topics

politics-policy

epstein-files

donald-trump

2026-midterm-elections

immigration

behind-the-curtain

race-and-equity

technology

privacy-tech-regulation

automation-and-ai

tiktok-news

big-tech

social-media

cybersecurity

economy

social-security

inflation

tariffs

federal-reserve

jobs

transportation

business

stock-market-news

retail-news

crypto

media

elon-musk

dealmaking

health

rfk-jr

drug-prices

axios-explains-abortion

public-health

world

israel

axios-explains-ukraine

iran

russia

china

energy-climate

nuclear-energy

climate-energy-policy

climate-change

extreme-weather

alternative-energy

electric-vehicles

science

emerging-tech

biomedicine

newsletters

pittsburgh

atlanta

san-diego

charlotte

boulder

washington-dc

kansas-city

dallas

denver

detroit

des-moines

austin

boston

chicago

cleveland

columbus

houston

indianapolis

miami

nashville

new-orleans

nw-arkansas

philadelphia

phoenix

portland

richmond

salt-lake-city

san-antonio

san-francisco

seattle

tampa-bay

twin-cities

raleigh

huntsville

axios-local

axios-pro

axios-live

the-axios-show

National

Far-right candidates are surging in House races across the map: Republican leaders increasingly fear that a red wave will wash in a raft of conspiracy theorists and extremists.

Why it matters: The establishment grows ever weaker. House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy — on the doorstep of the speaker’s office — can expect to be saddled with new members who have zero loyalty or predictability.

What's happening: Many of the GOP candidates expected to cause leadership headaches are backed by former President Trump, whose grip on McCarthy is as strong as ever.

They play well with Trump's MAGA base and are running in incredibly conservative districts. 

Several, like Loren Culp and Joe Kent in Washington, have made no secret of their disdain for McCarthy and GOP leadership overall.

What we're hearing: In cycles past, leadership has attempted to get involved in some races to stiff-arm candidates they find problematic.

But this time, House GOP leadership is highly sensitive to the political downsides of interfering: Republicans need these candidates to take back the majority and make McCarthy speaker.

McCarthy has been careful not to alienate them, hoping his hands-off approach will help earn their trust and foster goodwill down the line.

Yes, but: Once in office, it will be hard for McCarthy to control his far-right freshmen — just as he's faced difficulty wrangling Reps. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.), Paul Gosar (R-Ariz.), Lauren Boebert (R-Colo.) and Madison Cawthorn (R-N.C.), who see themselves as "untouchable."

Greene, for example, has long gloated she's immune to punishment by McCarthy. That's been true even after she and Gosar appeared at a gathering of white nationalists hosted by outspoken Holocaust denier Nick Fuentes.

What to watch: The number of seats Republicans ultimately win in November will be crucial to this dynamic.

That margin, in conjunction with the number of these controversial candidates who win in the general election, will determine how much influence they have over the Republican conference.

Republicans already have a nightmarish job whipping votes for certain legislation because of the House Freedom Caucus — which is experiencing its own identity crisis over the increasing radicalization of its members.

These new candidates could complicate that dynamic further.

What they're saying: "If you look at our history with the Freedom Caucus, they don't back down and don't vote for things. So our margins will be really important," a House GOP leadership aide told Axios.

"Biden's going to be president no matter what. ... There are going to be times when we need to pass government funding, NDAA and so on," the aide added. "Kevin's going to be in the position of having to cut deals with Biden and that's not going to go well with some of these people."

McCarthy's office did not respond to requests for comment.

Carl Paladino at Trump Tower in 2016. Photo: Kena Betancur/AFP via Getty Images

A sampling of the controversial candidates flagged to Axios by Republican campaign arms and GOP strategists includes: 

1. Carl Paladino (N.Y.-23): Backed by House GOP conference chair Elise Stefanik (R-N.Y.), Paladino's history of controversy includes calling Adolf Hitler "the kind of leader we need" in 2021.

In 2016, he inadvertently emailed a Buffalo newspaper racist and sexist comments about former first lady Michelle Obama.

2. Sandy Smith (N.C.-1): Smith, who won her May 17 primary, tweeted she was present for the "Save America" rally immediately prior to the Jan. 6 Capitol riot.

She's also been accused of attacking her former husbands, including with a car and a frying pan. Smith denies those allegations.

3. Loren Culp (Wash.-4): A former small-town police chief, Trump-endorsed Culp lost the 2020 Washington governor's race to Democrat Jay Inslee but refused to concede.

He called earlier this year for a Black man facing trial to be lynched and the jurors and judge to be executed in a firing squad.

He has also "maintained associations with some controversial far-right organizations," including a group that "has sent armed civilians to act as self-appointed, pro-law-enforcement 'peacekeepers' at protests against police brutality, according to AP.

4. Joe Kent (Wash.-3): The Trump-backed candidate has come under fire for claiming he worked with Nick Fuentes, who gained notoriety for participating in the “Unite the Right” rally in Charlottesville, Virginia, in 2017, on social media strategy.

Kent has since distanced himself from Fuentes and told Oregon Public Broadcasting that the controversy was a misunderstanding.

Between the lines: Rather than taking a completely hands-off approach, McCarthy has openly embraced certain controversial candidates.

J.R. Majewski (Ohio-9), who has repeatedly promoted QAnon and attended the Jan. 6 rally in Washington, was named this month to the National Republican Congressional Committee's "Young Gun" program.

From July 2020 to January 2021, Majewski tweeted the QAnon hashtag #WWG1WGA — which stands for "Where we go one, we go all" — more than 50 times on his now-deleted personal Twitter account, according to CNN.

Majewski has since tried to distance himself from QAnon and claims he never supported the conspiracy.

Mayra Flores (Texas-34), another candidate supported by Trump, was hosted by the House GOP at the Capitol after flipping the seat to replace departing Democratic Rep. Filemon Vela this month.

Flores has repeatedly posted the #QAnon and #Q hashtags on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook, according to a report by watchdog Media Matters, but now says she never supported the theory. 

McCarthy's coming headaches

These candidates are quietly being described as "political disrupters" among House GOP leadership and outside campaign arms.

Photo illustration of Kevin McCarthy holding his head beneath an angry elephant

Photo illustration: Sarah Grillo/Axios. Photo: Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

House Republicans

Politics & Policy

Finish Line

Axios Finish Line

Fifty-nine percent of Americans disapprove of the Supreme Court's decision to overturn Roe v. Wade and take away the federal protections of abortion rights, according to a new CBS News/YouGov reaction poll. Among women polled, 67% disapprove.

Why it matters: The new polling upholds what surveys before the decision showed us — that the majority of Americans support Roe.

52% call the court's decision a "step backward" for America, 31% say it's a "step forward," and 17% say neither.

Between the lines: Opinion is starkly divided along party lines. 78% of Republicans approve of the decision, compared with 38% of independents and 17% of Democrats.

What to watch: The public believes the court will reexamine other civil rights set by precedent.

57% think it's likely same-sex marriage rights will be limited, and 55% think access to birth control will be limited.

Where abortion access is guaranteed without Roe v. Wade

Democrats condemn Supreme Court's abortion ruling

Where abortion will be illegal with Roe v. Wade overturned

Poll: Majority of Americans disapprove of overturning Roe v. Wade

Opinion is starkly divided along party lines.

Outside the Supreme Court. Photo: Probal Rashid/LightRocket via Getty Images

Abortion

The U.S. health system faces critical questions about cost, access and equity. Technological advances and new discoveries about diseases like cancer and Alzheimer’s are transforming patient care and reshaping public health.

Health

This Week With George Stephanopoulos-9 21 34 Am - 9 24 25 Am-2022-06-26

The Supreme Court "set a torch" to its legitimacy with its decision to overturn Roe v. Wade, warranting an expansion of the number of supreme court justices, Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) told ABC's "This Week" on Sunday.

Why it matters: A majority of Americans disapprove of the court's decision to effectively end all federal protections on abortion.

At least 26 Republican-led states in total are expected to ban abortions or heavily restrict access to them in the wake of the ruling, according to the Guttmacher Institute, an abortion-rights organization.

What they're saying: "This court has lost legitimacy. They have burned whatever legitimacy they still may have had after their gun decision, after their voting decision, after their union decision," Warren said.

"They just took the last of it and set a torch to it with the Roe v. Wade opinion," she added.

"I believe we need to get some confidence back in our court and that means we need more justices on the United States Supreme Court." 

Warren also said that she was "deeply concerned" about Justice Clarence Thomas' suggestion in his concurring opinion to the Roe v. Wade ruling that the Supreme Court should reconsider opinions protecting same-sex relationships, marriage equality and access to contraceptives.

Warren calls for Supreme Court expansion after Roe overturned

"We need to get some confidence back in our court...we need more justices on the United States supreme court."

Russia attacked the Ukrainian capital, Kyiv, early on Sunday, striking at least two residential buildings, AP reports.

Driving the news: It was the first strike on the capital since June 5, and took place as Russian troops consolidated gains in the east.

The attack on Kyiv also came as G7 leaders gathered in Germany for a summit largely focused on the war in Ukraine.

State of play: Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko said four people were hospitalized with injuries, and a 7-year-old girl was pulled alive from the rubble, AP reports.

Culture Minister Oleksandr Tkachenko said in a Telegram post that a kindergarten was hit in the attacks.

AP journalists in Kyiv reported rescue services were battling flames and rescuing civilians.

What they are saying: The United States ambassador to Ukraine, Bridget A. Brink, tweeted on Sunday that she was "appalled" by the attack.

"As the Kremlin continues its indiscriminate attacks on [Ukraine] civilians, [the U.S.] & our partners will pursue every avenue to ensure those responsible for atrocities are held accountable."

The big picture: The strike came on the same day President Biden said the United States and other G7 leaders are set to announce a ban on imports of gold from Russia. They hope that measure will further isolate Russia economically over its invasion of Ukraine.

Go deeper: 100 days that rocked the globe

Russia strikes Kyiv for first time in three weeks

The strikes came as G7 leaders gathered in Germany for a summit largely focused on the war in Ukraine.

Water fills a crater created by Russian missiles at a nursery school in Kyiv on June 26. Photo: Sergei Supinsky/AFP via Getty Images

Russian invasion of Ukraine

Ukraine

Russia

Conflicts, policies and powers are intersecting and shaping the world. Breaking news and analysis of national security, foreign policy and global crises.

World

Media Trends

Axios Media Trends

Google search data shows Americans — particularly those in states most impacted by the Supreme Court's decision to overturn Roe v. Wade —are scrambling to figure out where they can still get abortions and what the law means for future access.

Why it matters: Americans are trying to wrap their heads around what this means for the future of women's health.

On searches related to abortion, the top queries included, "is abortion illegal," "abortion ban states" and "abortion pill."

Those most actively searching were in political battlegrounds like Wisconsin, Michigan and New Hampshire — where there are no existing laws that would immediately ban or codify abortion rights, as well red states Missouri, Kentucky and Utah, where a trigger law has banned the procedure.

Top searches about the Supreme Court centered on which justices voted to overturn Roe v. Wade.

This analysis is based on Google Trends data from Friday and Saturday.

Between the lines: Searches for "abortion clinic near me" over-indexed in the Southeast, where a number of states had trigger laws on the books.

The top five states include Mississippi and Louisiana, where there were trigger laws in place, and Georgia, Alabama and South Carolina where there are not.

Searches for 'abortion pill' were highest in red states — Wyoming and Montana in the Mountain West were the top two, followed by Southeast states Louisiana, Georgia, Missouri and Arkansas.

The other side: Searches for "Planned Parenthood near me" were highest among blue states: Delaware, California, Oregon, Washington and New Jersey were the top-searching states in the aftermath of the ruling.

Overall search interest in abortion peaked at 10:56am ET on Friday, about 45 minutes after the decision was released.

What Americans are searching after Roe v. Wade reversal

The top searches for 'abortion clinic near me' were in the Southeast.

For months leading up to the Supreme Court's ruling, Mike Pence's unequivocal public and private embrace of the impending Roe decision contrasted with Donald Trump's private concerns about the political risks to Republicans if abortion rights were overturned in a midterm election year.

Why this matters: Pence is preparing to challenge Trump for the Republican nomination in 2024. Abortion is one of the key policy issues on which the former vice president has sought to define himself as more unabashedly conservative than the former president.

Driving the news: On Friday, as soon as the Supreme Court announced its decision to overturn Roe v. Wade, Pence's team was ready to be first out of the gate with an instant reaction.

His organization instantly released a video celebrating the decision and Pence's role in making it happen. The video recalled Pence's history fighting against abortion, long before he became vice president. Nowhere in the video is  Trump mentioned by name.

Pence also immediately issued a statement to Breitbart News: "Today, Life Won. By overturning Roe v. Wade, the Supreme Court of the United States has given the American people a new beginning for life, and I commend the justices in the majority for having the courage of their convictions."

He called for a fight to stop abortion "in every state in the land" — an effort to entirely eradicate abortion.

Trump's initial response was strikingly different. Usually eager to claim credit for himself, he told Fox News that "God made the decision," when he was asked whether he felt he played a role in the reversal of Roe v. Wade after having appointed three conservative justices to the Supreme Court.

In the Fox News interview, Trump said the ruling "will work out for everybody."

The former president later issued a written statement in which he took credit for the decision, calling it the "biggest WIN for LIFE in a generation" and "only made possible because I delivered everything as promised..." 

Pence draws contrast with Trump on abortion decision

Donald Trump has privately worried about the political risks to Republicans of overturning abortion rights in a midterm election year.

Axios

Sunday's top stories

McCarthy's coming headaches

Poll: Majority of Americans disapprove of overturning Roe v. Wade

Warren calls for Supreme Court expansion after Roe overturned

Russia strikes Kyiv for first time in three weeks

What Americans are searching after Roe v. Wade reversal

Pence draws contrast with Trump on abortion decision

Biden signs bipartisan gun safety bill into law

After the ruling: Americans ask Google how to move to Canada

U.S. joins only 3 other countries that have rolled back abortion rights since 1994