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National

Axios AM

President Trump seriously considered firing national security adviser Mike Waltz over this week's humiliating Signal chat leak, but cooled down and talked himself out of it — partly to deny his critics the satisfaction, Trump insiders tell Axios.

Why it matters: We're told Waltz's job is safe for now. But he has gotten crosswise with several other top officials. "Mike is gonna make it," a top West Wing insider said. "Now it's up to Mike to make things better."

Behind the scenes: Trump officials say he was madder that Waltz had Jeffrey Goldberg's number in his phone than he was about the exposure of sensitive military strike details. Waltz's sloppy explanation to Fox News' Laura Ingraham made things worse.

Trump was fuming about Tuesday night's interview, where Waltz said "we're going to figure out how this happened" — even though he's the one who mistakenly added Goldberg. (This is the national security version of the "Hot Dog Guy" meme.)

In Trump's impulsive first term, Waltz might've been fired. This time, Trump didn't want the media to take a victory lap. As a senior White House official told Axios on Day 1 of the fiasco: "We all know that you don't give the mob what it wants."

The intrigue: Waltz has had trouble adjusting to the job. The former Green Beret has gone into an advisory role after being a congressman who's used to being a star. And he's surrounded by high-powered officials — Vice President JD Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Trump's top foreign policy envoy, Steve Witkoff.

Vance and Waltz both visited Greenland yesterday. On the plane ride back, Vance counseled Waltz about "working more collaboratively," a top official said.

Rubio is among those who have had frustrations with Waltz.

The big picture: Some America First celebrities, including Tucker Carlson and Steve Bannon, have long been suspicious of Waltz's neocon roots. And Trump's inner circle doesn't like some of his hires.

Steve Bannon texted that Waltz kept his job because "we hate the globalist media even more than we hate neocons."

Behind the scenes: Trump considered firing Waltz

Trump officials say he was madder that Waltz had Jeffrey Goldberg's number in his phone than he was about the exposure of sensitive military strike details.

Mike Waltz in the Cabinet Room on Tuesday. Photo: Evelyn Hockstein/Reuters 

Donald Trump

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 Trump administration cited electronic data, found while examining cellphones, as reason to detain and deport U.S. residents or tourists under its escalating anti-immigration policies.

Why it matters: While electronic checks make up a small percentage of border interactions, people can take measures to generally safeguard their phones and personal information while traveling. 

"When you're traveling, you really do want to be mindful that there are people that want access to your data and they have ways of getting access to that," said Randy Rose, the Center for Internet Security's vice president of security operations and intelligence.

State of play: U.S. Customs and Border Protection has the authority to conduct warrantless device searches at the border, including in international airports, according to the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF). 

"Border agents cannot deny a U.S. citizen admission to the country," an EFF digital privacy guide said. "However, if a foreign visitor declines, an agent may deny them entry.

"If a lawful permanent resident declines, agents may raise complicated questions about their continued status as a resident."

Courts in the U.S. have issued different rulings on device searches at ports of entry, the Verge reported.

Zoom in: Rose said he recommends deleting sensitive information such as licenses, credit card information or photos of children from phones before traveling.

"Just assume that phone is not going to be yours at some point during your trip," he said. "What are you comfortable with somebody else having access to?" 

Zoom out: General security practices include avoiding open wifi networks, which could potentially be unsecured, and plugging phones into power adapters rather than directly into USB ports, Rose said.

Travelers can set up virtual private networks (VPNs) to encrypt personal data and mask a user's location, he said.

"The internet was not built with security in mind," he said. "It was built for open communication, and over time we've tacked security on."

Between the lines: Law enforcement can require people to unlock their cellphones with facial recognition and fingerprint identification, but not with numerical passcodes.

"A police officer cannot make you input your passcode/password to unlock your cellphone because doing so would force you to produce the contents of your mind, according to Berry Law in Nebraska and Iowa, "The Fifth Amendment protects against this type of self-incrimination."

Providing fingerprints is not considered a "testimonial act," per ESS Law Partners in Houston. Sharing a passcode reveals "explicit knowledge" and is therefore testimonial.

By the numbers: U.S. Customs and Border Protection conducted 47,047 searches of electronic devices, which made up fewer than 0.01% of arriving passengers in fiscal year 2024.

Of those, abut 10,500 were U.S. citizens and 36,500 were non-U.S. citizens. Basic media searches were conducted on 42,725 devices and advanced media searches on 4,322 devices. 

Go deeper: Tracking the foreign nationals detained by ICE as tourists or U.S. residents

Tracking the foreign nationals detained by ICE as tourists or U.S. residents

What to know about safeguarding phone data while traveling

The Trump administration has cited information found on people's phones as a reason for detention and deportation.

Illustration of a giant safe stylized as a rolling suitcase. 

Immigration

Transportation

From the Valley to D.C., Big Tech players like Facebook, Google and Amazon are under more scrutiny than ever as new technology develops and privacy and antitrust concerns grow in lockstep with companies’ ambitions.

Technology

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

Economy

The Federal Aviation Administration is investigating after a plane crashed into a home in Brooklyn Park, Minnesota on Saturday — a day after another nearly missed colliding with a military aircraft near Reagan National Airport.

The big picture: The incidents, though unrelated, happened about two months after a midair collision marked as the deadliest air carrier crash in the U.S. since November 2001. It happened January 29 near Reagan National Airport outside D.C.

By the numbers: There have been 153 aviation accidents so far this year, 23 of them fatal, per the National Transportation Safety Board which is also investigating the Saturday crash.

Last year, there were 286 accidents in the first three months of the year, with 50 of them fatal.

In the incident Friday, Delta Air Lines Flight 2983 was cleared for takeoff at Reagan airport around 3:15pm local time "while four U.S. Air Force T-38 Talons were inbound to Arlington National Cemetery for a flyover," the FAA said in a statement.

"The Delta aircraft received an onboard alert that another aircraft was nearby," the agency said. "Air traffic controllers issued corrective instructions to both aircraft."

There were two pilots, three flight attendants and 131 customers on board, and no injuries have been reported.

A Delta spokesperson said in a statement: "Nothing is more important than the safety of our customers and people. That's why the flight crew followed procedures to maneuver the aircraft as instructed."

In the crash Saturday, a" SOCATA TBM7 crashed in a residential area in Brooklyn Park, Minnesota, around 12:20 p.m. local time" after it departed from Des Moines International Airport in Iowa, per the FAA.

A home was engulfed in flames, but local officials told media no one inside the house was injured. 

It's unclear at this time how many people were on board the plane and their condition. 

What they're saying: Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz posted on X that his team is "in touch with local officials on the scene in Brooklyn Park and we are monitoring the situation closely.  Grateful to the first responders answering the call."

Go deeper: Is it safe to fly? NTSB data says yes

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FAA looking into plane crash and near miss

A home was engulfed in flames in the crash Saturday in Brooklyn Park, Minnesota.

A Delta Airlines plane takes off from Reagan National Airport as emergency crews work site of deadly plane crash Jan. 30, 2025.  Photo: Tierney L. Cross/Bloomberg via Getty Images

Latest news on Wall Street, Corporate America and financial regulation.

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Whats Next

Axios What's Next

U.S. auto prices are as good as they're going to get, with consumers rushing to buy new trucks and SUVs before tariffs drive up costs, analysts say.

Why it matters: The reality of President Trump's tariffs on imported vehicles and auto parts is sinking in, with the consensus that vehicle prices will go up and the industry's financial outlook will darken.

The big picture: The impending tariffs are giving people a reason to go out and buy a new car now —ahead of the traditional spring selling season — even if they'd been on the sidelines, fearful of a worsening economy.

"Consumers likely have a narrow window to buy new or used vehicles before prices increase by 10% or more," said Jonathan Smoke, chief economist of Cox Automotive.

Zoom in: There's been a massive range of estimates, from a variety of sources, about how much car prices could actually rise as carmakers look to pass along their extra costs. 

One reasonable estimate comes from the Yale Budget Lab, which forecasts vehicle prices will rise 13.5% on average, or about $6,400 on the average new car. 

Reality check: No one really knows for sure yet.

"We're still trying to figure out what the rules are," a spokesperson for one major automaker said.

Catch up quick: Trump on Wednesday announced 25% tariffs on autos and auto parts that are not produced in the U.S., effective April 2.

That's the same day the administration says it will unveil reciprocal tariffs on a slew of imports.

Trump's order effectively ended more than 30 years of free trade across North America, while imposing hefty tariffs on vehicles from other key trading partners, including Germany, Japan, South Korea and Sweden. 

By the numbers: With three days to go in March, car and truck sales jumped about 19% over February's sales, and 15% from March 2024, according to estimates from S&P Global Mobility. 

That translates to a seasonally adjusted annual sales rate (SAAR) of 16.3 million units in March, well above last March's 15.7 million SAAR. 

Yes, but: That might be the high mark for a while, according to S&P principal analyst Chris Hopson. 

"Downside risks to the auto demand and production environment abound," he said. 

"I expect we'll see relatively strong sales activity for a month or two, but prices will rise, and sales will slow noticeably before the end of Q2," added Cox's senior economist Charlie Chesbrough.

People who can't afford a new car will trade down to the used-car market, which will drive up the prices of pre-owned vehicles, too. 

The bottom line: Cars probably aren't getting any cheaper. 

Why car buyers will be flooding showrooms this weekend

The reality of President Trump's tariff is sinking in, with the consensus that vehicle prices will go up

Illustration of a dollar sign made of tire tracks and street paint on a street

Tariffs

A choropleth map showing the top marginal tax rate by state as of January 2025. California leads at 13.3%, while North Dakota trails at 2.5%. Several states have flat or no income taxes.

Top marginal state income tax rate, 2025

Data: Tax Foundation; Map: Alex Fitzpatrick/Axios

Here's where you'd pay the highest state income taxes

Your annual tax bill depends at least partly on where you live.

Axios

Saturday's top stories

Behind the scenes: Trump considered firing Waltz

What to know about safeguarding phone data while traveling

FAA looking into plane crash and near miss

Why car buyers will be flooding showrooms this weekend

Here's where you'd pay the highest state income taxes

RFK Jr. body shames W.Va. governor

Musk shuffles $80 billion in assets, reshapes gov't — just another week at the office

In photos: "Double sunrise" eclipse brings crescent Sun

Trump turns migrants into memes to promote deportation agenda

Trump's deportation spectacle

Trump commutes sentence for convicted Ozy Media founder

Tracking Trump: The Signal message saga continues