Axios

Senate Republicans are looking for an off-ramp on an issue that divides their leadership team: year-round ethanol sales.

• "We are probably going to have to make a tweak on the small refinery exemption, which we're working on," Sen. John Hoeven (R-N.D.) told Axios.

Why it matters: Public splits between Senate GOP leaders are rare. But few issues fracture Republicans like ethanol.

A new political thriller is mulling what would happen if the United States had a 17-year-old as president.

The big picture: The premise is meant to challenge young Americans to run for office, taking control away from aging politicians and giving it to those who will live with the government's decisions for decades to come.

President Trump's summit with Xi Jinping was staged as a reunion between old friends, concluding Friday with a private tour of Zhongnanhai, the Chinese Communist Party's secretive leadership compound.

• Strolling the gardens, Trump declared the blooms around him "the most beautiful roses anyone has ever seen." Xi promised to send him seeds.

Why it matters: The warm public choreography of the past two days has masked a stubborn reality: Nearly every force shaping U.S.-China relations is pulling them apart.

The post-2024 narrative that Latino voters shifted right is facing its first real stress test — including in districts Republicans thought were safely red.

Why it matters: The biggest immediate test is in Texas, where Republicans drew new maps assuming continued Latino gains. But GOP House seats are also at risk in California, New York, Colorado and Nevada.

Parents across the U.S. and abroad are joining efforts to delay smartphone use and reduce children's screen time.

Why it matters: Concerns about smartphones' effects on children are fueling broader efforts around offline socialization, digital wellbeing and screen-free childhood initiatives.

Congressional leaders are straining to get their absentee members to return to Capitol Hill as the House's vote margins on major legislation grow ever more precarious.

Why it matters: Just on Thursday, an Iran war powers resolution failed to pass in a tie vote. Any lawmaker could have tipped the outcome — and half a dozen were absent.

A divided U.S. Supreme Court on Thursday indefinitely extended a freeze on strict new restrictions for dispensing the widely used abortion pill mifepristone while an underlying legal fight over the drug plays out.

Why it matters: The widely expected order provides legal certainty for pharmacies, telehealth companies and clinicians caught up in the latest battle over accessing the pill.

CIA Director John Ratcliffe visited Cuba on Thursday to meet with intelligence officials and Raúl Guillermo "Raulito" Rodríguez Castro, the grandson of former leader Raúl Castro.

The big picture: Cuba is facing a crippling fuel shortage and economic crisis due in part to U.S. sanctions. President Trump has repeatedly indicated he wants regime change, though a CIA official said Ratcliffe emphasized that cooperation is possible if the government makes "fundamental changes."

The House Ethics Committee said it is investigating Rep. Chuck Edwards (R-N.C.) over allegations of sexual harassment and creating a "hostile work environment" in a statement Thursday.

Why it matters: Axios has reported that Edwards engaged in inappropriate conduct towards two female staffers in their 20s, including one who later complained about his behavior and feared retaliation. That probe was prompted in part by Edwards' conduct toward female staffers.

U.S. Chief District Judge Chip Campbell on Thursday rejected Tennessee Democrats' request for a temporary restraining order to stop the state from implementing a new U.S. House map that favors Republicans.

Why it matters: The legal challenges to the new map will press on, but Campbell's ruling is a critical setback for opponents.