Americans feeling pinched financially are splurging on small treats while economic anxiety and inflation jitters put off larger purchases. Why it matters: From movie tickets to collectible watches, those affordable indulgences are helping sustain consumer spending.The economy remains in what some ec…
America's fastest-growing religious group is also one of the hardest — and costliest — to reach: the "nones."Why it matters: Religiously unaffiliated Americans now make up a large and growing share of the electorate. But without church-based networks, they're significantly more expensive for campaig…
Pope Leo XIV is warning that the artificial intelligence race could become a new Tower of Babel — a dazzling human achievement that concentrates power, weakens truth and turns people into data points.Why it matters: The long-awaited document, Magnifica Humanitas ("Magnificent Humanity"), signals tha…
President Trump told leaders of several Arab and other Muslim countries during a Saturday conference call that if a deal to end the Iran war is achieved, then he wants their nations to sign peace agreements with Israel, per two U.S. officials with direct knowledge of the call. Why it matters: Trump'…
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez says she hasn't decided whether to run for president, but the New York congresswoman is making new moves toward a possible White House bid.Ocasio-Cortez launched a national tour in recent weeks — without calling it one.Why it matters: Whether AOC jumps into the race is one o…
Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren, one of most influential leaders in the progressive movement, is being publicly and privately courted by Democrats eyeing presidential bids in 2028 — a sign they're trying to build up their lefty credentials.Why it matters: Progressives are on the rise in the part…
Crude oil prices dropped about $5 per barrel Sunday evening in the first major trading since the emergence of rough and tentative outlines of a deal to end the U.S.-Iran conflict.Why it matters: The throttling of the Strait of Hormuz is raising energy costs and weighing down economies worldwide — in…
Several top Democratic candidates in the midterms are airing scathing ads linking their Republican foes to the Jeffrey Epstein scandal — betting that the Trump administration's reluctance to release the Epstein files still resonates with voters.Why it matters: Democrats are mostly focusing on high p…
The White House doesn't expect an agreement to end the war with Iran Sunday and thinks it could take several days for the deal's approval by Iran's leadership, including Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei, a senior U.S. official said in a briefing with reporters. Why it matters: While U.S. officials ar…
President Trump said Saturday that a deal to end the war with Iran would be announced "shortly" and that the "final aspects" are currently being negotiated.The big picture: Trump's comments came after separate calls with Arab and Muslim leaders and with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Thi…
Gunshots rang out near the White House Saturday night, per multiple reporters who were on the grounds at the time. The big picture: The incident, which happened while President Trump was at the White House, comes four weeks after a gunman allegedly attempted to assassinate him at the White House Cor…
The agreement the U.S. and Iran are close to signing involves a 60-day ceasefire extension during which the Strait of Hormuz would be reopened, Iran would be able to freely sell oil, and negotiations would be held on curbing Iran's nuclear program, according to a U.S. official. Why it matters: The d…
President Trump promised an economic golden age when he returned to office last year.Instead, voters are in their crankiest mood in years about their financial outlook — and the pessimism is spreading even to Republicans.Why it matters: The growing GOP gloom could hardly come at a worse time for Tru…
Google's overhaul of the search bar this week washes away one of the last vestiges of the internet's halcyon era — when search tools felt empowering, social media and swiping were novel, and popular disillusionment had yet to set in.Why it matters: The AI era and the TikTok-ification of social media…
President Trump told Axios on Saturday that he would be meeting with his negotiators later in the day to discuss Iran's latest offer, and would likely decide by Sunday whether to resume the war.The big picture: Trump said it was a "solid 50/50" as to whether he would be able to make a "good" deal or…
America's classic neighborhood watch programs are fading as AI-powered apps turn neighborhoods into digital watch zones.Why it matters: The automation of neighborhood safety with tools like Amazon's Ring and the Nextdoor app is quietly dismantling one of the country's most basic forms of civic life:…
House members in both parties are embracing the discharge petition like never before to sidestep Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) and pass bills he refuses to put on the floor.Why it matters: Republican leaders have long discouraged their members from signing onto Democratic-led petitions, but those ple…
President Trump convened a meeting with his senior national security team on the war with Iran on Friday morning, two U.S. officials told Axios. Why it matters: Trump is seriously considering launching new strikes against Iran barring a last-minute breakthrough in negotiations, sources who have spok…
The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee is going up on the air with ads attacking Democratic congressional candidate Maureen Galindo in Texas, Axios has learned.Why it matters: Galindo has been widely disavowed by Democrats over antisemitic remarks. She most recently said she wants to conver…
Here is the draft executive order on cybersecurity and AI as it stood before President Trump pulled the plug on it Thursday.State of play: The industry and administration are scrambling to figure out what's next as key questions remain unanswered on the future of government access to top AI models a…
The Warsh era begins with soaring inflation, a Middle East energy shock bleeding into other parts of the economy and colleagues skeptical that rate cuts should come anytime soon.Add on top: Kevin Warsh faces more political pressure to deliver lower rates than any other Federal Reserve chair in recen…
Pakistan's top military commander, Field Marshal Asim Munir, landed in Tehran on Friday as part of an effort to reach a deal under which the U.S. and Iran would agree to end the war and launch negotiations for a broader agreement, a Pakistani security source told Axios.Why it matters: Munir has been…
Tulsi Gabbard, President Trump's director of national intelligence, announced Friday she is leaving the administration due to her husband's illness.Driving the news: Gabbard released a resignation letter to President Trump in which she said the reason for her departure was that her husband had been …
Democratic National Committee chair Ken Martin is facing a surge of anger and even some calls to resign from congressional Democrats following the release of the DNC's 2024 election autopsy on Thursday.Why it matters: The chaotic handling of the report builds on concerns among Democrats about Martin…
President Trump's week started in triumph when he took out a pair of Republican adversaries up for re-election — but it's ending in a rare moment of Republican resistance, largely of his own making.Why it matters: Trump has spent the better part of a decade steamrolling congressional Republicans, bu…
Fusion energy — tapping the power of the stars — is on the cusp of getting new federal rules.Why it matters: Regulators increasingly view fusion as fundamentally safer than nuclear fission, helping to pave the way for a substantially simpler permitting process than the one faced by conventional nucl…
The Trump administration is temporarily moving immigration lawyers to the Justice Department to speed up efforts to strip citizenship from naturalized Americans, Axios has learned.Why it matters: Denaturalization cases have a very high burden of proof, but they're a priority for Trump officials who …
Never in 250 years has America witnessed a sitting president shield himself and his family from tax scrutiny, after leveraging policies that benefit his own businesses and personal portfolios, as Donald J. Trump has done.Why it matters: This isn't a hidden scandal. Trump has done this publicly and p…
AI backlash is mounting. Executives are getting booed. Workers are threatening strikes, and protests are frustrating data center development — but that doesn't seem to worry investors who are raining money on companies in the business.Why it matters: AI hate could slow adoption of the technology, po…
$72 billion in funding for ICE and Border Patrol is now in limbo after GOP senators revolted against President Trump's $1.776B "anti-weaponization fund" on Thursday.Why it matters: The fund was dropped like "a bomb in the middle of a pretty well planned out reconciliation bill," Sen. Lisa Murkowski …
The White House plans to start counting people who were quickly removed after crossing the border in its deportation statistics, a change that will put it closer to its goal of one million deportations a year. Why it matters: Republicans fumed that former President Obama was "cooking the books" when…
The U.S. will send an additional 5,000 troops ​to Poland, President Trump said Thursday.Why it matters: Trump's surprise announcement came a week after the Pentagon abruptly canceled a planned deployment of 4,000 troops to Poland. The Trump administration had previously said 5,000 troops would be wi…
Spotify believes it will become much more profitable over the next four years by leveraging AI to build a "large taste model" that supports interactive sharing over passive listening. Why it matters: The streamer spent the past four years proving it could turn its popularity into a meaningful busine…
House GOP leadership pulled a scheduled vote Thursday to rein in President Trump's military campaign in Iran after it became clear they did not have the votes to defeat it. Why it matters: It would have been Congress' first successful rebuke of Trump's Iran war effort after multiple Democratic-led w…
Everything seemed set for a photo op with tech and AI CEOs surrounding President Trump on Thursday as he signed a much-anticipated executive order on AI and cybersecurity.But it fell apart hours before the order was to be signed, as a top Trump adviser and some tech executives gave it a big thumbs d…
The Democratic National Committee released what it said was its full, unredacted autopsy of the 2024 presidential election on Thursday after months of mounting pressure on party chair Ken Martin, who was keeping the report secret.Why it matters: Martin's handling of the autopsy has led to a crisis o…
The White House has postponed its planned ceremony for President Trump to sign a new executive order on AI and cybersecurity, per a note seen by Axios.Why it matters: President Trump suggested it's because he didn't like the order he was supposed to sign — another setback for an effort that has been…
SpaceX on Wednesday disclosed its filing for an initial public offering, ahead of an expected stock market debut next month.Why it matters: This is expected to be the largest IPO ever, and could make Elon Musk the world's first trillionaire.Catch up quick: Musk launched SpaceX in 2002 with the goal …
Anthropic is paying SpaceX $1.25 billion per month through May 2029 as part of the massive compute deal the companies signed earlier this month.Why it matters: It's a massive bill but comes as Anthropic's revenue is taking off and the company is hampered by a lack of compute power. It also is a sign…
House Democrats are one step closer to finally getting a successful Iran war powers vote as their last holdout plans to flip and at least one Republican says they may follow suit.Why it matters: While the vote would be largely symbolic — President Trump could veto the measure — Democrats believe it …
Sen. John Fetterman's chief of staff resigned Wednesday, a source familiar with the move told Axios.Why it matters: The Pennsylvania Democrat has had a serious staff retention problem as he's faced scrutiny over his health struggles and changing political brand.Driving the news: Cabelle St. John has…
Congressional Republicans are countering President Trump's meddling in their primaries with a revenge tour of their own.Why it matters: Politically, Trump had a successful week, picking winners and settling scores. Legislatively, it's turning into a disaster.💣 He's on the edge of an Iran war rebuke:…
Palantir is battling the Pentagon's Defense Intelligence Agency for the ability to bid for a contract to modernize its data analytics system, according to a filing obtained by Axios.Why it matters: Palantir's already massive foothold at the Pentagon could eventually expand to an agency tasked with p…
Google is trying to pull off one of the trickiest balancing acts in tech: aggressively disrupting its own products with AI while protecting the businesses that generate tens of billions in profit.Why it matters: Unlike OpenAI and Anthropic, Google enters the AI race with enormous scale, distribution…
Elon Musk's SpaceX isn't the financial juggernaut that many were expecting, according to the IPO prospectus it filed yesterday.The big picture: It's expected to be the largest IPO ever, and could make Elon Musk the world's first trillionaire.But the prospectus shows just how much the IPO depends on …
Over the course of two hours Wednesday afternoon, the AI industry produced an extraordinary stream of headlines mapping out the vast architecture of its ambitions.Why it matters: One historic news cycle peeled back virtually every layer of the AI revolution — smarter systems, exploding revenues, roa…
The U.S. response to the Ebola outbreak is drawing new warnings from public health experts about the impact of the Trump administration's global health policies, including the dismantlement of USAID and its withdrawal from the World Health Organization.Why it matters: While officials are rushing to …
Fresh off his takedowns of GOP dissenters in this month's primaries, President Trump is already making a list of Republicans who could be on his 2028 chopping block.Why it matters: Trump's string of primary wins over GOP adversaries has reaffirmed his dominance over the party — and now he's looking …
A "majority" of Federal Reserve officials believed the central bank could raise interest rates if inflation stays high, according to the minutes from the central bank's April 28-29 policy meeting. Why it matters: It suggests that a larger constituency than previously known is backing the possibility…
The top Democrat on the House Judiciary Committee is introducing legislation that would block a $1.8 billion fund to pay people who say they were the targets of politically-motivated prosecutions.Why it matters: Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-Md.) could garner GOP support for the effort, with Rep. Brian Fitzp…
A top tech banker tells Axios that tech buyouts are "frozen," and the data largely backs him up.By the numbers: There's been a total of just $9.3 billion of global tech buyout value in April and May 2026 combined, according to PitchBook.That compares to $52.6 billion in March alone, and a monthly av…
Two law enforcement officers who battled Jan. 6 rioters at the Capitol in 2021 filed a suit Wednesday to dissolve President Trump's $1.8 billion fund for victims of alleged weaponized political prosecutions.Why it matters: Critics have called the taxpayer-funded fund "illegal," but experts say it's …
Data: Federal Reserve; Chart: Neil Irwin/AxiosIncoming Federal Reserve chief Kevin Warsh's ambition to shrink the central bank's multitrillion-dollar bond portfolio may quickly run into hard limits.Why it matters: For nearly two decades, the Fed's ability to flood markets with liquidity has been amo…
President Trump has spent much of his term bashing outgoing Federal Reserve chair Jerome Powell for not cutting interest rates enough. On Tuesday, he seemed surprisingly blasé about the possibility that incoming chair Kevin Warsh might end up raising them.Driving the news: A reporter on Tuesday note…
House Democrats are in a mad dash to isolate Texas Democratic congressional candidate Maureen Galindo, who has said she wants to turn an ICE facility into a "prison for American Zionists."Why it matters: A mysterious PAC is spending hundreds of thousands to boost Galindo, which Democrats allege is a…
Former Rep. Barney Frank (D-Mass.), a driving force behind far-reaching Wall Street reforms following the 2008 financial crisis, died Tuesday night, according to Frank's former campaign manager. He was 86.The big picture: With a sharp wit and pugnacious outspokenness, Frank became a liberal icon in …
Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. fired the co-chairs of the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force last week.Why it matters: The move could open the task force up to more political influence. It comes as the administration prepares to vet new applicants to the committee, a process in which the ch…
President Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu discussed a new effort to reach a deal with Iran in a difficult call on Tuesday, three sources said, with one source saying Netanyahu's "hair was on fire" after the call.Why it matters: A revised peace memo was drafted by Qatar and Pakist…
President Trump sued his own administration, settled and will now spend $1.776 billion of taxpayer money to pay people who say the government targeted them politically.Why it matters: The "Anti-Weaponization Fund" turns a personal Trump settlement into a new government program, shields decisions on …
Small business profits are sinking as owners get squeezed by rising labor costs and energy prices spiking from the Iran war.Why it matters: Businesses with fewer than 250 workers created half of all new jobs over the last half-decade.The big picture: Entrepreneurs are dealing with "persistent concer…
Secretary of State Marco Rubio marked Cuban Independence Day on Wednesday with a Spanish-language video message to the people of the island that blamed their "unimaginable hardships" on their communist leadership.Why it matters: This is the first time Rubio has addressed the Cuban population directl…
TAIPEI — There's a postmortem playing out here after Chinese President Xi Jinping warned President Trump to be careful on Taiwan, and Trump responded with ambivalence about U.S. arms sales and the island's chances in any conflict.Why it matters: Some Trump advisers left the summit thinking a Chinese…
Google is reinventing the product that made it one of the richest companies in history: search.Why it matters: Search is the cash cow that funds Google's sprawling empire. But it faces an existential threat from AI chatbots, so the company is moving proactively to upend its own core business before …
Latino voters have soured on President Trump after powering his 2024 comeback.Why it matters: Republicans hoped Trump's gains represented a realignment, but poll after poll suggests Latino voters are up for grabs in the midterms.Zoom in: Latino registered voters in 17 House swing districts remain hi…
All 50 states have average gas prices above $4 a gallon, AAA said Wednesday, with seven now topping $5 a gallon. Why it matters: As the war with Iran approaches the three-month mark, soaring fuel prices are costing Americans millions of dollars a day, crushing small business profits, and driving a s…
As artificial intelligence forces students to rethink their majors and reshapes the job market, it's clear that graduates don't want to hear about the technology on their big day. The big picture: Several commencement ceremonies have been interrupted by boos and jeers when speakers have brought up A…
Data: Corporate Energy Buyers Association; Chart: Amy Harder/AxiosCorporations are poised to buy more clean energy this year than ever before, driven by the AI boom and a rush to secure expiring tax credits, according to a new report shared exclusively with Axios.Why it matters: The surge underscore…
A settlement between President Trump and the IRS that created a $1.8 billion "anti-weaponization" fund was expanded Tuesday to bar additional tax investigations into him, his family and his businesses.Why it matters: The expanded waiver intensifies scrutiny of a controversial settlement involving ag…
President Trump will attend the G7 leaders' meeting in France in June to talk artificial intelligence, trade and crime-fighting, a White House official told Axios.Why it matters: It's customary for U.S. leaders to attend the annual summits, but Trump's attendance was not a sure thing due to his incr…
Rep. Thomas Massie lost his primary Tuesday against Ed Gallrein, a huge win for President Trump's unprecedented campaign to oust the Kentucky Republican.Why it matters: Massie's loss sends another warning to Republicans about the dangers of crossing Trump, and shows that the president's broader poli…
Senate Majority Leader John Thune — and most of the GOP conference — was reeling Tuesday from President Trump's snap endorsement of Ken Paxton in the Texas GOP Senate runoff. Why it matters: Thune (R-S.D.) called it Trump's "decision." But it's Thune's problem to pass Trump's agenda, with a trio of …
The White House plans to release its much-discussed executive order on cybersecurity and AI safety as soon as this week, sources familiar with the matter told Axios.Why it matters: In its current form, the order seeks to bolster cybersecurity around advanced AI models and outlines plans for a volunt…
House Democrats plan to push legislation regulating the use of AI in political ads if they retake power next year, Axios has learned.Why it matters: The use of AI in election ads has exploded in the 2026 midterms, with some campaigns using the new technology to push the limits of negative campaignin…
Data: U.S. Census Bureau, Vintage 2025 Population Estimates; Chart: Russell Contreras/AxiosThe demographic landscape of the U.S. is undergoing a dramatic outward shift as growth shifts from cities to exurban communities, according to new U.S. Census estimates.Why it matters: The places that will def…
Data: Axios/Harris Poll; Chart: Danielle Alberti/AxiosDemocrats have become more skeptical of AI technology and the industry behind it, while Republicans are significantly more likely to trust most AI companies, according to this year's Axios Harris Poll 100 rankings.Why it matters: This represents …
Democrats erupted Monday over President Trump's $1.8 billion "anti-weaponization" fund for MAGA allies who claim political persecution, vowing to investigate what they called textbook corruption.Why it matters: With each passing month, Trump is weaving the financial interests of his family, his alli…
Today's Kentucky primary is President Trump's biggest test yet of whether his iron grip on the Republican base can hold even as war and inflation batter his national standing.Why it matters: Trump is trying to take out longtime antagonist Thomas Massie in the most expensive House primary in history …
The biggest tech trial of the AI era — which ended anticlimactically Monday on procedural grounds — revealed a sector consumed by the same power struggles and profit motives its leaders once warned would corrupt artificial intelligence.Why it matters: The trial cemented a growing public fear about A…
Members of Congress are rushing to institute new regulatory guardrails around online prediction markets following a series of alleged insider trading scandals.Why it matters: As with cryptocurrency and artificial intelligence, this is proving to be yet another emerging tech policy area in which Cong…
The Food and Drug Administration is easing restrictions on unauthorized vapes and scrapping a proposed ban on minors using tanning beds, reflecting a tumultuous shift in priorities during the MAHA era.The big picture: The moves risk weakening federal efforts to protect teens from unhealthy habits an…
The Trump administration defended its designation of Anthropic as a supply chain risk in oral arguments in federal court Tuesday, even as it actively tries to figure out how it can adopt its most powerful model yet, Mythos, to combat cyber threats.Why it matters: Treating a U.S. company as a nationa…
Andrej Karpathy, one of the best-known AI researchers in the world and a founding member of OpenAI, announced Tuesday that he's joining rival AI lab Anthropic.Why it matters: The hire is a major coup for Anthropic in the high-stakes competition for elite AI talent — and another sign the company is e…
The global economy faces the types of massive imbalances that preceded previous crises — despite important differences — and it's not yet clear how this debt cycle will end.Why it matters: The last four decades of economic turbulence trace back to a similar underlying issue, that the world's biggest…
The ongoing Ebola surge has public health experts anxious about the world's capacity to contain its spread.The big picture: Ebola epidemics aren't new, but the current outbreak has been identified as the rare Bundibugyo strain, which has no vaccine, and is located in a populated, mobile and conflict…
President Trump endorsed Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton in the Texas Republican U.S. Senate runoff on Tuesday, a day after the start of early voting.Why it matters: Senate Republicans spent months pleading with Trump to endorse incumbent U.S. Sen. John Cornyn over Paxton.Catch up quick: Trump had…
President Trump convened a meeting on Iran with his top national security team on Monday evening that included a briefing on military options, two U.S. officials told Axios.Why it matters: The meeting took place several hours after Trump announced he was suspending attacks he claimed were planned fo…
LIV Golf is better known for its financial banking than for its product, but now is asking investors for a chance to flip the script.Driving the news: Axios has learned that the league, which recently lost the support of Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund, will seek to raise up to $250 million fr…
President Trump said Monday that he'd planned to strike Iran "tomorrow" but was holding off to give negotiations another chance. He claimed he made the decision at the request of several Arab leaders.Why it matters: The White House saw an updated peace proposal Iran sent Sunday as insufficient, lead…
Five people are dead — including two gunmen — after a shooting at the Islamic Center of San Diego in Clairemont, according to San Diego Police. Catch up quick: Police began receiving calls regarding an active shooter there around 11:40 am PT.The center also operates as a school, and all the children…
U.S. power giants NextEra Energy and Dominion Energy announced plans Monday to merge in the largest electricity deal — by far — since the mainstreaming of AI.Why it matters: The deal, if approved by regulators, would enable massive scale as the industry looks to expand generation and related infrast…
Iran has given an updated proposal for a deal to end the war, but the White House believes it is not a meaningful improvement and is insufficient for a deal, a senior U.S. official and a source briefed on the issue told Axios. Why it matters: U.S. officials say President Trump wants a deal to end t…
Sen. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.) has told his colleagues in unequivocal terms that he will not vote for the budget reconciliation bill if the Senate considers it this week, according to two people familiar with the matter. Why it matters: Tillis' firm opposition to the bill in its current form, which he b…
Kevin Warsh hasn't even been sworn in as leader of the Federal Reserve yet, and his first great test has already arrived.The big picture: Global bond markets are sending borrowing costs markedly higher in this era of energy supply disruptions, AI-fueled demand for capital and massive fiscal deficits…
President Trump's approval rating fell to a new second-term low in polling released Monday.Why it matters: Economic discontent drove Trump's re-election, but his failure to temper inflation and the fallout of the Iran war have turned voters against him.About 37% of voters approve of Trump's job perf…
A federal jury unanimously ruled Monday that Elon Musk waited too long to bring his lawsuit against OpenAI and its top executives — a staggering defeat for the Tesla chief in his showdown with Sam Altman.
Why it matters: Musk had sought up to $134 billion in damages and Altman's ouster from OpenAI,…
President Trump settled his $10 billion lawsuit against the IRS on Monday in exchange for a $1.776 billion fund to compensate those who claim they were targets of government "weaponization."Why it matters: The fund creates an unprecedented, taxpayer-backed mechanism to compensate people who claim th…
President Trump talks sympathetically about the country's 500,000 Dreamers — but his administration is putting them in the crosshairs for deportation.Why it matters: The recipients of the Obama-era Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program are finding it no longer reliably protects them …
A group of more than 60 loyal allies of President Trump is urging him to test and approve the most powerful AI models before they're released, according to a new letter shared first with Axios.Why it matters: The letter — signed by Steve Bannon and conservative anti-AI activists Amy Kremer and Brend…
Antisemitism is so resurgent in U.S. politics that some of the worst hate speech you've ever heard has become a part of day-to-day life for Jewish politicians.The big picture: Gone are the days of veiled insinuations and dog whistles. The hate is direct, explicit and shockingly casual, two dozen mem…
Veterans of Bernie Sanders' two presidential campaigns are splitting their allegiances between a pair of Democrats vying to inherit his progressive movement: New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and California Rep. Ro Khanna.Why it matters: Ocasio-Cortez and Khanna are deploying contrasting strate…
If AI were a candidate for political office, it would be losing in a landslide.Why it matters: The AI hype cycle would have you believe the technology is inevitable. But AI backlash is growing, as people worry it will steal their jobs, jack up electricity rates and further enrich the wealthy, all wh…
Cuba has acquired more than 300 military drones and recently began discussing plans to use them to attack the U.S. base at Guantanamo Bay, U.S. military vessels and possibly Key West, Fla., 90 miles north of Havana, according to classified intelligence shared with Axios.Why it matters: The intellige…
President Trump told Axios in a phone call that "the clock is ticking" for Iran and warned that if the Iranian regime doesn't come with a better offer for a deal "they are going to get hit much harder.".Why it matters: U.S. officials say Trump wants a deal to end the war, but Iran's rejection of man…
Empty nesters are sitting on America's family-size homes.Why it matters: The people who have the space aren't necessarily the ones who need it — and that's making a tight housing market even tighter.By the numbers: Compared to millennials with kids, boomer empty nesters own nearly twice the share of…
Republicans have delivered major wins for the crypto industry in Washington — and they're increasingly frustrated that its biggest political spender isn't stepping up for them in the midterms.Why it matters: Crypto now commands the biggest political war chest of any industry in America — and how it…
Some close advisers to President Trump fear the biggest substantive result of the China summit is heightened danger that Chinese President Xi Jinping will invade Taiwan in the next five years, potentially choking off the chips used to power AI to U.S. companies.What they're saying: Trump loved the p…
Teens today are drinking less than their parents did — but the trends that may be supercharging their sobriety aren't all positive.The big picture: Researchers say there isn't one definitive reason for the shift. Some hypothesize it isn't solely a health kick, but that some teenagers have no one to …
Sen. Bill Cassidy failed to finish in the top two spots in Louisiana's Republican Senate primary on Saturday, AP projects. The race now goes to a June 27 runoff between Rep. Julia Letlow and state Treasurer John Fleming.Why it matters: It's a win for President Trump, who backed Letlow and urged vote…
Some college classes are seeing a boom in students earning A's — many with the help of AI.Why it matters: Universities and colleges were already concerned about how many students are earning A's and B's, but now must worry that graduates are leaving AI-proficient rather than knowledgeable about thei…
The era of ever-expanding workplace perks is ending. It's not just free kombucha and laundry — policies like paid parental leave and retirement matches are on the chopping block.Why it matters: Corporate America spent the labor-shortage years competing to offer the most generous workplace benefits. …
Farmers across the Midwest are entering planting season under mounting financial pressure, as the Iran conflict drives up diesel and fertilizer prices — deepening an agricultural downturn that some say is the worst since the crisis of the 1980s.Why it matters: Rising fuel and fertilizer costs threat…
President Trump said Friday he's unsure whether he would greenlight a planned $14 billion weapons package for Taiwan after discussing arms sales in "great detail" with Chinese President Xi Jinping.Why it matters: The trip began with a warning from Xi about the potential for "conflicts" over Taiwan, …
The House Ethics Committee is facing one of its busiest stretches in years as lawmakers confront a growing pileup of misconduct allegations."He has had a great challenge, the chairman of Ethics Committee, that committee is very busy right now," Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) told Axios on Friday.Why i…
Colorado Gov. Jared Polis on Friday announced he's cutting disgraced election denier and former Mesa County clerk Tina Peters' sentence by half, making her eligible for release next month. Why it matters: The move comes after repeated calls from the Trump administration for Peters to be freed.Presi…
The Supreme Court denied an emergency effort from Virginia Democrats to revive their chances of redrawing the state's congressional maps before the November midterms.Why it matters: Virginia's redistricting push is officially dead.Driving the news: In a brief order on Friday, the justices declined s…
Three major conflicts are shaping America's AI race against China in real time, with changing global dynamics shifting the terms week by week:The race with China on advancing AI modelsConflicting federal vs. state laws in the U.S.European AI policyWhy it matters: All three factors are fraught with p…
The CEOs of Meta, Alphabet, TikTok and Snap have been invited back to Capitol Hill for a broad oversight hearing in June, Axios has learned.Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley is planning a June 23 hearing titled "Examining Tech Industry Practices and the Implications for Users and Fa…
In his eight years at the helm of America's central bank, Jerome Hayden Powell has guided the U.S. economy through extreme tumult and fought off unprecedented presidential efforts to undermine the Federal Reserve's independence.But that's not what I'll tell my now-young children about Powell once th…
A wave of voting rights battles and GOP redistricting fights is triggering a coordinated response across the South, with organizers preparing a "Summer of Action" campaign with marches that start this weekend.Why it matters: Organizers say the fight over congressional maps, voting access and politic…
Data: Graphite.io; Note: Based on an average of three AI-detector tools sampling URLs from Common Crawl; Chart: Megan Morrone/AxiosThe flood of AI-generated writing unleashed by ChatGPT appears to have leveled off — a sign that AI content hasn't overtaken the web after all.The big picture: The share…
The post-2024 narrative that Latino voters shifted right is facing its first real stress test — including in districts Republicans thought were safely red.Why it matters: The biggest immediate test is in Texas, where Republicans drew new maps assuming continued Latino gains. But GOP House seats are …
The stock market and the bond market are telling different stories about the economy: Bonds fear doom, while stocks see boom.Why it matters: That's a bit confusing for investors and policymakers looking to these markets to make decisions — or for anyone trying to get a read on (waves hands) everythi…