Axios

White House envoy Steve Witkoff is planning to meet Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi in Oslo next week to restart nuclear talks, according to two sources familiar with the discussions.

Why it matters: The sources said a final date hasn't been set, and neither country has publicly confirmed the meeting. But if it happens, it would mark the first direct talks since President Trump ordered an unprecedented military strike on Iran's nuclear facilities last month.

President Trump's asylum ban at the U.S.-Mexico border enacted in an emergency immigration proclamation on his first day in office is "unlawful," a federal judge ruled Wednesday.

Why it matters: Although U.S. District Judge Randolph Moss postponed his order from taking effect for 14 days to allow for appeal, the processing of asylum claims at the border would resume immediately if the ruling is not overturned.

The Trump administration plans to breed and sterilize billions of flies to airdrop over Mexico and southern Texas in an effort to stamp out the New World screwworm (NWS).

Why it matters: This highly destructive, parasitic flesh-eating maggot "is a devastating pest that causes serious and often deadly damage to livestock, wildlife, pets, and in rare cases, humans," per a U.S. Department of Agriculture post on the plan to sterilize the flies using radiation technology.

Kilmar Ábrego García alleged in an amended complaint Wednesday that he "was subjected to severe mistreatment" while detained in the El Salvador mega-prison CECOT after being mistakenly deported to the country.

The big picture: The U.S. resident who spent nearly three months in CECOT is now detained in Tennessee after being returned to the U.S. and is awaiting trial on human smuggling charges, to which he has pleaded not guilty.

A group backed by White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller has filed a federal complaint against the Los Angeles Dodgers over the team's diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) practices.

Why it matters: The Dodgers are one of the most popular MLB teams among Asian, Black and Mexican American fans and recently committed $1 million to help immigrants affected by President Trump's immigration raids in Southern California last month.

The U.S. Department of Justice has begun to prioritize stripping naturalized Americans of their citizenship when charged with crimes, according to a recent memo.

Why it matters: It ramps up the Trump administration's immigration crackdown, which it has expanded to target, deport and detain legal permanent residents and citizens.

A federal judge on Tuesday blocked the Trump administration's early rollback of protections for Haitian immigrants in the U.S.

The big picture: The move, for now, preserves the Biden administration's extension of Temporary Protect Status (TPS) for an estimated 520,000 Haitians, who would have been eligible for deportations next month.

The U.S. has struck a trade deal with Vietnam, President Trump said Wednesday.

Why it matters: The deal is much less severe than what the country originally faced, but still puts a significant tariff on one of the largest exporters to the United States.

If you're in the defense business, you've seen this meme in one form or another.

• "Born too late to deploy to the Middle East," it reads.
• "Born too early to deploy to the Middle East," it continues.
• "Born just in time to deploy to the Middle East," it concludes.

Why it matters: Flippant? Yes. Compelling? Also yes, as the image's virality today reflects just how entangled the U.S. is in the troubled region, even as it promises to pivot more fully to the Chinese and Russian threat.

• This is geopolitical tug of war, spiked with public cynicism.