Polititicans must commit to tailored, economically focused messaging to win Latino voters in the 2026 midterms, Univision executive Ignacio Meyer said Saturday at Axios House at SXSW.
Why it matters: Latinos — the up-for-grabs voting force that could decide 2026's razor-thin congressional battles — propelled President Trump's 2024 victory with record GOP support, about 48% nationally.
President Trump claimed on Saturday the U.S. and several other countries will send war ships to the Gulf to reopen commercial shipping in the strait of Hormuz.
Why it matters: The attacks in the strait of Hormuz brought commercial shipping to and from the Gulf to an almost complete halt, dramatically disrupted oil exports from the region and destabilized global energy markets.
The U.S. government is treating strikes on Iran like a video game, inviting the country to watch as memes and montages subsume the human cost of war.
Why it matters: The Trump administration didn't invent the gamification of war, nor did it invent wartime propaganda — a tool of statecraft as old as armed conflict itself.
Colleges besieged by AI-generated writing brought back blue-book exams to deter cheating, but some educators say hand-written tests don't showcase students' best work and disadvantage swaths of learners.
Why it matters: Educators say AI cheating is real — if sometimes overstated — but reverting to pen-and-paper tests sidesteps the reality that many employers want graduates who are comfortable using AI tools.
President Trump on Friday invoked a Cold War-era law in a bid to boost oil production off Southern California's coast and meet demand in the wake of the Iran war.
Why it matters: The president's signing of an executive order allowing use of the Defense Production Act shows he's trying to employ a variety of tools to try to tamp down the oil price shocks set off by the war.
Groups linked to AIPAC are employing an eyebrow-raising tactic to sink pro-Palestinian progressives in Democratic congressional primaries: Going after their leftist bona fides.
Why it matters: It is a telling indication of what the ruthlessly pragmatic pro-Israel organization sees as a winning message with Democratic voters who have grown increasingly hostile towards their brand.
In a phone call with President Trump this week, Russian President Vladimir Putin proposed moving Iran's enriched uranium to Russia as part of a deal to end the war.
Trump turned him down, sources tell Axios.
Why it matters: Securing Iran's 450 kilograms of 60%-enriched uranium — convertible to weapons grade within weeks, and enough for more than 10 nuclear bombs — is one of the U.S. and Israel's key war objectives.
A federal judge tossed out Department of Justice subpoenas sent to Federal Reserve chair Jerome Powell earlier this year, according to a filing unsealed on Friday.
Why it matters: The judge accused the Trump administration of using the criminal investigation to pressure the head of the world's most important central bank to lower interest rates.
The judge, James Boasberg, the chief judge for the U.S. District Court for Washington, D.C., also scolded the administration for providing "no evidence whatsoever" that the Fed chief had committed a crime.
Reckitt Catalyst entrepreneur-in-residence Serena Williams told founders at Axios House during SXSW on Friday that one of the toughest hurdles for early-stage entrepreneurs is learning how to sell themselves.
Why it matters: The former tennis star says underinvested entrepreneurs — who are frequently people of color and women — are passionate, problem-solvers but they need mentors to help them with storytelling.
The Treasury Department made it easier Friday for U.S. businesses and farmers to buy Venezuelan fertilizer and oil as their prices rise because of the Iran war, Axios has learned.
Why it matters: The bottleneck of tankers in the Persian Gulf because of Iranian attacks has caused the costs of oil and fertilizer, a petrochemical product, to jump. It threatens to spike inflation and raise the cost of food in the U.S.
Ric Grenell plans to transition out of his role as president of the 54-year-old Kennedy Center on Monday, as the nation's premier performing arts venue finalizes plans for a two-year shutdown for renovations, Axios has learned.
Democrats will learn whether money talks in 2026 in the Illinois Senate primary Tuesday in a race that will almost certainly determine who replaces Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.).
Why it matters: Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi is hoping the better-funded candidate emerges victorious in Illinois, just like in Texas this month, when state Rep. James Talarico beat Rep. Jasmine Crockett, 52%–46%.
House Democrats' effort to censure two GOP members over Islamophobic social media posts is poised to put Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) in the hot seat after he declined to condemn the remarks.
Why it matters: Recent violent attacks in Michigan and Virginia have heightened partisan tensions on Capitol Hill.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth is sending an amphibious assault ship, the USS Tripoli, and its Marine expeditionary unit to the Middle East, a senior U.S. official confirmed to Axios on Friday.
Why it matters: The deployment will add thousands of Marines, several warships, and F-35 fighter jets to support those already in the region, the U.S. official said.
Worries are growing that Iran is deploying mines — one of its most potent and disruptive weapons — in the Strait of Hormuz.
Why it matters: The use of naval mines would likely result in fatal attacks on commercial shipping vessels and closure of the Strait, which would place further strain on the global economy if oil shipments were halted.
The House Oversight Committee has asked one of the prison guards on duty when Jeffrey Epstein died to appear March 26 for a transcribed interview.
Why it matters:Conspiracy theories about Epstein's 2019 death by suicide in federal custody have persisted for years despite investigations finding no evidence of foul play.
Democrats are moving to censure Reps. Randy Fine (R-Fla.) and Andy Ogles (R-Tenn.) for a series of anti-Muslim posts the two congressmen have made over the last several weeks.
Why it matters: Partisan tensions are surging in Congress over violent attacks in Michigan and Virginia on Thursday, with anti-Muslim sentiment reaching a fever pitch in the congressional GOP.
It's not just oil:The Iran war is threatening to reignite food inflation — the price shock voters feel most directly — at the worst possible time for President Trump and Republicans.
Why it matters: The Strait of Hormuz — paralyzed by Iranian threats and potentially mines — carries a third of the world's fertilizer. For many American farmers, the spring planting season is just weeks away.
The Iran war is drawing fresh scrutiny to American crude oil exports as a way to curb skyrocketing fuel prices.
The big picture: The U.S. has become one of the world's largest oil exporters since a law changed a decade ago allowing crude to flow beyond American borders.
President Trump told G7 leaders in a virtual meeting Wednesday that Iran is "about to surrender," according to three officials from G7 countries briefed on the contents of the call.
24 hours later, Iran's new supreme leader issued his first public statement vowing to keep fighting.
Why it matters: Trump is as confident about the war's outcome in private as he is in public. But his assessment is colliding with a more complex reality on the ground.
The U.S. Navy will escort ships through the Strait of Hormuz, "perhaps with an international coalition," as "soon as it is militarily possible," Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said in a Sky News interview broadcast Thursday.
Why it matters: The International Energy Agency said Thursday the global oil market is facing "the largest supply disruption" in history due to the Iran war, which Bessent told Sky News has cost the U.S. $11 billion thus far.
Congressional Democrats and Republicans clashed furiously on social media Thursday night over blatantly anti-Muslim posts by right-wing House members and senators.
Why it matters: Republicans are growing more emboldened than ever in their expressions of unapologetic Islamophobia in recent weeks in response to a series of violent attacks on U.S. soil amid the Iran war.
An armed suspect is dead after ramming a vehicle on Thursday into Temple Israel Synagogue in Detroit's suburbs, according to law enforcement officials.
The latest: The suspect in the West Bloomfield attack was identified as a 41-year-old naturalized U.S. citizen, who was born in Lebanon, per a Department of Homeland Security statement emailed to outlets including Axios Thursday evening.
House and Senate Democrats are starting to have preliminary discussions to coordinate potential congressional investigations into companies, colleges and law firms in the next Congress, multiple sources told Axios.
Why it matters: The early strategizing on how Democrats plan to use the investigative power of committees, including subpoenas, is another indication of the party's growing confidence of victory in November.
