Attorney General Pam Bondi may suffer the most collateral damage from DHS Secretary Kristi Noem's firing, with congressional Democrats now saying it gives them space to focus their criticism and scrutiny squarely on her.
Why it matters: Bondi has already faced intense flak from Congress over her handling of the Jeffrey Epstein files, with lawmakers in both parties accusing her of being insufficiently transparent.
Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) and his House GOP leadership team called on Rep. Tony Gonzales to drop out of his race Thursday after Gonzales admitted to having an affair with a former staffer.
Why it matters: Relationships between members of Congress and their staff are prohibited under the House Code of Official Conduct.
The Commerce Department is moving ahead with draft rules to expand federal oversight of AI chip exports, but President Trump opposes any approach that mirrors former President Biden's restrictions, a senior White House official told Axios.
Why it matters: The draft regulations would give the government sweeping control over AI chip exports abroad as companies like Nvidia and AMD seek to enter more markets.
The Trump administration is reportedly weighing rules that would require foreign buyers to obtain licenses from the U.S. government to buy American AI chips.
Why it matters: The AI chips sector has been flourishing as tech companies ramp up their spending on data centers and new AI models, underpinning the broader market.
The House on Thursday rejected an effort to advance legislation that would restrict President Trump from using further military action in Iran.
Why it matters: The failed vote amounts to an endorsement of Trump's military campaign in Iran from Congress, which has the constitutional authority to declare war.
Republican senators celebrated President Trump's decision to replace Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem with Sen. Markwayne Mullin (R-Okla.).
Why it matters: Congressional Republicans — along with the White House — are eager to turn the page on a department that's dragging down the party's image on immigration, the very issue it rode to victory in 2024.
President Trump on Thursday announced Sen. Markwayne Mullin (R-Okla.) as his pick to take over as Homeland Security Secretary, replacing Kristi Noem, who has been given a new position.
The big picture: Rather than outright firing top appointees, Trump has opted in his second term to shuffle them into new roles — a contrast with the record number of firings in his first administration.
House Energy and Commerce Committee Republicans advanced a kids' online safety package with guardrails for AI chatbots at a markup Thursday after bipartisan negotiations broke down.
The big picture: House Republicans moved legislation that Democrats say misses the mark on protecting kids online and doesn't align with bipartisan Senate-passed proposals.
Rep. Shri Thanedar (D-Mich.) filed articles of impeachment against Attorney General Pam Bondi on Thursday over her handling of the Jeffrey Epstein files.
Why it matters: The effort is an extreme long shot, but it shows where Democrats are turning their attention now that DHS Secretary Kristi Noem is out.
Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem is leaving the department and he will nominate Sen. Markwayne Mullin (R-Okla.) as her replacement, President Trump said Thursday.
Top House and Senate Democrats said Thursday that Kristi Noem's departure as secretary of the Department of Homeland Security will not be enough for them to support funding for the agency.
Why it matters: DHS has been shut down for nearly three weeks, with the White House and congressional Democrats offering little indication that they are close to a deal.
The big picture: Noem has long been a target for Democrats, but her leadership also angered some congressional Republicans. She becomes the first Cabinet secretary to be removed from their post in President Trump's second term.
President Trump told Axios on Thursday that Israeli President Isaac Herzog must pardon Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu "today" — calling Herzog "a disgrace" for failing to act over the last year.
"Every day I talk to Bibi about the war. I want him to focus on the war and not on the f*cking court case. I want the only pressure on Bibi to be the fighting against Iran," Trump said in a phone interview.
Why it matters: Trump has been pushing for a Netanyahu pardon since last June, arguing that his trial on corruption charges — ongoing since 2020 — is a "witch hunt" akin to the U.S. president's own legal troubles.
President Trump told Axios in an interview Thursday that he needs to be personally involved in selecting Iran's next leader — just as he was in Venezuela.
Trump revealed this exclusively in an eight-minute phone call — his second conversation with us to explain his war planning.
Why it matters: Trump acknowledged that Mojtaba Khamenei, son of assassinated supreme leader Ali Khamenei, is the most likely successor — while making clear he finds that outcome unacceptable.
The war in Iran has rapidly expanded beyond the Middle East, pulling in U.S. allies and bystanders alike.
The big picture: Since the U.S. strikes began on Saturday, Iran has retaliated against Israel and multiple Gulf states, plunging the region further into chaos.
Corporate giantson Thursdayunveiled a $100 million effort to stake projects that cut climate "superpollutants" like methane, black carbon and refrigerant gases.
Why it matters: These substances are "responsible for roughly half of all climate warming to date and can contribute to harmful air pollution," per the Superpollutant Action Initiative.
Democratic primary turnout in Latino hubs across Texas surged, while GOP turnout slumped, suggesting some Texas Latinos have turned away from the Republican Party.
Why it matters: The results could signal a renewed interest in Democratic candidates in the fall general election after many voters along the Texas-Mexico border and in other Latino-majority areas shifted to the right just two years ago, experts tell Axios.
JD Vance headlined a fundraising dinner Tuesday night in the D.C. suburb of McLean, Va., that raked in a massive $6 million — making it his most lucrative event since becoming vice president.
Donald Trump Jr. was the event's special guest.
Why it matters: Vance, the Republican National Committee's finance chair, is raising big bucks ahead of the midterm election and a likely 2028 presidential bid.
"Turn Texas blue" has been more of a punchline than a battle cry in the Lone Star State lately, but Democrats' enthusiastic turnout in Tuesday's Senate primary has given them hope for November.
Why it matters: In counties across Texas, Democratic voters made up a dramatically larger percentage of the electorate than in 2024 — with big increases in hot battlegrounds such as mostly Hispanic South Texas and the well-off suburbs of North Texas.
Texas Rep. Dan Crenshaw owes his defeat in this week's Republican primary to a billionaire megadonor who was hellbent on ending Crenshaw's career, sources tell Axios.
Why it matters: Texas banker Robert Marling's role in funding an anti-Crenshaw advertising blitz starkly illustrates how a lone billionaire can banish a member of Congress.
A top trade court ordered the Trump administration on Wednesday to start refunding tariffs to U.S. businesses.
Why it matters: The order is the most significant to date in what is expected to be a politically fraught, and possibly lengthy, process of getting hundreds of billions of dollars back to importers.
Militants from several Kurdish Iranian factions are preparing for a possible ground offensive against Iran's regime in the northwestern part of the country, according to U.S. and Israeli officials and a senior official in one of the factions.
Why it matters: A Kurdish ground offensive coordinated with the U.S.-Israeli bombing campaign against Tehran could increase pressure on the regime and encourage an internal rebellion that could spread to other parts of Iran.
Sen. Steve Daines (R-Mont.) announced his retirement Wednesday and confirmed he won't seek re-election to a third term and endorsed Kurt Alme, U.S. attorney for the district of Montana.
Why it matters: The Trump ally is the sixth Republican senator to announce ahead of November's midterm elections that they won't stand for re-election.
Venezuela's state-owned mining company on Monday inked a multimillion-dollar deal to sell as many as 1,000 kilograms of gold destined for U.S. markets, two sources familiar with the deal tell Axios.
Why it matters: The arrangement shows the tightening commercial bounds between Venezuela and the U.S. after President Trump ousted that nation's indicted socialist dictator and exerted de facto control over its oil-rich petroleum company.
The U.S. and Israel's war with Iran is likely to impact people around the world as tensions escalate around the Strait of Hormuz, a waterway on Iran's southern coast, where traffic has ground to a halt.
Why it matters: Trade disruptions along this key waterway on Iran's southern coast that handles 25% of the world's maritime oil trade and 20% of liquefied natural gas shipments will likely produce a domino effect across the global economy.
A super PAC affiliated with OpenAI went 3-for-3 in yesterday's GOP primaries, helping Republican candidates win their House races with investments of $500,000 or more each.
Why it matters: OpenAI money has entered the chat.
