Axios

The White House has called "fake news" a report that quotes prosecutors saying Kilmar Abrego Garcia, who was wrongfully deported to El Salvador, would be sent to an unnamed third country.

The big picture: The Trump administration has included deportations to non-origin countries in its immigration policy, and has obtained permission from the Supreme Court to do so.

President Trump threatened to prosecute Democrats on Thursday after he accused them without evidence of leaking information about the U.S. strike on Iranian facilities.

Why it matters: Trump has fought to project his desired narrative that the strike on Iran "obliterated" the country's nuclear program despite a leaked early assessment that suggests the damage may have been more modest.

The world's top 1% accumulated trillions in wealth over the past decade, while life-saving aid faces cuts, according to a Thursday Oxfam International report.

Why it matters: The amount of wealth that the rich amasses around the world could eliminate annual global poverty more than 22 times over.

The Trump administration is using the podium to assail journalists for their reporting about a leaked intelligence report that provided an initial assessment of the U.S. strike on Iranian facilities.

The big picture: From the White House to the Pentagon to the Netherlands, the administration's messaging campaign on the Iranian operation has carried with it an all-out offensive against the media, singling out reporters by name online and in briefings.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu wants to meet with President Trump at the White House in the coming weeks to celebrate the joint U.S-Israeli bombing of Iran's nuclear program, three Israeli officials said.

Why it matters: Despite past tensions in their relationship, the two leaders are closer than ever and see the 12-day war against Iran as a monumental achievement — both for their countries and their personal legacies.

President Trump won a higher percentage of the Latino vote in 2024 than previously believed and came within striking distance of capturing a historic majority of those voters, according to a new Pew Research Center analysis of the election results.

Why it matters: The analysis confirms what early exit polls hinted: Kamala Harris dramatically underperformed previous Democratic presidential candidates among Latinos, a rapidly growing and once-solidly Democratic voting bloc that has taken a big swing toward Republicans.

Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei claimed in a video message published on Thursday that the U.S. strikes on Iran's nuclear facilities had no major effect.

Why it matters: Khamenei's video marked the first time he has been seen in a week. His absence has raised concerns about his health and whether he remains involved in Iran's decision-making.

President Trump called on Wednesday for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's corruption trial to be "cancelled immediately" or for giving him a pardon.

Why it matters: Trump's comments in a post on his Truth Social account were an unprecedented intervention by a U.S. president in a legal proceeding in another democratic ally.

President Trump is going to extraordinary lengths to defend his claim that U.S. airstrikes "obliterated" Iran's nuclear program, determined to cement the operation as a defining victory of his presidency.

Why it matters: Trump has staked his credibility — and major parts of his foreign policy legacy — on the success of Saturday's military intervention, which punctuated decades of U.S. debate over the threat of a nuclear-armed Iran.

House Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) on Wednesday threw her weight behind a rapidly accelerating effort by Democratic lawmakers to limit Trump's power to unilaterally strike Iran.

Why it matters: Democrats are infuriated that the Trump administration postponed briefings on the Middle East that were planned for Tuesday, and that rage is helping to fuel what was initially a fringe effort.

The spectacular rise of China's auto industry — seemingly overnight — has rattled industry leaders and policymakers, catching many off guard.

Why it matters: There's a dawning realization across the industry that China's ascendance is both an existential business threat and a national security risk.

The U.S. and Iran will meet next week to discuss a potential nuclear deal, President Trump claimed at a press conference at the end of the NATO summit on Wednesday.

Why it matters: Iran has not publicly confirmed any planned meeting with U.S. officials, which would come just a week after Trump ordered an unprecedented military strike on Iran's nuclear facilities.

President Trump on Wednesday applauded NATO allies' increased defense spending target, patting himself on the back for a "monumental win" for the U.S. — and lambasting Spain for negotiating an exemption.

The big picture: Trump has long demanded that NATO members to commit more to defense spending and for years criticized nations that did not reach the prior 2% benchmark.

Israeli intelligence services believe U.S. and Israeli strikes caused "very significant" damage to Iran's nuclear facilities, with some officials perplexed by a leaked U.S. intelligence report that suggested otherwise.

• Like the U.S., Israel has not produced a final assessment on how far back the bombing campaign has set Iran's nuclear program, three officials told Axios.

Why it matters: The emerging Israeli assessment presents a far more optimistic view of the operation than a preliminary report from the Defense Intelligence Agency, which assessed the strikes may have set Iran back only a few months.

OpenAI says Chinese competitor Zhipu AI is aggressively courting governments in developing countries, aiming to entrench Chinese AI systems ahead of Western rivals.

Why it matters: OpenAI and others argue that it's a must-win race between U.S. and China over whose technology will control a bot-filled world.