The UN Security Council on Monday approved a U.S.-led resolution to establish an international stabilization force (ISF) to deploy to Gaza for at least two years.
Why it matters: The resolution gives President Trump's peace plan additional momentum and international legitimacy. In addition to authorizing the ISF, it also endorses the Board of Peace, which will oversee governance of Gaza and which Trump has said he will chair.
President Trump said Monday that he will approve the sale of F-35s to Saudi Arabia, making the kingdom the first country in the Middle East other than Israel to obtain the advanced fighter jets.
Why it matters: Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (MBS) is expected to meet Trump at the White House on Tuesday. The F-35 deal, a U.S.-Saudi security agreement and possible normalization with Israel will be on the agenda.
The U.S. continues to conduct deadly strikes off of Venezuela and is assembling unprecedented firepower for what could become a full-on military conflict.
The big picture: President Trump and his administration have been quiet about who has been killed and on what evidence, but the swell of American forces coalescing off Venezuela's shores has escalated tensions between Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and Washington.
There is new evidence of global pain stemming from President Trump's trade policy, which single-handedly scrambled the world economy.
Why it matters: From China to Switzerland, the economic readjustment to double-digit tariffs has been bumpy. Even with trade deals, the levies imposed on their goods are still well above pre-Trump norms.
Unlike the U.S., most countries do not have an AI investment boom picking up the slack.
The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday agreed to take up a case on asylum applications that could determine where such protections begin along on the U.S.-Mexico border.
Why it matters: As part of its immigration restrictions, the Trump administration has sought to limit the number of people who are able to enter the U.S. to seek asylum.
Texas Sen. Ted Cruz is laying the groundwork for a 2028 presidential bid by leaning into his feud with Tucker Carlson — and staking out turf as a traditional, pro-interventionist Republican.
Why it matters: By poking at Carlson's isolationist foreign policy views, accusing him of antisemitism and more, Cruz is putting himself on a collision course with Vice President Vance, a Carlson ally widely seen as the 2028 GOP frontrunner.
The world's largest aircraft carrier, the USS Gerald R. Ford, joined other U.S. military in the Caribbean Sea on Sunday, as U.S. officials announced what's believed to be the 21st strike on an alleged drug boat.
Why it matters: The increased activity in the region comes after President Trump told reporters Friday that he'd "sort of have made up my mind" on how to proceed with Venezuela, but "can't tell you what it would be."
The dam for foreign spies automating cyberattacks with AI tools is officially broken.
Why it matters: Imagine a world where Chinese spies can tamper with a U.S. water system or steal a major AI vendor's plans for its next model upgrade — all with just a few clicks. That future is no longer hypothetical.
The U.S. trade deal with China isn't finalized yet, but America has to trust that Chinese leaders will keep their word, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said Sunday.
Why it matters: It was only a month ago that Bessent said China couldn't be trusted. His shift in tone captures the uneasy stakes of a pact central to global trade in rare earths and American soybeans.
