America is losing its grip on one of its quietest superpowers: its ability to attract the world's most ambitious students.
Why it matters: As international enrollment drops, colleges face a financial hit. Foreign students typically pay full tuition, acting as a crucial revenue stream that subsidizes campus operations and eases the cost burden for American taxpayers.
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) had a banner week, drawing attention from Democratic leaders, prediction markets and millions on social media.
Why it matters: The widespread attention shows how Ocasio-Cortez is expanding her political reach as she weighs a possible presidential or Senate run in 2028.
President Trump said Friday that he isn't concerned about the state of the USS Abraham Lincoln, despite calls from lawmakers to investigate reports of mental health issues for those onboard.
Why it matters: The San Diego-based aircraft carrier has been deployed for nine months, and numerousreports have indicated that crew members' families are concerned about a lack of food and other basic supplies.
We're zooming in on battleground races ahead of the midterms. This week: Maine.
For 2026, the Maine Senate race has it all: a Democratic establishment-vs.-progressives fight, a nominee swap after explosive allegations, and a rare Republican who dares to buck President Trump.
Why it matters: It's hard to see Democrats winning the Senate if they don't take Maine.
The big picture:College dorms are becoming customized, social-media-ready micro-apartments, but the market looks wildly different depending on which side of the Mason-Dixon line your campus sits.
Public opinion about the economy appears to be souring further this month, per the preliminary release of the University of Michigan's consumer sentiment index.
By the numbers: Overall sentiment fell 8% in the early days of August, after two consecutive months of improvement.
The Treasury Department this week scrapped a key part of a federal anti-corruption law that required anonymous shell companies and other firms to disclose their owners.
Why it matters: The move is the latest example of how it's becoming harder to get information about the financial system, even as the ascendance of AI makes it seemingly easier to learn anything you want to know.
The U.S. is projected to become majority-minority in 2046, but hundreds of rural pockets crossed that demographic benchmark years ago, an Axios analysis finds.
Why it matters: The evolving face of rural America, driven both by immigration and increased mobility, has invigorated communities, increased their diversity — and presented new challenges.
Republicans have a new name on their growing list of progressive midterm targets: Minnesota Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan, fresh off a landslide Senate primary win.
Why it matters: With President Trump's approval ratings in the 30s, Republicans are trying to turn the midterms from a referendum on him into a choice between the GOP and a Democratic Party they argue has moved sharply to the left.
White House deputy national security adviser Andy Baker is leaving the administration in the coming weeks.
Why it matters: Baker, who also served as national security advisor to Vice President Vance, was among the staffers most central to the administration's foreign policy and national security decision-making over the last 18 months.
When Benjamin Netanyahu and Donald Trump met in the Oval Office two weeks ago, the president asked the Israeli prime minister how he was doing in the polls ahead of an Oct. 27 election.
Netanyahu paused. Then one of his advisers piped up: "Mr. President, he is winning," the aide said, according to a U.S. official familiarwith the exchange.
Why it matters: Netanyahu is not winning. And so far, Trump hasn't given him the endorsement he hopes for, despite being asked about it repeatedly by reporters.
The president could still change his mind. But with just 75 days left until the election, time is running short for Netanyahu.
