Axios

Project 2029, a group writing policy blueprints to pitch to the next Democratic White House, is proposing sweeping power market changes to boost competition and speed connection of new generation.

Why it matters: The group is led by well-connected Democratic insiders, and it will circulate the plan to potential 2028 White House candidates and on Capitol Hill.

The new Democratic congressional majority is vowing a slew of investigations into Elon Musk's business empire — potentially putting the military's vast portfolio of contracts with SpaceX under the microscope.

Why it matters: Attempts to hold Musk accountable will run up against a basic reality that for critical military and space missions, the government has no replacement for SpaceX — and likely won't for years.

Homicides fell 15.2% across major U.S. police jurisdictions through the first nine months of 2026, extending a retreat from pandemic-era violence that began under President Biden and continues under President Trump.

The big picture: A new Major Cities Chiefs Association report found declines in all four major violent-crime categories among 66 reporting U.S. large law enforcement agencies from January through September, compared with the same period last year.

Outgoing Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) secured the 218 signatures needed to force another House showdown over the Jeffrey Epstein files Wednesday, just one day after fellow Republicans blocked his attempt to impeach Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth.

Why it matters: Congress overwhelmingly voted last year to force the release of the Epstein files, but survivors and lawmakers say the Trump administration has still withheld records. The new bill would give them the power to sue the DOJ and help state prosecutors pursue investigations.

Democrat Scott Colom defeated Republican Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith in a stunning Mississippi upset, becoming the first Democrat elected to the state's Senate delegation since 1982, AP projects.

Why it matters: Colom's victory marks another extraordinary breakthrough for Democrats in the Deep South, extending the historic blue wave that handed the party control of both chambers of Congress.

President Trump on Thursday authorized a crack down on companies suspected of diverting Nvidia's advanced AI chips to China for the third time this year — even consulting Elon Musk before giving the go-ahead.

• One administration official has repeatedly stood in the way: Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick.

Why it matters: This standoff illustrates a breakdown in efforts to keep American technology out of China's hands as the world wonders why the Trump administration has not taken action against the company at the center of suspected chip smuggling — and an espionage scandal.

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent confronted Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick over a failure to place Nvidia customer Megaspeed on a list of companies that pose national security concerns, sources familiar told Axios.

Why it matters: The Commerce Department oversees the export of sensitive U.S. technologies and Lutnick's actions — or lack thereof — are increasingly under scrutiny following revelations that Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang had an affair with Megaspeed employee and suspected Chinese spy Alice Huang.

Rep.-elect Don Leonard (D-Ohio) hasn't been sworn in yet, but he's making a name for himself on Capitol Hill as one of the most outspoken anti-establishment progressives in the incoming freshman class.

Why it matters: That's an unlikely position for a Democrat who represents a rural Ohio district that President Trump carried by 10 percentage points in 2024.

President Trump fired Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem in March, but Democrats aren't finished with her.

Why it matters: Armed with commanding House and Senate majorities, they're preparing to haul the architects of Trump's mass deportation agenda before Congress to answer for their actions.

House Republicans are turning to one of their fiercest fighters to lead their diminished conference after one of their biggest drubbings in decades.

Why it matters: Jim Jordan, 62, a founding member of the hardline House Freedom Caucus, has completed a stunning insurgent-to-establishment turn after spending much of his nearly 20 years in Congress battling Republican leaders from the right.