Anthropic says it has no way to control or shut down its AI models once they're deployed by the Pentagon, according to a new court filing.
Why it matters: The Pentagon designated Anthropic a supply chain risk, contending the AI firm is inappropriately getting involved in how its technology can be used in sensitive military operations.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has fired Navy Secretary John Phelan. The Pentagon framed it Wednesday as an immediate departure.
Why it matters: The ouster of the Navy's top civilian caught many off-guard and adds to the pile of military officials who have either abruptly exited or been pushed out of their posts under Trump 2.0.
The redistricting war President Trump forced on his party appears to have backfired. With Virginia's vote Tuesday, Republicans are now favored in fewer House seats than if the war had never started.
Why it matters: Trump bet his slim House majority on a mid-decade redrawing frenzy. It's increasingly looking like a self-inflicted wound, leaving Republicanswith long-shot hopes of any major rewards.
A long-awaited confrontation between Senate health committee Chair Bill Cassidy and Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. passed without major fireworks on Wednesday — but with Kennedy indicating he would let the next Centers for Disease Control and Prevention director make decisions without interference.
Why it matters: Cassidy and Kennedy have increasingly been at odds over Trump administration health policies and Kennedy's criticisms of vaccines since the Louisiana Republican cast a decisive vote to confirm Kennedy last year.
Spirit Airlines is in talks with the White House over a potential bailout — a move that could test how far the Trump administration is willing to go to prop up a struggling private-sector company.
Why it matters: A bailout would mark the latest in a series of increasingly aggressive examples of economic interventionism on the president's part.
House Republicans on Wednesday rolled out two data privacy bills to protect personal and financial data and override state laws.
Why it matters: Congress has been trying to pass a federal data privacy law for years, but fights over preempting state laws keep derailing efforts and are now spilling into AI policy debates.
For four decades,the Federal Reserve has steadily moved toward telling the world more about its actions and intentions. Fed chair nominee Kevin Warsh wants to reverse course — envisioning a Fed that will talk less and say more.
Why it matters: This regime would bring more surprises — more policy meetings that catch financial markets off guard, less clarity on how to interpret incoming data and generally less public knowledge of what the central bank's leadership is thinking week to week and meeting to meeting.
The Trump administration in talks to bail out Spirit Airlines in a deal that would prop up the budget carrier as it scrambles to avoid liquidation, a person familiar with the matter tells Axios.
Why it matters: Spirit is one of the largest budget carriers in the U.S., but the company has been struggling to find a sustainable financial model as it grapples with rising jet fuel prices, higher labor costs and operational shortcomings.
A well-timed, optimistic post on Truth Social from President Trump about the war in Iran can send stocks higher.
Why it matters: Social media posts from the White House have become key drivers of the oil and stock markets during the conflict, particularly as its resolution seems to keep moving further and further out of reach.
An MQ-4C Triton crashed this month, according to U.S. Navy data and publicly available flight logs.
Why it matters: At roughly $240 million a pop, the Northrop Grumman-made maritime surveillance drone is among the single priciest losses amid the Iran war.
The builder of the U.S. Navy's futuristic fighter, known as F/A-XX, will be selected in August, according to the service's top uniformed official.
Why it matters: The long-awaited decision would cap a secretive competition between Boeing and Northrop Grumman, and also signal some sort of consensus between the White House, Pentagon and Hill.
It's been almost one year since the Trump administration revealed its Golden Dome game plan.
Why it matters: President Trump said his hemispheric missile shield will block "very close to 100%" of inbound threats, and will come online before his second term is up.
But the public remains in the dark about what, exactly, it looks like and how it will be funded fully.
OpenAI has been briefing federal agencies, state governments and Five Eyes allies on the capabilities of its new cyber product over the past week, Axios has learned.
Why it matters: Companies and agencies are clamoring to get their hands on the latest AI tools, whose advanced cybersecurity capabilities promise big gains for defenders and frightening advances for malicious hackers.
President Trump is giving Iran's warring factions a short window to unify behind a coherent counter-offer — or the ceasefire he extended Tuesday ends, three U.S. officials tell Axios.
"Trump is willing to give another three to five days of ceasefire to allow the Iranians to get their shit together," one U.S. source briefed on the matter said. "It is not going to be open-ended."
Why it matters: Trump's negotiators believe a deal to end the war and address what's left of Iran's nuclear program is still achievable. But they also worry they may not have anyone in Tehran empowered to say yes.
Virginia voters' narrow approval Tuesday of a plan to redraw the state's congressional map has swung the nationwide redistricting fight that President Trump provoked in Democrats' favor — for now, at least.
Why it matters: Democrats gambled on an aggressive reworking of the map in a purple state — and won. Four Republican incumbents in Congress now face the prospect of running in Democrat-friendly districts designed to retire them this November.
Virginia voters approved a redistricting measure Tuesday,the AP reports, clearing the way for a new congressional map that could help Democrats flip multiple Republican-held districts.
Why it matters: The move positions Virginia as a key battlegroundin a national redistricting fight that could help determine control of the U.S. House.
President Trump's decision to suspend a controversial maritime law during the Iran war has made it easier to ship oil across the U.S. — and now he wants to keep it that way, according to U.S. officials.
Why it matters: Known as the Jones Act, the 1920 law raises the cost of shipping between U.S. ports because it requires goods to be carried on American-flagged vessels, which are in relatively short supply compared to the global supply.
Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) is pressing the Trump administration to end the GOP staring contest over Kevin Warsh's confirmation as Fed chair.
Why it matters: Frustration inside the Senate GOP conference is mounting over the own goal they see President Trump making on issues central to their political survival: spurring economic growth and taming inflation.
