Axios

Three individuals were charged in connection with alleged Iranian-linked terror plots, including a September scheme against a British Royal Air Force Base that housed U.S. military personnel and aircraft, per an indictment unsealed Tuesday.

The big picture: The indictment alleges that a leader of an Islamic terrorist group attempted to coordinate with his fellow defendants from jail by passing coded messages through third parties.

A federal judge took sharp aim at FBI Director Kash Patel on Tuesday, ruling in favor of The Atlantic and freezing most discovery in his defamation lawsuit against the publication.

Why it matters: The ruling shields The Atlantic from potentially intrusive demands for its reporting materials and confidential sources while the court weighs dismissing the case entirely.

Vice President JD Vance on Tuesday said that the vote to impeach Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth "isn't about Iran," but rather his willingness to take on challenges at the Pentagon.

Why it matters: It's the latest instance of the Trump administration backing the embattled Cabinet member, who is facing the possibility of enough GOP members defecting for the impeachment effort to succeed.