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Sen. Thom Tillis said Saturday morning that new comments by President Trump about his "anti-weaponization" fund mean that attorney general nominee Todd Blanche won't be confirmed by the Senate next week. Why it matters: Tillis's comment escalates the fight between the White House and holdout Senate Republicans over whether Trump's fund — for people he considers victims of political persecution — is dead or not. What they're saying: " Despite comments as late as yesterday that the fund is dead, P

Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman spoke to President Trump on Saturday and expressed concern over his plans for massive new strikes against Iran , according to two U.S. officials and a third source with knowledge of the call. Why it matters: Trump is seriously considering attacking Iranian energy targets in the coming days in response to Iran's missile strike on a U.S. base in Jordan and its continued disruption of shipping through the Strait of Hormuz. He has yet to issue final orders. The

Silicon Valley's AI moguls are flooding Washington with competing blueprints for superintelligence, clashing over a defining question: Does safety come from spreading powerful AI or containing it? Why it matters: Their fight will shape who gets access to the best models, how America competes with China, and whether the government can slow the race in an emergency. Driving the news: Alarming developments, seemingly by the day, have turned the manifestos from thought exercises into an urgent polic

Six months after Nancy Guthrie was taken against her will from her Arizona home in the middle of the night, there are no suspects or major leads and the case seems to be stalled, a source close to the investigation tells me. "There is plenty of blame to go around, but there is growing pressure to solve this case," the source said. "This case has struck a chord — people are watching very closely. This can't go on for another six months." Savannah Guthrie, the "Today" show co-host and Nancy's daug

President Trump doesn't much care if Republicans lose the House and/or the Senate in the midterms this fall. Yes, he'd prefer a big win, but he seems indifferent to the election and the possibility of endless Democratic investigations of his family, wealth and policies, his closest advisers tell us. A big reason: Trump knows he'll emerge just as strong, or even stronger, heading into his final two years, at least among Republicans. Why it matters: Trump will enjoy a more pro-Trump Republican Con

President Trump said Saturday night that he has called off a potential attack on Iran due to progress in negotiations between the two nations. The big picture: There had been indications from some U.S. officials that an attack on Iran's infrastructure was possible, all in an effort to get the Iranians to agree to the U.S.' terms in ceasefire negotiations. What they're saying: "I have agreed, for the future benefit of the WORLD and, likewise, the survival of a successful and prosperous Iran, to c

The Wall Street Journal opinion page tried to stop Donald Trump a decade ago and again in 2024. Now, the standard-bearer of traditional conservatism is making an early case against his presumed heir. Why it matters: Vice President JD Vance has the inside track for Trump's endorsement. But there's a not-insignificant GOP faction that never embraced Trump's overhaul of the party — and is already arguing against handing the reins to Vance. Driving the news: In a series of recent columns, Journal op

Data: Axios research; Chart: Sara Wise/Axios Chinese AI lab DeepSeek released a powerful new coding model Friday that charges pennies for vast amounts of code — the latest sign that some of the smartest software on Earth is rapidly becoming a commodity . Why it matters: Tech giants are pouring hundreds of billions of dollars into the computing infrastructure powering the AI revolution. Yet the intelligence that infrastructure produces is getting cheaper by the week. Zoom in: DeepSeek is the same

President Trump is seriously considering launching attacks against energy targets in Iran in the next few days, but hasn't given final orders to do it, a U.S. official told Axios on Friday. Why it matters: A new U.S. bombing campaign in Iran against energy and infrastructure targets would be aimed at trying to get the Iranians to agree to the United States' terms in ongoing ceasefire negotiations. The strikes could also involve the Israeli military for the first time in many weeks, and such an e

The Trump administration is still pushing lawmakers to confirm acting Attorney General Todd Blanche , even as President Trump defends the "anti-weaponization" fund holding Blanche's confirmation hostage. The big picture: The "anti-weaponization" fund has been the red line for Sens. John Cornyn (R-Texas) and Thom Tillis (R-N.C.). The lawmakers have refused to vote for Blanche until the DOJ put into writing that aspects of the deal aren't moving forward . Trump said Friday the fund is dead, but he

Inflation has been too high for too long, and the Federal Reserve should not count on it fading without further action. That is the argument from the three Fed officials who dissented from the decision led by chairman Kevin Warsh to leave interest rates unchanged this week, preferring instead to raise them. Why it matters: Together, the dissents lay out a blueprint for the Fed's hawkish wing, arguing that repeated supply shocks paired with resilient demand have made inflation too persistent to f

Data: Brunswick Group and Echelon Insights; Chart: Sara Wise/Axios CEOs face an increasingly skeptical American public that's laser-focused on affordability and fairness, according to polling from the Brunswick Group and Echelon Insights provided first to Axios. Why it matters: With the midterms less than 100 days away, the results show corporate leaders need to build trust through consistency and neutrality — rather than trying to chase political headwinds. By the numbers: 41% of Americans surv

The Department of Health and Human Services keeps saying it's turning over a new leaf , but it has only been partially successful — and controversial vaccine policymaking appears to be back on the table. Why it matters: Though the agency reset was launched with the midterm elections in mind, it's already under strain and the elections are still more than three months away. State of play: Until this week, the administration had spent most of this year toning down its approach to vaccines, after i

The Trump administration has a new tactic for trying to isolate cases of alleged voter fraud — digging into the IP addresses of those who went online to register to vote. The FBI recently obtained the IP address of someone who registered online in South Carolina, according to documents first shared with Axios. Why it matters: The bureau's request for the address, which state and local officials complied with, offers a glimpse of how federal authorities are stepping up their probe of voter rolls

A series of dangerous heat waves this summer — including one that has left 17 states under an emergency federal order — are putting the electric grid under an intense real-world stress test. Why it matters: Successive summer heat waves are forcing utilities to rethink how they prepare the grid for longer and more frequent periods of extreme stress. They're raising questions about whether the electric grid can keep pace with surging demand from both climate change and the AI-driven electricity bo

The way your work shows up in a digital-dominated world is changing lightning fast, starting with the total collapse of Google Search traffic. Why it matters: Google has basically stopped sending people to websites (including our site) for answers and information. Instead, it's using AI to answer them on its platform, in its words. Chartbeat data shared with Axios shows Google Search traffic to publishers fell 34% over the past year. That pain is regressive. Over the past two years, small publis

Europe and the United Kingdom are fine-tuning their approach to AI model testing as a deadline looms for the U.S. government to set rules of the road. Why it matters: U.S. allies for years have been grappling with the same AI safety questions the Trump administration now faces. Wherever the U.S. lands in its AI framework, architects of the EU and U.K. approaches say it would be just the start. The big picture: President Trump began his second term by scrapping his predecessor's AI strategy and p

Democratic socialists look like they're about to rack up a stunning new victory: Their candidate in Michigan's Senate Democratic primary has the momentum heading into Tuesday's primary. Why it matters: A win by Abdul El-Sayed in the swing state would turbocharge the party's left flank and validate establishment fears about the party's direction. The big picture: Establishment Democrats have watched in horror as democratic socialist candidates pull off one win after another in House primaries thi

President Trump announced Thursday that his Board of Peace had reached an agreement with Hamas to disarm and transfer civilian and security control of Gaza to a new Palestinian technocratic government. Why it matters: If implemented, the agreement would represent a dramatic breakthrough in Trump's 20-point Gaza peace plan and clear the way for reconstruction of the devastated enclave. But the deal requires Hamas and Israel to complete a complicated series of reciprocal and independently verified

President Trump has three go-to moves for GOP senators who frustrate him : persuade them when he can, ignore them when he must and bully them at will. Why it matters: The approach doesn't always produce results. But it almost always provides drama . Persuade: Trump dispatched two top deputies to the Senate GOP lunch on Wednesday to make the case, in person, for a third reconciliation bill with elements of the SAVE Act . Then he sent in the big guns. Chief of Staff Susie Wiles huddled with the Se

Some of Anthropic's most powerful models — including Mythos 5 and an internal research model — gained unauthorized access to real-world systems during pre-deployment cybersecurity testing, the company said Thursday. Why it matters: OpenAI's and Anthropic's latest disclosures show frontier AI models reaching real-world systems during safety testing, raising new questions about how labs secure their evaluation environments. The big picture: Anthropic said a misunderstanding between the company and

Apple hinted Thursday that heavy users of its revamped Siri may have to pay for access. Why it matters: It's the first time that Apple has confirmed it will charge for the new AI -powered voice assistant. What they're saying: In a conference call to discuss Apple's most recent quarterly earnings , CEO Tim Cook said Apple is still developing its plan to address the higher computing costs that will come with the improved voice assistant. "We do believe there will be people that want to use it a lo

A super PAC that has invested millions to unseat Rep. Andy Ogles (R-Tenn.) is putting another $700,000 behind his GOP primary challenger in the final week of the campaign, Axios has learned. Why it matters: Ogles was already facing one his most perilous reelection battle to date, with Democrats making him one of their top targets in November. But first he has to get the nomination, which is not a done deal. Invest in Tomorrow Coalition, the clean-energy aligned super PAC working to primary Ogles

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer held a high-level video call with China's vice premier to prepare for the September visit of its president, Xi Jinping, Axios has learned. Why it matters: The call sets the stage for President Trump and Xi to sign future trade deals between the U.S. and China. But there are tensions. Zoom in: The cordial video conference call between Bessent, Greer and Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng lasted more than an hour. "I emphasi

President Trump said Thursday that he would have "no objection" to temporarily withdrawing acting Attorney General Todd Blanche's nomination until his Republican opponents are out of office next January. The big picture: Trump's threat, directed at GOP Sens. Thom Tillis (N.C.) and John Cornyn (Texas), puts Blanche's critics on notice as to what the president deemed "the right thing" after their concerns stalled the acting attorney general's nomination. Cornyn lost his primary earlier this year t

Situational Awareness, an AI -focused hedge fund founded by a former OpenAI researcher, has sold all of its public equities portfolio to Ken Griffin's Citadel, a source tells Axios. Why it matters: This comes amidst a recent sell-off in AI stocks, particularly chipmakers. News of a sale was first reported by the WSJ . Catch up quick: Former OpenAI researcher Leopold Aschenbrenner founded Situational Awareness after being fired from OpenAI in 2024, over an alleged information leak that he dispute

The Senate health committee approved the nomination of Erica Schwartz for Centers for Disease Control director Thursday, a step toward refilling the depleted ranks of the Trump administration's health care leadership. The committee also approved the nomination of Sean Kaufman , who's in line for assistant secretary for preparedness and response and had been in trouble because of past anti-vaccine statements . Why it matters: The votes showed Republicans, at least, are still willing to accept the

Data : Charles F. Kettering Foundation and Gallup. Chart: Noah Bressner/Axios Americans fear November's midterms could be stolen or otherwise compromised, with most worried about political pressure to change results or officials mishandling ballots, new Gallup polling finds. Why it matters: President Trump has cast the American election system as under siege and vulnerable with unfounded claims about his 2020 loss. Meanwhile, his critics warn his push to reshape the ways Americans vote are under

Vice President Vance and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu held a "direct" conversation about their differences in a one-on-one meeting in Washington on Tuesday evening, Israeli and U.S. officials said. Why it matters: Vance has been the most Netanyahu-skeptical voice in Trump's inner circle since the beginning of the war. As the war dragged on, he became increasingly critical of the Israeli prime minister. Vance took on a larger role in war policy and Iran negotiations as the conflict p

Data: China's General Administration of Customs; Chart: Matt Phillips/Axios The Iran war has revealed China's enormous power over global oil prices, thanks to its position as the world's largest buyer. Why it matters: China's reaction to the oil shock — by substantially withdrawing from buying on world markets — helped prevent the worst of the price spikes that experts thought would follow from the effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz. Catch up quick: After the U.S. and Israel launched the

America's AI architects are converging on a chilling consensus: The pace of progress may soon demand a slowdown, but no single lab can afford to pull the brake alone. Why it matters: Momentum for an AI pause or pacing mechanism has reached a historic tipping point, ignited by a summer of extraordinary yet unsettling leaps in capabilities. More than 1,200 employees at leading AI companies have signed on to a new petition, " Pacing the Frontier ," urging Washington to back an international framewo

The U.S. military conducted "a heavy wave" of airstrikes in Iran on Wednesday evening, U.S. Central Command said in a statement . Why it matters: These are the first U.S. strikes in Iran since President Trump paused the bombing campaign Friday to give negotiations another chance. Wednesday's strikes came in retaliation for an Iranian missile attack targeting a U.S. base in Jordan on Tuesday. All of the Iranian missiles were intercepted, according to the U.S. military. What they're saying: " CENT

President Trump met Wednesday with Saudi Defense Minister Prince Khalid bin Salman, a U.S. official and another source with knowledge of the meeting told Axios. The meeting was added to the Saudi minister's itinerary after he met with Vice President Vance and told him that Saudi Arabia favors de-escalation with Iran — despite this week's joint U.S.-Saudi strike on pro-Iranian militias in Iraq, a source familiar with the matter said. Why it matters: The source said the purpose of the meetings was

Senate Majority Leader John Thune repeated to White House officials in private what he's been saying in public for weeks: We don't have the votes . Why it matters: President Trump isn't buying it — and he's questioning whether Thune is the man for the job. "Well, we're gonna find out," Trump said Wednesday. "I'll let you know." Asked Wednesday evening about Trump saying the votes were gettable, Thune (R-S.D.) told reporters, "That must be a different form of math." Driving the news: Hours earlie

Tech billionaire Elon Musk is jumping into the midterms with a huge investment in a plan to boost Republican voter turnout, Axios has learned. Driving the news: Musk is resuscitating his dormant super PAC, America PAC, which spent more than $260 million to help get President Trump elected in 2024. America PAC will focus on door-knocking, digital advertising and direct mail aimed at turning out the conservative base, including voters who typically are less inclined to cast ballots in a non-presid

Politicians are increasingly abandoning scripted language and publicly cursing as profanity becomes a more common political tool. Why it matters: The shift suggests politicians are using profanity intentionally to project authenticity, signal confrontation and distance themselves from traditional Washington norms. What they're saying: "There's this dissatisfaction and anti-establishment fervor that's been present for probably at least a decade now," Nick Beauchamp, a professor at Northeastern Un