Axios

Pete Hegseth is drawing search attention amid a report that Donald Trump privately expressed doubts about livestreaming an execution. According to Axios, the president raised concerns about the idea in private, and the discussion has put renewed focus on Hegseth, who remains a prominent figure in Trump's circle and a frequent subject of controversy.

US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth held a meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, according to Axios sources cited by BBC reporting. The talks come amid heightened attention to US-Israel security coordination. The meeting is drawing interest in the US and internationally, with details of what was discussed not yet fully disclosed.

Americans are heading to the polls in elections widely framed as a referendum on Trumpism and the GOP's direction, with commentators predicting a difficult night for Republicans. Meanwhile, Axios reports Zelensky spoke with US envoys Witkoff and Kushner amid a crisis in US-Ukraine relations, and Hegseth fired the Pentagon's top military planner as Trump weighs new strikes on Iran. Google also expanded its News AI pilot to over 400 publications.

Meta has acquired an AI startup focused on coding tools, according to an exclusive report by Axios. The move signals Meta's ambition to compete with rivals like OpenAI, Google and Anthropic in building AI systems that can write software, a fast-growing and highly competitive segment of the industry.

OpenAI has struck a deal for a startup in a move that Axios reports directly targets Microsoft's GitHub, the dominant platform for code hosting and developer tools. The acquisition signals OpenAI's intent to compete in the software development space, putting it in direct competition with its largest investor and partner, Microsoft.

Democrats are expected to confront a difficult test on health care policy, according to Axios. The outlet frames upcoming political and legislative battles over health coverage as a 'stress test' for the party, with Affordable Care Act subsidies and broader access to care among the likely flashpoints as deadlines and elections approach.

According to Axios, recent Democratic gains in midterm elections could put the party in position to win the presidency without relying on the traditional Electoral College battleground map by 2028. The report suggests that demographic and political shifts in states carried by Democrats may make the Electoral College less decisive in coming presidential contests. Discussion is focused on how these gains might reshape future presidential elections.

Anthropic's total spending commitments have surged to nearly $900 billion, a staggering figure for an AI startup, according to an Axios report. The commitments cover cloud computing deals and infrastructure needed to train and serve its AI models, and far outstrip the company's revenue, fueling debate about how sustainable the current wave of AI investment can be.

Elon Musk is preparing a roughly $100 billion investment aimed at disrupting the wireless industry, positioning his ventures for an era of drones, robots and widespread connected devices. The report, detailed by Axios, signals an aggressive push into connectivity infrastructure beyond existing satellite and telecom efforts, though specific plans and timing remain unclear.