House Republicans' strategy for keeping the speaker's gavel and their leadership suites next year hinges on being anywhere but Washington this summer.
Why it matters: The Senate is in for another two weeks, but Speaker Mike Johnson and his leadership team are crisscrossing the country during the House's five-week August recess like German or Norwegian World Cup fans: no town too small, no state too far away.
The U.S. and U.K. are planning to convene a high-level meeting in London next week that will focus on a potential international coalition to protect maritime shipping in the Strait of Hormuz, two European diplomats and two other sources with knowledge told Axios.
Why it matters: The reopening of the strait for commercial shipping is a key element of any U.S. exit strategy from the war with Iran and of efforts to stabilize global energy markets.
South Carolina has been preliminarily tapped to hold the first Democratic presidential primary of 2028, as a key panel of party leaders picked the Palmetto State over Nevada on Friday after a contentious, racially fraught debate.
Why it matters: It's a coup for Black leaders who argued the party's most loyal voters — represented by South Carolina's large Black population — deserved to have the first chance to weigh in on who should be Democrats' next presidential nominee.
President Trump will meet Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the White House on Tuesday, the Israeli Prime Minister's office said in a statement.
Why it matters: Netanyahu has met with Trump in the Oval Office six times since Trump returned to office a year-and-a-half ago — more than any other world leader. But Netanyahu is deeply unpopular in Washington these days, among Democrats, Trump's close circle and the MAGA base.
The wars in Iran and Ukraine show how the drone tech revolution makes it easier — and cheaper — to interrupt energy supplies by striking refineries and oil tankers.
Why it matters: It's an important reason why oil traded at $100 per barrel this week and gasoline and diesel fuel are so expensive these days.
The Trump administration'sbacklog of high-level health appointments isn't getting any smaller after the Senate health committee postponed votes yesterday on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention director nominee and a divisive pick for an assistant health secretary post.
Why it matters: CDC nomineeErica Schwartz probably will have enough Republican votes to be approved after committee Chair Bill Cassidy (R-La.) said he'll support her — he just couldn't get enough GOP senators to show up yesterday.
She has President Trump's endorsement and is a sympathetic figure after the death of her brother, Sen. Lindsey Graham. As Graham's temporary replacement, she's a symbol of the political brand he built over more than two decades in the Senate.
Driving the news: Even so, Darline Graham faces an uphill battle to win a full Senate term in November, Republicans in D.C. and her home state of South Carolina tell Axios.
House GOP leaders are turning up the heat on Senate Republicans, calling on them to move quickly on the House's $95 billion reconciliation package despite resistance from Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.).
Why it matters: Before they split town, House leaders left some instructions for their Senate colleagues.
Democrats are indicating to their Republican counterparts that they are prepared to vote as early as next week on a Russia sanctions package that includes an 11th-hour demand from President Trump that the bill also include Iran, according to people familiar with the matter.
Why it matters: It would mark a rare bipartisan breakthrough on legislation to help end the war in Ukraine in a Senate that has spent much of the year engaged in partisan combat.
The European Commission fined Google the equivalent of about $1 billion Thursday for manipulating its search results to hurt competitors and blocking app developers from directing customers to cheaper deals outside its Play store.
Why it matters: The penalty lands a day before the White House is expected to impose a new round of tariffs and follows a warning to the EU from U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer to stop imposing fees on U.S. tech companies.
The Trump administration announced a new round of tariffs up to 12.5% on 60 trading partners on Thursday, preventing a lapse in import taxes as a temporary tariff program nears expiration.
Why it matters: It shows the White House's determination to preserve its tariff agenda by turning to new trade laws as earlier authorities expire or face legal challenges.
The U.S. government will withdraw subpoenasof New York Times journalists over their reporting on President Trump's Qatari-gifted jet, the Department of Justice said in a Thursday court hearing.
Why it matters: The Trump administration backed down in its battle with the media on the eve of the rescheduled White House Correspondents' Association Dinner, where the president is expected to speak.
Data: CDC; Map: Brad Jennings/Axios. Note: Estimated rates calculated using CDC case range midpoints and 2025 U.S. Census population estimates.
Cases of cyclosporiasis have now been reported in at least 41 states, and infection rates continue to increase in the five states where the CDC has declared an outbreak.
The big picture: Although some cases of the diarrhea-inducing illness are reported each year, the outbreak will make 2026 the worst year on U.S. record for this food-borne parasitic infection.
Vance Boelter, the man who dressed up like a police officer and killed former Minnesota House Speaker Melissa Hortman and her husband Mark last summer, was given two life sentences followed by 40 years in prison by a federal judge Thursday.
The big picture: The sentence puts Boelter behind bars without a possibility of parole and brings some resolution to a politically motivated crime that rocked Minnesota.
President Trump claimed Thursday the new nuclear deal the U.S. signed with Saudi Arabia will not include uranium enrichment and requires the kingdom normalize its relations with Israel.
Why it matters: Trump is responding to two of the bigger criticisms of the deal: that it could open the door to nuclear enrichment and that Washington gave up leverage to push a peace deal with Israel.
House Democrats are publicly and privately pushing for changes at the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee after it spent more than $500,000 backing a failed primary candidate in Arizona.
Why it matters: The House Democratic campaign arm has faced persistent criticism this year from its members for getting more heavily involved in primaries than in past election cycles.
President Trump told Axios on Thursday that he's seriously considering restarting major combat operations in Iran — including strikes that would be bigger than the ones carried out during Operation Epic Fury.
Why it matters: In a brief interview, Trump acknowledged that such a decision would have consequences and stressed he hasn't made a determination yet.
The Democrats' main Senate super PAC is booking another $54 million in TV ads for the midterm campaign's final stretch, targeting four Republican-held seats.
Why it matters: The new reservations offer a roadmap to where Democrats think they can flip seats.
Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang wants Washington to stop letting "science fiction" about AI influence policy — telling me in an hourlong interview that overreaction could slow adoption and weaken America's competitive edge.
Why it matters: Huang is influential with the Trump administration, putting him at the center of a debate with enormous consequences for America's AI future.
A markets mystery has perplexed some analysts this year: Why are stocks sitting near all-time highs while the global economy is rocked by geopolitical conflict and inflation pressures?
Why it matters: The usual retort is that the stock market is not the economy, buta new report from Moody's offers a more nuanced explanation.
Markets have adjusted to the new economic world order — you just have to know where to look.
A long-simmering feud between Black and Latino leaders in the Democratic Party exploded into the open Wednesday over which state should vote first in the 2028 presidential primary — South Carolina or Nevada.
Why it matters: The racially fraught battle could help determine which candidates will have an early edge in the race to be the party's next nominee for the White House.
An independent study finds Waymo's robotaxis are involved in fewer crashes than human drivers — a key milestone for earning public trust.
Why it matters: The research from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety offers some of the strongest evidence yet that driverless vehicles can outperform human drivers on safety.
House Judiciary Chair Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) referred former Special Counsel Jack Smith to the Justice Department on Wednesday, alleging he knowingly made false statements during congressional testimony last year.
Why it matters: The referral escalates House Republicans' efforts to scrutinize the former special counsel who prosecuted President Trump, even though the Justice Department is not required to act on congressional criminal referrals.
Doctor and former state Rep. Amish Shah defeated Marlene Galán-Woods in the Democratic 1st Congressional District primary, and will face former Arizona Cardinals kicker Jay Feely in November.
Why it matters: It's difficult to imagine either party winning control of the House without this seat.
Threats against people the U.S. Secret Service protects are up about 40% from a year ago, the agency says, as it prepares for Friday's rescheduled White House Correspondents' Dinner.
Why it matters: The surge is forcing the Secret Service to devote more agents and investigative resources to protecting senior government officials, potentially straining other protective operations.
