Axios

The number of people in immigration detention has soared by more than 50% since President Trump took office — and that doesn't include thousands more detainees who aren't in the administration's official count, an Axios review finds.

Why it matters: A record 60,000 immigrants are now officially in long-term detention, according to the latest government data, a historic jump from the 39,000 or so who were behind bars at the end of the Biden administration.

A federal judge released Kilmar Abrego Garcia, the man who was wrongly deported by the Trump administration, from Tennessee jail on Friday, his attorney confirmed to Axios.

The big picture: Abrego Garcia still awaits trial on charges of smuggling undocumented immigrants into the U.S., and he could still be detained or deported as soon as he arrives in Maryland.

Russian President Vladimir Putin is slated to attend the 2026 FIFA World Cup in the U.S. and wants to be there "very badly," President Trump said on Friday.

Why it matters: Trump and Putin are resetting a relationship that had been splintering over the past few years, despite the ongoing war in Ukraine.

President Trump's acrimonious relationship with his former national security adviser devolved further Friday after the FBI raided John Bolton's Maryland home.

Why it matters: Bolton and Trump fell out over foreign policy with the hawk Bolton calling the president "unfit" for the office in his memoir last year.

Portions of Gaza are enduring famine, a UN-backed hunger monitor said Friday in a determination Israel rejected as fabricated and political.

Why it matters: This is the first time that the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) has said famine exists in Gaza since the war began nearly two years ago.

Vice President J.D. Vance, Elon Musk and other MAGA voices horrified Europe's leaders by embracing Germany's AfD and other far-right parties early in the Trump administration.

• Six months later, those parties are smashing their establishment rivals in poll after poll.

Why it matters: The populist wave that formed in the wake of the 2015 migrant crisis has not crested. It's surging — and spreading — across Europe, cheered on by a U.S. government eager to see MAGA go global.

The world of AI-generated, adversarial disinformation is growing rapidly — and it's already indistinguishable from run-of-the-mill social posts.

Why it matters: Foreign disinformation has become a highly disruptive force in the U.S., with Russia and other foreign powers seeking to influence elections and inflame discord. Generative AI is now making it far more effective and harder for average users to detect.

The Trump administration said Thursday it's scrutinizing the records of all U.S. visa holders for potential violations that could result in deportations — from overstays to "terrorist activity."

The big picture: President Trump has made immigration enforcement a key priority during his second administration, aggressively cracking down on undocumented immigrants and revoking visas for students for reasons such as pro-Palestinian activism.