National Grid has agreed to sell its Grain LNG terminal near London to Centrica and private equity firm Energy Capital Partners for around $2.04 billion.
Why it matters: Grain LNG is Europe's largest liquefied natural gas import terminal, at a time when demand is soaring due to Russia's war in Ukraine.
President Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin will meet in Alaska on Friday to discuss the possibility of peace in Ukraine.
The big picture: Trump and Putin have met before, but arguably never with so much on the line geopolitically. Trump said Wednesday that Putin must agree to a ceasefire or face "serious consequences."
The director of Israel's Mossad spy agency David Barnea visited Qatar on Thursday and met Qatari Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdul Rahman al-Thani for talks on the Gaza hostage and ceasefire deal, according to two sources familiar with the visit.
Why it matters: These are the most high-level talks between Israel and the mediators since negotiations broke down three weeks ago. They come amid a renewed push for a comprehensive deal to end the war, release of all remaining hostages held by Hamas, and avert a looming Israeli offensive.
The Israeli government is courting popular MAGA influencers in an effort to address Republican divisions over the war in Gaza, where scenes of violence and starvation have fueled global outrage.
Why it matters: U.S. support for Israel's military actions has fallen to record lows. Even within the traditionally pro-Israel GOP, younger Republicans are increasingly skeptical — questioning both the alliance and the billions in U.S. aid that sustain it.
President Trump just upped the ante for Friday's summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin — both for the war in Ukraine and his own credibility. Three advisers who've been in the room as Trump discussed the summit are adamant he's not bluffing.
Why it matters: This is no longer just a "feel-out meeting," as Trump originally labeled it. Not after he privately told Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and NATO leaders that his goal was a ceasefire, and then publicly threatened Putin with "very severe consequences" if he doesn't agree to stop the fighting.
Several U.S. border communities saw violent crime drop below the national average in 2024, as nationwide rates fell to 20-year lows, according to new FBI data analyzed by Axios.
Why it matters: The findings from last year run counter to claims by President Trump and GOP leaders, who painted border towns as crime hotspots because of newly arrived immigrants.
President Trump said Wednesday that Russian President Vladimir Putin must agree to a ceasefire at their summit on Friday or face "very severe consequences."
Why it matters: Trump had previously downplayed the likelihood of major breakthroughs in Alaska, calling it a "feel-out meeting." Now he's a set a concrete objective — and one Putin has repeatedly rebuffed up to now.
President Donald Trump downplayed the significance of Russia's reported involvement in a hack of the U.S. federal court filing system during a press conference Wednesday.
"Are you surprised?" he told a reporter. "They hack in, that's what they do. They're good at it."
Why it matters: These are Trump's first comments about the recently reported cyberattack, and they come ahead of Trump's scheduled meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday.
The State Department on Tuesday released its long-awaited reports on international human rights, which significantly scaled back the types of abuse outlined from years past.
The big picture: The reports, which are usually released earlier in the year, were released after a prolonged delay, per multiplereports, and the sweeping restructuring of the State Department's human rights bureau.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and his team are doing everything in their power to influence President Trump's thinking before he sits down with Vladimir Putin. His last big chance could come on Wednesday.
Why it matters: Zelensky is staring down a perfect storm: a sudden Russian battlefield breakthrough, mounting discontent at home, and a high-stakes summit in Alaska on Friday that could back him into a diplomatic corner.
On the U.S. side of the southern border, local law enforcement officials have begun using AI-programmed drones to locate drug traffickers and migrants.
On the Mexico side, drug cartels are using their own drones to stake out desert areas in the U.S. to smuggle their products.
Why it matters: The U.S. government — whose own patrol drones help create what it calls a "virtual wall" — has long fueled the tech war along the border. But now even small local agencies are stepping into this arms race against cartels and illegal immigration.
Mexico extradited 26 suspected high-ranking drug traffickers to the U.S. on Tuesday — including several linked to groups the Trump administration has designated as global terrorist organizations like the Sinaloa Cartel, per the Department of Justice.
The big picture: The extraditions come after months of pressure from President Trump, who has threatened to hit Mexico with hefty tariffs if Mexican officials don't do enough to stop the flow of drugs.
