Axios

Azerbaijan is on the hunt for demining technologies and techniques, and hopes the U.S. can lend a hand, ambassador Khazar Ibrahim told Axios.

Why it matters: The collapse of the USSR and years of conflict between Azerbaijan and Armenia have saturated the region with unexploded ordnance, which can maim or kill and scare off industry.

REDONDO BEACH, California — The bus departed Impulse Space and was hurtling down the highway, bound for an In-N-Out Burger somewhere southeast. Inside, JPMorgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon and other executives were discussing defense tech: its ups, its downs, its risks, its opportunities.

• How could they help? Where were the relevant watering holes? And what would it mean to get creative, to avoid the pitfalls of the past?
• "The notion that this country is behind is frustrating, but I'm very uplifted by what they're doing," Dimon said. "You walk around companies like Impulse Space — they're doing amazing stuff."

The big picture: In October, JPMorgan Chase tossed $1.5 trillion into the national-security ring with its Security and Resiliency Initiative. At first a stateside push, it has since extended to include Canada, Europe and the U.K.

Sen. Darline Graham and Rep. Ralph Norman (R-S.C.) advanced Tuesday to a runoff in South Carolina's crowded Republican Senate primary, per the AP, extending the fight to succeed the late Sen. Lindsey Graham.

Why it matters: The Aug. 25 runoff will almost certainly determine South Carolina's next senator.

A federal judge on Tuesday expanded an earlier block on part of President Trump's executive order seeking to tighten rules for mail-in voting ahead of November's elections.

Why it matters: The ruling freezes a key piece of Trump's attempted overhaul of mail-in voting for all U.S. states. A previous ruling in a separate case had limited a block for the 23 Democratic states that sued over the president's order.

Democrats have gone from treating Rep. Max Miller (R-Ohio) as a best-case-scenario target to a genuinely vulnerable incumbent whose downfall is worth a real investment.

Why it matters: Democratic groups tell Axios they plan to put their money where their mouth is and spend to win the seat, which Trump carried by double digits in 2024.

Senate Republicans' top super PAC is pouring an extra $6 million into Michigan to attack Democratic Senate nominee Abdul El-Sayed.

Why it matters: It's part of $12 million in new spending this month by the Senate Leadership Fund to defend Republican leader John Thune's majority.

Earlier this month, Kennedy Center budget planners sketched out three options for its two-year renovation, including ways to keep the National Symphony Orchestra performing during construction, Axios has learned.

Why it matters: The early plans — ahead of a Thursday board meeting — offer a glimpse at how President Trump's allies are contemplating undertaking a controversial two-year closure.

A series of landmark lawsuits, mostly at the state level, are starting to shape the way news and information companies can operate and strike deals.

Why it matters: Absent any meaningful action at the federal level, state regulators, consumer groups, trade organizations and individual class action claimants are leveraging lawsuits to rein in Big Media and Big Tech.

President Trump's secret plane switch in Turkey is putting Air Force One's security protocols and defensive capabilities in the spotlight.

Why it matters: Air Force One is the call sign for any Air Force aircraft carrying the president, meaning Trump's secret switch didn't change the designation — but it changed the plane protecting him.

Executive privilege can shield President Trump's communications with "private advisers" outside of the government, the Justice Department's Office of Legal Counsel concluded Monday.

Why it matters: Democrats have been planning to bypass expected White House stonewalling by subpoenaing companies, colleges and private citizens if they win enough seats in November. The new opinion could create a new hurdle for Democrats should they retake Congress.