Kash Patel on Thursday defended the FBI's raid of the Fulton County, Georgia election office and disputed that the search violated the federal statute-of-limitations.
Why it matters: Local officials vehemently objected to the search, saying it amounts to retaliation by President Trump's alliesover his 2020 election loss and subsequent election interference case.
In a win for the Trump administration, Panama's Supreme Court on Thursday canceled a crucial Panama Canal ports contract operated by a firm with ties to China's government.
Axios exclusively reported earlier that the White House expected the ruling Thursday evening to cancel the contract.
Why it matters: Removing Chinese influence in the Western Hemisphere is central to President Trump's strategy to reassert unquestioned U.S. dominance from the Straits of Magellan to Greenland.
The newly sworn in chair of the Commodity Futures Trading Commission signaled Thursday that the agency will write new rules governing prediction markets.
Why it matters: Prediction markets are booming, but legal questions are mounting — the move could bring clarity to how event contracts are used to bet on sports, politics, entertainment and news.
Venezuela's commercial airspace is set to reopen and Americans will soon be able to visit the Latin American country, President Trump announced Thursday.
The big picture: Trump in early January ordered the closure of airspace above and around Venezuela after the U.S. operation that led to the capture of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro.
Support among House Democrats for impeaching Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem has skyrocketed in recent days — but a vote may not come anytime soon.
Why it matters: Democrats can in theory force a vote whenever they want, but House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) made clear Thursday they are going to take their time and let a careful investigation play out first.
A contempt hearing for acting ICE director Todd Lyons scheduled for Friday has been canceled by the court, after the immigrant at the center of the case was released from custody on Wednesday.
The big picture: While the hearing is off, the judge said the release does "not end the Court's concerns," citing 96 court orders ICE is accused of violating across 74 cases.
A former Illinois sheriff's deputy was sentenced Thursday for the 2024 fatal shooting of a woman who called the police for help.
Driving the news: Former Sangamon County deputy Sean Grayson was found guilty of second-degree murder, receiving the maximum 20-year sentence for the charge.
An ICE agent on Tuesday attempted to forcibly enter Ecuador's consulate in Minneapolis, according to the country's Foreign Affairs Ministry.
The big picture: Federal agents, under international law, are generally not allowed to enter an embassy or consulate without permission of the consul or ambassador.
Senate Democrats on Thursday blocked a package of government funding bills from advancing, as Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) inches toward a deal with President Trump for changes at DHS in exchange for averting a shutdown.
Why it matters: Democrats spent the week pledging to block government funding without reforms to ICE and Customs and Border Protection following a string of shootings involving federal law enforcement in Minnesota. They're now working toward a deal, but the clock is ticking.
Bots are driving about one-third of social media discourse about the ICE operations in Minneapolis, according to data from PeakMetrics, a nonpartisan data intelligence company.
Why it matters: Bots can warp public perception of fast-moving events, as bad-faith actors seeking to inflame tensions spread misleading narratives that audiences accept as fact.
Federal Reserve chair Jerome Powell may want to spend his last few months atop the world's most important central bank focused on trying to hand off a strong economy to his successor.
Reality check: The universe has other plans.
Why it matters: The monetary policy outlook appears drama-free. Barring any shocks, interest rates are likely to remain on hold for the time being as the economy and job market stay steady.
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) is directly engaged with the White House on a plan to avert — or shorten — a partial government shutdown, according to a person familiar with the matter.
Why it matters: The compromise, if agreed to, would pass five of the six appropriations bills and then fund the Department of Homeland Security with a short-term spending stopgap.
Border czar Tom Homan, President Trump's new man on the ground in Minnesota, struck a cooperative tone Thursday andsaid he sees a path to de-escalation in the Twin Cities.
Why it matters: After weeks of unrest in Minnesota, Homan is taking on the mantle of mediator as other Trump administration officials face scrutiny for their roles in the crisis and the president continues to spar with local and state officials.
Why it matters: The Eastern District of Virginia emerged as a testing ground for whether the Trump administration could simply ignore court rulings it doesn't like. Federal judges — including President Trump's appointees — answered with a resounding no.
Jeff Bezos' climate philanthropy is staking efforts to pave the way for building at least 10 new U.S. nuclear reactors.
Why it matters: The $3.5 million grant to the nonprofit Nuclear Scaling Initiative envisions an "orderbook" that "brings together multiple buyers to commit to building the same reactor design."
Why it matters: The four-term senator will quickly emerge as the frontrunner in the Democratic primary in a state that has become ground zero for President Trump's aggressive immigration enforcement.
ICE has ended its enforcement surge in Maine, Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) said Thursday, citing a conversation with Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem.
Why it matters: The Trump administration is retreating from an enforcement operation amid growing bipartisan backlash over tactics, including two fatal shootings of U.S. citizens in Minnesota and the arrests of legal immigrants in Maine.
In a stunning warning for the rapidly-aging U.S., poverty rose for seniors in more than 800 counties over the past five years, according to new Census Bureau estimates.
Why it matters: America's post-pandemic rebound didn't flatten inequality — it rearranged it. The winners clustered in educated metro areas and owned homes outright. The losers are increasingly older, renting, rural — or all three.
President Trump dismissed a bipartisan groundswell calling for Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem to be fired after Alex Pretti was killed — a new example of a top Trump official surviving a high-profile humiliation.
Why it matters: On TV, Trump was known for: "You're fired!" In his second term as president, he resists ousting aides who mess up.
The National Archives' newest permanent exhibit uses machine learning to make America's historical records more accessible to the public.
Why it matters: AI's biggest superpower is tagging, organizing and presenting massive amounts of data, a growing challenge for institutions like the National Archives.
House Democrats have been privately advised by their leadership not to travel to Minnesota in support of anti-ICE protesters there, Axios has learned.
Why it matters: Several Democratic politicians have made the trek in recent days, including Sen. Raphael Warnock (D-Ga.) and New York congressional candidates Brad Lander and Micah Lasher.
Frustration with Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem is mounting among House Republicans over her response to the fatal shooting of Alex Pretti.
Why it matters: They soon could soon be forced to go on the record about whether they still support Noem if Democrats move to force a vote on impeachment.
