President Trump said on Friday that he is convening his national security team in the White House Situation Room to make a final decision about the agreement reached between U.S. and Iranian negotiators. Why it matters: The signing of the memorandum of understanding would be the most significant diplomatic breakthrough since the war started, but a final agreement tackling Trump 's nuclear demands would require further negotiations. This is a breaking news story and will be updated.
Attorneys for Elon Musk wrapped up their case against OpenAI on Thursday, asserting in closing arguments that they've proven the AI giant misused the millions of dollars Musk donated and violated their duty to uphold OpenAI's founding ethos. - Next up in the mega-trial, lawyers for OpenAI will argue that the organization's structure has changed but its mission hasn't. Why it matters: Musk wants CEO Sam Altman ousted from OpenAI's board as well as billions of dollars in damages, though he says he would donate any winnings back to OpenAI's nonprofit arm. Driving the news: In his closing argument, lawyer Steven Molo argued that OpenAI violated its nonprofit mission to pursue safe, powerful AI for the world — and that its executives…
Elon Musk's lawsuit against Sam Altman ostensibly is about OpenAI's pivot to a for-profit model, after having been founded for more altruistic purposes. What really matters, however, is if either side can expose damaging information about the other. Almost regardless of the jury verdict. The big picture: Altman has more at stake than does Musk. - The WSJ on Monday night reported that OpenAI "missed its own targets for new users and revenue." - This comes just weeks after WSJ noted that some OpenAI shareholders "have begun to privately question whether [Altman] should lead OpenAI through the turbulence of going public." - Musk also is prepping a massive IPO for SpaceX, which now includes xAI, but Wall Street already knows many of his…
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) on Monday fiercely defended his use of the phrase "maximum warfare" to describe Democrats' redistricting efforts. Why it matters: Republicans have characterized the remark as an example of the type of inflammatory rhetoric that can spark political violence following the White House Correspondents' Dinner shooting . - After Virginians narrowly voted last week to approve a new map that could give Democrats a 10-1 majority, Jeffries said at a press conference: "We are in an era of maximum warfare, everywhere, all the time." - It was a direct reference to an anonymous source's characterization of the White House's strategy on mid-decade redistricting in a New York Times story last summer. What…
The death of Rep. David Scott (D-Ga.) has reignited a debate among Democratic lawmakers and activists about the party's aging — and often ailing — leadership. Why it matters: Scott's death leaves the party down yet another vote at a high-stakes moment, some of his colleagues fumed on the condition of anonymity to speak candidly about the matter. - "I will not be here at the age of 80 and I'm not quite sure why people feel that they should, but ... normal people are going to keep asking the question," one House Democrat told Axios. - The lawmaker said it is "a liability problem" because "we need every f*cking vote we can get to stop this war in Iran, to ... protect the right for people to vote or to hold DHS accountable." - "It's a…
Three distinct camps are forming around AI: power users, doubters and resisters. Why it matters: AI isn't just advancing — it's fragmenting how people see the world. The big picture: The disconnect is showing up everywhere — from job-loss fears to data center protests to actual violence. - Doubters still see AI as glitchy chatbots and viral fails. They aren't using its full capabilities. - Power users run AI agents around the clock, trading tips on how to automate work and decision-making. - Resisters understand AI, think they know where it's headed and want no part of it. What they're saying: "There is a growing gap in understanding of AI capability," former OpenAI and Tesla AI leader, Andrej Karpathy posted on X. He added that…
Virtually every Democratic primary candidate this cycle, from the most progressive to the most moderate, wants voters to know one thing: How much of a "fighter" they are. Why it matters: It is the culmination of a year's worth of liberal grassroots fury over what they see as President Trump's many transgressions and the Democratic establishment's lackluster response. - In Illinois' 9th House District, all three major candidates — left-wing Kat Abughazaleh , progressive Daniel Biss and AIPAC-backed Laura Fine — had ads labeling them "fighters" and highlighting confrontations they had with ICE. Biss won the March 17 primary. - Rep. Christian Menefee (D-Texas) ran an ad called "Fighter ," which featured the then-candidate in boxing…
Data: FBI/Brian Levin; Chart: Russell Contreras/Axios Anti-Latino and anti-Sikh hate crimes in the U.S. soared to new records in 2025, even as overall hate crimes declined, according to preliminary FBI data reviewed by Axios. The big picture: Anti-Latino bias entered the top three most targeted categories for the first time in 34 years of hate crime data tracking. - "Whoever is the target of a particular sticky type of stereotype, particularly a fear-inducing one, you'll see that particular group spike," hate crime expert Brian Levin tells Axios. By the numbers: Overall hate-crime incidents fell 11% in 2025 from the previous year, according to Levin, who conducted the analysis for the California Association of Human Relations…
California Gov. Gavin Newsom says the idea that he and Kamala Harris don't like each other is "preposterous," but acknowledges the former vice president took a shot at him in her bestselling book last year. - "I think it created some color for the book," Newsom said on the latest episode of "The Axios Show," referring to Harris' claim that he didn't return her call when then-President Biden dropped out of the 2024 race. - "It certainly helped her book sales — not my component part, but that book has done unbelievably well," Newsom added. Driving the news: Newsom and Harris are atop most polls of potential Democratic presidential candidates for 2028 after a multi-decade rivalry in California politics. - In his Axios interview Newsom…
Via X Former Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) suggested Tucker Carlson should run for president after President Trump told ABC News that Carlson had "lost his way." Why it matters: Carlson is one of the right's most-influential voices and he will remain so as long as influential figures like Greene want to see him in the White House. - Carlson has said no to a presidential bid in the past, and the highly likely scenario is that he backs Vice President JD Vance's expected campaign to succeed Trump in 2028. Catch up quick: "Tucker has lost his way," Trump told ABC New's Jonathan Karl in a phone interview. "I knew that a long time ago, and he's not MAGA. MAGA is saving our country. MAGA is making our country great again. MAGA is…