Roughly 200 accounts from a suspected Chinese bot farm have quietly tried to influence Americans to oppose AI data centers on social media, X said Thursday night.
Why it matters: The U.S. and China are racing to build the world's most advanced AI systems — and it appears Chinese propaganda has infiltrated American circles with the hope of slowing the U.S. down.
The Strait of Hormuz has been Iran's most powerful card since the start of the war in late February. But over the past two months, U.S. officials say the American military has steadily eroded Iran's leverage over the crucial waterway.
Why it matters: What began six months ago with the goal of degrading Iran's missile capabilities and destroying what remained of its nuclear program has evolved into an open-ended fight over the world's most important energy chokepoint.
The Iran war hits its six-month mark Friday, with President Trump's path to ending it increasingly unclear.
Why it matters:Trump entered the war projecting a four- to five-week military campaign. Six months later, his proposed exits have ranged from military victory to a negotiated peace deal tied to reopening the Strait of Hormuz.
President Trump told Axios in a phone interview on Thursday that he isn't concerned that Russia will attack NATO countries.
Why it matters: European leaders have grown extremely concerned and warned publicly that Moscow could test NATO's resolve — and Trump's commitment to Article 5, the alliance's collective-defense clause — through a limited attack or other military provocations.
The Trump administration is in talks with Venezuela's interim government about taking an ownership stake in the South American country's enormous oil resources, two U.S. officials tell Axios.
Why it matters: The historic deal would more than double U.S. oil reserves by drawing from a country that has the world's largest proven reserves.
Meta removed a network of Facebook and Instagram accounts tied to an Iran-based operation that used AI to target U.S. audiences with posts about American politics, the company first shared with Axios.
Why it matters: The operation attracted thousands of followers and included accounts posing as everyday Americans to appear more authentic.
A military judge on Wednesday set a June 2028 trial date for Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and three other men accused of plotting the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.
The big picture: Air Force Lt. Col. Michael Schrama, a military commissions judge, set the tentative trial date for June 5, 2028 — some 20 years after Mohammed and his co-defendants were first arraigned in 2008 and 27 years after the 9/11 attacks.
