Recent articles
October 16, 2026
Hill leaders brace for miserable 2027
Have some sympathy for Capitol Hill's leaders next year, no matter who wins in November.😩 Why it matters: The next Congress promises a thousand different ways to be miserable. And three of the big ...
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October 16, 2026
Trump names scapegoats as Republicans sweat in Texas
President Trump is preemptively blaming Sen. John Cornyn and Karl Rove for "doing everything possible to make it hard for Ken Paxton" to win the Texas Senate race.Why it matters: The president is p...
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October 15, 2026
GOP senator: Cancel Thanksgiving recess if we lose
Sen. Bernie Moreno wants his fellow Republicans to cancel their holiday plans and jam through "everything that we could possibly get" if they lose the majorities in November's midterms.Why it matte...
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October 8, 2026
The staggering cost of winning a Senate seat in 2026
Source: AdImpact, Census.gov Note: AdImpact data includes dollars spent on video advertisements on broadcast, cable and social media as well as spending estimates on streaming platforms. Chart: Ste...
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October 5, 2026
GOP senator warns Anthropic of "alarmist" approach to AI
Sen. Bernie Moreno (R-Ohio) is urging Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei against an "alarmist approach" and "panic-inducing commentary" on AI, according to a letter sent Monday and obtained by Axios.Why it...
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October 2, 2026
Senate crushes House on congressional work days
Source: Ballotpedia, Congressional Record; Chart: Stef Kight/AxiosThe Senate is well on its way to claiming the congressional attendance trophy this year, spending 32 more weekdays in session so fa...
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October 1, 2026
GOP senators endure painful week with little to show for it
Exhausted GOP senators are preparing to fly home mostly empty-handed after staying in D.C. longer than expected.Why it matters: The midterm outlook is getting bleaker by the day, and Republicans ha...
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September 29, 2026
Senate passes sweeping college sports package
The Senate passed the bipartisan Protect College Sports Act on Monday, voting 77 to 22 in favor of the sweeping overhaul of college athletics.Why it matters: It is a massive piece of legislation, s...
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September 26, 2026
Scoop: "Delusional" Senate forecast rattles Sea Island retreat
A pollster for Senate Republicans was met with disbelief on Saturday after telling GOP donors and operatives that they could grow their majority in November's midterm elections, sources tell Axios....
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September 24, 2026
Scoop: NRSC pleads for $9M to defend three red seats
The Senate GOP campaign arm is making an extraordinary late ask — $8.9 million, to be exact — for three red states: Alaska, Iowa and Ohio, according to a memo sent Thursday and obtained by Axios.Wh...
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September 23, 2026
Exclusive: Thune plans another leader bid as Senate GOP fights to survive
Senate Majority Leader John Thune plans to run for another term as GOP leader, even if Republicans lose the chamber's majority, he told Axios in an exclusive interview Wednesday in his Capitol offi...
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September 23, 2026
Exclusive: Thune believes Trump is willing to listen on AI guardrails despite public defiance
Senate Majority Leader John Thune says President Trump is "not really dug in" against guardrails for AI, despite Trump's public campaign against restricting the technology.Why it matters: Thune tol...
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September 22, 2026
GOP breaking with an unpopular Trump
Congressional Republicans are increasingly breaking with an unpopular president on foreign policy and pocketbook issues as they try to stop their majorities from slipping away. Why it matters: They...
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September 14, 2026
Thune sees role for Congress on AI — Trump does not
Majority Leader John Thune is asserting Congress' prerogative to act on AI — but he's urging a "light touch" even in the face of "consequential risks."Why it matters: On his first day back after a ...
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September 14, 2026
McConnell returns to Capitol after 3-month absence
Sen. Mitch McConnell voted at the U.S. Capitol on Monday for the first time in three months after being hospitalized in June.Why it matters: The Kentucky Republican's return could finally unjam the...
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September 8, 2026
Trump's summer of sabotage
Congressional Republicans are preparing to share the stage with a president who has spent the August recess complicating their efforts to run their races on their own terms.Why it matters: Republic...
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August 26, 2026
Court ruling threatens GOP cash advantage
A federal appeals court ruling Tuesday could erase a new midterm advantage for Republicans.Why it matters: The 2-1 ruling would block Republicans from using cash-rich party committees to buy more p...
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August 13, 2026
Scoop: Trump team tells GOP to lean in on health care
President Trump's top political hands had some surprising advice for Senate Republicans last week: Talk more about health care.Why it matters: Trump and the MAGA base are fixated on the voter-ID an...
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August 12, 2026
Congressional campaign stars
It's August, which means lawmakers are fanning out across the country to campaign for themselves and their colleagues.Why it matters: A friendly senator or House member can help on the stump. But o...
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August 11, 2026
Scoop: Senate GOP super PAC doubles down on Michigan
Senate Republicans' top super PAC is pouring an extra $6 million into Michigan to attack Democratic Senate nominee Abdul El-Sayed.Why it matters: It's part of $12 million in new spending this month...
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August 4, 2026
Scoop: Inside Hegseth's classified plea for more defense funds
Top Pentagon officials are already pitching reconciliation 4.0 to Senate Republicans behind closed doors, underscoring the need for a massive boost in military funds, Axios has learned.Why it matte...
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July 29, 2026
Scoop: Inside the White House pitch for pre-election MAGA megabill
White House officials will press Senate Republicans behind closed doors Wednesday to pass a blueprint for another GOP-only megabill before they leave for the August recess, but save any possible de...
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July 29, 2026
Thune's next nightmare
Senate Majority Leader John Thune has one of the toughest jobs in Washington. It could get even harder next year.Why it matters: Thune is one of the few Republicans in Washington who's managed to s...
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July 29, 2026
86 senators vote to move forward with Graham Russia sanctions bill
In a massive show of bipartisanship, 86 senators voted to move forward with a Russia and Iran sanctions bill that had been championed by the late Sen. Lindsey Graham.Why it matters: The vote came h...
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July 27, 2026
Thune's shield against Trump
Senate Majority Leader John Thune is pulling off something today's Republicans rarely attempt: telling President Trump "no."Why it matters: Pressure from Trump and the MAGA base is piling up on Thu...
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July 22, 2026
Senate rabble-rousers are gaining power
Hardline conservatives are gaining power in the Senate atop key committees.Why it matters: The senators known for rankling GOP leadership now have gavels that let them hold hearings, advance legisl...
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