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At the request of the Trump administration, the Israeli Air Force took out multiple Iranian air defense systems in the 48 hours leading up to the U.S. strike on Iran's Fordow nuclear facility, three U.S. and Israeli officials told Axios. -snip- Trump's request was made directly to Netanyahu last week, after the president decided he would move forward with a military strike on Iran's nuclear facilities unless a surprise diplomatic opportunity emerged. "How can we help?" Netanyahu asked, according to Israeli officials. Trump told Netanyahu he wanted the Israeli Air Force to eliminate as many Iranian air defense systems as...

President Trump and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan quietly sought to arrange a meeting between senior U.S. and Iranian officials in Istanbul this week amid Israel's escalating war with Iran. But the effort collapsed when Iran's supreme leader — in hiding due to fears of assassination — couldn't be reached to approve it, according to three U.S. officials and a source with direct knowledge of the matter. -snip- Behind the scenes: Trump received a phone call from Erdoğan on Monday while meeting with G7 leaders in Canada. Erdoğan proposed hosting a meeting in Istanbul the next day between U.S. and...

Israel has urged the United States over the past two days to join its newly launched military campaign against Iran, but the US is currently not considering such a move, reports Axios, citing Israeli and American officials. In the past 48 hours, Israel asked US President Donald Trump’s administration to join its attack against the Islamic Republic’s nuclear and military sites, two Israeli officials told the news site. A US official confirmed Israel’s request and said the Trump administration is not currently considering joining the conflict, the report reads. ...

Minutes before heading to the Situation Room for a strategy session on Iran, President Trump told Axios he believes Israel's massive strike likely improved the chances of a U.S.-Iran nuclear agreement. -snip- Israel just killed much of Iran's military leadership, targeted its top nuclear scientists for assassination, and is actively bombing the Islamic Republic's nuclear facilities and ballistic missile sites. -snip- Asked whether Israel's strike jeopardized his nuclear diplomacy, Trump told Axios: "I don't think so. Maybe the opposite. Maybe now they will negotiate seriously." "I gave Iran 60 days, today is day 61," Trump continued. "They should have made...

Israel's stunning and sprawling operation overnight targeting Iran's nuclear facilities, missile sites, scientists and generals followed eight months of intensive clandestine preparations. Why it matters: The operation launched a new war in the Middle East that could draw in the U.S., demolished any hopes of a nuclear deal, and dealt arguably the biggest single blow to the Iranian regime since the 1979 revolution. And it is only just beginning. Driving the news: Israel is attempting to "eliminate" Iran's nuclear and ballistic missile capabilities in an operation expected to last at least several days, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced. Other Israeli...

President Trump told Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in their Monday phone call that he believes there's a chance of reaching a nuclear deal with Iran and he therefore opposes military action at this time, an Israeli official and a U.S. official tell Axios. Why it matters: The call between Trump and Netanyahu took place several days before the expiration of the two-month deadline Trump gave Iran for reaching a deal. Iranian officials have been finalizing their response to the U.S. nuclear deal proposal, and are expected to deliver a formal rejection this week. A sixth round of nuclear talks...

Elon Musk posted a poll on X on Thursday asking followers whether they support the idea of a new political party to take on the Republicans and Democrats. Why it matters: The richest man in the world is publicly feuding with the most powerful man in America, whom he spent record-setting sums to elect. We're about to find out what Musk is prepared to do about it. Driving the news: Trump told reporters in the Oval Office on Thursday that he was "disappointed in Elon" for coming out against his "Big Beautiful Bill." Trump speculated it was because the bill...

*** Driving the news: In a letter to Attorney General Pam Bondi and FBI Director Kash Patel first obtained by Axios, Reps. Stephen Lynch (D-Mass.) and Robert Garcia (D-Calif.) asked that they "immediately clarify whether this allegation is true." The lawmakers asked for a timeline of the DOJ's declassification and publication of the Epstein files, an explanation for why they haven't turned over any new documents since February. And they requested a description of Trump's role in reviewing the files, a list of personnel involved in their release and an answer for why files previously released to Congress contained "significant...

President Trump thought Ukraine's surprise drone attack over the weekend was "strong" and "badass," sources who discussed it with him tell Axios, but he's also concerned it will make his ceasefire mission even harder. -snip- He has been surprisingly mum in public when it comes to his personal feelings about Ukraine's attack. In private, though, he marveled at the operation. Behind the scenes: "Pretty strong," Trump told one confidant, who relayed his remarks to Axios. "He thought it was badass," a second source said of Trump's reaction. One Trump adviser said: "From an international perspective, you've got a chihuahua inflicting...

CNN’s Jake Tapper, one of the biggest shills for Biden and his “sharp as a tack” mental state, is now seeking to profit with a sham exposé of the Democrats’ cover-up with his new book “Original Sin,” co-authored by Axios’ Alex Thompson. An excerpt from the book reveal that Harris lost it after her post-debate interview in an entitled rant about how the Vice President deserves to be treated. “I thought we were better than that,” she allegedly said. Kamala Harris was visibly triggered as she stammered at Cooper’s questioning of Biden’s horrible debate performance in the June 27, 2024...

Eleven minutes into the June 27 presidential debate, CNN anchor Dana Bash slipped a note to her colleague Jake Tapper after President Biden gave a rambling, incoherent answer. "He just lost the election," she wrote The event at the network's Atlanta studios — recounted in Tapper's and Axios correspondent Alex Thompson's new book, "Original Sin: President Biden's Decline, Its Cover-Up, and His Disastrous Choice to Run Again" — turned out to be the most consequential presidential debate in history

President Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu are seemingly at odds amid a U.S. truce with Houthis in Yemen and the President seeking to peacefully negotiate a nuclear deal with Iran without plunging the United States into another endless war. According to Axios, Trump met with Israeli Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer in private on Thursday to discuss upcoming nuclear talks with Iran and Israel’s Gaza campaign. Dremer also met with Vice President JD Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, and special envoy Steve Witkoff. Trump is expected to visit Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates on...

Chuck Todd scoffed at the premise that the media failed to adequately cover the decline of former President Joe Biden ahead of the 2024 election. Speaking with Chris Cillizza on his Substack channel Monday, Todd — the former moderator of NBC’s Meet the Press — rejected the idea that media outlets dropped the ball and did not question whether Biden’s cognitive function was sufficient to run the country for another four years. “This is not a media failure,” Todd said. “This was a failure of the Democratic party. And the virtue signaling that some people have done to try to...

The FBI's arrest of a Wisconsin judge shocked the establishment. But it's exactly the kind of escalation the MAGA base has been agitating for. "This is not the time for summer soldiers or sunshine patriots," MAGA podcaster Jack Posobiec told Axios, invoking founding father Thomas Paine. Why it matters: Friday's arrest of Milwaukee County judge Hannah Dugan, on charges of obstructing an immigration arrest, is a stunning escalation of President Trump's battles with political opponents.

The U.S. expects Ukraine's response Wednesday to a peace framework that includes U.S. recognition of Crimea as part of Russia and unofficial recognition of Russian control of nearly all areas occupied since the 2022 invasion, sources with direct knowledge of the proposal tell Axios. -snip- What Russia gets under Trump's proposal "De jure" U.S. recognition of Russian control in Crimea. "De-facto recognition" of the Russia's occupation of nearly all of Luhansk oblast and the occupied portions of Donetsk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia. A promise that Ukraine will not become a member of NATO. The text notes that Ukraine could become part...

... What to watch: Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) said he is staying neutral, rather than banding with leadership to back his Texas colleague. "Both John and Ken are friends of mine," Cruz told reporters on Wednesday. "I have worked closely with both of them. I respect them both and I trust the voters of Texas to make that decision."

"We're going to give them a stipend, we're going to give them some money and a plane ticket, and then we're going to work with them if they're good," Trump told Fox Noticias' Rachel Campos-Duffy. "We're going to work with them to get them back as quickly as we can." While Trump said details are still being planned for the program, he wants to make it "comfortable" for people. "We want our great people to stay," he said.

Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and former Trump campaign manager Corey Lewandowski are cozier than ever, despite White House concerns about their relationship. The Wall Street Journal reported Thursday night that Lewandowski is now working as a 'special government employee' under Noem at the Department of Homeland Security. Lewandowski had initially wanted to serve as Noem's chief of staff, but President Donald Trump and his top advisers reportedly felt 'uncomfortable' with the optics of such a placement. The president and Lewandowski settled on him becoming a special government employee to DHS so the pair would be more removed...

File this one under "No Good Deed Goes Unpunished." The liberal media has been leading the charge against the Trump tariffs. So what happens when Trump heeds the warning signs and pulls back? Does the MSM applaud his statesmanship, his courage in changing course given changed circumstances? C'mon—of course not. This is the liberal media, after all. Get the rest of the story and view the video here. Thus, on today's Morning Joe, Axios co-founder Jim VandeHei, purporting to explain Trump's change of direction, declared: "Make no mistake: he panicked."

President Trump's envoy Steve Witkoff will lead the U.S. delegation for nuclear talks with Iran on Saturday in Oman, two sources familiar with the plan tell Axios. -snip- So far, there have only been negotiations about the negotiations — which don't yet seem to be resolved. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, whom Iranian press reports say will be Iran's chief negotiator, insisted the talks would be "indirect" — with Omani mediators passing messages between the sides. Trump insisted the talks would be "direct." Two U.S. officials told Axios that is indeed the plan. Whatever the format, the stakes are clear....