President Trump and New York City Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani's meeting on Friday was surprisingly cordial despite the bubbling feud between them.
The big picture: Many were curious how Mamdani, a democratic socialist, and Trump, the leader of the MAGA movement, would interact in person for the first time, given the war of words between them.
Israel Ambassador Mike Huckabee's meeting with an American convicted of spying for Israel is adding to MAGA's festering divide over the United States' ties to Jerusalem.
Why it matters: The right's outrage over Huckabee's visit with Jonathan Pollard — and the White House's defense of it – showed that the movement's fissure over how closely to align with Israel isn't closing anytime soon.
After weeks of combative comments, President Trump and New York City Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani had what was deemed a "very productive" meeting on Friday at the White House.
Why it matters: Friday marked the first in-person meeting for the pair, who said their time together included a discussion on New York City's affordability crisis and crime.
Why it matters: Call them testy or just tired, but this week, more Republican lawmakers defied President Trump, their leaders and each other. The fissures are emerging after 10 months of total GOP control, with MAGA victories on Trump's mega bill and (eventually) a government funding deal.
A group of congressional Democrats with national security backgrounds say threats coming into their offices have surged dramatically after President Trump said comments they made are "punishable by DEATH!"
President Trump suggested in an interview aired Friday that the Department of Defense is investigating the six Democratic Congressional veterans who released a video this week urging service members to reject unlawful orders.
Rep. Eugene Vindman (D-Va.) urged President Trump to release the "shocking" transcript of a 2019 phone call with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (MBS) following the murder of Washington Post journalist Jamal Khashoggi.
The big picture: Vindman's request comes just days after Trump hosted MBS in the Oval Office and said "a lot of people didn't like" Kashoggi, when asked about the murder. U.S. intelligence previously concluded that MBS ordered Khashoggi's killing.
Russian President Vladimir Putin said Friday that he believes President Trump's 28-point peace plan could serve as the basis for a peace deal, while stressing that in-depth negotiations are still needed.
Split screen: Shortly before Putin's remarks, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said in an address to the Ukrainian people that he was under immense pressure to sign a deal within days that he fears would sacrifice Ukraine's "dignity." Putin doesn't appear to face a similar time crunch, or the same degree of pressure.
The Federal Reserve is deeply divided right now between officials who think it should cut interest rates next month and those who don't. One plausible result of the vote would create a stunning irony.
The big picture: Usually, as a Fed watcher, you don't spend much effort counting votes. The policy committee reaches a consensus decision, and if there is a dissent or two, that is a footnote at best.
Rep. Jason Crow's (D-Colo.) office is seeking a U.S. Capitol Police investigation into President Trump for what they described as "intimidating, threatening, and concerning" social media posts he made.
Why it matters: It's highly unusual for a member of Congress to request a police investigation into a sitting president of the United States.
The war of words between President Trump and New York City Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani will culminate at the White House Friday when they meet face-to-face for the first time.
Why it matters: Mamdani, the unabashed democratic socialist, is seen as a potential foil for the president and his MAGA agenda. But he faces a daunting reality: Trump can make the mayor-elect's job a lot harder if he follows through on threats to freeze federal funding or ramp up immigration enforcement in NYC.
The Heritage Foundation, the think tank behind Project 2025, says in a report out Friday that the Trump administration is "significantly off pace" on mass deportations.
Why it matters: This is an attack from the right. "The American people voted for mass deportations. They're getting mass communications instead," the report's author Mike Howell tells Axios.
President Volodymyr Zelensky addressed the Ukrainian people on Friday and said President Trump's 28-point peace plan will force Ukraine to choose between "losing our dignity" or risking the loss of U.S. support.
Why it matters: The plan would force Ukraine to accept harsh concessions, including the loss of even more territory than Russia currently controls. Zelensky has told the Trump administration he's prepared to negotiate, but the White House is pushing him to sign within one week.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky spoke with Vice President Vance on Friday about the U.S. proposed peace plan for Ukraine, according to two sources with knowledge.
Why it matters: The call was the highest-level engagement between the U.S. and Ukraine about the new plan. Zelensky told the Trump administration he's ready to negotiate, but President Trump wants a signature by Thanksgiving.
Businesses and bureaucrats found a workaround for Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem'sorder to personally review every contract over $100,000:
Since August, DHS has awarded 11 new contracts between $99,999 and $99,999.99.
Why it matters: Noem made a splash with her new initiative in June, which covers a significant portion of the department operations. It's cut some costs but slowed the agency's ongoing payments.
House Democratic leadership said Thursday they've been in touch with the U.S. Capitol Police and the House sergeant-at-arms to protect a group of lawmakers after President Trump appeared to suggest that their comments were "punishable by DEATH!""
Why it matters: Trump considerably ramped up the severity of his rhetoric against Democrats on Thursday after a group of military veterans serving in Congress released a video encouraging service members to resist unlawful orders.
If you lease it, will they come? Oil companies could soon(ish) start answering that question under President Trump's new plan for offshore drilling lease auctions.
Why it matters: The Interior Department proposal envisions vast expansion in federal waters beyond the Gulf of America (renamed from Gulf of Mexico), where almost all action occurs today.
The Trump administration's move to reopen California's coastal waters to offshore oil drilling could risk a direct collision with the state's emerging floating-wind industry.
State of play: The federal waters eyed for oil leasing could overlap with sites in northern and central California that have already been designated for floating offshore wind development, a cornerstone of the state's clean-energy roadmap.
Saudi Arabia's leader on Tuesday downplayed the kingdom's role in the 9/11 attacks. But an ongoing federal court case is revealing new details aboutSaudi officials' alleged ties to the terror plot — and the potential liability that government faces.
The lawsuit unearthed evidence showing one Saudi official — who acknowledges aiding two men who became hijackers —made a drawing of a plane and a mathematical formula that allegedly could have been used to fly into the World Trade Center.
Why it matters: A crucial U.S. ally, Saudi Arabia's oil-rich kingdom was the first foreign sovereign to be sued in U.S. federal court under the Justice Against Sponsors of Terrorism Act of 2016 for the attacks that killed 2,977 people.
President Trump's blowup with Marjorie Taylor Greene is just the latest spectacular split with a one-time confidante who held prized status in his inner sanctum.
Why it matters: Since he entered politics more than a decade ago, the one constant of Trump's political orbit has been Trump himself.
Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-Calif.) is joining the 2026 California governor's race, he announced on "Jimmy Kimmel Live" Thursday night.
The big picture: Swalwell joins a crowded field of more than 20 candidates, including Democratic megadonor Tom Steyer, who are seeking to replace California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D), who is term-limited.
Rep. Jasmine Crockett (D-Texas) criticized President Trump in a Thursday night statement announcing that a person showed up at her D.C. office and "made white supremacist threats and hand gestures."
The big picture: Threats against lawmakers have surged in recent years, and Crockett said in a Thursday night statement that such intimidating encounters "cannot become the norm."
Federal judges on Thursday rejected most claims in two lawsuits challenging North Carolina Republicans' redistricting maps that were drawn in 2023.
The big picture: The ruling by the three judges, who were appointed by Republican presidents, does not affect the more recent legal challenge to the state GOP's latest redistricting plans that are designed to oust Democratic Rep. Don Davis in 2026, which is still before the courts.
President Trump's peace plan for Ukraine includes a security guarantee modeled on NATO's Article 5, which would commit the U.S. and European allies to treat an attack on Ukraine as an attack on the entire "transatlantic community," according to a draft obtained by Axios.
Why it matters: Trump's plan demands painful concessions from Ukraine, but it also includes an unprecedented promise. President Volodymyr Zelensky's top objective in peace talks is to obtain a robust U.S. and European security guarantee, and this is the first time Trump has been willing to put one on the table.
About 7% of all air traffic controllers who continued working during the country's longest-ever government shutdown will receive President Trump's $10,000 "perfect attendance" bonus.
The big picture: The National Air Traffic Controllers Association expressed gratitude for those being rewarded, but the union told Axios it's "concerned that thousands" of workers "who consistently reported for duty" during the shutdown while working without pay "were excluded from this recognition."
Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) is weighing a crackdown on House discharge petitions, just days after one forced President Trump's hand on the Epstein files.
Why it matters: The recent surge of successful discharge petitions could lead to their undoing, House Republicans told Axios.
