Amazon founder Jeff Bezos and Goldman Sachs CEO David Solomon are adding to the chatter among investors that markets are getting overheated due to an AI bubble.
Why it matters: The Dow, S&P 500 and Nasdaq are up 10%, 14% and 18%, respectively, so far this year as bullish investors have piled into AI stocks.
FBI Director Kash Patel has cut all ties to the Southern Poverty Law Center, a storied civil rights group that tracks hate-motivated violence across the U.S.
Why it matters: The separation is the latest example of the Trump administration turning away from civil rights watchdogs by branding them as partisan and discriminatory rather than protectors of marginalized communities.
President Trump posted a government shutdown-themed, AI-generated video late Thursday parodying "(Don't Fear) The Reaper," starring Office of Management and Budget Director Russ Vought as the grim reaper.
Why it matters: The video exemplifies the Trump administration's approach toward the funding gap, attacking Democrats and threatening job cuts.
New research shows that for all the hype, AI hasn't reshaped the job market yet.
Why it matters: Companies are spending big on chips, data centers and talent, but hiring weakness owes more to economic conditions and government actions than automation.
After years of behind-the-scenes work, a pollution-trading initiative is publicly launching on Friday that works in India and plans expansion to other developing nations, the group tells Axios exclusively.
Why it matters: TheEmissions Market Accelerator sees openings, based on its on-the-ground work to date, to cost-effectively cut pollution and CO2 using emissions trading on a very large scale.
Debt is the canary in the coal mine for market bubbles. Housing debt fueled the global financial crisis. Corporate debt led to dotcom bust. Now, the tech companies driving today's bull market are quietly levering up, sometimes through private lenders that make their debt less visible to shareholders.
Why it matters: That debt — and how it is getting structured — is "almost an acknowledgement that this is getting out of hand," Dario Perkins, managing director of global macro at TS Lombard, tells Axios.
The government shutdown is set to stall critical tech and science work across federal agencies.
Why it matters: Many tech agencies and offices have already been running on fumes or been gutted thanks to DOGE cuts and consistently low levels of funding from Congress. This is the latest blow.
The next AI policy idea that could gain traction in the U.S. would give companies some legal immunity from challenges over possible harms if they prove they're adhering to safety standards.
Why it matters: As it becomes increasingly clear that the federal government isn't going to meaningfully regulate AI, this is one model that could pick up steam in states across the country.
A new government report warns that China's DeepSeek models pose risks to national security, even as they trail far behind American competitors on performance and cost.
The big picture: The report could give China hawks in Congress sturdier standing in their efforts to ban DeepSeek on government devices.
An export control rule from the Commerce Department is set to create a major new layer of work for AI and tech companies with global supply chains and partners.
Why it matters: The move is a clear win for national security hawks who want U.S. tech firms to retreat from business partnerships with companies in China and other countries deemed to be national security risks.
President Trump needs the Supreme Court to validate some of his most sweeping exercises of presidential power — and to stretch or outright overturn some of its own precedents in order to do so.
The big picture: The rulings standing in Trump's way are conservative ones. The right's long, successful campaign to curtail presidents' domestic powers is on a collision course with a Republican president who's shattering historical precedents at every turn.
Apple is removing from its App Store apps that alert the presence of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in people's local areas, the tech giant announced Thursday evening.
The big picture: The move comes as the Trump administration's crackdown on undocumented immigrants shows no signs of abating and follows Attorney General Pam Bondi contacting Apple on Thursday "demanding they remove the ICEBlock app from their App Store," per a statement shared with Axios and other outlets.
