Axios

President Trump will make a decision "within two weeks" on whether to join Israel's war against Iran to eliminate its nuclear program, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters on Thursday.

Why it matters: Citing the "chance for substantial negotiations" with Iran, Trump is leaving the door open to a diplomatic solution in the coming days that could avert a major escalation in the Middle East.

Rep. Max Miller (R-Ohio) said Thursday he contacted the Capitol Police after being "run off the road" by a man displaying a Palestinian flag while he was driving in his congressional district.

Why it matters: The alleged incident comes as lawmakers are still reeling from the shooting of two Minnesota state legislators and their spouses last weekend that left one couple dead and another hospitalized.

A majority of Americans don't want the U.S. to get involved in the escalating war between Israel and Iran, a poll released this week found.

The big picture: President Trump is slated to make a decision "within two weeks" on whether to join Israel in its effort to eliminate the Iranian nuclear program, the White House said Thursday.

President Trump on Thursday signed an executive order to push TikTok's sale deadline for the third time this year.

Why it matters: Trump's repeated delays on the ban have begun to tick off some Senate Republicans, more than a year after a bipartisan law was passed out of serious concerns for the app's threats to national security.

A 30,000-pound bomb might be the most important weapon for Israel's war with Iran — and it's in the U.S. military's hands.

Why it matters: The U.S. alone possesses the world's most powerful non-nuclear bomb — and it's uniquely capable of targeting key Iranian facilities that Israel can't hit with its own weapons.

One key question is on President Trump's mind these days, his advisers say: If the U.S. joins Israel's war and drops its massive bunker busters, will they actually destroy Iran's most heavily fortified nuclear facility?

Why it matters: Trump's doubts Wednesday about the certainty of success are one reason he was still questioning whether to move forward with a strike.

Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Tex.) and conservative talk show host Tucker Carlson got into a contentious argument over America's role in the escalating war between Israel and Iran during an interview released Wednesday.

The big picture: While the Trump administration has denied U.S. involvement in Israel's offensive operations, the prospect of America joining Israel's attacks has driven a wedge between the isolationist and pro-Israel wings of the MAGA coalition.

Despite a reprieve from President Trump, TikTok's fate still hangs in the balance — unless a potential buyer emerges.

The big picture: Trump signed an executive order on his first day in office delaying the app's ban by 75 days, effectively resurrecting it hours after the platform had gone dark.

Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard's scheduled briefing with the Senate Intelligence Committee was postponed on Wednesday, amid ongoing tensions in the Middle East, multiple sources told Axios.

Why it matters: Democrats are demanding more information from the White House as President Trump considers joining the Israeli offensive against Iran.

A few details are emerging about Ford's affordable EV project, due in 2027.

Why it matters: Ford, like other global automakers, is scrambling to make electric vehicles profitably and still compete with lower-cost Chinese brands.

President Trump said Wednesday that Iran still wants to negotiate with the U.S. and even proposed sending a delegation to the White House, but that it was getting "very late" for talks and he might soon authorize strikes on Iran's nuclear program.

Why it matters: Trump is seriously considering U.S. strikes on Iran's underground nuclear facilities, which would spark retaliation on U.S. bases and other targets in the region and potentially draw the U.S. into a protracted conflict with Iran. But his remarks suggest he has not closed the door entirely on diplomacy.

Iran's supreme leader Ali Khamenei said in a televised speech that the Islamic Republic "will not surrender" and threatened that if the U.S. takes military action against Iran, "it will undoubtedly cause irreparable consequences to them."

Why it matters: Khamenei's message was his first response to the demand made by President Trump on Tuesday for the nation's "unconditional surrender."

If there's any moment Europe should double down on its own defense, it's today.

The big picture: European policymakers don't trust Russian President Vladimir Putin to stop at Ukraine, and they can no longer count on the U.S. to protect and arm its NATO allies indefinitely.

Ten years after Donald Trump hijacked the GOP with a promise to burn down the establishment, his own movement is warning him not to go soft.

Why it matters: On two core articles of faith — no foreign wars and no protections for unauthorized immigrants — the Trump administration is facing a rare MAGA purity test.

Senate leaders are avoiding direct answers on whether President Trump needs approval from Congress before taking any military action against Iran.

Why it matters: Congress is reluctant to second-guess the commander-in-chief before he actually authorizes strikes. But Democrats have a visceral distrust of Trump, and a growing GOP faction is deeply suspicious of foreign military interventions.