Axios

Hamas said its response to a proposed Gaza ceasefire and hostage deal "can be characterized as positive" and stressed it is ready to start negotiations on the implementation.

Why it matters: President Trump has been pushing both Hamas through Qatari and Egyptian mediators and Israel to agree on a deal that includes a 60-day ceasefire in Gaza and the release of 10 live hostages and 18 deceased hostages.

President Trump told Ukrainian President Zelensky in a call on Friday that the U.S. wants to help Ukraine with air defense, due to escalating Russian attacks, a Ukrainian official and a source with knowledge of the call said.

Why it matters: Earlier this week the Pentagon paused a weapons shipment, including air defense interceptors and ammunition, to Ukraine's army.

President Trump met with the Saudi Defense Minister Prince Khalid bin Salman at the White House on Thursday and discussed the situation with Iran and other regional issues, according to a source familiar with the meeting.

Why it matters: Saudi Arabia wants to de-escalate tension in the region after the 12-day war between Israel and Iran.

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.