Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.) plans to force a Senate vote next week on two new resolutions aimed at preventing President Trump from demolishing the Kennedy Center or building his proposed triumphal arch near Arlington National Cemetery.
Why it matters: Senate Democrats are putting Republicans on notice that they're prepared to use every available legislative means, including the appropriations process later this year, to stymie Trump's efforts to erect or erase memorials in the D.C. area.
The Senate GOP campaign arm is making an extraordinary late ask — $8.9 million, to be exact — for three red states: Alaska, Iowa and Ohio, according to a memo sent Thursday and obtained by Axios.
Why it matters: The request is yet another sign of the headwinds facing Republicans. In a good year, they wouldn't be begging for millions to defend states President Trump carried by double digits in 2024.
Kush Desai, a White House senior deputy press secretary, is being promoted to a top role at the Office of Director of National Intelligence.
Why it matters: Desai currently handles White House press on some of the Trump administration's biggest issues, from health and human services to trade and economics.
Tucker Carlson says President Trump should have been removed from office under the 25th Amendment over what Carlson characterized as a threat to use nuclear weapons against Iran.
Why it matters: Carlson's call for Trump's removal marks an escalation in his break with the president and the Republican Party over foreign policy and the Iran war.
Americans' views of socialism have reached a record high, with 43% saying they view it positively, a Gallup poll finds.
Why it matters: Attitudes toward socialism could play a key role in the November midterms, after democratic socialist candidates won a series of key primary races.
The Senate failed to agree to a resolution calling for an end to the U.S. conflict in Iran on Thursday.
Why it matters: Despite Republicans increasingly speaking out against President Trump over the conflict — which has no end in sight and has sent gas prices spiking — the party held together to block the measure's passage.
Reporters from CNN, MS NOW and Politico were readmitted to the White House for the first time since Friday, hours after a judge ordered the Trump administration to immediately reinstate their credentials.
Why it matters: The reinstatement should mark the end of a broader press boycott that left the American public without key visual coverage of President Trump over the past few days.
Former President Obama says the federal government is less corrupt than at virtually any point in U.S. history, even as Americans' perceptions of government corruption have climbed to a record high.
Why it matters: Obama's comments come as Democrats try to turn corruption into a midterm issue, particularly around President Trump's business dealings and personal profits.
Chinese President Xi Jinping said Thursday during a visit with President Trump that China will send two pandas to Zoo Atlanta, calling them an "envoy of friendship."
Why it matters: The fuzzy ambassadors have long been one of China's most beloved tools of soft power and could signal an attempt to cool tensions in U.S.–China relations.
A district court judge ruled the White House violated the Fifth Amendment rights of CNN, MS NOW and Politico by banning them, and granted the plaintiffs a temporary restraining order that forces the White House to immediately reinstate their press access for 14 days.
But both CNN and Politico said their reporters were denied access to the White House Thursday morning after the ruling.
Why it matters: Had a judge ruled against them, the broader press boycott could've dragged on, leaving the American public without key visual coverage of the White House.
A district judge tossed an election interference lawsuit by President Trump against the Des Moines Register, parent company USA Today Co. (formerly Gannett) and pollster Ann Selzer, rejecting claims that its inaccurate pre-election poll amounted to consumer fraud.
Why it matters: The dismissal is an early court test of Trump's broader push to use litigation against media organizations over coverage he disputes.
China is waging a much different war for AI supremacy than the U.S.
Why it matters:China is obsessed with state control and adoption. Chinese officials are laser-focused on deep, widespread AI domestic use they can monitor and steer at every level of their economy.
President Trump's allies are targeting Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei as the face of AI "doomerism" and a founding father of the effective altruism movement that's come under increasing political fire.
Why it matters: The attacks signal that Anthropic could remain a Trump target as his allies push back on Amodei's AI safety warnings amid the midterm elections. Trump surrogates see Amodei as an easy foil because of his politics and focus on AI safety, sources told Axios.
For investors, it's a worrisome proposition as the company prepares for what's expected to be a record-setting IPO.
OpenAI's autonomous agents breached an Australian Medicare portal and probed other public data sites in May and June after being stymied in routine data-collection efforts.
Why it matters: The new incidents, which were revealed by security researchers and Australian officials Wednesday, indicate that the scope of rogue AI activity may be greater than what's been publicly acknowledged.
The agents took those steps while engaged in ordinary data retrieval tasks, according to researchers, a distinction from other hacks by systems programmed specifically for cybersecurity work. The revelation is likely to raise fresh questions about OpenAI's internal controls and safeguards.
In his first-ever meeting with Venezuela's new leader, President Trump emphasized the need to keep oil flowing, relations warm and that country's elections on the horizon, White House sources tell Axios.
Why it matters: Trump did not insist on a future election date in his meeting with Venezuela's acting president Delcy Rodriguez, but he emphasized their importance as a crucial final step in Venezuela's evolution into a full-fledged democracy, the sources said.
