Articles

Axios8 Oct

Kushner, Witkoff to pitch "new ideas" to end Russia-Ukraine war

Presidential envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner will meet with Ukrainian negotiators and European officials in Miami on Friday to present "new ideas and proposals" to break the stalemate in the Russia -Ukraine war, U.S. and Ukrainian officials say. Why it matters: The Trump administration is hoping to reach a diplomatic breakthrough ahead of the midterm elections and before brutal winter weather grips Ukraine. One of the ideas is a partial ceasefire that halts attacks on energy infrastructure and grain shipments. While Ukraine has said it's willing to take that step, Russia has shown little willingness. "They are all nervous about the winter. It will be a tough winter if the war does not stop. So the U.S. is trying to mediate with the sides, with the goal of creating a unified proposal," a U.S. source said. Driving the news: Witkoff and Kushner visited Moscow and Kyiv in early September. Since then, they've been working with the Russians and Ukrainians on an updated peace initiative. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said at a press conference in Lisbon Thursday that the war is at a "stalemate." He stressed that the U.S. wants to prevent further escalation of fighting in the coming month and find a way to end the war. Behind the scenes: Witkoff and Kushner met with President Trump Thursday to present the latest U.S. proposal and receive his input ahead of the talks in Miami, which are expected to last two days, a U.S. official said. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and deputy national security adviser Mike Needham also attended the meeting. Zoom in: President Volodymyr Zel

Europe · North America · Oil & energy · Global politics

Axios8 Oct

Pete Hegseth says the public can watch Fort Hood shooter's execution

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said Thursday that the public will be able to watch the execution of the Fort Hood shooter by firing squad. Why it matters: The U.S. hasn't held a public execution in 90 years , and Hegseth's remarks raise questions about how the military would allow people to watch. Nidal Hasan, who was convicted of killing 13 people in the 2009 shooting , is scheduled to be executed by firing squad on Dec. 3 at Fort Hood, near Killeen, Texas. What they're saying: Hegseth told Real America's Voice Thursday that Hasan is "gonna get a firing squad of soldiers. As it should be." "We'll make sure that people are able to watch it. That it's public. Because people need to understand that there's serious consequences for these types of things." The latest: The Pentagon says the execution will be livestreamed, AP reports, but did not name where specifically the stream will be hosted. The Pentagon currently posts speeches and videos on X and YouTube . State of play: The Department of Defense declined to comment on Hegseth's remarks, leaving questions about how the public could watch the execution. The Army has not shared how it intends to conduct the execution, AP reports. It's unclear if Hegseth's remarks mean the execution will be open to public spectators, broadcast on streaming or TV, or made available to select individuals. Zoom out: This would be the first U.S. military execution since 1961 . The last U.S. military execution by firing squad was in 1945, when Pvt. Eddie Slovik was shot for desertion in France, according to NPR . Firing-squad executions are rare i

North America · Defense

Axios8 Oct

The staggering cost of winning a Senate seat in 2026

Source: AdImpact, Census.gov Note: AdImpact data includes dollars spent on video advertisements on broadcast, cable and social media as well as spending estimates on streaming platforms. Chart: Stef Kight/Axios Every voting-age Mainer could get a $167 voucher for home heating oil with what Democrats and Republicans are spending on ads in the Senate race, according to an analysis of AdImpact data. Why it matters: Every senator gets one vote, but Senate seats aren't created equal — and they don't cost the same. Zoom in: Like two years ago , the less-populated states have a dramatically higher dollar-per-voter ratio in 2026. Maine is in first place, followed by Alaska, which is scheduled to be hit with $76 million in ads — enough to suck up most of the state's inventory. Between the lines: Ohio is only in fifth place on the dollar-per-voter metric, but it's on track to host the most expensive Senate race in the country — for the second cycle in a row . Sherrod Brown's comeback bid is proving more expensive than his 2024 race, when he was ousted by now-Sen. Bernie Moreno (R-Ohio). And in New Hampshire, where Democratic Senate nominee Chris Pappas has been warning that his race is actually quite close, both parties are spending heavily to reach the state's voters. Data: AdImpact Note: AdImpact data includes dollars spent on video advertisements on broadcast, cable and social media as well as spending estimates on streaming platforms. Chart: Stef Kight/Axios The big picture: Both chambers are likely to come down to a handful of races. All year, Republicans warned that Texas would

North America

Brookings8 Oct

Americans agree on corruption, but partisanship shapes who is blamed

North America · Global politics

Politico8 Oct

Pentagon says it will publicly execute Fort Hood shooter — and livestream it

A public execution is unprecedented in the modern era.

North America · Defense

Council on Foreign Relations8 Oct

The Trump Administration’s Shift on Myanmar Is a Disastrous Decision

Washington’s sudden decision to open talks with Myanmar’s government grants further legitimacy to an authoritarian regime and is unlikely to deliver access to rare earths.

East Asia · North America · Defense · Global politics

Axios8 Oct

Exclusive: Anthropic's plan to protect critical infrastructure

Anthropic is launching a new cybersecurity initiative designed to bring its most powerful AI models and engineers to companies protecting power grids, water utilities and other critical infrastructure, the company first shared with Axios. Why it matters: Critical infrastructure operators are struggling to secure aging, complex systems as AI threatens to make cyberattacks faster and cheaper to execute. Driving the news: Under its new Critical Infrastructure Defense Program, Anthropic will provide its frontier AI models, onsite engineers and threat research to companies already responsible for securing critical infrastructure systems. Participating companies will use these resources to identify and fix vulnerabilities in their customers' systems. The program's founding partners include Accenture, Booz Allen Hamilton, CrowdStrike, Deloitte, Dragos, Hitachi, Insane Cyber, Nozomi Networks, Palo Alto Networks, PwC and Rockwell Automation. Anthropic said several partners are already using Claude to fix vulnerabilities and help customers do the same. Zoom in: Anthropic is also launching a free AI-powered vulnerability scanning service for open-source software projects, called OSS Scanner. Participating projects will receive periodic scans from Claude, along with automated reports detailing vulnerabilities, how they could be exploited and suggested fixes. The reports won't undergo human review before being sent to software maintainers, meaning some findings could be inaccurate. The big picture: Anthropic, OpenAI and other AI developers are looking for ways to put their most powerful

North America · Cybersecurity

Axios8 Oct

Trump: Anyone saying "AI" is "THE ENEMY!" The White House uses it

President Trump on Thursday called anyone who uses "Artificial Intelligence" instead of "Super Intelligence" "THE ENEMY!" — even as the White House continues using the term "AI." Why it matters: Trump's push to rebrand AI as "super intelligence" clashes with established terminology in the technology industry. Trump's branding blurs the distinction between AI and super intelligence , a hypothetical version of AI more advanced than human intelligence. What they're saying: "The White House considers anyone that uses the term, 'Artificial Intelligence,' as opposed to the highly accepted new and more accurate term, 'Super Intelligence,' THE ENEMY!" Trump wrote on Truth Social Thursday. Zoom out: Trump's executive order from September doubled down on using "SI" over "AI," though it did not offer a penalty for using the term. The order specifically defines "Super Intelligence" using the existing federal legal definition of AI. The order calls on federal agencies to change how they describe AI in official communications. The State Department already ordered diplomats to use the term after Trump's United Nations speech on Sept. 22. Yes, but: T he White House still uses "AI" as a term, including on the Office of Science and Technology Policy website, which makes reference to "artificial intelligence." On Thursday, the White House updated its AI.gov website to read "SI.gov" in a massive font. The URL is still "AI.gov," though, with "SI.gov" leading to an error page. When an Axios reporter asked the America.gov chatbot about AI, the bot responded: "The executive branch uses Super Intel

North America

Axios8 Oct

Trump's foreign worker crackdown comes for Microsoft, Adobe, IT firms

Vice President JD Vance said Thursday that the Trump administration is suspending Microsoft , Adobe and several other IT firms' ability to hire foreign-born workers for permanent residency in the U.S. Why it matters: The move will affect hundreds of companies owned by the tech giant, escalating the Trump administration's crackdown on immigrant labor. What they're saying: " We want people to invest in the United States of America, particularly the American technology sector," Vance said during a Thursday news conference. "We're the biggest boosters of your industry. We want you to continue to grow and to employ a lot of people, but we want you to employ American workers." "And so our message to Microsoft is, you're a great American company, but you've got to hire great American workers. You cannot lay off American workers and then replace them with foreign indentured servants." Zoom in: The permanent labor certification program , which is administered through the Department of Labor, allows a company to hire foreign workers to live permanently in America. It's typically the first step in receiving an employer-sponsored green card. It's also separate from H-1B visas, which allow workers to live and work temporarily in the U.S. H-1B visas primarily go to highly skilled workers in specialized occupations. Technology companies are among the program's biggest users. The Trump administration has made reducing the number of foreign workers in the country a rallying cry, and accused foreign-born workers of taking jobs that could — and, in its view, should — go to Americans. Driving

North America

Brookings8 Oct

Reduced immigration and net out-migration are slowing growth in the DMV region

North America

Axios8 Oct

Trump: U.S. won't attack Iran before midterms

President Trump said Thursday the U.S. will not attack Iran ahead of the Nov. 3 midterm elections. Why it matters: Trump had been considering for several days resuming major combat operations before the midterms. However, his past statements about his intentions in Iran haven't always matched what he ultimately did. If major combat operations resume, they're expected to include large-scale strikes on Iranian energy facilities, infrastructure and nuclear targets, sources say. Resuming the war in the next three to four weeks could influence the midterms, in part because oil prices might rise in response. It could also influence Israel's elections, which are scheduled for Oct. 27. What he's saying: "I want to make it clear to everybody that, while Iran is in very bad condition, both Economically and Militarily, and while the Blockade will remain in full force and effect, with Oil flowing in Record Numbers of Barrels through the Hormuz Strait ... we will not be attacking Iran at any time prior to the Midterm Elections," Trump wrote on Truth Social. Flashback: In June 2025, before Operation Midnight Hammer, the White House said Trump would decide "within two weeks" whether the U.S. would join Israel's war against Iran. When he made that statement, he had already decided to attack Iran's nuclear sites. On Feb. 27, less than 24 hours before Israel and the U.S. launched the war against Iran, Trump claimed he hadn't made a decision on going to war. In reality, Trump had already decided to authorize the attacks. Driving the news: The Pentagon instructed U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM)

West & Central Asia · North America · Defense · Oil & energy · Global politics

Axios8 Oct

Labor Department marks low layoffs milestone

Data: U.S. Department of Labor ; Chart: Courtenay Brown/Axios New applications for unemployment benefits have stayed below 200,000 in a stretch rarely seen in modern history. Jobless claims fell by 2,000, to 197,000, last week, the Labor Department said Thursday morning. Why it matters: It points to a remarkable stability on the "firing" side of the labor market, even amid a slower pace of hiring on the other side of the equation. That is helping to keep unemployment low, but it also masks a growing divide between Americans who have jobs and those struggling to find one. What they're saying: "New jobless claims have been under 200,000 for a month now, an incredibly low level of layoffs for a sustained period of time that hasn't been seen since the 1960s," Navy Federal Credit Union chief economist Heather Long said. By the numbers: The four-week average, which smooths out weekly volatility, fell to 198,000, its lowest level since the red-hot job market of 2022–2023. The other side: Jobless claims don't capture every layoff. Some workers receive severance, don't qualify for benefits or find the application process too cumbersome. Still, when layoffs have surged across the economy, claims have surged with them — including during the recessions after the financial crisis and the pandemic. The absence of such an increase now is hard to dismiss. Other data tells a similar story: Announced job cuts fell 20% from a year earlier in September, according to outplacement firm Challenger, Gray & Christmas. The bottom line: Employers may be reluctant to hire, but they appear just as relu

North America

Axios8 Oct

The Fed's going to take its time with rate hikes

A couple more interest rate hikes are probably on the way. But the Federal Reserve is in no great hurry to deliver them. That's the takeaway from the latest round of communications out of the central bank. Why it matters: It implies that the Fed is not in a full-scale effort to tighten the screws on the economy, but rather a cautious recalibration in light of inflationary pressures and robust growth. With Fed chairman Kevin Warsh declining to offer much in the way of guidance, traders and Fed watchers must look to other communications for clues — and the message has been strikingly consistent across the latest crumbs of information. Driving the news: Speaking Thursday morning in Istanbul , Fed governor Christopher Waller explained, with distinctly non-Warshian detail, what kind of interest rate path he anticipates. "If the economic data continue to come in as expected, I anticipate additional hikes to support a timelier return of inflation to our 2 percent goal," he said. "But there is some flexibility about when those hikes will occur. The hikes do not need to come at consecutive meetings, but they should be in place in an acceptable period of time." That aligns with the language in the minutes of the September policy meeting released Wednesday afternoon, stating that "most participants assessed that another increase in the target range for the federal funds rate would likely be appropriate by year-end," but that they "approached each meeting with an open mind." Of note: The minutes and Waller comments come after fairly explicit comments last week from vice chair Philip Je

West & Central Asia · North America

Axios8 Oct

Nicolás Maduro and his wife hit with fresh torture charge

Prosecutors accused former Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his wife of orchestrating the torture of people held in his regime's custody, piling onto the narcoterrorism charges they already face in a fresh indictment unveiled Thursday. The big picture: The charges add new fuel to the historic prosecution seeking to hold the strongman-turned-prisoner accountable for alleged crimes against Americans and alleged abuse of power. Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, pleaded not guilty in January to drug- and weapon-related charges. They have been held in the U.S. since their stunning capture from Caracas earlier this year. Maduro's attorney did not immediately respond to Axios' request for comment. Driving the news: Maduro "authorized the use of torture against specific individuals and oversaw a system designed to use torture, arbitrary detention, and violence as a means of repression against the political opposition," a superseding indictment filed in the Southern District of New York alleged. The new indictment charges Maduro and Flores with conspiracy to commit torture, alleging they engaged in a conspiracy to inflict "severe physical and mental pain and suffering to repress and punish political opposition." What's inside: The indictment outlines a series of disturbing torture tactics — including electrocution, beatings, isolation and simulated drowning — allegedly employed at Maduro's direction to quell political opposition. "As opposition to the ruling regime intensified," Maduro allegedly "continued to oversee the development of a more systematic approach to unlawfull

South & Central America · North America · Global politics

Axios8 Oct

DNC sues to stop Trump's taxpayer-funded ad blitz

President Trump said he will help pay for his administration's campaign-style ads after the Democratic National Committee sued Wednesday over their use of taxpayer money. Why it matters: Trump's funding announcement does not address the DNC's central allegation that the administration illegally used taxpayer money to finance the ads. What they're saying: Trump said in a Truth Social post that he considers the ads "to be a positive promotion for our Great U.S.A." and defended using taxpayer money for them. "This is a rather standard thing to do but, rather than doing that, although nothing will make them happy, I have decided to do the Patriotic Ads, among others, and pay for them myself," Trump wrote. Trump said money from MAGA Inc., his superPAC, would also pay for the ads. A person familiar with the advertising plans said the existing taxpayer-funded ad buy will end this week, after which outside groups will begin paying for the spots. The White House defended the ads as public service announcements, arguing that previous Republican and Democratic administrations have used taxpayer-funded advertising to promote government policies. The White House said the ads are not political because Trump is not on the ballot and the spots contain no call to action. The other side: "These ads are a clear violation of the Congressional ban on the use of appropriated funds for 'publicity or propaganda purposes,'" the DNC's legal counsel wrote in the lawsuit . "The president has nationalized the midterm election, made himself the center of a two-day 'midterm convention,' and repeatedly di

North America · Global politics

Carnegie Endowment8 Oct

An American Muslim Exception?

In an interview, Rozina Ali discusses her new book on the rise and manifestations of Islamophobia in the United States.

North America

Carnegie Endowment8 Oct

The EU’s Middle-Power Puzzle

While the EU and European governments are embracing the much-lauded middle-power moment, this entails three difficult conundrums.

Europe · North America · Global politics

Carnegie Endowment8 Oct

California’s Middle Power Moment

The middle power moment will not be defined by sovereign states alone, and California stands out for its potential contributions to international cooperation.

Europe · North America · Global politics

SIPRI8 Oct

Europe must prioritize consistency and de-escalation at the space–nuclear nexus

Europe faces impending instability at the space–nuclear nexus in today’s changing strategic environment. This essay considers how European states are responding to these strategic shifts in the space and nuclear domains.

Europe · North America · Defense

Modern War Institute8 Oct

Dispersion Will Not Save You: Survivability in the Age of Middle-Strike Drones

Russian occupying forces have long used highways like the M14 to drive to Crimea. Trucks flowed along the highway, beyond the reach of the drones that made movement near the […]

Europe · North America · Defense