Axios

The Trump administration broke the law when it abruptly fired Maurene Comey, a former prosecutor who worked on cases involving Sean "Diddy" Combs and Jeffrey Epstein, a federal judge ruled Monday.

The big picture: Comey, whose father is one of the president's top foes, alleged her firing was politically motivated.

For all the political hand-wringing surrounding corporate DEI programs, new polling shows that workers across party lines are more likely to say their expectations of employers have increased than decreased over the past four years.

Why it matters: Companies weighing changes to their DEI commitments should be careful about assuming the political backlash reflects what their own employees want.

Here's something Democrats and Republicans agree on ahead of the midterms: They'd rather work somewhere that respects differing political views than somewhere that mirrors their own beliefs.

Why it matters: For internal communicators, the challenge is translating that desire for mutual respect into workplace expectations that accommodate political differences without pressuring employees to participate or take sides.

Chuck Todd and Chris Cillizza are teaming up with Decision Desk HQ to host "The Projection," a live Election Night broadcast, Axios has learned.

Why it matters: The show features two of Washington, D.C.'s most well-known political pundits and gives them a platform to deliver their own real-time results directly to viewers.

Anthropic is warning investors that it may continue to be a target of the Trump administration as it seeks one of the biggest IPOs in history — and that it has no plans of changing its behavior.

Why it matters: The filing doesn't name the president or his administration specifically, but the subtext is clear. Anthropic outlines the risk of being "disproportionately or selectively targeted" due to its positions on AI safety.

• That means politics could determine which models Anthropic releases, where it operates, which customers it serves and whether commercial partners continue doing business with it.

Dictionary.com named "maxxing" its 2026 Word of the Year, reflecting a culture obsessed with getting the most out of everything.

Why it matters: The word's explosive popularity reflects society's relentless drive to optimize everything — from earnest self-improvement to giving everyday activities comical nicknames. There's a "maxxing" for just about everything.

Oil prices are back to the high levels of March as investors price in the growing risk that the Iran war will escalate.

Why it matters: Higher energy prices ripple through the entire economy, pushing up inflation.

• The recent rise in oil has also put stocks under pressure: Both the S&P 500 and Nasdaq declined last week as prices climbed.

When it comes to Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s future, two things are clear: He hasn't finished what he set out to do, and President Trump has his back.

Why it matters: It was a popular assumption a few months ago that Kennedy would be out after the November elections. Now, the question is why he would leave.

A student-led protest movement has ended the 14-year rule of Serbia's right-wing party, former President Aleksandar Vučić conceded Sunday.

Why it matters: The historic upset sidelines a Balkan strongman who courted President Trump's family and allies, raising questions about future U.S. relations with a country that has balanced ties with Russia and the West.

Anthropic's Claude accessed publicly available Georgia voter data without human authorization, a disclosure sure to add to growing concerns about AI security ahead of the midterm elections.

Why it matters: AI giants Anthropic and OpenAI have continued to make disclosures about agents taking unauthorized or unintended actions, raising alarms about advancing model capabilities and the extent of human control.