Axios

The State Department announced Thursday it has approved the possible sale of 48 F-35 fighter jets to Saudi Arabia at an estimated cost of $24.3 billion.

Why it matters: The major arms deal has been in the works for more than a year. If it goes through, Saudi Arabia would be the only Arab country that uses F-35s.

President Trump is making plans for a first-ever meeting with Venezuela's interim president, Delcy Rodriguez, as early as next week, sources familiar with the discussions tell Axios.

Why it matters: The potential meeting showcases the close relations between the nations under Trump. But it's also fraught with political risks that extend from Miami to Caracas.

Podcaster Joe Rogan says he has a "crazy hope" for AI: Turn government and foreign-policy functions over to it — potentially including decisions about military conflicts — in hopes of ending war.

The big picture: Rogan's comments land in the middle of an intensifying debate over how much control humans should surrender to increasingly powerful AI systems.

Staring into the camera, Rep. Maria Salazar cut a new campaign ad that told President Trump what so many of her fellow Hispanic Republicans in Miami are saying: Immigration crackdown has gone too far.

Why it matters: The anger at Trump over heavy-handed immigration enforcement is palpable in Miami-Dade County, and there's mounting political worry among Republicans across the state that it could cost the GOP in the midterm elections.

The U.S. may have committed war crimes in two airstrikes in Iran, including a mass-casualty strike on a school for which Washington has yet to claim responsibility, a UN fact-finding mission said in a report released Thursday.

The big picture: The administration has waged a campaign of aggressive, norm-busting war-fighting, with the president repeatedly threatening to hit civilian infrastructure in his pressure campaign on Tehran.

President Trump told Axios Thursday that he's approaching a critical juncture in the Iran war over whether to restart massive attacks in an effort to bring the conflict to a close.

• "I have a big decision coming up. Do I want to go in and annihilate them [the Iranian regime] or do I not? It's a big decision. Anything could happen with me."

Why it matters: Though Trump has made similar threats before, his comments come ahead of a planned meeting Tuesday with leaders from six Gulf countries — Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Qatar, Bahrain, Kuwait and Oman — on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York.

LOS ANGELES — Left-wing streamer Hasan Piker tells Axios he believes America conducts more terrorism in the world than al-Qaeda, the terror network that carried out the 9/11 attacks.

• "Pound for pound as far as the number of deaths, yes," Piker said in an exclusive interview for a new episode of "The Axios Show." Piker added: "We have caused tremendous terror all around the world."

Why it matters: Piker is one of the most popular streamers on Twitch, and his history of incendiary statements has become central to Republicans' attacks in the critical Senate race in Michigan since Democratic nominee Abdul El-Sayed had Piker campaign for him in the primary.

President Trump is expected to hold a meeting with Gulf leaders on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York next Tuesday to discuss the next steps in the war with Iran, three sources with direct knowledge tell Axios.

Why it matters: The meeting is expected to focus on U.S. ideas for a postwar strategy as Trump and his senior team work on a day-after plan expected to be finalized after the midterms.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen on Wednesday proposed making Canada the European Union's first "associate member."

Why it matters: Canada and the EU are testing whether a nation deeply dependent on the U.S. market can find economic independence by moving closer to Europe.

• This could also present one of the most permanent effects of President Trump's trade wars: U.S. allies building markets, supply chains and security ties designed to make them less vulnerable to Washington.

The House passed a sweeping Russia sanctions bill Thursday, sending the long-awaited legislation to President Trump's desk.

Why it matters: The measure would significantly expand economic pressure on Russia while handing Trump fresh authority to impose secondary tariffs of up to 100% on buyers of Russian oil and gas.

American diplomats met over the weekend with Houthi representatives at the U.S. embassy in Oman and discussed tensions in the Red Sea, a regional source familiar with the issue confirmed.

Why it matters: The meeting in Muscat, which was organized with the help of the Omani government, focused on maintaining a ceasefire between the U.S. and Houthis and guaranteeing that the Bab al-Mandeb Strait stays open, the source said.

The amount of diesel that Americans buy in a single day costs roughly $321 million more than it did a year ago — driving a new round of chatter about an export ban to preserve domestic supplies.

Why it matters: Investors and economists warn that it could backfire spectacularly, driving up prices globally and potentially putting further upward pressure on domestic interest rates.

The Food and Drug Administration is launching a pilot program intended to speed up the process of bringing new drug candidates from discovery into human clinical trials.

Why it matters: Early-stage drug development in China is cheaper and faster than in the U.S., and that's one reason China has quickly become such a formidable competitor within the biotech sector.

• There's widespread agreement among experts that for the U.S. to maintain its competitive edge, it needs to streamline its drug development process.
• The pilot is part of Operation TrialBlazer, the Trump administration's initiative to restore American leadership in clinical trials.

Driving the news: The pilot envisions partnering drug companies with qualified research institutions that will help them submit new drug applications to the agency.

• The FDA would review components of the application on a rolling basis, rather than waiting for a full submission to begin a review.
• This rolling review will "creat[e] certainty and reduc[e] unnecessary delays," Karim Mikhail, director of the FDA Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research, told reporters.
• The agency will select up to 10 pairings of drug sponsors and research institutions for the pilot.

What we're watching: The agency said the pilot could potentially inform efforts to establish a formal accreditation model in the future, which would recognize research institutions capable of supporting drug development.

Our thought bubble: A pilot program is, at the end of the day, limited and experimental. But lessons learned will drive future policy, and early-stage development has emerged as a clear area in need of improvement if the U.S. wants to keep up with China.

Autonomy specialist Swarmer is buying ground-robotics company Ratel for as much as $224 million in a mix of cash and stock.

Why it matters: This international deal signals two things, one in the boardroom and one on the battlefield:

1. Defense industry consolidation is afoot. Not every startup can or will stand on its own.
2. And a world where machines launch machines to fight other machines doing the same, while humans scheme offscreen, has already arrived.

U.S. household income hit a record in 2025, but the lowest earners barely shared in the gains, new Census data show.

Why it matters: On paper, Americans look richer than ever. But broader measures of financial security show millions still getting squeezed by medical costs, uneven income gains and a thinning public safety net.