Momentum toward reopening DHS evaporated Tuesday as Democrats drew a hard line on reforms to ICE, swiftly rejecting a proposal that GOP senators had only just persuaded President Trump to entertain.
Why it matters: The Department of Homeland Security has been shut down for more than five weeks — and the resistance from Democrats, paired with skepticism among some Republicans, including Trump, casts serious doubt on whether Congress can strike a deal this week.
House Democrats have clamped down on internal divisions ahead of an expected vote to constrain President Trump's ability to wage war with Iran, Axios has learned from lawmakers familiar with the matter.
Why it matters: That apparent Democratic unity gives the measure a more realistic chance of passing the House, with a pair of isolationist Republicans having voted for it last time.
Army paratroopers are heading to the Middle East as President Trump weighs options to quickly end the Iran war, now entering its fourth week.
Why it matters: Putting U.S. boots on the ground in Iran would escalate the conflict, but the Trump administration has made no secret that it desires to reopen the Strait of Hormuz and restore the flow of oil.
Organizers across the U.S. are planning more than 3,000 local events Saturday for No Kings Day of Nonviolent Action.
The big picture: Progressive political groups, labor unions and human and civil rights organizations expect Saturday's nationwide demonstrations to surpass last year's No Kings rallies in June and October.
Sen. Rick Scott (R-Fla.) is suing Booz Allen Hamilton in federal court after his tax returns were leaked along with those of other wealthy Americans, including President Trump and Elon Musk.
Why it matters: The tech and management consulting firm is already facing retribution from the Trump administration, which cancelled all of its contracts with the Treasury Department in January.
Minneapolis City Council members will consider a $38 million training facility for police, firefighters and other first responders on Tuesday.
Why it matters: The proposal is shaping up to be the hardest lesson yet on what a court-enforceable MPD reform plan — meant to reshape the department in the wake of George Floyd's murder — will cost Minneapolis.
Opponents are digging in. They're calling the proposal "Cop City 2.0," echoing a moniker for a similar facility in Atlanta that sparked years of lawsuits, protests and violent clashes that drew national attention.
Bob Woodward has been pretty much underground for nearly a year. This town knows what that means: He has a captivating bestseller coming. Bob doesn't talk, and you don't ask. But his friends always speculate.
This morning, it can be told: Woodward will be out Sept. 29 with "Secrets: A Reporter's Memoir." Finally, Bob's long-awaited book about Bob.
"I never planned to write a memoir," Woodward told me. "But I'm 83 years old on Thursday, and it was time to put some of my best reporting stories and details of my longest reporting relationships on paper. "
Secretary of State Marco Rubio is scheduled to testify Tuesday in the federal trial of former U.S. Rep. David Rivera (R-Fla.), a longtime political ally, friend and former housemate who's accused of secretly lobbying for Venezuela's government.
Why it matters: The only-in-Miami trial sheds light on the unseemly world of shadowy, big-dollar foreign influence efforts in Latin America — and underscores how politically toxic Rivera has been to Rubio's career.
New Jersey Gov. Mikie Sherrill is launching a PAC to donate to Democratic candidates in the upcoming midterms and plans to barnstorm the country for them later this year, her team tells Axios.
Why it matters: Sherrill adds firepower to the growing push by middle-of-the-road Democrats to pull their party toward the center as they seek to regain power in D.C.
HOUSTON — Interior Secretary Doug Burgum shared a stage Monday with the CEO of a French oil giant to take aim at offshore wind — a rare alignment between a government and a private company.
Why it matters: The moment, at one of the world's largest energy conferences, offered a stark snapshot of U.S. energy policy under President Trump.
The Department of Defense announced a new media policy on Monday, three days after a federal judge ruled Trump administration restrictions on Pentagon journalists were a First Amendment violation.
The big picture: The Pentagon said in a memorandum announcing the changes that it's complying with the ruling in the New York Times lawsuit, but press groups accused the administration of placing fresh restrictions on journalists with the new policy.
Sen. Markwayne Mullin (R-Okla.) was confirmed to succeed Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem in a 54-45 vote mostly along party lines on Monday evening.
Why it matters: The vote comes as Homeland Security is at the center of funding impasse that has caused hours-long lines at airports nationwide with Democrats demanding new curbs on ICE before they'll agree to more funding.
HOUSTON — Former Defense Secretary James Mattis offered a sobering take Monday on the Strait of Hormuz, criticizing the Trump administration for what he saw as a failure to think strategically about Iran.
Why it matters: The CERAWeek conference here has been clouded by uncertainty over the future of a conflict that's bringing historic supply disruptions — and upending industry planning in the process.
