Axios

President Trump told Axios Friday that his demand for Iran's "unconditional surrender" could mean the complete destruction of the regime's military capabilities — not necessarily a formal surrender.

• "Unconditional surrender could be that [the Iranians] announce it. But it could also be when they can't fight any longer because they don't have anyone or anything to fight with," he said in a phone interview.

Why it matters: Trump's explanation came hours after he appeared to leave no visible off-ramp for Iran, ruling out any kind of "deal" as he demanded "UNCONDITIONAL SURRENDER" in a post on Truth Social.

Here's a question the Torah doesn't specifically answer: "Can a Jew let his AI agent run over Shabbat if the last prompt was Friday afternoon?"

Why it matters: It's a post that went viral on X, and is one of many new queries that rabbis debate when it comes to reconciling how modern technology fits within millennia-old tradition.

One of President Trump's first actions upon retaking office was to postpone enforcement of a law that required TikTok to be banned in the U.S. if still controlled by China's ByteDance.

Driving the news: That decision, and several that sprang from it, are the crux of a lawsuit that theoretically could cost TikTok U.S. — now under new ownership — billions of dollars. And possibly lead to renegotiation of the sale itself.

In theory, an emergency that's blocking petro-flows and spiking prices should boost the case for clean energy. But in practice, it's way more complicated.

Why it matters: The Iran war is the biggest energy crisis since Russia's 2022 invasion of Ukraine, if not longer.

Oil and gasoline prices are marching upward again Friday, even as Trump administration officials seek ways to get more barrels into the market.

Why it matters: Ships avoiding the Strait of Hormuz and military threats to regional infrastructure are together shocking oil and natural gas markets.

President Trump seethed when the Supreme Court stripped away his unilateral tariff authority, the first real check on his presidency.

• Then he set out to impose his will on every remaining vector of American power — smashing norms and shrugging off Congress in a historic, 14-day show of executive force.

Why it matters: Over the past two weeks, Trump launched a massive Middle East war, blacklisted the hottest AI company on the planet, ordered new global tariffs, and presided over the biggest media merger in two decades.

Eight in 10 Hispanic voters in Texas say politicians take them for granted —and four in 10 are more likely to support candidates who communicate with them in Spanish — according to a new survey shared exclusively with Axios.

• Inflation and cost of living was the top concern this election year for Texas Hispanics, the survey for TelevisaUnivision by The Harris Poll found.

Why it matters: Texas' primaries this week put the Lone Star State in the spotlight. But what's true in Texas may well extend to other states with large Hispanic populations — and have implications for the November midterms.

• The poll was conducted earlier this week, as a surge in Latino voters in Texas' Democratic primary helped propel state Rep. James Talarico to the party's nomination for the U.S. Senate seat now held by Republican John Cornyn.
• Talarico has emphasized working-class concerns in his campaign — and has reached out to Hispanics with Spanish-language ads while doing some interviews in Spanish.

What they're saying: "If you think you're reaching Hispanics with the message you have on English-language TV for the broad-based audience, you're missing the point," said Daniel Alegre, CEO of TelevisaUnivision.

• "Spanish-dominant or dual-language Hispanics, they will determine where the vote is going to go."
• But Hispanic voters are "no longer the Democratic vote that everyone expected" Alegre said. "They're an issues vote, and they feel they're not being listened to."

Zoom in: Republicans have been making gains among Latino voters in recent elections, though Hispanics' turnout Tuesday in Texas was widely seen as an indication that economic concerns have given Democrats a shot at recapturing support in November's elections.

• "The cost-of-living issue is a national issue, not just a Texas issue, and it impacts Hispanics disproportionately," Alegre said.

Three quarters of respondents said inflation and the cost of living was the most important issue this year.

• Other key issues seen as "very important" in the survey were health care access and costs (69%), jobs and wages (67%), housing affordability (65%), immigration enforcement tactics (54%) and immigration and border security at the Texas-Mexico border (50%).

Methodology: This online survey of 526 registered Hispanic voters in Texas was conducted March 2-4, 2026, online by The Harris Poll on behalf of TelevisaUnivision. The survey was offered in both English and Spanish.

• Breakdown of respondents by political affiliation is 29% Republican, 32% Democrat and 39% as independent. Respondents for this survey were selected from those who agreed to participate in the organization's surveys. The sampling precision of Harris online polls is measured by using a Bayesian credible interval.
• For this study, the overall sample data is accurate to within ± 6.2 percentage points using a 95% confidence level. This credible interval will be wider among subsets of the surveyed population of interest.
• Data are weighted where necessary by age by gender, education, household income, language, and political party affiliation to bring them in line with their actual proportions in the population.

The U.S. and Venezuela "have agreed to re-establish diplomatic and consular relations," the State Department announced Thursday.

Why it matters: The historic deal with a former U.S. foe comes as President Trump pushes to apply his actions in Caracas that led to the capture of former leader Nicolás Maduro to Iran, telling Axios Thursday that he must be involved in picking a successor to assassinated Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei.

Several dozen Iranian Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) officers have fled Beirut over the last 48 hours fearing they will be targeted, two senior Israeli defense officials and a third source with knowledge of the situation told Axios.

Why it matters: The Iranian officers were mostly members of the elite Quds Force, working as military advisers to Hezbollah with significant influence over the group's operations.

Azerbaijan's ambassador to the U.S. told Axios his country is taking "appropriate defensive and precautionary measures" following an Iranian drone strike on the Nakhchivan exclave.

• Asked if he was worried about another attack, ambassador Khazar Ibrahim said it's "not about worrying." Instead: "We are calculating, we are looking at facts, and we are making decisions."

Why it matters: The salvo, which Iran denied responsibility for, again widens a war that is just days-old and has killed many, including American troops.

The House on Thursday rejected an effort to advance legislation that would restrict President Trump from using further military action in Iran.

Why it matters: The failed vote amounts to an endorsement of Trump's military campaign in Iran from Congress, which has the constitutional authority to declare war.

Several Iranian Kurdish factions are preparing for a potential ground offensive against Iran's regime — opening a potential new front in the Iran war.

Why it matters: Kurdish involvement could intensify pressure on Iran's regime and risk widening unrest inside the country.

President Trump told Axios on Thursday that Israeli President Isaac Herzog must pardon Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu "today" — calling Herzog "a disgrace" for failing to act over the last year.

• "Every day I talk to Bibi about the war. I want him to focus on the war and not on the f*cking court case. I want the only pressure on Bibi to be the fighting against Iran," Trump said in a phone interview.

Why it matters: Trump has been pushing for a Netanyahu pardon since last June, arguing that his trial on corruption charges — ongoing since 2020 — is a "witch hunt" akin to the U.S. president's own legal troubles.

When war breaks out, micro issues have a way of quickly becoming macro issues. Specific blockages and bottlenecks tend to cause broad supply disruptions and price pressure.

• And so it is with the war in Iran.

Why it matters: Global supply chains have already been facing years of stress, first from the COVID-19 pandemic and then from the rise of tariffs and other trade barriers. The Middle East conflagration adds a new layer of stress.

• The good news for American consumers is that the biggest effects on the U.S. economy are likely to be second-order — but that's not the same as non-existent.

President Trump told Axios in an interview Thursday that he needs to be personally involved in selecting Iran's next leader — just as he was in Venezuela.

• Trump revealed this exclusively in an eight-minute phone call — his second conversation with us to explain his war planning.

Why it matters: Trump acknowledged that Mojtaba Khamenei, son of assassinated supreme leader Ali Khamenei, is the most likely successor — while making clear he finds that outcome unacceptable.

The war in Iran has rapidly expanded beyond the Middle East, pulling in U.S. allies and bystanders alike.

The big picture: Since the U.S. strikes began on Saturday, Iran has retaliated against Israel and multiple Gulf states, plunging the region further into chaos.

In less than one week, the Iran war has produced a remarkable string of combat firsts that pull back the curtain on an American military boosted by AI and stocked with upgraded weapons.

Why it matters: Some of America's defense-tech advancements have been on full display during Operation Epic Fury. The Trump administration has been happy to confirm — and flex — the results.

• Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said at a Pentagon briefing Wednesday that Washington is "punching" Tehran while it's down, "which is exactly how it should be."

"Turn Texas blue" has been more of a punchline than a battle cry in the Lone Star State lately, but Democrats' enthusiastic turnout in Tuesday's Senate primary has given them hope for November.

Why it matters: In counties across Texas, Democratic voters made up a dramatically larger percentage of the electorate than in 2024 — with big increases in hot battlegrounds such as mostly Hispanic South Texas and the well-off suburbs of North Texas.

Militants from several Kurdish Iranian factions are preparing for a possible ground offensive against Iran's regime in the northwestern part of the country, according to U.S. and Israeli officials and a senior official in one of the factions.

Why it matters: A Kurdish ground offensive coordinated with the U.S.-Israeli bombing campaign against Tehran could increase pressure on the regime and encourage an internal rebellion that could spread to other parts of Iran.

The U.S. and Israel's war with Iran is likely to impact people around the world as tensions escalate around the Strait of Hormuz, a waterway on Iran's southern coast, where traffic has ground to a halt.

Why it matters: Trade disruptions along this key waterway on Iran's southern coast that handles 25% of the world's maritime oil trade and 20% of liquefied natural gas shipments will likely produce a domino effect across the global economy.