President Trump is methodically disparaging potential Democratic presidential contenders, an early sign he plans to aggressively engage in the 2028 race to succeed him, Axios' Alex Isenstadt reports.

• Why it matters: Trump's legacy will be on the line in that election. Aides expect him to try to influence the shape of the campaign — and the 2026 midterms — through his robustly funded political operation and his push to define Democratic and Republican contenders.

👀 Zoom in: Trump has suggested Vice President Vance or Secretary of State Marco Rubio are probably the Republicans with the best chance of succeeding him. But for now, he's focused on defining Democrats.

• That's partly why he's been throwing politically charged darts at California Gov. Gavin Newsom, Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker and Maryland Gov. Wes Moore — calling out crime, homelessness and illegal immigration in California, describing Chicago as a "war zone" of violence, and Baltimore as a "hell hole" of crime.
• None of the governors has said they're running in 2028. Moore has even said he's not running. But that hasn't stopped Trump from casting them as far-out-of-the-mainstream liberals.

Between the lines: Even as some Republicans want him to turn more of his attention to fighting inflation, Trump is focused on hitting the governors on crime because he views it as a powerful wedge issue — and thinks portraying Democratic leaders as soft on crime will pay off for the GOP come election time.

• He likes the idea of creating a split-screen between the National Guard-filled streets of D.C. and Democrat-run cities he's called crime-ridden.

🔭 The other side: Newsom and his social media team have famously trolled Trump, casting him as out of control. Trump aides say he shrugs off the barbs because of what he sees as the political benefits of portraying California as out of touch with the rest of the country.

• Pritzker has labeled Trump a "wannabe dictator," and called Trump's Truth Social post threatening to send troops to Chicago "not normal."
• Moore countered Trump's claims about Baltimore by inviting the president to take a walk with him through the city's streets — an offer Trump rejected.

Keep reading.

International air travel to the U.S. is declining this year, down 7% from 2024, according to an Axios analysis of U.S. Customs and Border Protection data.

• Why it matters: Many international travelers say they're put off by tariffs, the Trump administration's anti-foreigner rhetoric and aggressive immigration enforcement, Axios' Emily Peck reports.

🇨🇦 Zoom in: Canadians in particular are steering clear — visits from our northern neighbors are down 25% year to date, according to a Tourism Economics report.

• In Las Vegas, there's been an 18% decline in flights this year from Canadian carriers, per the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority.
• Buffalo, which sits on the border, launched a marketing campaign to lure tourists back. (Tag line: "Buffalo Loves Canada.")

🗽 But other U.S. cities are seeing tourism gains.

• New York City is expecting a slight increase in tourists, even with an anticipated 19% decline in Canadian visitors.
• Chicago is up year-to-date from 2024, thanks to visitors from Colombia, Spain, Japan and Italy, per Choose Chicago, the city's tourism arm.

Read on.

The Trump administration wants AI to accelerate quickly in the U.S., and is about to take the first steps to remove as much red tape as possible, Office of Science and Technology Policy director Michael Kratsios told Axios' Ashley Gold and Maria Curi in an exclusive interview.

• Why it matters: Kratsios is at the center of AI policy in the Trump administration, and the White House is laser-focused on reshaping the rules around the technology.

🔭 What we're watching: OSTP later this month will ask the public and businesses to weigh in on the federal regulations that they think hold back the development and deployment of AI, Kratsios told Axios.

• For example, in health care, there could be regulations that hinder the development of particular medical devices, Kratsios said. In finance, there could be regs around consumer protection holding AI back.

Keep reading ... Sign up here for our new Friday edition, Axios AI+ Government.

The rise of cheap AI tools is upending the photography business.

• Why it matters: AI is disrupting everything from headshots to stock images, forcing photographers to adapt or watch their jobs disappear, Axios' Nathan Bomey reports.

🖼️ The big picture: The tech can compose entirely original images, providing a cheaper and more efficient alternative to expensive photoshoots for individuals and businesses.

• Those images are only getting more believable by the day.

Threat level: AI can create increasingly realistic headshots that don't exist with people wearing clothes they don't own in places they haven't visited.

• Most new stock images of food are already AI-generated, George Mason University photography professor Stephanie Benassi tells Axios.

💒 Reality check: The public's desire for authenticity is a countervailing force to AI-generated images.

• Benassi says she doesn't expect AI imagery to overtake traditional wedding photography, for instance.

Read on.

An FBI affidavit seeking a warrant to search former national security adviser John Bolton's home alleges he used a private email account that was hacked by a "foreign entity" and wrongly shared classified information, Axios' Dave Lawler reports.

• Why it matters: Bolton's role as one of President Trump's sharpest critics has sparked claims, which Trump denies, that he is being investigated for political purposes. The newly unsealed document sketches the outlines of the FBI probe into Bolton's handling of classified information.

⚡ A judge approved the release of the affidavit yesterday in response to a request from media organizations, including Axios. The document was heavily redacted at the government's request.

• It contains details of what the FBI was searching for and by what methods — including a request to use Bolton's biometrics to open any locked accounts, and a request to access safes.

🔎 The intrigue: Ten pages of the 39-page affidavit are part of a section titled: "Hack of Bolton AOL Account by Foreign Entity." They're entirely redacted.

• Share this story.

Tonight's boxing match between Canelo Álvarez and Terence Crawford — at Las Vegas' Allegiant Stadium — marks a big shift for a combat sports industry whose bread and butter has been pay-per-view (PPV) for over half a century, Axios' Troy Smith writes.

• It'll be streaming live on Netflix, which is becoming boxing's new arena.

Zoom in: The platform waded in last November with the Jake Paul–Mike Tyson fight that drew 60 million viewers worldwide and delivered a major subscriber bump.

• Paul-Tyson was considered more entertainment spectacle than "real" boxing match. Álvarez–Crawford features two of the best boxers in the world.

The latest: It's a new era for sports streaming, including recent deals for the NFL and FIFA.

• In August, UFC signed a seven-year, $7.7 billion deal with Paramount to stream its biggest fights on Paramount+ next year.

Share this story.

"Pecan" isn't just a pie flavor this fall.

• DoorDash named pecan 2025's top fall flavor, because orders of pecan-flavored items are up 28% year-over-year. That's after Snickers turned its special-edition pecan bar into a regular item, and as Starbucks brings back pecan beverages as a fall menu item, Axios' Carly Mallenbaum and Kelly Tyko report.

The intrigue: The debate on how to say "pecan" is still nutty.

• Depending on which survey you point to, either "PEE-can" (preferred by Northeasterners) or "puh-KAWN" is the most popular way for Americans to say it.

Share this story.

At the end of the first quarter of an Iowa home game, 70,000 fans — along with players, coaches and staff for the Hawkeyes and the visiting team — turn from Kinnick Stadium toward the nearby Stead Family Children's Hospital and wave to the pediatric patients and parents gathered on the top floor.

• The children wave back and hold up handmade signs, AP reports.

The tradition, known as the Hawkeye Wave, started with the 2017 opener against Wyoming. An internet message board suggested that fans take a moment each game to acknowledge the kids — who are watching along with them, and often are battling life-threatening diseases.

• A Kid Captain — picked from the patients each home game — chooses the song that plays when the Hawkeyes wave.

Keep reading.