Alex Saab, an ally and former minister of Venezuela's ex-President Nicolás Maduro, pleaded guilty Tuesday to conspiring to launder proceeds from a bribery and fraud scheme in Venezuela and the U.S., prosecutors said.
Why it matters: Federal prosecutors allege that Saab previously oversaw funding for Maduro, and his plea deal could bolster U.S. prosecutors' separate case against the former Venezuelan leader, who is awaiting trial in New York.
Ed Sheeran's world tour spiraled into chaos this week after one opener was removed, every remaining opening act quit and stadiums threatened to pull the plug on the tour.
Why it matters: The turmoil reveals the power dynamics behind major concert tours, showing how even a global star like Sheeran can be forced to take a back seat on decisions about his own shows.
Top military commanders from the U.S., Israel and several Arab countries met last week in Germany to discuss the war with Iran and broader tensions in the region, two Israeli officials told Axios.
Why it matters: The private retreat, organized by Commander of U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) Adm. Brad Cooper, was not officially announced by any of the participating countries.
The U.S. military destroyed two Iranian small boats Monday after the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps tried to steal a Navy drone patrolling the Strait of Hormuz, U.S. officials told Axios.
Why it matters: The unusual incident shows how efforts to restore normal shipping through the Strait of Hormuz continues direct confrontation with Iran.
The U.S. military initially didn't disclose the strike, and Iranian media presented it as a drone strike on "fishing boats."
President Trump's claim that Ukraine agreed to halt strikes on Russian energy targets coincided with a pullback in oil prices and Treasury yields Monday.
Why it matters: Ukrainian drone strikes on Russia have crippled large swaths of the country's refining capacity, creating embarrassing shortages and prompting Russian officials to curtail exports to shore up domestic supplies.
Russia has long been one of the world's largest exporters of diesel, and its export ban contributed to a worldwide ripple of diesel fuel shortages and price spikes, including in the U.S., where the national average price for diesel jumped to $6 per gallon in recent days.
What they're saying: "Ukraine has agreed not to hit Russian Energy targets. Russia has agreed to do, likewise! The World's Diesel price rise is mostly caused by the Russia/Ukraine War, not Iran. President DJT," Trump posted.
The other side: The Ukrainians sounded somewhat skeptical, with President Volodymyr Zelensky stating that "Ukraine is not convinced that Russia is willing to abide by any agreement."
"If our partners are ready to ensure that Russia genuinely refrains from striking our electricity system, other energy facilities, critical infrastructure, and food supply routes, then, of course, we are ready to ensure a corresponding halt to our strikes."
The bottom line: In any case, diesel prices, crude oil and Treasury bond yields declined after Trump's message.
Zoom out: The market moves were a potent reminder that Trump's online pronouncements can still matter for investors.
The product offers access — the cost is between $60,000 and $100,000 per month — to a data feed of "published and publicly available posts fractionally faster," according to Trump Media CEO Kevin McGurn, including those of the president and other top accounts on Truth Social.
Trump owns roughly 41% of the outstanding shares in Trump Media.
Friction point: The product is the focus of a lawsuit filed last month by the Freedom of the Press Foundation and nonprofit news organization The Intercept, which accuses the president and the administration of violating the First Amendment and profiting from selling government information.
"This scheme is profoundly corrupt. The President stands to gain financially by giving 'market-moving' government information to those who are willing and able to pay his personal company," the plaintiffs wrote in their complaint.
A Trump Media spokesperson said: "Information from President Trump is disseminated by countless platforms and news outlets, many of which offer subscription APIs. One of those channels is Truth Social, which was founded as an uncancellable haven for free speech after the President was deplatformed. Now, left-wing activists are trying to wrongfully weaponize the courts to censor him again and harm our shareholders."
The White House did not respond to a request for comment.
Disclosure: In 2023, TMTG sued 20 media organizations, including Axios, for defamation. Litigation is ongoing.
House Democratic leadership is vocally opposing a Russia sanctions bill set to come to a vote this week, but not all of their members are comfortable taking that stance just yet.
The second-most powerful man at the State Department put the brakes on a U.S. international exhibit featuring a bull statue because he worried it might look like Baal, a pagan god some associate with Satanic child sacrifice.
Why it matters: The anecdote illustrates the quirky interests of Deputy Secretary of State Chris Landau, according to department critics, who say he spends too much time on social media focusing on the unimportant.
President Trump declared war on the AI safety panic Monday, dismissing the industry's apocalyptic warnings as part of a "sick conspiracy" to sabotage America and his legacy.
Why it matters: Trump is rewriting a complex, years-long debate over AI's dangers in the partisan grammar that has defined MAGA for a decade — hoaxes, conspiracies, traitors and, at the center of it all, one man.
The first ministers of Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales united Monday behind calls to leave the United Kingdom in an unprecedented alignment of nationalist leaders.
Why it matters: For the first time, all three first ministers favor leaving the U.K. — and Northern Ireland First Minister Michelle O'Neill says President Trump's support for a united Ireland has taken the debate global.
A Russian oligarch close to Vladimir Putin provided hundreds of thousands of dollars' worth of funding for Donald Trump Jr.'s May wedding in the Bahamas, according to a ProPublica investigation.
Why it matters: Umar Kremlev's deep ties to Vladimir Putin allegedly created a personal financial link between President Trump's oldest child and prominent Russians while the U.S. attempts to broker peace with Ukraine.
Macklemore has been dropped from Ed Sheeran's world tour following his pro-Palestine comments on stage while opening for Sheeran.
Why it matters: Macklemore has advocated for Palestinians for years, but his remarks on a tour headlined by a different star sparked an outcry that led to the rapper getting pulled off the marquee.
