The Department of Justice announced Wednesday it's forming a strike force "to assess evidence" Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard raised about the "alleged weaponization of the intelligence community."
The big picture: The DOJ statement did not specify which evidence she publicized that it was responding to, but Gabbard accused former President Obama's administration earlier Wednesday of a "manipulation of intelligence" around Russian interference in the 2016 election.
Immigration agents can't immediately take Kilmar Ábrego García into custody after he is released ahead of his human smuggling trial in Tennessee, a federal judge ruled Wednesday.
Why it matters: Immigration officials told a federal court that Ábrego García could be immediately deported again — potentially to a country other than El Salvador — if he were released ahead of his upcoming trial despite the White House calling that assertion "fake news" later.
French President Emmanuel Macron and his wife filed a defamation lawsuit against ring-wing podcaster Candace Owens alleging she circulated "outlandish, defamatory, and far-fetched fictions" aboutthe couple for profit.
The big picture: The 219-page complaint, which was filed in Delaware, alleges Owens' "lies have caused tremendous damage to the Macrons," subjecting the French leader and his wife to "a campaign of global humiliation."
Hackers have already compromised more than 400 organizations using a recently discovered flaw in Microsoft SharePoint servers, according to researchers at Eye Security.
Why it matters: That number has raised dramatically from estimates earlier this week that hackers had only broke into about 60 government agencies, critical infrastructure entities and companies.
The U.S. is reportedly closing in on a trade agreement that would impose 15% tariffs on goods from the European Union.
Why it matters: The framework — details of which were reported by Reuters and the Financial Times on Wednesday — would be the latest that implements hefty tariffs on a key ally.
Iran is willing to return to the negotiating table with the U.S., "the sooner the better," but must be convinced the talks aren't cover for further military action, Tehran's nuclear negotiator Kazem Gharibabadi said on Wednesday.
The big picture: U.S. officials were discussing the dates for future talks with Tehran last month while simultaneously coordinating war plans with Israel, Gharibabadi said. While Tehran knows it needs to negotiate with the U.S. to get sanctions lifted and avoid new ones, he said bluntly that "we don't trust the U.S."
The United Nations' judicial arm — citing "severe" effects and "existential" risks — ruled Wednesday that multiple international agreements require countries to battle climate change and cut emissions under international law.
Why it matters: While non-binding, advocates hope the International Court of Justice's advisory opinion adds new weight to global courtroom and diplomatic efforts to win tougher climate policies.
President Trump on Tuesday said the U.S. notched a trade agreement with Japan that would see 15% tariffs on all goods imported from one of the nation's key trade partners.
Why it matters: A U.S.-Japan trade deal would be the most significant since the White House threatened to impose sharply higher tariffs on much of the globe.
White House Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff plans to meet in Rome on Thursday with senior Qatari and Israeli officials to continue negotiations over the Gaza ceasefire and hostage deal, two sources with knowledge of the meeting told Axios.
Why it matters: The trilateral meeting in Rome will take place as negotiators from Hamas and Israel holding indirect negotiations in Doha on the last sticking points.
The U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee has updated its policies to ban transgender women from competing in women's sports, in line with President Trump's executive order.
The big picture: Trump's push to end protections for transgender people, including thebanning of trans athletes from women's sports, has left transgender and nonbinary people across the U.S. navigating an upended sports landscape.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is facing the first major anti-government protests since Russia's invasion, after lawmakers passed a bill Tuesday weakening two key anti-corruption agencies.
Why it matters: The bill, which multiple reports say Zelensky has now signed, has already drawn outrage from Ukrainian activists and media outlets and could damage Ukraine's relations with its Western backers.
Senior U.S., Israeli and Syrian officials are expected to meet Thursday in an effort to reach security understandings regarding the situation in southern Syria, a U.S. official and another source with knowledge tell Axios.
Why it matters: This will be the first meeting between the parties since the crisis erupted last week in the city of Suwayda in southern Syria last week and the Israeli strikes on Damascus that followed.
President Trump's decision to withdraw from the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is not a surprise — but it marks yet another drop in Washington's roller-coaster relationship with the agency.
The big picture: The move mirrors the president's first term, when the U.S. departed UNESCO over alleged anti-Israel bias, and deepens the administration's broader retreat from multilateral bodies deemed hostile or ineffective.
At least three China-based hacking teams have been exploiting a previously unknown flaw in Microsoft SharePoint since at least July 7, the company said in a blog post.
Why it matters:Microsoft and security researchers didn't uncover the vulnerability until this past weekend, leaving thousands of customers exposed to potential nation-state hacking.
