Axios

A widow of a 9/11 victim used the annual reading of the names of those killed to plead with the Trump administration about Saudi Arabian officials' alleged ties to the terror attack, which the kingdom has dismissed.

The big picture: During the New York City ceremony for 9/11's 25th anniversary, Terry Strada slammed Saudi Arabia, which Axios' Barak Ravid reports is actively urging President Trump to assist them with U.S. military action.

An Afghan national who was the first-ever case before the federal Alien Terrorist Removal Court has been deported, the Justice Department announced Friday.

The big picture: The DOJ win before the previously dormant court could give the administration a path to remove people it links to terrorism while keeping much of its evidence secret, Axios previously reported.

Consumer prices remained elevated in August as the Iran war's energy shock fueled a fresh burst of inflation.

Why it matters: The renewed price pressures are squeezing household budgets, with signs that underlying inflation is proving stubborn across the broader economy.

• The data could strengthen the case for the Federal Reserve to raise interest rates next week.

Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (MBS) called President Trump twice Thursday, urging him to launch strikes against the Houthis as the Iran-backed group closed in on a vital Red Sea chokepoint, two U.S. officials told Axios.

• Trump declined, and U.S. officials stressed the administration has no plans to intervene directly against the Houthis for now.

Why it matters: Oil prices surged Thursday as the Houthis seized a strategic coastal city in Yemen, pushing them closer to the Bab al-Mandab Strait — a vital artery for global trade and Saudi oil exports.

Oil prices surged and borrowing costs rose Thursday as the nervousness percolating through the global economy intensified.

Why it matters: Investors are now pricing in a higher-cost world that could test the resilience of the markets and hurt Americans' wallets.

State-run surveillance operations around the world are using Claude to streamline their operations, Anthropic said in a threat report released Thursday.

Why it matters: The barriers for governments interested in spying on dissidents, politicians, journalists and human rights activists are getting lower as AI models get more powerful.