President Trump on Wednesday attempted to rally interest in Trump accounts with a flurry of announcements related to employer contribution matches and multiple celebrity endorsements.
Capitol Police investigations into threats against members of Congress, their families and staffers, and the U.S. Capitol rose drastically in 2025, according to data released by the department Tuesday.
Driving the news: The new stat dropped just hours after an attack on Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.) at a town hall Tuesday evening, in which a man sprayed her with an unknown liquid from a syringe.
A quarter of young Americans think China has more global power and influence than the U.S., compared to 12% of Americans ages 65 and older, according to a new Carnegie Endowment for International Peace survey.
Why it matters: Political dysfunction, economic pressures and cultural exchanges are helping to reshape how young Americans measure global power — and America's place in it.
Senate Democrats are demanding that federal agents be barred from donning masks and that they wear body cameras as part of sweeping changes to DHS that also include a ban on roving patrols and tighter use of warrants.
Why it matters: Democrats are pledging to tank a broader funding package aimed at staving off a partial government shutdown at midnight Friday if Republicans don't agree to new constraints on ICE and other federal law enforcement.
The Federal Reserve left interest rates unchanged on Wednesday, noting "solid" growth and a stabilizing job market, as the central bank navigates a delicate economic and political moment.
The big picture: The central bank's policy committee took a breather after three consecutive rate cuts in the final meetings of last year, showing greater confidence in the economy. But policymakers gave no hints as to when they may adjust borrowing costs again.
Business groups and others eager to streamline the federal process for green-lighting projects need to lobby the Trump administration, not Congress, a key Democrat said Wednesday.
Why it matters: Capitol Hill observers are clamoring for Congress to pass a bill this year that speeds approvals for energy and other projects.
President Trump's immigration crackdown and aggressive foreign policy has put him on a collision course with one of the oldest institutions in the world: The Catholic Church.
Why it matters: Faith leaders and scholars tell Axios that Trump's agenda conflicts with the Church's commitment to safeguarding human dignity. With an American Pope at its helm for the first time, the Vatican is positioned to be a unique foil for the president.
President Trump is turning on the PR machine for "Trump accounts," bringing in a star rapper and a slew of CEOs to help fund investment accounts for kids.
Why it matters: The White House has promised the Trump accounts will unlock financial freedom for future generations, with a structure that could disrupt American philanthropy.
But for the program to pack the biggest punch, the administration needs private-sector buy-in — America's richest and large employers.
Pro-crypto political action committee Fairshake and its affiliate PACs have more than $193 million in cash on hand heading into the 2026 midterms.
Why it matters: That's nearly $60 million more than the group spent in 2024, when it poured more money into races than any other single-issue PAC — a clear signal from the industry that it plans to have a big hand in reshaping the next House and Senate.
Massive fiscal deficits as far as the eye can see. The prospect of easy monetary policy even amid elevated inflation. America's role in the world is in flux. Something has to give, and that something is the U.S. dollar.
The big picture: A drop in the value of the dollar against other major currencies — underway for the past year, with a new leg down in the last couple of weeks — is the market manifestation of a shifting economic landscape.
The Justice Department said Tuesday it willrelease the full Epstein files in the "near term," after reviewing and redacting millions of pages.
Why it matters: Blowing more than a month past its legal deadline, the DOJ still has not set a clear date on when documents related to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epsteinwill go public, as other developments with the Trump administration garner widespread attention.
President Trump renewed his verbal attacks on Minnesota officials over the last 24 hours, jeopardizing attempts to de-escalate tensions between his administration and the state's leaders.
Sen. Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska) raised $1.4 million in the final quarter of the year leaving him with $5.8 million cash on hand as he prepares to face former Rep. Mary Peltola (D-Alaska), according to a person familiar with the matter.
President Trump advised Iran to " quickly make a deal" on its nuclear program because a new U.S. attack on the country "will be far worse" than the last one.
Why it matters: Trump has ordered a U.S. military buildup in the Gulf ahead of a possible strike. Iran, Israel and other countries in the region have been on high alert for days expecting a U.S. strike.
The Pentagon published its premier national-security blueprint on Friday night with little warning or fanfare, ahead of the heftiest snowstorm Washington had seen in years.
The big picture: The unclassified National Defense Strategy, some two dozen pages, is the Donroe Doctrine made manifest. The "rules-based international order" is dismissed as an "abstraction," and the emphasis is on hard power close to home.
Congress may be about to make long-sought changes to pharmacy benefit managers' business practices — though the impact on drug costs could be limited.
Why it matters: PBMs negotiate drug prices with drug manufacturers on behalf of health plans and the prospect of changing how they're compensated could remove what critics say are warped incentives that can encourage the use of higher-priced drugs.
Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.) was rushed by a man during a town hall Tuesday and sprayed with unknown liquid from a syringe.
The big picture: The attack comes just days after Rep. Maxwell Frost (D-Fla.) was punched in the face at the Sundance Film Festival and amid a broader surge in threats and violence against lawmakers.
Google is rolling out an updated "Mayors AI Playbook" with the U.S. Conference of Mayors at the group's Winter Meeting in Washington today, the company first told Axios.
Why it matters: Cities are spending more on technology, but many lack the expertise to deploy AI safely and at scale. Whoever helps them cross that gap could lock in years of government contracts.
The killing of Alex Pretti has destabilized the cultural settlement that took hold after the 2024 election, dragging non-political actors and institutions back into the eye of a national reckoning.
Why it matters: America may never return to the mass social activism of 2020. But the vocal re-engagement of corporations, athletes and apolitical corners of the internet suggests a red line was crossed in Minneapolis.
When the Trump administration started its purge of the civil service a year ago, it kicked off an exodus of federal workers with consequences that are only beginning to shake out.
Why it matters: Hundreds of thousands of former federal employees are trying to find their way in a sluggish labor market, as the administration's opponents warn about the long-term consequences of a shrunken civil service.
Anger at Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem coursed throughout the Senate on Tuesday, especially among senators who voted to confirm her.
Why it matters: Democrats disagreed on whether her departure would change the Trump administration's immigration policy. But Republicans, for the first time, broke ranks with President Trump on Noem.
Republican lawmakers are caught between the powerful gun lobby and top Trump officials over the deadly shooting of Minneapolis ICU nurse Alex Pretti.
Why it matters: The GOP has a long, mutually beneficial history with influential Second Amendment rights groups. The tragedy in Minneapolis is complicating their political messaging.
Censorship allegations are mounting against TikTok as users find themselves unable to locate content related to ICE raids across the country.
Why it matters: People have been congregating on social media to share information related to the Trump administration's immigration crackdown — especially concerning ICE's killing of twocivilians — with suppression concerns escalating across platforms like TikTok and Facebook.
