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The state of the global diesel market is getting even more precarious as the Russia-Ukraine war and the Iran crisis squeeze supply from multiple angles. Why it matters: Diesel prices ripple through economies here and abroad, affecting shipping costs, construction and plenty in between. The average U.S. price is up 44 cents over the last month to $5.32 per gallon, compared to $3.71 a year ago, per AAA. However, during the Iran crisis, it hasn't hit the all-time high of $5.82 per gallon that AAA r

Immigration and Customs Enforcement plans to begin using electric shock gloves designed to cause pain and disrupt a person's ability to react. The big picture: The gloves could give ICE officers a new way to use force as their tactics face intense scrutiny after several deaths and violent encounters . Driving the news: ICE plans to spend between $10 and $20 million on the gloves and issue them to Homeland Security Investigations and Enforcement Removal Operations officers and agents, per a Depar

Rep. Mike Lawler 's (R-N.Y.) fight to hold on to a key battleground seat is getting a behind-the-scenes assist — for now, at least — from an unlikely group: House Democrats. Why it matters: Kamala Harris carried Lawler's district in 2024, but some Democrats are privately wary of spending the small fortune it would take to oust one of the GOP's most bipartisan — and electorally savvy — members. "If you're going to have a Republican, it's the kind of Republican we want in the Congress," a Democrat

Karoline Leavitt will be stepping down from her role as White House press secretary at the end of the month, President Trump announced Wednesday in a Truth Social post. The big picture: Leavitt is leaving to spend more time with her family, the president said. A member of Trump's team who followed him from his presidential campaign to the White House, she's been a fiercely loyal face of the White House. Driving the news: Trump said in the surprise post that Leavitt will become one of his top out

House Democrats who have comfortably held their seats for decades are suddenly finding the ground shifting beneath their feet as primary voters revolt against the party's old guard. Why it matters: The anti-establishment revolution that has swept Democratic primaries this year is poised to drastically alter the makeup of the party caucus and Congress as a whole. Rep. John Larson (D-Conn.) became the latest victim of this trend: The 78-year-old lost his primary by more than 20 percentage points t

Elon Musk and Mark Zuckerberg have muscled their way back into AI's elite ranks, defying early obituaries to close the gap on a new generation of Silicon Valley startups. Why it matters: Recent gains by tech giants SpaceX and Meta — long stuck in AI's second tier — are putting new pressure on a hierarchy dominated by OpenAI and Anthropic. State of play: Both companies released models this week featuring a combination of performance and price that would have been hard to imagine from either lab a

The New York Times' Maggie Haberman tells me 70% of President Trump's mindshare ("maybe plus or minus 5%") goes to his gilding, construction, renovation, renaming and tribute projects. "He is spending a huge amount of energy, mental and otherwise, on these renovation projects, beautification projects around Washington, and then monuments to self," Haberman told me for Axios' "Behind the Curtain" video series . "[T]here is no precedent in U.S. history of a sitting president devising such endeavor

The East Wing is gone, a new helipad is spreading across the lawn, and scaffolding wraps the White House's front columns, but the price tags for President Trump's renovations are far less obvious. The big picture: The muddled mix of funding streams — whether from private donors, the president himself or taxpayers — has fueled ethical questions about who's footing the ever-rising bill for the HGTV-reminiscent White House redesign. The latest: Senate Democrats urged the Government Accountability O

Data: Generation Lab; Chart: Danielle Alberti/Axios More than a quarter of younger Americans (27%) believe they or someone they know has lost a job because their employer replaced them with AI, according to a new Axios-Generation Lab poll of 18- to 34-year-olds. Why it matters: Research suggests the actual share of job losses from AI is smaller. But the survey reflects the suspicion, mistrust and fatalism in how Gen Zers and young Millennials see the technology — sentiments driving their views o

It's August, which means lawmakers are fanning out across the country to campaign for themselves and their colleagues. Why it matters: A friendly senator or House member can help on the stump. But only a handful can juice fundraising , draw a real crowd or make a mark with an endorsement. And Democrats have more of them. Zoom in: Axios asked strategists in both parties which lawmakers have enough star power to move voters, draw crowds or open wallets for candidates far from home. There aren't ma

Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley narrowly defeated socialist Francesca Hong by about 3,000 votes, dealing a blow to the progressive left's momentum Tuesday in Wisconsin's Democratic primary for governor, after his own polling indicated he was behind by nearly 20 points. Why it matters: Crowley's win could breathe new life into a center-left that had been losing primary after primary in recent months, from last week's Senate contest in Michigan to House races across the country . Yes, but

Pollsters appeared to blow another high-stakes Midwest election Tuesday, as center-left Democrat David Crowley stunned socialist Francesca Hong in Wisconsin's primary for governor. But on Wednesday, the reasons for the miss seemed clear: Surveys a week before the primary captured only a hint of a rapidly changing roller coaster of a race in which Crowley was gaining fast, and Hong was playing defense. Driving the news: Two polls had shown Hong up by about 20 points over Crowley. But Crowley woun

Artificial intelligence isn't just speeding up early-stage drug development, it's starting to unlock millions of dollars' worth of new efficiencies in clinical trials on cancer treatments, research shared first with Axios shows. Why it matters: AI-powered tools could shave months off time-consuming processes like recruiting and enrolling patients, monitoring results and interpreting data. That could free up resources for more clinical studies and possibly lower the high failure rate for new drug

Anthropic's new models will add machine-readable "watermarks" to Claude-generated text and files to comply with new European Union transparency regulations. Why it matters: Comms teams using Claude to simply clean up, translate, or format human-drafted press releases could stamp those documents with an AI signature. How it works: For models launched in the EU after Aug. 2, Anthropic is marking content in two ways, "wherever Claude is offered, worldwide." Text watermarks: Claude embeds patterns i

The development costs of President Trump's White House ballroom keep rising — as does speculation about what the finished project, including its underground complex, will look like. The big picture: Trump 's ballroom project is more than a simple remodel of the East Wing. It's a complete overhaul featuring what appears to be a military-grade underground bunker, meant to protect and secure the president. The project remains in legal limbo after a federal appeals court ruled in August that Trump's

Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley narrowly defeated state Rep. Francesca Hong , a democratic socialist , in Tuesday's Wisconsin Democratic primary for governor, the Associated Press reports. Why it matters: Hong's loss blunts progressives' recent momentum and hands moderate Democrats a chance to prove their electability in a crucial battleground state in November Crowley will vie to become Wisconsin's first Black governor. Driving the news: Crowley managed to edge out Hong by about 3,000

When investment on the scale of the current AI boom occurs, it inevitably has to come at the expense of something. All the resources devoted to building data centers and developing AI models would otherwise go to something else. The big picture: This crowding out is smaller than you might expect, Goldman Sachs economists find in a new note. But it does exist, they say, and takes the form of displacing other tech investment and construction , as well as raising corporate borrowing costs. By the n

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez is trying to pull off a political feat for the ages: bury a chapter of left-wing politics that seemed like a good idea to many liberals at the time — but not so much anymore. Why it matters: The country's most prominent democratic socialist is essentially seeking a mulligan for candidates who embraced policies like defunding the police, saying candidates should be judged on their current platforms. But that will be a tough sell with moderate Democrats, let alone Rep

Rep. John Larson (D-Conn.) was unseated Tuesday by his primary challenger, former Hartford Mayor Luke Bronin , according to the Associated Press. Why it matters: Larson is the 7th House Democrat ousted in their primary this year . Only one other election cycle in the 21st century has seen this many incumbent losses in primaries. Bronin's challenge to Larson came after the 78-year-old incumbent suffered a widely publicized freeze-up during a House floor speech that he later said was the result of

U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar sailed to victory in Minnesota's Democratic primary for governor on Tuesday. The big picture: Polling indicates that the four-term senator and 2020 presidential candidate will be a formidable contender in Democrats' bid to hold the open seat this November. Catch up quick: Klobuchar entered the race in late January, shortly after Gov. Tim Walz reversed course and scrapped plans to run for a third term . Walz's exit came amid mounting scrutiny over his administration's resp

Sen. Darline Graham and Rep. Ralph Norman (R-S.C.) advanced Tuesday to a runoff in South Carolina's crowded Republican Senate primary, per the AP, extending the fight to succeed the late Sen. Lindsey Graham . Why it matters: The Aug. 25 runoff will almost certainly determine South Carolina's next senator. Graham's abbreviated campaign has relied on the immediate advantages of incumbency, President Trump's support and one of the most recognizable names in South Carolina politics. Norman has argue

A federal judge on Tuesday expanded an earlier block on part of President Trump's executive order seeking to tighten rules for mail-in voting ahead of November's elections. Why it matters: The ruling freezes a key piece of Trump's attempted overhaul of mail-in voting for all U.S. states. A previous ruling in a separate case had limited a block for the 23 Democratic states that sued over the president's order. Trump's executive order had enabled the USPS to refuse to deliver ballots to states tha

Democrats have gone from treating Rep. Max Miller (R-Ohio) as a best-case-scenario target to a genuinely vulnerable incumbent whose downfall is worth a real investment. Why it matters: Democratic groups tell Axios they plan to put their money where their mouth is and spend to win the seat, which Trump carried by double digits in 2024. Phil Gardner, a spokesperson for the centrist Blue Dog Action Fund, said his group spent nearly $200,000 to support Miller's Democratic opponent, Brian Poindexter,

Senate Republicans' top super PAC is pouring an extra $6 million into Michigan to attack Democratic Senate nominee Abdul El-Sayed. Why it matters: It's part of $12 million in new spending this month by the Senate Leadership Fund to defend Republican leader John Thune 's majority. It's an unusually early spend for Republican super PACs, which typically wait until September. Zoom in: SLF is launching the $6 million TV and digital campaign Wednesday to hit El-Sayed and bolster Republican Mike Roger

The Trump administration on Tuesday finalized a plan to cut off federal Medicaid funding for hormone therapy, puberty blockers and surgeries for transgender youths. Why it matters: The rule is the latest escalation in the administration's effort to limit transition-related care , which has tested the boundaries of executive powers and could undercut federal and state protections. States may still use their own funds to cover gender-affirming care for youth in Medicaid or the Children's Health In

President Trump's secret plane switch in Turkey is putting Air Force One's security protocols and defensive capabilities in the spotlight. Why it matters: Air Force One is the call sign for any Air Force aircraft carrying the president, meaning Trump's secret switch didn't change the designation — but it changed the plane protecting him. Driving the news: A threat from Iran forced Trump to secretly switch planes, using a catering truck to move to a smaller aircraft, per the Washington Post . Tru

Executive privilege can shield President Trump's communications with "private advisers" outside of the government, the Justice Department's Office of Legal Counsel concluded Monday. Why it matters: Democrats have been planning to bypass expected White House stonewalling by subpoenaing companies, colleges and private citizens if they win enough seats in November. The new opinion could create a new hurdle for Democrats should they retake Congress. "It really could be a pretty significant weapon" f

A coalition of more than 120 organizations, including Nvidia, Cisco and CrowdStrike, is proposing a new incident-reporting framework for AI agents that would require participating companies to disclose certain agent mishaps and preserve detailed records of what went wrong. Why it matters: As AI agents gain more autonomy to act across computer systems, the industry lacks a standard way to report security failures and learn from them. Driving the news: The Open Secure AI Alliance is developing gui

Many security leaders at major companies, flush with expanded budgets to fend off AI-powered cyberattacks , are experiencing a level of decision fatigue that's freezing them in their tracks. Why it matters: Those leaders are still trying to size up how autonomous cyberattacks will affect their businesses at a time when they need to be taking bold action and mobilizing quickly, experts told Axios. The big picture: Companies have only a short window before AI models capable of end-to-end autonomou

For years, America's economy has been defined by a " K-shaped " gap: The rich kept spending at a rapid pace, while everyone else struggled to keep up. That divide is suddenly narrowing. Why it matters: Economists warned that consumer spending growth was increasingly reliant on wealthy Americans, leaving the economy vulnerable to a stock market downturn or any other wealth shock. Importantly, the "K" appears to be closing from the bottom up, meaning that lower- and middle-income Americans are cat

Data: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics via FRED ; Chart: Emily Peck/Axios Memory chip prices are skyrocketing, thanks to AI demand, and there's no end in sight. Why it matters: "Chipflation" is pushing up the prices for electronic goods like smartphones and laptops, as well as the costs for cloud storage and hardware — it also helps explain the eye-popping ascents in semiconductor stock prices. While the overall effect on inflation may not be huge — other kinds of products get more weight in the

When Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez posted a video Saturday giving herself a shot in preparation to freeze her eggs, she instantly injected issues of fertility, family and feminism into political discourse. And some of the online backlash from the conservative right is making Republicans, including some in the White House, a little nervous. Why it matters: The New York Democrat's Instagram announcement — "Don't be weird about this, even though I know all of you will be," she said — dominated soci

Data: Major Cities Chiefs Association (MCCA) ; Chart: Russell Contreras/Axios Violent crime kept falling across many of the nation's largest cities through June, with homicides down 17.2% from the first half of 2025, according to preliminary data reviewed by Axios. Why it matters: The decline now spans two presidencies — it began falling under President Biden after the pandemic-era surge, and has kept dropping under President Trump . Trump came into office casting America as being overrun by cri

New revelations about "rogue" AI agents have exposed a dystopian hazard: Give an agent a goal, and it may decide that hacking, deception or rule-breaking is worth the payoff. Why it matters: Billions of AI agents could soon be acting on behalf of humans across the real world, multiplying the consequences of every loophole, incentive and boundary they learn to exploit. Zoom in: The potential dangers of agentic overreach were laid bare over the weekend with Australia's first known autonomous AI ha

Move over, data centers. AI's climate impact may extend well beyond the electricity it consumes. Why it matters: A new peer-reviewed study finds AI could help produce more oil and natural gas — and produce a climate impact the authors argue could far outweigh the technology's benefits for renewable energy. Driving the news: The research, just published in a Nature journal, concludes AI's role in boosting oil and gas production would outweigh its climate benefits from accelerating renewable energ

Taylor Farms , a major produce supplier and producer of finished food products in North America, is engulfed in a food safety crisis that's ensnaring some of the biggest consumer brands in the U.S. Why it matters: The company — a critical supplier to stores like Walmart and Target and restaurants like Chipotle and Taco Bell — is connected to FDA investigations into multiple pathogens that have sickened thousands of people. Catch up quick: Taylor Farms is recalling finished food products containi

The congressional town hall is becoming an endangered species. Why it matters: August recess once meant lawmakers returning home to face constituents — sometimes friendly, sometimes furious. After a wave of explosive confrontations last year, many lawmakers have stopped them altogether. Rep. Mike Flood (R-Neb.) is among the dwindling number of lawmakers who still regularly subject themselves to the traditional, open town hall. "You've got to show up in the town square and answer the questions. I

President Trump issued an executive order Monday calling for fewer childhood vaccinations, splitting the childhood MMR vaccine into three shots and delivering vaccines at separate medical visits. Why it matters: Controversial vaccine policy changes are roaring back ahead of the midterms . The executive order states that "the combined MMR vaccine should be administered in three separate single-disease shots once such products are domestically available and that, to the maximum extent feasible, al

While analysts speculate whether Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) will launch a Senate or presidential bid, she's planning another part of her future: having kids. The big picture: Few prospective parents are weighing a White House bid, but Ocasio-Cortez is among a growing number of people freezing their eggs to preserve the possibility of having children later. Context: Jessica Ryniec, a Boston-based OB/GYN and reproductive endocrinology and infertility specialist, tells Axios she sees "m

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) will soon remove nuclear material stored at a clandestine site in Syria after the Trump administration reached understandings with Syria and Israel, according to Israeli and U.S. officials. Why it matters: The Trump administration and IAEA scrambled to reach a diplomatic agreement to secure the material and prevent an escalation involving Israel, Syria and possibly even Turkey over the sensitive site. U.S. officials say the episode validates Presiden

A U.S. Appeals Court said Monday that thousands of lawsuits targeting Meta Platforms , ByteDance's TikTok and other social media outlets over claims that social media is harmful and addictive can proceed. The big picture: Tech companies have thus far skirted major regulatory scrutiny at the federal level, but the lawsuits suggest it isn't immune to heavy court penalties, which can be just as, if not more, punitive in the long term. Driving the news: A Ninth Circuit panel dismissed Meta and TikTo

OpenAI is introducing a more cyber-permissive version of GPT-5.6 Sol to vetted defenders as it prepares companies for autonomous cyberattacks . Why it matters: The move comes just days after OpenAI said it was delaying the release of its forthcoming model, Astra, after it reached critical hacking abilities during safety testing. The big picture: OpenAI is unveiling GPT-5.6-Cyber while also expanding Daybreak , its program that gives cybersecurity defenders access to the company's cyber models an