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Donald Trump and Benjamin Netanyahu were the closest of political allies during the four years they overlapped in office, at least in public. Not anymore. "I haven’t spoken to him since," Trump said of the former Israeli prime minister. "F**k him."

What he's saying: Trump repeatedly criticized Netanyahu during two interviews for my book, “Trump’s Peace: The Abraham Accords and the Reshaping of the Middle East." The final straw for Trump was when Netanyahu congratulated President-elect Biden for his election victory while Trump was still disputing the result.

England's High Court on Friday overturned a British judge's decision to block the extradition of Julian Assange to the U.S., dealing a major blow to the WikiLeaks founder in his decade-long fight to avoid prosecution by the U.S. government.

Why it matters: Assange, who was arrested in Ecuador's embassy in London in 2019 after its government revoked his asylum, is wanted in the U.S. on charges of violating the Espionage Act and hacking government computers.

The mother of Austin Tice, an American journalist abducted in Syria in 2012, will meet Friday with White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan to discuss a proposal she believes could bring her son home, two people familiar with the plans tell Axios.

Why it matters: As the Arab world slowly reintegrates Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad after a decade-long civil war, Debra Tice believes now is the best opportunity in years to secure her son's release. The U.S. government operates under the assumption he’s still alive.

A tranche of blood and stool samples that have been in storage since 1984 are now helping scientists learn more about HIV and AIDS.

Why it matters: Applying modern science to these decades-old samples offers a glimpse back in time into the role gut microbes may have played in the early spread of HIV and AIDS.

A Texas law banning most abortions after about six weeks of pregnancy violates the state's constitution as it permits private citizens to sue abortion providers, a judge ruled Thursday.

Why it matters: State District Court Judge David Peeples' ruling, which doesn't stop the strict law from being enforced, comes ahead of an expected U.S. Supreme Court decision on the Texas legislation.

The Biden administration denounced Nicaragua on Thursday night for switching diplomatic allegiance from Taiwan to China.

Why it matters: China's government has for the past several years been chipping away at Taiwan's legitimacy on the world stage and attempted to further isolate Taipei by pressuring companies and other countries to stop treating the self-governing island as a sovereign nation.

The Open Society Foundations is investing $42.5 million over five years in Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) and Muslim, Arab and South Asian (MASA) communities, Axios has learned.

Why it matters: The foundation says they are some of the largest grants given in the space. The money will be used for nonpartisan efforts, and more direct advocacy by organizations dedicated to and led by these minority communities — which have historically received little philanthropic support.

President Biden has described the global competition between the U.S. and China as a battle of democracy vs. autocracy. The reality is often murkier.

Why it matters: Addressing his Summit for Democracy on Thursday, Biden called the erosion of democracy around the world “the defining challenge of our time.” But his democracy agenda is beginning to collide with his China strategy in uncomfortable ways.

White House officials rejected speculation on Thursday that President Biden would pressure Ukraine to cede territory to Russian-backed separatists in order to deter Russian President Vladimir Putin from launching a large-scale invasion.

Driving the news: In a 90-minute phone call intended to brief Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on his discussions with Putin on Tuesday, Biden stressed that there would be "no decisions or discussions about Ukraine without Ukraine," according to a White House readout.

U.S. Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo made waves in Washington when she criticized Europe's planned regulations of tech companies, despite the White House's interests in reining in the sector at home.

Why it matters: The incident reveals the balancing act the Biden administration performs as it weighs talking tough on Big Tech while standing up for U.S. firms abroad.

A D.C. appeals court on Thursday denied former President Trump's bid to shield a slew of records to the congressional panel investigating the Jan. 6 insurrection, rejecting Trump's claim that the documents are shielded by executive privilege.

The big picture: In a 3-0 decision, Judge Patricia Ann Millett wrote that lawyers for Trump had not "provided no basis for this court to override President Biden's judgment" that the documents, held by the National Archives, should not be protected by executive privilege.

1. Health: COVID cases, deaths on the rise — Emerging Omicron data offers glimmers of hope — Nearly all U.S. cases of Omicron are mild, CDC director says — Experts fear a bad flu season on top of COVID.
2. Vaccines: FDA authorizes Pfizer COVID booster shots for 16- and 17-year olds — — Fauci says it's "when, not if" definition of "fully vaccinated" changes — Omicron gives a shot to boosters.
3. States: Gov. Hochul will order some NY hospitals to halt elective surgeries — Nevada to impose insurance surcharge on unvaccinated state workers.
4. World: EU drug regulator backs mixing COVID vaccines — Poor global equity likely in COVID pill access.
5. Variant tracker: Where different strains are spreading.

A feeling of unreality still pervades financial markets. Investors who take fiduciary duties seriously still exist — but they're seemingly outnumbered by people who see investing as a fun get-rich-quick game.

Why it matters: The post-pandemic return to some kind of pre-pandemic "normal" has yet to arrive, and as a result there's a lot of worry about the disruption and volatility that could accompany such a transition. The markets, so far, have done an excellent job of climbing that wall of worry.

New York Attorney General Letitia James announced Thursday that she would suspend her campaign bid for governor in 2022, citing a desire to "finish her work" as attorney general.

Why it matters: The attorney general had announced her bid for governor just over a month ago and was seen by Democratic strategists, operatives and progressives as a potentially strong candidate for the position.

Today's cars typically lose value as soon as they leave the dealership. But with regular software updates, it's possible your next car might keep more of its value over time.

The big picture: A new generation of digital-age car buyers wants to update their vehicles as seamlessly as their smartphones, adding features and services that weren't available at the time of purchase.

New York Attorney General Letitia James requested a deposition from former President Trump as part of an ongoing civil investigation into potential fraud at the Trump Organization, the Washington Post and New York Times report.

The big picture: The attorney general's investigation seeks to determine whether the Trump Organization engaged in financial fraud by submitting false property valuations to reduce its tax burden, the reports say.

President Biden, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) and other lawmakers on Thursday honored Sen. Bob Dole, who laid in state at the U.S. Capitol after passing away Sunday at the age of 98.

What they're saying: "He, too, was a giant of our history. That's not hyperbole," President Biden after quoting Martin Luther King Jr. and Thomas Jefferson at the congressional tribute ceremony. "Bob belongs here."

The Food and Drug Administration on Thursday expanded its emergency use authorization for Pfizer-BioNTech's COVID-19 vaccine booster shots to include those aged 16 and 17.

Why it matters: The move could expand access to the boosters at a time when there's increasing concern about the Omicron variant.

A congressional staffer was arrested and criminally charged after bringing a gun into a House office building Thursday morning, the Capitol Police said.

Why it matters: The brief incident prompted a security lockdown in the Longworth House Office Building at a time when the Capitol complex has been shaken by a series of violent attacks and threats.

In a midterm preview, top Democratic strategist Anita Dunn advises the party's House and Senate members to frame Republicans "as being against the economic interests of working Americans."

What she's saying: "Explicitly framing Republicans as opposing policies to lower costs does better than simply framing Republicans as the 'party of no,'" Dunn, White House senior adviser until August, writes in the memo.

JPMorgan Chase Global Research says in a forecast to clients: "2022 will be the year of a full global recovery, an end of the global pandemic, and a return to normal conditions we had prior to the COVID-19 outbreak."

The big picture: The bullish report sees "a return of global mobility, and a release of pent-up demand from consumers (e.g. travel, services)."

Tech giants including Instagram are calling for Congress' help in figuring out just how old their users actually are.

Why it matters: In order to create child-friendly experiences, online platforms need to identify which users are actually children.

Donald Trump and his associates are systematically reshaping the Republican Party, working to install hand-picked loyalists across federal and state governments and destroy those he feels have been disloyal, sources close to the former president tell Axios.

Why it matters: If most or all of Trump’s candidates win, he will go into the 2024 election cycle with far more people willing to do his bidding who run the elections in key states.

The Consumer Price Index has replaced the jobs report as the most anticipated data drop by the U.S. government.

Why it matters: Rising prices tend to lower political fortunes. Washington and Wall Street are now waiting for the CPI number to flash at 8:30am ET around the 10th day of each month. This month's report — due Friday morning — will give a reading of how hot inflation ran in November.

COVID-19 cases and deaths are rising all across the U.S. even before the Omicron variant takes hold.

Why it matters: The holidays — and the inevitable spread of Omicron — will only heighten the risks that unvaccinated Americans face from COVID, in all its forms.

Preliminary studies suggest that two doses of existing coronavirus vaccines are significantly less effective against the Omicron variant, but booster shots confer much stronger immunity.

The big picture: Early South African hospitalization data also indicates that Omicron may cause milder disease than previous variants. If both of those signals continue to hold, an Omicron wave may not be as bad as feared.

New Zealand officials announced Thursday legislative plans to outlaw smoking by making it illegal to sell or supply tobacco products to the next generation as part of a lifetime ban.

Why it matters: "People aged 14 when the law comes into effect will never be able to legally purchase tobacco," Associate Health Minister Ayesha Verrall said in a statement announcing the proposed law, part of the Smokefree 2025 Action Plan.

California officials said they arrested a father and son Wednesday on suspicion of starting the Caldor Fire, which threatened the Lake Tahoe area as it burned for over two months earlier this year. They deny any wrongdoing.

Why it matters: The wildfire was the 15th-biggest ever recorded in California, razing more than 1,000 structures, forcing thousands to evacuate and injuring five people as it burned across nearly 222,000 acres of land in El Dorado, Amador and Alpine counties.

The Food and Drug Administration issued an emergency use authorization for an AstraZeneca COVID-19 antibody drug for people with compromised immune systems.

Why it matters: The drug, Evusheld, is the first antibody therapy authorized in the U.S. to prevent coronavirus symptoms before virus exposure.

The Biden administration has begun issuing denials to Afghans seeking to emigrate to the United States through the humanitarian parole process, after a system that typically processes 2,000 applications annually has been flooded with more than 30,000.

Why it matters: Afghans face steeper odds and longer processes for escaping to the U.S., despite the earlier sweeping efforts by the Biden administration to assist its allies. Immigration lawyers and advocacy groups say the government has set untenable barriers to a safe haven in the U.S.

A small group of Senate Democrats is privately invoking the legacy of late West Virginia Sen. Robert Byrd in an effort to sway Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) to support their plans to change the chamber's rules, Axios has learned.

Why it matters: Manchin — who holds Byrd's Senate seat — has often referenced his predecessor's strong moral conviction and insistence on preserving the Senate as an institution, as justification for some of his tough positions.