President Trump expressed frustration today about nuclear talks with Iran, but said he hasn't decided whether to launch a military campaign, Axios' Barak Ravid reports.

• 🪖 Several signs point to war: The ongoing U.S. military buildup in the Middle East, Trump's military briefings, the evacuation of the U.S. Embassy in Israel (a potential target for Iranian retaliation), and the disappointment felt by Trump envoys Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff after talks in Geneva yesterday.

The president said today before leaving for Texas: "It would be nice if we could do it without [military force], but sometimes you have to."

• Trump echoed his team's disappointment with Iran's stance in the Geneva nuclear talks, saying he wasn't "thrilled" with the way the Iranians negotiated.
• "I'm not happy with the fact that they're not willing to give us what we have to have," Trump said. "We'll see what happens. I'm not happy with the way they're going. ... It would be wonderful if they negotiate in good faith and conscience — but so far they are not getting there."

Two pro-strike people who spoke to Trump over the last two days say he offered contradictory messages.

• One heard that Trump understands the Iranian regime is weaker than ever, and that a window of opportunity exists.
• The other heard that Trump still wants a deal.

👀 What we're watching: Vice President JD Vance met in Washington today with Omani Foreign Minister Badr al-Busaidi, the key mediator between the U.S. and Iran.

• U.S. envoys Witkoff and Kushner skipped the meeting, which was a last-ditch effort to stop the talks from collapsing.

What's next: More talks are set for next week. But war could start before that.

• Go deeper.

OpenAI CEO Sam Altman says he'll draw the same red lines that sparked the high-stakes fight between rival Anthropic and the Pentagon, Axios' Maria Curi and Dave Lawler report.

📝 Altman said in a memo to staffers obtained by Axios: "We have long believed that AI should not be used for mass surveillance [which the Pentagon says is already illegal] or autonomous lethal weapons, and that humans should remain in the loop for high-stakes automated decisions. These are our main red lines."

• 🪖 Yes, but: Altman made clear that he still wants to strike a deal with the Pentagon to allow OpenAI's ChatGPT to be used in sensitive military contexts.

🏛️ Key Senate defense leaders are privately pressing Anthropic and the Pentagon to resolve their dispute, Maria and Ashley Gold scoop.

1. 🚀 NASA abruptly rejiggered its Artemis program, adding a lunar lander test flight in Earth orbit for 2027 before a Moon landing in 2028. Go deeper.
2. 🏕️ The Pentagon will keep supporting Scouting America (formerly the Boy Scouts of America) after the group agreed to end DEI initiatives. The Pentagon announced that scout membership applications will have only "male" and "female" options, and "biological boys and biological girls will not be permitted to share intimate spaces, including toilets, showers and tents." Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said in a video on X: "Ideally, I believe the Boy Scouts should go back to being the Boy Scouts as originally founded: a group that develops boys into men."

For the first time in 25 years of Gallup polling, more Americans say they sympathize with Palestinians than with Israelis, Axios' Avery Lotz writes.

• The trend over the past year shows how suddenly U.S. public opinion has soured on Israel — slipping 10 percentage points in 12 months.

Explore the data.

Washington State ski areas have logged more than a foot of snow over the past two weeks, giving this unusually dry season a much-needed lift, Axios Seattle's Christine Clarridge reports.

• Base depths are still well below normal but have improved.

🏔️ As of this week...

• Stevens Pass: 41.8 inches (30-year average: 85 inches).
• Snoqualmie Pass: 35 inches (average: 76).
• Hurricane Ridge: 42 inches (average: 80).

Hit the slopes.