Axios

DALLAS — House Majority Whip Tom Emmer intends to stay on as his party's whip, telling Axios he has no plans to try to move up the leadership ladder after the November midterms.

Why it matters: House Republicans are maneuvering ahead of post-election leadership contests, particularly given that they could lose the majority, scrambling the current leadership slate.

The Justice Department is investigating Nvidia's $20 billion non-exclusive" licensing agreement with Groq to determine if it "tried to skirt antitrust scrutiny," according to the NY Times.

Why it matters: If this sort of arrangement is determined to be illegal, it could extend to a raft of other AI industry deals.

The Treasury Department failed to cow the bond market Wednesday with its amped-up buyback announcement, as rates still rose.

Why it matters: The reaction suggests that Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent's unusual showdown with the markets could itself add to upward pressure on interest rates — precisely the opposite of what most think he's trying to achieve.

The Trump administration is reshaping regulations to make data centers — and the fossil-fuel power fueling them — easier to build. Critics say the changes could increase pollution and reduce public input.

Why it matters: The moves risk inflaming an already fierce and bipartisan backlash to data centers, the backbone of the AI boom.

Speaker Mike Johnson's super PAC is spending big to give little-known Democratic challengers main-character energy — or at least starring roles in 30-second campaign ads.

Why it matters: President Trump wants to make the election about himself. The Congressional Leadership Fund — a super PAC affiliated with Johnson (R-La.) — is keeping the focus squarely on the Democrats running for Congress.

The liberal pro-Israel group J Street is launching a $3 million offensive against five AIPAC-backed Republicans in some of the nation's most competitive midterm races, Axios has learned.

Why it matters: The battle over Israel, which roiled Democratic primaries and fueled tens of millions of dollars in outside spending, is spilling into the general election and pitting two pro-Israel groups against each other.

DALLAS — Pennsylvania Sen. John Fetterman (D) made a bombshell appearance Wednesday night at the GOP convention, in a video praising President Trump and Republican Sen. Dave McCormick for helping America's steel industry.

Why it matters: Fetterman's stunning turn — a Democratic senator in a supporting role at the GOP's showcase campaign event, fewer than eight weeks before the Nov. 3 midterms — marked a dramatic escalation in Fetterman's growing estrangement from his party.

As scientists warn about the risk of AI killing us all, the question is why governments and companies haven't done more to reduce the risk.

The big picture: The same capabilities making AI economically valuable and increasingly useful also make advanced systems harder to contain.

About 140,000 automated license plate readers, including thousands of Flock cameras, are installed across the U.S., according to this publicly available data.

Why it matters: The cameras can help police find stolen cars and wanted people, but their ability to track all vehicles all the time has fueled a growing privacy backlash and calls for tighter oversight or removal.

The nation's election system is in a messy legal limbo, with fights over mail-in voting, electoral maps and voter records still locked in court.

Why it matters: Americans are in the eye of the storm, with over half saying they don't think the 2026 midterms will be conducted fairly or are unsure, according to a new poll.