President Trump confirmed he was removing Mike Waltz as national security adviser on Thursday but added the surprise announcement that he would be nominating him for the vacant UN ambassador post.
Mike Waltz has been a dead man walking in the White House for the past month, and the outgoing national security adviser started to act like it, Trump administration sources tell Axios.
Why it matters: "Signalgate" badly damaged Waltz, but it wasn't his only problem. He got on the wrong side of everyone from conspiracy theorist Laura Loomer to White House chief of staff Susie Wiles.
The doll debate continues: After President Trump acknowledged that toy shortages were a possible tariff side effect, Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller argued that "almost every American consumer" agrees they'd pay more for an American-made doll.
The big picture: Miller on Thursday emphasized the administration's persistent argument that tariffs would force manufacturers toproduce more goods in the U.S. — but domestic retailers fear the trade war with China will leave prices higher and shelves empty.
The long-awaited deal creating a United States-Ukraine Reconstruction Investment Fund faces huge questions, in part due to war-related damage to Ukraine's infrastructure.
Why it matters: The 50-50 fund gives the U.S. preferential access to Ukraine's critical minerals, oil and gas.
More than one in four Americans believe Chinese Americans are a threat to U.S. society, and 40% believe Asian Americans are more loyal to their countries of origin than to the U.S., a new survey found.
Why it matters: Five years after the pandemic, when the U.S. saw a surge in anti-Asian hate crimes, Asian Americans are still battling harmful stereotypes and deep-seated misperceptions.
The successor to Pope Francis will take over a Catholic Church with more than 1.4 billion members around the world. But his impact is likely to reach far beyond the church.
Why it matters: Popes today don't just oversee church doctrine and administration — they're global diplomats and influencers who can foster peace agreements, accelerate fights against diseases and impact population growth.
President Trump is putting China's economy through a trillion-dollar stress test, and he may not like the result.
Why it matters: Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent insists China is far more reliant on the U.S. than vice-versa, and thus has no choice but to blink first.
After some last-minute hiccups, the U.S. and Ukraine signed a closely watched minerals deal on Wednesday, the U.S. Treasury Department said.
Why it matters: The agreement envisions a lasting economic partnership between the U.S. and Ukraine and gives the U.S. preferential access to Ukraine's rare earth minerals, oil and gas. But reaching the final agreement has been a contentious weeks-long process.
Low-cost apparel retailer Shein is exploring ways to restructure its business in response to new tariffs, including the diversion of U.S. market manufacturing to countries outside of China, according to the FT.
Why it matters: This almost certainly would delay Shein's IPO on the London Stock Exchange, which has been expected to occur within months.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky made his 15 minutes with President Trump in the Vatican count, urging Trump to take a tougher line with Vladimir Putin and reprioritize a ceasefire, two sources briefed on Saturday's meeting tell Axios.
Why it matters: Zelensky's advisers were divided about whether he should even risk the tête-à-tête after the disaster in the Oval Office. But after it, Zelensky felt he'd managed to shift Trump's thinking about Putin for the first time, the sources say.
A majority of American adults, including most Vietnam War veterans, think the United States should have stayed out of Vietnam, according to a new poll released Wednesday on the 50th anniversary of the end of the Vietnam War.
Why it matters: The survey by Nexstar Media and Emerson College Polling illustrated the regret most Americans feel about Vietnam half a century following the nation's worst military defeat and the divisions it caused.
President Trump defended his handling of the economy and sweeping tariffs as he declared during an ABC News interview airing Tuesday evening, "the country's doing great."
Why it matters: ABC's ' Terry Moran noted during their interview that tourism numbers were down as he suggested Trump's policies may have caused reputational damage — particularly with neighboring Canada, where Prime Minister Mark Carney said after his Liberal Party was re-elected on Monday the "old relationship of integration" with the U.S. was "over."
President Trump told Terry Moran he's "not being very nice" during a heated interview marking his first 100 days in office, as the ABC journalist challenged him on the detention in El Salvador of a Maryland father.
Columbia University alumnus Mahmoud Khalil's lawsuit arguing he's being detained unlawfully can proceed, a federal judge ruled Tuesday.
The big picture: Khalil, a legal U.S. resident and a leader of Columbia's pro-Palestinian protests, has been in the custody of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) for more than a month.
The Trump administration began firing members of the Biden-appointed Holocaust Memorial Council — including Doug Emhoff, the husband of former Vice President Harris confirmed Tuesday.
Why it matters: Their removal from the board that oversees the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum in D.C. is the latest example of President Trump firing people who were appointed to boards by his predecessor as he carries out threats of retribution.
