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

colorado-springs

axios-local

axios-pro

axios-live

the-axios-show

National

Salt Lake City

Axios Salt Lake City

The Russian military said it shot down a Ukrainian drone Monday on its way to one of its airbases deep inside Russia, per AP. 

The big picture: It's the second time this month the Engels airbase, located more than 370 miles from Russia's eastern border with Ukraine, has been targeted, according to AP.

Drone attacks previously targeted the Engels and Dyagilevo airbases in western Russia on Dec. 5, killing three servicemen and wounding four, Reuters reported.

The Russian military said debris from Monday's incident killed three air force personnel. 

Between the lines: The airbase is home to nuclear-capable strategic bomber planes that have been used to strike Ukraine, per Reuters.

What they're saying: The Ukrainian military has not confirmed whether it was behind Monday's drone, but Ukrainian air force spokesperson Yurii Ihnat told Ukrainian media that "these are the consequences of Russian aggression," according to AP.

“If the Russians thought that the war wouldn’t affect them deep behind their lines, they were deeply mistaken," he continued.

Russia says it shot down Ukrainian drone near airbase

The airbase is home to strategic bombers planes capable of carrying nuclear bombs.

A Maxar satellite imagery of Engels Air Base in Saratov Oblast, Russia.

A Maxar satellite imagery of Engels Air Base in Saratov Oblast, Russia. Photo: Maxar Technologies/via Getty Images.

Russian invasion of Ukraine

Russia

Ukraine

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

World

Axios AM

Claudia Tristán, a volunteer with the Migrant Solidarity Mutual Aid Network, spent the wee hours of Sunday helping feed 140 migrants who were left by the roadside on Christmas Eve outside Vice President Kamala Harris' official residence, the Naval Observatory.

The big picture: Tristán and other advocates said the three buses came from Texas. An aide to Gov. Greg Abbott (R) hasn't responded to a text from Axios. 

"None of them knew where they were being dropped off," she told Axios, after hours of chatting with them. "They have no idea they're part of this bigger political game."

The bus drops have become common enough in D.C. that a network of volunteers and churches is ready to spring into action.

Tristán told Axios that within half an hour of the arrival of the first bus, the migrants were on their way to a church to be warmed with coffee, tamales, beans and rice, and rotisserie chicken.

Tristán used a Bluetooth speaker to play Christmas carols in Spanish.

She said some arrived in shorts, on D.C.'s coldest Christmas Eve on record.

The group included enough toddlers that a play area was set up for them.

Tristán said the migrants were from many different countries, including Nicaragua, the Dominican Republic and Chile.

The aid network sent the migrants on to destinations where they have contacts, including Philadelphia, Boston and Washington State.

Volunteers spring into action after migrants left outside Harris' home

"They have no idea they're part of this bigger political game."

Migrants

Immigration

Kamala Harris

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

Editor's note: The axis has been corrected to show trends beginning in January 2022, not 2021. Data: Google Trends. Chart: Madison Dong/Axios

Inflation, immigration and the Supreme Court consistently held Americans' interest over the course of a year in which most news cycles — from Will Smith's Oscars slap to monkeypox to the death of Queen Elizabeth — burned hot and fast.

Why it matters: Axios' annual analysis of Google Trends data shows the rise and fall of America's attention in a year of global upheaval.

By the numbers: These are the five news events that generated the biggest spike in Google searches this year.

The FIFA World Cup, which concluded last week with Argentina's victory — led by Lionel Messi. 

Ukraine, which continues to fight against Russia's invasion launched early this year. Americans turned to Google in droves to find information about Ukraine.

The Powerball jackpot, which set a new world record for a lottery prize this year at $2 billion.

Will Smith, who snagged headlines after slapping Chris Rock at the Academy Awards.

A tie: Search interest in Queen Elizabeth spiked around the time of her death; and searches about Russia surged during the first week of its invasion of Ukraine.

What we're watching: Several topics were so momentous, they maintained high levels of attention for multiple weeks — and at times,  multiple cycles.

Russia's invasion of Ukraine gripped the nation and held people's attention for weeks as the war dragged on.

The historic confirmation of Ketanji Brown Jackson, the overturning of Roe v. Wade and an attempted murder of Brett Kavanaugh, kept people Googling about the U.S. Supreme Court.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi made waves during her visit to Taiwan, after the attack on her husband Paul Pelosi and when she announced she would step down from her leadership role in the House.

Continued waves of migration at the southern border ... drastic actions taken by Republican governors such as Florida's Ron DeSantis ... and the anticipation of the end of pandemic-era border policies supported a steady level of Google searches about immigration most of the year.

The year was again marred by devastating mass shootings, which took the lives of 19 children in Uvalde, Texas; 10 supermarket shoppers and employees in Buffalo, New York; and many others. There have been a total of 636 mass shootings this year — nearing last year's record 690, according to the Gun Violence Archive. 

Go deeper: Visit our past projects for 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020 and 2021.

Charted: 2022's year of upheaval

For the seventh year, Axios has used Google Trends data to map the rise and fall of America's attention to the year's top news-driving events and topics.

Media trends

China's military deployed to areas around Taiwan 71 planes and seven ships in 24 hours, according to the Taiwanese Defense Ministry.

Driving the news: The Chinese military's biggest incursion into Taiwan's air defense zone since Speaker Nancy Pelosi's visit to the self-governing island in August occurred as Beijing denounced the U.S. over President Joe Biden signing into law Friday a defense spending bill that included provisions for Taiwan.

Details: The Taiwanese Defense Ministry said in a statement it detected 47 Chinese aircrafts cross the median line of the Taiwan Strait between 6am Sunday and 6am Monday local time.

What they're saying: The Eastern Theatre Command of the Chinese Army said in a statement it conducted "joint combat readiness patrols and joint firepower strike drills" around Taiwan in a "resolute response to the current escalation of collusion and provocation from the United States and Taiwan."

Flashback: Chinese warships and military aircraft carried out a series of live ammunition drills for days near Taiwan last August following Pelosi's visit to the democratically run island that Beijing regards as a breakaway province.

Editor's note: This is a breaking news story. Please check back for updates.

Beijing removes pledge not to send troops to Taiwan in new policy

Chinese invasion of Taiwan may come sooner than expected

Biden: U.S. forces would defend Taiwan if China invaded 

International show of support for Taiwan grows 

Beijing sends dozens of warplanes across Taiwan Strait

Beijing slammed the U.S. for passing a defense spending bill that included provisions for Taiwan.

A Chinese military jet flies over Pingtan island, one of mainland China's closest point from Taiwan, in Fujian province on August 5.

A Chinese military jet flies over Pingtan Island, one of mainland China's closest points from Taiwan, in Fujian province in August. Photo: Hector Retamal/AFP via Getty Images

Taiwan

China

The extreme winter storm and Arctic outbreak hammering swaths of North America have left many parts of the U.S. facing frigid temperatures and travel nightmares.

The big picture: Much of the country woke up on Christmas Day to cold temperatures, power outages, travel delays and dangerous weather conditions that have left several people dead. It was weakening overnight, but still remained a threat to some areas, notably Buffalo, New York.

A screenshot of an NWS tweet stating "Travel conditions remain challenging in the Great Lakes & Northwest. Additional heavy lake effect snow impacts already hard-hit locations."

At least 34 people have died in the massive storm and officials warned that toll was expected to rise, AP reports.

State of play: "Weather conditions that caused the significant lake effect snow even downwind of the Great Lakes is weakening," the National Weather Service said in an update early Monday.

"In the West, an atmospheric river event will bring heavy rain that could cause flash flooding, heavy high elevation snow, high winds, and areas of significant icing in parts of eastern Washington," the NWS added. 

"Light accumulations of a wintry mix will be possible in the Mid-South to the Ohio Valley."

Of note: The city of Buffalo, New York, was in the midst of its worst blizzard on record, which has brought record-breaking snowfall and zero visibility. 

Zoom in: Nearly 260,000 customers across the U.S. woke up without power on Christmas Day, according to PowerOutage.us. 

By early Monday, that number had dropped to just over 70,000, with nearly 33,000 of those in Maine.

New York had the second-highest number with almost 14,000 customers experiencing outages. 

Flight delays and cancellations amid holiday travel

Travel problems were happening across the U.S. as many Americans tried to reach friends and family for Christmas. There were thousands of flight delays and cancellations on Saturday and Sunday, with more expected throughout the busy holiday weekend.

"The life-threatening cold temperatures and in combination with dangerous wind chills will create a potentially life-threatening hazard for travelers that become stranded, individuals that work outside, livestock and domestic pets," the NWS said Sunday. 

"In some areas, being outdoors could lead to frostbite in minutes. Ensure outdoor animals and livestock have sufficient shelter," the NWS added. 

Areas ranging from the Plains to the Gulf Coast and Midwest saw historic temperature drops. By Friday morning, more than 350 million Americans were under some type of winter weather warning, Axios' Andrew Freedman writes.

Most areas should begin to thaw Monday as the winter weather rushes through the Northeast. 

"By Christmas night into Monday, the next low-pressure system coming from the Pacific will deliver the next surge of moisture toward the Pacific Northwest and then into northern California," the NWS said.

These airlines have travel waivers ahead of major winter storm

Arctic blast and intense winter holiday storm to slam U.S.

Arctic blast to bring bitterly cold temperatures to Colorado

Editor's note: This story has been updated with additional details about weather conditions.

Massive winter storm freezes U.S. and strands travelers

Much of the country woke up on Christmas to cold temperatures, power outages, travel delays and dangerous conditions.

A family walks and runs during a winter snow storm affecting most of the USA, in Flint, MI on December 23, 2022. 

A family walks during a winter storm in Flint, Mich. on Dec. 23. Photo: Katie McTiernan/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images

extreme weather

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

More migrants from the southern border arrived on buses outside of Vice President Kamala Harris' home in Washington, D.C. on Christmas Eve during freezing temperatures, various media outlets report. 

The big picture: Washington, D.C. declared a public emergency in September in response to Texas, Arizona and other states sending thousands of migrants on buses and airplanes from the southern border to the national capital.

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R) — who has spent millions in state funds to transport thousands of migrants to D.C. and other sanctuary cities since the spring — dropped off roughly 100 migrants outside of Harris' residence in D.C. in September. 

In October, D.C. Attorney General Karl Racine opened an investigation into governors who have been relocating migrants to D.C.

Details: While it is unclear who sent the buses on Saturday night, organizers at the Migrant Solidarity Mutual Aid Network said Abbott is behind it, WJLA-TV reports. 

Many migrants were wearing only T-shirts in the freezing weather and were later given blankets before being moved to shelters and churches, CNN reports.

The migrants are at risk of being expelled under the Title 42 public health authority or could be placed into removal proceedings, the Department of Homeland Security said in a statement Saturday.

What they're saying: "As temperatures remain dangerously low all along the border, no one should put their lives in the hands of smugglers, or risk life and limb attempting to cross only to be returned," the DHS said Saturday.

El Paso scrambles to help migrants in Christmas border crisis

Migrants dropped off at Vice President Harris' home on Christmas Eve

Washington D.C. declared a public emergency in September in response to Texas, Arizona and other states sending thousands of migrants to the nation's capital.

Axios

Monday's top stories

Russia says it shot down Ukrainian drone near airbase

Volunteers spring into action after migrants left outside Harris' home

Charted: 2022's year of upheaval

Beijing sends dozens of warplanes across Taiwan Strait

Massive winter storm freezes U.S. and strands travelers

Migrants dropped off at Vice President Harris' home on Christmas Eve

Pope's Christmas message: World suffering from "famine of peace"

NGOs suspend Afghanistan operations after Taliban ban women

The NFL is taking over Christmas