D.C. Democrats are growing increasingly alarmed about the Republican spending advantage in the Michigan Senate race — and some are asking when progressive groups will start putting serious money behind Abdul El-Sayed.
Why it matters: The Democratic establishment's main super PAC is pouring an additional $10 million into the race to back El-Sayed, even as the Democratic nominee has declined to say whether he would support Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) as leader next year.
Congressional Republicans are increasingly breaking with an unpopular president on foreign policy and pocketbook issues as they try to stop their majorities from slipping away.
Why it matters: They aren't engaged in a full-scale revolt against President Trump, but some Republicans are testing new ways to distance themselves from him — a sign of their election anxiety.
Sen. John Curtis (R-Utah) is urging Senate Judiciary leaders to subpoena Donald Trump Jr. and Hunter Biden to investigate whether presidential family ties have been used for private family gain.
Why it matters: The Republican Curtis is pressing a Republican-led Senate committee to scrutinize President Trump's eldest son, arguing the same congressional oversight applied to Hunter Biden should apply to presidential families of both parties.
President Trump said Tuesday that he has called for a ban on U.S. diesel exports, while Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent confirmed the administration is examining whether a full or partial ban is feasible.
Why it matters: Trump's endorsement marks a shift for an administration that has resisted calls to restrict fuel exports, as record diesel prices squeeze farmers and truckers and fuel Republican concerns ahead of the midterms.
Economists and energy analysts the move could lower diesel prices for Americans in the short term but would likely raise prices globally including eventually in the U.S.
AI companies have competed on having the best and often most dangerous models for years. Now, they're pivoting to a new focus: cost.
Why it matters: The biggest risk to the AI boom is demand, and recent innovations to make models cheaper while maintaining powerful levels of intelligence have offered a bullish signal.
As the prices of top models from OpenAI, Anthropic and others come down, usage is increasing dramatically, a trend that points to the kind of demand that will be necessary to justify trillions of dollars in spending.
The Atlantic Council is launching a new organization to strategically elevate the importance of policy and statecraft involving sports on a global scale, Axios has learned.
Why it matters: Sports operate at the nexus of geopolitics, financial power, technology and media, creating space for an influential policy voice across key sectors.
The affordability of gasoline remains "the top issue that the president looks at," Trump energy adviser Jarrod Agen said at an Axios House event Tuesday.
Why it matters: The Trump administration is championing energy savings from its deregulatory push as overseas conflicts, including the Iran war, rattle oil markets, driving up fuel costs and threatening an expensive winter for millions of households.
U.S. voters are tuned in to the idea that "their bills are too high," despite President Trump's promises to lower costs, Rep. Mike Levin (D-Calif.) said Tuesday while speaking at Axios House at Climate Week & UN General Assembly.
Why it matters: High gas prices stemming from the Iran War and lingering inflation are liabilities for Republicans heading into the midterms, where the party is trying to hold on to its congressional majorities.
Rep. Mike Levin (D-Calif.) said that, unlike many aging members of Congress, he uses AI "all the time," speaking at Axios House at Climate Week & UN General Assembly.
Why it matters: Levin said Congress must pass "guardrails" around AI but declined to support a full block on a data center development.
Asked about a poll showing broad pessimism about the Iran war, President Trump told CNN's Kaitlan Collins, "You shouldn't be here," Tuesday morning at the United Nations General Assembly.
Why it matters: The exchange brought Trump's fight with major news organizations to an event outside White House grounds as the dispute heads to federal court.
President Trump predicted Tuesday at the UN General Assembly that Iran and the U.S. will strike a deal after the midterms — his latest prediction after repeatedly claiming throughout the war that it was nearly over.
The big picture: The shadow of his Iran war — one that's scattered global supply chains — loomed large over Trump's speech to adversaries and allies alike. The ties with those allies are historically strained, taut from the pull of tariffs, conflict and Trump's threats.
In a new survey, homebuilders around the country say ramped-up Immigration and Customs Enforcement crackdowns are creating huge headaches for their businesses.
Why it matters: The labor strain comes on top of other challenges for the industry: rising mortgage rates, higher prices for key inputs driven by tariffs and the Iran war, as well as growing competition for resources with builders of data centers.
The willingness to confront powerful health care interests is becoming a litmus test for candidates in congressional battleground races with six weeks to go before the midterm elections.
Why it matters: Forget the old Affordable Care Act wars. Anxiety over health care costs is driving a new brand of populism, as Republicans and Democrats try to outdo each other with tough messages about taking on drug companies, insurers, pharmacy benefit managers and other industries.
A distinctly Cold War calculus is looming over this week's Trump-Xi summit in Washington, as the U.S. and China weigh an emergency "red phone" for the day AI goes haywire.
Why it matters: U.S.-China relations are so brittle that an AI hotline — not a trade pact, strategic slowdown or diplomatic reset — could emerge as the summit's most meaningful outcome.
The man shot by federal immigration agents on Sunday in North Austin was transferred to a detention facility in South Texas, his family's attorney said Monday.
Why it matters: Wilber Rafael Garces Perez's lawyer and immigration advocates are racing to try to prevent him from being deported as they seek to learn what led to the shooting.
