Liberal media, long dominated by a few big national players such as New York Times columnists, is splintering into countless micro-factions, much like the early MAGA movement.
Why it matters: Gone are the days of simply sucking up to the Times or Rachel Maddow. Now, potential 2028 contenders for president need to navigate a multi-layered media ecosystem controlled by big players and solo operators with big audiences.
Project 2029, a new policy group preparing for a Democrat to win the White House in 2028, has named an executive director and plans to put out its first policy ideas in March, Axios has learned.
Why it matters: Project 2029 is one of several liberal groups already battling over who will staff the next Democratic administration and what policy ideas they'll embrace.
House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) predicted Sunday that the House will end the partial government shutdown by Tuesday, even as he prepares to move forward without Democratic support forDepartment of Homeland Security funding.
Why it matters: Johnson faces the difficult task of quashing internal GOP tensions after the deadly immigration crackdown in Minnesota scattered appropriations talks. The funding bill would launch a two-week window for high-stakes negotiations over DHS.
A federal appeals judge tossed the Justice Department's misconduct complaint against Judge James Boasberg, who said last spring the administration defied his order to halt deportation flights to El Salvador.
The big picture: The administration has attacked judges appointed by Democrats and Republicans alike. But this ruling shows the limits of the Justice Department's self-proclaimed "war" on judges who rule against the administration.
The Trump administration has told Iran through multiple channels that it's open to meeting to negotiate a deal, a senior U.S. official tells Axios.
Why it matters: The diplomatic push comes as Trump has ordered a massive military buildup in the Gulf, raising the stakes of whether talks can avert a strike on Iran and a wider regional war.
A federal judge on Saturday ordered the release of 5-year-old Liam Ramos and his father from immigration detention in a stunning castigation of the Trump administration's "ill-conceived and incompetently-implemented" deportation campaign.
The big picture: The image of Ramos in his tiny backpack and blue bunny cap sparked mass outrage against the government's federal blitz that turned Minneapolis into a deadly tinderbox.
Private nonprofits and Black philanthropists are stepping in to save endangered Black history touchstones as the Trump administration orders agencies to scrub or rewrite "equity-related" public history.
Why it matters: Private Black funding is becoming the last line of defense for many sites central to the country's democratic and civil rights memory, as the federal government retreats from preservation.
Flying domestically without a Real ID now comes with a $45 TSA fee and longer screening times.
Why it matters: Starting Sunday, travelers without a Real ID or passport can still fly — but the new process can add up to 30 minutes at security and raises the risk of delays or missed flights.
A massive buyerhas entered the market for commercial warehouses, sparking furious local protests:
The Department of Homeland Security has scouted dozens of locations to retrofit into ICE detention centers. The biggest ones could hold as many as 9,500 people.
Why it matters: ICE's detention population nearly doubled over the past year, but lack of capacity was a bottleneck on mass deportations.
Prediction markets have emerged as an unlikely engine of viral misinformation, pumping out false, misleading and context-free claims to millions of people on social media.
Why it matters: Once a niche corner of crypto and gambling cultures, these platforms have rapidly become a central force in how politics, media and global crises are understood in real time.
Democrat Christian Menefee on Saturday prevailed in the special election in Texas' 18th Congressional District, according to the Associated Press.
Why it matters: Menefee's election will put House Democrats at 214 seats to Republicans' 218, meaning House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) will be able to afford just one defection on party-line votes.
