Axios

The Trump administration will deploy U.S. Border Patrol to Charlotte as part of its immigration crackdown as early as this weekend, Mecklenburg County Sheriff Garry McFadden confirmed Thursday afternoon.

Why it matters: This is the first real verification of reports that the federal law enforcement agency is coming to Charlotte.

Suspected Chinese operators used Anthropic's AI coding tool to target about 30 global organizations — and had success in several cases, the company said Thursday.

Why it matters: This is the first documented case of a foreign government using AI to fully automate a cyber operation, Anthropic warned.

President Trump told Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (MBS) in a phone call last month that, with the Gaza war ending, he expects Saudi Arabia to move toward normalization with Israel, two U.S. officials told Axios.

Why it matters: U.S. officials have told the Saudis they're hoping for progress on that issue around the Trump-MBS meeting next week at the White House, though they acknowledge the gaps between the Saudis and Israelis remain wide, the U.S. officials said.

Global efforts to address climate change are — still — going far better today than they were a decade ago, even with recent politics pushing the problem to the back burner.

Why it matters: We humans usually operate on daily, monthly and yearly time frames. So it can be easy to miss the energy transition unfolding over decades and centuries.

Fewer than half of Americans now say religion is an important part of their daily lives, a 17 percentage point drop since 2015, which ranks among the largest declines in the world, according to a new Gallup poll.

Why it matters: The U.S. was once exceptional for its high religiosity among wealthy nations. The shift reflects profound cultural changes that could reshape politics, social ties and even national identity.

Israel is seeking a new 20-year security agreement with the U.S. — doubling the usual term and adding "America First" provisions to win the Trump administration's support, Israeli and U.S. officials tell Axios.

Why it matters: While the past agreement promised Israel around $4 billion per year in military aid, and Israel is likely to seek at least that much going forward, passing such a deal will now be more complicated because of growing frustrations with Israel, including within Trump's MAGA base.

U.S. Roman Catholic bishops delivered a "special pastoral message on immigration" on Wednesday, raising "our concern here for immigrants."

Why it matters: Although it doesn't mention President Trump by name, the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops' (USCCB) message marks a rare public reproach of his immigration policies.

Apple's new passport-based Digital ID is rolling out on iPhone and Apple Watch — giving travelers a new way to clear TSA security lines with just their device.

Why it matters: It's the biggest step yet in the tech giant's push to make the Apple Wallet app a digital replacement for everything in your pocket — from credit cards to car keys to IDs.

A bipartisan group says the government will need to establish a larger footprint in the private sector to shore up America's AI and other technology sectors — or put national security at risk.

Why it matters: It is the new consensus among some business leaders and former Trump and Biden-era economic officials.

• Without government intervention, the group says the nation risks potential exploitation by China and other adversaries.

Google filed a lawsuit today against alleged China-based operators behind "Lighthouse," a phishing platform it says fuels the toll-payment text scam flooding U.S. phones.

Why it matters: Scam networks now operate like global tech firms, forcing companies and investigators to use creative legal and technical tactics to fight them.

President Trump sent an official letter to Israeli President Isaac Herzog calling on him to pardon Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and claimed the corruption charges against him are "political lawfare."

Why it matters: Trump has repeatedly intervened in Israel's judicial system and domestic politics over Netanyahu's ongoing trial. His letter, released on Wednesday morning by the Israeli President's office, is the first official step he has taken on this matter.

RTX is exploring production of its AIM-120 Advanced Medium-Range Air-to-Air Missile in the Netherlands, following a go-ahead from the U.S. government.

Why it matters: Such an arrangement would likely strengthen transatlantic ties and boost stockpiles.

The U.S. must stomach the risks of artificial intelligence to ensure Western primacy and reap its long-term benefits, Palantir Technologies CEO Alex Karp said on "The Axios Show."

Why it matters: The U.S. and China are wrestling for geopolitical pole position. That competition colors everything from shipbuilding to cyber to microelectronics to munitions stockpiles.

• And, of course, Karp and his big-tech compatriots have every incentive to argue moving too slow is more dangerous than moving too fast.

A new digital awakening is unfolding in churches, where pastors and prayer apps are turning to artificial intelligence to reach worshippers, personalize sermons, and power chatbots that resemble God.

Why it matters: AI is helping some churches stay relevant in the face of shrinking staff, empty pews and growing online audiences. But the practice raises new questions about who, or what, is guiding the flock.

U.S. and Saudi officials have been holding intense negotiations to finalize a broad set of agreements, including a defense pact, ahead of next week's White House visit by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (MBS), U.S. officials tell Axios.

• Those meetings include a previously unreported visit by Jared Kushner to Riyadh over the weekend to meet MBS.

Why it matters: The planned Oval Office meeting with President Trump will be MBS' first visit to the U.S. since the 2018 murder of Jamal Khashoggi, which U.S. intelligence assessed he approved.

President Trump said in a Fox News interview that aired Tuesday evening H-1B skilled worker visas are necessary because "you don't have certain talents" in the U.S.

Why it matters: H-1B visas have divided MAGA world, with business leaders like Elon Musk saying they're vital to U.S. tech dominance, but Fox News' Laura Ingraham raised with Trump the concern that the scheme risks displacing American employees with foreign workers.

Global oil and gas demand is projected to keep rising through 2050 under nations' current policies despite growth in renewables and electric cars, the International Energy Agency said.

Why it matters: IEA's latest World Energy Outlook — released early Wednesday — could influence policymakers, C-suites, investors, academics and anyone else trying to understand where the energy mix might head.

California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) criticized President Trump at COP30 on Tuesday for being absent from the UN summit in Belém, Brazil, and called his rejection of climate policy an "abomination."

The big picture: Newsom, who's expected to run for president in 2028, said during a ministerial meeting that he's "very mindful that the Trump administration has abandoned any sense of duty, responsibility or leadership as it relates to the issues that bring us all here together" at COP30.