MIKE DONILON

Facing a midterm election that will define, and quite possibly constrict, the next two years of his term, President Joe Biden is treading a difficult line.

President Joe Biden’s top political advisers are bracing for big election losses in November.

President Joe Biden took the White House press corps' annual gala as an opportunity to make light of the criticism he has faced in his 15 months in office.

President Joe Biden is back on the campaign trail, leading the kind of rally that was impossible last year because of the pandemic.

The White House says President Joe Biden has filled about 56% of his senior White House staff positions with women, including about 36% coming from racially and-or ethnically diverse backgrounds.

President Joe Biden is proposing a $6 trillion budget for next year that fails to slow spiking government debt.

The New York attorney general's office said Tuesday that it is conducting a criminal investigation into former President Donald Trump's business empire, expanding what had previously been a civil probe. “We have informed the Trump Organization that our investigation into the company is no longer purely civil in nature," Fabien Levy, a spokesperson for Attorney General Letitia James, said in a statement. “We are now actively investigating the Trump Organization in a criminal capacity, along with the Manhattan DA,” Levy said.

The New York attorney general's office said Tuesday night it has informed the Trump Organization that its investigation into the company "is no longer purely civil in nature" and is now a criminal one.Why it matters: New York Attorney General Letitia James' office is now working with the Manhattan district attorney's office, which has been investigating the Trump Organization for potential bank, tax and insurance fraud.Get market news worthy of your time with Axios Markets. Subscribe for free.Driving the news: New York Attorney General Letitia James (D) announced last August that her office had filed a lawsuit to compel the Trump Organization to comply with subpoenas related to an investigation into whether former President Trump and his company improperly inflated the value of its assets on financial statements.Fabien Levy, a spokesperson for James, said in an emailed statement: "We are now actively investigating the Trump Organization in a criminal capacity, along with the Manhattan DA." Levy declined to comment further. What they're saying: Representatives for the Trump Organization did not immediately respond to Axios' request for comment on the news, first reported by CNN.But Trump has previously denied any wrongdoing and accused James of "politically motivated harassment" and called the investigation by Manhattan District Attorney Cy Vance a political "witch hunt."Editor's note: This article has been updated with new details throughout.Like this article? Get more from Axios and subscribe to Axios Markets for free.

One of the Queen's two new puppies, given to her while the Duke of Edinburgh was in hospital, has reportedly died. Fergus, a young corgi puppy, was one of the pair given to the Queen after Prince Philip fell ill in February. She was apparently left "devastated" after the puppy died over the weekend, a month after the death of her husband aged 99. A source told The Sun: "The Queen is absolutely devastated. The puppies were brought in to cheer her up during a very difficult period. Everyone concerned is upset as this comes so soon after she lost her husband." The Queen saw Fergus and a corgi called Muick as a "distraction" while she was grieving, a royal expert had said. Joe Little, managing editor of Majesty Magazine, said: "The thinking was enough was enough, and that she was getting too old for new dogs and who would look after them when she was gone.

An Eyewitness News crew on the scene reported a large police and firefighter presence in what appeared to be a balcony near the roof.

President Joe Biden’s vision of his presidency is quickly taking shape.

WASHINGTON – At least one group in America is unlikely to get any money from President Joe Biden’s $1.9 trillion economic rescue plan — his own top aides. Most of Biden’s senior West Wing advisers made far more than the threshold that would qualify them for direct payments from the president’s COVID-19 relief bill, according to White House financial disclosure forms released Saturday. Others in the West Wing — whose positions don't require Senate confirmation — have had deep ties to the business world. He was listed as having a salary of $1.8 million, according to his disclosure form. Brian Deese, head of the national economic council, was previously global head of sustainable investing at BlackRock, according to his disclosure.

President Joe Biden's closest advisors have ties to big business and Wall Street, with some making millions of dollars in their careers leading up to entering the White House, new financial disclosures show. These disclosures were provided by the White House to CNBC early Saturday morning after requesting the documents a day earlier. A White House spokesperson did not return a follow up request for comment. His new financial disclosure form shows that Sullivan, from 2017 until last year, was a member of the Microsoft advisory council. The report says Sullivan was on the "policy advisory council advising the president of Microsoft on key policy developments."

President-elect Joe Biden speaks after the Electoral College formally elected him as president, Monday, Dec. 14, 2020, at The Queen theater in Wilmington, Del. Democracy, Biden said, has been “pushed, tested, threatened.” But he said it proved to be “resilient, true, and strong.”“The flame of democracy was lit in this nation a long time ago,” Biden said. But the challenge facing Biden was evident as many congressional Republicans, including some of the party's top leaders, refused to officially accept Biden's win. The younger Biden said in a statement last week that he just recently learned that he was under investigation. Biden's deputy chief of staff, Jen O’Malley Dillon, downplayed the notion that the investigation could hamper Biden’s ability to pursue his agenda.

Jim Watson | AFP | Getty ImagesWASHINGTON — President-elect Joe Biden on Tuesday announced his first slate of senior White House staff, choosing a mix of longtime Biden loyalists and rising Democratic stars. Jen O'Malley Dillon, who managed Biden's victorious campaign, will serve as White House deputy chief of staff. Louisiana Rep. Cedric Richmond will be senior advisor to the president and director of the White House Office of Public Engagement. Former Biden campaign chairman Steve Ricchetti will be senior counselor to the president, the Biden team announced. Biden came under pressure following his election not to name Ricchetti his White House chief of staff.

President-elect Joe Biden has announced top White House staff positions, drawing from the senior ranks of his campaign and some of his closest confidants. (AP Photo/Charles Rex Arbogast)ATLANTA – President-elect Joe Biden announced a raft of top White House staff positions on Tuesday, drawing from the senior ranks of his campaign and some of his closest confidants to fill out an increasingly diverse White House leadership team. Richmond will leave his Louisiana congressional seat to fill the White House job. Late last week, Biden tapped former senior campaign adviser Ron Klain to serve as his chief of staff. She is a veteran political operative who worked on both of Barack Obama’s White House bids.