Republicans are preparing to welcome a potential Graham Platner replacement in Maine's Senate race with $8 million in negative ads, aiming to introduce a new Democratic nominee to voters on their own terms before Democrats can.
Why it matters: Republicans are doing something Democrats wish they could: Move on from Platner.
Senate GOP leaders say they have spoken with Sen. Mitch McConnell in recent days, as speculation swirls online among MAGA influencers about the Kentucky Republican's health.
Why it matters: McConnell has been hospitalized for roughly three weeks, with very little information about his condition.
The Trump administration on Tuesday revoked the temporary waivers it issued as part of the memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Iran that had allowed Tehran to sell oil, the Treasury Department announced.
Why it matters: The revocation of the waivers, issued less than three weeks ago, came in response to the renewed Iranian attacks against ships in the Strait of Hormuz over the past 24 hours.
Iran's military fired at least two missiles at commercial ships transiting the Strait of Hormuz on Monday night, two U.S. officials tell Axios.
The IRGC attacked a third commercial ship on Tuesday morning, a U.S. official said.
Why it matters: The reported attacks threaten to unravel a memorandum of understanding signed less than three weeks ago under which Iran agreed to halt attacks in the Strait of Hormuz.
President Trump signaled at the top of his meeting with Turkish President Erdoğan in Ankara on Tuesday that he's leaning towards allowing the country back into the F-35 program and selling the fighter jets to the Turkish air force.
Why it matters: Allowing Turkey to rejoin the program and selling it F-35 jets would be a shift in U.S. policy. Israel fears it would tilt the regional balance of power and violate U.S. commitments to maintain Israel's military edge.
The U.S. is still projected to achieve two-thirds of the emissions cuts from power generation that would have occurred without the rollbacks of the Biden-era climate law and regulations, a new study concludes.
Why it matters: It puts an exclamation point on what we explored yesterday: low-carbon energy is surviving, in weakened form, despite the 2025 GOP budget law that slashed renewables subsidies.
President Trump arrives at Tuesday's NATO summit in Ankara still furious at the allies who refused to help him fight Iran — and determined to make sure they know it.
Why it matters: For years, Trump has openly questioned whether America's closest allies are strong enough, loyal enough or useful enough to deserve the protection they've relied on since World War II.
America has a missing-middle problem — and this one is demographic.
Why it matters: The shrinking 45-64 population could leave fewer experienced adults to run institutions, mentor younger workers and care for the fast-growing population behind them.
Ohio, Oklahoma, Arizona, South Carolina and Minnesota have sustained some of the deepest losses in Obamacare coverage since beefed-up federal subsidies expired this year, according to state-by-state federal data.
Why it matters: The coverage losses are hitting deep-red states as well as blue ones after Congress let the subsidies expire.
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer called on Graham Platner to "immediately" end his campaign, throwing the Maine Senate race into chaos just four months before Election Day.
Why it matters: Maine was Democrats' best opportunity to flip a Senate seat. Now, it has become Schumer's worst nightmare.
Graham Platner, the Democratic nominee in Maine's Senate race, said he is "taking the time" to consider his next steps after a woman accused him of sexually assaulting her in 2021.
Why it matters: Platner, who denied the allegation, stopped short of saying he would end his campaign, but indicated he is weighing its future as he seeks to unseat Republican Sen. Susan Collins.
Toyota says it will move production of the Tacoma pickup truck to the United States from Mexico as part of a $3.6 billion investment in its San Antonio, Texas, manufacturing campus.
Why it matters: The move allows the Japanese carmaker to sidestep uncertainty regarding U.S. trade policy with Mexico and Canada, and will no doubt please the Trump administration, which has been pressuring automakers to build more vehicles in the United States.
Senate Majority Leader John Thune will be a special guest at a fundraiser for Texas candidate Ken Paxton later this month, according to an invite obtained by Axios.
Why it matters: Thuneworld and the National Republican Senatorial Committee spent months fighting Paxton's primary bid against Sen. John Cornyn (R-Tex.). Now, they need Paxton to protect their majority.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu complained to President Trump on Friday about Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan's escalating anti-Israel rhetoric, according to Israeli and U.S. officials.
Netanyahu also asked Trump, who will meet Erdoğan during this week's NATO summit in Ankara, to refrain from selling weapons systems that would help Turkey modernize its air force, the officials said.
Why it matters: Israel-Turkey tensions have soared over the last two years amid the wars in Gaza and Iran. But Trump has kept close, friendly ties with both Netanyahu and Erdoğan — a key U.S. ally and regional mediator.
World Cup fans' romance with America has soured after FIFA suspended a red-card ban on U.S. striker Folarin Balogun for the match against Belgium.
Why it matters: Soccer officials and fans allege that FIFA is bending its own disciplinary rules under political pressure from President Trump — raising questions about whether the sport's governing body is giving the U.S. a boost due to the president's close relationship with FIFA president Gianni Infantino.
Why it matters: UEFA, which represents most of Europe's soccer federations, came out swinging after FIFA reversed course — a move that followed President Trump's call to FIFA President Gianni Infantino demanding answers about why the U.S. star had been sidelined.
Lockheed Martin on Monday said it has agreed to acquire naval defense-tech firm Ultra Maritime for $3.45 billion from private equity firm Advent International.
Why it matters: The Strait of Hormuz situation has escalated demand for underseas autonomous weapons, both offensive and defensive.
The GOP budget law that President Trump signed a year ago has darkened the outlook for several clean energy sources, but stopped far short of strangling low-carbon tech.
Why it matters: It's part of a broader attack on Biden-era climate policies, along with Trump's executive moves to kill regulations and slow permitting of renewables projects.
President Trump called FIFA president Gianni Infantino about U.S. striker Folarin Balogun's controversial red card and resulting suspension before soccer's governing body lifted the ban, a U.S. official tells Axios.
Why it matters: The reversal — and the White House's role in it — has become the biggest twist of this year's World Cup. That means Balogun is eligible for the knockout stage after his red card had threatened to sideline him.
Remember the post-COVID spike in egg prices? It turns out, according to government allegations, to be partially the result of a conspiracy to fix prices.
Why it matters: The surge in egg prices was a key inflation talking point in the 2024 election season.
This is JD Vance's summer: The vice president penned a bestselling book, helped broker a tentative peace deal with Iran, embarked on a media blitz and — most importantly for him — impressed the man in the Oval Office.
Why it matters: Vance's performances on TV, in polls and on the global chessboard underscore how — at least at this moment — the VP looks like President Trump's undisputed political heir if he runs in 2028.
Democratic socialist and progressives' successin this year's primaries is evidence of new enthusiasm for Medicare for All plans that many centrists have long dismissed as costly pipe dreams.
Why it matters: The health affordability crisis and widespread frustration with the medical system are fueling a new appetite for big-government solutions to address drug prices, insurance premiums and long-term care costs.
