President Trump told Hamas he will greenlight additional Israeli military strikes on Gaza unless the group releases its remaining hostages.
Why it matters: Trump's ultimatum comes during direct negotiations in Doha between his envoy for hostages affairs Adam Boehler and Hamas officials in an effort to reach a new Gaza ceasefire and hostage deal.
The White House on Wednesday doubled down on taking credit for the BlackRock deal to place Panama Canal ports under U.S. control.
The big picture: Panama President José Raúl Mulino on Wednesday accused President Trump of lying about his claim a day earlier that the U.S. is "reclaiming" the Panama Canal.
Federal authorities have charged 10 individuals and two Chinese government officials on Wednesday in connection to several high-profile Beijing-backed intrusions.
Why it matters: The U.S. alleges that these individuals helped carry out a wide-reaching Chinese espionage campaign that targeted U.S. government agencies, state governments, news services, universities, defense contractors, law firms, and critical infrastructure.
China vowed Tuesday that it is prepared for "any other type of war" with the U.S. after hitting back at the Trump administration's latest tariffs.
Why it matters: The tit-for-tat levies have put the world's two largest economies on track for a trade war while ratcheting up tensions between the superpowers.
The big picture: Trump for years expressed a desire to control Greenland, arguing it's necessary for national security purposes, and in January refused to rule out military force to seize the world's largest island.
The Trump administration has been holding direct talks with Hamas over the release of U.S. hostages held in Gaza and the possibility of a broader deal to end the war, two sources with direct knowledge of the discussionstell Axios.
Why it matters: The talks — held by U.S. presidential envoy for hostage affairs Adam Boehler — are unprecedented. The U.S. had never before engaged directly with Hamas, which it designated a terrorist organization in 1997.
The U.S. will continue to suspend weapon supplies and intelligence sharing with Ukraine until a date for peace talks with Russia is set, White House national security adviser Mike Waltz said on Wednesday.
Why it matters: The U.S. decision to pause military aid is increasing pressure on Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to agree to move toward negotiations with Russia to end the war.
There are few words as belovedin the defense-tech zeitgeist as "scale" and "mass." And it makes sense: War is a numbers game.
But today's defense industrial base is hurting, and not just by a single metric.
Why it matters: It's go big or go home for production lines, as a potential Chinese invasion of Taiwan haunts Beltway thinkers and a protracted war in Ukraine proves just how quickly stockpiles evaporate.
President Trump's taunting and tariffs have turned Canadians against the U.S., Prime Minister Justin Trudeau into a fire-breathing nationalist, and his Liberal Party — once on track for an electoral wipeout — back into a force to be reckoned with.
Why it matters: Trump has imposed big tariffs on the U.S.' closest ally and wants to make Canada the 51st State. Canada's response: a big middle finger to the USA.
Pakistan recently acted on CIA intelligence and detained a senior ISIS commander who the U.S. claims plotted the deadly Abbey Gate bombing during the U.S. evacuation from Afghanistan in 2021, according to two U.S. officials familiar with the issue. President Trump revealed the arrest in his address to Congress on Tuesday night.
Why it matters: Mohammad Sharifullah, one of the leaders of anISIS branch in Afghanistan and Pakistan, is believed to have devised and coordinated the attack that killed 13 U.S. service members and about 170 Afghan citizens, one official said.
The H5N1 bird flu strain has infected humans and other animals in every continent except Australia, and scientists say it could serve as a model for other countries.
The big picture: The continent has seen small outbreaks of other strains of avian influenza in recent months and managed to "close those down," said professor Catherine Bennett, an Australian infectious diseases' epidemiologist, in an email Monday.
