The Supreme Court seemed receptive to a woman's argument Wednesday she was discriminated against at work because she is heterosexual.

Why it matters: A ruling that allows the woman, Marlean Ames, to pursue the claim would open the door for men, white people, and heterosexual people to sue for job discrimination in the future.

• The court's receptivity to Ames' case comes as the Trump administration has purged DEI across the government, triggering legal fears for corporations, schools, and local governments across the country.
• Ames' case also comes in the shadow of the court's 2023 ruling that overturned the use of affirmative action in college admissions.

What they're saying: The court's conservative supermajority and at least a few of the liberal justices seemed open to hearing the case.

• "We are in radical agreement," Justice Neil M. Gorsuch said about the court's consensus that the same legal test should apply to all discrimination claims — including ones from straight, white, and male workers.

Zoom in: Ames was an employee at the Ohio Department of Youth Services who filed a job discrimination lawsuit in 2020 claiming that she was discriminated against in favor of gay co-workers.

• In one instance, she claims that she was removed from her job as an administrator in favor of a younger gay man.
• In another, she said she was unfairly passed over for a promotion in favor of a gay woman who was less qualified.

Context: Almost half of US appeals courts require that members of majority groups (heterosexual, in this case) claiming discrimination meet an additional burden of proof that their employer is an "unusual" case of discrimination against majorities in what's known as the "background circumstances standard."

• Before Ames' suit went to trial, lower courts ruled against her, finding that she was unable to meet that standard. Ames argues that the standard is unconstitutional.
• Conservative legal groups, the Biden administration, and the Trump administration have all supported Ames' argument.
• Ashley Robertson, a lawyer for the Trump administration, said on Wednesday that the underlying appeals court's ruling was essentially, "Tell me your race, and I will tell you how much evidence you need to produce."

The other side: The NAACP Legal Defense and Education Fund argued in a friend-of-the-court brief in the case that different standards were appropriate for majority and minority groups because minorities are historically the target of discrimination.

Elon Musk plans to "check with" President Trump about a proposal to send Americans rebate checks with money saved through slash-and-burn DOGE cuts.

Why it matters: The proposal is for $5,000 "dividend" checks, a number that comes from Musk's original goal of saving the government $2 trillion via budget cuts.

Driving the news: The idea came from James Fishback, CEO of investment firm Azoria and an outspoken supporter of Trump and Musk's economic agenda.

• Fishback pitched that 79 million of the 132 million U.S. households should be eligible for 20% of the DOGE $2 trillion target, which comes out to $5,000 for each of those households.
• Musk responded to the proposal on X on Tuesday, saying that he would run it past Trump.
• "We wanted to help make DOGE real for millions of Americans. They deserve a portion of the savings DOGE will deliver under President Trump's leadership," Fishback said.

How feasible are DOGE dividend checks?

Between the lines: DOGE is unlikely to actually hit its $2 trillion goal and faces multiple legal challenges, as well as congressional roadblocks.

• Musk himself has backed off from that number, telling political strategist Mark Penn in an interview broadcast on X that $2 trillion was a "best-case outcome" and that he thought there was only a "good shot" at securing half of it.

💭 Thought bubble from Axios's chief economic correspondent Neil Irwin: $2 trillion is impossible without eviscerating massive chunks of government that Americans rely on.

• It's hard to imagine Congress approving the kinds of spending cuts it would take to get anywhere close to that.
• Reconciliation instructions approved by the House Budget Committee last week incorporate $2 trillion in spending cuts — but that's over the next decade, not a single year. And it still may be too much for Republican moderates to stomach.

Flashback: Government-issued checks were popular for Trump in the early years of the pandemic.

• Former President Biden expressed regret over not putting his own name on relief checks sent out during his tenure.

Elon Musk and the U.S. Department of Transportation will "remake" U.S. airspace, Transportation secretary Sean Duffy said at an event on Wednesday.

Why it matters: The collision last week between an American Airlines passenger jet and a U.S. Army Black Hawk helicopter became the deadliest aviation disaster in the U.S. in more than 20 years, leading to renewed scrutiny of the country's overextended air traffic system.

What they're saying: Duffy endorsed Musk's intervention, as the Tesla CEO/special government employee tears through other parts of the federal bureaucracy.

• "With the support of President @realDonaldTrump, the @DOGE team will aim to make rapid safety upgrades to the air traffic control system," Musk wrote on X Wednesday afternoon.
• Duffy addressed those comments, saying "I had a conversation with Elon Musk yesterday, pretty remarkable guy. He thinks differently than I think probably a lot of us do, but he has access to the best technological people, the best engineers in the world. We're going to remake our airspace, and we're going to do it quickly."
• He later added on X that Musk's DOGE team will "plug in to help upgrade our aviation system."

Zoom out: The Trump administration is attempting to slash government staffing elsewhere, and has already blamed the hiring practices of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), which oversees U.S. airspace, for the collision.

• Namely, Trump has slammed — without evidence — diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives for contributing to the plane crash.
• Most of Musk's DOGE agenda focuses on eliminating jobs and spending, which would be a problem where airspace safety is concerned. In reality, the U.S. has an air traffic controller shortage,

💭 Alex Fitzpatrick's thought bubble: There's general agreement in aviation circles that FAA systems and processes need updating and investment. But rapid changes could bring new safety risks if made without proper testing and implementation.

What we're watching: Musk's SpaceX runs in commercial airspace, which means that the FAA oversees the company, raising questions about conflicts.

• Last year, Musk threatened to sue the FAA over "regulatory overreach" when the agency did not approve SpaceX's launch licenses quickly enough.

Go deeper: Think the skies are crowded now? Just wait

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.

Rising auto repossessions and a growing rate of minimum credit card payments offer signs consumers may be getting stretched.

Why it matters: Those figures complicate the notion that the consumer is relatively healthy, a warning sign for the broader economy.

By the numbers: Two new reports out this past week show some cracks in the consumer's finances.

• The number of credit card holders making only minimum payments on their bills has jumped to a 12-year high, a study by the Philadelphia Federal Reserve found.
• The level of cardholders only making minimum payments rose to 10.75% in the third quarter of 2024, the study found, continuing an upward trend from 2021.
• The number of 30+ day delinquencies also rose during this period, up to 3.52%. That's double the delinquency rate of 1.57% from the pandemic low in the second quarter of 2021.

The number of car repossession assignments also suggests that people are experiencing more difficulty paying their regular bills.

• The rate of vehicle repossession assignments at the end of 2022 surpassed pre-pandemic levels, according to a Consumer Financial Protection Bureau report released Thursday.
• In the month of December 2022, 0.75% of all outstanding vehicle loans were assigned to repossession – a 22.5% increase from December 2019.
• "Supply chain shocks and higher interest rates drove up costs to purchase and finance a car," said CFPB Director Rohit Chopra in the report, suggesting cars are becoming harder to afford for more people.
• The researchers tracked repossession assignments rather than delinquencies, with the assignments occurring "when lenders indicate to a repossession agent or a repossession forwarder ... that a vehicle is eligible to be repossessed."
• The data doesn't capture the total number of delinquencies, which is likely larger; or the number of carried-out repossessions, which is likely smaller.

The big picture: Consumers kept the U.S. economy chugging along in 2024, but they're clearly also feeling strain.

• Retail sales increased by 0.4% in December, slowing from the 0.8% jump in November. For the year retail sales rose 4%, down from 5% the year prior.
• The health of the U.S. economy is largely dependent on consumers, who account for about two-thirds of all economic activity.

Reality check: It's not all bad news.

• The percentage of credit card card holders paying their credit card balances in full is still well above pre-pandemic levels (34.29% in the third quarter of 2024), suggesting a shrinking middle ground for consumers.
• New car prices have actually been coming down in real terms, though one reason that Americans are paying more for new cars is that they're increasingly opting for larger vehicles.

The bottom line: Consumer spending data and confidence surveys aren't telling the whole story, especially as soaring food and energy prices continue to hurt wallets.

Raging wildfires tearing through Los Angeles County have destroyed homes, neighborhoods and iconic landmarks, and killed at least five people.

Why it matters: Some of the most historic structures in the U.S. were completely wiped out.

The big picture: The number of structures destroyed or damaged by the fires is believed to number "in the thousands," Los Angeles City Fire Chief Kristin Crowley said at a briefing Thursday, adding that the Palisades Fire is "one of the most destructive natural disasters in the history of Los Angeles."

Zoom in: Here's which landmarks are under threat:

Altadena's Bunny Museum

The museum burned to the ground, according to the museum's Instagram account.

Eames House

The 20th century architectural landmark was safe from the fires as ofJan. 8, per the house's Instagram.

Gamble House

The property is "safe for now!!" the house's Instagram account said.

The Getty Villa

The world-famous art museum has so far remained safe, according to a Jan. 8 announcement on its website, although a small brush fire burned trees and vegetation on the property.

The Hollywood Sign

The Sunset Fire in Hollywood Hills area caused rumors about the status of the Hollywood sign to circulate on social media (as well as AI-generated photos), but the sign was undamaged as of Thursday evening.

The Hollywood Bowl

The Hollywood Bowl was impacted by evacuation orders due to the Sunset Fire on Wednesday evening, which the amphitheater and park said on X lifted Thursday morning.

Moonshadows

The owners of Moonshadows reposted footage on Instagram reporting that the fire completely destroyed the iconic restaurant and bar.

Palisades Charter High School

Much of the school — classrooms, tennis courts, the baseball field, and bungalows — all burned in the fire, according to The New York Times. As the school was closed for winter break, few people had to be evacuated, BBC reported.

Palisades Elementary Charter School

The fires also caused "significant damage" to the elementary school, per multiple reports.

Palisades Village

Rick Caruso, owner of the Palisades Village mall, told Los Angeles Times that several homes around the shopping center were "fully engulfed" in flames, and that his shopping center too suffered damage.

The Pasadena Jewish Temple and Center

The temple and Jewish center's campus was "destroyed" by the Eaton Fire, the center said on Facebook.

Reel Inn

Staff at the Pacific Coast Highway restaurant are "unsure what will be left" after flames from the Palisades Fire swept the building, per an Instagram post Wednesday.

Theatre Palisades, Pierson Playhouse

"Our beloved Pierson Playhouse is gone, but the heart of Theatre Palisades beats on. We will rise again," Pierson Playhouse, the organization said on Facebook on Jan. 8 after the Palisades Fire struck.

Topanga Ranch Motel

California State Parks said in a statement that the Topanga Ranch Hotel, once owned by William Randolph Hearst, was also destroyed by the blaze.

Villa Aurora and the Thomas Mann House

Villa Aurora, a historic artists' residence, was partially harmed, representatives said in a statement, though the full extent of the damage was unclear as of Thursday evening.

• "There are first indications that parts of Villa Aurora were able to withstand the destructive fires. However, the building continues to be in the danger zone," the representatives write. The Thomas Mann House, which is on the Villa Aurora property, was undamaged as of Thursday.

Villa de Leon

The status of the mansion — featured in music videos by Beyoncé, Lady Gaga, and more —was not immediately clear as of Thursday evening

• But video footage captured showed that the grounds engulfed in flames from the Palisades Fire.

Will Rogers's Historic Estate

Will Rogers' historic house, along with several other Will Rogers State Park structures, were destroyed, according to California State Parks.

More from Axios:

• How to help victims of the Los Angeles fires
• LA's wildfires sparked by rare collision of climate factors
• Wildfires and hurricanes could make parts of U.S. uninsurable

The list of food recalls has been growing over the last few months.

Why it matters: The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates nearly 48 million people a year are sickened by foodborne diseases, an average of 91 people every minute. `

Driving the news: The FDA upgraded its December recall on Walmart broccoli from the brand Marketside to its highest risk level.

• The FDA reclassified the recall to Class I last week, which is described as the "reasonable probability that the use of, or exposure to, a violative product will cause serious adverse health consequences or death."
• The agency issued its original recall on December 31, targeting 12-ounce bags of washed and ready-to-eat Marketside broccoli florets in 20 states including Texas and California. The agency cited "potential contamination with Listeria monocytogenes" as the reason for the recall, saying that it only applied to Marketside florets with a "best if used by" date of December 10, 2024.
• The FDA recently reclassified its recall of some Costco eggs (due to possible salmonella exposure) and Lay's potato chips (due to undeclared milk) to Class I.

The big picture: The rise in recalls can partially be attributed to an increase in consumer demand for ready-to-eat foods and prepackaged meals.

• "We're also dealing with a scenario where we're having increased globalization of food production, which not only creates more opportunities for contamination at multiple points in the supply chain, but it creates more scenarios where there's blind spots," Darin Detwiler, a Northeastern University professor and food safety advocate, told Axios in December.

Zoom in: 2025 FDA food recalls number over a dozen as of February 3:

• Gerber Soothe N Chew® Teething Sticks. Recalled for potential choking hazard for babies and young children.
• Blue Ridge Beef Natural Mix. Recalled for Salmonella contamination.
• Lay's Potato Chips. Recalled for potential or undeclared allergen — milk.
• Fresh Direct Dark Chocolate Covered Pretzels. Recalled for undeclared milk.
• La Fiesta Breadcrumbs (pan Rayado). Recalled for undeclared allergen (sesame).
• Zaarah Herbals Shatavari Powder. Recalled for potential contamination with elevated levels of lead.
• Wabash Valley Farms, Rural King. Recalled for potential or undeclared allergen – soy
• Paras Premium Golden Raisins. Recalled for undeclared sulfites.
• Colussi "Colussi Cantuccini Chocolate Drops" chocolate chip cookies. Recalled for undeclared almond.
• Shirakiku Snack Foods-Corn Puffs. Recalled for undeclared milk.
• Monkey Spit Barbecue Sauces. Recalled for undeclared milk, soy, and Wheat.
• New York Mutual Trading Co., Inc. Mutual Trading Co., Inc. Monkfish Liver. Recalled for undeclared milk allergen.
• Pearl Milling Company Pancake and Waffle Mix. Recalled for undeclared milk.
• My Mochi My Mochi Peach Mango Sorbet. Recalled for undeclared egg.
• NuGo Dark Chocolate Chip Nutrition Bar and NuGo Dark Pretzel Chocolate Nutrition Bar. Recalled for undeclared milk.
• Dierbergs Kitchen Premium Home-Style Mashed Potatoes. Recalled for undeclared wheat.
• Wicklow Gold Cheddar Style Cheeses. Recalled for potential to be contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes.

A full list of recent recalls can be found on the FDA website.

Teslas make a statement, now literally — a growing number of owners are using bumper stickers to disassociate themselves from billionaire CEO Elon Musk as he deepens his alliance with President-elect Trump.

Why it matters: Matthew Hiller, an Etsy vendor selling anti-Musk bumper stickers, said he's experienced a surge in business since Musk started campaigning with Trump, The New York Times reports.

• Hiller told the Times that he initially sold about 5-10 "I Bought This Before We Knew Elon Was Crazy" bumper stickers a day, but as Musk became an increasingly outspoken Trump supporter, orders grew exponentially.
• Hiller said that he has sold about 18,000 stickers across 30 countries, and also sells "Anti Elon Tesla Club" and "F Elon" versions. Amazon and Etsy are filled with similar offerings.
• "'I started thinking, there's got to be so many people who are just embarrassed, who have a Tesla already, and they're like, 'Oh my god, now I'm repping this guy. I don't want to endorse anything this guy stands for,'" Hiller said.
• It's not just abashed Tesla owners declaring their politics — supporters of Musk's MAGA alliance are boasting rival stickers that read, "I bought this after I knew Elon was awesome."

Between the lines: Musk's politics don't always match with his customer base, which over-indexes in the Bay Area and other liberal enclaves and includes many people who went electric to reduce their carbon footprints.

Driving the news: Musk has made his conservative views clear for several years, explicitly identified as a GOP supporter in 2022, and uses X, which he owns, to amplify right-wing content. His involvement in the final stretch of Trump's presidential campaign, however, cemented him as a full-fledged MAGA figure.

• Musk donated nearly $75 million in three months to his pro-Trump America PAC, FEC filings show, spending about $277 million on Republican candidates across the board.
• Musk also pushed anti-immigrant conspiracies on X, claiming Democrats were weaponizing illegal immigration for political gain.
• Musk was a major presence at Trump's fall rallies as well.

The investments paid off handsomely for Musk, whose net worth ballooned following Trump's election win.

• That campaign support has led to intimate involvement with Trump's White House prep.
• Musk has joined calls with foreign leaders, for instance, and pushed key Trump appointments, such as longtime ally David Sacks as "AI & crypto czar."

What to watch: The politicization of Tesla could go beyond customer angst.

• California Gov. Gavin Newsom announced a potential rebate for electric-vehicle purchases, but according to Bloomberg, it excludes Tesla via a market-share clause.

Altoona, Pennsylvania police arrested a person of interest in connection with the fatal shooting of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson on Monday, following a tip from an employee at a local McDonald's.

Why it matters: Thompson's killing sparked a nationwide manhunt and triggered a groundswell of online vitriol toward the insurance industry, turning the anonymous shooter into a folk hero figure for many.

• Up until 26-year-old Luigi Mangione was arrested at McDonald's, the NYPD had been circulating photographs of a suspect, but hadn't released any names.
• Police said the employee recognized the man in McDonald's — who turned out to be Mangione — from those photos.

Driving the news: Following the "outing" of Mangione as a person of interest, sympathizers took to the internet to slam the McDonald's employee for tipping off police.

• Users left reviews for at least three McDonald's locations in or around Altoona, Pennsylvania, with dozens of people leaving one star ratings and complaining about "rats." Others more explicitly called out "snitches."
• The critical Google reviews parallel social media reactions, many of which valorize Mangione, who is still only a person of interest and has not been charged in connection with Thompson's death.
• "This location has rats in the kitchen that will make you sick and your insurance isn't going to cover it," one reviewer wrote.

Catch up quick: Thompson was shot in the back on Dec. 4 outside a midtown Manhattan hotel while in New York for an investor meeting.

• Police said the shooting appeared to be targeted, as reports indicated the words "deny," "defend" and "depose" were written on shell casings found at the scene, phrases previously used by insurance industry critics.
• Thompson's killing re-energized a national debate about the American health insurance industry and its behavior, with many people expressing a lack of sympathy for Thompson's death and praising his killer.

State of play: The Altoona Police Department said in a press release that Mangione was arrested on charges unrelated to Thompson's shooting.

• Mangione had fake IDs, a firearm and a device to muffle gunshots at the time of his arrest, New York City Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch said Monday.
• Mangione was born and raised in Maryland, and his last known address was in Honolulu, Hawaii. Mangione is not believed to have any prior arrests.

Go deeper: Pennsylvania governor says UnitedHealthcare CEO's killer "is no hero"