Axios PM

May 27, 2024
πΊπΈ Good afternoon. Today's newsletter, edited by Zachary Basu, is 465 words, a 2-min. read. Thanks to Mickey Meece for copy editing.
β‘ Situational awareness: President Biden honored fallen troops at Arlington National Cemetery, where he praised their common commitment to "the idea of the United States of America."
1 big thing: Israel admits "tragic mistake"

The Israel Defense Forces opened an investigation into an airstrike last night that killed at least 45 Palestinians at a tent camp for displaced people in Rafah, Axios' Barak Ravid reports.
- Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called the civilian deaths "a tragic mistake."
Behind the scenes: The White House is now assessing whether the Israeli airstrike violated President Biden's "red line," two U.S. officials told Axios.
- Biden threatened earlier this month to suspend the delivery of some U.S.-made offensive weapons if Israel entered population centers in Rafah, the city in southern Gaza viewed as Hamas' last stronghold.
- U.S. officials later explained that a humanitarian crisis, as a result of the mass displacement of civilians from Rafah, could also constitute a violation of Biden's red line.
What they're saying: "The devastating images following the IDF strike in Rafah last night that killed dozens of innocent Palestinians are heartbreaking," a White House National Security Council spokesperson told Axios.
- "Israel has a right to go after Hamas ... but as we've been clear, Israel must take every precaution possible to protect civilians," the spokesperson said.
2. β World War II detectives

Military labs are making strides toward identifying the tens of thousands of soldiers killed in World War II and unaccounted for in the decades since, AP's Josh Funk reports.
- Why it matters: Generations of American families have been unable to honor their lost relatives with proper burials. The work of the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency is helping change that.
π¬ Zoom in: Forensic anthropologists, medical examiners and historians at a pair of federal labs in Nebraska and Hawaii are piecing together identities with the help of advances in DNA and X-ray technology.
- The labs have a goal of 200 identifications annually, with the number of success stories steadily rising since work began at Offutt Air Force Base near Omaha in 2013.
- About 82,000 soldiers from World War II and other conflicts remain unaccounted for. Experts believe about half of those remains are recoverable.
3. πΊπΈ Pics du jour

A traveling memorial flag for the Global War on Terrorism is displayed today near the Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall.

Go deeper: The meaning behind Memorial Day.
4. πββοΈ Women's sports surge


At least 20 professional women's sports teams will play their inaugural season in 2024, Axios' Ashley Mahoney and Simran Parwani report.
- Why it matters: It's a historic time for viewership and engagement in women's sports. Investors are taking notice.
Between the lines: Women's sports fans have higher engagement rates than men's sports fans, according to research by PricewaterhouseCoopers.
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