• Trump and Zelenskyy met at the Vatican before Pope Francis' funeral.
• This was their first meeting since a heated exchange at the White House in February.
• "Very symbolic meeting that has potential to become historic," Zelenskyy later wrote on X.

Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy met on Saturday — their first encounter since a heated exchange at the White House two months ago.

The two leaders held a discussion inside St. Peter's Basilica, ahead of the Pope's funeral, with French President Emmanuel Macron and UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer present during the initial moments.

Zelenskyy and Trump had not met since their heated exchange in the Oval Office on February 28, in which Trump said of Ukraine's war against Russia, "You're either going to make a deal or we're out."

Four days later, Trump announced a pause in US military aid, and the EU declared "an era of rearmament," as it unveiled a defense funding boost.

The Oval Office meeting was in the glare of the world's press, but photos of the Rome meeting show Trump and Zelenskyy seated close together, without aides or interpreters.

Andrii Yermak, a senior aide to Zelenskyy, shared a photo of the leaders in St. Peter's Basilica on Telegram. "Constructive," he wrote.

Steven Cheung, White House communications director, called it a "very productive discussion."

Posting X, Zelenskyy said the encounter had been a "good meeting."

"We discussed a lot one on one. Hoping for results on everything we covered. Protecting lives of our people. Full and unconditional ceasefire. Reliable and lasting peace that will prevent another war from breaking out. Very symbolic meeting that has potential to become historic, if we achieve joint results," he said.

The Rome meeting comes after Steve Witkoff, Trump's designated peace envoy, travelled to Moscow for discussions with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Kremlin advisor Yuri Ushakov said the talks centered on "the possibility of resuming direct negotiations between Russia and Ukraine."

Following Witkoff's return, Trump said on Truth Social that "most of the major points are agreed to" and that a cease-fire deal between Kyiv and Moscow was "very close."

As he prepared to leave for Rome on Friday, Trump told reporters that the talks were "very fragile." He has also warned that the US might halt its mediation efforts if a deal isn't reached soon.

After the meeting on Saturday, Zelenskyy was greeted with applause when he walked out of St Peter's Basilica after paying his respects in front of the pontiff's coffin.

Trump later wrote a long post on Truth Social, in which he called the war in Ukraine "Sleepy Joe Biden's War, not mine. It was a loser from day one."

The long post ended, "There was no reason for Putin to be shooting missiles into civilian areas, cities and towns, over the last few days. It makes me think that maybe he doesn't want to stop the war, he's just tapping me along, and has to be dealt with differently, through "Banking" or "Secondary Sanctions?" Too many people are dying!!!"

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.

But listen to the reaction from influential voices in MAGAworld, and you can see why you can expect more moves like it.

• "I wouldn't necessarily say that what we've seen out of the DOJ so far rises to the level of full wrath when you're talking about accountability for people who waged lawfare," Natalie Winters, a correspondent for Steve Bannon's "War Room" podcast, said Friday after the arrest. "We haven't had any names released."

The backstory: When Trump took office, his diehard fans were craving a pedal-to-the-metal offensive against the "deep state." Trump delivered a shock-and-awe series of first-100-day actions and executive orders.

• But MAGA podcasts and social-media posts showed the true believers wanted more: arrests of political foes.

On Day 1, supporters got a dose of Trump maximalism when he blanket-pardoned most of those charged over the Jan. 6 riot — including those accused of violence.

• The movement then expected a wave of arrests of bureaucrats. It never came.
• "I don't know about you, but I'm still waiting for prosecutions," Judicial Watch head Tom Fitton said earlier this month.

Behind the scenes: Attorney General Pam Bondi and FBI Director Kash Patel have urged patience, insisting to the base that they're hard at work targeting "deep state" provocateurs and other enemies of MAGA. Friday's arrest took some pressure off.

• Patel has "been taking a little heat from our base, actually," Sen. Markwayne Mullin (R-Okla.) said on Charlie Kirk's podcast. "Kash and Pam both — [Trump faithful] want to know: What are they doing? They need to get started. This just shows you they do a lot of stuff behind closed doors and they can't do it in public, but they're acting fast on it."
• "Just because you're not seeing something in the news does not mean that it's not happening," Mike Davis of the Article III Project, and a top Trump ally, added on Steve Bannon's "War Room" podcast. "There's a lot going on. There's a lot more that's coming. I can assure you … we're firing on all cylinders in the Trump administration."

Catch up quick: Dugan was arrested Friday for allegedly obstructing the arrest of a man who was in the country illegally, but was appearing in her courtroom on different charges. Dugan allegedly told FBI agents they needed to go see the court's chief judge before ushering the defendant out through a side door.

• The defendant was ultimately apprehended after a brief foot chase.

Duggan's arrest came after a former judge in New Mexico was arrested by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents on Thursday on evidence-tampering charges.

• Jose Cano, a former Doña Ana County magistrate judge, and his wife were allegedly allowing alleged Venezuelan gang members to stay on their property. Their arrest similarly sent MAGA into an uproar, combining immigration, crime and the "deep state" into one rallying cry.

Go deeper: Congress erupts over FBI arrest of Wisconsin judge

American retailers are growing worried that President Trump's trade war and increased volatility will lead to empty shelves, higher prices and store closures as Chinese imports screech to a halt.

Why it matters: Many retailers stocked up on inventory in the first months of 2025, realizing that a storm was coming — but their inventories are poised to dwindle quickly.

• The National Retail Federation expects U.S. imports to plunge by at least 20% in the second half of 2025 if increased tariffs remain in place.
• "Shortages are a real possibility," Coresight Research analyst John Harmon tells Axios.

The big picture: Trump's trade war has sent the nation's retailers into scramble mode.

• The CEOs of three of the nation's biggest retailers — Walmart, Target and Home Depot — privately warned Trump in a meeting Monday that his trade policy could trigger massive product shortages and price spikes.
• The largest companies are reportedly pressuring suppliers to absorb extra costs. "We have decades of experience" with buyers, plus longstanding supplier relationships, Walmart CEO Doug McMillon told reporters earlier this month.
• Smaller retailers have fewer options: "We're not eager to raise prices," Skechers USA CFO John Vandemore said Thursday. "We would not be doing so were it not for" the tariffs.
• Businesses that were already teetering are in serious trouble: "If they can't get goods, or their consumers revolt and don't want to pay the tariffs and their sales plummet, it seriously could push some retailers over the edge," Harmon said.

What we're watching: How fears of shortages affect consumer behavior. Several sectors have shown signs of people stocking up on products in anticipation of price increases.

• "Starting in a couple of weeks, we are just going to start running out of stuff, and if the administration waits to resolve the problem until we have shortages and hoarding, that is just too late," Sean Stein, president of the U.S.-China Business Council, told NBC News.
• The White House did not comment.

Follow the money: With higher duties and fewer supplies, prices are set to spike.

• A slew of companies have warned of higher prices or have already increased them, including Procter & Gamble, Best Buy, Unilever, Ford, Shein, Temu, AutoZone and Hermès.
• The Halloween and Costume Association warned that tariffs are threatening to "wipe out Halloween and severely disrupt Christmas unless urgent action is taken."
• "Our members are reporting a wave of order cancellations, and it's creating serious concern about whether shelves will be stocked in time for Halloween," Michele Boylstein, the association's executive director, told Axios.

Threat level: It's only April, but back-to-school season is already at risk, Coresight's Harmon said.

• Retailers will look to alternatives for product sourcing to avoid the steepest duties but "it's not like you can flip a switch and pivot to another supplier," Harmon said.

Sales to China of key commodities, like soybeans and pork, are plunging as the trade war begins to impact the domestic economy.

Why it matters: U.S. farmers export more than $176 billion in agricultural products annually — almost 10% of which is just soybean and pork shipments to China.

• Losing even a fraction of those exports for the long term could be economically devastating.

By the numbers: In the week of April 11-17, net soybean sales were down 50% week over week and down 25% versus the four-week average, per data from the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Foreign Agricultural Service released Thursday.

• Net pork sales were down 72% week on week and 82% versus the four-week average, the USDA said.

What they're saying: "This is directly related to the tariff situation. There's no doubt about it, there's not some other magic behind-the-scenes thing going on," Rob Dongoski, global lead for food and agribusiness at consultancy Kearney, tells Axios.

The big picture: In his first term, President Trump bailed out farmers when 2018 tariffs on China impacted exports.

• Those bailouts, collectively, ended up being so large that they almost equaled the tariff revenue generated.
• This trade war is orders of magnitude larger than the last one, but there's been no explicit relief for farmers — yet.

Between the lines: "This already looks worse than 2018," American Soybean Association economist Jacquie Holland tells Axios. "That's because there's also a trade spat with Canada, a major supplier of potash which is a really key input for soybean production.

• "Farmers are going to feel the pain of this at so many points on the supply chain, not just from the prices that they receive."

The intrigue: If exports are plunging, the surplus has to go somewhere, but the obvious option — more domestic consumption — may not be much of a solution.

• "To the Great Farmers of the United States: Get ready to start making a lot of agricultural product to be sold INSIDE of the United States," President Trump wrote on Truth Social in March.
• But pork demand in the U.S. has been challenging in recent years, meaning there's no ready consumer safety valve. (International demand has been falling as well — and ironically, China was one of the few bright spots for growth before the tariffs hit.)
• On the soybean side, Holland said there are calls for the EPA to increase biodiesel usage requirements, which she said could stabilize the market but wouldn't fully replace lost demand.

The bottom line: Spring planting season is in full swing now, but it's already looking like a rough year for farmers.

• "1.4 billion people in China, that's a tough customer to replace," Dongoski said.

• When my sister was dying of breast cancer, she made me promise I'd live my life to the fullest.
• At first, I didn't follow through, but eventually I found the courage to act on my promise.
• I decided to move on my own to a beach town, where I met my husband.

When my older sister called to let me know that the painful lump in her breast was not a clogged milk duct from nursing her newborn, my world shattered. My 31-year-old sister was diagnosed with stage 3C breast cancer.

I immediately purchased a one-way plane ticket to stay with her and help with my 2-year-old nephew and newborn niece. Over the next two and a half years, I watched my once strong and bossy sister slowly become bedridden. She then became unable to walk or breathe without oxygen.

In our final conversation, I told her I wished I could take her place. After all, I had no children and was in an unhappy marriage. My sister replied that she was glad it was her and not me. She said she wanted me to have children and truly experience life.

She then asked me to promise to live a life for both of us, doing the things she wouldn't be able to do. She encouraged me to create happiness despite whatever difficult decisions I'd have to make. I made her that promise, altering my life forever.

At first, I couldn't handle the grief and ignored the promise I made

Her passing, though ultimately expected, rocked my sense of mortality and shattered me. We had always talked about growing old together in a nursing home and bickering with each other when we were 95, sharing a room like we did when we were kids.

At 27, I was deeply cognizant that I had no guarantee of time. Like everyone else, I thought I had decades before thinking about mortality, let alone a bucket list.

I was in denial for years. I lacked direction, strength, and self-worth.

Running became my outlet for grief. When I'd get tired and wanted to stop, I pictured my sister in her wheelchair, gasping for air, and took another step for her.

After my sister died, I had no mental or emotional energy to deal with my failing marraige. Having a baby didn't fix it.

I wondered if this was the life my sister envisioned for me as she was dying. Suddenly, I knew it wasn't. At 29, I finally admitted I was anything but happy and knew it was time to make a change.

I eventually acted on the promise I made with my sister

Braving the judgment I knew I'd face, I left my marriage and moved states with my infant and two large dogs to fulfill my dream of living near the beach despite having no family nearby to help. I started saying "yes" to more things and tackling my newly created bucket list.

An opportunity to visit Hawaii arose, and I jumped on it. In just one week, I skydived, got scuba certified, hiked a mountain at sunrise, and swam with sharks.

Keeping my promise to her — to say yes, to create happiness — changed everything. I gained confidence and self-esteem. That transformation led me to my life partner and now-husband, whom I met on the beach. We got engaged and married on that same sand.

Having my second child with him and feeling renewed in my career and personal relationships, I now live a life my 90-year-old self — and my sister — would be proud of.

I choose myself daily and remove what doesn't serve me. Every year, I celebrate aging; each birthday I see means I'm still alive, and I will never take that for granted.

I still live near the same beach where I rebuilt my life, and my car is covered in sand, dog hair, kids' toys, and sunscreen — just as I had always hoped.

• Inventor James Dyson has talked about the importance of embracing "failure" in work and life.
• "I've always said mine is a life of failure," the British billionaire told The Wall Street Journal in an interview.
• He's created thousands of prototypes over his career and also scrapped plans to enter the EV market.

Inventor James Dyson is famous for his namesake vacuums which use his patented cyclone technology. His net worth is $16.8 billion per Bloomberg's Billionaire Index.

But he says that, "mine is a life of failure."

In a video interview with The Wall Street Journal published Saturday. Dyson — who said he created 5,127 prototypes over five years before launching his bagless vacuum cleaner in 1993 — said that embracing failure was essential to life.

"It's true for writers and filmmakers and all sorts of people. It's a life of failure. It takes a long time before you find the one that works," he said. "You just have to get used to that."

Dyson, 77, said he enjoyed the misfires and struggles he's had across his career, saying that real wisdom comes from experience.

"At school, you're taught to get the answer right the first time," he said. While a clever student may get to the answer quickly, he said, they are at a disadvantage to those who take their time getting to an answer, as they haven't "viscerally experienced failure and overcoming failure."

For Dyson, resilience and adaptability are some of the most important skills someone can learn. "Life is about making things work," he said.

He continued: "That's what you have to do. It's trial and error. When something works, it's less challenging, it's less interesting."

Aside from the many prototypes it took him to invent the first vacuum with his namesake brand, Dyson famously abandoned plans to enter the electric car market in 2019 after spending more than $600 million on developing a vehicle that he came to realize was not commercially viable.

"The route to success is never linear. This is not the first project which has changed direction and it will not be the last," he wrote in a letter announcing the decision.

He said of his scrapped EV vehicle, "I could see that it was just too risky."