MAGA finally feels like it's winning again after a dramatic weekend of news, easing (but not ending) one of its nastiest internal fights since the start of President Trump's second term.
Why it matters: The right was in a seemingly irreversible spiral last week over Israel and cancel culture. But MAGA was overjoyed by Trump's pardons of 77 people accused of 2020 election interference, Democrats folding on the government shutdown and a shakeup at the BBC.
Google AI tool Gemini and ChatGPTwere the two fastest-growing brands in 2025 among those earning more than $100,000 a year, a new report from Morning Consult finds.
Why it matters: AI brands didn't even make it into the top 20 for lower-earning households — a sign of a growing gap between the rich and everyone else in this economy.
For those earning less than six figures, brands that ranked higher were more "value-focused," like Fruit of the Loom and Discount Tire.
Investors are rejoicing over what they see as an end to the government shutdown nearing — yet the positive vibes probably won't last for long.
Why it matters: A reopening would ease one pocket of worry for Wall Street, but swing attention to the others, like sky-high valuations and signs of an AI bubble.
Investors will also have to make sense soon of newly resumed government data, coming late at first and in some cases maybe not at all. (Just don't hold your breath for October CPI.)
Time has launched an AI agent that lets people ask questions and generate text summaries and audio briefs drawn entirely from its 102-year-old archive.
Why it matters: The tool marks Time's biggest bet yet on AI as the publication looks to not only deepen reader engagement but also grow enterprise revenue.
Copyleaks, known for its software to detect plagiarism and AI-generated text, is expanding into identifying AI use in images, the company shared first with Axios.
Why it matters: Beyond misinformation, AI image tools are fueling fraud — from fake receipts to doctored insurance claims.
Carbon Direct, which provides a suite of data-driven climate management services to companies, is acquiring Pachama, a major player in the nature-based carbon credits market, the company tells Axios exclusively.
Why it matters: Demand for credits from rainforest preservation and other projects is rising, driven partly by tech giants trying to juggle climate goals with the data center boom.
Amazon is stretching Black Friday and Cyber Monday into nearly two weeks of sales — starting Nov. 20 and running through Dec. 1 — promising "millions of deals" across categories.
We've asked the top AI executives for their private take on the American rival they fear most. Without pause, they all coughed up the same name: Google.
Why it matters: The search giant has been somewhat sleepy so far in the race for AI dominance.
OpenAI's newest initiative gives U.S. service members free ChatGPT Plus for a year to aid post-military transitions.
Why it matters: Roughly 200,000 American military service members transition into civilian life each year, a confusing adjustment potentially made easier with AI.
The vast majority of restaurants using DoorDash in the biggest U.S. cities that were open in September 2024 remained open in September 2025, per new data from the company shared exclusively with Axios.
Why it matters: Some churn is normal, even healthy. But especially low rates of restaurant survival in any given city may suggest something rotten in the state of the local industry.
California is home to the most expensive cheeseburger meals in the continental U.S., per new DoorDash data shared exclusively with Axios.
Why it matters: Looking at the price of a single expense — in this case, a cheeseburger with fries and a soda — across cities is a simple way of comparing the cost of living.
