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National

Axios AM

Former President Trump, in remarks prepared for delivery in Florida on Saturday evening, plans to tout his "Schedule F" executive order — and call on Congress to give the president more power to fire federal employees, according to excerpts obtained by Axios. 

The former president's new blitz against federal employees follows a two-part Axios investigative series by Jonathan Swan, "Inside Trump '25," revealing his allies' plans to make the issue a centerpiece if he wins a second term. 

Why it matters: By directly raising Schedule F, Trump is amplifying plans from well-funded outside allies to purge career civil service if he gets back into power.

"To drain the swamp, we need to fire the swamp," Trump plans to tell a Turning Point event in Tampa, according to the excerpts. 

In the speech, Trump will say he wants new presidential powers to "ensure that any bureaucrat who is corrupt, incompetent or unnecessary can be told: 'You're fired!'"

Between the lines: Schedule F, which was repealed by President Biden on his second day in office, was virtually unknown to the general public. Now, Trump is trying to turn it into a key applause line as speculation rises that he'll announce a 2024 run. 

Context: Trump's top allies, the Axios series reports, are preparing to radically reshape the federal government if he is re-elected. They plan to purge potentially thousands of civil servants, and fill career posts with loyalists to him and his "America First" ideology, people involved in the discussions tell Swan.

Another expert from the speech reads: "With Schedule F, I took executive action to make it possible to fire federal employees who are bypassing our democracy to advance 'wokeism' and corruption."

"We now need Congress to institute historic reforms to permanently empower the president to root out the 'deep state.'"

Read Jonathan Swan's series about the intricate planning for a second Trump term, including more intense use of Schedule F powers: Part 1 ... Part 2 ... Schedule F explainer.

Trump to tout Schedule F at Turning Point rally

"To drain the swamp, we need to fire the swamp," Trump plans to tell a Turning Point event in Tampa, according to the excerpts.

Former President Trump takes the stage at a rally in Prescott Valley, Ariz., on July 22. Photo: Rebecca Noble/Reuters

Donald Trump

Elections 2024

2024 will be an election year like no other, as President Biden seeks re-election amid economic uncertainty, two wars and questions about his age. His likely foe, former President Trump, faces felony charges and vows revenge on his political enemies. Meanwhile, Americans generally are dissatisfied with those choices and are divided over immigration, race, education and more.

Politics & Policy

The House select committee investigating the Jan. 6 Capitol riot has held a series of hearings with revealing testimony and new evidence, but one group of Americans is unmoved by its findings: Republicans. 

Driving the news: While four out of five Democrats and a majority of independents report following the hearings, fewer Republicans — 44% — say they are paying attention to the investigation, according to a new NPR/PBS NewsHour Marist poll released this week. 

By the numbers: After a series of high-profile hearings over the last couple of months, the survey found that there has been little change in how Republicans view the Capitol riot and former President Trump's role in it.

Two out of five Republicans say what happened on Jan. 6, 2021, was a protest protected by the First Amendment, per the poll. 

Since December, the percentage of Republicans who call Jan. 6 an insurrection and a threat to democracy increased from 10% to 12% — a shift smaller than the margin of error of the survey. 

Fewer than one in five Republicans say Trump deserves a great or good deal of blame for what happened that day, compared with nine out of 10 Democrats and 57% of independents, according to the poll.  

What they're saying: It may be too soon to say how the hearings affect public opinion of Trump, or his chances if he ultimately runs for president again in 2024, said Robert Collins, a professor of urban studies and public policy at Dillard University, VOA reports. 

“I see a lot of people looking at polls, not seeing much change, and assuming these hearings are having no effect on Trump’s popularity,” Collins told VOA. “But that’s not how human psychology works. Our minds change slowly and only when we’re exposed to frequent and repeated evidence of something.” 

Methodology: The poll of 1,160 adults was conducted July 11- 17. It has a margin of error of plus or minus 4.1%. 

Jan. 6 committee has done little to sway Republicans: Poll

Fewer than one in five Republicans say Trump deserves a great or good deal of blame for what happened that day.

The Select Committee to Investigate the January 6th Attack on the U.S Capitol in Washington, D.C., meets on July 21. Photo: Al Drago/Bloomberg via Getty Images 

Jan. 6 select committee

Good afternoon, and welcome to our Modern Money & Markets Deep Dive series. This edition is a guide to digital currency, led by Axios Crypto authors Brady Dale and Crystal Kim.

Axios AM Deep Dive: Crypto's many lives

Digital dollar, digital Yuan or bitcoin: A guide to understanding the digital currency revolution from Axios.

Illustration of cubes that become pixelated, digital coins, assorted shapes, and digital infrastructure.

Modern Money and Markets

Top stories & latest news on the Federal Reserve, real-time data, plus the biggest shifts happening in the U.S. and global economy.

Economy

After a record economic expansion, the coronavirus pandemic sent the U.S. economy into a recession as unemployment soared to staggering heights. The country now faces urgent questions about how much stimulus is needed for reeling consumers and businesses, and what a recovery might look like.

Economy & Business

President Biden's coronavirus likely stemmed from the Omicron subvariant BA.5, currently the most dominant strain of the virus in the U.S., according to a letter from the White House physician on Saturday. 

The big picture: BA.5 is responsible for 75%-80% of infections in the U.S., his physician Kevin O'Connor said in a letter on Saturday. 

BA.5 is so transmissible — and different enough from previous versions — that even those with immunity from prior Omicron infections may not have to wait long before falling ill again, Axios' Tina Reed writes. 

A new study found that BA.5 is four times as resistant to vaccines as previous strains. The president is fully vaccinated and received a second booster shot in March.

Details: Biden, who tested positive for COVID on Thursday, had his virus sample sent for sequencing to determine what variant he has, Ashish Jha, the White House's COVID-19 response coordinator, said at a briefing that same day.

It's not clear where exactly Biden was infected, Jha added. 

Biden's symptoms continued to improve after his first full day of Paxlovid. 

What they're saying: "This data does not affect the treatment plan in any way," O'Connor said.

Biden completed his second day of Paxlovid treatment and his symptoms are improving, O'Connor added. 

"The President is responding to therapy as expected. The BA5 variant is particularly transmissible and he will continue to isolate in accordance with Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommendations."

BA.5 is the "most immune evasive" variant yet

White House begins booster push chasing BA.5 subvariant

Joe Biden likely infected by highly contagious BA.5 subvariant

The Omicron subvariant is responsible for 75-80% of infections in the U.S.

Photo: Brendan Smialowski/AFP via Getty Images

Joe Biden

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

A wildfire that ignited Friday rapidly grew to 6,555 acres through Saturday morning in the Midpines area of Mariposa County, California, on the outskirts of Yosemite National Park. 

Why it matters: The wildfire is burning amid hot and dry conditions during a long-running, extreme drought in the area, and it has already destroyed 10 structures, damaged five more and threatens 2,000 more, per Cal Fire.

The big picture: The fire underwent "explosive growth" on Saturday and Saturday night, according to Cal Fire, with a plume of smoke towering to at least 25,000 feet in the air. 

“Fire activity is extreme with frequent runs, spot fires and group torching,” Cal Fire stated on its website. “Emergency personnel are working to safely evacuate people and are actively engaged in protecting structures. Explosive fire behavior is challenging firefighters.”

The drought gripping the state and much of the West, along with high tree mortality in the area and a lack of recent major fires there is providing abundant fuel for the flames. 

Threat level: The blaze is not only threatening homes and businesses but is also filling the Yosemite area with hazardous smoke, reducing visibility within the national park. 

It comes just as firefighters have made significant progress on a separate blaze, known as the Washburn Fire, that threatened a historic grove of sequoia trees. 

What's next: The blaze is one of the first significant destructive wildfires of the season in California. Unusually high temperatures and few prospects for rainfall are forecast through mid-August, indicating wildfires may ramp up. 

Context: Climate change from the burning of fossil fuels and other factors is increasing the odds and severity of droughts and heat waves, including the ongoing event in the West. Extreme fire weather conditions are also becoming more common. 

California has seen its largest and most destructive blazes in history during the past decade, as global warming combines with land management practices to tip the scales in favor of megafires. 

Wildfire sees "explosive" growth near Yosemite, prompts evacuations

The blaze grew by more than 6,000 acres in one day.

Satellite image of the Oak Fire and its smoke filling the area in and near Yosemite National Park. 

Satellite image of smoke from the Oak Fire near California's Yosemite National Park, marked in red, on July 23. Photo: CIRA/RAMMB 

California wildfires

Climate change

Breaking climate science and policy coverage as extreme weather events reshape communities. Keep tabs on the race to a low carbon economy, which may be bumpy as governments, climate tech startups and major oil and gas companies race to find their niche amid the changing energy landscape.

Energy & Climate

The World Health Organization declared on Saturday that monkeypox, which has spread to more than 70 countries, is a global emergency.

Why it matters: The declaration by the U.N. health agency could lead to investment in treating the disease, but it could also lead to a shortage for already-scarce vaccines, AP writes.  

The big picture: The WHO's "global emergency" designation puts monkeypox in the same category as the COVID-19 pandemic, AP previously reported.

By the numbers: There are now more than 16,000 cases of monkeypox outside Africa, roughly five times the number when the advisers met in June and declined to formally declare it a public health emergency, the New York Times reports. 

The rise in cases led the organization to reconvene an emergency committee. 

What they're saying: There was a lack of consensus among experts on the WHO's emergency committee, leading director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus to make the decision to declare a public health emergency.

"We have an outbreak that has spread around the world rapidly through new modes of transmission, about which we understand too little," Tedros said.

“Although I am declaring a public health emergency of international concern for the moment, this is an outbreak that is concentrated among men who have sex with men, especially those with multiple sexual partners,” he added. 

“That means that this is an outbreak that can be stopped with the right strategies in the right groups.”

State of play: In the U.S., there are nearly 3,000 cases of monkeypox, including two children.

The escalating outbreak has also prompted the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to order an additional 2.5 million doses of monkeypox vaccines.

Go Deeper: What we know about the monkeypox outbreak

Monkeypox declared a global emergency by WHO

Monkeypox has spread to more than 70 countries thus far.

Photo by Fabrice Coffrini/AFP via Getty Images

Monkeypox

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

World

Former White House adviser Steve Bannon lashed out on Friday at the House panel investigating the Jan. 6 Capitol riot, hours after a jury found him guilty of contempt of Congress for refusing to comply with the committee's investigation.

Driving the news: “I support Trump and the Constitution and if they want to put me in jail for that, so be it,” Bannon told Fox News host Tucker Carlson during Friday's episode of "Tucker Carlson Tonight." 

What he’s saying: In his remarks, Bannon implied there would be retribution for those involved with the bipartisan commission.  

“I will tell the Jan. 6 staff right now, preserve your documents, because there’s going to be a real committee and this has to be backed by Republican grass-roots voters,” Bannon said. 

Catch up fast: Bannon was found guilty Friday of two counts of contempt of Congress after he failed to comply with a subpoena from the congressional select committee investigating the Jan. 6 Capitol riot. 

Bannon was not working for the administration on the day of the riot, but the committee wanted his testimony because he was in communication with other key officials in the lead-up to Jan. 6, and it believed his podcasts contributed to what occurred that day, the Washington Post reports.  

Bannon's lawyers argued the Department of Justice’s case against him was politically motivated.

What's next: Bannon’s sentencing is scheduled for Oct. 21. 

Each misdemeanor count could result in a minimum of 30 days and a maximum of one year in jail, as well as fines up to $100,000 per count. Bannon's attorneys said they would appeal the decision, the Post reports.

Go deeper:  Inside Trump '25: How former president could gut federal bureaucracy in second term

After conviction, Bannon says he's willing to go to jail over support for Trump

“I support Trump and the Constitution and if they want to put me in jail for that, so be it,” he said.

Former White House senior strategist Stephen Bannon leaves the courthouse after being found guilty of being in contempt of Congress on July 22 in Washington, D.C. Photo: Tasos Katopodis/Getty Images

President Donald Trump was attending the National Prayer Breakfast, but showing no sign of grace. Lips pursed, face alternating between anger and frustration, he lashed out at enemies who had brought him to the doors of impeachment. He brandished the day's newspapers, waving them above his head. The first headline: "ACQUITTED." The next: “Trump Acquitted." It was Feb. 6, 2020.

Close aides believed Trump had crossed a psychological line during his Senate trial. He now wanted to get even; he wanted to fire every single last "snake" inside his government. To activate the plan for revenge, Trump turned to a young take-no-prisoners loyalist with chutzpah: his former aide John McEntee.

By the end of that year, Trump also had a second tool in his armory, a secret weapon with the innocuous title, "Schedule F." The intention of this obscure legal instrument was to empower the president to wipe out employment protections for tens of thousands of civil servants across the federal government.

Trump's revenge

Trump planned to weed out anyone disloyal to him, including via the newly crafted "Schedule F."

Axios

Saturday's top stories