Jul 31, 2018

Trump comments on Iran don't signal policy shift, U.S. assures Israel

Senior U.S. officials reassured Israel today that regardless of President Trump's public call for direct and unconditional talks with Iran, there is no change in the administration's tough policy against the Iranian regime, Israeli officials tell me.

Why it matters: Trump's statement on talks with Iran blindsided the Israeli government, which has been totally aligned with Trump when it comes to Iran and pushed hard for U.S. withdrawal from the Iran nuclear deal. After the statement, Israeli officials asked whether there had been a change in policy, an official said.

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The polarized pandemic election

A Trump supporter protests Pennsylvania's stay-at-home order, during a May 15 rally outside the Capitol in Harrisburg. Photo: Mark Makela/Getty Images

President Trump is going all-in on pushing for a rapid, robust return to normal life, creating a visual, visceral contrast with Joe Biden and other Democrats who are more reticent to rip the masks off.

The state of play: Business friends have been urging Trump from the beginning to keep the lockdowns short. He's listening more and more.

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Tech's long hot summer of antitrust

Illustration: Aïda Amer/Axios

Google, Facebook and other tech giants face a summer of regulatory grilling as long-running investigations into potential anticompetitive practices likely come to a head.

The big picture: Probes into the power of Big Tech launched by federal and state authorities are turning a year old, and observers expect action in the form of formal lawsuits and potentially damning reports — even as the companies have become a lifeline for Americans during the pandemic lockdown.

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Palantir CEO hits Silicon Valley "monoculture," may leave California

Palantir is "getting close" to a decision on whether to move the company out of California, CEO Alex Karp said in an interview for "Axios on HBO."

The state of play: "We haven't picked a place yet, but it's going to be closer to the East Coast than the West Coast. ... If I had to guess, I would guess something like Colorado."

Go deeper (1 min. read)Arrow2 hours ago - Economy & Business