Axios

Maria Butina has pleaded guilty in a D.C. federal court to conspiracy charges alleging that she acted as an unregistered foreign agent on behalf of the Russian government. She has agreed to cooperate with U.S. authorities and faces up to five years in prison.

The big picture: In a copy of the plea deal obtained earlier this week by ABC News, Butina admitted that she and her American boyfriend, Republican operative Paul Erickson, agreed and conspired with a Russian government official to seek to "establish unofficial lines of communication with Americans having power and influence over U.S. politics." One of the ways Butina allegedly developed relationships with American politicians was through her involvement with the NRA. She is the first Russian national convicted for seeking to influence U.S. politics during the 2016 campaign.

President Trump tweeted Thursday morning that his former national security adviser Michael Flynn — for whom special counsel Robert Mueller recommended little to no prison time last week — got "a great deal."

"They gave General Flynn a great deal because they were embarrassed by the way he was treated - the FBI said he didn’t lie and they overrode the FBI. They want to scare everybody into making up stories that are not true by catching them in the smallest of misstatements. Sad! WITCH HUNT!"

Reality check: In his sentencing memo, Mueller explained that Flynn deserved leniency for lying to the FBI because he had offered "substantial assistance" in the special counsel's investigation into the Trump campaign's contacts with Russia. Flynn's defense attorneys claimed in their own sentencing memo that, prior to Flynn's initial January 2017 interview with the FBI, agents decided not to warn Flynn of the penalties of lying, and that Flynn was "unguarded" and "saw the FBI agents as allies."

Hackers tied to the Iranian government targeted the personal emails of more than a dozen U.S. Treasury officials and other officials and individuals around the world linked to the Iran nuclear deal, according to an AP report.

Why it matters: The hacking attempts started just as the Trump administration begain to reinstate sanctions against the Iranian regime.

U.K. Prime Minister Theresa May still has her job. Rebels in her Conservative Party forced a no-confidence vote in objection to her Brexit plan, but did not convince a majority of the party's members of Parliament to oust her. The final vote was 200-117 in May's favor.

What's next: May is severely weakened. In an effort to secure her short-term survival, she said she would not be a candidate in the next general election. That election could come long ahead of schedule — odds of a parliamentary deadlock over her plan still look high, and her government could well collapse before she sees Brexit through. One upside for her: The hardline Brexiteers are now weakened too after their plot to topple her failed.

Israel and the U.S. are in talks to resolve their differences over the arms deal between Israel and Croatia involving $500 million worth of F-16 fighter jets. State Department officials told me the U.S. wants to see the deal go forward, but also stressed that Israel has to adhere to several conditions.

Why it matters: Israeli and Croatian officials are concerned the deal will collapse over conditions the U.S. presented. The Croatians are furious and demand Israel and the U.S. resolve the crisis. The Croatian deadline for approving the deal is the end of the budget year — Dec. 31.

The Chinese government is preparing to replace its "Made in China 2025" plan — an ambitious blueprint designed to drive manufacturing growth by raising the target market share for domestic products — with a new program that would allow for more participation by foreign companies, the Wall Street Journal reports.

Our thought bubble, via Axios contributor Bill Bishop: This is a huge deal — if China is really serious about making substantive changes to this plan, rather than just repackaging it. Only time will tell, but given the history of failed promises of reform and better access for foreigners, people should be wary until Beijing actually delivers. If real changes are made, however, then it's definitely a win for President Trump, foreign firms, and, frankly, the Chinese economy.

Rebels in British Prime Minister Theresa May’s own Conservative Party have forced a vote of no confidence in her leadership today after 48 MPs submitted letters protesting her position. This is just days after an epic political retreat in which May canceled a doomed vote on the Brexit deal she struck with the European Union and set off on a continental tour in search of last-minute concessions.

Details: Speaking on Downing Street, May said, "I will contest that vote with everything I’ve got." Conservative lawmakers will vote from 1 pm through 3 pm ET — with a result expected sometime later in the day. If May gains support from a simple majority of her 315 colleagues and hangs on, her party won't be able to challenge her leadership for another year, though her government still may face its own no-confidence vote from opposition parties in the House of Commons.