Occupy Banksters & Crony Capitalism & GREED

DOJ concludes Epstein files review with release of 3.5 million records
Axios | April Rubin | 01/30/26

The Justice Department said Friday it was releasing the final tranche of Epstein files after a lengthy review, U.S. Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche told reporters at a news conference.

Why it matters: With the release, Blanche said the DOJ's obligations under the Epstein Files Transparency Act will be completed - more than a month after the congressionally mandated deadline for the department to vet and release materials related to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

In total, DOJ will release more than 3 million pages, 2,000 videos and 180,000 images on Friday. Its team sorted through more than 6 million records, Blanche said.

The records went through "multiple layers of review and quality control," Blanche said.

Zoom in: Members of Congress can request to review un-redacted portions of the files, Blanche said.

All women were redacted from photos and videos, Blanche said. Men were not redacted unless it was necessary in order to protect the privacy of women in the images or footage. ... ... ... Read more

Schumer, White House engage in 11th-hour talks on shutdown
Axios | Hans Nichols | 01/29/26

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) is directly engaged with the White House on a plan to avert - or shorten - a partial government shutdown, according to a person familiar with the matter.

Why it matters: The compromise, if agreed to, would pass five of the six appropriations bills and then fund the Department of Homeland Security with a short-term spending stopgap.

But with part of the government running out of money on Friday night, the timing remains tight, and a final agreement between Senate Democrats and the White House has not been reached.

The House would still need to approve the plan.

Driving the news: In talks that emerged overnight, Schumer is demanding that the DHS funding bill be separated from the minibus appropriations bill passed by the House last week, according to CNN and The New York Times. ... Read more

Younger Americans see U.S. dominance slipping to China
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Axios | Josephine Walker | 01/29/26

A quarter of young Americans think China has more global power and influence than the U.S., compared to 12% of Americans ages 65 and older, according to a new Carnegie Endowment for International Peace survey.

Why it matters: Political dysfunction, economic pressures and cultural exchanges are helping to reshape how young Americans measure global power - and America's place in it.

What they're saying: "Younger Americans are much less likely to see the U.S. as uniquely exceptional," Craig Kafura of the Chicago Council on Global Affairs tells Axios.

He says intercultural communication has exposed younger people to welfare programs abroad. ... Read more

Zuck's vision for an AI-powered workforce
Axios | Kerry Flynn | 01/29/26

Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg said 2026 will be the year "AI starts to dramatically change the way that we work," as his company flattens teams and provides AI tools to boost individual productivity.

Why it matters: Meta is under pressure to justify its aggressive AI spending as it predicts its capital expenditures could nearly double this year to a whopping $135 billion.

Zuckerberg is betting the returns will show not only in its consumer products and advertising business but also its workforce. ... Read more

Minneapolis killings cut short America's post-election apathy
Axios | Zachary Basu | 01/28/26

... The nationwide outrage over Pretti's shooting - just three weeks after Renee Good was shot by an ICE agent in the same city - captures how dramatically opinion has swung on Trump's immigration agenda.

More than 60 CEOs of Minnesota's largest companies - plus local sports teams and even Silicon Valley tech firms that courted Trump's favor - have publicly condemned the shooting and called for de-escalation and accountability.

More than half of Americans say they have "very little confidence" in ICE, according to a new Economist/YouGov poll - matching other surveys showing Trump's approval ratings on immigration at an all-time low.

The intrigue: Anti-ICE posts have exploded across social media, turning forums once focused on hobbies and escapism into hubs of political outrage, the Washington Post reports. ... ... ... Read more

US dollar sinks to its lowest level in four years
TheGuardian | Joanna Partridge | 01/28/26

Dollar drops against basket of currencies after Donald Trump brushed off concerns over slide.

The US dollar has fallen to its lowest level in four years after Donald Trump brushed off concerns over the currency's fall, sending investors fleeing to traditional havens including gold and the Swiss franc.

The dollar dropped by 1.3% against a basket of currencies after the president's comments on Tuesday, marking its fourth day of declines, then slipped by a further 0.2% on Wednesday morning.

"No, I think it's great," Trump said of the weaker dollar, during a visit to Iowa to promote his record on the economy. Asked whether he was concerned about the currency's slide, he told reporters: "I think the value of the dollar - look at the business we're doing. The dollar's doing great."

The greenback has tumbled by 10% over the past year, while Tuesday's fall was the largest one-day drop since last April, when Trump announced his sweeping tariff plans, marking a global market sell-off. ... Read more

How TikTok became a flashpoint in the ICE firestorm
Axios | Jason Lalljee | 10/28/26

Censorship allegations are mounting against TikTok as users find themselves unable to locate content related to ICE raids across the country.

Why it matters: People have been congregating on social media to share information related to the Trump administration's immigration crackdown - especially concerning ICE's killing of two civilians - with suppression concerns escalating across platforms like TikTok and Facebook.

Driving the news: California Gov. Gavin Newsom on Monday announced a probe into whether TikTok is violating state law by "censoring Trump-critical content." ... Read more

"It was a mess": Inside Trump's pivot on Minnesota
Axios | Marc Caputo, Brittany Gibson | 01/27/26

President Trump surged immigration forces into Minnesota earlier this month promising "reckoning and retribution."

Now he's sounding a rhetorical retreat.

Why it matters: The Saturday killing of protester Alex Pretti - and the videos showing how Trump's administration misrepresented it - drove the president to uncharacteristically de-escalate on Monday.

"It's f**ked, and POTUS knew he needed to unf**k it," an administration adviser told Axios.

Zoom in: Trump's most significant move came Monday morning, when he dispatched White House border czar Tom Homan to the Twin Cities - and essentially cut Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem out of the shambolic Minneapolis operation. ... Read more

The Trump officials in hot water over Minnesota shooting response
Axios | Avery Lotz | 01/27/26

Several Trump administration officials are facing bipartisan blowback after rushing to the airways and social media in the wake of the fatal shooting of Alex Pretti in Minneapolis.

The big picture: The White House has softened its tone and reshuffled its leadership in its Minnesota immigration crackdown as the political backlash has grown and public approval for the administration's aggressive immigration blitz has cratered.

It marked a departure from the heated rhetoric that DHS Secretary Kristi Noem and White House deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller used in the wake of Pretti's shooting death Saturday.

Catch up quick: After the weekend of chaos, Trump dispatched border czar Tom Homan to the Twin Cities and made a public show of talking with Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz (D) about deescalating the federal operation. ... Read more

Trump alienates America's allies | Washington Week PBS | 01/24/26 | 21:15

Why JPMorgan Chase became a top Trump target
Axios | Jason Lalljee | 01/26/26

President Trump on Thursday sued JPMorgan Chase and its CEO Jamie Dimon, the latest jab in the president's hot-and-cold relationship with the largest bank in the U.S. and the man who runs it.

The big picture: Trump has maintained a relatively cordial relationship with Dimon during his second administration, but the lawsuit escalates the president's ongoing war with banks, which he has claimed, without evidence, have discriminated against conservatives.

Driving the news: Trump sued JPMorgan and Dimon for up to $5 billion, alleging the bank improperly cut him off from financial services.

Trump's suit, filed Thursday, claimed that JPMorgan's "woke beliefs" led the company to distance itself from Trump and his "conservative political views," - an allegation Trump has maintained since the bank closed his accounts following the Jan. 6 Capitol riot.

The other side: JPMorgan Chase told Axios it believes Trump's suit has "no merit," and that it will fight the allegations in court. ... Read more

Breaks down Trump's first year back in office by the numbers | COURIER's @apiper13 | Instagram | 2 min

How AI swallowed tech lobbying in 2025
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Axios | Ashley Gold | 01/23/26

AI didn't just increase its footprint in Washington in 2025. It ate tech lobbying whole.

Why it matters: AI's ubiquity, quick growth and key role in helping America compete globally have shifted how the biggest and richest tech companies get what they want from D.C.

The big picture: Long-running fights over social media content and privacy have been eclipsed by national security and infrastructure debates around AI.

In Washington, conversations about how the most advanced frontier model companies, like OpenAI and Anthropic, should be regulated have been largely drowned out by the White House's desire to see them succeed. ... Read more

Jim VandeHei's note to his kids: Blunt AI talk
Axios | im VandeHei | 01/23/26

Axios CEO Jim VandeHei wrote this note to his wife, Autumn, and their three kids. She suggested sharing it more broadly since so many families are wrestling with how to think and talk about AI.

Dear Family:

I want to put to words what I'm hearing, seeing, thinking and writing about AI.

Simply put, I'm now certain it will upend your work and life in ways more profound than the internet or possibly electricity. This will hit in months, not years.

The changes will be fast, wide, radical, disorienting and scary. No one will avoid its reach. ... Read more

5 winners from Trump's Greenland climbdown
Axios | Zachary Basu | 01/22/26

DAVOS, Switzerland - A four-day Greenland crisis that roiled global markets, endangered the transatlantic alliance and dominated Davos ended Wednesday the same way it began: with a post on Truth Social.

Why it matters: Details remain thin on President Trump's "framework of a future deal" with NATO, but the immediate crisis appears defused in a way that allows virtually every party to claim a win - or at least take a breath. ... Read more

The rich are powering spending, with the U.S. economy in a danger zone
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Axios | Emily Peck | 01/22/26

The health of the economy increasingly depends on rich people spending money, a new analysis of government data finds.

Why it matters: That puts the U.S. in a fragile place because consumer spending drives growth - so the entire economy is now relying on a smaller number of people to keep things afloat.

Zoom in: The chart above illustrates what wonks call the K-shaped economy - where the rich keep doing better, and the rest fall behind. It's a divergence that maps out like the two prongs of the letter K.

By the numbers: 59% of all consumer spending now comes from the top 20% of income earners in the U.S., a near record high, according to a Moody's Analytics analysis of recently released numbers from the Federal Reserve. ... Read more

Snow survival 101: How to stay safe during a winter storm
Axios | staff | 01/21/26

A massive winter storm is expected to thrash a huge swath of the United States this weekend - with its impact extending from Texas all the way through New England.

Why it matters: More than half of Americans in the Lower 48 states will simultaneously experience some form of wintry precipitation this weekend, per the Washington Post.

That includes large chunks of Texas and the Southeast, areas ill-prepped for snow management and removal.

Even major coastal cities more traditionally suited to snow, like New York, Philadelphia, and Washington, D.C., haven't experienced a storm of this magnitude in a decade.

Snow survival 101

Prep for a disruption to daily life, especially if you live in an area that doesn't experience much wintry weather or you end up under the storm's bullseye. That could mean impassable roads or prolonged utility outages, so make sure food is stocked and batteries are charged. ... Read more

'Tone deaf, oblivious to history, insult after insult': Reaction to Trump's Davos speech | MSNBC | 01/21/26 | 12:00

Zelensky to meet Trump in Davos as U.S. envoys head to Moscow
Axios | Barak Ravid | 01/21/26

Ukrainian President Zelensky is planning to travel to Davos on Thursday for a meeting with President Trump.

Split screen: Zelensky plans to meet Trump in the Alps soon before White House envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner head to Moscow to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin. Both meetings will focus on Trump's peace plan for Ukraine.

The U.S. is close to agreement with Ukraine on the terms of that plan, but has so far had little clear success in getting Putin on board. The Russian president hasn't rejected the plan, but his public response to it has been less than enthusiastic.

The fact that Russia has yet to accept the 20-point plan is one reason the White House didn't want to sign a "prosperity plan" for Ukraine during the World Economic Forum in Davos this week. ... Read more

Trump’s Greenland Gambit Has Broken Brains Across Washington
Politico | Nahal Toosi | 01/21/26

resident Donald Trump may be backing down on his threat to seize Greenland, but his push for the island has already changed the way foreign policy is done in Washington and beyond.

EU chief warns there's no going back after Trump's Greenland threats
Axios | Zachary Basu | 01/20/26

DAVOS, Switzerland - The European Union's chief executive called for "permanent" independence from the U.S. on Tuesday, framing President Trump's hostility toward allies as a rupture on the scale of the 1971 "Nixon shock."

Why it matters: Ursula von der Leyen's remarks reflect the deep unease hanging over the World Economic Forum, where Trump arrives Wednesday amid an escalating crisis in transatlantic relations.

Trump's fixation on taking control of Greenland - and his threats to impose tariffs on allies who oppose the move - have jolted European leaders and become the dominant undercurrent of the Davos summit.

Overnight, Trump further inflamed tensions by posting alleged private messages from NATO chief Mark Rutte and French President Emmanuel Macron on Truth Social. ... Read more

The New Trump World Order | Leeja Miller | 01/19/26 | 21:29

2026 Debt Wall: $10 Trillion Matures & Foreign Buyers Vanish (Shocking Auction Truth) | World Affairs Update | 01/16/26 | 12:53

Europe weighs trade "bazooka" after Trump's tariff threat
Axios | Avery Lotz | 01/19/26

President Trump's pledge to tax eight NATO allies to force a deal on Greenland triggered swift blowback across the Atlantic, jeopardizing the U.S.–EU trade agreement Trump once called the "biggest deal ever made."

Why it matters: Trump's escalating fixation on the self-governing island has triggered the sharpest European economic threats since World War II in a test of whether the post-war alliance has a breaking point.

The latest: Trump threatened 10% tariffs starting Feb. 1 on France, Germany, the U.K., the Netherlands, Denmark, Norway, Sweden and Finland until the U.S. reaches a deal to buy Greenland. The tariffs would rise to 25% in June.

French President Emmanuel Macron and others have reportedly called for the EU to deploy its anti-coercion instrument, a 2023 tool never before used that could restrict American companies' access to the European single market. ... Read more

BlackRock chief Larry Fink warns Davos: Capitalism must evolve
Axios | Zachary Basu | 01/20/26

Fink, who inherits the mantle of "mayor of Davos" from WEF founder Klaus Schwab, is casting this year's forum as an elite gathering struggling for relevance in an age of populism and deep institutional distrust.

"Many of the people most affected by what we talk about here will never come to this conference," Fink will acknowledge.

"Prosperity isn't just growth in the aggregate. It can't be measured by GDP or the market caps of the world's largest companies alone. It has to be judged by how many people can see it, touch it and build a future on it." ... Read more

Davos sneak peek: Trump, Bessent bring American bravado to world stage
Axios | Mike Allen | 01/19/26

DAVOS, Switzerland - Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent will meet with Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng during this week's World Economic Forum, as part of a dominant administration presence capped by remarks by President Trump.

Why it matters: I'm told Trump administration officials plan to focus on economic growth, home ownership and peace through strength - in a deliberate contrast to past globalist fare more focused on DEI, climate and even eating bugs.

Zoom in: Bessent, who's leading the U.S. delegation on Trump's behalf, plans daily press conferences ahead of Trump's arrival on Wednesday. Bessent's themes will be "The Smart Money is on America" and "America First Trade is Transforming the World." ... Read more

Washington Week with The Atlantic full episode, Jan. 16, 2025 | Washington Week PBS | 01/16/26 | 26:46

Is Trump Right About Chicago? We Went To The Most Dangerous Parts To Find Out. | More Perfect Union | 01/15/26 | 24:33

Why NOBODY is buying U.S. national debt: Top Economist Explains | ProfSteveKeen | 01/19/26 | 19:15

Global trust data finds our shared reality is collapsing
Axios | Zachary Basu | 01/16/26

Democracy, markets and social cohesion all depend on some shared understanding of facts and legitimacy.

The 2026 Edelman Trust Barometer, set to be released Sunday, reveals deep cracks in that foundation.

Why it matters: The PR giant's massive annual survey suggests the global trust crisis has crossed a new threshold. Worldwide, people no longer accept the same sources, authorities or even the validity of the act of disagreement itself.

In the absence of trusted information, people are turning to family, friends and even their bosses to try and figure out the world. ... ... ... Read more

Trump threatens Insurrection Act for Minnesota
Axios | Torey Van Oot | 01/15/26

President Trump on Thursday threatened to deploy U.S. military forces under the Insurrection Act to Minneapolis if state officials don't stop protests against the sprawling immigration enforcement operation.

Why it matters: Every modern use of the Insurrection Act has come either at a governor's request or to expand civil rights protections over state objections. Trump would flip that script, sending troops against a governor's wishes to crush protests of the federal government's own actions.

The situation has grown increasingly tense amid a surge in ICE activity and last week's fatal shooting of Renee Good by an ICE agent.

The big picture: The Insurrection Act, which hasn't been invoked in decades, would allow the president to effectively bypass court rulings and tap authority scholars have warned is overly broad and ripe for misuse, Axios' Avery Lotz writes. ... Read more

Exclusive: Chamber of Commerce chief on America's "hinge point"
Axios | Neil Irwin | 01/15/26

The United States faces a fork in the road in which it can either embrace dynamic capitalism or tolerate stagnation, the leader of America's biggest business group will say today in a major speech.

The big picture: American business leaders see strains of thought in both major parties that they believe threaten the nation's economic vibrancy as the U.S. approaches its 250th birthday.

Suzanne P. Clark, president of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, will make a full-throated case for embracing the power of markets in the group's "State of American Business" event this afternoon, according to a prepared text seen first by Axios.

"Not only is this America's 250th year, but it is a year when competing visions for America's economic future are coming to a head," Clark will say, describing it as a "hinge point."

Voters are frustrated about affordability and job opportunities, and a growing number "are willing to throw out capitalism and try something different," she warns. ... Read more

Trump's heavy hand tightens grip on U.S. economy
Axios | Zachary Basu | 01/14/26

President Trump is reaching deeper than ever into the gears of the U.S. economy, attempting to harness state power to directly shape prices, markets, interest rates and corporate behavior.

Why it matters: The Trump administration's economic interventions - including its extraordinary criminal probe of the Federal Reserve - go far beyond typical electioneering.

Trump is trying to reverse his sagging approval ratings by brute force, leaning on populist instincts to deliver visible cost relief before November.

The result: institutional stability and capitalist norms - like so much else in the Trump era - are increasingly subordinate to raw presidential power.

Trump has denied knowledge of the Justice Department's criminal inquiry into Fed chair Jerome Powell, which is nominally focused on cost overruns from the central bank's renovation of its D.C. headquarters.

But Powell and his predecessors see the probe as the culmination of a months-long White House pressure campaign against the Fed, which has resisted cutting interest rates as fast as Trump wants.

"That jerk will be gone soon," Trump said of Powell during an economic speech in Detroit Tuesday. ... ... ... Read more

ICE shooting in Minneapolis has "no basis" for criminal rights investigation, DOJ says
Axios | Julianna Bragg | 01/14/26

Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche on Tuesday said there's "currently no basis for a criminal civil rights investigation," into the killing of 37-year-old Minneapolis mother Renee Nicole Good by an ICE agent, multiple outlets reported.

The big picture: The announcement is the clearest indicator yet that federal authorities aren't planning to probe the officer's conduct.

Federal investigators last week restricted Minnesota investigators' access to case materials and placed the FBI in sole control of the probe, prompting backlash from state leaders and local law enforcement.

The Justice Department did not immediately respond to Axios' Tuesday evening request for comment.

The intrigue: The move coincides with at least six prosecutors at the U.S. attorney's office in Minnesota resigning amid concerns over how the investigation is being handled. ... Read more

The world's great climate collapse
Axios | Amy Harder | 11/13/26

The climate agenda's fall from grace over the past year has been stunning - in speed, scale and scope.

Why it matters: Whether this collapse in climate-change ambition proves permanent or temporary will shape the planet - which is still warming in unprecedented ways - and trillions of dollars in global energy investment.

Driving the news: President Trump last week announced that he's withdrawing from the world's flagship climate treaty that's been in place for more than 30 years, making the U.S. the only country not to be part of it.

"There's no hand-waving about how 'We want to cooperate on climate,'" oil historian and S&P Global vice chairman Dan Yergin said in an interview. "It's, 'We're slamming the door on that issue.'" ... ... ... Read more

Jack Smith to testify publicly at House Judiciary hearing
Axios | Andrew Solender | 11/13/26

Former special counsel Jack Smith will testify publicly at a House Judiciary Committee hearing later this month, Judiciary chair Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) announced Monday.

Why it matters: Smith, who testified privately to the panel in December, has sought an open forum to defend his investigation into President Trump from Republican attacks.

"Mr. Smith steadfastly followed Justice Department policies, observed all legal requirements, and took actions based on the facts and the law," the ex-special counsel's lawyers wrote in a letter to the panel last month.

Driving the news: Smith will testify at a hearing on the morning of Jan. 22, Jordan announced in a press release Monday night.

He previously told the panel in closed-door testimony that that evidence his probe gathered found Trump was "the most culpable and most responsible person" for the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol. ... Read more

'I'm sick of stupid!' | Republican Thom Tillis' SCATHING message to Stephen Miller | The Mirror | 01/10/25 | 7:24

Most Americans are skeptical of Trump's Big Tech ties
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Axios | Ashley Gold | 01/12/26

A majority of registered voters are concerned about President Trump's close relationships with Big Tech companies like Google, Apple, Meta, Amazon and OpenAI, according to a new survey shared first with Axios.

Why it matters: Most voters say that tech companies wield too much influence in Washington amid Trump's full-throated embrace of AI and cozy ties with the industry.

What's inside: 49% say they think that Trump is carrying out a pro-Big Tech agenda when he makes AI policies, according to the poll from Morning Consult and nonprofit advocacy group Tech Oversight Project. ... Read more

The Jan. 6 insurrection
Washington Post | staff | 01/06/26

White House publishes website that rewrites history of Jan. 6 attack

The White House published a website Tuesday with a false telling of the Jan. 6, 2021, attack, underscoring President Donald Trump's years-long effort to reshape the narrative surrounding the day when a mob of his supporters violently overran the U.S. Capitol to stop the certification of Joe Biden's electoral college victory.

The White House website criticizes Democrats and some Republicans for engaging in what Trump has called a "witch hunt" against him after the Jan. 6 attack. Trump was indicted by a federal grand jury in August 2023 on four criminal counts, including conspiracy to defraud the United States, in a case investigating his involvement in the Jan. 6 attack and his efforts to overturn the 2020 election results.

Former special counsel Jack Smith, who led the federal prosecution of Trump, told a House committee last month that the president bears the bulk of the blame for instigating the attack and emphasized that crimes occurred at the Capitol that day for Trump's benefit. ... Read more

America's healthiest, least healthy states
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Axios | Mike Allen | 01/08/26

A state-by-state health report card, out today from the United Health Foundation, finds an array of encouraging signs for America: Rates for premature death, drug deaths, firearm deaths and homicides all fell. Rates of cancer screenings, physical activity and volunteerism all increased.

But rates of e-cigarette use and multiple chronic conditions increased. Homelessness and unemployment - socioeconomic factors that help determine the nation's health - rose.

Why it matters: America's Health Rankings - from the United Health Foundation, established by UnitedHealth Group - synthesize 99 measures of health and well-being, drawn from 31 data sources, to produce a "comprehensive portrait of health at both the national and state levels." ... Read more

Washington Week with The Atlantic full episode, Jan. 9, 2026 | Washington Week PBS | 01/09/26 | 26:46

Washington Week with The Atlantic full episode, Jan. 2, 2026 | Washington Week PBS | 01/02/26 | 26:45

The oldest living democracy on Earth isn't the United States | Instagram | | 2min

Feds bashed for "shocking" lockdown of Minneapolis ICE shooting probe
Axios | Brittany Gibson, Marc Caputo | 01/10.26

Former prosecutors and criminal defense attorneys are alarmed by the Trump administration's "highly unusual" decision to kick local investigators off the probe into the deadly ICE shooting in Minneapolis.

Why it matters: Politicians on both sides rushed to weigh in on whether the killing of 37-year-old Renee Nicole Good was justified. With so many officials making snap judgments - and the feds' lockdown of the evidence - widespread acceptance of the results seems unlikely.

"This is what a cover-up looks like," said Dan Gelber, former federal prosecutor and Miami Beach mayor.

"It's shocking to me that this is the route and the path that it's taking, because I do believe that it undermines the public trust in the government," said Eric Nelson, one of the defense attorneys for Derek Chauvin, a former police officer convicted in 2021 for the murder of George Floyd. ... ... ... Read more

The war for minerals, oil and AI
Axios | Marc Caputo, Madison Mills | 01/06/26

President Trump has offered a variety of reasons for his intense, pugilistic ambitions in Venezuela, Greenland and other hemispheric players.

But one tie binds them all: They hold many of the critical minerals essential to AI and defense technology - and therefore future global dominance.

Why it matters: Within two days of snatching Venezuela's leader, Trump administration officials and financial analysts began discussing that nation's vast array of mineral riches.

Along with tapping Venezuela's massive oil reserves, officials say, harvesting the country's rare-earth minerals could help stabilize its finances and help the U.S. blunt China's global stranglehold on those precious resources the chip industry needs. ... Read more

Trump to huddle with U.S. oil executives Friday on Venezuela
Axios | Ben Geman, Marc Caputo | 01/16/26

President Trump will meet Friday with U.S. oil executives at the White House as he presses the industry to invest in reviving Venezuela's production, multiple sources tell Axios.

Why it matters: Boosting output from the nation's dilapidated oil infrastructure will require massive outlays.

Friction point: Convincing the industry could be a heavy lift amid uncertainty about legal and fiscal regimes, security, as well as modest prices and opportunities elsewhere.

Friday's meeting is expected to include representatives from Chevron, Exxon and ConocoPhillips, the Wall Street Journal reports.

The companies have said little to nothing publicly about any potential plans for Venezuela. ... Read more

Trump's Greenland threats put transatlantic alliance on death watch
Axios | Barak Ravid | 01/07/26

Several hours after issuing an unprecedented statement against President Trump's threats to take over Greenland, the leaders of France, Germany and the U.K. stood side by side with Trump's top advisers in Paris and announced joint security guarantees for Ukraine.

Why it matters: The events of the last few days - in particular, Trump's renewed threats on Greenland in the aftermath of the Venezuela raid — left real doubts in Europe about whether the transatlantic alliance still exists.

A senior Trump adviser acknowledged there's deep concern in Europe about Greenland but stressed the administration's plans and discussions on this issue are in the very early stages.

"In any case the security guarantees to Ukraine and Greenland are two separate things," the Trump adviser said. ... Read more

Is the U.S. at war with Venezuela? Here's why the answer matters
Axios | Avery Lotz | 01/05/25

Secretary of State Marco Rubio insisted Sunday there is "not a war" with Venezuela despite the stunning U.S. raid that captured Nicolás Maduro and President Trump's announcement that America will "run" the country.

Rubio said the U.S. was instead "at war against drug trafficking organizations."

Why it matters: By framing Saturday's operation as law enforcement, not war, the administration argues it doesn't need Congress' permission to bomb a military base and capture a head of state.

The distinction, which some legal scholars dispute, determines what legal constraints apply, including the War Powers Resolution and the Geneva Conventions, which might protect Maduro as a prisoner of war.

President Trump has threatened a second strike, and administration officials have suggested the campaign may not stop in Venezuela. ... Read more

A congressman wants to criminalize insider trading on prediction markets
Axios | Andrew Solender | 01/05/25

A House Democrat is introducing legislation that would make it illegal for government officials to use online prediction markets to make bets on political events based on privileged information.

Why it matters: The bill comes in response to the huge profits some traders on Polymarket made betting on Nicolás Maduro's ouster shortly before the Venezuelan president was extradited to the U.S. on Saturday.

The trades - including one placed on Friday that netted one unknown individual more than $400,000 in profits - led to widespread speculation that gamblers were basing their bets on material non-public information. ... Read more

How the climate crisis showed up in Americans' lives this year: 'The shift has been swift and stark'
TheGuardian | Gabrielle Canon | 12/31/25

Guardian US readers share how global heating and biodiversity loss affected their lives in ways that don't always make the headlines

The past year was another one of record-setting heat and catastrophic storms. But across the US, the climate crisis showed up in smaller, deeply personal ways too.

Campfires that once defined summer trips were never lit due to wildfire risks. There were no bites where fish were once abundant, forests turned to meadows after a big burn and childhood memories of winter wonderlands turned to slush.

We asked Guardian readers to share some of the ways these changes have affected their lives this year, and how they've tried to adapt. ... Read more

2026 is AI's "show me the money" year
Axios | Ina Fried | 01/01/26

The AI model maker race will continue in 2026, along with more agents and a growing pressure on companies to prove AI can pay off in the real world, experts tell Axios.

Why it matters: AI may be both the current and next big thing, but success increasingly hinges less on being the "best" model and more on timing.

The big picture: Rapid progress by OpenAI, Anthropic, Google and others drove frequent leapfrogging — and fierce price competition - in 2025. That dynamic is expected to intensify next year and beyond.

"We're just gonna be in this constant race," Box CEO Aaron Levie told Axios. ... Read more