Axios

President Trump and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) met at the White House on Thursday to discuss Trump's hold on billions of dollars of funding for the Gateway Tunnel Project in New York.

Why it matters: It's the first meeting between the two New Yorkers since last year's explosive government shutdown battle. And Schumer used the opportunity to plead his case to the president on a list of issues, including a local one.

Minnesota officials are urging protesters to keep demonstrating against President Trump's ICE operations even as Trump threatened to invoke the Insurrection Act and bring the military to the city.

Why it matters: Minnesota has emerged as a hotspot with widespread protests following the fatal shooting of Renee Nicole Good by an ICE agent.

NATO allies are increasing their military presence in Greenland against the backdrop of a growing threat: President Trump's takeover push.

Why it matters: Europeans say the military buildup is meant to counter general Arctic threats, but U.S. aggression towards a NATO-backed ally creates a relatively unprecedented scenario: planning to repel an attack from within.

First President Trump flooded the Twin Cities with federal agents. Now he's threatening to deploy troops to bolster the armed immigration crackdown.

The big picture: Minnesota is already a tinderbox. An an ICE agent shot and killed a driver in Minneapolis last week, protests have erupted, and Gov. Tim Walz is battling the White House. Deploying troops could add gasoline to the fire.

President Trump won over many voters in the 2024 election with his hardline stances on immigration, an assertive foreign policy and promises to strengthen the economy.

Why it matters: Those same policies are now creating political headwinds, as polling shows broad opposition to how he has handled many of his second-term initiatives.

President Trump's threat to deploy federal troops to Minneapolis comes as the city is already in turmoil, with daily demonstrations, school disruptions, and fear running through immigrant communities and beyond amid the government's immigration crackdown.

Why it matters: The unprecedented ICE surge has the hallmarks of an occupation in some neighborhoods, as masked and heavily armed agents drive around in large SUVs, tussle with protesters and observers, and break into people's cars and houses to make arrests.

President Trump on Thursday threatened to deploy U.S. military forces under the Insurrection Act to Minneapolis if state officials don't stop protests against the sprawling immigration enforcement operation.

Why it matters: Every modern use of the Insurrection Act has come either at a governor's request or to expand civil rights protections over state objections. Trump would flip that script, sending troops against a governor's wishes to crush protests of the federal government's own actions.

• The situation has grown increasingly tense amid a surge in ICE activity and last week's fatal shooting of Renee Good by an ICE agent.

President Trump on Thursday called on Congress to pass a package of measures aimed at lowering drug prices, insurance premiums and increasing health cost transparency.

Why it matters: The "Great Healthcare Plan" is a response to Democrats' attacks around expired Affordable Care Act subsidies and an acknowledgement the GOP could get blamed for health care affordability heading into the midterm elections.

More than a week of continuous protests in Minnesota provoked the ire of President Trump, but they don't show signs of winding down.

The big picture: Minnesota's Twin Cities, front and center in anti-ICE protests, have been a decade-long hub for demonstrations against state-sanctioned violence.

ICE Deputy Director Madison Sheahan resigned Thursday and launched a House bid for an Ohio district that is a top pickup target for Republicans.

Why it matters: The 2026 midterms could hinge on races like Ohio's 9th, and Sheahan enters a crowded Republican primary as ICE battles blowback over the shooting of Renee Good.

ICE raided a Meta data center in Louisiana, putting President Trump's immigration crackdown at odds with his goal of American AI dominance.

Why it matters: The administration, with the ultimate goal of beating China in the AI race, wants a friendly environment for tech companies looking to build AI infrastructure and fill labor shortages.

Rebranding the Department of Defense as the Department of War will cost between $10 million and $125 million — but could cost hundreds of millions more if lawmakers make it official, according to the Congressional Budget Office (CBO).

Why it matters: The name change is part of a larger overhaul of the U.S. military sought by the Trump administration, which has emphasized physical appearances and wartime messaging while seeking a record setting $1.5 trillion defense budget.

Venezuelan opposition leader and Nobel Peace Prize winner María Corina Machado is scheduled to meet President Trump on Thursday as her country's future — and her own political fate — hang in the balance.

The big picture: Ahead of the stunning U.S. raid to capture Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Machado has sought to appeal to Trump. But as the smoke cleared over Caracas, Trump held off on throwing U.S. support behind her as the country's next leader.

There's little evidence AI is destroying large numbers of white-collar jobs today. But five developments show the potential for massive future job and workplace disruption.

Prosecutors in states with abortion bans are increasingly charging mostly low-income women with pregnancy-related crimes, in a test of whether fetuses and embryos have the same rights as children.

Why it matters: The cases further complicate the post-Roe landscape and bring particular scrutiny to pregnant women accused of drug or other substance use.

A bipartisan group of lawmakers will introduce new legislation Thursday to establish a $2.5 billion "Strategic Resilience Reserve" (SRR) for critical minerals, Axios has learned.

Why it matters: President Trump is bringing his prospector's pick to nearly every corner of the globe — including Ukraine, Venezuela and Greenland — in a push to boost the U.S. supply of minerals that are critical to the tech industry's growth.

Support for President Trump's immigration crackdown is unraveling quickly and reviving Democratic opposition on an issue that helped decide the last election.

Why it matters: Border chaos under former President Biden helped return Trump to power. Now, it's chaos from ICE and other Trump immigration enforcers that's turning off the public, one viral video at a time.

The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) has launched its fastest-ever legal campaign against President Trump in his first year, filing challenges at a pace that could double those in his first term, according to an analysis first shared with Axios.

Why it matters: Trump is using executive power at historic speed and scale, and the ACLU has again emerged as his most persistent institutional check.

The share of Americans who see business as the country's biggest threat, compared with government and labor, is near a high last reached more than two decades ago, when accounting scandals rocked the corporate world.

Why it matters: Gallup has been polling on this question since the 1960s, and, although big government always ranks as Americans' top perceived threat, distrust of companies has been steadily rising.

Books, movies and songs celebrate the mobility of America, cheering on the striver who wants to leave home and find their riches somewhere... else.

• Those inspirational stories often overlook the power of the people who choose to stay home and devote their skills and strengths to the town that made them.

Why it matters: Dreamers make good main characters, but every city, town, hamlet and township has families (it's rarely just one) that set deep, multi-generational roots.