has plagued the House since the summer. Now the speaker is about to suffer a clear defeat over Reps. Thomas Massie's (R-Ky.) and Ro Khanna's (D-Calif.) discharge petition.
The Democrats who want Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer gone are striking out in their early search for who could replace him.
Why it matters: Progressive critics are united in their fury at Schumer (D-N.Y.), who's led Senate Democrats since 2017. But they're missing two critical ingredients: A clear path to his ouster, and a Democratic senator who'd want the job.
The Trump administration will deploy federal Border Patrol agents to Raleigh on Tuesday for its immigration crackdown, Raleigh Mayor Janet Cowell told Axios Monday night.
Cowell said in an interview she had been notified of a pending U.S. Customs and Border Protection operation by the Raleigh Police Department and Gov. Josh Stein's office.
Why it matters: The operation, which Cowell said was uncoordinated with the city, comes after the U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents have carried out multiple days of arrests in Charlotte.
House Democrats failed Monday to stop several of their members from voting to advance a motion denouncing Rep. Chuy García (D-Ill.) for effectively ensuring his chief of staff will replace him in Congress.
Why it matters: The motion will likely pass when it comes up for a vote on Tuesday, highlighting Democrats' internal divisions at a moment when they had hoped to be united around releasing the Epstein files.
The Department of Justice sued California Monday over two state laws that prohibit federal agents from wearing masks and require officers not in uniform to display visible identification during operations.
The big picture: California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) signed the laws in September to curb aggressive ICE practices during the Trump administration's immigration crackdown, but the DOJ claims the measures endanger federal agents by making them more susceptible to violence from protesters.
