The U.S. military conducted wide-ranging air strikes against Houthi targets in Yemen on Saturday, President Trump said.
Why it matters: It was the biggest wave of U.S. strikes in Yemen since Trump assumed office.
Driving the news: According to local reports in Yemen, numerous explosions took place in Sanaa around 1:30pm ET.
Trump said the strikes were aimed at "terrorists' bases, leaders, and missile defenses."
What they are saying: "Today, I have ordered the U.S. Military to launch decisive and powerful Military action against the Houthi terrorists in Yemen. They have waged an unrelenting campaign of piracy, violence, and terrorism against American, and other, ships, aircraft, and drones," Trump wrote on his Truth Social account.
Trump said Houthi attacks "have cost the U.S. and World Economy many BILLIONS of Dollars while, at the same time, putting innocent lives at risk".
"The Houthi attack on American vessels will not be tolerated. We will use overwhelming lethal force until we have achieved our objective," he said, hinting that the strikes are part of a wider military campaign.
"To all Houthi terrorists, YOUR TIME IS UP, AND YOUR ATTACKS MUST STOP, STARTING TODAY. IF THEY DON'T, HELL WILL RAIN DOWN UPON YOU LIKE NOTHING YOU HAVE EVER SEEN BEFORE!" Trump wrote.
The big picture: Trump said the strikes against the Houthis are also a message to Iran, to which he sent a letter earlier this week proposing negotiations on a new nuclear deal.
"To Iran: Support for the Houthi terrorists must end IMMEDIATELY! Do NOT threaten the American People, their President, or Worldwide shipping lanes. If you do, BEWARE, because America will hold you fully accountable and, we won't be nice about it!" Trump stressed.
Former Sen. Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona, a Democrat turned independent, is taking revenge on Democrats who criticized her longstanding push to keep the Senate filibuster.
Why it matters: This week's Democratic campaign to shut down the government called for using the filibuster, which some Democrats spent the last few years arguing shouldn't exist.
Zoom in: The filibuster is a procedural rule that forces the Senate to have 60 votes to advance most legislation.
Republicans have 53 Senate seats, but the filibuster meant they needed 60 votes to advance the government funding resolution that passed Friday.
Back in 2022, Sinema and former Sen. Joe Manchin of West Virginia resisted calls to abolish the filibuster so Democrats could pass gun control, voting rights and abortion rights laws, despite only having 50 Senate seats.
Both Sinema and Manchin started as Democrats, but left the Democratic Party while in the Senate.
Sinema resurfaced comments by Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.), who said Thursday she's feeling "outrage and betrayal" over Senate Dems not using the filibuster.
Back in 2022, AOC said "we could protect Roe tomorrow, but Sinema refuses to act" to get rid of the filibuster.
"Change of heart on the filibuster I see!" Sinema posted on Saturday.
Sinema also noted progressive leader Rep. Pramila Jayapal's (D-Wash.) demands for Schumer to filibuster.
Back in September, Jayapal called the tactic the "Jim Crow Filibuster."
"Just surprised to see support for the "Jim Crow filibuster" here, Sinema posted on Saturday.
With just mere seconds of audio, artificial intelligence voice cloning programs can make a copy of a voice, virtually indistinguishable from the original to the human ear.
Why it matters: That tech can have legitimate accessibility and automation benefits — but it can also be an easy-to-use tool for scammers. Despite that threat, many products' guardrails can be easily sidestepped, a new assessment found.
The "granny scam," as experts refer to imposter scams that sometimes weaponize voice cloning tech to scam people using their loved ones' voices, is not a new phenomenon.
However, "the pace at which it's now happening and the believability of the voice has fundamentally changed," says Rahul Sood, the chief product officer at Pindrop, a security company that develops authentication and fraud detection tools.
It's not just individuals who are at risk, he noted. The corporate sector faces many cyber threats, from account takeover scams targeting call centers to recruiting impersonation.
Zoom in: A study out this week from Consumer Reports found many leading voice-cloning technology products lacked significant safeguards to prevent fraud or misuse.
For four of the six products in the test set, researchers were able to "easily create" a voice clone using publicly accessible audio, with no technical mechanism to ensure the creators received the speaker's consent to use their voice or to limit the cloning to the user's own voice.
For four of those services, it was free to create a custom voice cloning.
By the numbers: While the Federal Trade Commission does not have specific data on voice-cloning scams, over 845,000 imposter scams were reported in the U.S. in 2024.
The intrigue: Scams and spoofs using AI voice cloning and deepfake technology also often impersonate well-known individuals, like celebrities, CEOs and politicians.
After former President Biden's voice was cloned using AI in fake robocalls discouraging voting in the New Hampshire primary, the Federal Communications Commission unanimously outlawed the use of AI-generated voices in scam robocalls.
In July, Elon Musk shared a fake Kamala Harris ad that featured a phony voice that sounded just like the then-vice president — teeing up a debate over whether such media is obvious "parody" or dangerous AI.
What they're saying: Such scams on social media platforms are only growing, and voice cloning "is far more mature" and widely accessible today than facial cloning technology, Sood says.
The commercial services Pindrop tracks are often "very easy to use," Sood added.
He said the quality of voice cloning has now passed the so-called "uncanny valley" — meaning the human ear can no longer detect the difference between what is human and what is machine-generated.
Philadelphia attorney Gary Schildhorndetailed to a Senate panel in 2023 how he almost became the victim of a voice-cloning imposter scam, when he received a call from his "son," who tearfully told him he was in a car accident with a pregnant woman and was in jail.
What ensued was a multi-layer scam that ended with Schildhorn being told to wire money to the man claiming to be his son's attorney.
"I'm a father; I'm a lawyer," he said. "My son's in trouble, a pregnant woman was hurt, he's in jail; I'm in action mode."
But before he could send the money, Schildhorn received a call from his son — who had not been in an accident and was not in jail.
The Consumer Reports assessment recommended mitigation practices that include requiring unique audio consent statements and watermarking AI-generated audio.
For individuals, it can be prudent to change the way people think about sharing their voices online, such as through custom voicemail messages, experts told Axios.
Yes, but: Steve Grobman,McAfee's chief technology officer, acknowledges it's not practical in a digital world to expect everyone to erase their voice from the internet.
"I think of it a little bit like developing a healthy skepticism," he said, recommending a family code word to verify a caller's identity.
The bottom line: Grobman highlighted the legitimate, powerful benefits voice cloning tech can have: providing a voice for those who may not be able to speak, bridging language divides and saving time and resources.
"I think in many ways, we have to think about our voice being out there as something that is a cost of doing business for all the great things the digital world of 2025 can bring to us," he added.
A dangerous Saturday into Saturday night is set to unfold across the Deep South and into parts of the Southeast as a prolific tornado outbreak hits at least half a dozen states.
Threat level: The NOAA Storm Prediction Center has issued a rare "high risk" outlook indicating forecasters' confidence in numerous, powerful tornadoes, particularly in parts of Mississippi and Alabama.
The severe weather is forecast to get underway by late morning in Louisiana and Mississippi, with storms racing northeast with time.
A mix of abundant wind shear, atmospheric instability and unusually strong upper level winds will drive this tornado outbreak, forecasters warned.
The NWS forecast office in Birmingham released a statement on X Friday noting the rare combination of ingredients that could make this event so significant, summarizing it as: "This will be a very scary situation for many."
State of play: A "Particularly Dangerous Situation" (PDS) tornado watch is in effect until 6pm CT for much of Mississippi and northern Louisiana, for "numerous strong long-track tornadoes" as storms develop Saturday.
A second PDS tornado watch is likely to be issued for Alabama Saturday afternoon.
High risk region focuses on Mississippi and Alabama
The high risk zone (Level 5 out of 5 alert level) encompasses more than 3 million people on Saturday including the cities of Birmingham, Jackson, Miss., Tuscaloosa, Ala. and Hattiesburg, Miss.
About 11 million people are located in the moderate risk zone (Level 4 out of 5 level) Saturday into Saturday night, including New Orleans and Baton Rouge, La., along with Montgomery and Mobile, Alabama and Columbus, Ga.
"The state of Alabama is at risk for potentially dangerous, severe weather throughout this weekend, so it is critical that everyone stays very aware of their local forecasts," Ivey said.
Zoom in: The SPC is using strong language to describe the tornado threat in Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama in particular on Saturday.
"A tornado outbreak is expected across the central Gulf Coast States and Deep South into the Tennessee Valley," SPC forecasters wrote in an online discussion Saturday morning.
"Numerous significant tornadoes, some of which should be long-track and potentially violent, are expected this afternoon and evening."
The reference to "violent" tornadoes refers to twisters of EF-3 intensity or greater, and forecasters are also warning that some tornadoes may remain on the ground for many miles.
The tornado threat will continue into the overnight hours on Saturday into early Sunday, particularly in Georgia, parts of Tennessee and the Florida Panhandle.
Overnight tornadoes are particularly deadly because people have a harder time receiving warnings and getting to shelter, particularly in states with high proportions of mobile homes.
NWS urges preparation for tornado outbreak
Zoom out: The storms on Saturday come after severe weather swept across the Mid-South and Midwest on Friday night, killing 10 in Missouri as about two dozen tornadoes were reported across multiple states.
Studies show that while some ingredients, such as humidity and atmospheric instability, are likely to increase with a warming climate, others may do the opposite.
Climate change is anticipated to decrease the amount of wind shear available to severe thunderstorms, which could deprive them of a key ingredient for tornado formation.
Yes, but: When the right mix of ingredients are present, as they are on Saturday, climate change may lead to larger severe weather outbreaks.
The big picture: The NWS is urging people to prepare for the tornado outbreak, with some private sector forecasters instructing residents to be near tornado shelters by midday Saturday.
Gather important documents, charge your devices, and do not hesitate to act when prompted," the NWS forecast office in Birmingham stated in a forecast discussion.
"These storms could be moving 50+ MPH when a warning is issued, and time will be of the essence."
The intrigue: The Southeast has been particularly hard-hit by tornado outbreaks in recent years beginning during March.
Between the lines: This severe weather outbreak will test NOAA's ability to handle a large-scale, potentially deadly weather event in the wake of laying off about 800 meteorologists and other staff in late February.
These layoffs reduced staffing at some local weather forecast offices to threadbare levels, causing some to reduce their services.
Some meteorologists are also having to put in more frequent overtime shifts.
The bottom line: This severe weather outbreak is likely to be a high-end, potentially historic event, resulting in multiple powerful, long-lasting tornadoes.
U.S. forces with help from Iraqi intelligence and security killed the No. 2 global ISIS leader, "one of the most important" of the entire organization, per U.S. Central Command.
The big picture: Abdallah Makki Muslih al-Rifai, also known as Abu Khadijah, oversaw global operations and logistics for the extremist group and directed "a significant portion" of its global financing, Central Command said Friday in an X post.
Zoom in: Khadijah was killed in a precision airstrike in Al Anbar Province, Iraq on Thursday along with another ISIS operative.
"After the strike, CENTCOM and Iraqi forces moved to the strike site and found both dead ISIS terrorists," Central Command said.
"Both terrorists were wearing unexploded 'suicide vests' and had multiple weapons."
Khadijah was identified through DNA obtained when he "narrowly escaped" an earlier raid, per CENTCOM.
What they're saying: "Abu Khadijah was one of the most important ISIS members in the entire global ISIS organization," Gen. Michael Erik Kurilla, CENTCOM commander, said.
"We will continue to kill terrorists and dismantle their organizations that threaten our homeland and U.S., allied and partner personnel in the region and beyond," Kurilla added.
President Trump declared for "PEACE THROUGH STRENGTH" on Truth Social Friday, praising U.S. forces as "intrepid warfighters."
Former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg is stirring speculation that he's floating a potential bid to be the 2028 Democratic presidential candidate, after bowing out of local races this week.
The big picture: Democrats eyeing runs for the White House in 2028 have largely remained coy about their intentions, though their actions indicate they're preparing for primaries.
Buttigieg made his national ambitions clear when he launched an ultimately unsuccessful presidential run in 2020 while mayor of South Bend, Indiana.
He served in the Biden cabinet as transportation secretary, where he was forced to contend with a pile-on of crises.
Buttigieg was considered a strong contender in Michigan's gubernatorial or Senate elections next year, but he ruled himself out of both races on Thursday.
After President Trump wonthe 2024 election, Newsom called for a special legislative session in California to raise money to prepare to challenge the Republican leader in the courts.
He has pitched himself as a moderate in recent months and sought to broaden his appeal.
In a recent conversation with right-wing influencer Charlie Kirk on the governor's new podcast, Newsom broke with many Democrats when he said transgender athletes competing in girls' and women's sports was "deeply unfair."
Rahm Emanuel
Emanuel, who served as the ambassador to Japan under former President Biden, has fueled speculation of a bid for president.
The former Obama White House chief of staff has been making several public appearances sounding the alarm that Democrats must recalibrate their political strategies before the 2026 midterms.
Emanuel joined CNN as a commentator last month and obtained a Washington Post column.
Tim Walz
Walz announced last month he will not run for Minnesota's newly open U.S. Senate seat in 2026, potentially leaving room for a presidential run.
Pritzker, a billionaire businessman, has been claiming the Democratic resistance lane in Illinois.
He's been boosting his national profile in recent years and has been on unofficial shortlists — including as a potential emergency replacement for then-President Biden after the disastrous first presidential debate last year.
Gretchen Whitmer
The Michigan governor has been a rising star in the Democratic Party and has positioned herself as a pragmatic, center-left leader since Trump's win. She said she met with him this week to discuss jobs, tariffs and defense investments.
In recent weeks, Whitmer has touted that she sent National Guard troops to the border to combat illegal immigration and said she's open to some new tariffs to protect industry. She declined to join a multi-state federal lawsuit challenging Trump's push to ban birthright citizenship.
Polis, like Whitmer, has taken a centrist approach since Trump's inauguration.
He said in hisState of the State address that hehopes Trump and Congress can work together "to secure the border, stop human trafficking and stop the illegal flow of guns and drugs ... We welcome more federal help to detain and deport dangerous criminals."
The governor backed Trump's controversial nomination of Robert F. Kennedy Jr. for Health and Human Services secretary.
First, the good news: There is no solid evidence right now that the economy is in recession, or even particularly close to it.
The bad news is that warning bells of what is to come are ringing every which way.
The big picture: The cautions about the outlook keep piling on top of each other, including from surveys of consumers and businesses, corporate earnings, and financial markets.
It all suggests that the economic ground may — emphasis on may — be shifting beneath our feet.
But the evidence so far is all in the realm of anecdotes, or "soft data," not the kind of definitive, "hard data" evidence of a downturn that would make economists believe a recession is commencing.
Zoom out: A confluence of forces emanating from Washington is driving the vibe shift.
The threat of new tariffs far larger than those enacted in the previous Trump term is part of it, as is the erratic, on-again/off-again pattern through which they are being implemented.
Cuts to the federal workforce and government contracting may be leading some wary consumers to slow their spending (as is already evident in credit card data for the Washington, D.C. area).
It all adds a layer of uncertainty for companies trying to decide whether to engage in new capital spending or hiring.
Zoom in: On Friday, the University of Michigan's preliminary survey of consumer sentiment for March plunged for the third straight month, showing sharply lower expectations for the future among Democrats and Republicans alike.
Thursday, the S&P 500 fell into official correction territory — a 10% drop from its peak. (It rebounded sharply on Friday, however).
Leaders of businesses large and small are showing less confidence in the outlook, per surveys.
Warnings have percolated from airlines and retailers, including Dollar General and Walmart, about underwhelming consumer demand.
Announced layoffs reached their highest levels since the summer of 2020, when the pandemic was in full force — and highest for the month of February since 2009, per outplacement firm Challenger Gray & Christmas.
Between the lines: Any one of these developments can, and generally should, be chalked up to the ebb and flow of data.
The Michigan survey sample size is small. The stock market has been frothy lately, and routinely experiences corrections that don't predict recession. Any given company or industry can have a rough quarter.
What is striking is how pervasive these warning signs have been lately, and how they all seem to point the same direction.
The good news lately — on solid Q4 GDP growth, for example — has come from data sources that are backward-looking.
Meanwhile, the Trump administration's talk, suggesting that a period of economic weakness could be necessary (or even desirable) to remake the economy, adds to the sense that hard days are ahead.
Elevated inflation could keep the Federal Reserve from cutting rates as much as it normally would during a downturn.
Reality check: None of this means that a recession is underway, or inevitable. The U.S. economy is like a tanker ship that normally moves forward, and it takes a lot to stop that progress.
The bottom line: Shifts underway in Washington may be enough to at least slow the ship, if not stop it — even if the evidence so far isn't definitive.
The most urgent divide within the Democratic Party is less ideological than tactical: if the Dems stand and fight on every front or pick their battles.
Why it matters: The split is epitomized by the feud over whether Democrats should have let the government shut down on Friday, but it's bigger than that. The base is bracing for a four-year political war against a power-hungry president, but their representatives aren't all in battle formation.
As Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker's chief of staff Anne Caprara put it, it's "team fight" vs. team "cave," and "team fight stretches across the ideological spectrum."
The other side of the debate argues that fighting for the sake of fighting — including by triggering a shutdown that empowers President Trump to wreak further havoc across the federal government — is a fool's errand.
Driving the news: The most glaring example of that split is between two prominent New York Democrats.
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and nine members of his caucus voted to advance the GOP-led funding bill on Friday despite intense pressure to oppose it.
Schumer torched both Trump and the continuing resolution (CR) in an NYT op-ed explaining his decision but argued that Trump would only seize more power in a shutdown and distract attention from the policy failures that are hurting his popularity.
Friction point: Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez argued Schumer's "almost unthinkable" move caused a "deep sense of outrage and betrayal" across the Dems' ideological spectrum — and pointedly didn't rule out a primary challenge against him.
"The strength we have is in this moment," Ocasio-Cortez argued, stressing that this was a rare case where Republicans needed Democratic votes and that providing them for this bill would only "empower" Trump and Elon Musk.
Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) also called on Democrats to buck Schumer and "listen to the women" in the party pushing a different approach.
Every House Democrat but one voted against the CR, and younger members have been particularly outraged by Schumer's more cautious approach.
It's not just the party's left flank. Susan Rice, the former top Obama and Biden adviser who has had her share of run-ins with progressives, called on Schumer to "grow a spine" and on all "self-respecting" Dems to refuse to "roll over and play dead."
The other side: Democratic strategist James Carville called on Democrats to do exactly that — "roll over and play dead" — last month, letting Republicans "crumble beneath their own weight and make the American people miss us."
Gov. Gavin Newsom has been hosting chummy interviews with MAGA warriors, including an interview with Steve Bannon in which he expressed surprise that Republicans were willing to go along with the CR.
By contrast, Pritzker, a potential 2028 rival of Newsom's, is building his brand as an anti-MAGA warrior. He tweeted Friday that Democrats "have the power to stop the cessation of power" to Trump and Musk, and must oppose the CR.
Yes, but: Influential left-leaning blogger Matt Yglesias made the exact opposite argument — that Dems had no plausible path to constraining Trump and Musk in the CR fight and thus the "responsible" thing to do was keep the government open.
"If you want to stop Republicans from doing bad things you need to win races," he wrote.
What we're watching: The grassroots are team fight all the way, but team cave believes they'll ultimately be vindicated in 2026 and beyond for steering a more prudent course. That's if they don't tear each other apart first.
More Gen Zers are looking to break into the home market, new data shows.
Why it matters: High housing costs and a supply crunch have made it harder, especially for younger people, to become homeowners.
The big picture: Gen Z represented 13% of U.S. home mortgage applications in 2024, up from 10% in 2023, according to an analysis by CoreLogic, an industry data provider.
Relatively affordable parts of the Midwest and South saw the highest Gen Z shares, while pricey coastal metros lagged behind.
Between the lines: Gen Zers, those roughly ages 12–28 today, are expected to make up a bigger piece of the homebuying pie as they get older.
CoreLogic researchers analyzed 2024 mortgage applications, accepted or not, and they excluded investors, second-home buyers and cash buyers.
Reality check: Many who take the plunge get help from Mom and Dad.
Younger generations are increasingly banking on family money for down payments, Redfin research shows.
And house hunters commonly ask loved ones for cash instead of traditional wedding or baby gifts.
What to watch: Some aspiring homeowners are getting creative — splitting a mortgage with friends or buying rental properties in cheaper cities.
Adam Boehler, who oversaw unprecedented direct negotiations with Hamas on behalf of President Trump, has withdrawn his nomination for the position of special presidential envoy for hostage affairs, according to two White House officials.
The intrigue: A senior Trump administration official claimed that the move has been planned for two weeks and was intended to shift Boehler into a different presidential envoy position with a broader mandate but no need for Senate confirmation.
The big picture: Boehler has been at the center of a media and political storm since Axios revealed he had met directly with Hamas officials — making him the first U.S. official ever to do so.
Although those talks were approved by Trump, they sparked anger among some Senate Republicans, some of whom took the issue up privately with the White House.
That could have made Senate confirmation difficult.
News Nation first reported on Boehler's decision.
Driving the news: Last week, Axios reported that Boehler held two meetings with senior Hamas officials in Doha to negotiate the release of American hostages held by the group in Gaza.
The talks between Boehler and Hamas have sparked great anger in the Israeli Prime Minister's Office, including an angry phone call with Netanyahu's close confidant, Ron Dermer.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio said earlier this week that Boehler's negotiations with Hamas were a "one-off" and stressed that Trump's Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff is the main channel for negotiations on the issue of the Gaza hostage deal. He is conducting the negotiations via Qatari mediators and not in direct talks with Hamas, Rubio said.
What they are saying: "Adam Boehler will continue to serve President Trump as a special government employee focused on hostage negotiations," White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt told Axios.
"Adam played a critical role in negotiating the return of Marc Fogel from Russia. He will continue this important work to bring wrongfully detained individuals around the world home."
President Trump's whirlwind of policy hauls kept spinning this week as he navigated international trade disputes, a ceasefire proposal for Ukraine and turbulence over his claims of antisemitism at Columbia University.
Here's our recap of major developments.
U.S. economic outlook sours amid trade war
Global investors are becoming wary of the possibility Trump will eventually follow through on his pledge of across-the-board tariffs on many of the largest U.S. trading partners.
These trade conflicts have triggered worries about stagflation, a combination of stagnant growth and elevated inflation.
Catch up quick: The European Union announced $28 billion in counter tariffs Wednesday in response to Trump's levies on steel and aluminum, escalating the global trade war.
The EU's move follows Trump's earlier tariffs on goods from Mexico, Canada and China.
While Trump temporarily pausedtariffs for Mexico and Canada, uncertainty looms, leaving businesses and consumers on edge.
Russian President Vladimir Putin said Thursday that he needs more specifics regarding a U.S.-backed proposal for an unconditional 30-day ceasefire in Ukraine before fully committing.
Meanwhile, Trump asked Putin to "spare" thousands of Ukrainian soldiers "surrounded" in the Kursk region in Russia on Friday.
Leaders from both countries negotiated the ceasefire proposal announced on Tuesday.
Columbia protest leader targeted
The Trump administration is moving to revoke the green card of Columbia University protest leader Mahmoud Khalil. Though, federal court action has paused the White House's push to deport him.
Immigration agents arrested Khalil, on Sunday, setting off free speech protests in New York City, Washington D.C., Chicago, San Francisco and Los Angeles. One of them ended in dozens of arrests Thursday in Manhattan.
The White House is arguing Khalil's involvement in pro-Palestinian protests violates Trump's executive order banning antisemitism. Trump hailed Khalil's arrest on Monday and promised more activist arrests.
Context: The Trump administration has warned of funding cuts over its claims of antisemitism at 60 colleges and universities, including Harvard and Yale.
Zoom out: The Department of Education announced Tuesday it is cutting its workforce of more than 4,100 people by nearly half in the first step toward Trump's plans for a total shutdown of the agency.
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced on Wednesday plans to revisit the social cost of carbon andits endangerment finding — this time taking into account the price tag associated with regulation.
The social cost of carbon, which prices climate pollution per ton, is a metric that influences government regulations. The endangerment finding is the scientific basis for regulating greenhouse gases.
"Challenging the science would be fraught," Axios' Andrew Freedman writes. Science "has pointed to increasingly obvious and severe present–day and forthcoming climate damages," he adds.
Instead, the Trump administration is attempting to introduce new considerations into the finding such as the cost of regulations.
Harvard University law professor Jody Freeman called it "a very aggressive, swing for the fences-sounding announcement, meant to send a political message, which is, we don't care about climate change."
Trump spikes football at Justice Department
For a president given to making and creating superlatives, Trump's off-the-cuff campaign-style speech was unlike any other ever given by an occupant of the White House at the department, Axios' Mark Caputo and Erin Doherty report.
Trump paid his first visit to the Department of Justice Friday and denounced the prosecutors who once worked out of this office in public remarks.
Despite his November victory, he won't let go of his grievances over his federal criminal cases, which have been dismissed. He didn't announce any new policies in a more than hour-long speech.
The White House withdrew the nomination of Dave Weldon to be the director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Axios' Caitlin Owens scooped.
Weldon, a former Florida congressman who was scheduled to appear before the Senate health committee Thursday for his confirmation hearing, garnered media attention for his anti-vaccine views.
In other news,Adam Boehler, who oversaw unprecedented U.S. and Hamas negotiations on Trump's behalf, has withdrawn his nomination for the position of special presidential envoy for hostage affairs, Axios' Barak Ravid writes Friday.
A senior Trump administration official told Axios the move was planned to transition Boehler into a broader presidential envoy role that does not require Senate confirmation.
Editor's note: This story has been updated with news of Boehler's withdrawal.
President Trump paid his first visit to the Department of Justice Friday and in public remarks denounced the prosecutors who once worked out of this office.
Why it matters: Despite Trump's decisive November victory, he won't let go of his grievances over his federal indictments, which have been dismissed. He didn't announce any new policies in a more than hour-long speech.
"The case against me was bullshit," Trump, referring to the indictment over mishandling classified documents, said to laughter in The Great Hall of the Justice Department. He praised Judge Aileen Cannon, who oversaw the federal case and dismissed it before the election.
For a president given to making and creating superlatives, his off-the-cuff campaign-style speech was unlike any other ever given by an occupant of the White Houseat the department.
State of play: It's highly unusual for a sitting president to speak at the Justice Department, but Trump's visit marks the latest victory stop on his revenge tour since taking office. He went from federal defendant in two criminal cases to the leader of the executive branch firing the prosecutors who indicted him.
His remarks were reminiscent of a campaign speech at times, as he outlined his grievances against the Biden administration and prosecutors involved in cases against him, and derided what he views as the weaponization of the department.
He accused former President Biden of being part of a "crime" family.
Trump boasted about his administration's immigration crackdown, and he pledged to fight gangs and halt the flow of deadly fentanyl into the United States.
Trump also attacked "Deranged Jack Smith," the special prosecutor who investigated him.
He praised Cannon, an appointee from his first term who he said he's never spoken to, as "brilliant."
But this time, instead of speaking to a crowd of voters, he spoke before Justice Department officials, many of whom he hand-picked.
Zoom in: Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche, who served as one of Trump's criminal defense attorneys, spoke Friday and mentioned "the partisan prosecutors, the complete and utter lawfare."
Zoom out: Trump vowed to stack the Justice Department with loyalists during his 2024 presidential campaign. His first nominee for AG, Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fl.), withdrew from consideration for the role under intense scrutiny from both parties.
Trump upon taking office dismissed the DOJ employees who worked on his two criminal prosecutions with Smith.
Trump also faced criminal indictments in Georgia and New York, where he was convicted and received a no-penalty sentence.
His 70-minute speech that ended with the playing of Village People's "YMCA," a song the Trump campaign often played.
Ten Senate Democrats joined with the Republican majority in voting to move forward with a stopgap spending bill Friday — clearing the path to avoid a government shutdown.
Why it matters: Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) is facing outrage from his party, including House leadership, over his decision to vote for the bill. Many Democrats wanted to force a shutdown to protest President Trump and Elon Musk's sweeping federal spending cuts.
The key procedural vote was 62-38. Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) was the only Republican who voted "no."
The Senate voted 54-46 a short time later to send the stopgap measure to Trump for his signature ahead of a midnight deadline. It funds the government through Sept. 30.
Schumer did manage to get GOP leadership to agree to hold a vote to ensure that the D.C.'s budget did not suffer a $1 billion cut. The House's bill was written to include the budget reduction, sparking concern.
Zoom in: After days of lengthy caucus meetings and threats of a shutdown, Schumer announced Thursday evening he would be voting "yes" to clear the way for Republicans to pass the spending bill.
Despite public outrage especially from House progressives, Schumer delivered the needed votes, drawing support from moderates, members of his leadership team and retiring Democrats.
Democratic Sens. Richard Durbin (Ill.), Catherine Cortez Masto (Nev.), John Fetterman (D-Pa.), Kirsten Gillibrand (N.Y.), Maggie Hassan (N.H.), Gary Peters (Mich.), Jeanne Shaheen (N.H.) and Brian Schatz (Hawaii) (Nev.) all voted "yes" in addition to Schumer, — as did Maine's Angus King, an Independent who caucuses with Democrats.
Cortez Masto told reporters before the vote that a shutdown would give Trump and Musk "more authority to cherry-pick" which agencies to close and "would cost the economy billions of dollars.
"I'm not going to exacerbate that," she added.
What to watch: The Senate voted to pass the measure Friday after leaders reached an agreement to speed up the process.
Zoom out: The bill largely maintains 2024 levels of spending through the end of September, with some additional defense funds and nearly $500 million for Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
The measure narrowly passed the House earlier this week with all Republicans except Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) voting for it and all Democrats except Rep. Jared Golden (D-Maine) voting against it.
Speaker Mike Johnson's (R-La.) ability to get the bill through the House — despite his narrow margins and skeptical conservatives — presented Senate Democrats with a tough choice: Join Republicans or risk getting blamed for a government shutdown.
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy had already indicated he'd comply with the recommendation.
The midair collision that left 67 dead amplified long-standing concerns about congestion in the busy skies around DCA.
Reagan National Airport has the nation's busiest runway, and commercial planes and choppers share nearby airspace.
Driving the news: In addition to permanently restricting non-essential helicopter operations around DCA, the FAA is eliminating helicopter and fixed-wing mixed traffic.
It's also permanently closing a route between Hains Point and the Wilson Bridge, and evaluating alternative helicopter routes as recommended by the NTSB.
"If a helicopter must fly through the airspace on an urgent mission, such as lifesaving medical, priority law enforcement, or Presidential transport, the FAA will keep them specific distances away from airplanes," the agency said.
Editor's note: This is a breaking news story. Please check back for updates.
House Democrats from across the party's ideological spectrum — united in their fury at Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) — are engaged in a campaign to get Senate Democrats to defy their leader.
Why it matters: House lawmakers feel that there is a glimmer of hope, however faint, that they can actually persuade their Senate counterparts to reject a Republican-led government spending bill.
"There is a massive effort going on with people reaching out to their senators ... still happening this morning," one House Democrat told Axios on Friday.
"We just need to pick off four or five" senators, the lawmaker said.
What we're hearing: House Democrats are circulating a draft letter to Schumer, a copy of which was obtained by Axios, voicing "strong opposition" to passing the spending measure.
"The American people sent Democrats to Congress to fight against Republican chaos," they wrote. "Instead of capitulating to their obstruction, we must fight ... we urge you to reject the partisan continuing resolution."
The letter, first reported by the Washington Post, was signed by 66 Democrats including many moderates and swing-district members.
Democrats on the House Appropriations Committee, led by ranking member Rosa DeLauro (D-Conn.), are also drafting a letter to Schumer urging him to "reject the partisan and harmful" spending measure.
State of play: Schumer sent House Democrats into fits of rage on Thursday by announcing that he would vote to allow Senate Republicans to pass their stopgap government spending bill.
Democrats have pushed for language in the bill to stop DOGE from cutting congressionally approved spending, but Schumer argued that Democrats would ultimately lose a shutdown fight.
The announcement came after all House Democrats except Rep. Jared Golden (D-Maine) voted against the bill, which passed the chamber virtually along party lines Tuesday. Now they feel they walked the plank for nothing.
President Trump on Friday praised Schumer's "courage" in backing the bill.
The intrigue: It's not just the left pressuring Schumer. "A lot of it is being led by [former Progressive Caucus chair Pramila] Jayapal and AOC, but there are frontliners too trying to whip," one House Democrat told Axios.
The draft letter is being led by Rep. Derek Tran (D-Calif.), who represents one of the most competitive districts in the country, according to multiple House Democrats and aides familiar with the matter.
A centrist House Democrat who represents a battleground district stressed to Axios that "this is NOT an ideological battle. I've never seen our caucus more united around an issue."
What they're saying: CentristRep. Jared Moskowitz (D-Fla.), asked by Axios about Schumer's decision to support the stopgap bill, quipped, "Amy Schumer was great in that movie 'Trainwreck.'"
Rep. Ritchie Torres (D-N.Y.) said in a statement that Senate Democrats are "making a strategic calculation that we as a party might live to regret."
"The CR represents the best (and possibly only) leverage that we as Democrats will have to halt or impede Donald Trump's systematic decimation of the social safety net—particularly Medicaid," he added.
Yes, but: There isn't total unanimity. Some House Democrats, for instance, conceded that senators are in a tougher spot given that the upper chamber's 60-vote filibuster threshold gives them a unique ability to actually force a government shutdown.
Others feel the letters may be a strategic misstep.
"I don't think it's the right approach," one House Democrat told Axios of the letters. "Senators don't like being whipped by House members publicly like that."
The bottom line: "The anger from yesterday has not subsided at all," a House Democrat told Axios, adding that members feel "let down."
"At the end of the day, because this is the only opportunity where we matter, we needed to get more from it, and we got nothing," the lawmaker said.
The Democrat noted that swing-district House lawmakers already see themselves getting roasted by Republicans for opposing a bill that could now pass anyway: "The NRCC ads are already happening."
Editor's note: This story has been updated with additional reporting.
Data: University of Michigan; Chart: Axios Visuals
Consumers are becoming sharply more pessimistic about the economic outlook, according to a preliminary reading of the University of Michigan's sentiment survey for March.
Why it matters: The mix of new tariffs, federal cutbacks, erratic policy, and a slumping stock market is dampening American's optimism, which risks generating self-fulfilling economic weakness in the event consumers act on their newfound sense of worry.
Lower sentiment was strikingly broad-based, seen "across all groups by age, education, income, wealth, political affiliations, and geographic regions," survey director Joanne Hsu said in an announcement.
By the numbers: Overall consumer sentiment fell by about 11% in the month to 57.9, the third straight month of decline. That level is the lowest since the fall of 2022, when Biden-era inflation was still running high.
The decline was sharpest among Democrats, whose expectations declined 24%, but sentiment among Republicans fell 10% as well.
Inflation expectations also surged, with survey respondents now expecting inflation over the next year of 4.9%, up from 4.3% a month ago
Of note: Long-term inflation expectations also surged, to 3.9% in March from 3.5% in February. That will be particularly worrying to Federal Reserve officials, who may be reluctant to respond to any weakening in the economy due to fears that inflation expectations are coming unmoored.
That was the largest one-month rise in long-term inflation expectations since 1993.
What they're saying: "While current economic conditions were little changed, expectations for the future deteriorated across multiple facets of the economy," Hsu wrote, "including personal finances, labor markets, inflation, business conditions, and stock markets."
"Many consumers cited the high level of uncertainty around policy and other economic factors; frequent gyrations in economic policies make it very difficult for consumers to plan for the future, regardless of one's policy preferences," she added.
Yes, but: The preliminary reading of the Michigan survey, released mid-month, is based on a relatively small sample of around 420 households.
The final March number, based on about 800 survey respondents, is to be released March 28.
President Trump plans to invoke a centuries-old wartime authority to accelerate mass deportations of undocumented immigrants with little to no due process.
Why it matters: Trump floated invoking the law on the campaign trail. Its potential use comes as some of his administration members have become frustrated with the slower than expected pace of deportations.
Trump could invoke the Alien Enemies Act of 1798 as soon as Friday.
Since the act is not part of immigration law, it would allow the government to detain and deport people without court hearings or asylum interviews.
Its most infamous use came during World War II, when it was used help justify Japanese internment.
Reality check: The U.S. is not currently at war with any country.
The big picture: Despite promising to carry out the "largest deportation program" in U.S. history, the pace of arrests of undocumented immigrants under Trump has appeared to lag behind President Biden's.
If Trump were to invoke the Alien Enemies Act during peacetime it would be a "staggering abuse," sure to wind up in court, per the Brennan Center for Justice.
Zoom in: The president has suggested the law it could be used to target immigrants with alleged ties to criminal gangs.
Less than 1% of immigrants deported last fiscal year were kicked out of the U.S. for crimes other than immigration violations, Axios' Russell Contreras has reported.
What is the Alien Enemies Act of 1798?
The Alien Enemies Act allows the government to detain and remove immigrants when there is "a declared war between the United States and any foreign nation or government."
It could also apply in cases when a foreign government has "perpetrated, attempted, or threatened" an invasion or "predatory incursion" of the U.S.
While the law can't be used to detain U.S. citizens, the U.S.-citizen children of immigrants could be affected.
Trump border czar Tom Homan, when asked how deportations could be carried out without separating families, said in October that families would be deported together.
When has the Alien Enemies Act been used?
Only three times since its inception, during the War of 1812, World War I and World War II.
In these instances, the act has been "wielded against immigrants who have done nothing wrong, have evinced no signs of disloyalty, and are lawfully present in the United States," according to the Brennan Center for Justice.
During both World Wars, Presidents Woodrow Wilson and Harry Truman used it to justify the "detentions, expulsions, and restrictions targeting German, Austro-Hungarian, Japanese, and Italian immigrants based solely on their ancestry," per the center.
How has Trump laid the groundwork for its use?
Trump on his first day in office issued an executive order instructing his administration members to prepare for the act's potential invocation.
While the Constitution gives Congress the power to declare war, the president has the authority to respond to sudden attacks, like predatory incursions or invasions, per the Brennan Center for Justice.
Trump has already begun making the case that such an incursion or invasion is already underway.
His administration has declared some Latin American cartels to be terrorist organizations, and Trump has baselessly suggested that one of them — Tren de Aragua — has already taken over a Denver suburb.
Many Republicans have also echoed Trump's language referring to illegal immigration as an "invasion."
President Trump said on Friday he "strongly requested" that Russian President Vladimir Putin "spare the lives" of thousands of Ukrainian soldiers, whom he claimed were "surrounded" in the Kursk region in Russia.
Why it matters:Ukraine launched a risky cross-border incursion into Kursk last August and occupied a significant swath of Russian territory, but Russia has been making rapid gains in recent weeks and putting those forces under severe pressure. Trump claimed the troops now faced a potential "massacre."
Driving the news: Putin raised the fate of the Ukrainian forces in Kursk as a key issue to be resolved before he would consider Trump's proposal for a 30-day ceasefire.
In a Thursday press conference, Putin asked: "Should we release them after they committed serious crimes against civilians?" Russia has previously said soldiers captured in Kursk would be considered terrorists.
Gen. Oleksandr Syrskyi, commander-in-chief of Ukraine's armed forces, acknowledged the "difficult situation" on Tuesday but said Ukrainian forces were not surrounded and were moving to "more favorable" defensive positions. He said Ukraine would fight on in Kursk "as long as reasonable and necessary."
Ukraine has not yet said whether it supports Trump's call for its troops to be given safe passage out of Kursk.
State of play: Trump made the comments on Truth Social a day after his envoy Steve Witkoff met Putin for discussions Trump called "very good and productive."
The meeting lasted several hours and Witkoff didn't depart Moscow until 2am local time.
The Kremlin said Putin gave Witkoff a message for Trump, and that a phone call between the leaders could take place in the coming days.
Before the meeting, though, Putin downplayed Trump's proposal for an unconditional surrender, making clear that with his forces on the march in Kursk and in southeastern Ukraine, several demands would have to be met before he would order them to stand down.
The other side: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Friday on X that Ukraine accepted Trump's ceasefire proposal because it wants peace, but "Russia is deliberately setting conditions that only complicate and drag out the process."
What they're saying: "We had very good and productive discussions with President Vladimir Putin of Russia yesterday, and there is a very good chance that this horrible, bloody war can finally come to an end," Trump wrote on Friday morning about Witkoff's meeting.
Trump added: "BUT, AT THIS VERY MOMENT, THOUSANDS OF UKRAINIAN TROOPS ARE COMPLETELY SURROUNDED BY THE RUSSIAN MILITARY, AND IN A VERY BAD AND VULNERABLE POSITION."
"I have strongly requested to President Putin that their lives be spared. This would be a horrible massacre, one not seen since World War II. God bless them all!!!"
Gold hit a new all-time high Friday, breaking $3,000 for the first time ever, as investors search for tariff safe-havens.
Why it matters: There's a psychological value to important assets breaking through big, round numbers — but it's also further evidence of the market's nerves and uncertainty about global trade.
By the numbers: The new gold all-time high came Friday morning, crossing $3,000 just after 4 a.m. ET.
The yellow metal is up about 10% since President Trump won the election last November, outperforming most other asset classes.
Zoom out: In difficult times, investors search for "safe" assets that are likely to retain more of their value, regardless of geopolitical disruptions.
So much gold was brought into the U.S. earlier this year, in a bid to front-run tariffs, that it skewed the trade deficit and messed up key calculations of economic growth.
The intrigue: The new record for gold comes just a few hours after the biggest U.S. stocks entered correction territory, 10% off their all-time highs set less than a month ago.
"A key factor behind the recent market selloff is the uncertainty surrounding trade tariffs and their economic implications," LPL Financial chief technical strategist Adam Turnquist wrote in a market commentary earlier this week.
"The lack of clarity regarding tariff policies has made it difficult for markets to stage a meaningful recovery, as investors hesitate to make significant moves without a clearer outlook."
A powerful storm system is set to bring multiple rounds of dangerous severe thunderstorms, with numerous strong tornadoes possible, from the Midwest to the Southeast beginning Friday.
Threat level: About 100 million people live in areas under threat from straight-line wind damage, hail and tornadoes through the weekend.
The greatest threat for storms on Friday centers on the Midwest, where a squall line containing straight-line winds and embedded tornadoes is forecast to congeal later in the day and sweep across parts of Missouri east to Indiana.
A large area of strong winds will occur even outside of severe storms, raising the likelihood of widespread power outages.
Cities under a "moderate risk" of severe thunderstorms on Friday, which is a Level 4 of 5 on the Storm Prediction Center's threat scale, include Memphis, St. Louis, Des Moines and Springfield, Ill.
The greater threat for powerful tornadoes will occur on Saturday, when an especially volatile setup takes shape across the Southeast.
The Storm Prediction Center has taken the nearly-unheard of step of issuing a "high risk" severe thunderstorm outlook for the next day, indicating increasing confidence in a large-scale tornado outbreak.
Zoom in: The SPC is using strong language to describe the tornado threat in Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama in particular on Saturday.
"Numerous significant tornadoes, some of which should be long-track and potentially violent, are expected on Saturday afternoon and evening," forecasters wrote Friday afternoon.
The tornado threat will continue into the overnight hours on Saturday into early Sunday.
Overnight tornadoes are particularly deadly because people have a harder time receiving warnings and getting to shelter, particularly in states with high proportions of mobile homes.
Cities in the high risk zone Saturday include Birmingham, Jackson, Miss., Tuscaloosa, Ala. and Hattiesburg, Miss.
New Orleans and Baton Rouge, La. are in the moderate risk zone for Saturday.
Alabama Governor Kay Ivey (R) issued a state of emergency for the entire state beginning on Friday afternoon.
"The state of Alabama is at risk for potentially dangerous, severe weather throughout this weekend, so it is critical that everyone stays very aware of their local forecasts," Ivey said.
The NWS forecast office in Birminghamreleased a statement on X noting the rare combination of ingredients that could make this event so significant, summarizing it as: "This will be a very scary situation for many."
Context: Climate change is altering the environment in which severe thunderstorms and tornadoes form. Studies show that while some ingredients, such as humidity and atmospheric instability, are likely to increase with a warming climate, others may do the opposite.
Climate change is anticipated to decrease the amount of wind shear available to severe thunderstorms, which could deprive them of a key ingredient for tornado formation.
Yes, but: When the right mix of ingredients are present, climate change may lead to larger severe weather outbreaks, albeit fewer in number overall per year.
The intrigue: The Southeast has been particularly hard-hit by tornado outbreaks in recent years beginning during March.
Some researchers have noted a shift of so-called "Tornado Alley" to the southeast and earlier in the year, away from some of the Plains states and Midwest, over time.
However, tornado alley itself has long been considered somewhat of a misnomer in the meteorology community, with multiple areas favored for tornado outbreaks. Tornadoes can and have occurred in any state.
Between the lines: This severe weather outbreak will test NOAA's ability to handle a large-scale, potentially deadly weather event in the wake of laying off about 800 meteorologists and other staff in late February.
These layoffs reduced staffing at some local weather forecast offices to threadbare levels, causing some to reduce their services.
Some meteorologists are also having to put in more frequent overtime shifts.
Recent court rulings may bring at least some of those fired federal workers back on the job at least temporarily.
Further staff reductions of about 1,000 NOAA workers are planned, though it is not clear if those would focus on the NWS or NOAA's other missions.
The bottom line: This severe weather outbreak could be a high-end, potentially historic event, resulting in multiple powerful, long-lasting tornadoes, particularly in the Southeast on Saturday and Saturday night.
