Axios

The Trump administration on Friday said it reached a trade agreement with Switzerland, with the European nation confirming a lower tariff of 15%.

Why it matters: Prolonged trade friction with Switzerland slammed the major exporter of pharmaceuticals, watches, chocolate and more.

A majority of U.S. adults oppose the U.S. military killing suspected drug traffickers without judicial process, according to a new Reuters/Ipsos poll released Friday.

Why it matters: The Trump administration has carried out months of extrajudicial killings of dozens of alleged "narco-terrorists" in the Caribbean and East Pacific Ocean. The strikes, which Congress has not authorized, have drawn bipartisan condemnation from lawmakers and Latin American leaders.

A statue of President Trump holding Jeffrey Epstein's hand returned to Washington, D.C., on Thursday morning.

Why it matters: The Secret Handshake, the anonymous group behind the statue, made clear in a statement that they set up the protest piece because a House panel released thousands of emails this week on convicted sex offender Epstein, some of which referred to Trump.

The Trump administration is ramping up its engagements with Congress on foreign military sales and plans to provide more classified briefings on military operations, according to a person familiar with the matter.

Why it matters: The administration's moves come amid mounting frustration from lawmakers over a lack of briefings on alleged drug boat strikes and the slowdown in the approval process for foreign military sales.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on Thursday announced Operation Southern Spear, which he said will target "narco-terrorists" and shield "our homeland from the drugs that are killing our people."

The intrigue: It's not entirely clear whether Hegseth has attached a new label to the ongoing U.S. operations near Venezuela and beyond, or whether this is the starting gun for a new, expanded mission.

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.