Axios

President Trump said on Saturday that his administration is ready to help the protesters in Iran get the freedom they are looking for.

Why it matters: In his remarks, Trump went further than he has so far and suggested the U.S. could intervene in favor of the protesters regardless of whether the regime uses violence against them.

President Trump declared a national emergency to shield Venezuelan oil revenue held by the U.S. government from seizure by private creditors, framing it as critical to U.S. national security and regional stability.

The big picture: Control of Venezuelan oil — some $2.5 billion worth — is now a cornerstone of the White House's strategy in the Western Hemisphere and an opening for U.S. companies in the wake of Nicolás Maduro's capture.

U.S. oil giants signaled interest in Venezuela on Friday but stopped well short of committing to massive and rapid new investments there during a meeting with President Trump.

Why it matters: The White House envisions a key role for U.S. companies in reviving output from Venezuela following the toppling of President Nicolás Maduro.

MAGA is pressing the Trump administration to write a new chapter in America's expansionist history — one that adds territory and influence as part of a new Western empire.

Why it matters: On its face, MAGA's imperial turn is a head-spinning reversal for a movement built around hostility to "endless wars" in the Middle East.

A drug marketed as "pink cocaine" is turning up more often in U.S. nightclubs and busts, alarming health officials because it's usually not cocaine at all. And no two batches are the same.

Why it matters: The potent powder — part of a new wave of polydrugs — is a dangerous cocktail of drugs, commonly ketamine and ecstasy, sometimes mixed with methamphetamine or fentanyl.

A group of 15 former senior U.S. officials who worked in administrations of both parties sent a memo to the White House, State Department and members of Congress warning against the use of military force to take over Greenland, according to a copy of the memo shared with Axios.

Why it matters: Statements by President Trump and other senior officials that the U.S. could take Greenland by force have created extreme alarm in Denmark and among other NATO allies.

Pope Leo XIV is continuing to issue indirect critiques about President Trump's policies as the U.S. ramps up its intervention in Venezuela.

The big picture: Since becoming pope last May, Leo has made a number of critiques — both subtle and explicit — regarding Trump's treatment of immigrants as well as his foreign policies.

Chinese crackdowns on fentanyl may have reduced overdoses and saved American lives, new research shows.

Why it matters: The data-backed explanation for the 34% plunge in overdose deaths from its peak suggests diplomatic pressure was more effective than decades of mass street-level arrests.

America's oil abundance is emboldening President Trump to wield power over Venezuela.

Why it matters: The U.S. oil boom — along with a global crude glut and low pump prices — are bolstering Trump's foreign policy ambitions.

Some of President Trump's critics allege that his decision to pull the U.S. out of UN climate agencies' work is illegal — but legal experts aren't as certain.

Why it matters: Trump's withdrawal of the U.S. from nearly 70 groups — including the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change — is among his biggest retreats from the global stage.

Iranian demonstrators crowded into the streets of Tehran and other cities on Thursday, with images circulating of government buildings on fire and the authorities blocking internet access but failing thus far to restore order.

The intrigue: Early this week, U.S. intelligence assessed that the protests lacked sufficient energy to challenge the stability of the regime, U.S. officials told Axios. But that view is being reassessed in light of recent events.

• "The protests are serious, and we will continue to monitor them," a senior U.S. official said.

President Trump will meet with Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado next week and welcomed her offer to give him her Nobel Peace Prize, per his interview on Fox News' "Hannity," broadcast Thursday night.

The big picture: Host Sean Hannity noted during his sit-down interview with Trump that Machado told Fox News this week that she wanted to give him her Nobel after praising the U.S. raid in Caracas that captured leader Nicolás Maduro.

An ICE officer's fatal shooting of a woman in Minneapolis on Wednesday ignited tensions on Capitol Hill, with Democrats raging about both the shooting itself and their Republican colleagues' reactions to it.

Why it matters: The shooting led to at least one heated exchange on the House floor, with Agriculture Committee Ranking Member Angie Craig (D-Minn.) laying into Majority Whip Tom Emmer (R-Minn.).