Just eight months after President Trump picked JD Vance to be his vice president, Vance is already positioned to be MAGA’s heir apparent for 2028. “I think it’s inevitable at this point that Vance will be the [GOP] nominee in 2028,” Sen. Jim Banks (R-Indiana), a close Trump ally, tells Axios. “He’s the future of … Read more

UnitedHealth Group is bracing for scrutiny from the Trump administration over the way it and other Medicare Advantage insurers bill the government, along with other cost-related topics, an executive at the health company told Axios. Why it matters: Mehmet Oz’s characterization of the Medicare Advantage system as “upside down” during his Senate confirmation hearing to … Read more

Top MAGA-world figures are leaning into a fight with the judicial system over the constitutionality of President Trump’s deportations last weekend of alleged Venezuelan gang members. Why it matters: A federal district judge ruled that flights carrying the migrants to El Salvador had to be turned around — an order that the Trump administration ignored. But … Read more

President Trump has recorded a video for social media in which he urges unauthorized immigrants to “self-deport” — and use a newly launched app to report that they’re leaving the U.S., Axios has learned. Why it matters: The 90-second video — set to appear on Instagram, X, YouTube and Rumble — is part of a … Read more

Two NASA astronauts who spent more than 280 days aboard the International Space Station undocked from the ISS early on Tuesday, kicking off their long-awaited return journey. The big picture: Barry “Butch” Wilmore and Sunita “Suni” Williams have been in a galactic holding pattern hundreds of miles above the Earth’s surface after boarding the ISS … Read more

Prominent supporters of President Trump — led by podcaster Ben Shapiro — are fueling a major push to pardon Derek Chauvin, the white former Minnesota police officer convicted of killing George Floyd in 2020. Video of Chauvin kneeling on Floyd’s neck for several minutes while Floyd said he “can’t breathe” went viral in 2020 and … Read more

Data: Gateway Financial Advisors; Table: Axios Visuals Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent broke with orthodoxy Sunday when he said corrections in stocks were “healthy” and an antidote to “euphoric” market action. The big picture: Over the long run, he’s not necessarily wrong. What they’re saying: “I’ve been in the investment business for 35 years, and I … Read more

The Trump administration’s moves to deport Columbia University protest leader Mahmoud Khalil have set up a historic court battle over whether the U.S. government can remove legal residents as national security risks for what they say. Why it matters: If Trump’s team is successful, legal analysts say, future administrations could deport legal immigrants for any … Read more

Apple’s acknowledgment that AI enhancements to Siri are taking longer than expected has increased concern that the iPhone maker is falling further behind in what is shaping up to be a tectonic shift for the tech industry. Why it matters: When it announced Apple Intelligence last June, Apple was already trailing major competitors in outlining … Read more

Navy warship USS Gravely is on a mission to strengthen security at the U.S.-Mexico border, Pentagon officials said. Why it matters: The deployment of the guided-missile destroyer that last year was involved in shooting down Iran-backed Houthi rebels’ ship attacks in the Middle East to a region the U.S. Coast Guard ordinarily covers marks an … Read more