Axios

The U.S. Institute of Peace has officially been rebranded to the Donald J. Trump Institute of Peace, honoring the president's commitment to global order, the White House confirmed to Axios Wednesday evening.

Why it matters: The development comes as the administration works to dismantle the congressionally founded nonprofit.

President Trump on Wednesday announced he is granting a "full and unconditional PARDON" to Rep. Henry Cuellar (D-Texas), who was indicted last year on conspiracy and bribery charges, which he denies.

Why it matters: Trump has granted clemency to several former Democratic elected officials, but it is an extremely unusual move for the Republican president to pardon a sitting Democratic member of Congress.

President Trump said on Wednesday that his adviser Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner had "a very good" meeting with Russian leader Vladimir Putin in Moscow.

Why it matters: His remarks were the first public comment by the U.S. about the five-hour meeting at the Kremlin on Tuesday, which focused on Trump's plan for peace between Russia and Ukraine.

President Trump didn't tell Speaker Mike Johnson that he was granting a "full and unconditional PARDON" to Rep. Henry Cuellar (D-Texas) before announcing it on Truth Social this morning, Johnson told Axios.

Why it matters: Trump's pardon boosts one of House Republicans' top political targets — and could hamper GOP efforts to protect their razor-thin majority in next year's midterms.

Rep. Henry Cuellar (D-Texas) is the latest in a growing list of current and former elected U.S. lawmakers who have received clemency from President Trump.

The big picture: A dozen members of Congress — a vast majority of whom are former lawmakers — are part of Trump's not-so-exclusive clemency club as the president has embraced the pardon as a tool of political power.

New photos and videos released in the Epstein probe on Wednesday spotlight what has become a cornerstone of the investigation into the convicted sex offender — Epstein's island.

The big picture: The island, Little St. James, was the notorious home to Jeffrey Epstein, who died by suicide in 2019. Over the years, there have been many allegations about what happened on the island.

Confronted with a growing string of GOP underperformances in off-year elections, key pro-Trump activists see more MAGA — not less — as the only solution.

Why it matters: The reaction suggests a movement uninterested in grappling with the limits of its appeal — a departure from the panicked introspection both parties have traditionally undergone after off-year disappointments.

A bipartisan and bicameral group of lawmakers has requested Attorney General Pam Bondi brief them no later than Friday on potential hurdles to releasing the Epstein files as the Justice Department faces a legal deadline to make them public.

The big picture: A bill forcing the DOJ to hand over its documents pertaining to sex offender Jeffrey Epstein overwhelmingly blazed through Congress after months of controversy plagued the Trump administration over its handling of the case and divided the president's faithful base.

President Trump's newly proposed fuel economy standards would roll back tough Biden-era targets that were intended to cut emissions and promote electric cars.

The big picture: Trump has been tearing up Biden administration policies he believes were intended to force EVs on Americans, and framed his latest plan as a common-sense strategy to make cars more affordable.

A judge barred federal agents from conducting warrantless civil immigration arrests in Washington, D.C. without first establishing probable cause of a suspect's flight risk.

Why it matters: Tuesday's ruling is the latest courtroom loss for President Trump's mass deportation agenda, with U.S. District Judge Beryl Howell finding agents systematically ignored federal law in issuing arrests.

Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-Md.) has asked CBS News' ombudsman Kenneth Weinstein to explain the reasoning behind the outlet's editing of its "60 Minutes" interview with President Trump last month, citing concerns that the president "increasingly appears to be exercising direct control over CBS's editorial decisions."

The big picture: CBS has been under renewed scrutiny from both the Trump administration and its critics following a high-profile lawsuit regarding the new program's edit of an interview with then-Vice President Kamala Harris and public attacks by the president.

The North Carolina childhood home of the late musical legend Nina Simone has been restored after being saved from demolition, preservationists announced.

The big picture: The restoration is part of a nationwide movement to protect Black cultural heritage sites, backed by significant philanthropic investment.

MAGA is urging the Trump administration to crack down harder than ever on immigration — legal and illegal — after the shooting of two National Guardsmen by an Afghan refugee.

Why it matters: For President Trump's hard-charging base, simply deporting criminals who entered the country illegally is no longer sufficient.

Democrats on the House Oversight Committee released never-before-seen photos of convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein's private island in the U.S. Virgin Islands, Little Saint James.

Why it matters: The photos come from a tranche of Epstein files turned over by the U.S. Virgin Islands' Department of Justice, more of which will be released in the coming days, according to Democratic aides.

President Trump last week commuted the seven-year prison sentence of private equity investor David Gentile, who served only 12 days behind bars.

The big picture: Trump isn't pardoning Gentile for his crimes, which included wire fraud and conspiracy to commit securities fraud.

• Instead he's arguing that Gentile isn't deserving of prison time or major fines, with White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt claiming that Gentile's trial was a "weaponization of justice" by former President Biden.

Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-N.Y.) is publicly feuding with Mike Johnson over a provision related to FBI probes of political candidates that she claims the House speaker blocked from inclusion in the National Defense Authorization Act.

Why it matters: The dispute marks an escalation of simmering discord between Johnson (R-La.) and Stefanik— a member of leadership and a candidate for New York governor.

The Department of Homeland Security formally launched an immigration enforcement blitz it's calling "Operation Catahoula Crunch" in New Orleans on Wednesday.

Why it matters: The operation, reported to target about 5,000 arrests, marks the latest escalation in the Trump administration's immigration crackdown in Democratic-led cities.

Not only is China winning the clean energy race, but it's picking up the pace when most other economies — including the U.S. — are slowing down, according to new McKinsey data.

Why it matters: The energy transition is shifting geopolitical alliances and power centers, and China is solidifying its lead while the U.S. falls back.

Sen. Ruben Gallego on Wednesday dropped an energy plan that's very much of this political moment: It leads with affordability, with climate present but not front and center.

Why it matters: The Arizona Democrat is a potential 2028 White House candidate, and his plan arrives as energy costs are atop the political radar.

The Constellation-class frigate program appears dead in the water. Of the six warships on the books, four are now nixed.

Why it matters: The cancellation, announced two days before Thanksgiving, marks U.S. Navy Secretary John Phelan's first big swing since being sworn in this spring — and it's fueled a lot of online debate.

Republicans won Tennessee's hotly watched special U.S. House election Tuesday, but the single-digit margin in a conservative Nashville-area district was the party's latest warning sign ahead of next year's midterms.

Driving the news: In a district President Trump won by 22 points last year, Trump-backed Republican Matt Van Epps defeated progressive Democrat Aftyn Behn by just under 9 points, 54% to 45%. The result created an unusual mixed bag of feelings on both sides:

President Trump came into office promising to decapitate mainstream media. He bullied and sued media companies, blocked or curtailed access for reporters, and elevated nontraditional news sources.

• Yet mainstream media ends the year as dominant as ever in capturing Trump's attention and setting Washington's agenda.

Why it matters: Trump remains a voracious consumer of so-called legacy news and takes more calls from more reporters than any president in our lifetime. His days are often filled with responses — not to MAGA media or X influencers, but to conventional stories from conventional reporters at conventional media publications.

Private wealth has become an operational arm of the Trump presidency, bankrolling pet projects and policies on a scale unmatched by any previous administration.

Why it matters: The generosity of America's billionaires can't be divorced from the tax incentives and exclusive access that come from orbiting — or serving in — the wealthiest administration in U.S. history.

The Trump administration paused all immigration applications from 19 countries it determined to be "high-risk," per a Tuesday evening U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services memorandum.

The big picture: The action marks the administration's latest move to curtail immigration from certain countries after an Afghan national was identified as the suspect in last week's deadly shooting in D.C. that targeted National Guard members.

President Trump once again declared that pardons and other measures that former President Biden signed using the autopen are no longer effective in a Tuesday evening Truth Social post.

The big picture: Trump, who's repeatedly criticized Biden's autopen use, claims these signatures could nullify the former president's legal actions. But he hasn't advanced this argument outside of social media, and a president cannot rescind a predecessor's actions using this method.

President Trump-backed Matt Van Epps toiled to victory Tuesday for the District 7 U.S. House seat where a Republican won by more than 20 percentage points in 2024.

• With almost all precincts counted Tuesday night, Van Epps led by nearly 9 percentage points.

Why it matters: In defeating Democratic state Rep. Aftyn Behn, Van Epps expanded Republicans' narrow advantage in the House.

President Trump's nominee to lead NASA will tell senators Wednesday that he is "not here for personal gain," is committed to returning Americans to the Moon, and wants to push even deeper into space, according to remarks obtained by Axios.

Why it matters: Jared Isaacman — a private astronaut and billionaire entrepreneur — wants to convince senators that his approach to NASA will be determined, but not disruptive.

A redacted and unclassified version of the Defense Department's review of the use of private messaging apps to discuss military operations will be released Thursday, according to multiple sources.

Why it matters: The internal review of the Trump administration's "Signalgate" controversy comes at a time when top military officials are under intense scrutiny over boat strikes off the coast of Venezuela.

Sen. Rick Scott is convening a group of House and Senate conservatives on Capitol Hill to pore over fresh polling to develop GOP alternatives to the Affordable Care Act (ACA) and push back against liberals.

Why it matters: Talks to extend the ACA's premium tax credits are stalled in Congress, and Republicans know they'll be blamed in the midterms for rising premiums if they don't even try to offer a fix.