Axios

President Trump is escalating his doomsday warnings about a Democratic takeover of Congress, painting a nightmarish vision of an America consumed by burning cities, economic collapse, mutilated children and the destruction of Western civilization.

Why it matters: Trump has long portrayed Democrats as an existential threat to the country. But in an effort to preserve Republicans' grip on Washington, he's taking that rhetoric to new extremes as he casts the election as a choice between Republican rule and national catastrophe.

Over three dozen congressional lawmakers and election offices in at least 32 states have been targeted with suspicious letters, many containing a white powder.

Why it matters: The letters have forced evacuations and disrupted election offices just weeks before the 2026 midterms, raising concerns about political intimidation.

OpenAI has acquired Orchestra Bio, a startup building AI agents to help pharmaceutical companies manage drug development, the ChatGPT maker shared exclusively with Axios.

Why it matters: Rival AI giants OpenAI and Anthropic are both pushing into science as they look to expand beyond their core competencies in coding and cybersecurity.