Axios

Recently freed pro-Palestinian activist Mahmoud Khalil told CNN that the Trump administration tried to "make an example" of him with his arrest and immigration detention.

Why it matters: Khalil's detention was an early flashpoint in President Trump's crackdown on pro-Palestinian protesters on college campuses following Israel's operations in Gaza.

The world is coming to terms with the new Trump-era reality: Everything is trade.

Why it matters: President Trump is threatening tariff hikes in the weeks ahead, with some of the most aggressive aimed at Canada and Brazil, over issues that have nothing to do with trade.

• A week that was supposed to end tariff uncertainty instead marked a new front in Trump's trade war, with planned escalations all around the world and on key sectors, including copper.

President Trump's criminal trials are behind him, but he's now crying "witch hunt" on behalf of ideological allies overseas.

Why it matters: Trump imposed 50% tariffs on Brazil — set to go into effect Aug. 1 — in part because of the prosecution of former President Jair Bolsonaro for his efforts to overturn his loss in 2022, charges that mirror those Trump himself faced. That's an extraordinary intervention in a friendly country's political and judicial processes, with tens of billions in trade at stake.

President Trump announced Thursday plans for a 35% tariff on goods imported from Canada that would take effect on Aug. 1.

Why it matters: The latest twist in the off-on trade war with Canada comes after the key trading partner rescinded its digital services tax to advance broader trade negotiations with the U.S. as it works toward an economic deal ahead of a July 21 deadline.

President Trump is planning to sell weapons to NATO allies with the understanding that they will then provide them to Ukraine, three sources familiar with the discussions tell Axios.

• Trump seemed to confirm those plans in an interview with NBC News on Thursday.

Why it matters: This is a major policy shift from Trump as he grows increasingly disillusioned with Russia's Vladimir Putin. He had long rejected the idea of new arms packages for Ukraine in part to avoid becoming personally embroiled in the conflict.

President Trump nominated Nick Adams, a self-styled "alpha male" MAGA influencer, to be the next ambassador to Malaysia.

Why it matters: Adams is a popular commentator in the MAGAsphere but is not exactly a household name the way other influencers are. The nomination shows how much attention Trump pays to his online base and works to keep it in the fold.

President Trump responded Wednesday to reports that former CIA director John Brennan and former FBI director James Comey are being investigated over allegations that they made false statements to Congress during the Russia probe.

The big picture: Brennan and Comey were under criminal investigation over the FBI probe into possible links between Trump's 2016 campaign and Russia after CIA director John Ratcliffe referred evidence to the FBI of possible wrongdoing.

New Mexicans impacted by the Trinity Test are getting closer to receiving compensation after eight decades of health problems and rare cancers stemming from the world's first atomic explosion.

The big picture: President Trump's recently signed the "big, beautiful bill," which includes an extension of the Radiation Exposure Compensation Act (RECA) and, for the first time, covers victims of the Trinity Test.

President Trump on Wednesday launched a multi-front trade assault on Brazil, threatening it with massive new tariffs and demanding the end of criminal charges against his ally former President Jair Bolsonaro.

Why it matters: Trump's tariff letter to Brazil is far more aggressive, with a much higher levy, than any other trade missive he's sent this week — and it prompted Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva to push back on what he called "interference" in the nation's affairs.