Apple is suspending its new artificial intelligence feature summarizing alerts for news and entertainment apps after facing complaints from news outlets and press freedom groups about generating false and inaccurate information.

Why it matters: The BBC lodged an official complaint after the Apple Intelligence summaries generated an inaccurate headline of a report by the British outlet that incorrectly represented a report on Luigi Mangione, the suspect in last month's killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson by suggesting he had committed suicide.

• It's the latest in a series of problematic rollouts of AI features by tech giants, with Microsoft in June announcing changes to its Recall feature following criticism from security and privacy experts.
• Google paused AI image generation last February following complaints about diversity.

Driving the news: Following the BBC false headline controversy, the nonprofit Reporters Without Borders called generative AI services "a danger to the public's right to reliable information on current affairs."

• Meanwhile, the U.K.-based National Union of Journalists called on Apple to swiftly remove the feature, saying: "At a time where access to accurate reporting has never been more important, the public must not be placed in a position of second-guessing the accuracy of news they receive."
• The BBC reported at the time that three news stories on different matters by the New York Times on Nov. 21 "were grouped together in one notification," with one stating that Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had been "arrested."

What they're saying: "With the latest beta software releases of iOS 18.3, iPadOS 18.3, and macOS Sequoia 15.3, Notification summaries for the News & Entertainment category will be temporarily unavailable," per an Apple statement emailed on Thursday evening.

• "We are working on improvements and will make them available in a future software update."

What to expect: Apple is deploying updates to make clear using italicized tex when a user switches notification summaries on that the program is a beta feature that may on occasion send results that are unexpected.

• Users will be able to manage this feature from the lock screen.

Go deeper: Apple's AI story is still a rough draft

China's leader Xi Jinping is sending a top envoy to attend President-elect Trump's inauguration in Washington, D.C., on Monday, Beijing confirmed.

Why it matters: The "unprecedented" deployment of Xi's special representative, Vice President Han Zheng, is intended to reduce tensions with the U.S. after Trump threatened to impose major tariffs on China and other countries, per the Financial Times, which first reported the news.

• Trump invited Xi to attend his inauguration ceremony to create "an open dialogue with leaders of countries that are not just our allies but our adversaries and our competitors, too," incoming White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told Fox News last month.

What they're saying: "China follows the principles of mutual respect, peaceful coexistence and win-win cooperation in viewing and growing its relationship with the United States," per a Chinese Foreign Ministry statement posted Friday morning local time.

• "We stand ready to work with the new U.S. government to enhance dialogue and communication, properly manage differences, expand mutually beneficial cooperation, jointly pursue a stable, healthy and sustainable China-U.S. relationship and find the right way for the two countries to get along with each other."

Flashback: Beijing's actions are in stark contrast to President Biden's Inauguration Day four years ago, when Beijing imposed sanctions on officials from the first Trump administration.

Go deeper: How U.S. policy toward China transformed under Trump's first administration

A growing number of states are banning cellphones in schools — almost always with bipartisan support.

Why it matters: Parents are divided over these policies, which are meant to reduce distractions and boost students' socialization.

Where it stands: Eight states have banned or restricted cellphones in schools.

• Education departments in another 10 states have issued policy recommendations or begun pilot programs to curb phone usage.
• And at least 11 states, as of December, were considering legislation to ban or restrict cellphone use in schools, per health nonprofit KFF.
• Governors in Arkansas, New Hampshire, Iowa, Nebraska and New York have either called for bans recently or indicated that they'll explore such policies this year, the AP reported.

The intrigue: These policies have largely received bipartisan support, much like other actions related to youth digital wellbeing.

• "It doesn't matter if you live in a big city or a rural town, urban or suburban, all children are struggling and need that seven-hour break from the pressures of phones and social media during the school day," Kim Whitman, co-founder of the Phone Free Schools Movement, told the AP.

State of play: 68% of U.S. adults support cellphone bans during class, and about 36% favor an all-day ban, a Pew Research survey found last year.

• Most adults who support cellphone bans want to reduce students' distractions.

The other side: Those who oppose the bans, especially parents of K-12 students, argue that parents should be able to reach their children when needed.

• Many parents see cellphones as critical for safety and connectedness, especially in the face of emergencies like school shootings.

Zoom out: Health experts and policymakers have called for stricter regulations on youth social media use, while social media companies have been reckoning with accountability about their platforms' harmful effects on children.

• Research has found that excessive cellphone use can impact children's mental health.

Go deeper: Congress' online safety push stokes kids' mental health debate

Rudy Giuliani reached a settlement Thursday with the two Georgia election workers he defamed and owed $148 million in damages to, per a court filing.

The big picture: The former New York City mayor, who will now avoid trial, has been in litigation with Ruby Freeman and Shaye Moss over which of his properties and belongings to hand over to them as part of the damages he was ordered to pay more than a year ago.

Driving the news: The trial to determine whether ownership of Giuliani's Florida condominium and three World Series rings would satisfy the damages he owed was supposed to start Thursday.

• Giuliani did not show up to court, AP reports.
• Details of the settlement were not immediately disclosed.

Zoom in: Giuliani said in a post on X that he was able to retain his New York and Florida homes and all of his personal belongings.

• He added that the "resolution does not involve an admission of liability or wrongdoing" by either party and that he's "satisfied with and have no grievances relating to the result we have reached."
• Giuliani said he and the plaintiffs "have agreed not to ever talk about each other in any defamatory manner, and I urge others to do the same."

What they're saying: Freeman and Moss said in a statement that "the past four years have been a living nightmare" and called Thursday's settlement "a major milestone."

• They added: "We have reached an agreement and we can now move forward with our lives. We have agreed to allow Mr. Giuliani to retain his property in exchange for compensation and his promise not to ever defame us."

Zoom out: Giuliani was held in contempt of court twice last week for continuing to defame Freeman and Moss, who are mother and daughter.

Context: Freeman and Moss accused Giuliani in a December 2021 lawsuit of making repeated false claims that they committed ballot fraud so President Biden would win the election.

• In August 2023, a judge ruled Giuliani was liable for defamation, civil conspiracy and intentional infliction of emotional distress caused to the mother and daughter. A jury in December 2023 ordered him to pay $148 million in damages to poll workers.
• Guiliani sought bankruptcy protection, but a federal judge in N.Y. dismissed the case in July.

Go deeper: Giuliani found in contempt of court a second time in Georgia defamation case

Editor's note: This story has been updated with additional statements.

Idaho, Kansas and Missouri can proceed with their push against abortion pill mifepristone, a judge in Texas ruled Thursday.

The big picture: The Republican-led states are seeking to roll back federal rules on the drug to make it harder for people to access the abortion pill through telehealth prescriptions.

Driving the news: The three states want the Food and Drug Administration to allow mifepristone to only be used in the first seven weeks of pregnancy instead of the current 10-week limit.

• They're also seeking a requirement of three in-person doctor visits for patients looking to get the medication.

Context: Mifepristone is typically used in tandem with misoprostol to end a pregnancy in the first 10 weeks.

• Both drugs are FDA-approved and have long safety and efficacy records.

Go deeper: How abortion pill challenges may rise again

Former Senate GOP leader Mitch McConnell's (R-Ky.) conspicuous silence is starting to spook Tulsi Gabbard's team.

Why it matters: President-elect Trump Trump's transition thinks Gabbard, the nominee for director of national intelligence, can get confirmed even with a "no" vote from McConnell. But his public opposition — if it materializes — could open the door to other GOP defectors.

• Gabbard's team isn't banking on McConnell's vote, sources tell Axios.
• McConnell is studiously avoiding public or private indications that he'll support Trump's nominees, three people familiar with the matter tell Axios.
• Voting against Gabbard would resume hostilities between McConnell and Trump. It could have implications for big policy questions down the line, from funding Ukraine to raising tariffs.

📣 McConnell said on the Senate floor on Thursday that he'll support nominees to "senior national security roles whose record and experience will make them immediate assets, not liabilities, in the pursuit of peace through strength."

• When asked specifically about Gabbard, McConnell told CNN's Manu Raju he was not ready to announce whether he can back her.

Zoom in: Gabbard is focused on winning over members of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, where the GOP has a 9-8 voting advantage.

• Two key GOP swing votes sit on the Intel committee: Sens. Susan Collins (R-Me.), a former SSCI chair, and Todd Young (R-Ind.).
• Gabbard has met with every Republican and five of the eight Democrats, including Sen. Mark Warner (D-Va.), the ranking Democrat. She has reached out to all of them.
• Majority Leader John Thune can still bring Gabbard's nomination to a full floor vote even if she doesn't have the support to be recommended by the committee — but it would not be a great sign for her chances.

Between the lines: Most of Trump's nominees are pocketing hard "yeses" from senators, as they meet privately or appear before their committees.

• Former Fox News host Pete Hegseth, whose nomination as secretary of Defense appeared doomed in early December, appears to be a glide path to confirmation, barring any new revelations about his personal life.

The bottom line: If Democrats have any chance — and it's slim — at helping drag down a Trump nominee, they see Gabbard as the most likely prospect.

• Minority Leader Chuck Schumer views the party's grilling of Hegseth as a success.
• He'll demand the same for their treatment of Gabbard, HHS nominee RFK Jr. and FBI director nominee Kash Patel.

A group of House Republicans are emerging as frequent co-sponsors of legislation to bring President-elect Trump's vision of an American empire to fruition.

Why it matters: This group spans the House Republican conference's ideological spectrum, from some of its most moderate members to its most right-wing.

• "People who were snickering or laughing about it when it was first brought up are starting to actually realize it's a legitimate issue," said centrist Rep. Mike Lawler (R-N.Y.).
• "This is real," said Rep. Andy Ogles (R-Tenn.), a member of the right-wing Freedom Caucus. "There are going to be some serious conversations."

State of play: A trio of House GOP bills would codify each one of Trump's proposed moves to either expand the U.S.'s territory or its international influence.

• Rep. Dusty Johnson (R-S.D.) has introduced legislation that would allow Trump to enter into negotiations with Panama to try to reassert U.S. control over the Panama Canal.
• Ogles has introduced a similar bill to authorize negotiations with Denmark about purchasing Greenland.
• Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) has introduced a bill that would change the name of the Gulf of Mexico to the "Gulf of America" on official maps and documents.

By the numbers: Each bill has between 10 and 15 co-sponsors, with a considerable amount of overlap.

• Reps. Troy Nehls (R-Texas), Mike Collins (R-Ga.), Dan Crenshaw (R-Texas), Claudia Tenney (R-N.Y.) and Neal Dunn (R-Fla.) are each co-sponsoring two of the bills.
• Lawler and Reps. Mike Rulli (R-Ohio), Randy Weber (R-Texas), Barry Moore (R-Ala.) and Brian Babin (R-Texas) are co-sponsoring all three.

What they're saying: Several of the lawmakers who have either introduced or co-sponsored legislation told Axios that a desire to counter China's international influence is at the heart of the effort.

• "We've been talking on the China Committee about ... China's growing influence on infrastructure across the globe, and I think the Panama Canal is hugely important to America," said Dusty Johnson.
• Lawler also cited rare earth minerals and Arctic waterways as key factors in the push to acquire Greenland, saying Trump is "right in raising these as actual issues of national security and ... economic security."

Zoom in: Some of the more right-wing lawmakers involved in these bills pushed back on the notion that they run counter to a growing strain of anti-interventionism within the MAGA movement.

• "'America First' is, simply stated: When you have a foreign adversary who arguably is our greatest existential threat — meaning China — when they're making moves towards Greenland, we can't just sit idly by," said Ogles.
• "This is literally in our backyard, front yard, however you want to look at it," Ogles said.
• Babin noted that the U.S. controlled the Panama Canal until the 1970s: "This is not intervention. This is not adventurism. This is a U.S.-built canal. There wasn't even a Panama. That was part of Colombia."

Bleacher Report, the 20-year-old digital sports brand, has signed a multi-year deal with the NFL that provides it with official game footage to use across social channels and owned-and-operated platforms, executives told Axios.

Why it matters: The deal speaks to parent Warner Bros. Discovery's commitment to live sports — and the appeal of Bleacher Report, one of the largest sports media brands on social media, to the NFL.

• Bleacher Report "has a sizable base of sports fans, and an official partnership adds authenticity and helps further engage an already-established audience," said Brent Lawton, vice president of business development and strategic investments at the NFL.

Zoom in: As part of the deal, Bleacher Report will receive individual highlights and game recaps from NFL games, per Lawton.

• It will also get silent NFL game footage for use in its original content across social media and B/R sites and apps, as well as access-driven content from select games throughout the season.
• Bleacher Report will also be able to access NFL tentpole events for content capture, including the Super Bowl, the NFL Draft, and the NFL Scouting Combine.
• It will have the right to sell sponsorships and media packages around content leveraging those NFL assets, said Bleacher Report general manager Bennett Spector.
• As an official content partner of the NFL, the company will also be able to engage the league's official marketing partners, he added.

Between the lines: With the NFL, Bleacher Report now has digital content deals with all of the major U.S. sports leagues and beyond, Spector said.

• As a result of Warner Bros. Discovery's lawsuit settlement with the NBA, Bleacher Report and its flagship franchise now have rights to promote NBA content, as well as TNT Sports, a linear network also owned by Warner Bros. Discovery.
• Bleacher Report also has digital rights to games and events from Major League Baseball, National Hockey League, United States Soccer Federation, Major League Soccer, the NCAA Division I Men's and Women's Basketball Championship, NASCAR, Roland-Garros, and more.

Zoom out: The NFL deal underscores Warner Bros. Discovery's commitment to Bleacher Report and sports writ large, said Raph Poplock, senior vice president of strategic partnerships, content acquisitions and business development at Warner Bros. Discovery.

• Bleacher Report and House of Highlights "serve as the connective tissue" between Warner Bros. Discovery's digital platforms, including its streaming service Max, and its linear TV networks like TBS and TNT.
• The two brands also give the company leverage in league deals given their reach with younger audiences, especially on social media.

The big picture: The NFL has been brokering more deals with digital publishers and platforms as it seeks to expand its audience.

• In addition to Bleacher Report, it also has digital rights deals with Overtime, a gen-Z-focused sports media company; and Betches, a female-focused social media brand.

Only 12 people have walked on the Moon — but in a new era of commercial space exploration, a nonprofit dedicated to safeguarding treasured sites is warning about threats to historic Moon landing locations.

The big picture: The World Monuments Fund listed an at-risk site beyond the Earth's surface for the first time in this year's World Monuments Watch, a nomination-based list released biennially to raise awareness of heritage sites in need of preservation.

• The organization said "a burgeoning commercial space industry" may pose "novel risks" to preserving the integrity of dozens of historic landing and impact sites on the Moon's surface.
• This year the advocacy program featured 25 historic sites that face major challenges, including conflict, climate change and natural disaster.

Driving the news: The organization named Tranquility Base, in particular, as a trove of historic artifacts immortalizing the first time humans walked on the Moon that must be protected.

• "Exploitative visitation, souveniring, and looting by future missions and private lunar exploration could eventually compromise this truly unique cultural heritage, removing artifacts and forever erasing iconic prints and tracks from the Moon's surface," according to the WMF.
• Tranquility Base, the WMF's page on preserving the Moon reads, is one of over 90 historic landing and impact sites that "mark humankind's presence on the Moon's surface and testify to some of our most extraordinary feats of courage and ingenuity."

Zoom out: International collaboration is key to preserving the Moon's historic legacy, the organization writes.

• The Artemis Accords, a U.S.-led agreement by dozens of nations, govern civil uses of the Moon, its resources and other parts of outer space.
• Nations across the globe have raced to tap the Moon's scientific, economic and geopolitical value — while the commercial space race intensifies.

Other sites on the World Monuments Fund list include areas struck by war, like Gaza and an iconic building in Kyiv, Ukraine.

Go deeper: The race to tap the Moon's immense value

House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) is staring down surprise and frustration from lawmakers in both parties for removing Rep. Mike Turner (R-Ohio) as chair of the House Intelligence Committee.

Why it matters: The ouster of Turner, a staunch foreign policy hawk and defender of the intelligence community, was a blow to the large bipartisan bloc of national security-minded lawmakers in Congress.

• Turner's replacement is Rep. Rick Crawford (R-Ark.), who is closer to MAGA world on issues like Ukraine, Axios' Hans Nichols reported.

Driving the news: Johnson confirmed Wednesday that Turner, who was appointed to his role by former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) in 2022, would not be reappointed to lead the Intelligence panel.

• "This is not a President Trump decision. This is a House decision, and this is no slight whatsoever to our outgoing chairman. He did a great job," Johnson told reporters.
• "It's a new Congress. We just need fresh horses in some of these places, but I'm a Mike Turner fan. He's done a great job. He performed valiantly in a difficult time under difficult circumstances," he added.
• Turner was seen by some House Republicans as too close to the intel community, and he angered GOP colleagues with an alarming statement last year warning of a "serious national security threat."

What they're saying: Rep. Dan Crenshaw (R-Texas), a hawkish Intelligence Committee member, told reporters "we all have questions and concerns" and that Turner's removal "kind of came out of nowhere."

• "McCarthy spent a lot of political capital right-sizing and fixing that committee so that it would be what it needed to be. And Johnson, it's not really clear what his plan is," Crenshaw added.
• Rep. Don Bacon (R-Neb.), another hawk, told Axios "it divides the conference, and I don't think that's good," adding that "most of us agree" with Turner on issues like Ukraine and intelligence collection.
• "I'm not happy with the decision. I think the vast majority of us are not happy with the decision," said another House Republican who spoke on the condition of anonymity.

Zoom in: Despite Johnson's denials, several House Republicans pushed the theory that the right-wing House Freedom Caucus pressed President-elect Trump's team to demand Turner's ouster.

• The House Republican who spoke anonymously said the right-wing group, still smarting over a successful Turner-led push to reauthorize the federal government's spying capabilities, engineered the move.
• "The House Freedom Caucus remembered that, went down to Mar-a-Lago, extracted a pound of flesh from somebody they didn't like," they said. The right-wing group met with Trump at his Florida resort last weekend.
• Crenshaw called it a "very believable theory."
• "Rumors are HFC demanded it," offered Bacon, adding that "if the rumors are true, it's offensive."

The other side: Freedom Caucus members pleaded ignorance.

• "He and I had our disagreements. I was surprised ... I was totally taken aback," said Rep. Andy Biggs (R-Ariz.), a leading opponent of federal government surveillance.
• Freedom Caucus chair Andy Harris (R-Md), asked if any of his members pushed for Turner's removal, told Axios: "I don't think so. You'd have to ask them. It's not an issue we bring up."
• Rep. Troy Nehls (R-Texas), a former Freedom Caucus member, told Axios, "I support the speaker's decision as it is his decision to make."

Democrats, meanwhile, are very public about their outrage towards Johnson's move.

• House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) called Turner's removal "unjustified" and said it is "likely being applauded by our adversaries in Russia and China. Shameful."
• "It's very troubling, to put it mildly ... and it's foreboding that they are removing somebody as strong as that for apparently political reasons," said Rep. Jason Crow (D-Colo.), an Intelligence Committee member.

What's next: Crenshaw told reporters that Republicans on the panel plan to meet with Johnson to try to get his explanation for the decision.

• Still, Crenshaw said of Crawford: "I like Rick. He's already CIA subcommittee chair."

The bottom line: "Any time the speaker makes appointments of course you're going to have people who are upset," a senior House Republican told Axios.

• "Mike Turner's well respected among a good cross-section of the conference."

19 U.S. states have passed laws requiring adult website visitors to verify their age as of January.

Why it matters: The Supreme Court heard arguments this week in a challenge to Texas' age verification law that could determine the fate of all such state rules.

Driving the news: Age verification laws are meant to prevent underage kids from accessing pornographic websites.

• But free speech advocates — like the Free Speech Coalition, which is challenging Texas' law — say such rules could infringe upon adults' First Amendment rights.
• That group has also challenged similar laws in several other states.

How it works: Age verification laws typically require adult websites to implement a way of checking users' ages, often via government-issued IDs.

• Some adult sites, like Pornhub, have decided to go dark in states with age verification rules rather than comply with the requirements.

What they're saying: "Any regulations that require hundreds of thousands of adult sites to collect significant amounts of highly sensitive personal information is putting user safety in jeopardy," Pornhub parent company Aylo said in a recent statement, per PC Magazine.

• "Moreover, as experience has demonstrated, unless properly enforced, users will simply access non-compliant sites or find other methods of evading these laws."

The latest: An appeals court ruled Wednesday that Tennessee's age verification law can take effect pending the outcome of the Texas case.

Zoom in: The map above is based on information gathered by the Age Verification Providers Association, a trade group.

• Georgia lawmakers have passed an age verification law, but it doesn't take effect until July.

What's next: SCOTUS' decision on the Texas law isn't expected until summer.

• But the justices appear likely to uphold it, per the New York Times — which would effectively be a thumps-up for similar laws nationwide.

House Speaker Mike Johnson plans to name Rep. Rick Crawford (R-Ark.) to replace Rep. Mike Turner (R-Ohio) as chair of the House Intel Committee, according to a person familiar with the matter.

Why it matters: Johnson is assembling his team to help implement President-elect Trump's sweeping agenda, which includes reform of the intelligence agencies.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis tapped the state's attorney general, Ashley Moody, to replace Sen. Marco Rubio when he leaves his office to become the next U.S. Secretary of State. Axios first reported his intentions to make the Moody appointment.

Why it matters: Moody is a DeSantis and Donald Trump loyalist. Her appointment will set off a chain-reaction of office-seeking and Florida political drama heading into 2026.

• The announcement is scheduled for a press conference Thursday morning in Orlando.

Breaking it down: Picking Moody for Senate clears the way for DeSantis to name his chief of staff, James Uthmeier, to replace her as AG, according to the source who said that "it was always Ashley. And James is the obvious pick to replace her."

• Rep. Byron Donalds is already filling out a political team to run for governor in 2026.
• If Moody decides to run for reelection for her newly appointed Senate seat, she is on a crash course with Rep. Cory Mills, who announced recently that he would run for Rubio's seat.
• The office of attorney general also comes open in 2026.

Go deeper: Florida dominates Trump's West Wing

TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew intends to attend President-elect Trump's inauguration next week and is expected to sit on the dais alongside other prominent guests, a Trump transition source confirmed to Axios Thursday.

Why it matters: News of his invite comes as TikTok's fate hangs in the balance, with the U.S. ban of the popular platform set to take effect on Sunday, barring any eleventh-hour intervention.

Driving the news: The Trump Vance Inaugural Committee issued the invitation to Chew, the Trump transition source said.

• He will join other tech industry titans at the inauguration, including Elon Musk, Mark Zuckerberg and Jeff Bezos, according to the New York Times, which first reported the news.

Flashback: During his first term, Trump spearheaded the initial effort to ban TikTok, but appeared to flip-flop on the platform's future while campaigning for office last year.

Zoom out: It's not yet clear how Trump could intervene to save the popular Chinese-owned app from the ban, but he wants to try, according to Rep. Michael Waltz (R-Fla.), Trump's pick for his national security adviser.

• Trump is looking to craft a deal to "preserve" TikTok while protecting U.S. users' data, Waltz told Fox News Wednesday, though he did not offer specifics about the plan.
• "I don't want to get ahead of our executive orders but we're going to create the space to — to put that deal in place," he added, calling Trump a "dealmaker."

Go deeper: What will happen to TikTok on Jan. 19

In the months before driving a rented truck into a crowded Bourbon Street early on New Year's Day, the FBI says, the suspect left behind digital footprints that ultimately led to the attack that killed 14 people and injured nearly 60 others.

Why it matters: With the right technology, such difficult-to-trace online activity may one day provide enough warning that law enforcement could stop potential attacks before they happen.

Context: Despite initial concerns that the New Orleans attack suspect — Shamsud-Din Jabbar, who died in a shootout with police — may have had accomplices, the FBI quickly revised its statements after investigators began to believe Jabbar acted alone.

• "Lone actors or small cells of individuals typically radicalized to violence online and who primarily use easily accessible weapons have posed the greatest terrorism threat to our homeland," said FBI deputy assistant director Christopher Raia on Feb. 5.
• Raia said that's because lone actors are "difficult to identify, investigate and disrupt, especially when radicalization and communication with other like-minded individuals happens online."

What they're saying: Jabbar was "inspired from afar by ISIS," outgoing FBI director Christopher Wray said on "60 Minutes" earlier this week.

• "Guys like this," Wray said, "who radicalize not in years but in weeks, and whose method of attack is still very deadly but fairly crude … there are not a lot of dots out there to connect, and there's very little time in which to connect them."
• Put another way, with lone actors, "there are no informers, no infiltration, no ongoing surveillance … no territory so you can monitor who moves in and out, [and] you don't know what their capability is until they strike," says Ramón Spaaij, an Australia-based researcher with expertise in the sociology of terrorism.

Yes, but: Everyone leaves breadcrumbs, and there are still signs that someone is planning an attack, as long as you know what you're looking for and you have the resources to even be looking in the first place, Spaaij tells Axios New Orleans.

• So far, those identifiers — what Spaaij calls "pre-crime behaviors" — are most easily spotted after an attack. Hindsight is 20/20, as they say.
• Those behaviors, Spaaij says, include things like surveilling a potential target area, gathering weapons, researching other attacks, training with weapons and traveling suspiciously.

Zoom in: The New Orleans attacker did each of those things, FBI investigators have said.

• "What is difficult about online activity is [separating] extremist talk and radical messaging from those [that] might be a precursor to violent action," Spaaij says.
• And that's where machine learning might one day be helpful.

What we're watching: Defense and intelligence communities are investing heavily in predictive language models that can pick up on when people consistently use words indicating they might be planning an attack, Spaaij says.

• In his research, a sense of urgency and the "broadcasting of intent" seem to be clear indicators that could help warn law enforcement of planned violence, he says.
• In New Orleans, for example, Jabbar posted several videos on Facebook detailing his plans shortly before carrying them out, the FBI said early in its investigation. But it appears no one saw them quickly enough, let alone raised enough of an alarm, to stop what happened.
• "How do you create systems to detect these kinds of things … very efficiently and quickly?" Spaaij says. "There's a role there for machine learning and AI."

Reality check: "Human behavior is really complex and notoriously difficult to predict. The Holy Grail in anything to do with human societies is to predict behavior," Spaaij says.

• "It's a complete illusion to think we'd be able to prevent all terrorist attacks. That's the stuff of movies."

Go deeper

• The victims of the Bourbon Street attack
• How to help after the Bourbon Street attack
• How the New Year's Day attacker was able to get through Bourbon Street security barriers
• City, state leaders seek answers after Bourbon Street attack
• NOPD releases bodycam footage in New Year's Day attack

Scott Bessent, President-elect Trump's pick for Treasury, will tell the Senate Finance Committee at his confirmation hearing Thursday that he sees "a generational opportunity to unleash a new economic golden age that will create more jobs, wealth and prosperity for all Americans."

Why it matters: The South Carolina billionaire is respected on Wall Street and has been called the "quiet killer" for his finesse with massive trades.

What he's saying: "I was born and raised in the South Carolina Low Country," Bessent is planning to tell the committee in his opening statement, shared with Axios. "My father fell into extreme financial difficulty when I was young. When I was 9 years old, I started working two summer jobs and I haven't stopped working since."

• "My life has been the 'only in America' story that I am determined to preserve for future generations."

Zoom in: Bessent will say the U.S. "must secure supply chains that are vulnerable to strategic competitors, and we must carefully deploy sanctions as part of a whole-of-government approach to address our national security requirements. And critically, we must ensure that the U.S. dollar remains the world's reserve currency."

• "[W]e can usher in a new, more balanced era of prosperity that will lift up all Americans and rebuild communities and families across the country."

What to watch: Bessent is scheduled to appear before the Senate Finance committee at 10:30 a.m. ET.

Go deeper: What to know about Scott Bessent, Trump's Treasury pick

Several of America's largest companies have buckled to the pressures of political and shareholder activists by rolling back their commitments to diversity, equity and inclusion.

Why it matters: Calls for ending these corporate initiatives have become more fervent in the past year and are expected to intensify in President-elect Trump's second term.

The big picture: Companies have been talking about DEI less, and reframing the narrative when they do.

• Mentions of DEI and "diversity equity and inclusion" in earnings calls have dropped roughly 82% since Q2 of 2021.
• The Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) dropped the word "equity" from its strategy, while corporate communicators have started to lean more heavily on terms like "belonging" and "diversity of thoughts and perspectives."

Zoom in: Brown-Forman, Lowe's, Meta and McDonald's have publicly cited the legal environment — due to the Supreme Court's 2023 decision to strike down affirmative action at colleges — as the basis for their DEI policy changes.

• Meanwhile, anti-DEI activist and Trump ally Robby Starbuck has taken credit for the reversal of many corporate diversity commitments.

What they're saying: "Of course, the Supreme Court decision was one of the sparks that made movement in terms of having companies reconsider DEI," says Ann O'Leary, partner and co-chair of government controversies and public policy litigation practice at Jenner & Block.

• Yes, but: "If you take it from a purely legal perspective, I think that the legal risk mitigation is low in terms of continuing to be able to do DEI practices," she added.
• "What we're seeing is companies looking at the holistic picture— like social media campaigns that have been run against companies and the political environment in which you have not only Trump, but his closest advisors, such as Elon Musk, going after particular companies around DEI. But we're also seeing companies really taking a close look at why they're doing what they're doing."

Companies that have abandoned or rolled back their commitments to diversity, equity and inclusion include:

Amazon

In a December memo to employees, Amazon said it was "winding down outdated programs and materials" related to its efforts around DEI.

Boeing

Boeing dismantled its global diversity, equity and inclusion department in October 2023.

Brown-Forman

The Jack Daniels maker sent an internal note announcing an end to several diversity, equity and inclusion programs in response to a shifting "legal and external landscape."

Caterpillar

Caterpillar will no longer participate in the Human Rights Campaign equality index and has new guidelines for donations and sponsorships. The manufacturer also requires senior management approval for external speakers and all training programs should focus on ""fostering high performance."

Ford

The automaker will no longer participate in the Human Rights Campaign surveys and has rescoped its employee resource groups.

Harley-Davidson

The company dismantled its DEI team prior to April 2024, does not have hiring quotas or supplier goals and has rescoped its employee resource groups, trainings and sponsorships.

John Deere

In response to "feedback," Deere said it "will no longer participate in or support external social or cultural awareness parades, festivals, or events," would not include "socially motivated messages" in training materials and will ensure it's not using "diversity quotas" in hiring.

Lowe's

Lowe's told employees it would revise its resource groups, stop participating in Human Rights Campaign surveys and stop sponsoring or participating in festivals and parades.

Molson Coors

The beverage wholesaler put an end to supplier diversity quotas and DEI-based training programs. It will no longer participate in Human Rights Campaign surveys.

McDonald's

In a letter to franchise owners, suppliers and current employees, McDonald's said it would modify some practices after conducting a "civil rights audit," including an end to "aspirational representation goals." — like hiring targets — and "external surveys," which could include participation in the Human Rights Campaign's Corporate Equality Index.

Meta

Citing "the legal and policy landscape," Meta is cutting its DEI team, ending equity and inclusion programs, sunset supplier diversity efforts, ending the "Diverse Slate Approach" to hiring, and ending representation goals.

Nissan

The automaker scaled back its U.S. commitments by no longer participating in LGBTQ+ surveys and events and ending mandates for diversity-related trainings.

Stanley Black & Decker

The company scrubbed references to diversity, equity and inclusion from its website. A rep for the company did not return Axios' request for comment.

Tractor Supply

Tractor Supply eliminated DEI roles and abolished its DEI goals, stopped submitting data to the Human Rights Campaign, stopped sponsoring Pride festivals and withdrew carbon emission goals.

Toyota

Toyota told employees it would not participate in external DEI measurements or surveys.

Walmart

Walmart will phase out the term "diversity, equity and inclusion" and the term "Latinx," stop participating in Human Right Campaign surveys , re-evaluate supplier diversity programs and wrap up its commitment to the Center for Racial Equity.

Companies that have publicly defended their diversity, equity and inclusion policies include:

American Airlines, Southwest Airlines and United Airlines

American First Legal filed complaints against the airline carriers in 2023 and 2024. Following a compliance conference, the Department of Labor did not name any policies that violated the law or needed to change.

Apple

The tech giant says it remains committed to diversity, equity and inclusion and has urged shareholders to reject anti-DEI proposal put forth by the National Center for Public Policy Research, a conservative think tank.

Costco

Costco also maintains its commitment and urged shareholders to reject National Center for Public Policy Research's anti-DEI proposals. The wholesaler also pushed back on some of the conservative group's claims, calling them "misleading, at best."

Delta

In a recent earnings call, Delta's Chief Legal Officer and Corporate Secretary Peter Carter said the airline remains committed to DEI and environmental, social, and governance (ESG) policies because "they are critical to our business."

More on Axios: Appeals court suspends VC grant program for Black women entrepreneurs

Editor's Note: This is a developing story and will be updated.

Anduril Industries will build Arsenal-1 in Columbus, Ohio, propelling its plans to pump out tens of thousands of autonomous vehicles, sensors and weapons.

• The production lines could go hot as soon as July 2026, according to the company.

Why it matters: This is a make-or-break moment for the $14 billion neo-prime, as it's promised the Pentagon and investors alike an overhaul of defense manufacturing.

• Speculation ran wild after it hinted at an initial stateside megafactory and future copycats abroad in August.

The latest: The 5 million-square-foot Arsenal-1 will be erected near Rickenbacker International Airport, which has ties to the Ohio Air National Guard.

• A 700,000-square-foot facility already on the plot will be renovated.
• Barracuda cruise missiles and Roadrunner interceptors are early contenders for production. Energetics — materials found in ammo, warheads and more — aren't on the menu, period.
• The location grants Anduril access to a pair of 12,000-foot runways. Testing nearby is an option.

What we're watching: How Anduril taps a Rust Belt workforce amid louder and louder chatter of American reindustrialization.

• Chief executive Brian Schimpf told Axios in November available labor and state government enthusiasm were big factors.
• Intel is building a semiconducter shop miles down the road.

Context: Ohio is home to Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, the Air Force Research Laboratory and the National Air and Space Intelligence Center.

• Anduril is working closely with the service on collaborative combat aircraft. General Atomics is also on the drone wingmen project.

Catch up quick: Anduril secured $1.5 billion in funding over the summer. The money will be used in part for the facility.

• The company has other footprints in Rhode Island (focused on robo-subs), Mississippi (focused on solid rocket motors), Texas (where jammers and air autonomy are assessed) and Australia.
• No existing plants will be shuttered, Chief Strategy Officer Chris Brose told reporters.

The bottom line: "This is a massive milestone for Anduril on its journey as a company," Brose said.

• "We will be creating, with our partners in Ohio, something that does not currently exist in the American defense industrial base."

Go deeper: Central Ohio is an industrial development "sweet spot"

It took two presidents who can't stand each other to make a deal between Israel and Hamas.

• President-elect Trump swiftly claimed the victory for himself on Wednesday, while President Biden retorted sharply when a reporter asked if he or Trump really deserved the credit: "Is that a joke?"

Why it matters: Officials from the U.S., Israel and Qatar tell Axios the deal to free the hostages and end 15 months of war wouldn't have been possible without unprecedented coordination between their administrations.

• While Biden laid out the parameters of this deal all the way back in May and spent months pushing the parties to agree to it, Trump's public and private involvement "was the 10 cents missing for the dollar," one U.S. official told Axios.
• Both Israel and Hamas had far more incentive to sign on once they knew it was a deal with the incoming president, not just the outgoing one, another official acknowledged.

Flashback: After Trump's election victory, Biden and his team set a Gaza deal as their key foreign policy goal for the remaining 10 weeks in the White House.

• When Biden met Trump in the Oval Office a few days later, he proposed that they work together on a deal.
• The president-elect agreed, and decided he wanted an agreement before his inauguration.
• Biden's national security adviser Jake Sullivan and his top Middle East adviser Brett McGurk started meeting with their successors on the Trump team, Mike Waltz and Steve Witkoff, to coordinate their efforts.
• The ceasefire reached between Israel and Hezbollah in late November also provided new hope for a Gaza deal, and left Hamas more isolated than ever. "The ceasefire agreement in Lebanon was where the hostage deal really started," an Israeli official said.

The intrigue: On Dec. 2, Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C) went to Mar-a-Lago for a round of golf with Trump. "I told him that if he issues a statement about the hostages in Gaza it will be a big deal," Graham told Axios.

• Trump agreed and started dictating to his press team. The resulting Truth Social post said that if the hostages were not freed by Jan. 20, "There will be ALL HELL TO PAY in the Middle East, and for those in charge."
• That created a sense of urgency for the Qatari and Egyptian mediators, but also for Netanyahu, sources familiar with the talks say.

Several days later, Sullivan and McGurk travelled to Israel and met Netanyahu. The Prime Minister told them he wanted a deal on Trump's timeline.

• Sullivan, McGurk and CIA director Bill Burns all traveled to Doha to launch a final push for a deal.
• But Mohammad Sinwar, who succeeded his brother as Hamas' military leader in Gaza, refused to budge, and the gaps remained wide. U.S. officials also remained skeptical of Netanyahu's willingness to deal after he walked back promises and moved goalposts at previous points in the talks.
• As McGurk returned home for Christmas, it looked like the window for getting a deal before Trump assumed office was closing.

Trump decided to dispatch Witkoff to the region after talks picked back up in the New Year and began to show some momentum.

• "The president is exasperated," Witkoff, a real estate investor and Trump confidante, said at a press conference at Mar-a-Lago two days before he travelled to Doha.
• "If these hostages aren't back by the time I get into office, all hell will break out in the Middle East — it will not be good for Hamas or anybody else," Trump warned once again.
• McGurk later told Trump's envoy the time was ripe and his push was needed.

Zoom in: In meetings after his arrival last Friday, Witkoff stressed to the Qatari prime minister that Trump wanted a deal and expected the mediators to push Hamas to make one.

• He told Netanyahu: "Trump is serious about this deal, don't ruin this," according to a source briefed on their conversation.
• Witkoff also asked Netanyahu to send in more senior officials to negotiate, with a mandate to close the deal, the source said. Netanyahu agreed.
• Later that evening, Witkoff joined a meeting between Netanyahu and his chief negotiators. McGurk also dialed in. Over the next hour, the envoys from the two administrations probed the areas on which the Israelis were willing to be flexible.

What they're saying: An Israeli official told Axios that was an unprecedented moment in the U.S.-Israel relationship, and credited Witkoff for injecting "Trump momentum" into the meeting.

• "Witkoff played a crucial role in the negotiations over the last few days, applying pressure from Trump. It was an X-factor," another Israeli official said.
• Graham told Axios that all the players involved understood that Witkoff speaks for Trump. "People in the region don't want to start on a bad foot with Trump," he said.

Behind the scenes: From Israel, Witkoff traveled back to Doha and joined McGurk for 96 hours of intense diplomacy.

• In another unusual step for representatives of successive administrations, the two met together with Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani.

Behind the scenes: The final sprint in the negotiations took place at a Qatari government official residence. Hamas representatives were on the first floor with the Israelis on the second and the Qatari and Egyptian mediators shuttling between them.

• Negotiations dragged on until 3am each night and resumed in the morning after a few hours of sleep, a U.S. official said.
• Issue after issue was closed: The redeployment of Israeli forces; what Hamas must do during the ceasefire; the delivery of humanitarian aid; the sequencing of hostage and prisoner releases.
• On Wednesday morning, Hamas raised three new demands, according to a U.S. official. "We had to flex a muscle to get them to back off, and we did," the official said.

That afternoon local time, Hamas came back for a meeting with the Qatari and Egyptian mediators and gave its official positive response. "Only then we were sure we have a deal," the U.S. official said.

• The Qatari prime minister made the announcement: "We saw two U.S. administrations working together... what the U.S. did led to this moment."
• Next, Netanyahu called Trump and thanked him for his help in getting the deal. Only then did he call to thank Biden.

Big corporate donors to President-elect Trump's inaugural committee could soon find themselves in the crosshairs of his trade policy.

Why it matters: Ford, General Motors, Stellantis, Stanley Black & Decker and Apple's Tim Cook all have written seven-figure checks for Trump's inauguration, which is on track to outraise his first ceremony in 2017 and President Biden's in 2021.

• They've done so even though Trump's plan for new tariffs could seriously disrupt their bottom lines.

Zoom in: It's not clear what tariffs Trump will apply, on what goods, and when.

• But he's made a range of proposals that he says would protect U.S. businesses and create jobs — even as economists, businesses and others warn that new tariffs would make goods more expensive for consumers, juicing inflation.
• In one campaign rally, Trump proposed tariffs on Mexico of 100% to 400%. More recently he's touted a 25% tariff on all goods from Mexico and Canada. He's also floated tariffs of up to 60% on products from China and a 10% or 20% universal tariff.
• Trump recently posted on Truth Social that he believes new tariffs will help pay for the corporate tax cuts he wants and his popular campaign pledge to eliminate taxes on tips.

What they're saying: Some companies that gave to Trump's inauguration and have manufacturing plants abroad aren't so sure.

• In an earnings call before the November election, Stanley Black & Decker CEO Donald Allen said it's "unlikely" that tariffs would bring more manufacturing back to the U.S.
• "It's just not cost-effective to do," said Allen, whose company has plants in the U.S., Mexico, China, Brazil and the U.K.
• Allen added that the company has been planning for potential new U.S. tariffs, and has plans to move production out of China.

Automakers are navigating the possibility of being hit on multiple fronts: Tariffs on parts and products from Asia were an expected burden, but Trump's talk of tariffs on Mexico could hinder plans for new manufacturing plants there.

• The "Big Three" — General Motors, Ford, Stellantis — and Toyota are donating $1 million each to Trump's inauguration. All have plants in Mexico.

On an earnings call in late October, Apple's Cook was asked about the impact of tariffs on his company, which does most of its manufacturing in China.

• "I'm going to punt on that one," Cook said.

Cook is personally donating to the inauguration — not Apple.

• During Trump's first administration, Cook leveraged his relationship with the president to successfully make the case for tariff exemptions for Apple's iPhones, iPads and MacBooks, the Wall Street Journal reported in 2019.

Between the lines: Trump won the 2024 election without much help from many corporate donors, though he did ride a wave of donations from several billionaires, including Elon Musk.

• Trump's campaign featured a mix of pro-business proposals and government-skeptical populism.
• "You can't ignore the symbolism of wanting to be engaged with Trump" by donating to the inauguration, said Republican strategist Alex Conant, a partner at Firehouse Strategies. But how these companies could be affected by new tariffs is "definitely" top of mind, he added.
• "There's going to be winners and losers," Conant said.

Michael Glassner, a former Trump senior adviser who's opening an "America First"-aligned lobbying firm, said the inauguration donations themselves won't impact Trump's policies.

• "Creating American jobs, that's the number-one factor," he said. "That's going to get you a seat at the table."