Left-wing activists are demanding that prospective 2028 presidential contenders embrace a wealth tax — a move that many mainstream Democrats say is ill-advised.
Why it matters: On one side, potential White House hopefuls such as New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Maryland Sen. Chris Van Hollen and California Rep. Ro Khanna have endorsed wealth taxes.
Some top Democrats are quietly debating a fraught question: whether the party's best bet for winning back the presidency in 2028 is to nominate a man — perhaps a straight, white, Christian man.
Their fear, divulged with dismay in group chats, at cocktail parties and increasingly in public, is that parts of the electorate are too biased to support a woman or other diverse candidate for president.
Former first lady Michelle Obama fueled such talk recently, saying the U.S. is "not ready for a woman." Democratic strategists have put it bluntly, with several saying a version of "It has to be a white guy."
The big picture: The Democratic Party takes pride in being a champion of women, people of color, the LGBTQ+ community and religious minorities. Electing Barack Obama, the nation's first Black president, was the high point for the party's goal of boosting diversity in the executive branch.
A new pro-AI political operation is jumping into this year's midterms with a plan to spend more than $100 million, the latest push by a big-money group to promote a deregulation agenda.
The group, dubbed Innovation Council Action, has the blessing of tech mogul and Trump AI adviser David Sacks. It's distinct from other pro-industry groups in that it's focused on boosting President Trump's priorities.
Why it matters: The AI lobby is on course to be a colossal player in the 2026 elections — bankrolling allies who advocate for deregulation and punishing critics who support tighter rules.
Top AI and government officials tell Axios CEO Jim VandeHei that Anthropic, OpenAI and other tech giants will soon release new models that are scary good at hacking sophisticated systems at scale.
The one to watch: Anthropic is privately warning top government officials that its not-yet-released model — currently branded "Mythos" — makes large-scale cyberattacks much more likely in 2026.
More than 5 million voting-age Americans would have to drive an estimated hour or more to present their citizenship documents to register to vote, as would be required under the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) Act.
Why it matters: President Trump is pushing the SAVE Act as necessary to secure future elections, but it could complicate voting for many American citizens.
Without a federal law, surrogacy in the U.S. is governed by a patchwork of state regulations/
Why it matters: Confusing, varied local rules can determine everything from whether agreements are legally binding to who is recognized as a parent at birth.
Americans desperately want day-to-day life to be more affordable. Right now, they aren't getting it.
The big picture: The pinch of high prices for food, energy, housing and more has driven seismic shifts in public opinion over the last four years. Since the onset of the Iran war, the cost of living looks likely to get worse, not better, at least in the near term.
California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D-Calif.) shared insight into his relationships with some of the Democratic Party's biggest names in a new wide-ranging interview on "The Axios Show."
Why it matters: Newsom, a potential presidential candidate for 2028, bluntly shared conversations he's had with Democratic former presidents or presidential nominees of the last decade.
