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Data: Bureau of Labor Statistics ; Chart: Courtenay Brown/Axios America's labor market appeared to be gaining momentum this spring. The latest data makes that rebound look much less convincing. Why it matters: The report isn't as bad as the headline suggests, but the broader picture is still one of a labor market that is less robust than it seemed. If the trend continues, U.S. workers might find themselves squeezed on two fronts — a weakening job market and high inflation from an uncertain geopo

Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-La.) announced Friday that he will vote for Todd Blanche's nomination for attorney general , boosting his prospects for confirmation before the Senate leaves for its August recess. Why it matters: Cassidy's vote keeps Blanche's nomination alive despite previous opposition from Sens. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) and Susan Collins (R-Maine) Editor's note: This is a breaking news story and will be updated.

The Trump administration has launched a new effort to remove Federal Reserve Gov. Lisa Cook , notifying her that President Trump is considering her removal and giving her 21 days to respond to mortgage fraud allegations in a letter obtained by Axios. Why it matters: The Supreme Court this year blocked Trump's first attempt to remove Cook, finding that the Fed official was not given notice or a chance to respond. The new letter seeks to satisfy those requirements in what remains an unprecedented

The slightest hint of generative AI usage is fast becoming a kiss of death in creative circles. Why it matters: It's turning into a purity test that has the potential to blow up careers and derail massive deals almost overnight — and there's no desire for nuance or ability to clear your name. Whether you choose disclosure or denial, both can fail to protect you in a climate where using a chatbot as a tool to guide one's thought process is viewed the same as generating creative work wholesale. Dr

The Senate passed a stopgap spending bill early Saturday that would keep the government funded through Dec. 11, moving Washington closer to avoiding another shutdown before the November midterms. Why it matters: The bipartisan 90-6 vote would push the next government funding deadline past Election Day while offering some checks on the Trump administration. State of play: The measure, which now goes to the House, generally maintains funding levels after the fiscal year ends Sept. 30, with a few n

Nothing has improved my work and life more than my new operating philosophy: Simplify . I've seen such a dramatic improvement at Axios, and in my personal life, that I co-wrote a new book explaining step by step how it works. It's called " Simplify : Do 50% More with 50% Less." Why it matters: Axios co-founders Jim VandeHei, Roy Schwartz and I dig deep into real-world experience and science to show you why most people waste years of their lives doing needless stuff out of habit or inertia. You'l

Synagogues across the U.S. are having congregants train to be volunteer security teams as antisemitic assaults hit record levels and Jewish gathering places face increasing threats. Driving the news: The front doorways of many synagogues are becoming both a place of welcome and a security checkpoint — a sign of how antisemitism is reshaping Jewish life in America. The traditional practice of hiring a guard for High Holy Days services, installing cameras and calling police if something happens, i

The Senate voted to confirm Todd Blanche as the next attorney general early Saturday, capping a tumultuous path to office for President Trump's former personal attorney. The big picture: Blanche's appointment is a win for the Trump administration, especially after a journey that saw some Republicans hold out at multiple stages of the process. At one point Trump threatened to keep him as acting attorney general for months, after two GOP senators withheld their votes to advance him from the Senate

Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) will vote against Todd Blanche's nomination for attorney general , becoming the second known Republican to oppose him. Why it matters: Murkowski's opposition puts Blanche's confirmation in jeopardy . With Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) still absent from the Senate, Blanche cannot afford to lose any more GOP support. Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) has already announced her opposition , and Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-La.) has yet to announce his position. What they are saying:

Read the polls, watch economic indicators and talk to President Trump's inner circle in private, and the verdict on his second term seems clear: Even some longtime insiders fear he's trapped by a war he shouldn't have waged, tariffs he shouldn't have levied, monuments he shouldn't be obsessed with. Why it matters: These three topics chew up much of Trump's time and attention. All three are widely unpopular in polls. And it's almost impossible to see the public suddenly warming to war, tariffs or

Republicans plan to use their first-ever midterm convention in Dallas next month to mount a sweeping, made-for-prime-time case that Democrats have become captive to their activist left, Axios has learned. Why it matters: With President Trump's approval rating in the 30s and his war in Iran weighing on the economy, Republicans don't want the Nov. 3 midterms to be just a referendum on his presidency. They're essentially planning a "But they're worse" campaign targeting the ascendant Democratic lef

Data: NCSL ; Map: Sara Wise/Axios Americans across the country could have very different experiences with AI deepfakes leading up to Election Day , thanks to a patchwork of state rules. Why it matters: AI-generated attack ads and campaign content are rampant leading up to the midterms as candidates across the political spectrum use the technology. State of play: Twenty-nine states have AI election deepfake laws in effect, while two others — California and Hawaii — have had their laws permanently

Secretary of State Marco Rubio is waging an unprecedented economic war on Cuba — and wants to make sure the island's communist leaders know it's going to get worse. "What we're trying to teach them is there are no escape valves," Rubio told Axios. Why it matters: Cuba's economy is in a state of slow-motion collapse because of crushing U.S. sanctions and communist mismanagement of the island, which prides itself as the hemisphere's chief foe of the superpower 90 miles to its north. President Trum

Denounced on social media and by fellow Republicans, Ohio Rep. Max Miller is telling allies he's not quitting for a simple reason: It would be tantamount to admitting he beat his ex-wife and their child, which he denies. Why it matters: The Washington summer scandal is a case study in whether Miller — one of Donald Trump's understudies — can successfully employ the president's playbook of never backing down and never quitting. Trump has publicly expressed sympathy for Miller but privately expres

Senate Republicans are racing toward the August recess with a legislative to-do list worthy of a Joe Rogan podcast: crypto, college sports and hemp. Why it matters: They likely won't get to all of it, but the White House wants the Senate to get caught trying. First, senators want to get way ahead of any government shutdown fight. Just as important — an NIL rights bill, with ESPN's first College GameDay set for Sept. 5. "I've kind of stacked these things: funding the government, the [Todd] Blanch

Suspected Iran-linked cyberattacks are exposing long-standing vulnerabilities in fragmented U.S. drinking water systems facing aging infrastructure and intensifying climate threats. Why it matters: Drinking water systems disruptions can threaten public health and essential services, while many utilities—especially smaller ones—lack the staff and resources to strengthen their defenses.. Kevin Morley, federal relations manager for the American Water Works Association (AWWA), tells Axios utilities

The author of the Democratic National Committee's 2024 election "autopsy" confirmed an Axios report that he concluded the war in Gaza hurt Kamala Harris politically — and that he'd privately shared that assessment with a pro-Palestinian group. He said he drafted that finding late last year but never submitted it to party leadership . Why it matters: Democrats have spent months debating whether the Biden administration's support for Israel during its war on Hamas contributed to Harris ' defeat. M

A Senate panel voted Thursday to hold Anthony Fauci in contempt for repeatedly declining to answer questions last week from lawmakers investigating the origins of the COVID-19 pandemic. Why it matters: Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) has said he will refer the contempt resolution to the Department of Justice for possible prosecution. That could set up a legal clash, since former President Biden preemptively pardoned Fauci before leaving office. The big picture: The 8-5 vote by the Senate Homeland Securit

A Stanford-led research team has used generative AI to design a synthetic virus — the first time artificial intelligence has been harnessed to create an organism that has never been seen in nature. Why it matters: What could go wrong? The big picture: It could be the first step toward the nightmare scenario AI experts have already warned about: deadly pathogens that can't be stopped, because they've been created too quickly for our current surveillance systems to stop them. The research could al

The FCC on Thursday voted 2-1 to eliminate the national TV ownership cap rule that bars a single broadcaster from owning stations that reach more than 39% of U.S. TV households. Why it matters : The party-line vote clears the way for local broadcasters to merge, giving single broadcast ownership groups far more reach than they previously could have. FCC chairman Brendan Carr has long argued that the cap was outdated and limits the ability of broadcasters to consolidate to compete with tech firms

President Trump signed two executive orders Thursday seeking to narrow birthright citizenship in several circumstances and intensify the federal crackdown on commercial "birth tourism." Trump also is seeking to deny birthright citizenship for children born of some foreign diplomatic staff in the U.S. and, potentially, U.S. territories in the future. Why it matters: It's Trump's second attempt to curb birthright citizenship in the U.S. and is sure to be challenged in court as a violation of the 1

Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) was discharged from a rehab facility and has returned home amid his lengthy absence from Congress, he said in a statement released Thursday by his office. The big picture: The 84-year-old lawmaker was hospitalized in June and has not been seen in public since, outside of images released by his office. The mystery of McConnell's continued absence has fueled questions about his capacity to serve the remainder of his term, which ends in January 2027. Driving the news: "

The years-long saga of prosecuting the Jan. 6 attack effectively came to an end this week, when a judge dismissed a remaining indictment against Oath Keepers members already freed by President Trump . The big picture: Not only has Trump erased the legal consequences for many Jan. 6 defendants, but his administration has moved to rewrite the history of a deadly day — and oust federal employees who worked on related cases. Driving the news: Judges in recent weeks disposed of the final two cases ac

President Trump on Thursday publicly defended Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth , and said reporting suggesting any friction between the two was "treasonous." Why it matters: The Washington Pos t and others reported this week that Trump had reached his limits with Hegseth over the state of the country's weapons stockpile and the impact on the war with Iran . What they're saying: "The Fake News, as usual, is spreading false and completely unfounded rumors. I am extremely happy with the job that Pete

A legal cat-and-mouse game has played out over whether the president can use various obscure, untested provisions to impose tariffs. Now, Congress appears on track to give him a big, new — and explicit — tariff authority. Why it matters: A bill on Russia sanctions, named for the late Sen. Lindsey Graham , has received overwhelming bipartisan support in the Senate and would allow President Trump and future presidents to impose tariffs of up to 100% on major importers of Russian energy. If enacted

Reproduced from AP ; Chart: Axios Visuals Greater shares of Americans now say that extreme heat has affected various parts of day-to-day life compared to just two years ago. Why it matters: The findings , from the AP-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research, suggest that people are increasingly aware of extreme heat's impact on their health, budgets, travel plans and more. By the numbers: 90% of Americans now say that extreme heat has had at least a minor impact on their lives broadly, up from 83

Top AI architects say their technology has arrived at a threshold once confined to science fiction: the singularity, or the moment machines begin accelerating their own evolution. Why it matters: If these moguls are right, we may be entering the most consequential technological transition in human history — the opening stages of an " intelligence explosion " that transforms civilization faster than humanity can understand or control. Driving the news: Google jolted the tech world Wednesday by an

On a good day, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer can see a Democratic majority in 2027. Why it matters: On a bad one, he can see the caucus that comes with it. Abdul El-Sayed's 48.5% to 47.5% victory over Rep. Haley Stevens (D-Mich.) exposed an uncomfortable reality for Schumer: Some of the Democrats most likely to deliver him a majority may also be the hardest to lead . "If you're Chuck Schumer, I'm dangerous," El-Sayed said during the campaign . "If you're AIPAC, I'm dangerous. If you're a

A work slowdown by the Trump administration's immigration offices has exploded the backlog of applications for citizenship, green cards and work permits to an unprecedented 7.5 million people, according to the latest agency data. Add the millions of immigrants waiting on decisions for asylum, work visas and permission to stay in the U.S. for humanitarian reasons, and the total backlog soars to more than 12.1 million. Why it matters: The delays have put potentially millions of people in legal imm

SEATTLE — Wildfire smoke blanketing this coastal city and much of the West is bringing an ominous reminder that the reach of destructive fires is growing. Why it matters: Climate scientists study how global warming increases the odds of wildfire. People living through it are confronting a more immediate question: where is truly safe anymore? The big picture: Wildfires intensified by climate change are like an unforgiving spotlight sweeping across the world. No one really knows where it will stop

Four scandal-plagued House Republicans whose seats should be gimmes for the GOP have instead turned their races into unexpected battlegrounds. Why it matters: These aren't districts you'd expect to be in play — Donald Trump carried all four comfortably in 2024. But the incumbents' ethical troubles are making Republicans spend time and money defending the seats — in a cycle where neither party has any room for error. Chuck Edwards (R-N.C.) dropped his reelection bid after the Ethics Committee fou

Weeks before OpenAI's agents hacked Hugging Face , the agents worked together to find and exploit a vulnerability in the infrastructure supporting the company's cybersecurity testing, OpenAI researchers said Wednesday. Why it matters: The new findings raise questions about how frontier AI labs are monitoring their testing environments — and the challenges safety testers are finding as they try to rein in increasingly powerful AI. Driving the news: OpenAI's internal research model, one of the mod

Tucker Carlson used a highly promoted livestream Wednesday to unveil a 10-point vision for America — defining the worldview of a breakaway MAGA faction increasingly at odds with President Trump . Why it matters: After vowing last month to "help build a third party," Carlson fueled further speculation this weekend by hosting MAGA dissidents at his home in Maine, where they urged him to run for president in 2028. The former Fox News host stopped short of a formal launch, instead presenting the man

Data: Economic Policy Institute ; Map: Danielle Alberti/Axios American taxpayers would pay about $2,358 each for President Trump's mass deportation push, according to a new calculator tool from the Economic Policy Institute. Why it matters: The estimate fuels debate over whether billions of federal dollars devoted to deportations could instead fund other public priorities such as food assistance, health care or housing. By the numbers: EPI estimates the $268.9 billion projected for deportations

Federal aviation officials are investigating an air-safety incident involving President Trump's Marine One helicopter in Washington, D.C. Why it matters: The incident comes as regulators work to improve safety in increasingly congested U.S. airspace , particularly around the nation's capital. Zoom in: The Wall Street Journal first reported that the helicopter was carrying Trump on Tuesday when it flew too close to a commercial airliner departing from Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport. Th

For Speaker Mike Johnson, Rep. Chuck Edwards ' decision to drop his re-election bid just trades one problem for another. Why it matters : Instead of trying to hold a vulnerable seat with a scandal-ridden candidate , Republicans now have to scramble for a replacement who'll be starting at square one three months out from Election Day against a well-funded Democrat. North Carolina's 11th District already was in Democrats' sights long before Edwards became the target of a House Ethics probe this sp

A half dozen House Democrats in safe districts have lost their primaries so far this election cycle — and many more could soon follow suit. Why it matters: Many of these losses are the result of growing restlessness among the Democratic grassroots that has increasingly morphed into anger towards the party establishment . "I expected a lot of people to run because they didn't know how to respond to Trump without just being active," Rep. Mark Pocan (D-Wis.) told Axios. He added: "We're seeing that