President Trump has repeatedly shifted his positions on Ukraine to accommodate Russian President Vladimir Putin, even as Putin has given very little in return.
Why it matters: Trump's critics claim he's getting played — that Putin has no intention of making peace and is stringing him along. But White House officials tell Axios they still believe Putin is about to take tangible steps towards a deal.
The fifth round of nuclear talks between the U.S. and Iran in Rome ended Friday with "some but not conclusive progress," according to Oman's Foreign Minister Badr al-Busaidi, who is mediating between the parties.
Why it matters: In recent days the negotiations have hit a roadblock over the fact that Iran says it will only sign a deal that permits a domestic enrichment capability, and the U.S. has said enrichment is its red line.
President Trump's threat to Apple — build the iPhone for Americans in America, or else pay a new 25% tariff — risks massively increasing the price you pay for your phone, one way or another.
Why it matters: No one wants to pay two or three times more for a smartphone, and Apple experts doubt that a transition to U.S. manufacturing is even possible without years of investment and planning.
Major flooding in eastern Australia has killed four people, and at least one person is missing in an extreme weather event with strong links to climate change, officials said Friday.
The big picture: Officials in Australia's most populous state, New South Wales, made a natural disaster declaration in response to record rainfall that's isolated more than 50,000 people, with large amounts of rain falling in state capital Sydney and elsewhere.
Columbia University violated federal civil rights law by "acting with deliberate indifference toward student-on-student harassment of Jewish students" from Oct. 7, 2023, through the present, a Trump administration investigation found Thursday.
The big picture: The college was an epicenter last year for students protesting the Israel-Hamas war. The Trump administration announced in March it was pulling some $400 million in federal grants and contracts over its dissatisfaction with Columbia's response to antisemitism allegations.
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un responded with fury after watching a "serious accident" during the launch of a new warship Thursday that he described as a "criminal act," the state-run KCNA reported.
Why it matters: It's highly unusual for Kim to criticize his defense forces or for state media to report on an error — though KCNA did not disclose whether there were any casualties as it reported that parts of the 5,000-ton destroyer were crushed in the incident.
