Student loan borrowers with higher earnings could qualify for the income-based repayment plan (IBR) before the end of the year, the Department of Education confirmed to Axios.
The big picture: President Trump's "One Big, Beautiful Bill" substantially reduced the number of repayment plans available to student loan borrowers, but one provision broadens the eligible income ranges that set borrowers up for forgiveness within 20 or 25 years.
Despite two very visible settlements with ABC and CBS in the past year, President Trump's legal pressure on media companies has still faced ample pushback in court.
Why it matters: Lawsuits, even if eventually dismissed, are extremely costly and burdensome for news organizations to fight.
President Trump pardoned Gobble and Waddle, two North Carolina turkeys with spotless records on Tuesday, continuing a White House tradition of cementing the poultry in American history.
Why it matters: The now infamous Thanksgiving custom has a tangled background peppered with protests, pranks and a Turkey lobby more effective than the mob.
Mayor Muriel Bowser announced Tuesday she won't run for a fourth term.
Why it matters: The months-long guessing game over her future is over, and a wide-open mayoral race is expected to ensue between the moderate and progressive wings of the local Democratic party.
President Trump's turkey pardon ceremony on Tuesday was derailed by attacks on former President Biden's alleged use of an autopen and crime rates in Chicago amid praise for the Thanksgiving holiday.
Why it matters: The president's speeches frequently span a wide range of topics, and the turkey pardon gave Trump an opportunity to hit many of his frequent criticisms.
The meeting between President Trump and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (MBS) last week got heated when they discussed the possibility of Saudi Arabia joining the Abraham Accords and normalizing relations with Israel, two U.S. officials and one source with knowledge of the situation told Axios.
Why it matters: With the war in Gaza over, Trump hoped his meeting with MBS would lead to a breakthrough toward Saudi-Israeli normalization.
The U.S. House will dramatically increase the amount of money available to its members for their personal security as part of a new program launching next month, according to an email to congressional offices obtained by Axios.
Why it matters: Threats against members of Congress have been on the rise for years, exacerbating a growing sentiment on Capitol Hill that serving in Congress is no longer worth the associated risks and challenges.
TikTok on Tuesday named veteran government affairs executive Ziad Ojakli as its new head of public policy for the Americas, replacing longtime policy lead Michael Beckerman.
Why it matters: Ojakli will become the public face of TikTok's policy strategy as it looks to get sold and save itself from a ban.
Lukoil is Russia's second largest oil company, with global operations stretching from extraction fields in Iraq to gas stations in Pennsylvania.
It's also got a financial gun to its head, due to U.S. sanctions that are set to take effect in less than two weeks, prompting it to put its international operations up for sale.
When activists protest oil pipelines with the slogan "keep it in the ground," they don't end up keeping most oil in the ground — and their efforts may even have side effects, like increasing air pollution when the oil is transported in other ways.
Why it matters: These unintended consequences show just how hard it is to curb oil and gas by targeting supply alone.
House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) uses a very personal interview on "The Katie Miller Podcast" to warn fellow Republicans that "the antisemitism stuff ought to be universally rejected and called out," and appeal to them to "put that aside."
"I'm very insistent about that," Johnson told Katie Miller, a former Trump official, on an episode of her podcast posting at 6 p.m. ET on Tuesday. "We've got to love everybody, and certainly the Jewish people."
Why it matters: Miller's podcast, which launched in August, has quickly become a favored destination for powerful newsmakers. A furious debate over Israel, antisemitism and hate speech has engulfed MAGA this fall.
Zipline says it will receive up to $150 million from the U.S. State Department to expand drone deliveries of blood, vaccines and other medical supplies in five African countries.
Why it matters: The contract represents an early example of the Trump administration's new "America First" foreign assistance agenda, touted in July by Secretary of State Marco Rubio, following its decision to shut down the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID).
The White House has postponed the rollout of a new GOP plan on Affordable Care Act subsidies amid pushback from Republicans in Congress.
Why it matters: The issue could aggravate already frayed relationships with Hill conservatives who oppose an extension of enhanced tax credits that are due to expire at the end of the year.
Americans haven't got much of a pay raise this year — income growth overall has been "tepid," new data from the JPMorgan Chase Institute shows.
Why it matters: Weak pay growth hits harder with inflation running hot— and helps explains why so many Americans feel pessimistic about the economy.
It's a headwind both for consumer spending, which powers the U.S. economy — and for President Trump, who is facing higher disapproval ratings over Americans' affordability woes.
Death threats and infighting are spurring House Republicans to contemplate whether they want to stay in Congress — or even leave early.
Why it matters: Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene's (R-Ga.) scathing resignation has rattled her colleagues. Some are questioning whether the job is still worth it when the work is drowned out by censures, violent threats and loyalty tests to President Trump.
The collapse of the Justice Department's cases against former FBI director James Comey and New York Attorney General Letitia James offered a stark lesson: Turning the DOJ into an instrument of political payback requires legal competence, not just loyalty.
Why it matters: The dismissals represent a big blow to President Trump's push to exact revenge on political enemies. The Justice Department's tactics — replacing career prosecutors with inexperienced loyalists — have created a dysfunctional legal apparatus that has been unable to make its cases stick.
Russia launched a series of strikes on Ukraine's capital, Kyiv, early Tuesday and killed at least two people, the city's mayor said.
The big picture: The bombardment on the 1,371th day of Putin's war on Ukraine comes as U.S. and Ukrainian officials report progress in Geneva talks on President Trump's plan for peace.
Sen. Jim Justice (R-W.Va.) settled a lawsuit from the federal government over alleged unpaid taxes from the 2009 tax period for $5.16 million soon after it was filed, Bloomberg first reported.
The big picture: The lawsuit against the former West Virginia governor and his wife, Cathy Justice, filed by the Justice Department on behalf of the Internal Revenue Service, alleged that the couple had "neglected or refused to make full payment" in spite of "notice and demand for payment."
Rep. Don Bacon was so appalled by the Trump administration's proposed Russia-Ukraine peace plan that he considered resigning in protest, the Nebraska Republican told Axios.
Why it matters: Bacon's deliberations demonstrate just how furious pro-Ukraine lawmakers on Capitol Hill are about the proposal.
A federal judge on Monday tossed the Justice Department's cases against former FBI Director James Comey and New York Attorney General Letitia James, ruling the appointment of President Trump's hand-picked prosecutor was invalid.
Why it matters: The decision is a major rebuke of the retribution campaign against Trump's longtime enemies.
Attorney General Pam Bondi said she'll "take all available legal action, including an immediate appeal" after a judge dismissed the cases against New York Attorney General Letitia James (D) and former FBI Director James Comey on Monday.
The big picture: Bondi during a Monday briefing defended the credentials of President Trump's former personal attorney, Lindsey Halligan, the interim U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia at the center of the judge's reasons for the case's dismissal earlier Monday.
