Israel has asked the Trump administration over the past 48 hours to join the war with Iran in order to eliminate its nuclear program, according to two Israeli officials.
The big picture:Israel lacks the bunker buster bombs and large bomber aircraft needed to destroy Iran's Fordow uranium enrichment site, which is built into a mountain and deep underground. The U.S. has both within flying distance of Iran.
Why it matters: In discussions with Axios on Saturday, lawmakers in both parties described growing unease on Capitol Hill about the country's increasingly volatile political atmosphere — and what it means for their security.
President Trump said after a call with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Saturday that the war between Israel and Iran needs to end.
Why it matters: Trump's call for ending the war comes less than 48 hours after Israel launched its attacks against Iran and shows the amount of concern at the White House from the escalating fighting.
It might rain on President Trump's military parade later Saturday in D.C., so the Army is considering precautions in case there's lightning.
The big picture: "Rain won't stop us, the tanks don't melt, but if there's lightning then that puts the crowd at risk," Army spokesperson Steve Warren told the English newspaper The Times. "If there's lightning they will disperse the crowd and even cancel or postpone the parade."
Why it matters: In a year already brimming with "holy sh*t" moments, the past eight days have brought unprecedented new intensity, stakes and challenges to Trump's presidency.
Sen. Alex Padilla (D-Calif.) led the entire Senate Democratic caucus in writing to President Trump Saturday, demanding he remove all military forces from Los Angeles and cease threats to further deploy troops, Axios has learned.
Why it matters: Padilla was physically removed from a press conference held by Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and handcuffed Thursday, triggering a five-alarm fire for Democrats.
Some Hill Republicans view the past 24 hours as a battle lost for MAGA's isolationist camp.
Why it matters: GOP Hill leaders united in support of Israel's targeted attack on Iran — in spite of MAGA media's monthslong warnings against such strikes.
House Democrats are introducing a bill that would block the U.S. Navy from renaming the USNS Harvey Milk and other ships named for civil rights figures, Axios has learned.
Why it matters: The bill is a long shot, but it is the latest signal of growing animosity between congressional Democrats and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, driven in part by the Pentagon chief's anti-DEI crusade.
Sens. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), two progressive powerhouses, hold the most influential endorsements in Democratic primaries, according to new polling shared with Axios.
Why it matters: Democratic figures have already started firing off endorsements for the 2026 midterms. But new data reveals only a fraction of those endorsements motivate primary voters.
David Sacks, the venture capitalist advising President Trump on crypto and AI policy, is apparently divesting his holdings in foundational AI companies and hyperscalers like xAI and Meta, according to a White House memo posted online Friday.
The White House previously disclosed that Sacks and his firm, Craft Ventures, divested around $200 million of crypto-related assets.
Why it matters: Sacks entered the Trump administration with a slew of investments that could have created conflicts of interest, or at least perceptions of them, but has taken steps to minimize that risk.
A federal judge has declined to release Columbia University alumnus Mahmoud Khalil from federal detention after the Trump administration submitted a last-minute filing.
Why it matters: The administration's tug-of-war with courts over Khalil represents a historic test for immigrants' speech rights – namely, those of permanent residents – particularly where they concern pro-Palestinian speech.
Trump administration officials provided classified briefings for congressional leaders before Israel struck Iran yesterday, with more planned for next week when lawmakers return to Washington, Axios has learned.
Why it matters: Briefing key lawmakers is a matter of protocol. But it's also a way for the White House to guard against second-guessing from Congress, especially if U.S. forces are targeted by Iran and the conflict turns into a broader war.
Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) said Friday that U.S. commitment to Israel's defense must be "ironclad" after the country's attack on Iran on Thursday.
Why it matters: Schumer's statement was not critical of the Israeli offensive, while other top Senate Democrats have already panned the attack as "reckless."
Israel's Thursday strike on Iran follows more than a decade of geopolitical brinksmanship since the Iran nuclear deal reached under former President Obama.
The big picture: Israel targeted some of Iran's key nuclear facilities, likely to prompt retaliation in the already conflict-ridden region andadd more uncertainty to the US-Iran talks.
TheU.S. military will not be responsible for law enforcement at Los Angeles protests, the Pentagon said on Friday.
Why it matters: Nearly 5,000 National Guard members and Marines were deployed by the Trump administration in response to anti-immigration raid protests, despite disapproval from a plurality of Americans.
Minutes before heading to the Situation Room for a strategy session on Iran, President Trump told Axios he believes Israel's massive strike likely improved the chances of a U.S.-Iran nuclear agreement.
The big picture:Israel just killed much of Iran's military leadership, targeted its top nuclear scientists for assassination, and is actively bombing the Islamic Republic's nuclear facilities and ballistic missile sites.
Don't sleep on the shale boomas a force behind Trump 2.0's "disruptive" foreign and trade policies, a new essay argues.
Why it matters: The provocative Foreign Affairs piece calls the U.S. oil and gas export surge an "overlooked" driver of America's posture on the global stage that's "mostly unrelated to [President] Trump's particular preferences."
President Trump on Friday called on Iran to go back to the negotiating table and cut a nuclear deal "before there is nothing left" after Israel attacked its nuclear sites.
Why it matters: The Trump administration wants to use the war Israel started to get the Iranians back to the nuclear talks when they are in a weaker position.
A majority of North Carolina swing voters in our latest Engagious/Sago focus groups supported President Trump's deportations and activation of the National Guard and Marines in Los Angeles, despite some concerns about civil rights and government overreach.
The big picture: These Biden-to-Trump voters' desire to eject undocumented migrants from the U.S. — and their critical views of California and Democrats — shape how they see this massive test of executive power playing out far from their own hometowns.
Democrats spooked by President Trump's state-sanctioned shows of force have shifted into five-alarm fire mode, warning he's pushing American democracy to the brink.
Why it matters: They're pointing to what happened yesterday to Alex Padilla, California's senior senator, as a crossing-the-Rubicon moment.
Call it zombie management: Each week, federal workers inside a few agencies still dutifully email a report, detailing the five things they did in the previous seven days.
Why it matters: The emails, born from an out-of-nowhere Elon Musk X post, show how hard it can be undo even the smallest of changes once unleashed on the largest workforce in the U.S.
The latest U.S. trade deal with China may let the economy take a brief breather, but it's far from being able to relax.
Why it matters: Months of real-time uncertainty are being replaced with longer-term uncertainty, with trade policy living on three-to-six-month cycles that make business planning a nightmare.
The Trump administration's deployment of California's National Guard to Los Angeles over Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) raids can continue for now, an appeals court ruled late Thursday.
The latest: The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals paused U.S. District Judge Charles Breyer's ruling that had granted California Gov. Gavin Newsom's request to block the administration's action while the three-judge panel considers the case.
President Trump's website for his "gold card" that would enable successful applicants to buy U.S. permanent residency for $5 million went live this week.
The big picture: Details on what the program would entail remain scant, and it may require congressional approval.
