The Trump administration is casting new scrutiny on foreign funding at U.S. colleges and universities — a push critics say is part of a broader effort to assert control over higher education under the guise of national security.
The big picture: The Department of Education is pointing to newly-revealed data on foreign gifts and contracts to schools as a national security issue, which is misleading, Alexander Cooley, a political scientist researching foreign authoritarian influence, tells Axios.
Senators emerged from a Wednesday evening briefing from FAA administrator Bryan Bedford demanding more information — and a classified briefing — on what led to the airspace closure in El Paso, Texas.
Why it matters: The closure stemmed from a dispute between the FAA and the Pentagon on the safety of testing anti-drone technology, a source told Axios.
Why it matters: The vote signals growing GOP discomfort with Trump's aggressive tariff strategy, and a willingness by some Republicans to buck the president after months of being in lockstep with the White House.
Attorney General Pam Bondi's testimony before the House Judiciary Committee was marked by antagonism and heated exchanges, resulting in one of the most combative congressional hearings in recent memory.
Why it matters: These kinds of explosive hearings are becoming increasingly routine for a Congress in which displays of anger have arguably become more valuable currency than legislative wins.
A House Democrat accused Attorney General Pam Bondi of lying under oath about President Trump's ties to Jeffrey Epstein.
Why it matters: The accusation adds pressure on the administration as it struggles to close the chapter on the Epstein investigation after releasing final documents that offered little clarity for many Americans.
Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) is feeling emboldened by progressives' shock victory in a New Jersey special House primary last week — and sizing up his next targets.
Why it matters: The senator has endorsed over a dozen progressive House and Senate candidates who are aiming to reshape the Democratic Party.
Gallup will stop tracking presidential job approval ratings after more than eight decades of capturing the public's opinion toward the man in the Oval Office.
The big picture: While Gallup will not continue charting presidential approval ratings — as it has throughout the post-WWII era — it says it will remain committed to polling on issues that shape everyday lives.
The Trump administration is blaming a "cartel drone incursion" for the sudden closure of the airspace around El Paso, Texas on Wednesday, though sources also pointed to miscommunication between the military and Federal Aviation Administration as a factor in the decision.
Why it matters: Residents of El Paso woke up to the news that local airspace would be closed for 10 days, a duration unprecedented in any U.S. city since 9/11. No explanation was offered until the order was reversed eight hours later, an information vacuum that was filled by frenzied speculation.
President Trump has increasingly tested how far political retribution can stretch into the justice system, but his efforts to prosecute his perceived political opponents during his second term have repeatedly fallen short.
Why it matters: Federal grand juries almost always return indictments — rejecting them only five times out of more than 165,000 cases nationwide in 2013, according to the Bureau of Justice Statistics.
U.S. Sen. Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.) lambasted the Trump administration on Wednesday for trying — and failing — to secure an indictment against him for participating in a video urging service members to reject unlawful orders.
Why it matters: Kelly, a retired Navy captain, said President Trump's attempt to silence him and his colleagues will have a chilling effect on free speech for all Americans.
Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) was discharged from the hospital Tuesday after checking in last week due to "flu-like symptoms," his spokesperson said in a statement.
Driving the news: The 83-year-old former Senate Republican leader"is grateful for the outstanding care he received," the spokesperson said.
The Federal Aviation Administration's abrupt announcement it was closing El Paso's airspace for 10 days sent its airport into chaos and diverted medical emergency flights, Mayor Renard Johnson said Wednesday.
Why it matters: The roughly 8-hour closure sparked alarm among El Paso residents and left political leaders fuming about the lack of communication from the feds.
House Democrats are already planning to force votes overturning at least two of President Trump's tariffs, with more likely to follow, senior lawmakers tell Axios.
Why it matters: House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) has repeatedly blocked these votes over the past year, but his attempt to do so on Tuesday was thwarted by a trio of Republican defectors in a late-night vote.
House Democrats are clamping down on disruptions at President Trump's upcoming State of the Union in the hopes of putting on a more stolid display of opposition, sources told Axios.
Why it matters: Last year's speech to a joint session of Congress was rocked by Democrats holding up signs, heckling and walking out of the speech in displays of resistance.
Why it matters: Temporary flight restrictions, or TFRs, are common — including during major events like the Super Bowl — but Wednesday's shutdown was unusual: It grounded all aircraft over a major U.S. city, including military and emergency flights, without a clear explanation.
U.S. budget deficits are set to remain high in the coming decade, the Congressional Budget Office said Wednesday, as a surge in tariff revenue only partly offsets lost revenue from last year's tax legislation.
Why it matters: The U.S. government is spending much more than it raises, with annual deficits on track to remain near $2 trillion, or 6% of GDP, in the years ahead — even in the absence of a recession, war or other crisis.
Three more Coupang investors on Wednesday joined the lawsuit against South Korea's government, arguing that it acted unlawfully against the e-commerce firm.
Why it matters: This is becoming a flashpoint in U.S.-South Korea relations, and could impact U.S. investment in South Korean companies.
When Rahm Emanuel, a potential Democratic 2028 White House hopeful, was asked about the endangerment finding repeal, his answer went right to prices — not climate change.
A man whom police questioned in connection with the disappearance of Savannah Guthrie's mother, Nancy Guthrie, was released from custody, according to multiplereports.
The latest: The FBI and local law enforcement questioned the man and searched a location some 60 miles south of Tucson and near the U.S. border with Mexico, in connection with the Guthrie case. The "Today" show co-host's 84-year-old mother was reported missing from her home outside of Tucson, Arizona, more than a week ago.
The Milan Cortina games are handing out the priciest Olympic medals in over a century — and athletes are already breaking them.
Why it matters: Athletes typically value medals for prestige, not price, but soaring precious-metal costs have made the sometimes-faulty 2026 medals especially costly.
An intensifying showdown over copycat GLP-1 weight-loss drugs is pitting the Trump administration and drug companies against compounding pharmacies and some telehealth companies.
Why it matters: The outcome will decide if cheaper versions of the blockbuster treatments that have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration for safety and effectiveness remain widely available.
Violent crime dropped sharply across America's biggest cities in 2025, according to new data reviewed by Axios.
Why it matters: The stats were yet another sign that violent crime in the U.S. was starkly different from what President Trump cited as his reason for sending federal troops to Chicago,Portland, Washington, D.C., Memphis and cities in California.
At least nine Biden administration alumni running for Congress or governor this year are keeping President Biden at arm's length in the run-up to the November elections.
Why it matters: Biden's brand is still a liability, even as Democrats salivate at the prospect of major gains against Republicans in the November elections.
A group of House and Senate Democrats denounced the Trump administration as they announced a grand jury declined to indict them over a video they appeared in urging service members to reject unlawful orders.
Why it matters: Sen. Elissa Slotkin (D-Mich.) and Rep. Maggie Goodlander (D-N.H.) both accused President Trump of directing the Department of Justice against the lawmakers, all military veterans or former national security personnel, over the November video.
A group of Republicans staged a rebellion on the House floor Tuesday night over leadership's move to block members from challenging President Trump's tariffs, defeating a measure that would have reinstated the ban.
Why it matters: With the election nine months away and economic issues looming large, some House Republicans are becoming increasingly uneasy about defending Trump's tariffs — and continuing to cede their constitutional authority over trade.
Analilia Mejia, the presumptive Democratic nominee in a special U.S. House election in New Jersey, declined to commit to voting for House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) in an interview with Axios on Tuesday.
Why it matters: She is one of dozens of Democratic candidates who are non-committal on Jeffries' leadership, which could put the Democratic leader in a difficult spot if the left sweeps party primaries this year.
The Justice Department's release of millions of documents related to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein shows how he worked to cultivate a vast web of influence among the global elite before and well after his 2008 conviction.
Why it matters: Epstein's network of connections was "extraordinary," Sarah Krissoff, a former U.S. attorney in the Southern District of New York, tells Axios. "Power is one of those things that keeps expanding. He traveled in ultra-rich circles, and, from what I have seen, worked hard to cultivate relationships."
Senate Democrats are drawing a preemptive red line on ICE reforms, telling Axios any sanctuary city crackdown is dead on arrival.
"It's a nonstarter. The whole term is really misleading," Sen. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) said, adding that changes to state and local rules would "grant ICE even greater authority over local law enforcement."
Why it matters: Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer's (D-N.Y.) rank-and-file are in no mood to let Republicans turn a debate about ICE's use of force into a conversation over the issue long championed by President Trump.
House Democrats are facing increasingly frustrated demands from their left flank not to give the Trump administration another inch on ICE funding.
Why it matters: That could mean shutting down the Department of Homeland Security, which is set to run out of cash on Friday unless Congress agrees to a funding stopgap.
