National

India suspended visa services for Canadian nationals on Thursday, marking a sharp escalation in the diplomatic crisis between the two countries.

Driving the news: Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau earlier this week alleged that agents of the Indian government may have been involved in the June killing of Sikh separatist Hardeep Singh Nijjar, a Canadian citizen, on Canadian soil. 

India has denied the allegations, calling them "absurd and motivated."

State of play: BLS International, the third party that processes visa applications for India in Canada, announced on its website this week that it would suspend its visa services starting Sept. 21 until further notice due to "operational reasons."

India issued an advisory Wednesday warning Indians considering travel to Canada to "exercise utmost caution" due to "growing anti-India activities and politically-condoned hate crimes and criminal violence in Canada."

Canada's Public Safety Minister Dominic LeBlanc dismissed the news of the travel advisory, telling reporters, "Canada is a safe country," the New York Times reported.

Trudeau spoke to reporters on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly Thursday, but sidestepped questions about whether Canada would retaliate for India's visa suspension and how extensive the evidence Canada had about its claim is.

"We call upon the government of India to take seriously this matter and to work with us to shed full transparency and ensure accountability and justice in this matter," Trudeau said.

"We are a country of the rule of law. We are going to continue to do the work necessary to keep Canadians safe, to uphold our values and the international-rules-based order," he added.

Zoom out: Earlier this week India and Canada engaged in a tit-for-tat expulsion of diplomats.

The Canadian Prime Minister's office did not immediately provide comment in response to a request from Axios on Thursday.

Editor's note: This story was updated with comments from Trudeau.

may have been involved in the killing of a Canadian citizen

India-Canada diplomatic row escalates after Trudeau's assassination claim

India has denied the allegations that it was involved in the killing of Hardeep Singh Nijjar.

Justin Trudeau speaks at a U.N. Security Council meeting on September 20. Photo: Spencer Platt/Getty Images

Canada

World

Earth's sixth mass extinction is already happening — and it is rapidly accelerating, researchers warned in a study out this week in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS) journal. 

Why it matters: The study adds to a growing understanding of how humans have — often negatively — impacted Earth's trajectory.

What they found: The study noted that animal species are going extinct at rates 35 times faster than the historical norm over the past million years.

Researchers highlighted the role of humans in the phenomenon, noting that animal species lost in the past 500 years would have taken about 18,000 to go extinct in the absence of humans.

Habitat destruction, illegal trade and climate disruption will likely continue to drive extinction rate acceleration in the coming decades, the study added.

The mass loss of animal species means losing a record of the planet's evolutionary history and potential, and will have ramifications for humans, Gerardo Ceballos, the study's lead author, told Axios. 

"There is life on the planet because of the plants and animals — wild plants and animals — and the ecosystems that they form," Ceballos said.

The crops humans use, the combination of gases of the atmosphere that make it suitable for life on Earth, and active compounds used for medications, are all in some ways dependent on plants and animals, he added.

By losing entire branches of genera, "we're losing the capability of the planet to maintain life in general, and to maintain human life in particular," Ceballos said.

State of play: The new research builds on a number of studies from past years that warned Earth is experiencing a sixth mass extinction.

Scientists have previously warned that up to 1 million species are threatened with extinction and some could be lost within decades.

A separate study published earlier this summer in the journal Biological Reviews noted that the sixth mass extinction, currently underway, is the first mass extinction "directly induced by a single species – humans."

Researchers in June proposed the demarcation of a new epoch to reflect humans' impact on Earth.

Yes but: Not all scientists are convinced that the current wildlife loss constitutes a sixth mass extinction.

"We have no idea how to identify a sixth mass extinction," Stuart Pimm, the Doris Duke Professor of Conservation Ecology at Duke University, told Axios.

Disagreeing with the premise of a sixth extinction doesn't mean disputing the fact that the Earth is experiencing wildlife loss that's much faster than in the last few million years, he stressed. 

"When you start saying, 'Well, how does this compare to what happened 65 million years ago?' That's when it gets really difficult," Pimm said.

Ceballos defined mass extinction as a catastrophic event that happens relatively quickly, is caused by a natural catastrophe, and wipes out 70% of the plants and animals on Earth.

The debate over whether a sixth mass extinction is occurring "doesn't really matter," Ceballos said.

Regardless of what you call it, Earth is facing massive biodiversity loss, climate change, and the toxification of the environment, he added.

Background: The last mass extinction occurred after an asteroid struck the earth roughly 66 million years ago.

Researchers found that the impact fundamentally changed the diversity and structure of tropical forests in South America.  

The bottom line: The new study notes that "immediate political, economic, and social efforts of an unprecedented scale" are necessary in order to prevent these mass extinctions and their impacts.

Humans have the science, technology, and knowledge "to do much better," Ceballos said.

Earth's sixth mass extinction is underway and "rapidly accelerating," study warns

The study adds to a growing understanding of how humans have — often negatively — impacted earth's trajectory.

Wild Puku antelopes in Botswana. Photo: Peter Charlesworth/LightRocket via Getty Images

Extinction

Earth&#x27;s sixth <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="mass extinction" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/2019/05/04/earth-faces-mass-extinctions" data-vars-content-id="7833d99a-2df8-48bf-8ee8-df58120807a2" data-vars-headline="Earth&#x27;s sixth mass extinction is underway and &quot;rapidly accelerating,&quot; study warns" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/2019/05/04/earth-faces-mass-extinctions" target="_self">mass extinction</a> is already happening — and it is rapidly accelerating, researchers warned in a <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="study" data-vars-click-url="https://www.pnas.org/doi/full/10.1073/pnas.2306987120" data-vars-content-id="7833d99a-2df8-48bf-8ee8-df58120807a2" data-vars-headline="Earth&#x27;s sixth mass extinction is underway and &quot;rapidly accelerating,&quot; study warns" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.pnas.org/doi/full/10.1073/pnas.2306987120" target="_blank">study</a> out this week in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS) journal. Why it matters: The study adds to a growing understanding of how humans have — often negatively — impacted Earth&#x27;s trajectory.

A look at the scientific breakthroughs changing the world, explorations in space and in worlds beyond our own and the threats posed to us by our own planet, both out of our control and of our own making.

Science

Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas attended at least two donor events for the conservative political Koch network over the years, according to a ProPublica investigation published Friday.

Why it matters: The new allegations come as the Supreme Court is poised to consider a case the Koch network is behind that could overturn a longstanding precedent.

The Supreme Court's new term, beginning in October, includes a case that could see it reconsider its past ruling in the landmark 1984 Chevron v. NRDC case, which set a precedent relating to the powers of federal agencies. 

The Koch Network has long pushed to see Chevron overturned, per ProPublica. Thomas has also criticized the Chevron doctrine in the past.

A spokesperson for the Supreme Court did not respond to a request for comment.

Details: Thomas spoke at a private dinner in California in 2018 for Koch network donors, ProPublica reported.

It's unclear who paid for Thomas' private flight to the event; the justice didn't report it in his financial disclosure that year. The Koch Network denied paying for it, per the report.

A spokesperson for the Koch network told ProPublica that Thomas "wasn't present for fundraising conversations," but declined to say whether Thomas' appearances at the donor summits were ever connected to a particular initiative or program.

Thomas made a "brief drop-by" at the Koch Network summit in 2008, a Supreme Court spokesperson acknowledged years ago.

What they're saying: "All of the sitting Justices and many who came before them have contributed to the national dialogue in speeches, book tours, and social gatherings. Our events are no different. To claim otherwise is false," Gretchen Reiter, a spokesperson for Stand Together — the formal name of the Koch network — told Axios, in a statement that was also shared with ProPublica.

Zoom in: Thomas' relationship to the Kochs goes beyond his attendance at the conservative network's summits.

Thomas built a "yearslong, personal relationship with the Koch brothers" during visits to Bohemian Grove, a "secretive all-men's retreat in Northern California," ProPublica reported.

Thomas has been a regular at the Grove for 25 years as the guest of Harlan Crow, a GOP megadonor linked to Thomas' other alleged ethical breaches, per the investigation.

The big picture: Thomas made headlines this year for allegedly failing to properly disclose luxury trips received from Crow over two decades, as well as property he sold to Crow. 

In his annual financial disclosure filed last month, Thomas acknowledged taking flights on Crow's private jet in 2022. 

The disclosure also contained new information that the justice said was "inadvertently omitted" from past financial disclosures, including about the property Crow purchased from Thomas.

Crow also made tuition payments on behalf of Thomas' grandnephew, a separate ProPublica report found.

Thomas has pushed back on criticism of his conduct, saying in April that he has "always sought to comply with the disclosure guidelines."

Other Supreme Court justices, like Justice Samuel Alito and Justice Neil Gorsuch, have faced ethics scrutiny this year.

What to watch: The slew of revelations fueled fresh calls from some Democrats for a new code of ethics for the Supreme Court.

Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) has led that charge. 

In a statement, he claimed the latest revelations about Thomas raise "serious questions about his impartiality in cases squarely confronting the Chevron doctrine," and called on Thomas to recuse himself from the upcoming case that concerns the Chevron precedent.

Clarence Thomas attended Koch Network donor events: report

It's the latest report about the Supreme Court justice's purported ethical breaches.

Clarence Thomas during the formal group photograph

Clarence Thomas in Oct. 2022. Photo: Eric Lee/Bloomberg via Getty Images

Supreme Court

Supreme Court Justice <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="Clarence Thomas" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/2023/04/07/clarence-thomas-response-trips" data-vars-content-id="9c8b1ff2-4bac-49ef-abbd-7396b141afbf" data-vars-headline="Clarence Thomas attended Koch Network donor events: report" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/2023/04/07/clarence-thomas-response-trips" target="_self">Clarence Thomas</a> attended at least two donor events for the conservative political Koch network over the years, according to a <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="ProPublica investigation" data-vars-click-url="https://www.propublica.org/article/clarence-thomas-secretly-attended-koch-brothers-donor-events-scotus" data-vars-content-id="9c8b1ff2-4bac-49ef-abbd-7396b141afbf" data-vars-headline="Clarence Thomas attended Koch Network donor events: report" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.propublica.org/article/clarence-thomas-secretly-attended-koch-brothers-donor-events-scotus" target="_blank">ProPublica investigation</a> published Friday.Why it matters: The new allegations come as the Supreme Court is poised to consider a case the <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="Koch network" data-vars-click-url="https://www.nytimes.com/2019/08/23/us/politics/david-koch-republican-politics.html" data-vars-content-id="9c8b1ff2-4bac-49ef-abbd-7396b141afbf" data-vars-headline="Clarence Thomas attended Koch Network donor events: report" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.nytimes.com/2019/08/23/us/politics/david-koch-republican-politics.html" target="_blank">Koch network</a> is behind that could overturn a longstanding precedent.

President Biden has made the COVID-19 crisis and a post-Trump return to national unity and traditional democratic ideals his top priorities. From vaccinations to stimulus to schools, Biden is seeking bipartisan compromise while showing a willingness to use executive authority and bare Democratic majorities in the U.S. House and Senate to implement his policies. Republican leaders are navigating deep party divisions over if and how to move beyond former President Trump.

Politics & Policy

President Biden announced a new $325 million aid package for Ukraine during Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky's visit Thursday.

Why it matters: Zelensky's visit comes at a crucial moment for Ukraine, as it seeks to shore up support and secure additional funding for its counteroffensive against Russia.

What they're saying: "Today I approved the next tranche of U.S. security assistance to Ukraine including more artillery, more ammunition, more anti-tank weapons and next week, the first U.S. Abrams tanks will be delivered to Ukraine," Biden said.

The latest aid package will focus on bolstering Ukraine's air defense capabilities, Biden said.

Details: In addition to meeting Biden, Zelensky had a closed-door meeting Thursday afternoon with U.S. senators, many of whom publicly praised the wartime leader afterward. 

They discussed "the battlefield situation and priority defense needs," Zelensky wrote in a post on X Thursday, thanking senators for their support.

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) also took to X to share a photo with Zelensky, writing that "American support for Ukraine is not charity. It's in our own direct interests."

Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) praised Zelensky's "powerful, heartfelt message," also sharing a photo from the meeting.

Of note: House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) on Thursday said he denied Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky's request to deliver a joint address to Congress. 

"Zelensky asked for a joint session, we just didn't have time. He's already given a joint session," McCarthy told reporters Thursday.

Earlier Thursday, following his meeting with House lawmakers, House Foreign Affairs Committee Chair Michael McCaul (R-Texas) told reporters the president had "world courage and world clarity."

State of play: Biden in August requested $24 billion of additional aid for the country. 

"Mr. Zelensky said, 'If we don't get the aid, we will lose the war,'" Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) told reporters Thursday.

But Republican opposition for additional aid for Kyiv has been mounting. In a letter to the Biden administration Thursday, 29 Republicans voiced their opposition to the funding.

Zoom out: Zelensky addressed the UN Security Council Wednesday, condemning Russia's "criminal and unprovoked aggression" and the UN's inaction.

Russia launched massive strikes against Ukraine Thursday, ahead of Zelensky's meeting with President Biden, Congress and the Pentagon.

"We must work together to fully deprive Russia of its terrorist potential.  At my meetings, air defense will be among top priorities," Zelensky posted on X Thursday.

Worth noting: The Department of Defense said Thursday that its Ukraine operations are exempt from a potential government shutdown, which is becoming increasingly inevitable.

Go deeper: Zelensky's frosty welcome to D.C.

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

Biden announces $325 million in Ukraine aid during Zelensky visit

Zelensky's visit to D.C. comes at a crucial moment for Ukraine.

Presidents Biden and Zelensky with first ladies Jill Biden and Olena Zelenska at the White House on Sept. 21.

Presidents Biden and Zelensky with first ladies Jill Biden and Olena Zelenska at the White House on Sept. 21. Photo: SAUL LOEB/AFP via Getty Images

Russian invasion of Ukraine

Ukraine

President Biden announced a new <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="$325 million aid package" data-vars-click-url="https://www.defense.gov/News/Releases/Release/Article/3534283/biden-administration-announces-additional-security-assistance-for-ukraine/" data-vars-content-id="a3cda933-c8e0-4b19-9695-3f2d2ceed6eb" data-vars-headline="Biden announces $325 million in Ukraine aid during Zelensky visit" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.defense.gov/News/Releases/Release/Article/3534283/biden-administration-announces-additional-security-assistance-for-ukraine/" target="_blank">$325 million aid package</a> for Ukraine during Ukrainian President <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="Volodymyr Zelensky&#x27;s" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/2023/09/19/zelensky-russia-un-children-kidnap-genocide" data-vars-content-id="a3cda933-c8e0-4b19-9695-3f2d2ceed6eb" data-vars-headline="Biden announces $325 million in Ukraine aid during Zelensky visit" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/2023/09/19/zelensky-russia-un-children-kidnap-genocide" target="_self">Volodymyr Zelensky&#x27;s</a> visit Thursday.Why it matters: Zelensky&#x27;s visit comes at a crucial moment for Ukraine, as it seeks to shore up support and secure <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="additional funding" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/2023/08/10/biden-ukraine-aid-republicans-gop" data-vars-content-id="a3cda933-c8e0-4b19-9695-3f2d2ceed6eb" data-vars-headline="Biden announces $325 million in Ukraine aid during Zelensky visit" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/2023/08/10/biden-ukraine-aid-republicans-gop" target="_self">additional funding</a> for its <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="counteroffensive" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/2023/06/08/what-watch-ukraine-counteroffensive-latest" data-vars-content-id="a3cda933-c8e0-4b19-9695-3f2d2ceed6eb" data-vars-headline="Biden announces $325 million in Ukraine aid during Zelensky visit" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/2023/06/08/what-watch-ukraine-counteroffensive-latest" target="_self">counteroffensive</a> against Russia.

Attorney General Merrick Garland defended the Justice Department's independence Wednesday during a lengthy House Judiciary Committee hearing that touched on the investigations into Hunter Biden and former President Trump.

Driving the news: "I am not the president's lawyer. I will add I am not Congress' prosecutor. The Justice Department works for the American people," Garland told the committee, which is led by chair Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio).

"No one that I know of has spoken to the White House about the Hunter Biden case," Garland said.

Catch up quick: Garland announced in August that he was appointing U.S. Attorney for Delaware David Weiss, a Trump appointee, as special counsel to lead the investigation into Hunter Biden.

Hunter Biden was indicted earlier this month, following a scuttled plea deal, on three counts related to his alleged illegal possession of a firearm. He will plead not guilty to those charges, his attorney said this week in a letter to the judge in the case.

Garland repeatedly insisted during questioning that he has not interfered with Weiss' investigation into Hunter Biden.

Garland also pushed back against Republican questioning on the fairness of appointing Weiss to oversee the Hunter Biden probe, pointing out more than once that Weiss was appointed U.S. Attorney by Trump.

Rep. Ken Buck (R-Colo.) was one of the few Republicans to defend Garland during the hearing, noting that Garland would have been criticized no matter what actions he took with regard to the Hunter Biden probe.

"If Garland, upon becoming attorney general, had asked for Weiss' resignation, he would have been accused of obstruction. Had Garland removed Weiss a year later for moving too slowly, he would have been accused of interference," Buck said.

"You would have been criticized either way," Buck said.

The big picture: Garland's appearance comes shortly after the House GOP opened an impeachment inquiry into President Biden — and offered insight into how those proceedings could unfold ahead of an initial hearing set for next week. 

 The inquiry followed Republicans' ongoing probe into the president's involvement with the business dealings of his son Hunter — though they've uncovered no substantial evidence of a pay-to-play scheme between the president and his family.

House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) threatened earlier this summer to open an impeachment inquiry into Garland over the probe into Hunter Biden, claiming Garland was weaponizing the DOJ.

Meanwhile, grand juries convened by Garland-appointed special counsel Jack Smith have indicted Trump two times, over alleged mishandling of classified documents and efforts to overturn the 2020 election.

House Judiciary Committee Chair Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) announced earlier this month that he had launched an inquiry into Smith's office over accusations of prosecutorial abuse.

Trump has pleaded not guilty to all charges.

During the hearing, Garland noted that Smith's work on the Trump investigations "can be measured by what he actually has filed. Everyone in the country can see the indictments."

Of note: Garland also disputed Trump's claim during a recent interview with NBC News that Biden instructed Garland to indict him.

Garland said "the decision to indict was made by the special counsel."

Editor's note: This story has been updated with additional details throughout. It has also been corrected to reflect one reference of Garland's remarks taking place on Wednesday, not Tuesday.

"I am not the president's lawyer": Garland defends DOJ before House GOP

"I will add I am not Congress' prosecutor. The Justice Department works for the American people."

Attorney General Merrick Garland during a hearing of the House Committee on the Judiciary on Sept. 20. Photo: Mandel Ngan/AFP via Getty Images

Merrick Garland

<a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="Attorney General Merrick Garland" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/2023/01/12/biden-classified-documents-special-counsel" data-vars-content-id="b7b74e05-28f3-4e2b-8233-15e15f37bbc9" data-vars-headline="&quot;I am not the president&#x27;s lawyer&quot;: Garland defends DOJ before House GOP" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/2023/01/12/biden-classified-documents-special-counsel" target="_self">Attorney General Merrick Garland</a> defended the Justice Department&#x27;s independence Wednesday during a lengthy House Judiciary Committee hearing that touched on the investigations into <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="Hunter Biden" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/2023/01/12/biden-classified-documents-special-counsel" data-vars-content-id="b7b74e05-28f3-4e2b-8233-15e15f37bbc9" data-vars-headline="&quot;I am not the president&#x27;s lawyer&quot;: Garland defends DOJ before House GOP" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/2023/01/12/biden-classified-documents-special-counsel" target="_self">Hunter Biden</a> and <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="former President Trump" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/2023/08/15/trump-indictments-charges-counts" data-vars-content-id="b7b74e05-28f3-4e2b-8233-15e15f37bbc9" data-vars-headline="&quot;I am not the president&#x27;s lawyer&quot;: Garland defends DOJ before House GOP" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/2023/08/15/trump-indictments-charges-counts" target="_self">former President Trump</a>.Driving the news: &quot;I am not the president&#x27;s lawyer. I will add I am not Congress&#x27; prosecutor. The Justice Department works for the American people,&quot; Garland told the committee, which is led by chair Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio).

Ivana Saric

Stories

Clarence Thomas attended Koch Network donor events: report

Earth's sixth mass extinction is underway and "rapidly accelerating," study warns

Biden announces $325 million in Ukraine aid during Zelensky visit

India-Canada diplomatic row escalates after Trudeau's assassination claim

"I am not the president's lawyer": Garland defends DOJ before House GOP