Axios News

The most-aired ad in the closing stretch of Mississippi's Senate race features a Jeffrey Epstein survivor attacking GOP Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith for voting against releasing files related to the convicted human trafficker.Why it matters: In the past week, Hyde-Smith has been outgunned on the airwaves. AdImpact data shows that only one of the eight most-aired spots portrays her positively.Five of the ads either positively portray her Democratic challenger, Scott Colom, or attack Hyde-Smith for her S

Democrats will happily tell you how good they feel about retaking the House on Tuesday — just as soon as they stop hyperventilating into a paper bag.Why it matters: They've been burned too many times on Election Day to feel anything more than "nauseously optimistic," as one House Democrat put it to Axios.The polls point to a decisive Democratic victory on Nov. 3, yet fears of a massive polling error or some other eleventh-hour disaster are giving party members sleepless nights."One woman at a ra

The 2026 midterms have taken a deeply personal turn as campaigns use other people's family tragedies as political ammunition — sometimes over the objections of the families themselves.Why it matters: Some attack ads feature photographs of murdered children and anguished 911 calls, forcing grieving families to relive their worst moments.Georgia governor race: Republican gubernatorial nominee Rick Jackson used images of murdered 8-year-old Secoriea Turner and her mother's anguished 911 call to att

A tidal wave of litigation is catching up to Meta, leading to $42 billion in recent penalties and settlements, a powerful reminder to AI companies that they could face a court reckoning even when regulation lags.Why it matters: AI companies are racing to build better models and autonomous agents, but they don't enjoy the same legal protections that shielded web platforms for decades. The scale of the penalties Meta is facing offers a preview of potential legal exposure.The big picture: For years

Media is changing at AI speed: the open web deteriorating, search shriveling, LLMs rising, hyper-personalization surging, old revenue models breaking.AI threatens to finish what the algorithms started: wholly upending journalism as we know it. The only certainty: What follows will be as different as the pre- and post-digital eras.After studying and experimenting with AI for the past two years, we're placing a series of big bets on how serious journalism can flourish in an AI world.The big idea:

The White House is monitoring reports of a suspected plague case and a related quarantines in Russia, a Trump administration official told Axios on Sunday.Driving the news: Russian health authorities have taken precautionary measures in response to the death of a woman who worked at an anti-plague research factility, but have not confirmed that she contracted plague.What they're saying: The Trump administration "is aware, monitoring the outbreak, and assessing options," the administration offici

Two members of Iran's delegation to the UN General Assembly in New York were "kicked out" of the country on Saturday, several days after they were asked to leave, a U.S. official said. "Secretary Rubio means business. Two more members of the Iranian delegation were found still in New York long after the UN General Assembly had passed. They have now been kicked out of the country," the official said.Why it matters: It's the latest sign of tension between the two countries as diplomatic efforts to

Yemeni government forces backed by Saudi Arabia launched a counteroffensive against the Houthis on Sunday in an effort to win back territory from the rebel group, the head of Yemen's presidential council said in a speech. "We have exhausted all opportunities for deescalation with the Houthi militias," Rashad al-Alimi said.Why it matters: One of the key objectives of the operation is to regain control over the Bab al-Mandeb Strait, a vital artery for global trade and Saudi oil exports. When the H

LOS ANGELES — Voters could make history next month by giving the two largest U.S. cities something in common: South Asian immigrant democratic socialist mayors.Why it matters: Such a pairing would capture two forces reshaping urban America — its growing diversity and the Democratic Party's shifting ideological boundaries.New York, the nation's largest city, is already led by democratic socialist Mayor Zohran Mamdani.The challenger in Los Angeles is Nithya Raman, an Indian-born urban planner and

A closely watched Nvidia-backed startup called Reflection is preparing to shake up the AI race with a powerful open-weight system that could threaten Chinese upstarts and U.S. AI giants alike.Why it matters: The marriage of an American open-weight model and Nvidia GPUs would give individuals and companies a new, cheaper alternative to Anthropic, OpenAI and Google.Open models, designed to compete with Chinese rivals, can be harder to monitor and regulate than the Big Three so-called frontier mode

Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear signaled in an interview with Axios that he would put America's housing affordability crisis at the center of his campaign if he ran for president in 2028.Why it matters: It's the latest sign that Beshear, who just kicked off a national book tour, is moving closer to a bid for the White House.Driving the news: Beshear said the next president should pursue a massive housing initiative — with strict guidelines to ensure the money is spent quickly."There's a chance for th

Many of those who know Kamala Harris best think she ultimately won't run for the White House in 2028.Why it matters: What the former vice president decides to do is one of the biggest X factors in the next presidential contest: Early polls suggest Harris is the frontrunner to be the Democratic nominee, and if she opted out, it would scramble the primary.Zoom in: Over the past year, a surprisingly large number of former aides, surrogates and donors to Harris have told Axios they believe she won't

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said after a phone call with President Trump on Sunday that the two will meet this week on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York. Why it matters: The meeting comes as the White House works to broker an agreement between Russia and Ukraine to take reciprocal steps to deescalate and resume negotiations — and as fighting between the two sides has intensified in recent days. Zelensky's chief negotiator and the head of Ukraine's Foreign Intelligen

It sounds like the start of an only-in-D.C. joke:Three Republican power players walk into a bar for a freewheeling conversation. They unwittingly sit next to a liberal comic. She then skewers them in an Instagram post recounting their chat.Why it matters: It became no laughing matter for one of the Republicans —oilman Harry Sargeant — who's trying to improve his uneasy relations with the Trump administration, partly related to his business dealings in Venezuela.His rapprochement efforts were com

The long-promised personal AI assistant is finally arriving, with a suddenly crowded field of agents offering to run pieces of your everyday life.Why it matters: For years, tech's "personal assistants" were little more than voice-controlled search boxes. Rapid advances in AI are finally giving them the memory, judgment and autonomy to act on our behalf.Catch up fast: Chatbots answer questions. AI agents can actually do things — shopping, making calls, booking tickets, managing calendars and navi

President Trump said Sunday morning his proposed "triumphal arch" in Washington will become a dual-use facility housing snipers, drones and ammunition storage. Why it matters: The president is now framing construction of the arch as a national security issue — much like he did with the East Wing ballroom/military complex at the White House. What they're saying: "At the strong request of the United States Military, and for National Security purposes, I have agreed to convert the magnificent Trium

Data: Financial Modeling Prep; Chart: Erin Davis/Axios VisualsThe stock market soared during the first 20 months of President Trump's second term, but slightly underperformed the same period of his first term.Why it matters: Trump considers the stock market to be a proxy for the economy, even though many economists disagree.By the numbers: The S&P 500 rose nearly 27.6% between inauguration day and this past Friday's close, compared to 28.5% during his first term.The gap at 20 months is close

Persistent pump pain and pricey burgers mean this summer's last hurrah comes with a cost crunch.The big picture: Gasoline prices are almost certain to remain north of $4 per gallon over Labor Day weekend — a heavy travel stretch and the time when midterm election season intensifies.Driving the news: Labor Day gas prices are slated to be the highest on record, surpassing the previous one set in 2012, per market tracking firm GasBuddy and AAA.That's coming off a record-setting August, where the mo

The Trump administration is working on a post-war strategy focused on a regional effort to contain Iran and expand normalization of relations between Israel and its neighbors, according to two U.S. officials and two other sources with knowledge of the issue. Why it matters: While the plan is still in the early stages of drafting, it's intended to guide the U.S. approach in the Middle East after the Iran war ends and in the final two years of Trump's term. Two other big events loom over the plann

After winning an upset primary victory over a field of better-funded, establishment-backed rivals, Rep. Analilia Mejia (D-N.J.) is launching a super PAC to help other progressive underdogs do the same, Axios has learned.Why it matters: Mejia is adding to a growing constellation of new progressive super PACs trying to compete with cash-rich groups like AIPAC that back more moderate Democrats in primaries.It is all part of a strategy that has helped the left pull off a series of high-profile prima