There's an unspoken, ugly rule of American politics: Do unto the other what they have done unto you.

• Simply put: Copy the payback, punishments and precedent-shattering techniques practiced by the other party — if they prove effective.

Why it matters: In 30 years of covering this city, it's hard to recall any controversial new power grabs or moves not growing commonplace in American politics.

• That's why impeachment threats ... governing by executive order ... and ever-expanding presidential power are as predictable as winter follows fall.
• They did it to us. So we'll do it, too — on steroids.

The big picture: President Trump didn't start this trend, by any stretch of the imagination. But he stretches the trend beyond imagination.

• We're in uncharted territory, a new frontier. Republicans should fully expect future Democratic presidents to use and build on all these norm-busting moves.

Trump's new techniques and tactics, likely to be adopted by future presidents, include:

1. Fire critics and perceived enemies. Trump is ousting people across the bureaucracy and not hiding his motivation — payback. In the past, presidents griped about hostile forces inside government, but rarely acted beyond one-offs. They assumed they lacked the power. But courts are validating a broader presidential authority than had been presumed. Incoming presidents usually fixate on the cabinet. Trump is paving the way for them to instantly resurface huge chunks of government with loyalists.
2. Punish media companies for critical coverage. Trump has sued several news organizations for stories or even interview edits he disliked. Some of these organizations are settling the cases, enticing Trump and others to make this a permanent weapon. The Pentagon said it'll "rotate" four major news organizations — The New York Times, NBC News, NPR and Politico — from their workspace on Correspondents' Corridor beginning Feb. 14, and cycle in several friendly outlets. That's a new level of carrot-and-stick.
3. Reward political allies with pardons. This has always been done, for sure — but in smaller doses. Trump's sweeping clemency for Jan. 6 rioters, including people convicted of attacking police, set a new precedent for protecting people who defend your politics. Combine this with former President Biden's preemptive pardon of family members and political allies, and it's hard to see any real limits on setting friends or allies free.
4. Impunity with immunity. Trump helped shape a Supreme Court that granted all presidents presumed immunity for official acts in office. That codified a level of freedom and presidential power some assumed — but was never solidified. Now, it is. Fully expect more cases codifying presidential power to land on the Supreme Court docket. Trump wields power with few perceived restraints. Others will follow, especially when they control Congress.
5. Presidential profits. Presidents and their families can start businesses — or even currencies — and profit without restriction or outcry going forward. They always could — but most steered clear of the appearance of a conflict or profiting off their power while in office. It was seen as beneath the presidency. But Trump started promoting a memecoin three days before taking office — with paper value that reached tens of billions — with little outcry. Most Americans didn't realize there are basically no limitations on presidents profiting off their reins of power through new businesses or business deals. Now, they do.

What to watch: Republicans currently rule Washington and the courts — so they're full, content beneficiaries of all of this. But what happens when Republicans are inevitably out of power? 

• Power in Washington has swung wildly for 20+ years — Biden had two years of all-Democratic rule ... after first-term Trump had two years of all-GOP rule ... after President Obama had two years of all-Dem rule ... after former President George W. Bush had full GOP control ... after former President Clinton had two years of full Dem control.

Reality check: There's an asymmetry between MAGA and the Democratic Party as it currently exists.

• Democrats have a religious devotion to norms and institutions that Republicans simply don't share, and it's a unique feature of Trumpism to despise the "Deep State," mainstream media, and checks on executive power.
• Biden campaigned in 2020 on restoring normalcy. The 2028 Democratic nominee might well take a similar tack — though four years of Trump could push the party in a more brass-knuckle populist direction.

The bottom line: History shows the next Democratic president, with a Democratic Congress, will likely use — and expand — many of these powers. Biden did it! Trump did it! So I shall do it, too!

• Axios' Zachary Basu contributed reporting.

Go deeper: "Behind the Curtain: Purges, punishments, payback."

Flights throughout the U.S. could experience "residual delays" Sunday morning due to a warning system outage, according to Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy.

The big picture: It is unclear if the outage was tied to the broad changes and deletions across federal sites, which led to several pages and datasets going dark.

• Duffy said in a Saturday night statement shared to social media that the Federal Aviation Administration is working to restore the temporary outage of the primary Notice to Air Missions system, which alerts pilots about hazards or "abnormal" information that would impact flight operations.
• Duffy said there is no impact on the National Airspace System because "a backup system is in place."
• "We are investigating the root cause and we will provide updates," he wrote.

By the numbers: There have been 599 delays within, into, or out of the country as of Sunday around 8:50am ET, per air traffic tracker Flight Aware.

• There have been 64 cancellations within, into, or out of the U.S.

Zoom in: The outage comes days after the fatal midair collision of a regional jet and Black Hawk helicopter in Washington, D.C., which marked the deadliest air carrier crash in the U.S. since November 2001.

Flashback: This is not the first time the Notice to Air Missions system, which communicates hazards like closed runways or airspace restrictions in real time, has gone down.

• In 2023, the FAA ordered airlines to pause all domestic departures after an outage.

Go deeper: What the data says about Trump's DEI air crash claims

Don't want to wait for that trendy bagel or fashion pop-up? You can hire someone.

Why it matters: More people are paying for line-standing services.

• Bookings for such jobs rose 18% at the end of 2024 compared to 2023, according to Taskrabbit data shared with Axios.

How it works: Users hire a line stander online — Taskrabbit rates average $27 per hour — and discuss details, like when to swap places in the queue.

Demand is especially hot in New York City, where Taskrabbit requests for someone to wait for reservations at Lucali, a star-studded Brooklyn pizzeria, surged 30% from September to October of last year.

The big picture: Gig workers aren't the only people in the waiting game, much to the frustration of some customers.

• Businesses in cities including New York, Washington, D.C., and Los Angeles offer similar services.

What they're saying: Savvy designer shoppers often recruit line sitters for sample sales.

• "When I reached out to my usual guy, he told me that he had 50 requests already for line sitters," NYC TikTok user Saheedat Abdul posted last fall.
• (She'd tried to hire someone to wait from 4 a.m. to 9 a.m. for The Row's luxury sample sale.)

And it's not just about exclusive items. Line sitters can wait at the DMV or city hall.

• Some even held spots at President Trump's hush money trial.

The other side: You can pay to skip the line nearly everywhere. But there might be mental health benefits to waiting it out, according to psychologist Maggie Mulqueen.

• "When we denigrate the act of waiting, we risk losing an important part of our shared humanity," she wrote for CNN in 2023.

The penny is seemingly immortal: Thousands of people have tried to kill it, but every time it has survived.

Why it matters: It now meets what might be its most formidable adversary yet, in the form of Elon Musk.

Driving the news: A post from the official DOGE account on X makes clear what everybody who has studied the subject already knows — that pennies are, quite literally, weighing down the American economy.

• "Few things symbolize our national dysfunction more than the inability to stop minting this worthless currency," wrote Caity Weaver in a 7,500-word jeremiad for the NYT Magazine last September.

By the numbers: The 240 billion pennies lying around the U.S. collectively weigh about 600,000 tons — the weight of three Nimitz-class aircraft carriers.

• The overwhelming majority of them made their way after being minted to some retailer, where they were given out in change. After that, they just stopped being used, because almost no one actually spends pennies.
• In fact, cash broadly is increasingly rare as a form of payment. Only about 16% of payments are made in cash, per the Federal Reserve banks, and cash is no longer the most popular form of payment even for purchases under $25.
• Then there's the cost — in fiscal 2024 the U.S. Mint reported each 1-cent penny cost 2.72 cents to produce, the 17th consecutive fiscal year the coin cost more to make than it was worth.

The big picture: The penny is such an anachronism that many of the original arguments for its abolition can now be applied to nickels and dimes, too.

• The last time the U.S. discontinued a coin was in 1857, when the half-cent sensibly disappeared. That coin was worth almost twice as much as a contemporary dime.

For the record: A DOGE spokesperson, asked whether they intend to abolish the penny, responded with "Shouldn't you ask Treasury?"

• Treasury didn't respond to a request for comment.

The bottom line: Dimes and smaller denominations serve no useful purpose. In a rational country, the nation's pockets would be weighed down with them no longer.

The future of the Gaza hostage-release and ceasefire deal is hanging on the outcome of a meeting between President Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that is set to take place on Tuesday at the White House, three Israeli officials told Axios.

Why it matters: Netanyahu reluctantly agreed to move forward with the first phase of the deal between Israel and Hamas. Families of the hostages — and Israeli negotiators — are concerned he won't follow through to the second phase as he fights for political survival.

Israeli officials told Axios that Netanyahu is waiting to see where Trump stands on the second phase of the deal — which is supposed to lead to a permanent ceasefire, and a full withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza — before he makes any decisions.

• Indirect negotiations between Israel and Hamas on the second phase are supposed to begin Monday. But there's already a major gap: Hamas wants to end the war and stay in power in Gaza. Israel opposes ending the war as long as Hamas is still in power in Gaza.
• Netanyahu hopes he'll be able to influence Trump's thinking and convince him to endorse his plans for the war in Gaza, the officials said.
• One Israeli official said that if Netanyahu decides not to move toward the second phase of the deal, the implication could be at least another year of war in Gaza in an attempt to topple Hamas.

Driving the news: Israeli officials say the negotiations won't start on Monday, as outlined in the deal, because Netanyahu decided not to send the negotiations team to Doha before he meets with Trump on Tuesday.

• Netanyahu is expected to arrive in Washington on Sunday evening.

The Israeli Prime Minister's office said Netanyahu spoke on the phone with White House envoy Steve Witkoff on Saturday.

• "They agreed that the negotiations on the second stage of the hostages deal will begin at their meeting in Washington this Monday, the 16th day of the agreement, within the framework of which they will discuss the Israeli positions," the statement said.
• The office said that later in the week, Witkoff will speak with the Prime Minister of Qatar and the director of Egyptian intelligence, who are mediators in the negotiations.
• "He will then discuss with the Prime Minister steps to advance the negotiations, including dates for the departure of delegations to the talks," the prime minister's office said.

Behind the scenes: Netanyahu was supposed to hold a meeting on Saturday night with the heads of the negotiations team — Mossad director David Barnea, Shin Bet director Ronen Bar and Israeli Defense Forces Maj. Gen. Nitzan Alon.

• A senior Israeli official told Axios the negotiations team intended to present Netanyahu with a plan for beginning negotiations on the second phase of the deal, in an effort to push talks with Hamas in a positive direction.
• But shortly before the meeting was scheduled to begin, Netanyahu canceled it. He sent his military adviser, Maj. Gen. Roman Goffman, to notify the heads of the negotiation team that the prime minister decided not to send a delegation to Qatar at the moment, the Israeli official said.
• "Netanyahu made this decision without even holding a discussion with the negotiations team and hearing them out. He prefers not to do anything until the meeting with Trump," the official said.

Netanyahu's decision not to send the delegation to Qatar comes two days after he informed the heads of the negotiation team that his confidant, Minister for Strategic Affairs Ron Dermer, will take over as chief negotiator, two Israeli officials said.

• The officials said Netanyahu's reasoning was that the negotiations on the second phase of the deal are more political and strategic in nature, and are directly connected to the "day after" plan for Gaza that Dermer has been working on.
• Netanyahu said the negotiations will be conducted mainly with Witkoff, who is Dermer's counterpart.

But some Israeli officials think Netanyahu is trying to have full control over the negotiations, and marginalize the role of the heads of the security and intelligence services in the talks.

• A senior Israeli official said Barnea and Bar warned the prime minister that this change could harm the negotiations on the second phase of the deal, and emphasized that the talks are not with the U.S. but with Hamas through Qatar and Egypt.

What to watch: "The real serious negotiations over phase two will only begin after Bibi meets Trump," a senior Israeli official said. "Nothing meaningful will happen before that."

For many Black women, Trump's presidency isn't just a political reckoning — it's a wake-up call to turn inward, prioritize self-care, and build movements rooted in their own needs and empowerment.

The big picture: After overwhelmingly backing Democrats, many Black women are now stepping away from politics to focus on themselves and their communities.

State of play: "Our well-being, the well-being of our children and our communities, cannot be based on the whimsical nature of white folks or a particular political party," LaTosha Brown, co-founder of Black Voters Matter, told Axios on Friday.

• She said just as Black people realized during the Reconstruction era that they would have to take hold of their futures, building their own cities, churches, homesteads and banks, Black people have to do the same today.
• "I can't afford just to respond. I've got to reimagine," Brown said. "I can't afford just to fight. I've got to build."

Win With Black Women, a group that raised over $3 million for the Harris-Walz ticket in 2024, now aims to protect former Vice President Harris' legacy by "advancing Black women into leadership roles."

• "No matter who is in the White House, Black women will continue to champion the progress that Vice President Harris has led whether in our own neighborhoods, communities, or in Washington, D.C.," said Holli Holliday, a WWBW partner and president of Sisters Lead Sisters Vote.

As Nikki Frenney, a political influencer, put it, "Rest is resistance."

• She campaigned for Harris and created the viral AI graphic "92%" inspired by artist Navi' Robins — an image featuring an American flag and a woman in a 92% t-shirt, symbolizing the percentage of Black women who voted for Harris.
• Now, she's launching a 92% movement focused on wellness, economic empowerment, and cultural connections for Black people.
• "I believe we have to prepare ourselves for chaos that could be coming down the pipe, simply based on the previous four years that we had in the Trump administration," Frenney said before Trump's inauguration.

Then-Trump-Vance transition spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt (now the White House press secretary) told Axios Trump "will unify the country through success."

Catch up quick: Since then, Trump rolled back diversity, equity and inclusion and affirmative action programs.

• In response, corporations such as Target, Amazon and Boeing began rolling back DEI work that helped propel Black women and business owners into spaces predominantly occupied by white entrepreneurs.

What they're saying: Republicans control all three branches of the federal government, and "Now the guard rails are off," Frenney said.

Robins said "maybe they know what they're doing, whatever it may be, but in my mind, it's like at this point, we need to stop being martyred."

• He said it's time for America to see itself for what it is, with Black people having long been scapegoats for the country.
• "We're not the reason why any of this is happening," he said.

Zoom in: Brooke Floyd, director of programs for the Jackson, Mississippi-based nonprofit People's Advocacy Institute, told Axios the idea of turning inward to build your own community is one that has always been at the heart of her organization.

• People want to see Medicaid expansions, more comprehensive healthcare coverage, criminal justice reform and clean water, especially in Jackson following a water crisis, Floyd said.
• They have real concerns about public education funding reaching Black children.
• "We fight the issues and not the people," Floyd said.

Zoom out: Cicley Gay, a Black Lives Matter Global Network Foundation board member and philanthropic strategist with more than 20 years of experience, told Axios before the inauguration a lot of people are "reactive to what they believe a Trump administration will look like."

• "And as an organization, we're not going to obsess over him," she said.
• Gay canvassed for Harris and has been tasked with helping rebrand the Black Lives Matter nonprofit mired in financial controversy and division.
• "We are going to look far beyond this presidency," she said.
• She detailed her vision for "a future fully divested from policing and prisons and punishment paradigms, a future for BLM in particular that invests in justice, joy and culture."

More from Axios:

• Harris puts Democratic Party's "backbone" front and center: Black women
• Democratic activists shaken — and say they need a new plan

President Trump on Saturday imposed across-the-board tariffs on North American allies and China, which sparked immediate retaliation against domestic manufacturers.

Why it matters: After weeks of "will he or won't he," Trump opted for sweeping levies that could de-link economic ties with top trading partners. The impact on American consumers and businesses may be profound.

Zoom in: Mexican and Canadian imports are now subject to 25% tariffs — with the exception of energy from Canada, which will face 10% tariffs.

• The White House also announced additional 10% tariffs on for Chinese goods — many of which already face import taxes held over from Trump's first term.

What they're saying: The White House said the tariffs, which take effect on Tuesday, were a response to an emergency threat posed by undocumented immigrants and drugs.

• The Trump administration said the tariffs would remain in place "until the crisis is alleviated."
• The executive orders include clauses that say the U.S. may "increase or expand in scope" the tariffs if the nations retaliate.

Hours after the White House orders, retaliation started: Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced retaliatory measures that would put 25% tariffs on more than $100 billion worth of U.S. exports, including beer, food products and appliances. Some tariffs will begin to take effect on Tuesday.

• Trudeau also encouraged Canadians to buy locally-made products — skip Florida-made orange juice or Kentucky bourbon — and forego U.S. vacations.

What to watch: Business interest and lobbying groups, which have cheered Trump's expected deregulatory and tax policies, released a flurry of statements condemning the orders.

• The U.S. Chamber of Commerce, in a statement, warned the tariffs "will only raise prices for American families and upend supply chains."
• "The Chamber will consult with our members, including main street businesses across the country impacted by this move, to determine next steps to prevent economic harm to Americans."

Between the lines: The impact of the tariffs could be passed on to a wide range of everyday consumer products.

• Trump insists tariffs are not inflationary, though he conceded Friday they could cause "temporary, short-term disruption."
• The Tax Foundation estimated Friday that the proposed tariffs would effectively be a tax of $830 a year on the average U.S. household.

Case in point: Most of the U.S. supply of tomatoes, avocados and beer comes from Mexico.

• Auto parts, oil and gas are among the key Canadian exports to the U.S.

The intrigue: Trump is leaning on unprecedented authority to impose tariffs on the largest U.S. trading partners.

• The White House invoked the International Emergency Economic Powers Act, a Carter-era law that gives the president wide-ranging powers in an emergency.
• The law has never been tapped to impose tariffs and is likely to draw legal scrutiny.

The big picture: The announcement ends days of drama that left domestic industries guessing and sent financial markets reeling.

• Trump has demanded that Canada, Mexico and China curb the flow of fentanyl into the U.S. In the case of Canada and Mexico, he has demanded tighter border controls for immigration as well.
• It's unclear whether compliance with such asks would be enough to remove tariffs.

Flashback: The White House drew up a tariff plan for Colombian imports in recent days, threatening levies unless the nation agreed to accept flights carrying deported immigrants. When Colombia complied, the threats receded.

What we're watching: In effect, Trump has blown up the free-trade deal with Mexico and Canada, the USMCA, that he negotiated in his first term.

• These new tariffs set the scene for the beginnings of a new global trade war.

Editor's Note: This story has been updated with reactions to the executive order.

Trump world 2.0 is moving at a pace that can be hard to follow — and that's intentional. If you missed some key White House or Capitol Hill events of the week, we've got you covered.

The big picture: Donald Trump's second week in office included a surprise federal funding freeze Tuesday that prompted nationwide confusion and a shifting timeline on tariffs across U.S. imports from Canada, Mexico and China set for a Feb. 1 rollout, creating whiplash in financial markets Friday.

• As Axios' Erin Davis reported, much of Trump's activity in the last two weeks has involved a slew of executive orders — more than any modern president has issued in their first two weeks.
• Over in Congress, three of Trump's most controversial Cabinet picks had hearings before Senate committees this week: Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Tulsi Gabbard and Kash Patel.

Go deeper: Sign up for Axios' Hill Leaders for our ongoing coverage.

Federal funding freeze and worker buyouts

💰 On Tuesday, the Trump administration announced a surprise, temporary pause of federal grant, loan and other financial assistance programs, effective 5pm ET that same day.

• The move — which required agencies to document whether more than 2,000 programs received funding related to abortion, diversity, undocumented immigrants or climate policy — sent states, nonprofits, schools and other programs scrambling in confusion.
• By the end of the day, a federal judge had temporarily blocked the freeze.

💼 The Trump administration also offered Tuesday to pay federal workers who voluntarily resigned a buyout package that includes pay through Sept. 30, Axios' Marc Caputo and Emily Peck also scooped.

• Millions of workers received an email with the subject line "A Fork in the Road" — the same language Elon Musk used when purging X's workforce after he became owner.

Federal funding freeze

🎯 The White House on Wednesday backtracked on the funding freeze, rescinding the memo that had ordered the temporary pause, though asserting it was "NOT a rescission of the federal funding freeze."

• White House officials had said the freeze would not affect Medicare, Social Security or other direct assistance that Americans "rely on."
• But outages on various websites and the lack of detail or warning itself still caused chaos.

What's next: A federal judge temporarily blocked the funding freeze on Friday, citing a social media post from press secretary Karoline Leavitt as evidence the case should continue.

Trump blames DEI for plane crash

🕯️After the deadliest aviation crash the U.S. has seen in decades, Trump held a press conference Thursday at the White House as the cause remained unknown and a recovery mission was underway.

• Without evidence, the president blamed diversity, equity and inclusion policies and his Democratic predecessors for what he framed as a lower-quality aviation workforce. He later ordered a DEI review of all federal aviation hiring and safety decisions.
• Axios fact-checked the claims. Data shows air traffic controllers and airfield operations specialists are predominately male and white.

The collision between an American Airlines jet and a U.S. Army helicopter over D.C.'s Reagan Airport left 67 people dead across both aircrafts.

Go deeper: What to know about the plane crash victims

Tariff merry-go-round

🧮 Tariffs were coming on Saturday: 25% tariffs on imports from Mexico and Canada, alongside 10% tariffs on China.

• Then, they weren't, according to Reuters.
• But no, they still are, according to the White House.

No matter what, the tariffs will likely spark retaliation of an unknown magnitude, risking economic pain for businesses and consumer, Axios' Courtenay Brown reports.

DEI scrubbing on federal websites

👀 Some federal web pages tracking issues such as HIV prevention, climate change and transgender care went down as of Friday afternoon.

• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention sites or datasets were scrubbed of information on ending gender-based violence, contraception for health care providers and AtlasPlus, which housed HIV/AIDS, Hepatitis and STD.
• The list goes on.

More from Axios:

• Biden-era consumer agency head fired by Trump White House
• U.S. conducts strikes against ISIS operatives in Somalia

Ken Martin was elected on Saturday to serve as the next chair of the Democratic National Committee, putting him at the helm of a party trying to rebuild its image after a disappointing 2024 cycle.

Why it matters: Martin, the longtime chair of the Minnesota Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party, wants to help the party get "back to basics" with a revamped messaging strategy aimed at winning back working-class voters who have drifted to the right.

• Martin, considered a favorite heading into the Saturday vote, beat out fellow midwesterner Wisconsin Democratic Party chair Ben Wikler and half a dozen other candidates.

Driving the news: In the crowded race for DNC chair, Martin's pitch zeroed on his winning record as chair of the Minnesota DFL. In the 14 years in charge, his party did not lose a single statewide race, giving him a 25-0 record.

• Martin wants to take his winning state record to the national level, a message that clearly resonated with Democrats still reeling from losses up and down the ballot on Nov. 5.
• "My record is unrivaled and unmatched in terms of winning elections and building power around the issues we care about," Martin told the Minnesota Reformer.
• Martin demonstrated his strong fundraising prowess as DFL chair, a skill that he'll now need to leverage at the national level. Fundraising is one of the biggest jobs for the DNC chair.

Between the lines: As a longtime party leader and DNC vice chair, Martin locked up support among party officials across the country but bigger names were split over who to support.

• Wikler drew the public backing of former Speaker Nancy Pelosi and other big names like Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer.

The big picture: The race for DNC chair comes after an election cycle that put President Trump in the White House and Republicans in control of both houses of Congress.

• As DNC chair, Martin will help lead the party's strategy and messaging, including by appearing on media himself to represent the party.
• He will also have influence over setting the order for the 2028 Democratic primary, which could see Minnesota moving up its spot in the calendar.

Go deeper: Minnesota DFL chair Ken Martin in the running to lead DNC

Axios' Torey Van Oot contributed reporting.

The U.S. military conducted an air strike on Saturday against ISIS operatives in Somalia, President Trump said.

Why it matters: This is the first military action Trump has ordered since assuming office as commander-in-chief 10 days ago.

Driving the news: "I ordered precision Military air strikes on the Senior ISIS Attack Planner and other terrorists he recruited and led in Somalia," Trump wrote on Truth Social.

• He said the ISIS operatives were hiding in caves and "threatened the United States and our Allies."
• Trump claimed the airstrike destroyed the caves and "killed many terrorists without, in any way, harming civilians."
• Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth said in a statement the strike in the Golis mountains was conducted by the U.S. military Africa command in coordination with the government of Somalia.
• He said the Pentagon's initial assessment is that "multiple operatives were killed in the airstrikes and no civilians were harmed."

What they're saying: "The message to ISIS and all others who would attack Americans is that "WE WILL FIND YOU, AND WE WILL KILL YOU!", Trump wrote.

America has never witnessed so many people purged or punished by an incoming president so quickly. White House sources tell us this is just the beginning.

• On Friday night, a Defense Department memo said four major news organizations — The New York Times, NBC News, NPR and Politico — will have to move out of their longtime workspace on Correspondents' Corridor in the Pentagon, an unprecedented move, under a new Annual Media Rotation Program for Pentagon Press Corps.
• "Hope those hit pieces on Pete were worth it," a source close to Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, but not involved in the decision-making, told us.

Why it matters: President Trump long promised to oust and punish people his administration deemed political enemies or unfair critics. His administration is doing this faster, deeper and wider than many in Washington expected.

• Democrats on the Hill are warning that Trump is sometimes acting outside the law — and without regard for government services Americans rely on, and for the American tradition that a president must be subject to checks, balances, scrutiny and criticism.

The big picture: The danger in moving so fast, so wide is losing vital, seasoned talent in hard-to-fill, essential governmental roles. It sets a precedent for future presidents to quickly remake the government in their image or ideological mold — and extend the power of the presidency.

• Trump advisers see this much differently, of course. They argue the government is filled with anti-Trump activists and bureaucratic lifers who can be eliminated with little cost. The depth and breadth of actions in the first two weeks show the results.

Zoom out: In the first 12 days of Trump II, the president also revoked clearances and government security protection for several former officials.

• In a move with city-by-city repercussions across America, Trump temporarily froze trillions of dollars in federal grants and loans. A second federal judge, in Rhode Island, on Friday ordered a temporary pause.
• Trump also offered about 2 million federal employees the chance to resign and get paid through Sept. 30 under a "deferred resignation deal."

Zoom in: This is unprecedented territory for Washington governance. Take the early strikes against the FBI and its role in investigating and prosecuting those involved in the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol.

• Not only did Trump take the unprecedented step of pardoning virtually all involved, including violent criminals. His team is hunting down those involved in the probe, ousting many. Some of these prosecutors and officials didn't choose the case but were assigned to do it, did their job, and moved on.

Acting Deputy Attorney General Emil Bove identified more than a half-dozen FBI senior executives who were ordered to retire or be fired by Monday, AP reports.

• Bove asked for the names and titles of FBI employees who worked on investigations into the Capitol riot — a list the bureau's acting director said could number in the thousands.
• "Forcing out both agents and prosecutors who worked on Jan. 6 cases would amount to a wide-scale assault on the Justice Department," the N.Y. Times notes (gift link).

Then consider the Friday night announcement about Pentagon workspace for top news organizations. Every administration has the option of who gets seats and who doesn't.

• But the message to mainstream media was unmistakable and not masked. The Pentagon said invitations will go out to the New York Post, One America News Network and Breitbart (Trump-friendly outlets), plus Huffington Post (which doesn't have a Pentagon correspondent and didn't request a space).
• NBC News said in a statement: "We're disappointed by the decision to deny us access to a broadcasting booth at the Pentagon that we've used for many decades. Despite the significant obstacles this presents to our ability to gather and report news in the national public interest, we will continue to report with the same integrity and rigor NBC News always has."
• NPR said in a statement to Axios: "This decision interferes with the ability of millions of Americans to directly hear from Pentagon leadership, and with NPR's public interest mission to serve Americans who turn to our network of local public media stations in all 50 states. NPR will continue to report with vigor and integrity on the transformation this Administration has promised to deliver. NPR urges the Pentagon to expand the offices available to press within the building so that all outlets covering the Pentagon receive equal access."

The bottom line: Moves like this are designed to send signals and make plain the consequences of tough coverage.

• Go deeper: Some federal websites go dark.

Editor's note: Updates with NPR statement.

President Trump spoke on Saturday with Egyptian President Abdul Fatah el-Sisi to discuss his idea of moving Palestinians from Gaza to Egypt and Jordan in order to rebuild the enclave.

Why it matters: Trump's comments about moving Palestinians from Gaza alarmed the Egyptians, who see the transfer of Palestinians from Gaza to their territory as a threat to national security. Trump's plan would also involve forcibly displacing two million people.

• At the beginning of the war, when Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu raised this idea, Sisi made it clear that such a move would jeopardize the peace agreement between Israel and Egypt.

What they're saying: Cairo confirmed the call and said Sisi invited Trump to visit Egypt as soon as possible in order to "strengthen strategic relations between the two countries and discuss the complex issues and crises facing the Middle East," as well as to participate in the opening of the new Egyptian Museum.

• Trump extended an open invitation to Sisi to visit Washington, the Egyptian presidency said.
• Sisi's spokesperson said the call was positive and the leaders discussed "the importance of continuing to implement the first and second phases of the Gaza ceasefire deal in order to stabilize the ceasefire."

Driving the news: Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One last Saturday that he wants Jordan and Egypt to take Palestinians from Gaza into their territory "temporarily or long term" while Gaza is being "cleaned up."

• U.S. officials said Trump's comments were connected to the immense destruction in Gaza and the need for a huge rebuilding effort.
• White House envoy Steve Witkoff told Axios this process could take 10-15 years and stressed that currently Gaza "is uninhabitable."

Over the last week, Trump has spoken three times in public about his idea of moving Palestinians from Gaza to Egypt and Jordan.

• Trump said he believes Egypt and Jordan will eventually agree to take Palestinians from Gaza to reciprocate for the assistance they have received from his administration over the years.
• Egypt was the only country other than Israel that received a waiver from Trump's decision to freeze all U.S. foreign aid.

The other side: Sisi and Jordan's foreign minister both said publicly in recent days that they oppose Trump's idea.

• On Saturday, after a meeting of their foreign ministers in Cairo, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Qatar, Egypt, Jordan, the Palestinian Authority and the Arab League issued a joint statement rejecting Trump's idea.
• "The participants stressed the importance of the international community's concerted efforts to plan and implement a comprehensive reconstruction process in the Gaza Strip, as soon as possible, in a way that ensures the Palestinians remain on their land," they wrote.
• The Arab foreign ministers stressed they oppose any attempt to infringe on the rights of the Palestinians in Gaza to their land "through evacuating that land of its owners through displacement or encouraging the transfer or uprooting of Palestinians from their land in any way or under any circumstances or justifications."
• They added that such a move will threaten stability, continue the conflict in the region and "undermine the chances of peace."

Keith Siegel, an American citizen who was held hostage by Hamas for 484 days, was released on Saturday as part of the Gaza ceasefire deal.

Why it matters: Siegel is the first American hostage who was released by Hamas since November 2023.

• Six American hostages are still held by Hamas, two of them are still alive.

Driving the news: Siegel, 65, was kidnapped by Hamas from his home in the Kibbutz of Kfar Aza during the October 7 attack with his wife Aviva Siegel.

• Aviva Siegel was released in the first hostage deal in November.
• Two other Israel hostages — Ofer Kalderon and Yarden Bibas — were also released on Saturday.
• Bibas' wife and two babies were also kidnapped by Hamas on October 7. Hamas claimed they have been killed while in captivity by an IDF air strike. The IDF didn't confirm that. They are still held in Gaza.

What we're watching: American hostage Sagui Dekel-Chen is expected to be released later this month as part of the first phase of the deal.

• American hostage Edan Alexander will be released only if Israel and Hamas reach an agreement on the second phase of the deal.
• Negotiations on the second phase are expected to begin on Monday.
• Four Americans who were killed on October 7 and their bodies taken to Gaza — Etay Chen, Omer Neutra and Judi Weinstein and Haggai — will only be returned on the third phase of the deal.

State of play: About 180 Palestinian prisoners, among them those who were convicted of murdering Israelis, were released on Saturday.

• As part of the ceasefire deal, the Rafah crossing was opened for the first time on Saturday after almost a year of being shut down.
• 50 wounded Palestinians, including children, left Gaza through the crossing on Saturday for medical treatment in Egypt.
• The crossing was opened without any Hamas involvement and with Palestinian staffers who are affiliated with the Palestinian Authority together with European Union monitors.
• This is the first time the Palestinian Authority has resumed its activity in Gaza since the Hamas military coup in 2007.

Black History Month arrives under a new threat as President Trump aims to eliminate diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts and establish federal guidance against heritage months.

Why it matters: Conservatives argue Black history lessons induce guilt, while critics of Trump's agenda view the president's work as an effort to erase hard truths.

Driving the news: As every president since 1976 has done, President Trump signed a proclamation recognizing Black History Month on Friday.

Yes, but: The proclamation comes after weeks of targeting DEI initiatives through decision making and rhetoric. In his first days back in office, President Trump dismantled federal DEI programs, halting efforts to bolster diversity and inclusion.

• The executive order ended programs to bolster diversity and inclusion on the federal level in schools.
• The orders also signal possible legal challenges to private sector diversity efforts, a move civil rights groups say could dismantle decades of progress.
• Marc H. Morial, president of the National Urban League, called this an "assault on the Civil Rights Movement" and led discussions on a legal response.

When asked about reports that the Defense Intelligence Agency discouraged Black History Month programming to align with Trump's views on DEI, press secretary Karoline Leavitt noted the proclamation as the president's planned recognition of Black History Month.

• It touts the achievements of Frederick Douglass, Harriet Tubman, Thomas Sowell, Justice Clarence Thomas and Tiger Woods.

The big picture: What some see as an effort to erase "wokeness" and diversity efforts (DEI), is a battle over how America accepts, acknowledges or edits its past.

The push to erase Black history isn't theoretical—it's already happening.

• The Tuskegee Airmen, once American heroes, nearly became collateral damage in a political battle. The Air Force initially tried to remove their references from its curriculum but reversed course days later.

Zoom in: Edmond W. Davis, a scholar of the Tuskegee Airmen, says their legacy should not be swept into DEI politics.

• "For the men and women of the Tuskegee Airmen, this isn't DEI—it's plain old history. Military history. American history," Davis said.
• He argues their contributions stretch beyond race: "We focus heavily on African Americans, but there were also women, Latinos—the first wave of civil rights pioneers before MLK and Rosa Parks even got up. They were fighting."

Zoom out: Some historians argue Black history is being framed as controversial, much like the fight over critical race theory. Attempts to minimize it distort historical truths, skew public understanding, and turn facts into political weapons, they argue.

Martha S. Jones, a history professor at the Stavros Niarchos Foundation Agora Institute at Johns Hopkins University, argues that although DEI restrictions, anti-wokeness, book bans, and curriculum limitations restrict access, history cannot be erased.

• "As heinous as book bans are, they're not making history disappear," she says. "The fight over history has always existed, but so has the resistance."

Jones highlights Carter G. Woodson, who created Negro History Week in 1926, decades before Ford's proclamation and its expansion to Black History Month—not due to wide acceptance, but because history was suppressed.

• Black History Month was not a government gift; it was a hard-won effort by Woodson during Jim Crow.
• "Woodson didn't wait for permission," Jones said. "He established institutions, authored books, and ensured Black history was told despite barriers."

The bottom line: Jones said it is important to remember that "no one gave us permission" to have Black history.

• "I don't want to be cheeky, but I have news for folks who imagine they can declare Black History Month done," she said. "Black folks have been told that before, and we have persisted. We will persist. We will continue to know our history, research our history, teach our history, capture our history, and celebrate our history."
• "It doesn't live in the White House. It lives in us."

Editor's note: This article and headline have been updated to provide additional details and clarity about President Trump's Black History Month proclamation.

President Trump and his allies —including the online right, Vice President Vance and Sen. Tom Cotton — are mobilizing to try to boost Tulsi Gabbard's nomination as director of national intelligence.

Why it matters: The MAGA machine that helped Pete Hegseth narrowly win confirmation as defense secretary last week is now focused on Gabbard. Trump's team believes she faces the most headwinds of any of his current Cabinet nominees.

• "We feel OK about Tulsi's chances," one senior White House official told Axios. "But we want to feel better."

State of play: Trump plans to start making calls to Republican senators on the Intelligence Committee, where Gabbard faced tough questions Thursday about her past views questioning surveillance tactics and defending Edward Snowden.

• Losing just one GOP vote on the committee — which includes nine Republicans and eight Democrats — could sink her confirmation.
• Gabbard refused to call Snowden a "traitor" for leaking secret intelligence documents before ending up in Russia. That appeared to bother Sen. Todd Young (R-Ind.), whom Trump's team is most worried about.
• But Gabbard seemed to please another swing-vote Republican, Sen. Susan Collins of Maine, by saying she wouldn't ask Trump to pardon Snowden. Collins' reaction was a relief to Trump's team because of her penchant for bucking the president more than most other GOP senators.

If that sounded like a deal in the making, Trump's team wasn't ruling it out.

• "The president isn't really talking about pardoning Snowden, but if that's a guarantee they want to get Tulsi confirmed, the president will have those conversations," the White House adviser said.

Catch up quick: Trump has been in a feud with the U.S. intelligence community since his first administration. He sees Gabbard — a former Democratic House member from Hawaii with similar disdain for the so-called "Deep State" — as a disruptor and change agent.

• Trump's Day 1 executive order, "Ending the Weaponization of the Federal Government" specifically calls on the director of national intelligence to "review the activities of the intelligence community over the last 4 years and identify any instances" of political prosecutions and investigations.

Zoom in: Vance and his team worked closely with Gabbard on her presentation to the committee. And Vance, a former Ohio senator, has been Trump's go-to representative to the Senate for all of his prominent nominees.

• Cotton, the Arkansas senator who chairs the intelligence panel, committed to getting Gabbard the votes she needed. The two are friends from their days serving in the House.
• The Senate Republican Conference, also led by Cotton, has turned its X page into a pro-Gabbard "war room," an operative involved in the process noted.
• Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) said it's unlikely Gabbard would get a full vote by the Senate if she doesn't win a majority of the votes on the Intelligence Committee.

Zoom in: Many MAGA diehards outside of the administration also are pushing for Gabbard because they see her — and Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Trump's Health and Human Services nominee and another former Democrat — as representing how Trump is growing his coalition beyond the GOP.

• Gabbard and Kennedy were dubbed "Blue MAGA" in Trump world because of the key roles they played on the campaign trail, touring the country on Trump's behalf.

Donald Trump Jr. also has been involved in touting the pair. He told Axios in a written statement that both are "highly qualified" and are "also vital to the GOP's new governing coalition."

• "Unfortunately, there are still a few establishment Republicans in the Beltway who don't seem to get that," he said. "I think they are severely underestimating the backlash that would occur from our voters if either of them were blocked from being confirmed."
• Tucker Carlson, Judicial Watch's Tom Fitton, and Turning Point Action's Charlie Kirk also are pushing Gabbard on social media.
• "We are 100% serious," Turning Point Action spokesman Andrew Kolvet said in a statement. "GOP senators in red states will open themselves up to well-funded, well-organized primary challenges if they stand in the way of confirming the Cabinet the president wants and the American people voted for."

There is a wrecking ball coming for the norms of global trade.

• President Trump is expected to disrupt the largely friendly economic relationship between our North American neighbors with high tariffs that would blow up his own trade deal.
• He plans to up the ante on U.S.-China trade relations too and pledged more tariffs ahead.

Why it matters: Trade policy moved more slowly in Trump 1.0. The measures send a warning that this time tariffs will be broader, implemented faster and wielded to notch economic wins.

Between the lines: The trade orders expected Saturday put Trump's presidential campaign promises into motion.

• He will lean on untested powers — which might be tested in court — to impose tariffs and reshape trade in a way he believes will better serve the nation.
• Trump made a quick comment to reporters in the Oval Office Friday, one that offered an important peek into his trade war philosophy. He described putting up "a wall" to help shut out foreign competition and bring production of certain goods stateside: "The wall is a tariff wall."

The intrigue: The gamble risks damaging the economy and knocking the stock market boom off course. Then there are the unknown effects that might come from retaliatory measures.

• The expected tariffs hit 40% of U.S. imports, from avocados to auto parts to oil.
• Trump says the tariffs are a response to the incoming flow of fentanyl. In the case of Canada and Mexico, he claims insufficient control over immigrants entering the U.S.
• The tariff off-ramp is unclear; unlike Colombia, Trump said he isn't looking for concessions.

What they're saying: Trump's election win was helped by inflation-hating voters. The tariffs risk aggravating a problem he pledged to fix.

• Trump conceded "there could be some temporary short-term disruption, and people will understand that," a tacit acknowledgement that as tariffs come on, prices will rise — which he had just denied moments before.

Threat level: More than 60% of imported vegetables are from Mexico as of 2023, according to the Department of Agriculture.

• Even if a vehicle is manufactured stateside, the auto sector relies on inputs from Canada and Mexico.
• It's unclear how the higher cost of those goods will ripple through the supply chain — or if companies can adjust quick enough to skirt it.
• The Tax Foundation says tariffs on Canada and Mexico are like an additional $670 annual tax on U.S. households.

Science fiction writer Octavia Butler wrote in her 1993 novel "Parable of the Sower" that Feb. 1, 2025, would be a time of fires, violence, racism, addiction, climate change, social inequality and an authoritarian "President Donner."

• That day is today.

The big picture: This Black History Month, which begins this year on a day of Butler's dystopian vision, Axios will examine what the next 25 years may hold for Black Americans based on the progress in the first quarter of this century.

• Through her fiction, Butler foresaw U.S. society's direction and the potential for civil societies to collapse thanks to the weight of economic disparities and climate change — with blueprints for hope.
• Afrofuturist writers today interpret Butler's work as metaphorical warnings that appear to be coming true and a call to action.

State of play: This year, the month-long celebration of Black American accomplishments and perseverance will be commemorated amid uncertainty after the Trump administration ordered government agencies to end DEI policies.

• The move is confusing some agencies on whether Black history can even be acknowledged this year while the nation deals with rising hate crimes, the aftermath of California wildfires, a fentanyl epidemic and a new president who blames the country's ills on workforce diversity.
• Meanwhile, states like Alabama have passed bills limiting the discussion of race and Black history in public schools.

Zoom in: In "Parable of the Sower," the novel's 15-year-old protagonist, Lauren Olamina, writes a simple journal entry: Saturday, February 1, 2025: "We had a fire today. People worry so much about fire."

• What unfolds in the pages that follow is a dystopian world surrounding the gated, racially mixed, fictional community of Robledo, California.
• A new drug forces addicts to set fires to communities, who then rob and rape victims. Unhoused people roam the streets and are forced to steal to survive. Hurricanes, fires and violence push Americans to flee north to Canada.
• President Donner, like President Trump, promises to restore the country to its former glory.
• Racially mixed couples, like Olamina's Black/Chicano family, are vulnerable to attacks, and her parents, both PhD holders, have limited job opportunities.

Yes, but: Black, white, Latino and Asian Americans fall in love despite the racism outside the walls.

• They arm themselves and protect each other.
• They share history and books in defiance of attempted erasure.

What they're saying: "She was trying to warn us of a possible future that she saw coming if we did not change," Jesse Holland, editor of the anthology, "Captain America: The Shield of Sam Wilson," tells Axios.

• "With her predictions, we can see the awful visage of the future that is getting closer and closer every day."
• Holland said that includes the wildfires in California, the Trump administration moving away from Black History Month and the U.S. "seemingly not caring" about some of its citizens.
• "The hope in this is that we as a people in the United States have survived worse," Holland said. "We are a people of perseverance."

Zoom out: Butler often reminded readers she wasn't a prophet but part of a science fiction artist community asking "what ifs," Sheree Renée Thomas, author of the upcoming short story collection Mojorhythm, tells Axios.

• "She was looking at the racial dynamics and the class dynamics deepening and worsening over time. And she asked, 'If we don't solve any of these problems, what will society look like?"

The intrigue: Many scholars and readers believe the fictional community of Robledo is based on the actual community of racially mixed Altadena, California — a place leveled by the recent California wildfires.

• In the novel, Robledo is destroyed by a fire and then raided by scavengers and looters. So was Altadena.
• Butler is buried in Altadena. Her cemetery caught fire, but her resting place was spared.

A small jet crashed Friday evening after taking off from Northeast Philadelphia Airport and seven people have died, city officials said Saturday.

The big picture: The plane crash followed the country's deadliest aviation disaster in more than 20 years, when an American Airlines passenger jet carrying 64 people collided with a U.S. Army Black Hawk helicopter carrying three soldiers on Wednesday night outside of D.C.

Driving the news: In the Philadelphia collision, a Learjet 55 crashed around 6:10pm, the city said.

• The medical jet, operated by Jet Rescue Air Ambulance, took off from Northeast Philadelphia Airport and was bound for the Springfield-Branson airport in Missouri, and then Mexico.
• The jet was carrying a pediatric patient who had been treated at Shriners Children's Hospital in Philly, and who was returning home to Mexico with her mother, escorted by four crew members.
• "I know that the team there [at Shriners] in Philadelphia [Friday] had a sendoff for her," Mel Bower, a spokesperson for the hospital, told NBC10. "It's always a meaningful but yet emotional time for us. It's really just been compounded by the tragic ending."
• According to the city's statement, "Flight logs show the plane was in the air for only a minute before it crashed."
• A post on X from Mexico's Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated that the six people on the flight were Mexican nationals.

The latest: A motorist on the ground was killed and at least 19 others were injured, Mayor Cherelle Parker said during a press briefing Saturday.

• A spokesperson for Temple University Hospital told the Philadelphia Inquirer that it had treated and released three people, and three others were still hospitalized in fair condition.

State of play: All fires caused by the crash were extinguished, and the fire marshal was investigating those blazes, the city's Managing Director Adam Thiel said Saturday.

• Fire officials are going "door to door" canvassing homes over a four- to six-block radius for damage. The debris field could span several miles, officials said.
• Gas and electric officials are working to restore power to homes impacted by the crash. Parker encouraged residents to avoid the area, stay home and report debris to officials.
• Cottman Avenue between Roosevelt Boulevard and Busleton Avenue will be closed for an extended period of time, according to Philly's Office of Emergency Management. Drivers should avoid the area.
• The city has opened a shelter at Samuel Fels High School (5500 Langdon Street) in partnership with the Red Cross for anyone impacted by the crash.

Gov. Josh Shapiro said at a press briefing Friday night that the tragedy drew out "the best of Philly."

• "We saw neighbor helping neighbor."

What they're saying: "We heard an explosion and then saw the aftermath of flames and smoke," one eyewitness told 6ABC. "Common sense told me that I not get close to it and very quickly, just a cavalry of police and first responders. God bless them for going into harm's way."

Zoom out: Philadelphia International Airport and Northeast Philadelphia Airport are both open, according to a spokesperson for the airports.

• The FAA and NTSB will investigate the medical jet crash, officials said.

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

President Trump's planned tariffs could effectively tax the average U.S. household an extra $830 this year, an analysis from the nonpartisan nonprofit Tax Foundation finds.

Why it matters: Economists fear the tariffs will be a net negative for households and the broader economy.

By the numbers: The foundation estimated Friday that Trump's proposed 25% tariffs on Canada and Mexico, as well as 10% tariffs on China, would shrink the economic output of the U.S. by 0.4% and increase taxes by $1.2 trillion between 2025 and 2034.

• That's on top of recent data showing that tariffs could threaten Americans' economic gains of recent years.

Zoom in: The researchers also found that tariffs Trump levied during his previous presidency — and which former president Biden enacted during his own — have hurt the economy.

• The Tax Foundation's analysis suggests the first Trump administration imposed nearly $80 billion in new taxes via tariffs between 2018 and 2019.
• The Biden admin retained most of those tariffs, and last May, announced tariff hikes on an additional $18 billion of Chinese goods, including semiconductors, which the researchers said amounted to a tax increase of $3.6 billion.

Zoom out: The Tax Foundation previously found that both Trump's and Biden's tariffs raised prices, reduced output, lowered employment and produced a "net negative impact on the U.S. economy."

• In a letter to lawmakers last month, the Congressional Budget Office also estimated that the tariffs would spur price hikes on consumer goods, at least initially, though they added that after 2025, the tariffs would not have any "additional significant effects on prices."
• The CBO also noted that poorer households would experience the largest drop in purchasing power.

The bottom line: The ripple effects of Trump's tariffs may seem abstract and far off for many Americans, but that could change quickly.

A federal judge Friday temporarily blocked the Trump administration's bid to freeze federal spending, citing a social media post from press secretary Karoline Leavitt as evidence the case should continue.

Why it matters: Judge John J. McConnell Jr. of the federal district court in Rhode Island granted several states' requests to block the spending freeze, the second judge to halt the measure after a district court judge in Washington, D.C., also put the brakes on it.

• McConnell didn't buy the Trump administration's claim that a subsequent memo from the Office of Management and Budget ended the spending freeze, making the states' lawsuit moot.
• Instead, McConnell in his temporary restraining order quoted Leavitt's post on X that said President Trump's spending orders "on federal funding remain in full force and effect, and will be rigorously implemented."

Context: The Office of Management and Budget sent a memo to federal agencies Monday night directing them to "temporarily pause all activities related to obligation or disbursement of all Federal financial assistance."

• Several states, including New York, California and Massachusetts, sued to block the spending freeze.
• In a follow-up memo Tuesday, the White House said the pause wasn't "across-the-board" but instead only to target areas like federal diversity programs.

What they're saying: Citing the Impoundment Act of 1974, McConnell rejected the argument that freezing federal spending is necessary to ensure it aligns with Trump's political priorities.

• "The Executive Branch has a duty to align federal spending and action with the will of the people as expressed through congressional appropriations, not through Presidential priorities," he wrote.
• Further, McConnell said a temporary restraining order is warranted because Leavitt's X post suggests the Trump administration is still moving forward with the spending freeze.
• McConnell's restraining order also prohibits the federal government "from reissuing, adopting, implementing, or otherwise giving effect to the OMB Directive under any other name or title."