In an interview Wednesday, Utah Gov. Spencer Cox said President Trump is "not interested in uniting the country, and he would tell you that."
The intrigue: Cox endorsed Trump in 2024 days after saying he would not vote for him. At the time, the governor cited Trump's opportunity to "unify and save our country."
House Republicans are moving forward with health care votes next week, but an extension of enhanced Affordable Care Act subsidies is not part of their plan.
Why it matters: The strategy further heightens the likelihood that the subsidies will expire at the end of the year — but it will give House Republicans some alternatives they can point to to try to blunt Democrats' criticism.
Ukraine gave the Trump administration on Wednesday its point-by-point response to the latest draft of the U.S. peace plan, Ukrainian and U.S. officials tell Axios.
Why it matters: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky faces growing pressure from the U.S. to swiftly accept Trump's 20-point peace plan, which includes major territorial losses and other concessions.
House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) put down an internal rebellion over a procedural vote for the second time in two weeks, this time over advancing the $900 billion national defense authorization bill.
Why it matters: Rule votes are supposed to be routine for the majority party, but House Republicans have increasingly used them to punish their own leadership, creating recurring crises for Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) and derailing the chamber's legislative business.
Around 9,500 truck drivers have been pulled off the road for failing to meet English-language proficiency requirements reinstated by the Trump administration.
The big picture: Immigrants account for an estimated 18% of all truck drivers, and some estimates show that the industry is already short tens of thousands of drivers.
Elon Musk dubbed the Department of Government Efficiency only "somewhat successful," but his meme turned real government agency leaves behind a wrecking ball legacy Washington will feel for years.
The Trump Administration dramatically escalated its standoff with Venezuela on Wednesday by seizing a large tanker loaded with crude oil bound for Cuba.
Why it matters: President Trump's pressure campaign on Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro has now struck at the heart of Venezuela's oil-based economy.
The Federal Reserve cut interest rates for the third time this year Wednesday, amid significant internal dissent and signs that further rate cuts next year are likely to be limited.
Why it matters: The Fed has delivered the interest rate relief President Trump has repeatedly demanded, though as chair Jerome Powell approaches his final months in office, the path of policy ahead is clouded in uncertainty.
A new rights-and-governance platform is launching after a pilot program with Malcolm X's estate and Katt Williams' studio, bet on helping creators keep their work from being quietly swept into AI training systems — and losing out on pay when it is.
Why it matters: Generative AI systems are being trained on enormous scraped datasets of books, videos, music and cultural archives — often without permission and with no settled legal standard for whether that's allowed.
President Trump is granting China access to more of Nvidia's advanced AI chips, he announced this week, a partial win for Nvidia which has lobbied against U.S. export restrictions first put in place in late 2022.
The big picture: Nvidia warns that blocking its sales has accelerated China's domestic chipmaking push — creating new global rivals and threatening the U.S. lead in the AI race.
Eileen Higgins defeated a Trump-backed candidate Tuesday night in a runoff election to become Miami's next mayor.
Why it matters: Higgins becomes the first Democrat to win the position in nearly 30 years, overcoming a recent trend of Republican gains in South Florida. She is also the first woman to be elected mayor of Miami.
Rep. Nancy Mace (R-S.C.) on Wednesday introduced a bill to rename Black Lives Matter Plaza in Washington, D.C., after assassinated conservative activist Charlie Kirk.
Why it matters: The bill is part of a Republican frenzy to posthumously honor Kirk, who has already had a California street named after him and received the Presidential Medal of Freedom.
The Trump administration has announced plans to revamp the way HR works across the federal government, per a memo shared with Axios, part of a push to reshape the bureaucracy.
Why it matters: DOGE may be in the rearview mirror for Elon Musk, but the administration is plowing ahead with its overhaul of the federal workforce.
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent has a message for America: Investors in U.S. Treasury bonds have enjoyed a strong year of returns, and this is a reflection of American economic strength.
The big picture: Bessent's description of this year's returns on Treasury securities is accurate, but bond returns don't necessarily correlate with overall economic conditions.
A federal judge ruled Wednesday that secret grand jury records from the 2019 prosecution of convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein must be made public.
Why it matters:Multiple judges' rulings signal Americans will soon get their closest look yet at the information prosecutors compiled about the alleged sex trafficking operation run by Epstein and his longtime confidant Ghislaine Maxwell.
Six more states agreed Wednesday to ban the use of Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits for junk food under new deals with the Trump administration.
Why it matters: The move expands the Trump administration's use of the federal safety net to expand its Make America Healthy Again agenda. More SNAP recipients will be restricted from buying certain sugary drinks and food.
President Trump held a call on Wednesday with the leaders of France, the U.K. and Germany to discuss efforts to reach a peace deal in Ukraine, according to a White House official.
Why it matters: The call took place amid growing tensions and distrust between the U.S. and European powers over how to end the Russia-Ukraine war and the Transatlantic relationship in general.
Rep. Haley Stevens (D-Mich.) on Wednesday filed articles of impeachment against Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
Why it matters: The thrum of impeachment is growing among House Democrats, with lawmakers also targeting Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and President Trump himself.
Foreign tourists from dozens of countries that typically enjoy easier entry requirementsmay soon have to provide five years of their social media history when entering the U.S., according to a U.S. Customs and Border Protection notice published Wednesday.
The big picture: The Trump administration has erected new barriers to legally immigrating and obtaining visas — but this plan, published to the Federal Register, targets tourists who generally don't need a traditional visa to enter the U.S.
A decision concerning the fateof the U.S. Navy's futuristic fighter must be "made quickly," considering how long it will take to build, test and get familiar with such a sophisticated warplane, the chief of U.S. naval operations said.
Why it matters: The service's F/A-XX endeavor has been, at least publicly, stuck in limbo.
Rumors of an imminent contract award have come and gone, as opinions of Trump 2.0 officials clash with those of military leadership.
Pentagon chief technology officer Emil Michael would like to see "five more Andurils and Palantirs and SpaceXs" flourish, he told reporters Monday.
Why it matters: His remarks reflect the growing momentum of neo-prime contractors, the influx of private capital into the defense world and the U.S. military's growing affection for dual-use equipment.
Hypersonic missile-maker Castelionanticipates pumping out Blackbeard munitions at its to-be-built New Mexico factory as soon as 2026, with the ultimate goal of producing thousands per year, according to CEO Bryon Hargis.
Why it matters: "If you want to achieve deterrence, you have to make a lot of munitions," he told Axios on the sidelines of the Reagan National Defense Forum in California.
"It's not suitable to just have high-capability munitions, which is what the country's done a very good job of to date."
A partnership between L3Harris Technologies and Palantir Technologies is producing "significant improvement" in night-vision goggle production, among other payoffs, according to the companies.
Why it matters: American manufacturing is under the microscope.
That's especially true for military contractors, amid calls for additional capacity and reindustrialization.
To better understand Trump 2.0, perhaps it's best to consult past presidents.
The big picture: President Trump wants a big-spending but smaller-footprint military, focused on the Americas, with deterrence for adversaries and some distance from allies. His team is turning to history to justify that outlook.
Driving the news: In a speech given to the Reagan National Defense Forum in California this weekend, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth invoked four commanders in chief and sought to separate Trump from a fifth.
The Trump administration is engaged in open hostilities with the European Union, turning long-simmering feuds over free speech, Ukraine and mass migration into official U.S. policy.
Why it matters: The EU's $140 million fine of Elon Musk's X platform lit the fuse on a conflict the Trump administration was already primed for — and which it formalized in a new National Security Strategy that casts Europe as a geopolitical villain.
Small-business owners were excited for Trump 2.0. Now, tariffs and inflation are causing headaches and eroding optimism.
Why it matters: Main Street's pain is a negative for the entire economy.
The waning confidence of small-business owners, typically a conservative group, is also another political headwind for the president, who has been getting low marks on the economy.
President Trump promised the most deportations in decades to reverse illegal immigration. But the system for legal immigration is also buckling under his pressure.
In just the last few weeks, the Trump administration has threatened to expand the travel ban list, paused all asylum decisions and signaled it will reopen cases from the Biden administration.
Why it matters: Any of these changes in isolation would put strain on the system. Doing them all at once could overwhelm it.
FIFA president Gianni Infantino was reported to the soccer world governing body's ethics investigators over his public support for President Trump and a peace prize awarded to the U.S. leader, a human rights nonprofit announced Tuesday.
The big picture: Infantino has said he considers Trump "a close friend" and said at the 2026 soccer World Cup draw in D.C. last Friday he was awarding him the inaugural FIFA Peace Prize for his "unwavering commitment to advancing peace and unity."
House Speaker Mike Johnson is once again facing blowback from his own members, this time over the must-pass national defense authorization bill.
Why it matters: Johnson (R-La.) made a promise to conservatives this summer to end a revolt that had paralyzed the House floor. Now conservatives are frustrated that he's not following through, again.
House Majority Whip Tom Emmer's office is turning a shutdown-era experiment into a standard practice for how they engage with K Street:
During the shutdown, Emmer's (R-Minn.) staffers starting holding in-person briefings at K Street offices for lobbyists and clients instead of on Capitol Hill.
Why it matters: When the House was gone for the entirety of the October government shutdown, Emmer's office needed a way to keep information flowing downtown.
Construction work at the White House for President Trump's $300 million ballroom is well underway — and all that's left of the site where the 123-year-old East Wing once stood is rubble, photos taken this week show.
The big picture: Trump said on Truth Social over the weekend that the ballroom would be "double the size" than was originally planned and the "column SPAN has been substantially increased for purposes of viewing," but the project was "under budget and ahead of schedule."
Eileen Higgins was elected Miami's next mayor on Tuesday, according to AP, making her the first Democrat to win the post in nearly 30 years and defeating President Trump's endorsed pick.
Why it matters: The win for Higgins is a loss for Trump, who had tried to influence the outcome of the local, nonpartisan race, backing Emilio González, a Republican.
Elon Musk told Katie Miller in an interview for her podcast on Tuesday that DOGE, the Trump administration's cost-cutting department he spearheaded, was "somewhat successful."
Why it matters: It's a rare comment from Musk regarding the work DOGE did earlier this year, and hints at his lingering dissatisfaction with the inner workings of U.S. politics.
Why it matters: The Tennessee-based chain was pulled into a political firestorm that shook its core customer base and forced a redesign reversal — fallout still shaping its recovery.
Americans overwhelmingly support keeping the Constitution's guarantee of birthright citizenship amid growing public resistance to President Trump's immigration crackdown, according to a new survey that also measures attitudes across religions.
Why it matters: The survey released Tuesday by the Public Religion Research Institute (PRRI) is the latest in a series of polls indicating the Trump administration's hardline immigration agenda is turning off many voters.
