Axios

A new political thriller is mulling what would happen if the United States had a 17-year-old as president.

The big picture: The premise is meant to challenge young Americans to run for office, taking control away from aging politicians and giving it to those who will live with the government's decisions for decades to come.

CIA Director John Ratcliffe visited Cuba on Thursday to meet with intelligence officials and Raúl Guillermo "Raulito" Rodríguez Castro, the grandson of former leader Raúl Castro.

The big picture: Cuba is facing a crippling fuel shortage and economic crisis due in part to U.S. sanctions. President Trump has repeatedly indicated he wants regime change, though a CIA official said Ratcliffe emphasized that cooperation is possible if the government makes "fundamental changes."

Pope Leo XIV is expected to sign his first encyclical as soon as Friday, positioning artificial intelligence as the defining moral and labor challenge of a new industrial revolution.

Why it matters: The document, reportedly titled "Magnifica Humanitas" ("magnificent humanity"), would become the Catholic Church's clearest attempt yet to place human dignity, labor rights and ethics at the center of the AI race.

President Trump's remark this week that "I don't think about Americans' financial situation" as he weighs his next moves in Iran may have inadvertently captured the fundamental bind he's in: how to pressure Iran without spooking markets and sending oil prices soaring.

Why it matters: Trump currently has no clear way to square his desire to end the war on his terms with the need to rein in inflation and keep the stock market humming in an election year.

Energy — whether it be oil for cars or power for data centers — is suddenly the world's biggest constraint.

Why it matters: Energy is becoming the singular driver of both global stability and economic growth.

U.S. manufacturers are pleading with the Trump administration not to allow the Chinese auto industry "to wheedle its way in" to the American market.

Why it matters: President Trump is visiting China at a time when sky-high gas prices and inflation concerns have reignited calls for allowing cheap Chinese vehicles into the U.S.

House Democrats on Wednesday secured the necessary signatures to bypass Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) and force a vote on a package of Russia sanctions and billions of dollars in Ukraine aid.

Why it matters: This is the eighth time in the last three years that a discharge petition has been used by some combination of Democrats and Republicans to do an end-run around GOP leadership.

America's inflation problem is getting worse, not better, as 2026 progresses. New wholesale price data — on the heels of Tuesday's consumer price report — confirm it.

Why it matters: The evidence of continued price pressures stretches far beyond the energy price spike that occurred following the Iran war, and suggests ongoing pressures across a range of goods and services.

The U.S.-led Board of Peace wants to start implementing its Gaza governance and reconstruction plan in the parts of Gaza that are not under Hamas control, according to a Board of Peace official and two other sources briefed on the issue.

Why it matters: The decision to trigger a contingency plan in Gaza took place after the effort to convince Hamas to give up its heavy weapons reached a deadlock. Now the U.S. and the Board of Peace want to move forward without Hamas.

President Trump faces a tough climb turning his "energy dominance" agenda into energy wins when he meets Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing.

Why it matters: China is a massive market, and Trump loves using bilateral summits to secure energy purchase agreements.