Axios

President Trump's whirlwind of policy hauls kept spinning this week as he navigated international trade disputes, air strikes in Yemen and a ceasefire proposal for Ukraine.

Here's our recap of major developments.

The U.S. military conducted wide-ranging airstrikes against Houthi targets in Yemen on Saturday, President Trump said.

Why it matters: It was the largest wave of U.S. strikes in Yemen since Trump assumed office.

U.S. forces with help from Iraqi intelligence and security killed the No. 2 global ISIS leader, "one of the most important" of the entire organization, per U.S. Central Command.

The big picture: Abdallah Makki Muslih al-Rifai, also known as Abu Khadijah, oversaw global operations and logistics for the extremist group and directed "a significant portion" of its global financing, Central Command said Friday in an X post.

Adam Boehler, who oversaw unprecedented direct negotiations with Hamas on behalf of President Trump, has withdrawn his nomination for the position of special presidential envoy for hostage affairs, according to two White House officials.

The intrigue: A senior Trump administration official claimed that the move has been planned for two weeks and was intended to shift Boehler into a different presidential envoy position with a broader mandate but no need for Senate confirmation.

In his first remarks as prime minister of Canada on Friday, Mark Carney categorically shot down the notion that the U.S. would annex Canada as its 51st state.

Why it matters: Carney enters the role during a politically and economically volatile time for Canada, amid threats from the U.S., its closest ally and neighbor, during the Trump administration.

A Columbia University student left the country after having a student visa cancelled and a second student was arrested for overstaying an expired visa, according to the Department of Homeland Security. Both students had participated in pro-Palestine protests.

Why it matters: The State Department is exercising a seldom-used power to remove legal immigrants connected to protests.

BlackRock's landmark deal for two Panamanian ports is in danger of running aground, threatened by geopolitical forces outside of its control.

Driving the news: Panama's Maritime Authority requested all legal and financial documents involved in the sale, while China urged Hong Kong-based seller CK Hutchinson to "think twice" about a plan that it called a "betrayal."

President Trump said on Friday he "strongly requested" that Russian President Vladimir Putin "spare the lives" of thousands of Ukrainian soldiers, whom he claimed were "surrounded" in the Kursk region in Russia.

Why it matters: Ukraine launched a risky cross-border incursion into Kursk last August and occupied a significant swath of Russian territory, but Russia has been making rapid gains in recent weeks and putting those forces under severe pressure. Trump claimed the troops now faced a potential "massacre."

Hamas said on Friday it agreed to release Israeli-American hostage Edan Alexander, 21, and return the bodies of four other American-Israeli hostages, but the U.S. and Israel rejected that claim.

Why it matters: Hamas' statement didn't make clear what the group demands in return for releasing the five remaining American hostages.