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National

After months of review by the State Department and the White House, President Trump has decided to cut $200 million in civilian aid to the Palestinian Authority and for projects in the West Bank and Gaza, the State Department said in a statement. 

Why it matters: The decision comes 9 months after President Trump's Jerusalem announcement, which prompted Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas to cut all ties with the White House. Those two developments created huge difficulties for the Trump administration to push forward with it's peace plan, which the White House is still debating when to launch. The aid cut also comes as Egypt and the U.N. are working on a stabilization deal for Gaza which will include a major push for humanitarian aid and reconstruction for the strip. 

The details: The statement said the funds will now address high-priority projects elsewhere, and explained, "This decision takes into account the challenges the international community faces in providing assistance in Gaza, where Hamas control endangers the lives of Gaza’s citizens and degrades an already dire humanitarian and economic situation."

State Department officials said the U.S. did provided a combined $61 million in funding for Palestinian security services in the West Bank. The officials added that providing assistance to the East Jerusalem Hospital Network is still under review, and a decision needs to be made soon about the funding to UNRWA.

United States cuts aid to Palestinians

The decision comes 9 months after President Trump's Jerusalem announcement.

Palestinian fishermen return from fishing in Gaza City, Gaza. Photo: Ali Jadallah/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images

World

Palestine

Politics

Conflicts, policies and powers are intersecting and shaping the world. Breaking news and analysis of national security, foreign policy and global crises.

The immunity deal for the Trump organization's chief financial officer leaves no doubt: This has been, unequivocally, the worst week of Donald Trump's presidency.

Why it matters: For the first time, I’m hearing real fear and concern in the voices of Trump allies. 

The big picture: The warning lights of growing legal jeopardy are flashing red. His former lawyer and campaign manager are going to jail, the lawyer has implicated him in a federal crime, and now his CFO and the head of the National Enquirer have been given immunity to share what they know. 

Trump organization CFO Allen Weisselberg has been granted immunity to talk to federal prosecutors about the payments former Trump lawyer Michael Cohen made during the 2016 campaign to two women who had affairs with Trump, per the Wall Street Journal.

That follows the news of another immunity deal with David Pecker, CEO of American Media, Inc., which publishes The National Enquirer, over the same issue. Pecker was friendly with Trump, and the Associated Press reports that the National Enquirer had a safe with records of damaging stories about Trump that were bought and buried — a practice called "catch and kill."

And Cohen's guilty plea set the stage by accusing "Individual-1" — guess who — of ordering him to pay the hush money to keep the women from talking about the affairs. That would be a violation of campaign finance law.

All of this goes way beyond the Robert Mueller investigation. This is now in the hands of federal prosecutors, and they can keep going regardless of what happens with the Russia probe — including, possibly, digging into Trump's business affairs.

Unlike Cohen, who was involved in quixotic projects and sleazy side deals to hush up women, Weisselberg has true and deep visibility into the Trump Organization.

What we don't know: The Weisselberg immunity deal might not mean he's ready to spill a lot of secrets. Any good white collar lawyer would request immunity for their client. We don't even know for sure that federal prosecutors are looking for anything in the Trump organization, other than evidence of campaign violations.

A top Washington white collar attorney tells me: “Could be really big deal but unclear if it’s limited to past Cohen stuff which culminated in his plea or if it’s ongoing. But clearly prosecutors thought he had something of value in return for giving immunity. There had to be some 'showing' by his counsel to get the immunity.”

The bottom line: Trump's legal peril is getting worse, not better.

Trump organization CFO Allen Weisselberg gets immunity

David Pecker granted immunity in Cohen investigation

Trump's hell week: fear and fury

The warning lights of growing legal jeopardy are flashing red.

A collection of photos of angry Donald Trumps

Donald Trump

2024 will be an election year like no other, as President Biden seeks re-election amid economic uncertainty, two wars and questions about his age. His likely foe, former President Trump, faces felony charges and vows revenge on his political enemies. Meanwhile, Americans generally are dissatisfied with those choices and are divided over immigration, race, education and more.

Politics & Policy

President Trump has directed Secretary of State Mike Pompeo to cancel his upcoming trip to North Korea, saying the country was not "making sufficient progress with respect to denuclearization."

Why it matters: Despite the pledge North Korea made at the summit in Singapore in June to commit to denuclearization, the Kim regime has yet to take any significant steps toward doing so. 

The China angle: Trump also tweeted that, because of his tougher stance with China, he does "not believe they are helping with the process of denuclearization as they once were." He added that he thinks Pompeo will be able to return to North Korea once the trade issues with China have been settled. 

Between the lines, per Axios contributor Bill Bishop: The North Korea issue is one that could quickly return to the forefront of U.S. policy towards China if Beijing is easing off the sanctions pressure. 

The Singapore Straits Times has reported that Xi Jinping is planning to attend the celebrations for the 70th anniversary founding of North Korea in Pyongyang in September, and if he goes it seems unlikely he would show up without bearing some gifts.

If President Trump decides North Korea is playing him, and Beijing is complicit, then it wouldn't be surprising to see U.S. sanctions on China and North Korea back on the table.

Trump cancels Pompeo's North Korea trip

"[W]e are not making sufficient progress..."

US President Donald Trump and North Korea leader Kim Jong Un walk from lunch at the Capella resort on Sentosa Island in Singapore

President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un during their summit in Singapore. Photo: Susan Walsh/AFP via Getty Images

North Korea

Senator John McCain (R-Ariz.), who has been battling an aggressive case of glioblastoma for over a year, has chosen to discontinue medical treatment, his family announced in a statement Friday. 

“Last summer, Senator John McCain shared with Americans the news our family already knew: he had been diagnosed with an aggressive glioblastoma, and the prognosis was serious. In the year since, John has surpassed expectations for his survival. But the progress of disease and the inexorable advance of age render their verdict. With his usual strength of will, he has now chosen to discontinue medical treatment.”

John McCain discontinues medical treatment

He's been battling glioblastoma for over a year.

Sen John McCain walks down a hallway of the Capitol

Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.). Photo: Melina Mara/The Washington Post via Getty Images

John McCain

Allen Weisselberg, longtime chief financial officer for the Trump organization, has been granted immunity by federal prosecutors for providing information about Michael Cohen and the 2016 payments he made to two women during the 2016 presidential campaign who alleged they had sexual encounters with the president, the Wall Street Journal reports. 

Why it matters: This is a very significant story that’s already causing waves in the legal circles around the White House. Unlike Cohen, who was involved in quixotic projects and sleazy side deals to hush up women, Weisselberg has true and deep visibility into the Trump Organization. Trumpworld’s greatest fear is that U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York (SDNY) investigators will start prying deeper into the president’s business affairs. And Trump can’t shut down such an investigation by firing Robert Mueller. This one’s out of his hands.

The bottom line: If there are any fishy payments for any purpose going back decades, Weisselberg would know about them. That’s why Trumpworld is on high alert about this. Concerned texts are flying around now from sources in the President’s orbit.

Timing: David Pecker, CEO of American Media, Inc., which publishes The National Enquirer was also granted immunity this week for providing information about Cohen's 2016 payments.

Be smart: A top Washington white collar attorney told Axios that this “could be really big deal but unclear if it’s limited to past Cohen stuff which culminated in his plea or if it’s ongoing.  But clearly prosecutors thought he had something of value in return for giving immunity.  There had to be some 'showing' by his counsel to get the immunity.”

Trump Organization CFO Allen Weisselberg gets immunity

For providing information about Michael Cohen.

Pope Francis' is headed to Ireland, one of the most devoutly Catholic nations in the world, this weekend for the World Meeting of the Families rally, but his visit may be overshadowed by the horrifying report on child abuse that was released last week, NBC News reports. 

The details: In 1979, more than 1 million people flocked to Phoenix Park in Dublin to see Pope John Paul II. Around 500,000 people are expected to show this year, but many are saying they'll use their tickets as a form of protest — claiming them and not going, as part of the "Say Nope to the Pope" campaign, per the Guardian.

Pope Francis released a letter earlier this week ahead of his trip, speaking out about abused children and the Catholic Church's "atrocities." 

Maeve Lewis, executive director of Irish abuse survivor advocacy group One in Four, told NBC: "I would hope...that he would tell us exactly what he intends to do deal with of sexual abuse within the church. This visit is enormously distressing for a lot of survivors, it has reactivated a lot of the trauma and the pain that they experienced." 

Pope Francis heads to Ireland amid Catholic Church abuse backlash

Plans to protest the sex abuse scandal could overshadow his visit.

Catholic Church

President Trump responded Friday to Attorney General Jeff Sessions' statement pushing back on Trump for belittling him in a Fox News interview. Trump, in back-to-back tweets, directed Sessions to "look into all of the corruption on the 'other' side," and prodded him by saying, "Come on Jeff, you can do it, the country is waiting!"

Be smart: Following Trump and Sessions' war of words yesterday, the two had an awkward meeting at the White House, during which they didn't say a word about their confrontation, a source with direct knowledge told Axios. And while Trump has an aversion to in-person confrontation, he seems to have no problem going after others from behind his phone. 

And later... Trump, responding to the news that the leaker of an NSA Russian hacking report, Reality Winner, was sentenced to 5 years, called on Sessions to go after Hillary Clinton, too:

Trump responds to Sessions' blowback

"Come on Jeff, you can do it, the country is waiting!"

Donald Trump smiles slyly as he leans over a table

Trump tweets

The forces of anti-immigration politics are upending liberal governments all over Europe — with voters in 21 of 28 EU countries citing immigration as the top issue facing the continent, according to a recent Eurobarometer survey.

The big picture: That's a disconnect with the reality — migrant arrivals in those countries have dropped significantly. But the political turmoil is spreading, to the point where there's even a far-right, anti-immigrant party on the rise in Sweden, one of the world’s most progressive countries. That's a sign that the immigration backlash is putting pressure on governments around the world, not just in the United States.

What we're watching: Sweden's election on Sept. 9 will be the next sign of how far the political turmoil has spread.

The far-right, anti-immigrant Sweden Democrats have surged in the polls, and the center-left Social Democrats are in danger of their first defeat in decades. The current climate is so hostile toward immigration that all three leading parties have proposed additional controls.

The popularity of the anti-immigration Sweden Democrats, who are polling at their highest level ever, is a symptom of the country’s struggles to integrate the 165,000 asylum-seekers it welcomed during the 2015 European migrant crisis.

But it’s not just them. Sweden’s two other leading political parties are also proposing changes to the country's "open hearts" immigration policy. All over Europe, mainstream parties are toughening their immigration policies in hopes of survival.

The backstory: More than 1 million migrants entered Europe during the 2015 migrant crisis, deepening the anti-immigrant sentiment that has fueled a resurgence of the far-right, and sweeping parties with hardline immigration platforms into power.

Where it stands: There are plenty of other signs that anti-immigration politics are thriving in Europe.

In Hungary, Prime Minister Viktor Orban's Fidesz party — which decries multiculturalism and has jailed human rights lawyers who assist asylum-seekers — won a landslide election in April.

In Italy, the anti-establishment 5 Star Movement and far-right League joined forces in June to form a populist coalition government. One of their first moves in office was to prevent a ship carrying 629 migrants from docking on Italy's shores. 

Leaders have also ridden immigration rhetoric to electoral success in Austria, Poland, the Czech Republic and Slovenia.

But it is in countries like Germany, France and the U.K. where pressure on center-right and center-left governments to adopt anti-immigrant measures is playing the biggest role in tilting Europe's political scales, writes the Brookings Institution's William A. Galston.

In the U.K., 88% of people who said immigration was the Brexit referendum's most important issue voted to Leave, according to the British Election Study. "If economic arguments had determined the outcome of the Brexit vote, Britain would have remained in the EU," Galston writes.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel's coalition government was on the brink of collapse in June amid an inter-cabinet dispute over migration. She survived, but has backtracked from her controversial open door policy on migration. That policy powered the rise of the far-right Alternative for Germany as a potent political threat.

Emmanuel Macron staved off populist Marine Le Pen in the French election last year, but anti-immigrant sentiment nonetheless catapulted her far-right party to its best election performance ever and forced Macron to take a tougher stance on asylum-seekers.

France's nationwide burka ban, meanwhile, is part of an effort to quell the fears of French citizens through legally-mandated assimilation, a trend that is taking hold all over Europe.

The bottom line: Europe is struggling to determine how to share the refugee burden while placating the concerns of its own people. 

It's not just the U.S.: Europe's growing anti-immigration backlash

Sweden's upcoming election will be the ultimate test for liberal Europe.

A boy standing next to a barbed wire fence

Europe

Media Trends

Axios Media Trends

FireEye, a California-based cybersecurity firm, has been credited twice just this week with helping two of the biggest tech companies uncover midterm election threats — and got a stock bump as a result.

Why it matters: While companies like Google and Facebook have the in-house expertise  to uncover some malicious activity, third-parties like FireEye are sometimes better equipped to spot malicious activity through their own monitoring.  

The context: Google announced Thursday it had uncovered forensic evidence — with the help of FireEye — of disinformation attacks directly linked to Iran state media. It says FireEye caught three YouTube channels associated with Islamic Republic Iran Broadcasting.

The news comes just days after Facebook said FireEye helped it uncover a similar disinformation attack stemming from Iranian state media. 

The big picture: Tech firms work with dozens of outside experts, including cybersecurity firms and intelligence agencies, to detect these threats. In this case, the security firm is reaping the benefits of their visibility in the big tech firms' announcements.

FireEye stock was up over 6% Thursday after the Google announcement.

Some of FireEye's competitors, like Palo Alto Networks, had slight stock bumps as well on the day of the Google news.

Although there's competition (such as Palo Alto Networks, Crowdstrike, Symantec, Trend Micro, McAfee and Microsoft), FireEye has been a leader in the space. For example, in 2013, Mandiant (which FireEye has since acquired) released a landmark report attributing cyber espionage over many years to China.

How the discovery went down: Lee Foster, FireEye's Manager of Information Operations Analysis, told Axios his team's "focus is to try to go out to identify foreign influence campaigns" and that they first caught wind of this misinformation web about two months ago. He would not comment about future business collaboration with tech companies. 

FireEye has invested more heavily than others in “multi-disciplinary threat intelligence,” said Steve Weber, director for the Berkeley Center for Long Term Cybersecurity. "It includes capabilities that are more like what you'd find in a national intelligence agency — country expertise, language skills, geopolitical savvy."

While shareholders may see a short-term upside to these announcements, some in the security community worry that public proclamations about uncovering attacks like these could interfere with law enforcement's interest in combatting them.

Governments may have different standards for attributing cyberattacks than companies. And when a company attributes an incident to a nation-state or hacking group, it can add pressure on the government to also publicly attribute the attack, even if it isn't prepared to do so.

Even if a government is able to attribute an attack, it may not wish to do so publicly because it may not be prepared to respond to the attack. 

"When the government does it, it carries more force," said Chris Painter, who used to serve as the State Department's top cyber diplomat. "They may want a different quantum of proof than private companies."  

The bottom line: If stock gains repeat in future attribution announcements, expect more cybersecurity firms to publicize their association with uncovering disinformation campaigns on social media.

How FireEye helped Facebook spot a disinformation campaign (NYT)

Facebook reveals foreign meddling from Iran, Russia (Axios)

The cybersecurity firm that helped Big Tech find election attacks

FireEye's been helping Google and Facebook — and reaping the rewards.

Axios

Friday's top stories