President Biden asked President-elect Trump during their two-hour meeting on Wednesday to work together in order to push for a ceasefire and hostage deal between Israel and Hamas.
Why it matters: Biden wants to use the two months he has left in office to break the prolonged deadlock in the negotiations over a Gaza deal. Trump on the other hand would likely be happy to reach Inauguration Day with one less crisis on his plate.
This is no time for complacency in the U.S. race for artificial intelligence against China, Mike Gallagher, Palantir head of defense told Mike Allen at the Axios Future of Defense event in Washington, D.C. on Wednesday.
Why it matters: Gallagher suggested that leveraging software and AI to automate processes could help the Department of Defense reinvest resources into more critical military capabilities.
Some Latino left-leaning advocacy groups and pollsters are pushing back on exit pollsshowing President-elect Donald Trump made historic inroads with Latino voters.
Why it matters: Latino voters, a significant part of the Democratic coalition since 1960, shifted right in the 2024 election, according to exit polls and an Axios analysis of early election results, causing panic among some Democrats about the future of the party.
The Trump administration's envoy to the Middle East, Steve Witkoff, has a major asset: a direct line to Donald Trump, a source close to the president-elect told Axios.
Why it matters: Witkoff faces a crisis in the Middle East and the biggest war between Israelis and Palestinians since 1948 as he starts the job.
President Biden is expected to meet on Wednesday afternoon with the families of the seven American hostages still held by Hamas in Gaza, according to two sources with knowledge of the issue.
Why it matters: Biden is still pushing for a breakthrough in the stalled hostage-release and ceasefire in Gaza negotiations, and is expected to raise the issue in his meeting with President-elect Trump on Wednesday morning, a source said.
Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) will force votes on resolutions to block more than $20 billion in offensive aid to Israel next week, multiple sources told Axios.
Why it matters: Sanders' resolutions will almost certainly be defeated on the Senate floor, but they will give a good snapshot of just how strong the sentiment against Israel's war effort in Gaza is amongst Senate Democrats.
President-elect Trump could be TikTok's saving grace years after threatening to ban the appduring his first term.
Why it matters: The future of the popular short-form video app looked grim earlier this year becauseof elected officials' national security concerns about its ties to China. Not so much anymore.
President Biden's senior adviser Amos Hochstein said he believes "there is a shot" of securing a ceasefire deal in Lebanon soon, telling Axios: "I am hopeful we can get it."
Why it matters: A ceasefire deal would stop more than a year offighting between Israel and Hezbollah and significantly de-escalate the regional war for the first time since the Oct. 7 Hamas attacks on Israel.
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken has decided not to suspend military assistance to Israel after the Israeli government took some steps to improve the flow of humanitarian aid into Gaza, the State Department said.
The big picture: Humanitarian groups on Tuesday said the situation in Gaza is at its worst since the war began in 2023, and the Biden administration has been under pressure to use its leverage with Israel to improve the situation.
Jack Teixeira, the Air National Guard member who pleaded guilty to leaking highly classified Pentagon documents, was sentenced Tuesday to 15 years in prison, multipleoutlets reported.
The big picture: Teixeira's leak revealed secrets about the U.S.' relationship with allies and adversaries, including details about troop movement in Ukraine, and triggered concerns over the country's ability to safeguard its most confidential information.
President-elect Donald Trump announced he will nominate former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee as U.S. ambassador to Israel.
Why it matters: Huckabee has a close relationship with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. He has also repeatedly expressed support for Jewish settlers and has backed the idea of Israel annexing parts of the occupied West Bank.
President-elect Trump said he nominated former Republican Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee to be the U.S. Ambassador to Israel on Tuesday.
Why it matters: The challenge of Israel's multi-front war and the deteriorating security situation in the Middle East will soon fall to Trump, writes Axios' Barak Ravid.
1. Two strong earthquakeshit Cuba last weekend, adding to the damages from the recent hurricanes Rafael and Oscar and the effects of near-constant blackouts the last few weeks.
The earthquakes, of 6.8 and 5.9 in magnitude, hit the south and southeast especially. Authorities say there are no reported deaths so far.
2. Ecuador President Daniel Noboa replaced Verónica Abad as vice president on Saturday and named a replacement in the lead-up to his reelection campaign in February.
Abad and Noboa have had repeated clashes in which she accused him of authoritarianism for not wanting to take a leave of absence to campaign, which is legally required.
Advocates and lawyers are making preparations to defend immigrants against mass deportations and other actions President-elect Trump has vowed to take when he resumes office.
Why it matters: There are roughly 11 million undocumented immigrants living in the U.S. In addition to mass deportations, Trump's proposals would gut how the U.S. has conducted immigration enforcement for decades.
Notorious China-linked hackers known for burrowing deep into U.S. infrastructure are back, according to a report out Tuesday.
Why it matters: The resurgence shows that the Chinese government isn't backing down from its quest to infiltrate American utilities in preparation for a potential destructive cyberattack.
The lack of headline-grabbing, violence-inciting foreign disinformation in this year's elections is in equal parts a testament to election security officials' efforts and the evolving nature of adversaries' influence operations.
Why it matters: Disinformation is now endemic and no longer just focused on discrete events like elections.
The oldest performing arts center in the U.S., the Brooklyn Academy of Music, will for the first time host a play completely in Spanish without subtitles.
Why it matters: It's a sign of how venues have been betting on a growing interest in Latino and Latin American art. Spanish is the second most spoken language in U.S. homes.
President-elect Trump's shadow looms large at the UN global climate summit that began Monday — but his second term seems to be more motivating than dispiriting for some countries.
Why it matters: Trump's reelection raises the stakes for the gathering, known as COP29, at which leaders must come up with funding that would help developing countries adapt to climate impacts and shift their economies to cleaner energy.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's confidant Ron Dermer met President-elect Trump in Mar-a-Lago on Sunday, according to two Israeli officials and two U.S. officials with knowledge of the meeting.
Why it matters: An Israeli official said the meeting was aimed at passing messages from Netanyahu to Trump and briefing the President-elect on Israel's plans in Gaza, Lebanon and Iran for the next two months before Trump takes office.
