Axios AM

June 14, 2026
πΊπΈ Happy Flag Day! Smart Brevityβ’ count: 1,640 words ... 6 mins. Thanks to Erica Pandey for orchestrating. Edited by Andrew Pantazi.
Situational awareness: President Trump turns 8-0 today. At 7:45 p.m. ET, after a family dinner and VIP reception for the UFC Freedom 250 (Ultimate Fighting Championship), he'll attend the mixed martial arts fight night on the South Lawn.
βοΈ Trump named one of his personal lawyers β James M. "Jamie" McDonald, a Sullivan & Cromwell partner β as U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York, Manhattan's top federal prosecutor. McDonald, a Harvard and U.Va. Law School alum, previously worked in the Southern District and in the counsel's office of President George W. Bush.
Milestone: As of Thursday, the war in Ukraine has lasted longer than World War I, which spanned 1,568 days. "Whether in this century or last," The Economist notes, "war has defied the best-laid plans of military high commands."
1 big thing: Officials plan digital end to Iran war

Latest intel from Axios' Barak Ravid, who has been first and right with every twist during this 107-day war:
The U.S. and Iran, together with Pakistani and Qatari mediators, are expected to meet virtually today to electronically sign a memorandum of understanding that will extend the ceasefire 60 days, reopen the Strait of Hormuz and launch negotiations over Iran's nuclear program.
- Why it matters: The pending remote signing is a result of almost three months of negotiations between the U.S. and the Iranian regime, mediated by Pakistan, Qatar, Egypt and Turkey. The deal is expected to end the war and potentially stabilize global energy markets.
Behind the scenes: U.S. officials and sources in the mediating countries confirmed the signing will take place virtually, mainly for logistical reasons.
- Vice President JD Vance, who's leading the U.S. negotiating team, wouldn't have been able to get back to the U.S. before President Trump leaves tomorrow for the G7 summit in Evian, France.
What to watch: On Tuesday, President Trump will meet in France with G7 leaders, together with the leaders of Egypt, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates, U.S. officials told reporters in a briefing.
- The meeting is expected to focus on the deal with Iran and opportunities in the region after the war ends.
- Another issue on the table is the Strait of Hormuz, and the international coalition that the UK and France have been working on to clear the strait of mines, the U.S. official said.
2. π€ How Fable went dark
Anthropic's powerful Fable 5 model lasted just two full days before a Trump administration directive caused the company to cut access. This morning, Claude's screen still tells users: "Claude Fable 5 is currently unavailable." Axios' Maria Curi takes us behind the scenes:
An urgent report from Amazon triggered a scramble inside the White House that ended with a dramatic Friday night takedown.
Why it matters: The episode spotlights the administration and industry's reactive approach to a technology moving at breakneck speed.
- It raises questions about why Amazon would strike such a disruptive blow against a company in which it is a major investor.
- And it reignites the savage battle between Trump officials and Anthropic.
π Behind the scenes: Amazon called administration officials Thursday night to share a report showing how the company was able to jailbreak and access parts of Anthropic's powerful new Mythos model that pose a national security threat, sources familiar told Axios.
- Anthropic had previously notified the government multiple times about the planned release last Tuesday of Fable, a general-use version of Mythos. The government didn't object, a source close to the company said.
- Calls from Amazon β as well as at least five other companies β to a variety of senior administration officials Thursday evening and Friday morning led to the model being shut down by Friday night.
Administration officials spoke with Anthropic for hours early Friday, trying to get the company to pull the latest model. Those efforts were unsuccessful, an official said.
- An Anthropic source says the company got a call from the government at 1 p.m. ET, giving 90 minutes to take Fable and Mythos down due to a "national security threat." The administration gave no further details, the source said.
π Then on Friday evening at 5:21 p.m. ET, Anthropic received an administration letter, first reported by Axios, informing the company that Fable and Mythos models would be subject to sweeping export control rules. By about 10 p.m., users lost access to Fable.
3. π€ Scoop: Trump aides fear Haberman, Swan have tapes
Juicy intel CEOs read first in Jim VandeHei's weekly Axios C-Suite newsletter:
Top White House officials believe New York Times reporters Maggie Haberman and Jonathan Swan obtained audio recordings of Situation Room meetings for their forthcoming book "Regime Change."
Why it matters: Such a taped leak would be a shocking breach of one of the most secure places on Earth. Independent recording devices in the Situation Room are forbidden.
- "We're afraid some of our most sensitive conversations were being recorded," an administration source told us. "And we have no idea which ones."
Verbatim accounts of several Situation Room meetings were included in excerpts about the Iran war and the Epstein files that The Times posted ahead of the book's June 23 publication. The authors conducted more than 1,000 interviews for "Regime Change," which covers Trump's second term.
- Tellingly, White House officials haven't disputed verbatim dialogue from the top-secret Sit Room talks, including Secretary of State Marco Rubio saying about Bibi's regime-change scenarios for Iran: "In other words, it's bullshit."
π‘ We hear President Trump is furious about the blow-by-blow accounts.
- Haberman and Swan refused to comment.
More on the book ... Share this story.
- π If you're a CEO or on a CEO's team: Ask to join Jim's new weekly Axios C-Suite newsletter.
4. π SpaceX reign

SpaceX's dominance over the space industry makes it a modern-day East India Company, according to economists and historians at the University of Cambridge.
- In 2025, 75% of everything humanity sent to space belonged to SpaceX, per the researchers' calculations. In the 1820s, 72% of everything shipped between Europe and Asia belonged to the East India Company.
5. π³οΈ Cruz readies '28 run

Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) is declaring independence from President Trump ahead of a possible 2028 presidential run, backing rivals to Trump-endorsed candidates in two high-profile GOP primaries, Axios' Alex Isenstadt reports.
Cruz announced he's backing Rick Jackson for Georgia governor and Alan Wilson for South Carolina governor.
- Jackson, a wealthy health care executive, faces Trump-backed Lt. Gov. Burt Jones in Georgia's June 16 runoff.
- Wilson, South Carolina's attorney general, is up against Trump-endorsed Lt. Gov. Pamela Evette in a June 23 runoff.
- Cruz appears to be the only potential 2028 GOP contender to publicly break with Trump in either race, underscoring how reluctant other ambitious Republicans are to cross the president.
π Behind the scenes: Cruz is laying groundwork for a '28 run. He's delivering high-profile speeches, and hosting a podcast and syndicated radio show, giving him entrΓ©e to small donors.
- Cruz privately told donors last year that Trump's tariffs would damage the economy and potentially cost Republicans control of Congress, Axios reported in January.
In talks with donors, Cruz has trashed Vice President Vance.
6. π Fighting a political pest
So far, there are only a dozen cases. But the screwworm has arrived in the U.S. after a 60-year absence. The Trump administration is mobilizing to ensure the parasite doesn't threaten cattle in Texas and become a political pest.
- Why it matters: President Trump and the GOP are already reeling from soaring beef prices and accelerating inflation, Axios' Mike Zapler writes.
β‘ State of play: The Department of Agriculture tells Axios it's deploying a $1.3 billion "New World Screwworm response."
- That includes setting up a $750 million Texas plant to produce and release 300 million sterile male screwworm flies every week.
- The FDA is fast-tracking treatments.
Threat level: The first U.S. case of screwworm was detected in South Texas on June 3. There have now been 12 confirmed cases in the U.S. β 11 in Texas and one in New Mexico. They've mostly been in cattle, but also in sheep, goats and a dog.
- The outbreak comes with beef prices near record highs and the cattle herd at its lowest level in 75 years, depressed by a prolonged drought.
- The screwworm's arrival hasn't measurably affected beef prices. But its spread in Mexico has cut cattle imports and added to price pressures.

π The backstory: For decades, the screwworms had been contained in Panama. Starting in 2023, cases began popping up further and further north, until they crossed over onto U.S. soil this month.
- The pest's arrival comes a year after the USDA's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service lost more than 2,100 employees β roughly 25% of its workforce β as part of the administration's workforce cuts.
Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins is blaming the Biden administration and attributing the spread of the flies to the northward migration of people and livestock.
7. ποΈ Pic du jour

The Kennedy Center has removed "all physical signage on the β¦ building and grounds, including the front portico, that purports to rename the Kennedy Center after President Trump," Matt Floca, executive director and chief operating officer of the performing arts venue, told a federal court yesterday.
- Onlookers gathered on the plaza in front of the center, hoping to witness a dramatic moment. But a tarp concealed the lettering.
8. 1 π thing: Knicks in 5

At 11:30 p.m. ET, the New York Knicks won the NBA championship, wearing down the San Antonio Spurs, 94β90, in Game 5 and ending the team's 53-year drought β the first crown since 1973.
- Mayor Zohran Mamdani announced a parade Thursday in Manhattan.
Knicks star Jalen Brunson β who scored 45 last night and is now tied with Michael Jordan for the most points ever in a finals-clinching game on the road β was MVP.

Celebrations in San Antonio ...

... and Times Square (above). It was bedlam on Broadway.
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