The U.S. Supreme Court on Thursday allowed Texas to use its new congressional map favoring Republicans for now, effectively cementing the map for the midterm elections.
Why it matters: The ruling is a major win for Republicans, whose majority in the U.S. House could hinge on whether Texas keeps or loses the extra five GOP-leaning seats state lawmakers drew this year.
Palo Alto Networks CEO Nikesh Arorasaid growing AI threats make new detection methods a more pressing need than simplydoubling down on protecting outdated systemsat Axios' AI+ Summit in San Francisco on Thursday.
Why it matters: AI relies on massive amounts of personal data to function, making those systems a tantalizing target for a new wave of attackers who are also using AI to boost their hacking capabilities, he said.
President Trump has directed his crackdown on immigrants toward the U.S. Somali community.
The big picture: In the week following the fatal National Guard shooting, the president has ramped up his policies and rhetoric against immigrants including those in the country legally — using fraud allegations to target Somalis.
President Trump on Thursday signed a peace deal to end the war in eastern Congo and used the moment to advance another priority: securing U.S. access to critical minerals.
The big picture: The Trump administration has aggressively pursued rare earth minerals and magnets overseas — vital for everything from the production of vehicles to nuclear weapons — after China threatened U.S. access.
President Trump plans to announce before Christmas that the Gaza peace process is moving into its second phase and to unveil the new governance structure for the enclave, according to two U.S. officials and a Western source directly involved in the process.
Why it matters: The fragile ceasefire in Gaza is the biggest foreign policy achievement of Trump's second term so far, and his administration wants to proceed to the second phase to avoid sliding back into war.
Why it matters: Reporting on the follow-up attack, which killed two survivors of the first strike, has launched Democratic accusations of war crimes and even bipartisan congressional inquiries.
Adm. Frank "Mitch" Bradley, an accomplished U.S. Navy SEAL officer, is at the center of congressional questions over a follow-up strike the White House says he ordered on an alleged drug-running boat in September.
The big picture: After months of strikes and dozens of killings, lawmaker questions over the Trump administration's militarized pressure campaign on Venezuela are still piling up. And as Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth faces an avalanche of criticism, lawmakers have signaled they're not done digging.
The FBI on Thursdayarrested a suspect who investigators said planted pipe bombs near the Republican and Democratic parties' headquarters in Washington, D.C., the night before the 2021 Capitol riot.
Why it matters: The nearly 5-year investigation was a high-profile, unsolved case.
President Trump and Colorado Gov. Jared Polis traded barbs this week over the president's push to "free" Tina Peters from her nine-year prison sentence.
Why it matters: The standoff is more than just a clash of personalities. It tests the limits of presidential influence over state prosecutions and signals how aggressively Trump may wield his power to aid his allies.
A bipartisan group of centrist lawmakers on Thursday unveiled a two-year extension of Affordable Care Act subsidies, one of the first written frameworks to surface.
Why it matters: With time running out, the path to extending the subsidies is narrowing, even as both parties insist they want to take action on health care.
President Trump declared an end to the war in eastern Congo on Thursday at a signing ceremony alongside Congolese President Félix Tshisekedi and Rwandan President Paul Kagame.
Reality check: The agreement is largely aspirational, and the early signals are ominous. While Trump described the decades-old conflict as "the eighth war that we've ended," there's been fighting just this week between forces aligned with the Democratic Republic of Congo and Rwanda.
Why it matters: Impeachment of a cabinet official is rare, with only two secretaries — including a former Secretary of War — having ever been impeached by the House. Both were acquitted by the Senate and neither lost their positions.
The Government Accountability Office confirmed Thursday it opened an investigation into Federal Housing Finance Agency director Bill Pulte, amid complaints about his efforts to go after President Trump's opponents.
Why it matters: The GAO inquiry will raise the heat on Pulte, who is also reportedly caught up in a grand jury probe related to the various mortgage fraud investigations he has pursued this year.
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) told top lawmakers this week to adopt a laser focus on the affordability crisis — his chosen attack plan for the 2026 midterms.
Why it matters: The affordability crisis, a 2024 liability for President Biden, now has President Trump and his fellow Republicans on the political back foot, with White House officials insisting things will be better for consumers next year.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth put U.S. operations and troops at risk during a strike in Yemen by sending sensitive information to a Signal groupchat on an unapproved device, a Pentagon watchdog concluded in a long-awaited report.
Why it matters: The March bombshell from theThe Atlantic that its editor-in-chief was inadvertently included in a Trump administration Signal chat on airstrikes in Yemen has haunted Hegseth and sparked questions about his handling of sensitive information for months.
The New York Times and its intelligence reporter Julian E. Barnes on Thursday sued the Pentagon, alleging it violated the First Amendment rights of reporters when it stripped access for journalists who refused to sign a sweeping and unprecedented pledge to not cover unauthorized information.
Why it matters: The lawsuit is the first major legal action taken by a news organization that aims to push back against the Defense Department's new policy and possibly reverse it.
A year of upheaval in the U.S. Foreign Service has left a beleaguered workforce struggling to advance the country's diplomatic goals, according to a new survey by the American Foreign Service Association.
Why it matters: The survey paints a grim picture of life in the diplomatic corps since President Trump's administration dismantled key federal agencies and cut thousands of jobs.
Auto standards are the latest energy policy fight to get subsumed into the politics of affordability that look slated to dominate the midterms.
Why it matters: Contra the late Kris Kristofferson, freedom's just another word for ... cheaper vehicles. That's what Trump officials claim by naming their rollback of auto mileage rules the "Freedom Means Affordable Cars" plan.
A geothermal energy company announced Thursday that it has discovered — with AI's help — the first commercially viable system of its kind in over 30 years.
Why it matters: Zanskar Geothermal and Minerals officials said the underground find, in a remote area of western Nevada, offers fresh evidence that geothermal can become an attractive option to meet soaring U.S. energy demand.
U.S. ambassador to Israel and former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee told Axios that Israel is "relatively calm," with the current ceasefire holding and rocket fire paused.
The big picture: It's one of the most optimistic assessments from a U.S. official since Israel's recent conflicts with militant Palestinian group Hamas and Iran began, but peace remains fragile.
Thursday marks one year since UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson was shot and killed while entering an investor conference in New York City.
The big picture: The slaying of the Twin Cities resident on a busy street shocked the country, sparking national conversations about both security for high-profile executives and the insurance industry more broadly.
While many condemned the brazen murder, the killing unleashed a wave of social media-fueled rage against health insurers.
Over a dozen members of the Indiana General Assembly have been the subject of swatting attempts or other threats over the last month as the fight over redrawing the state's congressional map has heated up.
State of play: Statehouse leaders and law enforcement have denounced the unprecedented threats of violence.
"The threats, swatting attempts and other criminal activity being directed at our colleagues in the Senate are abhorrent and completely unacceptable," House Speaker Todd Huston and Minority Leader Phil GiaQuinta said in a joint statement released last week. "This is no way to express political disagreement, and it must stop."
The Trump administration is making headway on the key first step towards mass deportations:
Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) arrests have soared since the start of President Trump's second term, according to data released this week.
Why it matters: This year's arrest pace is well short of the administration's goal of 3,000 a day as it promises to deport millions of people. But President Trump has moved the numbers way up compared to former President Biden.
America's babies are joining the 401(k) generation early, thanks to the new "Trump accounts."
Why it matters: Like employment-based retirement funds, Trump accounts will draw even more Americans into the stock market — along with all the risks, rewards and drawbacks that entails.
"It's like a 401(k) from birth," Brad Gerstner, an investor and champion of the accounts, said at an Oval Office press conference earlier this week.
President Trump, staring down criticism that he's prioritized global issues over pocketbook worries, next week will kick off a year of heavy stateside travel that's focused on selling his economic agenda ahead of the midterms.
Why it matters: Trump's approval rating has sunk as he has pursued peace deals around the globe and "narco-terrorists" in the Caribbean, while Americans have become more pessimistic about affording a better life.
Young Americans say the country is heading down a dark road and fear their futures are unstable, according to the latest Harvard Youth Poll out Thursday morning.
Why it matters: Financial insecurity, intense political polarization and the rise of AI are eroding Gen Z's faith in their economic prospects and public institutions overall.
Economic pain is mounting quickly for America's small businesses, raising the chances of a Main Street recession despite an AI-powered growth boom.
The big picture: The economic fortunes of mom-and-pop businesses are diverging from their larger counterparts. The dynamic is not new, but the divide is getting bigger, faster.
President Trump said Wednesday he supports the release of any video footage of a strike on a suspected drug boat in the Caribbean following a report alleging that the U.S. military issued an order to kill two survivors.
The big picture: Trump defended U.S. military strikes on suspected drug boats as reporters asked him at the White House about the alleged incident near Venezuela in September that has prompted congressional investigations into the legality of the action.
Trump ally and MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell officially registered to raise campaign funds for a potential Minnesota governor bid through the state's site Wednesday.
The big picture: Lindell, who previously pushed false claims about 2020 election fraud, told MPR News he's "98 percent sure" he'll join an already packed gubernatorial field of candidates seeking the Republican nomination to challenge two-time incumbent Democratic Gov. Tim Walz.
House Speaker Mike Johnson is staring down an internal revolt, with anger spilling out from conservative hardliners, to regular members and senior GOP leaders alike.
Why it matters: A series of recent decisions — like keeping the House out for almost two months and failing to move widely-supported bills— have triggered unusually loud pushback from Johnson's own members.
