Axios

Opening arguments kicked off in a landmark child safety and privacy case against Meta over allegations that Facebook and Instagram were designed in ways that harm children.

Why it matters: It's been called social media's "big tobacco moment," with plaintiffs seeking hundreds of billions of dollars in financial penalties — and changes to the design features at the core of Meta's products.

Media-related lawsuits involving President Trump along with a broader set of Trump-related defamation cases have surged over the past two years compared with the decade prior, according to an Axios analysis.

Why it matters: Trump's efforts to target government-funded broadcasters and broadcasters regulated by the Federal Communications Commission have prompted many of those cases.

ABC on Tuesday filed a lawsuit against the Federal Communications Commission, arguing the agency has violated its First Amendment rights by retaliating against the broadcaster for its editorial decisions.

Why it matters: It's a major escalation of ABC's fight with the FCC, which it argues is motivated by broader efforts to silence a free and independent press.

Emily Underwood, the top deputy to Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller, is leaving the White House, Axios has learned.

Why it matters: Underwood has been a core part of the White House policy team since the transition to President Trump's second term.

"No conflict, no interest."

• The maxim is attributed to legendary venture capitalist John Doerr, who was seeking to accentuate the overlapping nature of startup investing.
• Now it might become fodder for the Justice Department.

A crypto firm backed by President Trump's family just got preliminary approval for a bank — just not the type where you make an ATM withdrawal.

Why it matters: The move expands Trump's grip on the world of cryptocurrency, which delivered the president a $1 billion windfall last year alone.

Veteran media executive Geneva S. Thomas is launching The Knowing (TK), serving Black millennials and Gen Z.

Why it matters: Media's fragmentation around personalities and platforms is making loyal audiences more valuable.

The U.S. violent crime rate plunged 9.7% last year — the largest annual drop since the FBI's national estimates began in 1936 — according to the bureau's data released Friday and reviewed by Axios.

Why it matters: The FBI's 2025 report indicated that the post-pandemic declines in violent crime accelerated sharply last year in communities of all sizes across the U.S. (That drop appeared to continue during the first half of this year, a separate Axios analysis of big cities' violent crime data found last week.)

Among the declines cited by the FBI:

• Murder and nonnegligent manslaughter dropped 18.1%.
• Robbery fell 18.5%, rape 7.6% and aggravated assault 7.2%.
• Meanwhile, the U.S. murder rate decreased 18.5% to 4.1 per 100,000 residents, tying 1955 and 1956 for the lowest rate since FBI national estimates began.

Property crime declined 12.4%, led by drops in motor vehicle theft (22.7%), burglary (15.8%) and larceny-theft (9.8%).

Zoom in: The decline in crime was unusually broad, touching every population group in the FBI's violent-crime data — from the largest cities to small cities, suburbs and rural counties, an Axios analysis found.

• Cities with 500,000 to 999,999 people had the biggest decrease, 15.3%, including drops of 27.4% in murder, 22.8% in robbery and 12.6% in aggravated assault.

The report is the FBI's final one for 2025 crime, but the national figures remain statistical estimates. The FBI estimates missing data to produce nationally representative figures.

• 17,075 law enforcement agencies submitted 2025 data, covering more than 96% of the U.S. population. Every city agency serving at least 1 million residents submitted a full 12 months.

Between the lines: The breadth and timing of the overall decline in crime decline make it difficult to credit any single president, policing strategy or local policy.

• The decline in homicides began in 2022 under President Biden, continued through 2025 and has extended into the second year of President Trump's second term.
• Trump came into office casting America as being overrun by crime at time when the numbers already were falling dramatically.
• As that decline has continued Trump has taken credit for it, often linking it to his administration's National Guard and federal interventions in cities such as Washington, D.C., and Memphis, to declines in violent crime.

The 2026 midterms are becoming a watershed election for primary meddling, mysterious super PACs, alleged straw candidates and all other manner of political shenanigans.

Why it matters: With the number of battleground House districts diminished by redistricting and the fight for the Senate extremely tight, each one of these schemes could have an outsized impact on control of Congress.

President Trump has a new rule for America's partners: Cross him in one theater, and the consequences will follow you into the next.

Why it matters: Trump has spent his second term battering U.S. allies, humiliating their leaders and using decades-old security relationships to settle personal and political scores.