A flood of elite GOP donors have come off the sidelines in recent weeks in support of former President Trump, who continues to await a verdict on Day 2 of jury deliberations.

Why it matters: Trump is rapidly closing his fundraising gap with President Biden. Billionaires — including some who were once skeptical of Trump's chances in 2024 — are playing a huge role.

• The latest is casino magnate Miriam Adelson, who plans to pour millions into reviving the pro-Trump super PAC Preserve America, Politico reports.
• Adelson and her late husband, Las Vegas Sands founder Sheldon Adelson, were Trump's biggest donors in 2020 — contributing $90 million to Preserve America.

The big picture: Trump's mega-donors defected in droves after Jan. 6 and Republicans' abysmal performance in the 2022 midterms. Many are now returning.

• Blackstone CEO Steve Schwarzman told Axios last week that he would support and donate to Trump after previously calling for "a new generation of leaders."
• Hedge fund billionaire Bill Ackman, who has crusaded against DEI policies and antisemitism on college campuses, is likely to endorse Trump as well, the Financial Times reported today
• Activist investor Nelson Peltz, who said he regretted voting for Trump after the Capitol attack, hosted the former president at his Florida mansion in March.

What to watch: Billionaire Ken Griffin, one of the Republican Party's top donors, says he's waiting to see who Trump picks as his running mate before breaking out his checkbook.

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OpenAI revealed that state and private actors in Russia, China, Iran and Israel have used its generative AI tools for foreign influence operations, Axios' Ina Fried reports.

• Why it matters: In a year that could see more than 1 billion people vote in global elections, the threat of AI supercharging misinformation is viewed as a top risk.

OpenAI said it has yet to see novel attacks enabled through its tools and that none of the foreign influence campaigns gained much traction.

• "While all of these operations used AI to some degree, none of them used it exclusively," said Ben Nimmo, principal investigator on OpenAI's intelligence and investigations team.

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1. 🇨🇳 TikTok is working on separating millions of lines of code to create a U.S. clone of its algorithm, which may allow the app to operate independently of its Chinese parent, Reuters reports.
2. 💸 The IRS is making its free online tax filing program permanent for the 2025 tax season, with all 50 states and Washington, D.C., invited to participate, Axios' Emily Peck and Andrew Solender report.
3. 📦 The FAA has authorized Amazon's delivery drones to fly longer distances without visual spotters, a key hurdle that will allow the retailer to expand its fledgling Prime Air service, Axios' Joann Muller reports.

One of the largest tournaments for one of the world's most popular sports — cricket — will kick off this weekend in Grand Prairie, Texas, Naheed Rajwani-Dharsi writes for Axios Dallas.

• Why it matters: This the first time the Men's T20 World Cup will be hosted in the United States. Global viewership is expected to be in the billions.

The big picture: The bid for host country, which the U.S. is sharing with the West Indies region, took decades of lobbying and professionalizing cricket.

• The most anticipated match, Pakistan vs. India, will take place at Nassau County Stadium in Long Island, New York.

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