Russian leader Vladimir Putin has decided to skip the summit with Ukraine he called for and send a lower level delegation for the direct talks planned to take place in Istanbul on Thursday.
The latest: PresidentTrump responded to the decision on Thursday, telling reporters: "I don't believe anything is gonna happen, whether you like it or not, before Putin and I get together."
The Israeli government has agreed to resume humanitarian aid delivery to Palestinians in Gaza, the new Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) said in a statement on Wednesday.
Why it matters: Israel has frozen all supplies of food, water and medicine to Gaza for two months, and the UN has warned food supplies will run out within days. The foundation said Israel had agreed to resume aid imminently though the Israeli government has not confirmed that.
President Trump met Wednesday with Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa and urged him to sign a peace deal with Israel, the White House said in a statement.
Why it matters: The extraordinary meeting in Riyadh between Trump and al-Sharaa — who remains on the U.S. terrorist list due to his past ties with al-Qaeda — marks the first meeting between a U.S. and Syrian president in 25 years.
The Trump administration is cracking down on ultra-cheap goods sold on Chinese e-commerce sites hugely popular among Americans, new scrutiny that is spreading across the globe.
Why it matters: For the first time in more than 80 years, U.S. bound low-value packages from China are subject to tariffs.
In the hours before and after Air Force One touched down in Riyadh, President Trump's team plunged into a frenetic diplomatic blitz, aiming to defuse four of the world's most volatile crises — all at once.
Why it matters: Trump came to the Middle East chasing $1 trillion in foreign investment. But under the pageantry of the Gulf summits, he's betting that a whirlwind of personalized diplomacy can succeed where decades of U.S. policy have failed.
A coalition of 20 Democratic attorneys general is suing President Trump's administration over threats to withhold billions of dollars in federal funding if they don't follow his immigration enforcement polices.
The big picture: California Attorney General Rob Bonta, who's leading the two lawsuits, said at a Tuesday briefing that threats to cut funds for emergency services and infrastructure maintenance represented "a blatantly illegal attempt to bully states" into enacting Trump's agenda.
Why it matters: The death of Sinwar, if confirmed, would mark another huge blow to the Palestinian militant group that launched the Oct. 7 attacks and has been fighting a war against Israel for the last 18 months.
President Trump announced in a speech in Saudi Arabia that he is lifting U.S. sanctions on Syria "to give them a chance."
Why it matters: Trump's announcement is a dramatic shift in U.S. policy towards Syria less than six months after the collapse of the Assad regime. The sanctions crippled the Syrian economy and brought the country to the verge of bankruptcy.
The Trump administration on Monday asked the Supreme Court for permission to resume deportations of Venezuelan migrants.
Why it matters: Nearly 200 people accused of being gang members have been detained in Texas since the court stopped the administration's use of the Alien Enemies Act.
North Korean IT workers are setting up front companies across China as part of their global operation to trick Western companies into hiring them, according to a new report shared first with Axios.
Why it matters: Nearly every Fortune 500 company has struggled with the problem of North Korea-based IT workers trying to get hired at their firms.
A startup using AI to guide geologic exploration believes it has found a major Australian deposit of indium, a rare metal used in solar panels, LCD screens and semiconductors.
Why it matters:Earth AI's location of what appear to be commercial concentrations shows applications for AI in the mining sector.
On everything from international diplomacy to personal business, hostage negotiations to investment deals, Gulf countries are President Trump's partners of first resort.
Why it matters: Trump, who arrived in Saudi Arabia on Tuesday, is spurning traditional democratic allies in favor of Gulf monarchies — drawn by their wealth, deal-making and growing global clout.
Why it matters: The revolt marks one of the few times since Trump's return to power that key voices in his base have publicly questioned his judgment — revealing cracks in a MAGA coalition built on unwavering loyalty.
The backchannel talks that led to the release of Edan Alexander began with a message from a Hamas official to Bishara Bahbah, the former leader of "Arab Americans for Trump," two Israeli officials, one Palestinian official and one U.S. official tell Axios.
Why it matters: Hamas was seeking a way to convince President Trump to put more pressure on Israel, and Trump's team was intent on freeing the last living American held in Gaza. Bahbah, a Palestinian-American businessman who helped Trump make inroads with Arab voters in 2024, became the unlikely intermediary.
China's leader Xi Jinping took an apparent swipe Tuesday at President Trump's tariff policies.
Why it matters: Xi's first remarks since China and the U.S. agreed to cut tariffs on each other for 90 days were far removed from those in the U.S.-China joint statement that spoke of recognizing the importance of a "mutually beneficial economic and trade relationship."
The Episcopal Church refused to help the federal government resettle white South Africans who were granted refugee status by the Trump administration, according to a letter shared by the denomination on Monday.
The big picture: The administration welcomed the first group of Afrikaner refugees into the U.S. on Monday, citing unjust racial discrimination the ethnic group has allegedly been facing — claims South Africa's government denies.
