Axios

The Trump administration moved faster than anyone expected to build a system to repay businesses billions of dollars in tariffs. Now, the president is warning companies not to use it.

Why it matters: Businesses face an especially tricky quandary: On the one hand, consumers and some lawmakers are calling on them to pass down refunds to their customers. On the other, there's now political pressure not to seek refunds at all.

Israel has launched a multimillion-dollar campaign — spearheaded by a former top lieutenant of President Trump — to reshape how AI platforms portray the nation.

Why it matters: Platforms like ChatGPT, Claude and Gemini are increasingly central to shaping perceptions — and countries, corporations and other powerful interests are spending big to influence them.

As Americans feel increasingly pinched in their pocketbooks, local governments are getting imaginative to help residents.

Why it matters: As President Trump slashes social safety net funding, cities are absorbing more of the burden to address affordability.

The Food and Drug Administration fulfilled a key part of President Trump's recent federal green light on psychedelics research on Friday by granting expedited review for three companies studying psychedelic treatment for mental conditions.

The big picture: A significant challenge to combating mental health issues is resistance to treatment — a hurdle that research suggests psychedelic therapy could help patients clear.

House Speaker Mike Johnson is staring down a brutal pre-recess session next week as he tries to cram three high-stakes votes through a fractured conference.

Why it matters: Johnson (R-La.) has built a reputation for pulling off the improbable. But his rank-and-file have shown a new willingness to buck President Trump, who the speaker relies on to close tough votes.

Economists and analysts say that AI in the long term will make the economy more productive — we'll get more done in less time, and that might even keep inflation in check.

Why it matters: It's a long complicated road to get to that fairy-tale ending. In the short term, AI is actually increasing inflation modestly at a time of more urgent inflationary pressures like war.

The bottling up of Middle East oil is giving a lift to U.S. exports, but there are real limits on how much more they can grow.

Why it matters: President Trump keeps talking up U.S. exports as the Strait of Hormuz is blocked, and oil and gas exports give America more geopolitical leverage.

Persian Gulf countries like the United Arab Emirates have plenty of dollars, yet they're asking the U.S. for access to more — via what's called swap lines — and the Trump administration seems open to the idea.

Why it matters: The asks are less about finances and more about politics — a sign of how the U.S. is trying to maintain dollar dominance amid a changing geopolitical backdrop.

The push to block ICE's plans to expand detention centers is fueling a coordinated national day of protests on Saturday.

Why it matters: No Kings protests have shown an appetite among Americans to unify against some Trump administration policies, and the latest effort — organized by the Disappeared in America campaign — is building on that momentum.

The Vatican is racing to build digital defenses for the artificial intelligence era — and quietly positioning itself as a global referee of what's real.

Why it matters: The Holy See is moving faster than most other legacy institutions to shape rules and guardrails in verifying reality, with urgency that's unfolding amid unusual geopolitical and digital clashes.