Sen. John Fetterman's chief of staff resigned Wednesday, a source familiar with the move told Axios.
Why it matters: The Pennsylvania Democrat has had a serious staff retention problem as he's faced scrutiny over his health struggles and changing political brand.
House Democrats are one step closer to finally getting a successful Iran war powers vote as their last holdout plans to flip and at least one Republican says they may follow suit.
Why it matters: While the vote would be largely symbolic — President Trump could veto the measure — Democrats believe it would be a crucial rebuke of the conflict.
The top Democrat on the House Judiciary Committee is introducing legislation that would block a $1.8 billion fund to pay people who say they were the targets of politically motivated prosecutions.
Why it matters: Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-Md.) could garner GOP support for the effort, with Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick (R-Pa.) telling reporters on Wednesday he will "try to kill" the fund.
A "majority" of Federal Reserve officials believed the central bank could raise interest rates if inflation stays high, according to the minutes from the central bank's April 28-29 policy meeting.
Why it matters: It suggests that a larger constituency than previously known is backing the possibility of higher interest rates, with the fallout from the Iran war stoking quicker price increases ahead of Kevin Warsh becoming Fed chair.
President Trump sued his own administration, settled and will now spend $1.776 billion of taxpayer money to pay people who say the government targeted them politically.
Why it matters: The "Anti-Weaponization Fund" turns a personal Trump settlement into a new government program, shields decisions on who gets the money from the courts and limits information about what the public knows about where the funds go.
Former Rep. Barney Frank (D-Mass.), a driving force behind far-reaching Wall Street reforms following the 2008 financial crisis, died Tuesday night, according to Frank's former campaign manager. He was 86.
The big picture: With a sharp wit and pugnacious outspokenness, Frank became a liberal icon in his three decades in the House. He was an architect of the landmark Dodd-Frank Act and a trailblazer for the LGBTQ+ community as an openly gay member of Congress.
House Democrats are in a mad dash to isolate Texas Democratic congressional candidate Maureen Galindo, who has said she wants to turn an ICE facility into a "prison for American Zionists."
Why it matters: A mysterious PAC is spending hundreds of thousands to boost Galindo, which Democrats allege is a Republican attempt to ensure the GOP candidate in that district faces a weak opponent in November.
President Trump has spent much of his term bashing outgoing Federal Reserve chair Jerome Powell for not cutting interest rates enough. On Tuesday, he seemed surprisingly blasé about the possibility that incoming chair Kevin Warsh might end up raising them.
Driving the news: A reporter on Tuesday noted that markets now think an interest rate hike this year is more likely than a cut and asked the president whether he thinks Warsh will deliver the lower rates that Trump has long demanded.
"I'm going to let him do what he wants to do," Trump said. "He's a very talented guy, he's going to be fine, he's going to do a good job."
Two law enforcement officers who battled Jan. 6 rioters at the Capitol in 2021 filed a suit Wednesday to dissolve President Trump's $1.8 billion fund for victims of alleged weaponized political prosecutions.
Why it matters: Critics have called the taxpayer-funded fund "illegal," but experts say it's unclear who would have legal standing to challenge it in court.
An Ebola outbreak in parts of Central and East Africa is fueling concern about another global health crisis.
Why it matters: WHO this week declared Ebola a public health emergency of international concern, but experts say the chances of a global pandemic remain slim.
The Trump-class battleship, the first of which is estimated to cost more than $17 billion, will be nuclear-powered, according to Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Daryl Caudle.
Why it matters: The pronouncement ends months of debate about how — and how fast — the battleship will get around.
Navy leadership as late as the end of April described nuclear propulsion as "unlikely." Specs first published months ago have been in flux.
Inconsistent budgets are undercutting the U.S. military's ability to influence opinions and curry favor in Africa, according to the American commander in the region.
Why it matters: Both Russia and China have embedded themselves across the continent. Extremism once synonymous with the greater Middle East also now booms there.
L3Harris Technologies anticipatesreceiving its first Nova night-vision production order from the U.S. Army as soon as this summer, but the exact size or number of devices remains unclear.
Why it matters: It's a milestone for the service's Binocular Night Observation Device effort, meant to democratize night vision and replace older models, like the AN/PVS-14.
Latino voters have soured on President Trump after powering his 2024 comeback.
Why it matters: Republicans hoped Trump's gains represented a realignment, but poll after poll suggests Latino voters are up for grabs in the midterms.
TAIPEI — There's a postmortem playing out here after Chinese President Xi Jinping warned President Trump to be careful on Taiwan, and Trump responded with ambivalence about U.S. arms sales and the island's chances in any conflict.
Why it matters: Some Trump advisers left the summit thinking a Chinese move on Taiwan was growing more likely. But in Taipei there was no panic, at least on the surface.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio marked Cuban Independence Day on Wednesday with a Spanish-language video message to the people of the island that blamed their "unimaginable hardships" on their communist leadership.
Why it matters: This is the first time Rubio has addressed the Cuban population directly as secretary of state. It's part of the Trump administration's multi-layered pressure campaign targeting Havana.
Why it matters: The National Republican Congressional Campaign Committee (NRCC) is touting the fundraising numbers as evidence the party is entering the midterms with momentum despite historical headwinds for the party in power.
RepublicansRep. Mike Collins and Derek Dooley will compete in a June 16 runoff to decide who will face Sen. Jon Ossoff (D) this November.
Why it matters: The race was one of the rare major GOP contests without a Trump endorsement, and Republicans see Ossoff's seat as one of their best pickup opportunities to maintain their majority.
The ongoing Ebola surge has public health experts anxious about the world's capacity to contain its spread.
The big picture: Ebola epidemics aren't new, but the current outbreak has been identified as the rare Bundibugyo strain, which has no vaccine, and is located in a populated, mobile and conflict-stricken part of the world.
House Democrats plan to push legislation regulating the use of AI in political ads if they retake power next year, Axios has learned.
Why it matters: The use of AI in election ads has exploded in the 2026 midterms, with some campaigns using the new technology to push the limits of negative campaigning.
Former Vice President Mike Pence — once targeted by rioters during the Jan. 6 Capitol attack — says people who assaulted police officers that day should not receive taxpayer compensation under President Trump's IRS settlement.
The big picture: Pence has been praised for resisting pressure from Trump and allies to overturn or delay certification of former President Biden's 2020 election victory.
Senate Majority Leader John Thune — and most of the GOP conference — was reeling Tuesday from President Trump's snap endorsement of Ken Paxton in the Texas GOP Senate runoff.
Why it matters: Thune (R-S.D.) called it Trump's "decision." But it's Thune's problem to pass Trump's agenda, with a trio of senators the president can no longer hurt.
