Axios

President Trump and Chinese leader Xi Jinping spoke about a TikTok deal Friday, but details on the social media platform's U.S. future remain unclear.

Why it matters: It's not 100% certain what the deal under discussion entails, though reports have suggested U.S. investors would control most of a new entity with a new app.

The UN Security Council decided on Friday to implement the "snapback" provision of the Iran nuclear deal, reimposing sanctions that were lifted under the 2015 agreement.

Why it matters: Iran will face even stiffer economic pressure, meanwhile international inspectors won't be able to monitor its nuclear material and facilities.

President Trump said he and Chinese President Xi Jinping had agreed in a call Friday morning to meet at the APEC summit in South Korea, which begins on Halloween.

Why it matters: This will be their first in-person meeting of Trump's second term. Trump launched a fast-escalating trade war after returning to office but the relationship has shifted onto friendlier terrain, for the time being at least.

The New York Times is confident it can defeat President Trump's $15 billion defamation lawsuit, the paper's executive editor Joseph Kahn said Thursday at an Axios Media Trends Live event.

Why it matters: The paper is aggressively defending itself at a time critics accuse some other media organizations of not standing up to the administration.

Brendan Carr, the Federal Communications Commission chair who once vowed to "dismantle the censorship cartel," has used his new perch to pressure broadcasters in ways critics call unprecedented, moves that helped spur ABC to sideline Jimmy Kimmel after his remarks about Charlie Kirk's killer.

Why it matters: House Democrats called for Carr's resignation Thursday, accusing him of abusing his power by "bullying ABC."

French President Emmanuel Macron said Thursday that "snapback" sanctions against Iran will be triggered at the end of September.

Why it matters: Macron's comments in an interview with Israel's Channel 12 signal that efforts to reach a deal between the European powers and Iran have failed. Iran will face even greater economic harm, and international monitors will have virtually no oversight of Iran's nuclear material and facilities.

AI policy proposals, and even many AI investments, often are rooted in the concept of a "race with China." Rarely is there follow-up about what the race course or finish line might look like.

Yesterday, however, we got into some of the particulars during an Axios AI+ Summit conversation with Sriram Krishnan, the longtime tech exec and venture capitalist who now serves as the White House's senior policy advisor for AI.

European Union green rules will "challenge" the U.S.-EU energy deal, Exxon CEO Darren Woods tells Axios.

Why it matters: Woods is pushing back hard on looming ESG standards for companies based or doing business in the bloc above certain revenue threshold levels.

U.S. leaders in government and business agree that the U.S. must win an AI race with China — but that's where the consensus ends.

Why it matters: Choices the U.S. makes today about U.S.-China trade could shape the AI industry's global debate for decades.

President Trump was hosted by King Charles III in southeast England during the first full day of his second U.K. state visit on Wednesday.

The big picture: The president and first lady Melania Trump were escorted by royal carriage to Windsor Castle, Windsor, where the king held a ceremonial reception and later a state banquet, as some protesters rallied nearby and thousands more demonstrated some 25 miles away in central London.

An immigration judge ordered that Mahmoud Khalil, a leader in Columbia University's pro-Palestinian protests and a legal U.S. resident, be deported to Syria or Algeria, per court documents filed Wednesday.

The big picture: The judge found the former Columbia student who's been at the center of a protracted legal fight with the Trump administration that saw him spend over three months in immigration detention had failed to disclose certain information on his green card application, per the documents submitted by his lawyers, who indicated they'll appeal the ruling.

President Trump is designating the anti-fascist antifa movement as a terrorist organization, according to a post he made during his state visit to the United Kingdom early Thursday U.K. time.

What he's saying: "I am pleased to inform our many U.S.A. Patriots that I am designating ANTIFA, A SICK, DANGEROUS, RADICAL LEFT DISASTER, AS A MAJOR TERRORIST ORGANIZATION," Trump wrote on Truth Social.

Average ticket prices for Bad Bunny's residency in his native Puerto Rico are the second highest of any headlining stint in 2025, according to Vivid Seats.

The big picture: Despite performing outside the continental U.S., the singer remains the year's most sought-after Latin artist.

Syrian foreign minister Asaad al-Shaibani will visit Washington on Thursday for talks on Capitol Hill on permanently lifting the remaining sanctions against Syria, lawmakers and U.S. officials said.

Why it matters: This is the first visit by a Syrian foreign minister to Washington in more than 25 years.