In a closed-door meeting on Monday night, President Trump's top economic advisers promised GOP senators they would show their work on how they plan to deliver 3% GDP growth to help lower the cost of the "one big, beautiful bill."

Why it matters: The promise of a booming economy, even if it includes some shock therapy, is central to Trump's overall theory on how businesses and individuals can receive tax cuts while deficits simultaneously can be reduced.

• Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and National Economic Council director Kevin Hassett told Senate Finance Republicans last night they would share their plans later this week.
• "They were just very optimistic about how much growth we're going to have moving forward, and how popular this plan is and how important it is for our economic health," a senator familiar with the discussions told us.
• Some senators are willing to be persuaded that Trump can cut taxes and juice the economy like he did in his first term, but he has some work to do.

Zoom in: Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) is dealing with three GOP factions that are colliding over the Trump budget bill.

1. Debt hawks: Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.) and Bill Cassidy (R-La.) expressed their concerns about the overall amount of deficit spending. Johnson wants to return to pre-pandemic spending, and Cassidy has been publicly saying that if a current policy baseline is used, Congress must pay for it. (Thune embraced a current policy approach today.)
2. Free traders want to know if the administration's rosy economic assumptions would include the expected impact of Trump's tariffs, which he's expected to announce tomorrow.
3. Medicaid defenders: Moderate Sens. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) and Susan Collins (R-Maine) and others like Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) continue to question how deeply Trump and congressional Republicans want to cut Medicaid.

Between the lines: Trump officials are confident the real economy is faring much better than the equities market and they are optimistic that Friday's jobs report will show solid growth.

• Economic forecasters don't seem convinced. They continue to warn about the dangers of the reciprocal tariffs that Trump will announce.
• And the specter of stagflation — or the "S-word" as Axios' Neil Irwin calls it — is lurking.
• Senate leadership is barreling forward without the parliamentarian and hoping to vote on the new budget resolution this week. But Thune reminded senators they still need to make sure they have 51 votes.

The other side: Democrats are howling at the GOP's full embrace of using a current policy score to lower the cost of extending Trump's 2017 tax cuts.

• "The people who said they believed in fiscal discipline want to use funny money to give tax cuts to their billionaire buddies," Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) told Axios.
• "It is alarming to see — through press reports — that Republicans believe they don't need to defend their effort to hide the true cost of their multitrillion-dollar tax giveaways that will add trillions to the national debt while gutting programs hard-working families rely on," a spokesperson for Democrats on the committee said.

Russian president Vladimir Putin's close adviser Kirill Dmitriev is expected to visit Washington this week for talks on Ukraine with President Trump's envoy Steve Witkoff, two U.S. official tell Axios. He'll be the most senior Russian visitor to Washington since the 2022 invasion.

Why it matters: Trump said Saturday that he was "pissed off" at Putin for his recent comments on Ukraine and warned of economic penalties if Russia blocks his ceasefire push. The visit from Dmitriev is a chance to break the stalemate in negotiations.

• Dmitriev is the head of Russia's sovereign wealth fund and a senior member of Putin's negotiating team in the indirect ceasefire talks with Ukraine, which the Trump administration is mediating.

What they're saying: "His visit is part of ongoing efforts to get a ceasefire with Ukraine," a U.S. official said.

• CNN first reported on Dmitriev's visit.

Behind The scenes: Dmitriev is under U.S. sanctions, which the Treasury Department had to suspend for 7 days to allow the State Department to issue him a visa, according to a source with knowledge of the issue.

State of play: The indirect talks between Russia and Ukraine are stuck, U.S. officials say.

• While Ukraine agreed to all U.S. proposals for an unconditional ceasefire, and subsequently agreed to plans for a smaller-scale maritime ceasefire, the Russians laid out last week a series of new demands, including the lifting of some U.S. sanctions.
• The Russians made the new demands after three days of talks in Saudi Arabia — and after the White House had issued a statement saying Russia agreed to a ceasefire in the Black Sea.
• Russia's deputy foreign minister, Sergei Ryabkov, said on Tuesday that while Russia takes the U.S. ceasefire proposals seriously, they do not address the "root causes" of the conflict.
• National Security Council spokesperson Brian Hughes said Tuesday that Trump is frustrated with the Russian position but that talks continue.

A House Democrat is introducing long-shot legislation that would force billionaire Trump lieutenant Elon Musk and his staffers at DOGE to undergo routine drug testing, Axios has learned.

Why it matters: Rep. Mikie Sherrill (D-N.J.) cited a Wall Street Journal report from 2024 that alleged Musk has used illegal drugs including LSD, cocaine, ecstasy, mushrooms and ketamine as the impetus for her bill.

• DOGE spokespeople did not respond to requests for comment.
• An attorney for Musk told the Journal that Musk is "regularly and randomly drug tested at SpaceX and has never failed a test."

Driving the news: Sherrill's bill, a copy of which was first obtained by Axios, would require special government employees to undergo a drug test before they begin work and enter into a random drug testing program.

• Anyone who tests positive for certain illegal drugs would be barred from federal service for at least a year.
• Citing Signalgate, Sherrill said it is "more important than ever to protect the American people from the Trump Administration's reckless incompetence and blatant disregard for national security."

Between the lines: Musk and many DOGE staffers have been designated as special government employees.

• The Justice Department defines a special government employee as "anyone who works, or is expected to work, for the government for 130 days or less in a 365-day period."
• The title is usually used for subject-matter experts who are brought on to assist with specific projects.

What they're saying: "Those with access to sensitive information must be thoroughly vetted, clear-eyed, and exercise good judgment," said Sherrill, a former Naval aviator running for New Jersey governor.

• She argued the special government employees at DOGE should "be held to the same standard as other executive branch employees."
• That includes "conflicts of interest or passing a drug test to maintain employment or a security clearance," she said.

Reality check: Sherrill's bill is highly unlikely to become law any time soon as Republicans control both chambers of Congress and the White House.

Go deeper: Musk's DOGE days will eventually end, Trump suggests

Wisconsin voters on Tuesday will elect a single state Supreme Court member in a special election that will determine if the bench keeps its liberal majority.

Why it matters: The swing state race is the first major election in the U.S. since November and has become the most expensive judicial race in American history.

• The winning candidate will serve a 10-year term.

About the candidates

State of play: The election has become a proxy battle for greater partisan political fights in the U.S., although both candidates are technically nonpartisan.

• Off-year elections typically see lower turnout than midterm and presidential elections, but the race will show the power of President Trump's coalition.

Brad Schimel, a Waukesha County Circuit Court judge and former state attorney general has been backed by Trump and Elon Musk.

• If he wins, the court will have a conservative majority until at least 2026.

Susan Crawford, a Dane County Circuit Court judge, has received support from former President Barack Obama and billionaire megadonor George Soros.

• If she wins, the court will have a liberal majority until at least 2028.

Context: The primary, initially scheduled for February, was canceled because only two candidates filed to run.

• Liberals have held a majority since 2023.

Elon Musk's involvement

By the numbers: Musk has spent millions on the race.

• It's the most expensive state Supreme Court race on record, at $68.1 million total spent on advertising as of March 26, per AdImpact.

Between the lines: Musk on Sunday gave $1 million checks to two people at an event in an effort to turn out the vote.

• Wisconsin's Supreme Court justices unanimously declined to hear a lawsuit alleging that Musk's actions violated state law.

Abortion, redistricting, voting rules on the table

The big picture: The state's Supreme Court, as of March 14, had pending cases concerning abortion rights, voting rules and legislative redistricting.

• In 2023, a liberal justice won a Wisconsin Supreme Court seat by 11 percentage points, which reflected an adverse reaction to the Supreme Court's overturning of Roe v. Wade, Michael Waldman, president and CEO of the Brennan Center for Justice, wrote in March.
• "This year, Republicans want the debate to be driven by support for Donald Trump in a state he won just a few months ago," Waldman wrote.

Go deeper: Exclusive: Elon Musk group's playbook in Wisconsin's court race

Editor's note: This story has been updated with additional details.

Sen. Cory Booker's (D-N.J.) record marathon speech on the Senate floor won the floundering Democratic Party something it has desperately needed in the Trump era: attention and the applause of its base.

The big picture: Top Democrats believe they are in their deepest hole in nearly 50 years after losing the White House, Senate and House, and the party's base has grown impatient with leaders who haven't countered President Trump more aggressively.

• Booker said his speech highlights the "recklessness" of the Trump administration, which has plowed ahead with efforts to radically reshape the federal government and its workforce.

By the numbers: As of 7:30pm Tuesday ET, his livestream had more than 76,000 views.

• AP's stream of the speech over 156,000 views, and another on X had more than 879,000.
• Since his speech began Monday night, Google searches for Booker spiked 1,000% — to more than half a million queries.

Between the lines: For a party that's been struggling with approval ratings and direction, Booker's more than 24-hour speech could be a turning point.

• After months of people begging Democratic leaders to step up against Trump's agenda, Booker's grand gesture — which appears to have support from a wide swath of Democrats — could impact public sentiment.
• Booker's stemwinder was the rare incidence of Democrats stealing the spotlight from Trump, who has commanded nearly every news cycle since returning to office.

Zoom in: "Senator Booker's marathon speech on the floor of Senate is intended to do two things," said Shana Gadarian, professor of political science at Syracuse University, in an emailed statement Tuesday.

• "First, bring attention to the threat that Booker and Democrats argue that Donald Trump poses to the health of American democracy and the welfare of the American public and two, be a rallying cry for other Democrats to act boldly with whatever means they have," Gadarian said.
• "Members of the minority party have fewer formal tools to enact their preferred policies but, in the Senate, they can stop action from happening, they can bring issues on to the agenda, and they can embolden other people in the party and in the public to articulate their values," Gadarian added.
• "Democrats across the country have been calling for more aggressive ways to counter the president and Elon Musk but also a more a clear articulation for what the party stands for. Booker is heeding that call."

Zoom out: Booker said in a social media video posted before he took the floor at 7pm ET Monday that he's heard calls from across the nation for lawmakers to "do more" to "recognize the urgency, the crisis of the moment."

• The former presidential candidate said "we all have a responsibility, I believe, to do something different, to cause, as John Lewis said, good trouble."

Go deeper: Cory Booker's marathon speech ranks among the Senate's longest

Editor's note: This article has been updated with comment from Syracuse University Professor Shana Gadarian, with the latest viewing figures and to reflect Sen. Cory Booker's record.

National Security Adviser Michael Waltz and other senior officials used their personal Gmail account for government business, The Washington Post reports.

Why it matters: The administration's handling of sensitive information is already under scrutiny, and Gmail is even less secure than Signal.

Waltz used Gmail for things like his calendar and unclassified work documents.

• Those materials are not as sensitive as the attack plans at issue in Waltz's now-infamous Signal thread, but experts told the Post they still should be somewhere more secure than personal email.
• Another senior national security aide used Gmail for "highly technical conversations with colleagues at other government agencies involving sensitive military positions and powerful weapons systems relating to an ongoing conflict," the Post reports.

What they're saying: NSC spokesman Brian Hughes told the Post that Waltz copies his official email when pre-existing contacts send work-related items to his Gmail, to ensure compliance with federal records laws.

• "Waltz didn't and wouldn't send classified information on an open account," Hughes said.

The House voted Tuesday to defy House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) and force a vote on allowing members who are new parents to vote by proxy for three months.

Why it matters: It's a brutal loss for Johnson, who poured considerable political capital into trying to snuff out Rep. Anna Paulina Luna's (R-Fla.) efforts.

• Luna launched what is called a discharge petition, which can force a vote on any measure without the support of leadership if 218 House members sign on.
• Luna got the signatures — including a dozen Republicans — and the vote will have to happen by the end of the week.
• In a rare move, Johnson tied a provision killing the vote to unrelated Republican legislation prohibiting non-citizens from voting in federal elections.

By the numbers: A group of nine Republicans voted against Johnson, including Reps. Tim Burchett (R-Tenn.) and Mike Lawler (R-N.Y.), who had signed onto Luna's petition, as well as Luna herself.

• Reps. Will Kiley (R-Calif.), Nick LaLota (R-N.Y.), Jeff Van Drew (R-N.J.), Max Miller (R-Ohio), Greg Steube (R-Fla.) and Ryan Mackenzie (R-Pa.) also voted against Johnson's maneuver.

Between the lines: Johnson's tactics sparked considerable frustration from some rank-and-file lawmakers who felt he was being too heavy-handed.

• Miller, asked about his vote, told reporters: "I would ask [Johnson] why he tried to do this."

Zoom out: The fight over proxy voting has been roiling Republicans for weeks, creating some serious internal divisions within the GOP conference.

• Burchett told reporters that he was coaxed with promises of votes on his bills if he backed off supporting Luna.
• Luna herself left the right-wing House Freedom Caucus after the group tried to kill her discharge petition.

Editor's note: This story has been updated with additional reporting.

Senate Republicans are fully embracing the strategy of plowing ahead on President Trump's "one, big beautiful bill" by bypassing the parliamentarian on a crucial accounting matter.

Why it matters: Senate leadership and Trump want to make the 2017 tax cuts permanent without having to account for how much it would add to the deficit. Now, they're saying all they need is for Budget Chair Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) to decide that's what they're going to do.

• Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) backed the the argument, laid out by Graham, that Republicans don't need the Senate parliamentarian to bless the current policy approach during Tuesday's Senate GOP lunch.
• Graham is expected to release the language of the budget resolution as soon as Tuesday, according to GOP Whip John Barrasso (R-Wyo.).
• Senate leadership wants to move forward with a vote on the resolution this week.

Between the lines: There already have been early conversations with the parliamentarian about the current policy baseline idea.

• Democrats are planning to meet with the parliamentarian on Tuesday to argue against it.
• Republicans are now saying they don't need her input at all.

What they're saying: "We think the law is very clear and ultimately the Budget Committee chairman makes that determination," Thune told reporters after the lunch.

• "It's not a ruling by the parliamentarian. The Budget Chair gets to decide which baseline to use," Barrasso said, echoing Thune.
• "The power resides in the chairman of the budget committee," said Sen. Steve Daines (R-Mont.) after the lunch. "That's precedent."

Zoom in: The parliamentarian will still be a crucial decision maker when it comes to the details of what gets put into the sweeping reconciliation package.

• The reconciliation process allows the Senate to get around the filibuster, but it can only be used for budget-related measures.
• The parliamentarian has long decided on what can be passed through that process. She notably ruled against Democrats' efforts to provide protection for DACA recipients and raise the federal minimum wage.

A Salvadorian national living in Maryland legally was wrongly deported to El Salvador, the Department of Justice has admitted in court papers filed Monday.

Why it matters: The erroneous deportation of Kilmar Armando Abrego Garcia, first reported by The Atlantic, is the latest stumble by the Trump administration as it seeks to deport more people using questionable methods amid a declining pace of removals compared to the Biden administration.

The big picture: The Trump administration remained publicly defiant as its immigration crackdown exploded into a global spectacle, ignited by legally fraught deportation drives.

• In addition to challenges to President Trump's deportations to El Salvador, the targeting of foreign students allegedly involved in pro-Palestinian activism on college campuses is also facing lawsuits and protests.

Catch up quick: Court documents show that Abrego Garcia was stopped on March 12 by immigration agents who wrongly told him that his status had changed.

• Abrego Garcia had "withholding from removal" status, which means he was allowed to stay in the U.S. because of the likelihood that he'd face harm in El Salvador.
• The DOJ says he was questioned about gang affiliation and transferred to a Texas detention center.
• "On March 15, although ICE was aware of his protection from removal to El Salvador, Abrego Garcia was removed to El Salvador because of an administrative error," Justice Department attorneys wrote in a Monday filing.

Zoom in: Abrego Garcia's wife, a U.S. citizen, identified her husband based on his tattoos and head scars following a news article with a picture of detainees entering El Salvador's notorious Center for Terrorism Confinement (CECOT) prison.

• She's suing the Trump administration and asking a federal judge to order the federal government to request that El Salvador return Abrego Garcia.

Yes, but: DOJ lawyers say in court documents that there is little they can do to get him back from El Salvador.

• They are asking the judge overseeing the case to reject his family's petition, arguing that the Trump administration can't make the Salvadoran government release him.

The lastest: Vice President JD Vance on Monday posted on X, in a reply to podcaster Jon Favreau about the case, that Abrego Garcia was a gang member.

• "My comment is that according to the court document you apparently didn't read he was a convicted MS-13 gang member with no legal right to be here," Vance posted.
• "My further comment is that it's gross to get fired up about gang members getting deported while ignoring citizens they victimize."

Reality check: Abrego Garcia has not been convicted of gang-related crimes.

• He was accused in court, and it's unclear if any of his tattoos are gang-related.
• Other family members of detainees in El Salvador contend that these tattoos show the men are not gang members, but actually "family men" or sports fans.
• Some tattoos seen in photos are popular images of Chicano and Latino culture, not dangerous gangs.

Between the lines: The Trump administration's decision to deport the alleged gang members in defiance of a court order has set up a high-stakes legal battle that could test the limits of President Trump's power.

• Earlier this month, U.S. District Judge James Boasberg rejected the Trump administration's request to lift the temporary halt on the deportations.
• Inmates in these prisons have provided declarations of having no access to regular food and drinking water, rarely being allowed to leave their cells.
• They also have said they do not see daylight for days at a time and sleep upright due to overcrowding, Boasberg said.

History, they say, may not repeat but it rhymes. America's periods of high tariffs dating back to the 1800s carry eerie similarities to today's trade war escalation.

Why it matters: The history of post-tariff higher prices and weaker economic conditions offers some perspective for what might happen in the months and years ahead.

• Tariffs have historically resulted in retaliation, pain for agricultural interests, higher consumer costs, political backlash and currency chaos, according to a new briefing by a trade group that represents companies responsible for nearly all of U.S. footwear sales.

What they're saying: "Regardless of the era, the consequences of high tariffs and retaliations remain largely the same," Andy Polk, senior vice president of the Footwear Distributors and Retailers of America, tells Axios.

• "You could swap the names of the main actors and their quotes, justifications, and politics would remain basically the same."
• "Almost like a blind taste test, if you lay out the quotes, it would be hard to guess which person said what and when," adds Polk, who says he's a descendant of President Polk — who lowered tariffs in the mid-1800s.

Flashback: The 1890 McKinley Tariff imposed levies of roughly 50% on almost all imports, a policy aimed at protecting domestic industry from foreign industry.

• Several nations, including Canada, retaliated with tariffs on agricultural goods. The briefing cites a go-to expert on trade history, Douglas Irwin, whose book notes that Canada created stronger trade ties with Britain.
• Many economists had expected Canada would be so economically damaged that it would join the United States — a parallel to President Trump's "51st state" rhetoric.

The Smoot-Hawley Tariff, which raised the average tariff to almost 60%, resulted in higher sugar prices for the American public, to the tune of hundreds of millions of dollars, while tariffs on imported eggs soared, the briefing notes.

• The Trump 1.0 trade war in 2018 resulted in higher prices from a slew of consumer goods, including washing machines, clothing and furniture.

The intrigue: Rather than shy away from the history, Trump has openly admired former President McKinley for his trade policy. The 1890s were indeed a time of rapid industrialization.

• "President McKinley made our country very rich through tariffs and through talent," Trump, who recently restored McKinley's name to the nation's highest mountain peak, said last year.
• McKinley ultimately regretted imposing such high tariffs.

"We had no real income tax so tariffs were the main source of revenue, but it was a rather small federal government at the time," UC Davis economics professor Christopher Meissner, who wrote a recent paper on tariffs and manufacturing in the Gilded Age, tells Axios.

• But now "it's not necessarily the most efficient way of raising revenue to meet a modern economy's objectives," Meissner adds, noting that tariffs "would never" cover America's revenue needs.

What to watch: The embrace of trade protectionism might be too strong to completely reverse — one difference from years past.

• Trump's tariffs from 2018 held over into the Biden administration, though it's unclear what happens in a post-Trump era: The White House has already imposed more tariffs than in the entirety of Trump's first term.

Democrats on the House Oversight Committee sent letters on Tuesday to members of the Trump administration's Houthi air strike Signal group chat, requesting they sit for transcribed interviews about the national security breach.

Why it matters: The White House has remained defiant despite the bipartisan backlash and growing calls from members of both parties to investigate the breach.

Driving the news: Ranking member Gerry Connolly (D-Va.) sent letters to seven non-principal members of the Signal chat as part of Oversight Democrats' push to investigate the incident. Recipients included:

• Stephen Miller, White House deputy chief of staff;
• Alex Wong, deputy to national security adviser Mike Waltz;
• Mike Needham, chief of staff to Secretary of State Marco Rubio;
• Joe Kent, acting chief of staff to Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard;
• Walker Barrett, senior director of the National Security Council;
• Dan Katz, chief of staff to Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent;
• Brian McCormack, chief of staff to the National Security Council.

What they're saying: "Because you were reportedly one of the participants in the 'Houthi PC small group' chat, we require your participation in a transcribed interview to examine your involvement in this incident and other potentially reckless disclosures of highly sensitive national security information," Connolly wrote in each of the letters.

• Connolly asked Barrett and McCormack to confirm their participation in the interviews by April 7. The other recipients were asked to confirm their participation by April 15.
• Connolly then requested that each recipient appear for their transcribed interview on a different date in April and early May.

The big picture: The group chat was exposed when The Atlantic's editor-in-chief Jeffrey Goldberg was inadvertently added to it. He published two bombshell stories laying out how officials shared classified information about U.S. plans for bombing Houthi targets in Yemen.

• Waltz, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Vice President JD Vance took part in the discussion.

A government watchdog sued members of the president's national security team last week for alleged violations of the Federal Records Act.

• In a twist of fate for President Trump, the case is being overseen by U.S. District Judge James Boasberg — the same judge overseeing challenges to Trump's efforts to deport alleged members of a Venezuelan gang to El Salvador.
• Boasberg has ordered those in the group chat to preserve the messages.

Go deeper:

• The Atlantic publishes more Signal messages after Trump admin denials
• Who was in the Trump administration's explosive Signal group chat

Attorney General Pam Bondi has directed prosecutors to seek the death penalty for Luigi Mangione, the man charged with murder in connection to the killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson last year.

The big picture: Mangione's alleged crime and arrest sparked mass debate over America's health care system and attracted nationwide attention.

• Mangione has pleaded not guilty to murder and terror charges in New York.
• He is also facing federal charges of murder and stalking, but has yet to enter a plea.

Driving the news: Bondi characterized the alleged murder as "a premeditated, cold-blooded assassination that shocked America" in a statement released Tuesday.

• "After careful consideration, I have directed federal prosecutors to seek the death penalty in this case as we carry out President Trump's agenda to stop violent crime and Make America Safe Again," Bondi's statement read.
• The DOJ's release said its position was in line with Bondi's Feb. 5 memorandum on "reviving" and "strengthening" the federal death penalty.

The last federal execution was in January 2021, before the Biden administration imposed a moratorium on them.

• Trump, on day one of his White House return, signed an executive order directing the attorney general to "pursue the death penalty for all crimes of a severity demanding its use."

Flashback: Trump, who set records with a spree of federal executions during his first term, vowed before taking office that his Justice Department would "vigorously pursue the death penalty."

• His comment came after Biden commuted the sentences for most of the people on federal death row.

Editor's note: This is a breaking news story and will be updated with more information.

A Commerce Department requirement to have Secretary Howard Lutnick approve many NOAA contracts or extensions is slowing the agency's operations to a crawl, current and former NOAA staff tell Axios.

Why it matters: The requirement of Lutnick's approval on contracts and extensions over $100,000 also is having ripple effects for contractors around the country as some contracts expire or are canceled because the time to review them has elapsed.

• It's also raising the possibility that high-priority, previously-awarded contracts will be canceled or modified, depending on Lutnick's views.

Six current and former NOAA staff described dozens of contracts currently awaiting Lutnick's sign-off, with only a tiny fraction having been reviewed so far.

The other side: The department didn't immediately respond to a request for comment.

Zoom in: As severe thunderstorms rumbled along the East Coast on Monday, the National Weather Service faced the possibility of losing its ability to bring satellite and observational data into forecast offices in a timely manner, starting at midnight, current and former NOAA staff told Axios.

• Most spoke on condition of anonymity because they weren't authorized to speak with the news media or fear retaliation.
• The department had yet to sign off on an extension to a contract for Raytheon to maintain and help upgrade the software system that powers every Weather Service forecast office nationwide.
• Known as the Advanced Weather Interactive Processing System, or AWIPS, the system is the primary way that forecasters access weather data from satellites, radars, surface station observations and computer models.

If the contract was to expire — even temporarily — the AWIPS help desk would stop functioning. Data flowing to NWS offices, particularly satellite and observational information, could be subject to delays, two NOAA sources familiar with the matter told Axios.

• This could jeopardize the timely issuance of extreme weather watches and warnings.
• Forecasters would have been operating on a time delay, which could cost lives during severe weather outbreaks.

The intrigue: Even though a contract extension was signed a few hours before midnight, it rattled nerves among some inside and outside the agency.

• They said other NOAA contracts, such as one for satellite operators, have only been approved at the last minute, while others have gotten stuck in the process and led to contractor layoffs.
• Additional significant contracts, such as those for a new weather satellite, are likely to come up for review under this rule.

Contract reviews are affecting NOAA's offices, with a notice going out Tuesday that facilities services — including changing lightbulbs and adjusting the thermostat — have been suspended at NOAA headquarters' buildings in Silver Spring, Md.

What they're saying: "This is outrageously inefficient," Rick Spinrad, NOAA's administrator during the Biden administration, told Axios.

• "Secondly, I understand that the recommendations for approval are being vetted by newly replaced political appointees with zero technical experience," Spinrad said.
• "This is clearly an effort not aimed at efficiency, but rather at erosion of mission."

Between the lines: Raytheon won a $17.8 million last year to maintain and upgrade AWIPS, with options for contract extensions along the way.

• The company's involvement in AWIPS also extends to the start of the system two decades ago, and a 10-year, $269 million contract signed in 2017.
• Right now, each extension to this contract and others must be approved piecemeal.
• This is also affecting organizations NOAA funds for research, such as cooperative institutes in Colorado and Florida, among other contracts.

Scientists that staff NOAA's Hurricane Hunter flights often include several experts from these cooperative institutes, so funding hiccups could affect those operations that are considered critical to high stakes storm track and intensity forecasts.

• In addition to AWIPS, NOAA has several big-ticket items that have come down to the wire because of the $100,000 spending threshold.
• This includes procuring new C-130 Hurricane Hunter aircraft to replace its current aging fleet; moving agency IT operations to the cloud; and building and deploying expensive new weather satellites, each of which involve private sector contractors.
• A new, cloud-based version of AWIPS is in the works via a separate contract, as well.

Zoom out: The AWIPS close call also comes shortly after the agency laid off about 800 probationary employees, most of which were then rehired and placed on administrative leave pending the result of court cases.

• Further cuts of up to 1,000 employees are being planned, depending on the number of early retirements at NOAA.

What's next: Tornado season is just getting underway, and hurricane season begins on June 1.

Editor's note: Read the latest on Sen. Cory Booker's record-breaking speech here.

Sen. Cory Booker (D-N.J.) has held the Senate floor since 7pm ET Monday, promising to talk "as long as I am physically able."

Why it matters: Booker has been talking for around 23 hours, with pauses for questions from fellow Democrats — and he doesn't seem to be slowing down. He has less than two hours to go to break the record for the longest Senate speech.

• In a social media video posted before he took the floor, the former presidential candidate said he had heard calls from across the nation for lawmakers to "do more" to "recognize the urgency, the crisis of the moment."
• Booker's marathon speech is technically not a filibuster, which is "designed to prolong debate and delay or prevent a vote on a bill, resolution, amendment, or other debatable question."

Strom Thurmond's epic anti-civil rights filibuster

The record for the longest individual speech belongs to the late South Carolina Sen. Strom Thurmond — a Democrat at the time who later joined the Republicans. Thurmond spoke for 24 hours and 18 minutes in protest of the Civil Rights Act of 1957.

• Sen. Wayne Morse of Oregon previously held the record with a 1953 filibuster that lasted 22 hours and 26 minutes.

Flashback: Thurmond, according to a 2013 Vanity Fair review of reporting from the time, took steam baths every day to dehydrate himself in an attempt to hinder nature's call so he wouldn't have to leave the Senate chamber to use the bathroom.

• And Time magazine wrote shortly after his filibuster, NPR noted, that he temporarily yielded to a fellow lawmaker for a Congressional Record insertion to use the bathroom.
• The record for the longest multi-speaker filibuster was 60 days, when a faction of Southern lawmakers in 1964 attempted to block the Civil Rights Act.

Booker, without formally relinquishing the floor, has accepted questions from other Democrats, including Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) and Sen. Raphael Warnock (D-Ga.).

• While at the lectern, Booker has railed against the Trump administration's and Republican lawmakers' attacks on federal agencies and programs, including potential cuts to Medicaid.
• Murphy wrote on X that Booker had a Senate page remove his chair "to eliminate any temptation to sit down." That post was some 20 hours ago.

Alfonse D'Amato halts the Senate twice

Former Sen. Alfonse D'Amato (R-N.Y.) made history with two marathon filibusters: He spoke for over 23 hours in 1986 and over 15 hours in 1992.

• D'Amato, who lost his Senate seat in 1998 to Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), filibustered for 23 hours and 30 minutes over an amendment to a bill that would nix financing for a jet trainer aircraft.
• In 1992, he launched a "gentleman's filibuster" over plans to move typewriter factory jobs to Mexico.

Ted Cruz and Chris Murphy's modern marathons

Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) and Murphy each hosted notable marathon speeches.

• Cruz spoke for 21 hours and 19 minutes in 2013 in opposition to the Affordable Care Act, which NBC News reported at the time was the fourth-longest speech in the chamber's history.
• Beyond his criticisms of former President Obama's health care law, Cruz used his speech to read Dr. Seuss' "Green Eggs and Ham" and talked about Star Wars and White Castle.

And Murphy took to the floor for some 15 hours in 2016 to push for votes on gun control legislation.

• Booker said on Tuesday that Murphy had been with him throughout his whole speech, calling it a "full circle" moment, as he was his colleague's "aide-de-camp" during the 2016 filibuster.
• "His debt is paid, but I got fuel in the tank," Booker said.

Go deeper: The filibuster's evolution

Editor's note: This a breaking news story. Please check back for updates.

Sen. Cory Booker (D-N.J.) pressed forward with his marathon Senate floor speech Tuesday morning as his address surpassed the 15-hour mark, after vowing to speak "as long as I am physically able to"

Why it matters: Booker said his speech was intended to highlight the "recklessness" of the Trump administration, which has plowed forward with efforts to radically reshape the federal government and its workforce.

Catch up quick: Booker said in video posted to media ahead of his speech, which began Monday at 7pm ET, that he was heading to the Senate floor because President Trump and Elon Musk "have shown a complete disregard for the rule of law, the Constitution, and the needs of the American people."

• Booker's speech is unfolding as many Democrats feel pressure from their constituents to more aggressively challenge the Trump administration and its actions.
• Booker did take a few breaks overnight when colleagues jumped in to speak on the floor, but otherwise showed no signs of slowing down early Tuesday morning. "I'm rip-roaring and ready," he said.

What they're saying: "I rise with the intention of disrupting the normal business of the United States Senate for as long as I am physically able," Booker said at the start of his speech.

• "I rise tonight because I believe sincerely that our country is in crisis."
• Representatives for the White House did not immediately respond to Axios' request for comment in the evening.

Is Cory Booker still speaking?

As of 10am Tuesday, Booker's remarks were still going.

Between the lines: The speech isn't technically a filibuster.

• That's because filibusters are "designed to prolong debate and delay or prevent a vote on a bill, resolution, amendment, or other debatable question," per a Senate post.

What we're watching: Booker has a long way to go to challenge the record for the longest speech on the Senate floor.

• The record is held by the late Sen. Strom Thurmond (D-S.C.), who spoke for 24 hours, 18 minutes in protest of the Civil Rights Act of 1957.

Watch Booker's speech, via YouTube:

Flashback: Trump speech repeatedly rocked by Democratic disruptions

Editor's note: This story was corrected to reflect that Sen. Booker's speech began on Monday night (not Tuesday).

The European Union is ready to take "firm counter-measures" to respond to U.S. reciprocal tariffs, the president of the European Commission said Tuesday.

Why it matters: The world is on the brink of a historic trade war, one that threatens to spark a bout of stagflation with profound consequences for global economies.

What they're saying: "We have everything we need to protect our people and our prosperity," Ursula von der Leyen told the European Parliament. "We have the strength to negotiate, we have the power to push back."

• "Of course, there are severe issues in the world of trade, without any question," she acknowledged, listing problems like market access and theft of intellectual property.
• But she called for a collaborative solution to the problem.
• "Tariffs are taxes that will be paid by the people. Tariffs are taxes for the Americans on their groceries and their medication. Tariffs will just fuel inflation, exactly the opposite of what we wanted to achieve."

What to watch: Wednesday is President Trump's much-touted "Liberation Day," when he is expected to announce sweeping tariffs that could potentially impact most U.S. imports.

• "We are open to negotiations. We will approach these negotiations from a position of strength. Europe holds a lot of cards," von der Leyen said.
• "This strength is also built on our readiness to take firm counter-measures if necessary. All instruments are on the table."

Flashback: Europe already put forward retaliatory tariffs last month after the U.S. imposed levies on steel and aluminum imports.

• A tariff on U.S. whiskey prompted Trump to threaten a 200% tariff on European wines, which the U.S. alcohol industry has warned would be destructive.

By the numbers: The U.S. imported more than $600 billion worth of goods from the EU last year, and exported more than $370 billion in goods there in return, per the U.S. Trade Representative.

The Supreme Court on Wednesday is due to hear a high-profile case blending patients' rights with reproductive care access, stemming from South Carolina's move to block Medicaid recipients from getting care at Planned Parenthood clinics in the state.

Why it matters: At issue is whether Medicaid patients can freely choose their provider for any service — not just reproductive care. But the case has major implications for Planned Parenthood, which derives a significant chunk of its funding from the safety net program and is the biggest provider of abortion services in the country.

• It's the first abortion-adjacent case since President Trump's second-term inauguration, and his administration will play a prominent role, arguing along with South Carolina for the state's position.
• The case is being heard by the Supreme Court amid other efforts to defund Planned Parenthood, including freezing Title X family planning funds.

What they're saying: The case is "a political lightning rod, because it's Planned Parenthood," said Elizabeth Taylor, executive director of the National Health Law Program, which has written a brief in support of Planned Parenthood in the case.

• At its core, though, the case is about the rights of Medicaid enrollees, she said.
• "If Medicaid enrollees can't enforce the rights that the Medicaid statute creates, then those rights, you know, they're not real rights," she said. "It is essential to the effective working of the Medicaid program ... that when they aren't getting what they're legally entitled to, they can go into court and enforce those rights."
• On the other hand, South Carolina and its allies argue that Medicaid enrollees don't have the privilege to sue to enforce their rights as the law currently stands.

The big picture: A decision in favor of South Carolina could embolden more states to remove Planned Parenthood from their Medicaid networks. Texas, Arkansas and Missouri have already done so.

• Nearly half of patients who use Planned Parenthood health services have Medicaid coverage, according to the Planned Parenthood Action Fund. Shutting the provider out of Medicaid networks could effectively defund it — a longtime priority of conservative politicians and an explicit goal of Project 2025.
• Defunding Planned Parenthood would not only further curtail abortion access. It would also diminish the availability of primary care services provided by the clinics, including STI and cancer screening, birth control prescriptions, vaccines and mental health help.
• If the high court sides with South Carolina, it could pave the way for states to stop allowing hospitals that provide gender-affirming care to transgender patients to be paid by Medicaid, said Sara Rosenbaum, professor emerita of health law and policy at George Washington University.

Catch up quick: In 2018, South Carolina prohibited abortion clinics, including Planned Parenthood, from getting paid by the state's Medicaid program.

• Medicaid already cannot cover abortion care in most cases, but South Carolina's move stopped beneficiaries in the state from going to Planned Parenthood for birth control and other non-abortion health care services.
• Planned Parenthood South Atlantic and Medicaid enrollee Julie Edwards later sued the state in federal court. They argued that South Carolina's policy violates Medicaid enrollees' right to choose any qualified provider for their health care.

Zoom in: South Carolina is arguing that Medicaid enrollees don't have the right to sue their state in order to enforce their ability to see their preferred health provider.

• But Planned Parenthood posits that federal Medicaid law "unambiguously" allows enrollees to use the courts to enforce their right to choose a health provider.
• Nine health care provider trade groups, in a brief to the court supporting Planned Parenthood, said the freedom to choose a provider "can be pivotal in shaping the patient's treatment, overall well-being, and quality of life."

Between the lines: The Supreme Court sided with Medicaid beneficiaries in a similar case in 2023. That court ruled that nursing home residents can bring civil rights actions against providers over alleged abuses.

President Trump's global dealmaking blitz is facing new obstacles, with early optimism eclipsed by broken ceasefires, pissed-off allies and thinning patience at home and abroad.

Why it matters: Ten weeks isn't a long time in foreign policy. But it was Trump who promised instant results — and Trump whose "Art of the Deal" credentials are at risk if chaos consumes his early presidency.

Zoom in: Nothing has redefined America's relationship with the world like Trump's plans for sweeping tariffs, which will come to a head on Wednesday — or what he calls "Liberation Day."

• Leaders all over the world are seeking last-minute deals to avoid tariffs, while lamenting that Trump hasn't actually made clear what they could do to placate him.
• So instead, they're vowing retaliation — setting the stage for a massive global trade war that could plunge the U.S. and other countries into a recession.

"The old relationship we had with the United States based on deepening integration of our economies and tight security and military cooperation is over," said new Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney.

The big picture: Trump is barely 70 days into his term. He's scored early victories in getting Latin American countries to cooperate on deportation flights, including a high-profile prison deal with El Salvador.

• And he may still clinch peace pacts for Ukraine and Gaza, or win major concessions on trade from China or the EU.

White House assistant press secretary Liz Huston said: "President Trump is the master dealmaker, and in just two months, he has made more progress than Joe Biden did in years. Since President Trump's return to office, foreign leaders have flocked to the White House, announcing historic investments and restoring America's dominance on the world stage."

But on at least five fronts, Trump's ambitions for big international deals are hitting early hurdles:

1. On Ukraine, Trump campaigned on securing a deal to end the fighting within 24 hours — though now he claims that promise was "a little bit sarcastic."

• Trump did get Russia and Ukraine to the negotiating table, and to agree to stop bombing each other's energy infrastructure. But Russian President Vladimir Putin has cast doubt on the possibility of a peace deal any time soon.
• Trump said Sunday he was "pissed off" at Putin for his recent comments, and threatened additional oil tariffs if Moscow continues to stand in the way of a full ceasefire.
• He also fired a warning shot at Ukraine, after President Volodymyr Zelensky complained that the minerals deal Kyiv negotiated with the U.S. is "constantly changing."

2. On Gaza, Trump helped deliver a breakthrough before even taking office when his team worked with the outgoing Biden administration to secure a ceasefire.

• That truce is now over, and Israel on Monday announced it would massively expand its renewed ground operation in Gaza.
• Trump isn't actively pursuing his own proposal for the U.S. to displace Gaza's population to construct a new "Riviera." Instead, he's focusing on restarting talks to restore the ceasefire and free the remaining 59 hostages, Axios' Barak Ravid reports. Israeli and U.S. officials believe 22 of them are still alive.

3. On Iran, Trump issued an ultimatum demanding Tehran agree to a new nuclear deal within two months or face potential military strikes. That's led to further threats from both sides.

• Iranian leaders have rejected the idea of direct negotiations with the Trump administration, but left open the possibility of indirect talks.
• "If they don't make a deal, there will be bombing," Trump told NBC on Sunday.

4. On Greenland, Trump continues to insist that the U.S. "needs" to obtain the autonomous Danish territory, perhaps by military force.

• Vice President Vance laid out one path to a deal last week: Greenland votes for independence from Denmark, then signs a security pact with the U.S.
• The island's new prime minister announced a new coalition last week in part to unite against U.S. pressure.

5. On tariffs, it's unclear if Trump is actually using them as leverage to cut deals — as Wall Street once assumed — or if he wants the levies in place long-term.

• Blue chip companies have announced billions of dollars of investments in the U.S. to try to preempt the tariffs and get on Trump's good side — Exhibit A for why Republicans remain optimistic about his trade strategy.
• But countries uncertain of how to protect themselves from Trump's economic wrath are starting to look elsewhere.

In an extraordinary sign of how Trump's hardball tactics are reshaping the world, China, South Korea and Japan — three countries with deep historical grievances — agreed to respond jointly to U.S. tariffs, according to Chinese state media.

Rainstorms are getting more intense in many U.S. cities amid human-driven climate change, a new analysis finds.

Why it matters: More intense precipitation events can cause flash-flooding, landslides, dangerous driving conditions and other potentially deadly hazards.

Driving the news: Hourly rainfall intensity increased between 1970 and 2024 in nearly 90% of the 144 locations analyzed, per a new report from Climate Central, a research and communications group.

• Among the cities with an increase, hourly rainfall intensity rose by an average of 15%.

How it works: The researchers divided each location's total annual rainfall by its total hours of annual rainfall, using NOAA weather station data.

• That approach quantifies how much rain fell for each hour it was raining in a given year — in other words, rainfall intensity.
• Some locations were not included because their stations haven't consistently collected hourly precipitation data.

Between the lines: Human-driven climate change is resulting in warmer air, which holds more moisture and thus can drive more intense precipitation.

• Hotter temperatures also evaporate more water vapor from lakes, oceans and vegetation.

Zoom in: Wichita, Kansas (+38%), Reno, Nevada (+37%) and Fairbanks, Alaska (+37%) had the biggest gains in hourly rainfall intensity between 1970 and 2024, per the analysis.

• That Reno is in the top three underscores Climate Central's point that rainfall intensity is rising in places that are generally dry, not just those that get at least a decent amount of annual rainfall.

Threat level: Flooding costs the U.S. economy up to nearly $500 billion annually, by one estimate, and is creating "climate abandonment" zones as people flee for safer areas, Axios' Andrew Freedman reports.

• Researchers have also found that predominantly Black coastal communities may be particularly vulnerable to increased flood risk over the coming decades, Climate Central notes.

What's next: The group recommends that people stay aware of their area's flooding risks, and suggests homeowners carry flood insurance and improve their home's resiliency against flooding as able.

MAGA media is railing against an international "deep state" following a series of setbacks for overseas allies of President Trump.

Why it matters: Trump's loyal movement has sought to steadily expand its influence abroad, allying itself with right-wing parties and leaders in Europe, Latin America and Asia.

• Now, they're denouncing legal challenges faced by some of those allies and are egged on by a leader in the White House eager to intervene in other countries' affairs to enforce his worldview.

Zoom in: Marine Le Pen, the leader of a far-right French party, was convicted of embezzling European Parliament funds Monday and deemed ineligible to stand in French elections for the next five years. Trump called the verdict a "very big deal."

• "She was banned for running for five years, and she's the leading candidate. That sounds like this country," he added.
• Former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro is being prosecuted for allegedly staging a failed coup after losing reelection in 2022.
• Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is fending off corruption allegations while Israel wages war in Gaza.

Between the lines: The MAGAverse draws parallels between those cases and the criminal prosecutions of Trump before his return to office.

• At the same time, prominent Trump allies in the media are using the foreign case to attack U.S. judges for blocking Trump's executive orders.

What they're saying: "They'll do anything to stop a nationalist populist movement of Europe," well-connected podcaster Charlie Kirk said on his show Monday, while also raising the prospect that Trump could tariff France over the ruling.

• "This is exactly what Trump is facing here in the United States with these judges, with these radical judges," Steve Bannon, a top adviser in Trump's term, said on his "War Room" podcast.
• "We told you that the legal profession is kind of their last bastion that they own and control, whether it's in Brazil, whether it's in the United States of America, whether it's in France, in Israel they got the same thing."