Clean-energy advocates and a Minnesota city won a partial victory Monday when a federal court judge ruled that the Trump administration acted unlawfully when it canceled energy-related grants in blue states.
Why it matters: It's the latest example of the courts countering the administration's moves.
The big picture: The investigation ostensibly concerns the central bank's $2.5 billion renovation project, but functions as an unprecedented escalation of the president's effort to influence the central bank over interest rates.
A House Republican on Monday introduced legislation that would give President Trump the authority to annex Greenland and turn it into a U.S. state.
Why it matters: The bill is an extreme long-shot, but it serves as a stark display of Republicans' eagerness to prove their loyalty to the president as he muses publicly about acquiring the island territory by force.
There's evidence that capping credit-card interest rates at 10% would save Americans billions of dollars, although banks warn of consumers losing access to credit.
Why it matters: President Trump says banks should cap card rates at 10% for a year — picking up the mantle for an idea popular with progressives and consumer advocates.
Minnesota and Illinois accused the Trump administration of acting as military occupiers in a pair of Monday lawsuits seeking to block the ongoing immigration crackdown.
Why it matters: Immigration has been President Trump's signature domestic issue, but his militarized approach is deeply unpopular and has spurred widespread backlash, particularly after a deadly shooting in Minneapolis last week.
A federal judge is allowing a major wind project to resume construction off Rhode Island's coast while the court battle over the Trump administration's recent stop-work order plays out.
Why it matters: The preliminary injunction is a win for the nearly complete Revolution Wind project, which would provide power to Rhode Island and Connecticut. The project is jointly owned by Ørsted and BlackRock's Global Infrastructure Partners.
President Trump is leaning toward striking Iran to punish the regime for killing protesters, but he hasn't made a final decision and is exploring Iranian proposals for negotiations, a White House official with direct knowledge told Axios.
Why it matters: WhileTrump threatened the Iranian regime with strikes if protesters were killed, it's far from clear that U.S. bombs will turn the tide in Tehran. Trump is expected to discuss options in a meeting with his top national security team on Tuesday.
President Trump raised alarms Sunday when seemed to declare himself the "acting president of Venezuela."
Why it matters: Though Trump has no formal title in Venezuela, the president has continued to assert his authority over the country, raising questions about how long the U.S. will maintain its influence there.
Sen. Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.) is suing to stop Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth from going after his Navy rank for his participation in a video that President Trump called "seditious."
Why it matters: Kelly, a retired Navy captain, alleges that the Trump administration's attempt to punish him by demoting his military status "sends a chilling message to every retired member of the military."
Democrats sent Republicans a proposal over the weekendto renew enhanced Affordable Care Act subsidies for three years, paired with extensions of other expiring health programs, sources said.
Why it matters: Sunday's offer shows there's increasing bipartisan sentiment to address long-stalled priorities like overhauling pharmacy benefit manager business practices — even if prospects for the ACA subsidies are much murkier.
What's inside: The proposal from Democratic leadership and health committees was in response to a GOP offer last week to renew funding for community health centers, certain Medicare telehealth flexibilities and other health "extenders" ahead of a Jan. 30 deadline.
The underlying package being discussed largely mirrors a bipartisan health deal that was due to be included in a 2024 year-end government funding deal before it was jettisoned at the urging of Elon Musk and then-President-elect Trump, sources said.
That included PBM measures aimed at lowering drug costs, such as "delinking" PBM compensation from the price of a drug in Medicare Part D.
There is also a measure addressing Medicare hospital costs that would require hospital outpatient departments to use unique identifier numbers in a bid to crack down on what critics say is overbilling.
Between the lines: Democrats' new offer raised the stakes by adding a politically contentious three-year extension of enhanced ACA subsidies that help people afford premiums.
GOP leadership is sure to reject inclusion of that in the health care package, but there still appears to be progress on the other elements.
Democrats' new offer also seeks an increase in funding for programs like community health centers, sources said.
The big picture: On a separate track, a bipartisan Senate group has been discussing an ACA subsidy deal that would extend the tax credits along with new restrictions Republicans favor, such as eliminating $0 premiums that critics say fuel fraud.
There still are considerable hurdles, with most Republicans still opposed to any kind of ACA subsidy extension and many backing new prohibitions on using the money to pay for abortion services.
President Trump told reporters Sunday night that he "might" veto a subsidy extension, though he was responding to a question about the clean three-year extension, which is unlikely to get to his desk anyway.
A perturbed Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent told President Trump late Sunday that the federal investigation into the Federal Reserve chair "made a mess" and could be bad for financial markets, two sources familiar with the call told Axios.
Why it matters: Bessent's worries about the financial fallout were somewhat realized Monday, when the dollar dropped as bond yields and the price of gold rose amid worries about political interference in the Fed.
Weeks into protests in Iran, President Trump has indicated he could soon intervene in favor of protesters, pressuring a regime already reeling from street uprisings.
Why it matters: The stakes are life and death in Iran and escalating. More than 540 protesters have been killed, reports said, and the regime has blocked internet access.
Federal prosecutors are probing yet another Trump foe, Fed Chair Jerome Powell — and like clockwork, an increasingly familiar name from a previously little-known agency is back in the headlines: top housing regulator Bill Pulte.
Why it matters: The Federal Housing Finance Agency director has been an architect of chaos in the typically more quiet role as he's set the table for investigations into some of President Trump's high-profile rivals.
Some bells you can't unring.Some doors are one-way. The United States is about to find out whether the attempted criminal prosecution of its central banker is one of those.
The big picture: The news Sunday night that President Trump's Justice Department is conducting a criminal investigation into Federal Reserve chair Jerome Powell over his Congressional testimony on the Fed's building project is a remarkable escalation of the president's long-running feud with Powell over interest rate policy.
Former FBI Deputy Director Dan Bongino will resume his podcast on Feb. 2, marking the grassroots return of one of the right's most prominent brawlers.
Why it matters: Bongino left his popular show to become the FBI's No. 2 in March, and his return to the microphone revives one of the most popular podcasts in the right's media ecosystem.
Child care providers, already under financial strain, face their greatest test yet as the Trump administration imposes new rules and restrictions on funding.
Why it matters: Federal money underpins the entire industry — vital to millions of parents trying to manage work and family, across all income levels.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi reached out to White House envoy Steve Witkoff over the weekend amid President Trump's threats of military force against the regime in support of the recent protests, according to two sources with knowledge.
Why it matters: The sources said the outreach seemed to be an effort by Iran to deescalate with the U.S., or at least buy more time before Trump orders any action to further weaken the regime.
President Trump's huddle with oil executives and Energy Secretary Chris Wright's subsequent press blitz expose tensions running through the plans to boost Venezuelan output.
Why it matters: Controlling oil revenues and exports, and reviving its broken-down oilfields, are central White House goals after toppling Nicolás Maduro.
Former Rep. Mary Peltola (D-Alaska) is launching her Senate campaign with a plainly populist "Alaska First" message, vowing to lower costs at home and expose political corruption in Washington.
Why it matters: Peltola's decision to challenge Sen. Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska) gives Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) a chance to expand the Senate map in 2026.
The nation is splitting into three distinct economic realities: the Have-Nots (stalling) ... the Haves (coasting) ... and the Have-Lots (rocketing to greater wealth).
Why it matters: This isn't just about "inequality." It's about a structural shift where the growing number of hyperwealthy are profiting wildly off the AI revolution — through exclusive access to private deals, massive investment power, governmental connections, and equity stakes that "normal" investors can't touch.
President Trump wants to spend. He also wants, where possible, to avoid congressional interference and bigger deficits. Enter the balance sheet.
The big picture: The president is going through the couch cushions of government — $200 billion from Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac for mortgage bonds, $20 billion from a Treasury fund for Argentina — to advance his policy priorities.
Critics say it's nontraditional at best, and autocrat-adjacent at worst.
A majority of registered voters are concerned about President Trump's close relationships with Big Tech companies like Google, Apple, Meta, Amazon and OpenAI, according to a new survey shared first with Axios.
Why it matters: Most voters say that tech companies wield too much influence in Washington amid Trump's full-throatedembrace of AI and cozy ties with the industry.
President Trump said Sunday he may exclude Exxon Mobil from his drive for U.S. companies to invest in Venezuela, after the oil giant's CEO described the South American country as "uninvestable."
What he's saying: "I didn't like Exxon's response," said Trump Sunday evening of the CEO's comments during his meeting with U.S. oil giants at the White House two days ago.
President Trump said Sunday Iran reached out to the U.S. a day earlier and proposed to negotiate a nuclear deal.
"We may meet with them. A meeting is being set up, but we may have to act because of what's happening, before the meeting. … but a meeting is being set up," he told reporters on Air Force One on Sunday.
Why it matters: Trump's surprising remarks come as protests in Iran intensify, the death toll rises and the U.S. considers taking military action against the regime.
Federal prosecutors are investigating Federal Reserve chair Jerome Powell over the central bank's multibillion-dollar project to renovate its headquarters, according to a report late on Sunday that the Fed confirmed.
The big picture: This amounts to an extraordinary escalation of President Trump's campaign against Powell, whom Trump has assailed over interest rate policy. Powell's term as Fed chair ends in about four months.
Powell, in a rare public statement late Sunday, cast the investigation as a blatant assault on the Fed's independence from politics.
