Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu revealed new details about a FlyDubai flight bound for Israel during which a pilot stabbed a colleague, sending the plane spiraling thousands of feet.
The big picture: Netanyahu told CNN Wednesday evening that the Indian pilot who was stabbed, Capt. Smit Machchhar, unlocked the cockpit after being attacked and an Israeli passenger who works as a plumber, Yaniv Hayun, entered and found the Omani pilot apparently trying to interfere with the aircraft's controls.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on Wednesday proposed a pitch-off between states to see who should host America's newest military base.
Why it matters: New military infrastructureis a major economic driver for states and can lead to political tug-of-wars, like the years-long fight between Colorado and Alabama to claim U.S. Space Command's headquarters.
"If your state wants the honor of hosting 15- to 25,000 of America's great troops, show us why and how you're going to do it," Hegseth said during a speech in Quantico, Virginia.
America's newest military installation is Colorado's Schriever Space Force Base, which was opened in 1985.
Zoom in: A memo from Hegseth called it a "joint military installation within the Homeland."
The new base, Hegseth said in his speech, will sit on "hundreds of thousands of acres" and serve as a "dynamic, self-sustaining power projection platform" with modern air defenses and updated technology.
He also said it should align with President Trump's preferred building style and be "a proud fortress of our Republic, built with timeless classical architecture."
Zoom out: Military construction is a "lengthy and complex process" and can take anywhere from five to seven years or more, according to the Congressional Research Service.
The Defense Department and lawmakers must prioritize construction, budget funds and conduct additional legal and environmental reviews.
Most military construction funding is appropriated by Congress, but CRS notes that there "are certain authorities that allow DOD to use funds" from other accounts for military construction activities "in certain situations."
Hegseth said the process is aimed at avoiding "backroom Washington deals."
What they're saying: It's not clear how Hegseth can avoid Congress, said Katherine Kuzminski, the Center for a New American Security's director of studies.
"It needs to be led not by the Pentagon, but by Congress because Congress holds the ultimate constitutional and budgetary authority to authorize and fund the establishment of a new military base," she said. "It presents a good opportunity for the secretary to work with Congress in a selection process of where we might want to see it located."
Bottom line: In the Sept. 30 memo, Hegseth's directed the assistant secretary for energy, installations, and environment to come up with an evaluation plan and timeline within two weeks.
"We are calling on every governor and adjutant general across the country to step up to the plate and bring us your best sales pitch," he wrote.
A FlyDubai flight bound for Israel erupted into chaos after a pilot stabbed another pilot and sent the plane spiraling thousands of feet.
The big picture: The midair emergency triggered a multinational security response, but key details about what happened inside the cockpit remained unclear.
The Federal Trade Commission is investigating OpenAI, Anthropic and other AI companies over potential safety risks posed by their products, an agency spokesperson told Axios Wednesday.
Why it matters: The federal government has largely taken a hands-off approach to regulating AI, but the FTC investigation could signal a shift for the industry.
The Trump administration's new AI service gave users conflicting responses to politically sensitive questions Tuesday and Wednesday: sometimes answering them and sometimes refusing.
The big picture: As the Trump administration increasingly uses AI and answers the public's questions through America.gov, statements carrying the government's authority are shaped by models, instructions and guardrails the public can't see.
SpaceX CEO Elon Musk, Anduril Industries founder Palmer Luckey and former House Speaker Newt Gingrich will lead a Pentagon study of the future of warfare dubbed "Project Meridian," Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announced Wednesday.
Why it matters: It's Musk's first official role advising the Trump administration since his very public feud last year with President Trump after departing DOGE. He has since reconciled with Trump.
A Federal Reserve watchdog found no criminal wrongdoing by former chair Jerome Powell in its investigation of the central bank's expensive headquarters renovation, according to a report released on Wednesday.
Why it matters: The findings effectively clear Powell after the Justice Department opened an unprecedented criminal investigation into then-Fed chair, which became public in January.
The Justice Department filed a complaint against a group of federal judges from Minnesota for speaking to The New York Times about the impact of the immigration enforcement surge on their court.
The big picture: The complaint opens a new front in the Trump administration's standoff with federal judges, bolstered by a loyal Justice Department.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth took aim at the U.S. media during a speech at a Marine Corps base in Virginia on Wednesday, saying, "Our so-called press makes Iranian state media look reasonable."
Why it matters: Hegseth cast news outlets as a threat to U.S. troops, escalating his attacks on journalists over reporting based on classified information.
Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.) sued former special counsel Jack Smith Wednesday, alleging he unlawfully obtained her cellphone toll records during his investigation of Trump and the 2020 election
Why it matters: The lawsuit escalates Republicans' efforts to challenge Smith's investigation more than a year after his probe ended.
The Massachusetts attorney general released a report Wednesday documenting more than 270 Catholic clerics accused of sexually abusing 944 children across three dioceses — but the investigation will result in no new indictments.
Why it matters: The dioceses created an illusion of safety while church leaders repeatedly exploited loopholes to protect the institution's reputation, systematically concealing staggering levels of abuse.
President Donald Trump nominated a new general to lead U.S. Space Command, just weeks after officials revealed the military has orbital weapons ready for battle.
Why it matters: U.S. Space Command oversees all military operations in space. If confirmed, Trump's new pick, Space Force Lt. Gen. David Miller Jr., will be tasked with navigating a growing orbital arms race and the combatant command's move from Colorado Springs, Colorado, to Huntsville, Alabama.
A criminal investigation into allegations that a Cornell University student was gang raped by seven fraternity members in 2024 is fueling a new push by House Democratic women to strengthen federal protections against sexual violence on college campuses.
Why it matters: The Democratic Women's Caucus is calling on congressional Republicans and the Trump administration to strengthen Title IX protections, arguing that the administration's changes to the civil rights law could leave students more vulnerable.
The U.S. Supreme Court said Wednesday night that Tennessee could move forward with death row inmate Christa Pike's execution, reversing a last-minute stay issued earlier in the day by a federal appeals court.
The latest: The high court cleared the way for the execution in a two-sentence order that capped a rapid-fire legal battle. The three liberal justices dissented.
It wasn't immediately clear when the state would move forward with the execution, which was initially set to take place Wednesday morning.
The most significant congressional action on college sports in decades is about to hit a wall in the House of Representatives.
Why it matters: The House has already scrapped one major overhaul of college sports this Congress, and Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) has a huge priority — government funding — to get passed during the lame-duck session.
The U.S. Export-Import Bank has approved a nearly $500 million loan for Astranis to boost its domestic satellite production, Axios has first learned.
Why it matters: Astranis has contracts stateside and abroad, with customers in Oman, Saudi Arabia, Taiwan and Thailand. More funding is needed to meet the growing international demand for sovereign satellite capabilities.
EXIM approved the $468 million credit facility last week to grow "Astranis' capacity to manufacture and operate satellites," the bank said in a statement.
Stratolaunch purchased a Boeing 777-200ER and plans to use it, after some modification, as a carrier for its Talon-A, a reusable, autonomous hypersonic aircraft, chief executive Zachary Krevor told Axios.
Why it matters: The addition of an upgraded 777 to the fleet increases Stratolaunch's flight capacity by about 35%. It also moves the aerospace company closer to being able to conduct multiple simultaneous hypersonic tests around the world.
"Hypersonics are a national security priority," Krevor said. "You can look through history: Speed always wins."
LYNCHBURG, VIRGINIA — The build room at BWXT's Innovation Campus was quiet. On the far end, perched above the ground and cloaked in what looked like plastic, the reactor core stood like an altar to nuclear energy.
Just weeks ago, crews installed the core barrel, lowering it through a hatch in the roof. That pushed Project Pele, and potentially the future of military energy, one step closer to realization.
"We are, truly, into the fabrication and assembly cycle," Charles Graves, director of government microreactors, told Axios. "There is a huge difference between looking at a paper reactor and getting to a point like this."
The big picture: BWXT was selected by the Defense Department's Strategic Capabilities Office in 2022 to develop and deploy a mobile microreactor capable of energizing troops and their gear in remote locations.
With America's tech titans crowded around a single White House table Tuesday, President Trump extracted what he called a "morally binding" compact on AI safety.
The terms were simple: Press ahead, project optimism and police yourselves.
Americans' trust and confidence in the judicial branch has hita new low as the Supreme Court prepares for a newterm, according to Gallup.
The big picture: The justices return to the bench after spendingtheirsummer making consequential emergency-docket decisions allowing some (but not all) of President Trump's most controversial executive actions to proceed.
Publishers suing OpenAI and Microsoft are accusing the Trump administration of playing politics in siding with AI companies in a lawsuit alleging widespread copyright infringement.
Why it matters: The Justice Department's statement of interest in the case, as Axios has reported, surprised critical agencies that are typically consulted in these types of filings — like the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office and the Copyright Office.
