Axios

The dollar weakened against other major currencies Tuesday afternoon after President Trump told reporters in Iowa that he was not concerned about the recent decline in the dollar and wanted the currency to "seek its own level," per Bloomberg.

Why it matters: U.S. presidents historically talk up the dollar's strength whenever asked.

House Democrats' support for articles of impeachment against DHS Secretary Kristi Noem surged again Tuesday, with House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) effectively giving his blessing to the effort.

Why it matters: More than three-quarters of the House Democratic caucus is now co-sponsoring the measure, and the list of new signers as of Tuesday afternoon includes some surprising names.

Most Americans (55%) have very little confidence in ICE, according to a new YouGov poll conducted almost entirely after federal agents shot and killed Minneapolis nurse Alex Pretti on Saturday.

Why it matters: It's another signal that immigration — once a strength for President Trump — has become one of his biggest challenges as backlash grows to his heavy-handed enforcement tactics in primarily Democratic-run cities.

Almost every living president condemned the fatal shooting of 37-year-old Minneapolis ICU nurse Alex Pretti by federal agents, urging transparent investigations, protection of democratic values and limiting aggressive enforcement tactics.

Why it matters: Former presidents are often hesitant to jump into highly charged political debates, making the flurry of statements — alongside President Trump's attempts to soften his hardline immigration rhetoric — particularly notable.

Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem is under fire for issuing misleading and incendiary information that claimed immigration agents killed an armed Minnesota protestor Saturday because he wanted to "massacre" them.

• That language has now become a source of controversy in the Trump administration.
• White House officials are blaming Customs and Border Patrol for furnishing inaccurate information, while others are targeting Stephen Miller, White House deputy chief of staff and top Trump adviser, six sources with knowledge of the situation told Axios.

Why it matters: The episode illustrates the confusion that gripped the administration after the Saturday shooting death of Minnesota protester Alex Pretti. And it shows the influence of Miller, Trump's close and longest-serving political adviser whose dominion in the White House far exceeds his title.

A Minnesota federal judge ordered acting ICE director Todd Lyons to show up in court Friday for a contempt hearing for failing to comply with court orders.

Why it matters: U.S. District Chief Judge Patrick J. Schiltz wrote that "the court's patience is at an end" for dozens of violations from the Trump administration, which this week changed its approach to the immigration effort in the state.

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) and his leadership deputies on Tuesday issued a warning to President Trump to fire Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, or Democrats "will commence impeachment proceedings."

Why it matters: The House Democratic leader's new threat comes as support for impeaching Noem is surging among his members, with more than two-thirds of his caucus now co-sponsoring articles of impeachment.

Sen. John Fetterman (D-Pa.) is calling for DHS Secretary Kristi Noem to be fired after Alex Pretti was shot and killed in Minneapolis during a deadly immigration raid, he tells Axios by phone Tuesday morning.

Why it matters: Fetterman was one of just a few Democrats to support Noem's nomination. He said he hopes his cordiality with President Trump means his demands will carry more weight than those of other senators.

The U.S. population grew just 0.5% from July 2024 to July 2025, per new Census Bureau estimates, adding 1.8 million people.

Why it matters: That's the slowest rate since the worst of the COVID-19 pandemic, when the population grew by an anemic 0.2%.

Several Trump administration officials are facing bipartisan blowback after rushing to the airways and social media in the wake of the fatal shooting of Alex Pretti in Minneapolis.

The big picture: The White House has softened its tone and reshuffled its leadership in its Minnesota immigration crackdown as the political backlash has grown and public approval for the administration's aggressive immigration blitz has cratered.

At least three Democratic committee ranking members are attempting to secure public testimony from Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem in the wake of the Alex Pretti shooting in Minneapolis, Axios has learned.

Why it matters: The latest entreaty, from House Judiciary Committee Democrats, notes that this would be the first time a DHS official from the second Trump administration has appeared before their panel.

Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-D.C.) ended months of speculation Tuesday by announcing she will retire from Congress next year rather than seek another term.

Why it matters: The announcement marks the end of a decades-long career marked by fierce advocacy on behalf of D.C. residents — but marred recently by signs of cognitive decline.

After lockstep unity on immigration for the first year of Trump 2.0, a growing number of Republican lawmakers are calling for investigations and testimony from top Trump officials after the deadly shooting of Alex Pretti.

Why it matters: The dam is breaking, with Republicans more directly questioning the administration — including Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem — for its handling of the tragedy in Minnesota.

We scrambled the debut of our "Behind the Curtain" video series: Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei wanted to chat Monday after he dropped a 38-page essay warning of escalating risks from the AI technology he's helping pioneer.

• We asked Amodei, in San Francisco, what Congress should do now, and what lawmakers should tell their constituents. His three-part prescription:

1. Transparency legislation to require AI companies to disclose their models' risks and bad behavior, and the defenses that are built in.
2. Cut off sales of Nvidia chips and other U.S. products that help China.
3. Get ready to tax future AI trillionaires and redistribute wealth. He said he'd tell his fellow future trillionaires: "You're going to get a mob coming for you if you don't do this in the right way."

The bottom line: "We always assume that everything that can go wrong does go wrong," Amodei said. "That's how you build things that are reliable."

👉 Share the YouTube ... Executive producer: Axios' Jimmy Shelton.

Alexander Vindman, the former National Security Council official who testified against President Trump during his first impeachment trial, is running to be the Democratic nominee in Florida's Senate race.

Why it matters: Vindman's entry into the Senate race gives Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) another high-profile candidate to try and force Republicans to spend heavily to defend a seat.

Investors around the world are losing faith in traditional safe-haven assets like the U.S. dollar and Treasuries, fueling a fierce rally in gold.

Why it matters: Gold prices have rallied over 17% so far this year as investors hedge exposure to Washington.

President Trump surged immigration forces into Minnesota earlier this month promising "reckoning and retribution."

• Now he's sounding a rhetorical retreat.

Why it matters: The Saturday killing of protester Alex Pretti — and the videos showing how Trump's administration misrepresented it — drove the president to uncharacteristically de-escalate on Monday.

DAVOS, Switzerland — Australian mining executive Andrew Forrest is emerging as one of the world's few top business leaders willing to publicly and loudly buck President Trump on climate change.

Why it matters: The broader business community is largely staying quiet in the face of Trump's aggressive moves in a number of areas, including on clean energy.

Josh Hawley once was a key ally of President Trump's in the U.S. Senate.

• But Trump and his allies have been increasingly angry with Hawley recently, miffed by some moves the Missouri Republican has made in laying the groundwork for a possible 2028 bid for president.

Why it matters: Like few other Republicans, Hawley has begun to show a willingness to break with the White House on issues ranging from abortion to presidential war powers.

The Trump administration spent the past 24 hours attempting to make amends with Minnesota after the shooting death of Minneapolis nurse Alex Pretti triggered bipartisan political backlash.

Why it matters: President Trump appears to be softening his tone on immigration enforcement after weeks of escalation in the state — but it remains unclear what his intentions are going forward.