House Speaker Mike Johnson's razor-thin majority is colliding head-on with 2026 campaigning, forcing GOP leaders to plead with lawmakers to show up to work.
Why it matters: One missed flight, sick day, or campaign stop can flip the outcome of a House vote.
Maine Gov. Janet Mills jetted off to California this week for a trio of big-dollar Senate fundraisers, leaving on the same day federal agents launched a immigration enforcement operation in her state, according to invitations shared with Axios.
Why it matters: Incumbent governors can typically seize on a public safety crisis or natural disaster to demonstrate leadership and dominate news cycles. But that only works if they are in state.
Vice President Vance on Friday announced plans to blockforeign aid for groups supporting gender identity and diversity programs, expanding an existing ban on organizations providing abortion-related services.
Why it matters: The broadened "Mexico City" policy — referred to as a global gag rule — affects more than $30 billion in foreign assistance to both foreign and domestic organizations.
A potentially historic winter storm is already disrupting weekend travel for flyers nationwide with airports canceling hundreds of flights and delaying thousands more.
The big picture: Nearly148 million Americans are facing "Winter Storm Fern" with watches and warnings stretching 2,000 miles from New Mexico to Maine as of Thursday afternoon.
ICE agents' detention of a 5-year-old boy in Minneapolis this week has inflamed an already tense debate over immigration authorities' tactics — and put a spotlight on the unknown number of children being scooped up when their parents are arrested.
Driving the news: Images of the boy wearing a small backpack and a light blue stocking cap fueled angry speculation in the Twin Cities that ICE was detaining children as "bait" to catch parents wanted for alleged immigration violations.
The most powerful man in the Department of Homeland Security, Corey Lewandowski, was supposed to work just 130 days last year because he was classified as a temporary government employee.
But thanks to creative timekeeping, he was there throughout the year. Now he's poised for a repeat in 2026.
Why it matters: Despite being listed as a temp, Lewandowski exerts singular influence in day-to-day operations at DHS — from billions of dollars in contracts to its unpopular immigration-enforcement tactics that have become a drag on the Trump administration.
A federal AI framework and well-funded AI research are key to U.S. leadership, TechNet argues in its 2026 federal policy principles shared exclusively with Axios.
Why it matters: TechNet represents tech CEOs and senior executives from a wide range of tech and AI companies, and its top priority remains avoiding a jumble of state laws on AI or federal legislation that could handicap smaller companies.
President Trump's envoys met Russian President Vladimir Putin for four hours at the Kremlin on Thursday night to discuss the U.S. plan to end the war in Ukraine.
Why it matters: The meeting with Putin took place ahead of a new phase in the U.S. mediation efforts — trilateral talks with Ukrainian and Russian officials in Abu Dhabi.
Add Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) to the list of senators looking to become governors back home — and then name their own successors.
Why it matters: Klobuchar is poised to join Sens. Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.), Michael Bennet (D-Colo.) and Tommy Tuberville (R-Ala.) as a senator running for governor.
The Senate's 2028 Democratic presidential hopefuls are tripping over each other to vote against ICE funding — even if that means opposing money for other programs they support and increasing the risk of another government shutdown.
Why it matters: For the 2028ers, voting "no" on a bill that's likely to pass the Senate next week is an easy way to signal their outrage at a president whose actions and policies they detest.
But for Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), it's another reminder that funding a government controlled by President Trump can quickly inflame his base, especially if his colleagues are fanning the flames.
It wasn't pretty, simple or easy, but Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) passed a crucial government funding bill out of the House on Thursday — and saved his president from one embarrassment while opening him up to another.
Why it matters: Despite some intentional — and unintentional — collateral damage, Johnson continues to demonstrate how to govern with the thinnest of majorities — which sometimes requires recalling a truant Texas lawmaker to fly back to D.C.
TikTok on Thursday closed a deal to divest its U.S. entity to a joint venture controlled by American investors, the day before the Trump administration's executive order banning the app was set to kick in.
Why it matters: The deal ends a yearslong saga to force TikTok's Chinese parent ByteDance to sell its U.S. operation to domestic owners to alleviate national security concerns.
